The race to vaccinate millions of Americans against COVID-19 is off to a slow start, with only about 2.8 million Americans having received a vaccine going into the last day of 2020, putting the United States far short of the government's target to vaccinate 20 million people this month.
About 14 million doses of Pfizer's and Moderna's vaccines have been distributed to states so far, federal officials told reporters on Wednesday.
Shots are reaching nursing home residents at an even slower pace than others first in line even though they are most at risk of dying of the virus.
Only 170, autel maxisys elite $2399
. 000 people in long-term care facilities received a shot as of December 30, even though 2.2 million doses were distributed for residents, according to data released from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Terry Beth Hadler was so eager to get a lifesaving COVID-19 vaccination that the 69-year-old piano teacher stood in line overnight in a parking lot with hundreds of other senior citizens for.
Hadler told The Associated Press news agency she would not do it again.
Hadler said she waited 14 hours and a brawl nearly erupted before dawn on Tuesday when people cut in line outside the library in Bonita Springs, Florida, where officials were offering shots on a first-come, first-served basis to those 65 or older.
"I'm afraid that the event was a super-spreader," she said. "I was petrified."
Overworked, underfunded state public health departments are scrambling to patch together plans for administering vaccines. Counties and hospitals have taken different approaches, leading to long lines, confusion, frustration and jammed phone lines.
On December 4, FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn told the Reuters news agency that vaccinating 20 million Americans by year-end was realistic, depending on the vaccination campaign.
Since then, officials have said they are committed to making enough doses available without commenting on targets for actual vaccinations as it has become clear that inoculations are falling short of the number of doses distributed.
A multitude of logistical concerns has complicated the process of trying to beat back the scourge that has killed more than 340,000 people in the US, according to the Johns Hopkins University tally.
Dr Ashish Jha, a health policy researcher and dean of the Brown University School of Public Health said the main problem is that states are not getting adequate financial or technical support from the federal government.
Jha told the AP news athe Trump administration, principally the Department of Health and Human Services, has set states up to fail.
"There's a lot states still need to do," he said, "but you need a much more active role from the federal government than what they have been willing to do. They've largely said to states, ‘This is your responsibility. Figure it out.'"
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis asked for patience on Wednesday, noting the vaccine supply is limited.
"It may not be today for everyone, may not be next week. But over the next many weeks, as long as we continue getting the supply, you're going to have the opportunity to get this," DeSantis said.
A US Department of Health and Human Services spokesperson said in a statement the "rapid availability and distribution of so many doses – with 20 million first doses allocated for distribution just 18 days after the first vaccine was granted emergency use authorization – is a testament to the success of Operation Warp Speed".
Doses that have been allocated but not distributed will ship in January.
The government said that for every dose shipped, it is keeping a second dose in reserve as well as a safety stock, which would bring the total number of vaccine doses closer to 40 million.
US vaccinations of the country's 21 million healthcare workers began on December 14. Inoculations of the country's three million nursing home residents, who are also in the first priority group, started shortly afterwards.
Some 51 million US front-line essential workers, like firefighters, police, and teachers, as well as people older than 75 should be next to receive a vaccine, a CDC advisory pan...

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Dick Kernen, a giant of Michigan broadcasting who boosted the careers of countless familiar on-air voices and faces, died of natural causes Friday at home in Dearborn, his family confirmed. He was 82.
Kernen, who started with WXYZ-AM in the '50s and helped form WRIF-FM in the '70s, was vice president of industry relations at the Specs Howard School of Media Arts in Southfield, where he had worked since 1972.
A 2003 Michigan Broadcasting Hall of Fame inductee, Kernen was a guiding hand - both inside and outside Specs Howard - to some of the best-known names on the local airwaves in recent decades, having worked closely with the likes of Arthur Penhallow, Glenda Lewis, Autel maxisys elite
. Carmen Harlan, Charlie Langton, Amy Andrews, Joe Wade Formicola and more.
"He was a mentor to so, so many personalities now all over the world, and certainly here in Detroit," said Doug Podell, a longtime disc jockey and programmer now on the air at WLLZ-FM (106.7). "I don't think there's a person on the air here that didn't have some sort of relationship with him."
More: Founder of Detroit-style Pizza Company, Shawn Randazzo, dies at 44
More: WJR news director Dick Haefner says goodbye to listeners after 51 years on Detroit radio
Tom Bender, who retired in 2016 as vice president of Greater Media, was a friend for more than 50 years. He said Kernen remained an important sounding board and source of counsel through his professional life.
"It's a terrible loss for all of the people, including me, who owe a lot of their livelihood and careers to Dick's mentorship," Bender said. "I had a million questions about how radio worked, and he had a million answers. He was a great human being and a great student of the industry - your proverbial wise man."
At Specs Howard, friends and colleagues said, Kernen was more than a trade-school executive, using personal connections to help graduates land jobs, particularly across the Midwest.
"Dick Kernen was the heart and soul of Specs Howard. That's really who you dealt with when you were there," said Podell. "He always took the time out to try and help these kids find jobs. He'd call Toledo, he'd call Peoria, wherever, whenever, however, to try to help."
Updates on how the coronavirus is affecting your community and the nation
Kernen got his own foot in the radio door in the 1950s, working at Walled Lake Casino dancehall spinning records before landing a job with WXYZ-AM in 1956. He was with the station for 12 years, doing stints as music director and assistant program director during its Top 40 heyday.
Detroit, then the nation's fifth-biggest media market, was crucial to the record industry, breaking hits ahead of the curve and developing audience-research innovations, Kernen recalled in a 2003 Free Press interview.
At WXYZ-AM, he said, "We'd be all over a song, and we would be looking at Billboard, and the thing would be like No. 55 (nationally), with no bullet. And we're going ‘Where the hell is everybody on this thing?' And by the time the thing finally broke into the Top 10, we were on to something else.''
In 1968, Kernen was tapped by ABC Radio as program director at WXYZ-FM, where he battled WABX and WWWW for the ears of hip, young rock fans during a revolutionary period in the radio world.
"What we were basically in the business of doing - and I'm saying us, 'ABX, W4 - was still trying to sort of figure who they were at the time. The idea was to out-hip each other," Kernen said. "Who could be hipper? Who could get the sanction of (hippie luminary) John Sinclair?"
His on-air hires included Jerry Lubin, Dan Carlisle and Peter Werbe, and Kernen ventured to Howell to enlist the services of a young Penhallow, who would go on to one of the most storied careers in Detroit rock radio.
In 1971, Kernen led the station's transformation into WRIF-FM, ceding the bohemian battle to WABX and aiming for a more commercial approach.
"Here's a concept: Why don't we try to find out what the people listening would like to hear, as opposed to what six nitwits want to hear," he recalled of his thinking at the time. "So we began d...

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LONDON (AP) - British officials are considering tougher coronavirus restrictions as the number of hospitalized COVID-19 patients surpasses the first peak of the outbreak in the spring.
Authorities are blaming a new, more transmissible variant of the virus, first identified in southeast England, for the soaring infection rates. An area home to almost half of the people in England is under tight restrictions on movement and everyday life in an attempt to curb the spread of the virus. Nonessential shops are shut along with gyms and swimming pools, autel maxisys elite $2399
. indoor socializing is barred and restaurants and pubs can only offer takeout.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson plans to hold a meeting of his COVID-19 crisis committee later Tuesday. Health Secretary Matt Hancock is scheduled to update Parliament on Wednesday on whether more areas will be put into Tier 4 - the top level of lockdown measures - and whether the restrictions could be tightened even further.
Hospitals in the worst-hit areas of London and southern England are becoming increasingly overstretched, with ambulances unable to unload patients at some hospitals because all beds are full. A growing number of National Health Service staff are off work because they are sick with the virus or self-isolating.
England had 20,426 coronavirus patients in hospitals as of Monday morning - the last day for which figures are available - compared to its previous high of 18,974 on April 12. Britain has recorded more than 71,000 confirmed coronavirus deaths, the second-highest death toll in Europe after Italy.
A further 414 deaths were reported Tuesday, along with a record 53,135 new cases, although that figure may include a backlog from the Christmas holiday period.
Steve Hams, a chief nurse at Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust in western England, said medical staff were becoming "increasingly exhausted."
"We felt during April that there would be an end to this. But actually, we're now seeing a third peak so trying to keep our colleagues and our teams going through this time is just incredibly difficult," he told the BBC.
Dr. Sonia Adesara, an emergency-room doctor in London, said "doctors and nurses are having leave cancelled, they're doing extra shifts, they're working extra long hours but its an extremely serious situation."
"The situation is untenable and I think we are very close to becoming overwhelmed," she said.
Some scientists are urging Johnson's Conservative government to postpone plans to reopen schools next week after the Christmas break. The government plans to test students regularly for the virus and 1,500 armed forces personnel have been called in to support schools as they organize the testing.
Andrew Hayward, a professor of infectious diseases epidemiology at University College London, said the fast-spreading virus variant meant that for U.K. schools to reopen, other sectors would have to close.
"We're going to have to have increased, strict restrictions in other areas of society to pay for that," he said.
Simon Stevens, chief executive of the NHS, said health care workers were back in "the eye of the storm" as they had been in the spring.
Stevens said the coronavirus vaccines provided hope, and estimated that all vulnerable people in Britain could be inoculated against the virus by late spring 2021. So far, more than 600,000 people in the U.K. have been given a shot of a vaccine developed by U.S. drugmaker Pfizer and German firm BioNTech, out of a population of 67 million.
On Tuesday some of the first people in the U.K. to be inoculated received their second and final injection.
Margaret Keenan, 91, who on Dec. 8 became the first person in the world to receive a rigorously tested COVID-19 vaccine, had the follow-up shot at a hospital in the central England city of Coventry.
The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is given in two doses three weeks apart. Its developers say it conferred 95% immunity in clinical trials.
Officials and medics hope U.K. regulators will soon authorize a second coronavirus vaccine for use in Britain. The Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency is assessing a vaccine made by AstraZeneca ...

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Would you pay £11,500 for a 14-year-oldJapanese 4x4with 260,000 miles on the clock? People do. Said 4x4 is theToyota Land Cruiser Amazon , the supersizeLand Cruiser J100of 1998 to 2007. That price is of the ‘asking' variety, of course. We're not sure what it and others like it actually go for, but with rust establishing a toehold (especially on pre-facelift models), See: TPMS Programming Tool. the automatic height control (AHC) suspension showing its age and electrical gremlins rife, it has to be lower.
Not by much, though. The Land Cruiser Amazon J100 and its smaller relative, the Land Cruiser J120 of 2002-'09, are admired the world over for their reliability and comfort. They're among the slowest-depreciating cars on the market, the smaller J120 especially so. Being more expensive, less economical and, frankly, a little unnecessary, the larger Amazon depreciated faster from new, but today prices have levelled out. Most people want the diesel version, but if you can afford the fuel bills, the petrol model is better value. Prices for tidy petrols with reasonable mileage and a good history start at around £8000; equivalent diesels cost twice that. An obvious rival is the Range Rover, but how many 14-year-old ones are going strong after 200,000 miles?
Apart from an uprated automatic gearbox, some discreet remapping and in-service technical improvements, the Amazon J100 remained largely unchanged during its near 10-year run. There was a last-minute facelift in 2006, chief among the changes being a new grille; otherwise, a 1998 Amazon isn't much different from one registered six years later. There's the same AHC suspension system, an automatic, self-levelling affair ideal for towing and which also offers a choice of ride-height modes from low to high.
Power outputs are the same, too: 228bhp from the 4.7 V8 petrol and 201bhp from the 4.2 straight-six diesel. In support, the petrol can muster 302lb ft from 3400rpm and the diesel 317lb ft from just 1400rpm. On the road, then, a 2300kg Amazon is satisfyingly quick.
Automatic gearboxes were standard. Initially, it was a three-speed unit with overdrive but from 2004 it grew an extra gear. The diesel was also available with an optional five-speed manual 'box. Today, a manual Amazon diesel is rare and sought after. Inside, seven seats are standard (the rear pair are individual and removable), as are air-con (the higher-grade VX has climate control), cruise control and side steps. Classy touches include heated side windows and powered rear-quarter vents.
Naturally, the Amazon has its problems, detailed on the right, but it is fundamentally a solidly engineered beast built for some of the harshest conditions the planet can throw at it. Fortunately, while it can venture into the loneliest places on earth, thanks to an active and helpful club scene and some great specialist garages, you'll never feel abandoned.
Toyota's rough-and-ready, old-school, unstoppable 4x4 gets a bit less rough-and-ready. Likeably simple and functional, and worth considering if you need a genuine dual-purpose SUV
Julian Voelcker, Overland Cruisers:"You don't buy an Amazon for its economy. It's a comfortable, powerful and reliable workhorse. If it's been serviced properly, the engines take high mileages in their stride, but the transmission and suspension get tired. It's not immune to rust, especially at the back along the sills, but if it's not terminal, you shouldn't be put off. You could buy a mechanically sound one for £6000, spend £2000 getting the rust fixed and you'd have an £8000 4x4 that's good for another 10 years. Facelift cars are usefully improved and corrosion should be less advanced."
â–  Engine:Beware shonky V8 LPG conversions. A smoky diesel will fail its MOT; check its EGR valve hasn't been blanked off. Inspect injector pump for leaks. Petrol and diesel timing belts need changing every 100,000 miles or six years, with the water pump. Oil changes are every 6000. Diesels are noisy from cold but should quieten once warm.
â–  Transmission re-facelift auto can suffer torque converter failure. Noises from the front axles as you pull away could be front outer CV joints wearing.
â–  Air conditioning:Rumbling ...

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Netflix's glamorous period series "Bridgerton" dropped Christmas Day, giving romance fans a gorgeous eight-episode escape from the pandemic. And if you've already begun to binge the series, you probably noticed thpanying the stunning costumes, lavish ballroom scenes and witty dialogue is a soundtrack filled with classical covers of modern songs.
It might be a little hard to put your finger on exactly what song you're listening to, You may also like: Autel diagnostic scanner. as the "Bridgerton" covers truly make these pop tracks sound like they were made for string quartets. But don't worry, because TheWrap has the complete soundtrack listing for all the covers below.
Based on Julia Quinn's romance novel series of the same name, "Bridgerton" follows Daphne Bridgerton (Phoebe Dynevor), the eldest daughter of the powerful Bridgerton family as she makes her debut onto Regency London's competitive marriage market. Hoping to follow in her parents' footsteps and find a match sparked by true love, Daphne's prospects initially seem to be unrivaled. But as her older brother begins to rule out her potential suitors, the high society scandal sheet written by the mysterious Lady Whistledown (voiced by Julie Andrews) casts aspersions on Daphne. Enter the highly desirable and rebellious Duke of Hastings (Regé-Jean Page), committed bachelor and the catch of the season for the debutantes' mamas. Despite proclaiming that they want nothing the other has to offer, their attraction is undeniable, and sparks fly as they find themselves engaged in an increasing battle of wits while navigating society's expectations for their future.
"Bridgerton" also stars Golda Rosheuvel, Jonathan Bailey, Luke Newton, Claudia Jessie, Nicola Coughlan, Ruby Barker, Sabrina Bartlett, Ruth Gemmell, Adjoa Andoh, Polly Walker, Ben Miller, Bessie Carter and Harriet Cains.
The series was created by Chris Van Dusen who also serves as showrunner on the eight-episode drama. Van Dusen executive produces along with Shonda Rhimes and Betsy Beers, under their Shondaland banner for Netflix. Directors include Julie Ann Robinson, Sheree Folkson, Tom Verica and Alrick Riley.
Here are all the songs that get classical covers in "Bridgerton":
Ariana Grande's "thank u, next"
Maroon 5's "Girls Like You"
Shawn Mendes' "In My Blood"
Billie Eilish's "bad guy"
Celeste's "Strange (feat. Hillary Smith)"
Taylor Swift's "Wildest Dreams"
If you want to own any of these, you're in luck: Lakeshore Records has released two soundtracks for the show, one for the covers, which you can find here, and the other for its original music, written by composer Kris Bowers, which you can purchase here.

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Ferrari N.V. ("Ferrari" or "the Company") ranked among the global leaders in environmental performance and transparency in the annual report published by CDP (Carbon Disclosure Project), the independent non-profit organisation specialising in environmental reporting and in the evaluation of corporate sustainability strategies. The Maranello-based company was awarded an A- rating, ranking significantly above both the European regional average and the sector's average, for actions implemented to combat climate change.
The CDP evaluation fully acknowledged Ferrari's efforts and progress to mitigate global warming. In the CDP Climate Change questionnaire the Company particularly distinguished itself in the Governance, Risk Management & Business Strategy categories, as well as for its accurate reporting on emissions of Scope 1 and Scope 2.
The journey towards sustainability started by the Prancing Horse has resulted in recent years in a constant emission reduction from production plants and vehicles. Ferrari's commitment will intensify over the next years with the objective to become "carbon-neutral", through a series of actions aimed at reducing the emissions produced and offsetting the residual emissions.
CDP evaluates companies by applying an independent methodology and assigning a score ranging from A to D, based on completeness of information, awareness gained on environmental issues and evidence of the progress made in the fight against climate change.
The main developments and results achieved by Ferrari in these key areas are presented in the Sustainability Report.

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Big Sean has talked frequently throughout his career about the value of staying true to yourself.
So it's no surprise that theme was underscored when the star rapper met with an aspiring teen musician from Detroit for a recent career mentoring session.
Nyla Lewis, a 19-year-old rapper-singer, landed the opportunity as part of a new McDonald's initiative - Black & Positively Golden Mentors - that also earns her one-on-one time with marketing and digital execs at Roc Nation.
Excerpts of their virtual meeting debuted Wednesday on Instagram, as 32-year-old Big Sean offered advice and took questions from the high-spirited young Lewis. He reflected on his own early days in the hip-hop game.
"I used to try and be like so many other people," he said. "Then I realized that I can maybe be inspired by those people and take from things they've done - but make it my own. Because I'm the best at being me."
Big Sean pointed to a pivotal bit of support he got as a kid: He recounted his first go at writing a rap piece as an 11-year-old and performing for his mom, Myra Anderson, You may need: Car Battery Tester. now director of his Sean Anderson Foundation.
"That was a crucial moment for me. She could have definitely shut me down right there on the spot," he told Lewis. "But she didn't – she encouraged it and kept me motivated and kept me going."
Their segment is second in a Black & Positively Golden series that kicked off last month with computer whiz and Dream Hustle Code founder Ian Michael Brock.
Wednesday also brought the latest music video from Sean's "Detroit 2" album, an at-times steamy clip for "Body Language" with Jhené Aiko and featuring guest Ty Dolla Sign.
The album, released in September after a pandemic-prompted delay, has netted Big Sean a best rap performance Grammy nomination for the track "Deep Reverence," featuring Nipsey Hussle.
During a Monday media event to talk about the mentoring program, Sean cited the late L.A. rapper as he offered another chestnut of career wisdom to Lewis.
"It's a marathon," Big Sean said in a nod to the artistic and entrepreneurial approach that was core to Hussle's identity.
"When you're doing things for the right reason," he added, "you're going to get your opportunity. "It's going to fall into place. You're going to get that time to prove yourself, whatever way that is."
Big Sean also looked back on 2020, a year marked by anxiety, turbulence and loss. But he said for those willing to seize the moment, it's also a time to be thoughtful and take stock - to "explore inner space."
"When you go through these moments, a time like this, you've got to wonder: Is this a cocoon?" he said. "Are we ready to come out of it and be bigger, brighter and greater, an elevated version of ourselves?"
More: Beyoncé leads Grammy nominations; Big Sean, Royce da 5'9", Kiki Sheard among Detroit noms
More: Big Sean says 'Detroit 2' is a salute to his city's 'undeniable soul,' with aim to inspire
McDonald's has touted the Black & Positively Golden program as part of a broader push to support achievement and leadership in the Black community. Earlier this year, for instance, the company launched a $500,000 scholarship fund for students at historically Black colleges and universities.
Detroit gospel singer Kierra Sheard, journalist Jamila Lemieux and NASCAR driver Bubba Wallace are among the figures on deck as Black & Positively Golden Mentors in 2021.

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Back in the last 1980s and early 1990s, Oldsmobile focused on its technological innovations and produced the Aerotech. It was an experimental high-speed car that set a closed-course speed record in 1987. Oldsmobile celebrated the run by ordering up Aerotech go-karts, and one of those go-karts has popped up for sale on Facebook Marketplace. This would make a great last-minute holiday gift for the family car enthusiast.
The 1987 Oldsmobile Aerotech Quad 4 go-kart, one of approximately 70 Oldsmobile had ordered, is listed for a reduced price of $1,200. It did have a $1,500 asking price when it was first listed, See: TPMS Sensor. though. Oldsmobile had Bird Manufacturing build the heavy-duty one-passenger go-kart, which features a fiberglass body and robust metal frame. Powering the styling go-kart is a Briggs and Stratton one-cylinder engine making a robust 3 horsepower (2.2 kilowatts). The go-kart appears to be in exceptional condition without any substantial blemishes. It looks like it has been used, enjoyed, and taken care of.
According to the listing, the go-kart "is a blast to drive," though it probably isn't nearly as thrilling as driving the real Oldsmobile Aerotech. The automaker used the Aerotech prototypes to showcase the brand's Quad 4 engine capabilities, with the engineers convincing the bosses to develop a research vehicle to showcase them. The first car had the Indianapolis 500 winner A. J. Foyt behind the wheel, which led to him setting a world closed-course speed record in, hitting 257.123 miles per hour (413.788 kilometers per hour). That happened after the car hit a top speed of 267.88 mph (431.10 kph).
The Aerotech go-kart won't hit that extreme of a speed, though it shouldn't be that much less fun to drive. The low aerodynamic body does little to shield the driver from the sensation of speed and should be quite the hoot to hoon. It's also crazy to think that 30 years ago that 250 mph required a high-speed automotive research vehicle to reach.

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The heyday of Group B rallying was brief, brutal and above all, brilliant. Major developments in turbocharging technology and the introduction of all-wheel drive made cars of this era faster than any that came before. For a short period, Group B made the World Rally Championship a true rival to Formula 1.
Participation from carmakers was plentiful, featuring iconic race cars from Audi, Lancia and Peugeot, You may need: launch code reader. as well as more obscure entries from Citroën, MG and Toyota. Were it not for Group B's poorly timed string of fatal accidents and the category's subsequent cancellation, these cars would've been joined by Soviet marque Lada, which made a serious effort to race on the international stage with a prototype called the Samara EVA.
Lada Samara EVA
This story starts in 1984, in Estonia's motorsport mecca of Tallinn, where according to Rally Group B Shrine, workers at a truck factory repurposed a side room for the secret development of a race car. Codenamed the "Lada Turbo" according to some sources, this car was a silhouette racer modeled after the Lada Samara (or VAZ-210 . It borrowed only its doors, headlights, and windshield from the production car.
Beneath its fiberglass skin lay a skeletal, but stiff tubular chassis, which combined with its lightweight body to keep weight down to somewhere around 2,100 pounds, per World Rally World. Unlike the front-wheel-drive road car, the Lada Turbo was rear-drive, with an engine mounted midship to improve its weight distribution.
Lada Samara EVA
Its engine was a heavily modified version of the VAZ-2106's 1.6-liter four-cylinder that was bored out almost 300cc to reach just shy of 1.9 liters, per Superrally. The engine featured a twin-cam 16-valve head, as opposed to the stock, eight-valve single-cam design.
As with all successful rally cars of the era (sorry, MG Metro 6R4), it was turbocharged and intercooled, and unusually for a Soviet vehicle of the era, it featured electronic fuel injection. The Samara road car didn't get fuel injection until 1996. Together, these resulted in an output of 300 horsepower and 282 pound-feet of torque, according to Superrally. While far from competitive in boost-crazed Group B, those stats were damn impressive for a race car built under but not sanctioned by the Soviet government.
When the project came to Soviet officials' attention in 1986, surprisingly, the powers-that-be were pleased enough with the workers' side project that they turned it into a government-backed motorsport program. The Lada Turbo was put under the direction of Lithuanian rally driver Stasys Brundza, who had won one ADAC rally and several domestic events in the USSR.
Under Brundza, the Lada Turbo program was moved to the factory in Vilnius, Lithuania, that built the Lada 2105 VFTS rally car. There, the Lada Turbo was renamed the Samara EVA, where EVA was short for "Experimental Vilnius Auto-plant." With funds earmarked for 200 production cars-a requirement for Group B homologation-it looked like the Soviets were about to be represented in the World Rally Championship.
Shortly into the Samara EVA's production run, with somewhere between three and 30 cars built, Group B endured a string of fatal crashes that claimed the lives of competitors and spectators alike. The WRC's sanctioning body FISA (predecessor of the FIA) pulled the plug on Group B, leaving not only the Samara EVA with nowhere to race, but its competitiveness as a race car a mystery. Given its horsepower deficit to the winning cars of the day and lack of all-wheel drive, it's likely the Samara EVA would have performed at best like the Lancia 037, which was obsolete before the Samara EVA even entered development.
The Samara EVA wasn't the only Lada-shaped loose end left by Group B's end, either. With its discontinuation, FISA also hastily scrapped the category's safer, slower replacement Group S, for which Audi, Toyota and yes, Lada, had prepared entries. According to Rally Group B Shrine, Lada planned to race a second Samara silhouette prototype called the Samara S-Proto in Group S, whose racing career appears to be limited to an exhibition run at Rally Finland 198...

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Eminem is wrapping up 2020 the same way he started it - gifting fans with a midnight surprise.
"Music to Be Murdered By – Side B (Deluxe Edition)" landed early Friday morning, providing a 16-track bookend to January's "Music to Be Murdered By."
It marks the second-shortest gap between studio albums in Eminem's career, bested only by the eight-month turnaround of "Revival" and "Kamikaze" in 2017-18.
Guests on the new album include go-to Eminem collaborators Skylar Grey and Dr. Dre, along with Ty Dolla Sign and Dallas rapper MAJ.
More: Eminem's 'Slim Shady LP' turns 20: An oral history of the album that created a superstar
More: Eminem talks football, quarantine, See: launch code reader. hip-hop favorites and 'The Marshall Mathers LP'
Like the January release, the new album draws inspiration from 1958's "Alfred Hitchcock Presents: Music to Be Murdered By," which featured macabre readings by the late master of suspense. "Alfred's Theme" finds Eminem, who turned 48 in October, rhyming atop the distinctive theme tune to the vintage TV series "Alfred Hitchcock Presents."

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Dealing with the general public in crowded stores running low on stock is hellish in the best of times, and we can't exactly call 2020 that. Holiday shopping this year is a nightmare like no year in living memory, and what most people want more than anything is a way to speed through it. And I may have just found a way to do so with a contraption for sale on Facebook Marketplace in Centennial, Colorado: A shopping go-kart.
This mall-terrorizing machine appears to be built from a combination of metal tubing, a miniature shopping cart basket, and a mishmash of normal kart components. Its construction doesn't even distantly resemble that of a Sodikart or Tony Kart chassis, and those narrow tires are nowhere near racing kart spec. Suffice to say, mk908p $2000
. this thing probably corners like... Well, a shopping cart with an adult sitting in it.
That's not to say it's slow, though. Open that hand paddle throttle attached to the wheel, and the seller says its 250cc Briggs & Stratton XR1150 Professional motor with its nine horsepower and 11.5 pound-feet of gross torque can push the kart up to 40 mph. It's definitely fast enough to get you kicked out of Walmart, but only if the employees can be bothered to chase you down. Odds are, the joyride will only come to an end when you slide into a display after messing up a drift with that handbrake.
If a vehicle like this suddenly tops your Christmas shortlist, you'll have to send the seller your best offer, as they don't specify a price, and call the listing more of a "feeler post" than anything. The worst they can do, after all, is decline you with a Grinchy "ho-ho-no."
h/t Rafi Ward

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The first deliveries of the limited-runAston Martin DB5 Goldfinger Continuation , an exact replica of the car featured in theJames Bond filmcomplete with working gadgets, have begun – with the British firm gathering five of the 25 examples together to mark the occasion.
The £3.3 million creation is an exact replica of theDB5 driven by 007 in Goldfinger , with each handcrafted byAston Martin Worksin Newport Pagnell. More than 4500 hours were spent constructing each example, using original body panels and a 4.0-litre 290bhp in-line six-cylinder engine driven through a five-speed transmission.
The 25 cars – one for each James Bond film so far – have all been sold, with buyers in Europe, You may also like: TPMS Programming Tool. the US and the Middle East. With deliveries under way,Aston Martingained permission from five buyers to use their cars for a photoshoot, which will likely be the only time that so many examples will be in a single location.
The shoot included a demonstration of several of the working gadgets on the car, which were designed with the help of 007 special effects expert Chris Corbould. They include rotating numberplates – using the licence numbers seen in the film – a ‘bulletproof' rear deflector, headlight ‘machine guns', battering rams, an oil spray system and a smokescreen.

The interior of the cars features an armrest containing the hidden gadget switchgear, a radar console and a telephone built into the driver's door. Although the ejector seat could not be included for safety reasons, the roof panel can be removed to simulate the effect.
Because of the gadgets, the DB5 Goldfinger Continuation models are not road legal.
I also find it a little sad that Aston Martin feels a need to make these cars, to cash in on their James Bond legacy. To me, it cheapens their image to have to rely on such a gimmick.
Taking Aston Martin's new owners into account though, it comes as little surprise!
Almost a metaphor for Brexit: sounds good, but in reality doesn't work.
So, it doesn't feature the most famous gadget of them all, and can't be used legally on the road.
Okay....
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Kelsea Ballerini isn't looking forward to having to readjust once the Covid-19 pandemic is over.
The country singer was one of hordes of musical artists forced to axe tour plans amid the coronavirus but told Rolling Stone that there were positives in the lockdown - mainly because she could spend more time with her husband, fellow singer Morgan Evans.
Kelsea even admitted that she will miss the things she has come to take for granted during the crisis.
"Hoping that there will be some version of touring coming back, (but) it will be tough for me to readjust to being away from home and missing birthdays and special moments with my close circle again," she told Rolling Stone.
The Hole in the Bottle star noted that she's optimistic that lessons gained during the pandemic will continue to have an impact as time progresses.
"I hope everyone had some kind of emotional awakening this year and that we carry that into the future by doing a better job of taking care of each other," she shared.
"Everyone was levelled in one way or another, and I think that made people realise we're all 'in this together' as cheeseball and overused as that may sound," Kelsea went on, adding: "That's a mentality we can all benefit, learn, See: Launch car diagnostic. and grow from."

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Using tobacco plants to create a vaccine against COVID-19 has moved one step closer to becoming a reality.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has officially approved British American Tobacco (BAT) to start human clinical trials of its COVID-19 vaccine.
If the trials go well, it'll join the ranks of other vaccines currently already in production. However, BAT's one can be produced in just six weeks, compared to months with conventional methods. It can also be kept at room temperature, versus freezing conditions for some other vaccines.
SEE ALSO: FDA CONFIRMED SAFETY, See: diagnostic code reader. EFFECTIVENESS OF MODERNA'S CORONAVIRUS VACCINE
The reason BAT's vaccine can be produced so quickly is that elements of it are rapidly gathered on tobacco plants, the company's staple good.
Developed by its biotechnology division, called Kentucky BioProcessing (KBP), the company cloned a section of the genetic sequence of the coronavirus and developed a potential antigen. The latter is then inserted into tobacco plants for reproduction.
These relevant proteins grow, are harvested, and processed all within six weeks on the plants - making the production process a faster one than conventional methods, reported BAT.
"Moving into human trials with both our COVID-19 and seasonal flu vaccine candidates is a significant milestone and reflects our significant efforts to accelerate the development of our emerging biologicals portfolio," said Dr. David O'Reilly, BAT's Director of Scientific Research.
BAT's vaccine still lags well behind other vaccines already being produced, however, if it's able to be produced safely and quickly, it may prove useful in the coming years.
The clinical trial with begin with 180 healthy adult volunteers broken into two age groups: 18 - 49, and 50 - 70. They will be administered either a low or a high dose of the vaccine, or a placebo, and assessed for up to a year. The first evaluation will happen 44 days after the dose is administered.
BAT isn't the only company looking into plants for vaccines. Canada-based Medicago is looking into a plant-based flu vaccine.

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An elderly woman who was found dead at her Tai Wai home last Saturday while waiting for quarantine arrangements tested positive for COVID-19 post mortem.
Chuang Shuk-kwan, Head of the Center for Health Protection's Communicable Disease Branch, said in a press conference Thursday that a quarantine order was issued to the 62-year-old on Dec. 9, the day her daughter was confirmed with the virus and hospitalized.
On Dec. 10, the woman told relatives that she was experiencing a blocked nose, but that she was feeling fine otherwise. She could not be reached the next day.
Her relatives contacted the police for help on Dec. 12, when she was found dead at her Mei Lam Estate apartment.
Her post-mortem COVID-19 test came back positive, Chuang said. It is not known if her coronavirus infection is linked to her death.
Ho Pak-leung, a microbiologist at the University of Hong Kong, criticized the government's slow response on a Commercial Radio program Friday and called for the tragedy to be publicly addressed.
In an earlier email reply to Coconuts, the Department of Health said that arrangements of transfer to quarantine centers for close contacts of patients "would be made as soon as practicable."
The department did not answer Coconuts‘ questions specific to the case.
At least three COVID-19 infections have been confirmed in Mei Tao House, including the woman and her daughter. Cleaners in protective gear disinfected the estate on Friday morning, according to Tai Wai district councilor Ng Ting-lam.

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Michigan Economic Development Corp. (MEDC) announced a new statewide grant program from Pure Michigan to help struggling businesses impacted by the COVID-19 crisis.
The Pure Michigan Small Business Relief Initiative is a $10 million statewide initiative aimed at providing grants to small businesses, including restaurants and bars, lodging, live events venues, movie theaters, and more.
"We remain focused on getting critically needed relief into the hands of those businesses that need it most," said CEO Mark A. Burton in a news release.
Through its COVID-19 relief and recovery programs, the MEDC says it has reached more than 18,500 businesses statewide and helped in retaining nearly 147,000 jobs.
The application process opens at 9 a.m. Tuesday. Businesses can apply at https://www.michiganbusiness.org/about-medc/covid19/relief/.
Grants will be awarded, up to $15,000, on a "first-in" basis according to a news release. The funds are provided through the federal U.S. Housing and Urban Development (HUD) CARES Act funding. Businesses can use the funds for payroll expenses, rent, mortgage payments, or utilities. Once approved, grants are expected to be dispersed in mid to late January 2021.
The grant amounts available are divvied up among 10 regions across the state. In Oakland, Macomb, and Wayne counties, $3.5 million in grants are available, the most of any region.
"The Pure Michigan Small Business Relief Initiative puts federal funding to work for many of the small businesses in Michigan hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic," said Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in a news release "My administration will continue working to support our small businesses and their employees as they continue to navigate and persevere through this pandemic, through the Pure Michigan Small Business Relief Initiative and all of the COVID-19 business relief efforts MEDC has implemented this year. "
Just last week, Oakland County executives announced $10 million in support funding for its struggling county restaurants. Most of the Oakland county funding, $7 million, will be handed out to about 1,000 businesses that had already received earlier CARES Act stabilization funds.
More:Bedrock sets up heated outdoor dining downtown
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Michigan's restaurant and hospitality industry has been hard hit during the pandemic. An estimated 2,000 restaurants already closed since the start of the pandemic, according to the Michigan Restaurant & Lodging Association.
Contact Detroit Free Press food writer Susan Selasky: 313-222-6872 or sselasky@freepress.com. Follow @SusanMariecooks on Twitter.

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The Michigan Liquor Control Commission has issued an emergency suspension of Andiamo Italia's Warren location liquor license for violating current COVID-related restrictions on gatherings and face mask wearing orders.
Andiamo's owners, who operate a couple of dozen restaurants, had backed a short-lived attempt last month to get restaurants across the state to band together and open in defiance of a state ban on indoor dining aimed at stopping a surge in COVID-19 cases in Michigan.
Seven other businesses also had their licenses suspended for serving alcohol and, in some cases, food indoors in violation of the state's current ban on indoor dining, You may need: Topdon obd2 scanner. according to a press release Tuesday from the Michigan State Police.
The Andiamo suspension was based on Dec. 4 wedding held at the Warren location on East 14 Mile Road with approximately 62 guests. Investigators found that while guests had table assignments, they "were observed seated at tables, mingling around the ballroom and standing at the bar," according to the MLCC complaint,
While there were approximately 10 tables that investigators found were properly spaced out, "guests were not social distanced at the tables or when mingling around the ballroom."
The complaint also noted that guests were not wearing masks. The suspension was issued Dec. 10.
More: Andiamo owners change stance on defying state's ban on indoor dining
More: Gaylord's Iron Pig faces liquor license suspension, other penalties for reopening
Andiamo's Class C liquor license and permits for Sunday sales, dance-entertainment and additional bar were suspended plex, which includes a banquet center, restaurant and live entertainment showroom. It does not affect Andiamo's other locations.
Joe and Rosalie Vicari own the Andiamo chain of restaurants as well as several others. The Free Press reached out to the Vicaris who issued a "no comment" through a spokeswoman.
The MLCC commissioners ordered emergency suspensions of Class C liquor licenses and various special permits also at:
The businesses in violation face virtual hearings before an administrative law judge to determine whether the suspension continues or that the establishments be fined or receive penalties.
The Vicaris on Nov. 24 authored a letter urging fellow restaurateurs to band together and open their doors in defiance of the pause in indoor dining should the Michigan Restaurant and Lodging Association lose its lawsuit against the state over the ban. "Our industry cannot survive another extended closure," the letter stated.
After the letter became public and the MRLA lost the lawsuit, the couple changed course and said the right solution is to try to work with the Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's administration to come up with a compromise.
On Dec. 3, the day before the alleged violation, the Vicaris held a meeting broadcast via Zoom with fellow restaurant owners at the Warren banquet center.
"I don't want to disobey the government orders," Joe Vicari said at the meeting. "I really don't because it's a losing situation. And we have people that have convinced me that's not the right solution."
During the Zoom call, Bloomfield Hills attorney Kelly Allen, who specializes in liquor law and licensing, warned the restaurateurs that if they violate the state order, the Michigan Liquor Control Commission will issue a summary suspension.
"That means you are closed and your liquor license is down," she said. "There will be a hearing - these are difficult to beat and you will have to pay a fine."
"It's a serious situation for those who have liquor licenses," Allen said. "What's Andiamo without a glass of wine? You want to protect that liquor license."
Contact Detroit Free Press food writer Susan Selasky: 313-222-6872 or sselasky@freepress.com. Follow @SusanMariecooks on Twitter.

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[Article has been updated on 14 December 2020, 5:40pm]
Singapore has approved the use of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine said Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong today (14 December) in an address.
The first shipment is expected to arrive by the end of this month, making Singapore one of the first few nations to obtain this vaccine.
Singapore is also expecting other vaccines to arrive here in the coming months.
If all goes according to plan, the country will have enough vaccines for everyone here by the third quarter of 2021.
PM Lee outlined Singapore's Covid-19 vaccination strategy, which was recommended by a committee of doctors and experts set up by Ministry of Health (MOH).
The committee has proposed that the entire adult population should be vaccinated, but to make vaccinations voluntary.
First priority will be given to those who are at greatest risk, such as healthcare workers and front-line personnel, im608 review
. as well as the elderly and vulnerable.
Thereafter, the rest of the population will be progressively vaccinated, with everyone who wants a vaccination to get one by the end of next year.
The Government has decided to make vaccinations free for all Singaporeans, and for all long-term residents who are currently here, he added.
PM Lee said that he and his colleagues will be getting themselves vaccinated early to show Singaporeans, especially seniors, that they believe the vaccines are safe.
Health Minister Gan Kim Yong also assured Singaporeans that only vaccines that meet strict standards of safety, quality and effectiveness will be used.
The HSA has granted the authorisation of the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine under the pandemic special access rule, according to MOH Director of Medical Services Kenneth Mak.
He said that the vaccine requires two doses 21 days apart, and it is recommended for those 16 years of age and above.
However, pregnant women, immuno-compromised patients, and those under 16 are not recommended to be vaccinated.
He added that the HSA will continue to actively monitor the safety profile of the vaccines.
Featured Image Credit: Financial Times
The post PM Lee: Gov't To Issue Free COVID-19 Vaccinations For S'poreans, Long-Term Residents By Q3 2021 appeared first on Vulcan Post.

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Sébastien Ogier claimed his seventh World Rally Championship title almost doesn't seem like news at this point, but there's good reason for that: he's an absolute beast behind the wheel. Case in point: This absurd moment from Rally Monza where Ogier's wipers quit working in the mud, forcing him to drive blind for a bit.
Rally Monza's final power stage took place at the Autodromo Nazionale di Monza, where drivers drifted spectacularly onto Monza's infamously steep original banking. It's one of the most entertaining WRC features in ages, You may need: Topdon Car Battery Tester. not to mention the perfect intersection of big racing nerd interests for someone who loves both Formula 1 and WRC.
Conditions for Sunday's final stage were quite mucky, with snow, rain and mud all popping up throughout the rally. While the power stage had a lot of tighter sections, these cars still accelerate rather quick and demand the driver's and codriver's full attention. Toyota keeps a lot of stats about its current car-including its acceleration-under wraps for good reason, but the 2017 version of Ogier's Yaris WRC went from 0 to 60 mph in just 3.7 seconds, according to Toyota Car Reviews.
This didn't deter Ogier, who kept driving with mud coating the windshield even though his windshield wipers wouldn't turn on.
🙈 this could have ended different...
But no problem for Sébastien Ogier / Julien Ingrassia, they managed a similar situation before during ACI Rally Monza...watch the full event highlights videos here: https://www.wrc.com/en/video/
#WRC #WRCLive TOYOTA GAZOO Racing WRC
Initially, WRC's commentary team just thought Ogier was deep in concentration and didn't want to be bothered with the wipers flapping around, but cutting back to the completely obscured windshield disproved that theory. Thankfully, after Ogier turned on the washers to try and clear off the mud, the wipers came on, but that was a brown-coated Code Brown if there ever was one for a bit.
Ogier finished seventh in the power stage, but first overall at Rally Monza, securing his seventh world drivers' championship. Ogier's six previous titles were all consecutive starting in 2013, with Ott Tänak as the c-c-c-combo breaker champion in 2019 when Ogier was in a thoroughly lackluster Citroën. Ogier's Toyota teammate Elfyn Evans nearly won the championship this year as he led in championship points heading into Rally Monza, but a heartbreaking crash mid-rally threw Evans' hopes away, leaving it open for Ogier to clinch yet another title.
It's worth checking out the highlights from this rally, as watching WRC cars blast down Monza's iconic banking is a genuine delight.

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The moon and sun have conspired to keep Rocket Lab on the ground for an extra day.
Rocket Lab had been targeting Monday (Dec. 14) for the 17th mission of its 58-foot-tall (18 meters) Electron booster, which will lift off from New Zealand carrying a satellite for the Japanese Earth-imaging company Synspective. But celestial mechanics have nixed that plan.
"To avoid a solar eclipse that could affect Synspective's mission, we're now targeting Dec. 15 for launch. When customers request a new T-0, we're happy to oblige. That's the beauty of dedicated launch on Electron, our customers get to choose (and change!) their launch time," Rocket Lab wrote via Twitter Friday (Dec. 11).
Video: Total Solar Eclipse in December 2020 - Where is it visible?
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That skywatching event - the only total solar eclipse of 2020 - will plunge a swath of southern South America and the southern Pacific and Atlantic oceans into darkness. Though Rocket Lab did not elaborate on Synspective's reasoning, the Japanese company may be concerned that this darkness could complicate its satellite's power-generation abilities or impose challenging thermal conditions.
News of the one-day push prompted science journalist Jonathan O'Callaghan to wonder whether an eclipse had ever delayed a rocket launch before. He posed the question on Twitter, specifically paging Jonathan McDowell, an astronomer and satellite tracker based at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics.
"I think that's a first ... mostly because you know in advance when an eclipse is going to be, so the fact that they only just realised this is an issue is a bit embarrassing, You may need: diagnostic code reader. " McDowell tweeted in response.
Rocket Lab calls the upcoming mission "The Owl's Night Begins" because it will launch the first satellite in Synspective's Strix family of synthetic aperture radar spacecraft. (Strix is a widespread and diverse genus of owls that includes such species as the spotted owl and the barred owl.)
Synspective aims to assemble a constellation of about 30 Strix spacecraft, which will "collate data of metropolitan centers across Asia on a daily basis that can be used for urban development planning, construction and infrastructure monitoring and disaster response," Rocket Lab representatives wrote in a mission description.
The launch window for "The Owl's Night Begins" extends from Dec. 12 through Dec. 25, with liftoff opportunities occurring from 4 a.m. to 5:59 a.m. EST (0900 to 1159 GMT) on each day. Rocket Lab nixed the first few days in this window due to expected bad weather over the launch site, pushing the target date to Monday. And the eclipse has now shifted the launch another day to the right.
Rocket Lab is working to make the two-stage Electron's first stage reusable. On the previous Electron launch, which occurred on Nov. 19, the company successfully guided the booster down for a soft, parachute-aided ocean splashdown, fished the stage out of the drink and hauled it back to shore for inspection.
No such recovery activities are planned for "The Owl's Night Begins," Rocket Lab representatives wrote in the mission press kit, which you can find here.
Mike Wall is the author of "Out There" (Grand Central Publishing, 2018; illustrated by Karl Tate), a book about the search for alien life. Follow him on Twitter @michaeldwall. Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom or Facebook.

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