SCHADENFRUEDE DISASTER PORN

This is happening in TEXAS.

by Matt Stopera

BuzzFeed Staff

by Dave Stopera

BuzzFeed Staff

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Texas is currently experiencing some of the coldest weather it has seen in decades and the pictures coming out from the state show how bad things are. The state, the people, and the infrastructure just aren't set up for it.

1. The highways are full of snow:

Twitter: @TxDOTAustin

2. Icicles are hanging from ceiling fans:

Twitter: @ThomasBlackGG

3. It's so cold that people's faucets are frozen:

Twitter: @michaelbrom

4. Pools have literally turned into skating rinks:

Twitter: @CRTCHP

5. Hot tubs too:

Twitter: @amalaz95

6. People's toilets are freezing:

Twitter: @MsYoungProfess

7. Frozen toilets!

Twitter: @gldencherry_

8. I never thought I'd see the day:

9. Dish soap is freezing:

Twitter: @valsatuo

10. Olive oil is freezing:

Twitter: @goodlawyernac

11. That's a frozen fish tank:

tiktok.com

RIP.

12. And that's a frozen playground:

Twitter: @PastureSociety

13. Dog bowls are freezing too:

Twitter: @UnedumacatedJo

14. Same with bathtubs used to store water:

Twitter: @BFriedmanDC

15. This isn't normal!

Twitter: @xdianarose

16. It's so cold that laptops are poppin' open:

Matthew Williams@WilliamsMS9

This is how cold it is in Texas right now. My laptop split. Can anything be done? @Apple @tim_cook

02:46 PM - 16 Feb 2021

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Twitter: @WilliamsMS9

17. Highways are unusable:

Twitter: @DTGoteraKHOU

18. Water fountains are freezing:

Twitter: @NorthavenTrail

19. Beaches have snow:

Twitter: @KevinLighty

20. And car washes have turned into modern art pieces:

21. It's not good!

Twitter: @veterans_i

22. I mean, there's ice all over the cacti!

Twitter: @jodotcom

23. People fortunate to have homes in the first place are camping out in their living rooms:

Twitter: @sarahradinasch

24. This person's hallway is basically a skating rink:

Twitter: @ThomasBlackGG

25. Other people are waking up to their pipes bursting:

Twitter: @BreeSunshinee_

26. Here's an indoor waterfall caused by a pipe burst in Denton, Texas:

Twitter: @a

27. And here's an outdoor balcony waterfall in Dallas:

Clay10® 🔎🏡@djordxc

A Camden Property in the Victory Park/Uptown Dallas area. People aren’t just “crying” about snowfall. Pipes are literally bursting in residential buildings around the metroplex, causing property damage to hundreds of residents!

11:46 PM - 16 Feb 2021

Reply Retweet Favorite

Twitter: @djordxc

28. The videos are truly surreal:

Twitter: @mole_cola

29. But at the end of the day, Texans are doing everything they can.

Twitter: @juanitaproctor

30. People are helping each other in any way they can.

Twitter: @JoeCrush5

31. And even if they don't have salt, they have grits.

GRITS IS RICE 

Twitter: @stimpt

32. Stay safe out there!

Twitter: @Simyeoniru

Ted Cruz Is Getting Destroyed Online For Going To Cancún During The Texas Weather Disaster

While pundits debate and Texas residents fume about Cruz's behavior, other people have been, of course, memeing it.

Best Tweets On Ted Cruz Going To Cancun (buzzfeednews.com)

• 

  Literally Just Photos Of Ted Cruz Flying Back To The US After Getting Caught Vacationing In Cancún

• 

  Ted Cruz Flew To Cancún While Millions In Texas Suffered Without Power 

• And Water In A Freezing Winter Storm       

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Here’s How COVID Vaccines Are Made — And Why We Can’t Just Start Making A Lot More Of Them

“It’s more complicated than hitting a button and turning on a machine somewhere,” said one industry expert.

Dan Vergano BuzzFeed News Reporter


Last updated on February 12, 2021

President Joe Biden last Thursday announced that the federal government has secured another 200 million doses of vaccines to be delivered by the summer, a boost in supply that will eventually be enough to inoculate every American adult.

But, facing a shortage of vaccines and the threat of dangerous coronavirus mutants, some are calling for drug makers to band together immediately to churn out more shots.

As of Friday, almost two months into the vaccine rollout, about 11 million people in the US have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19. That leaves more than 300 million people still waiting, with demand for shots now far outpacing supply.


“It is time to directly compel Pfizer or Moderna to license their vaccine to any pharmaceutical company that can help produce doses,” New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said last week. “We need wartime mass production here in America.”

But such calls ignore reality, vaccine industry veterans told BuzzFeed News. Quick fixes by the White House, or any government, to drive up vaccine production right now may mean fewer shots if those interventions interfere with the supply chain. Accelerating production could also cause shortages of other vital medicines if factories are retooled to produce vaccines.

The problem is that vaccines are biological products, not tires or beer bottles that can be made by switching out molds on an assembly line. Making most vaccines requires first growing viruses, typically in cells or chicken eggs, and then harvesting them. The newer approaches used to create Pfizer and Moderna’s mRNA vaccines require specialized machines that aren’t found in every factory, even for large, established manufacturers. As a result, competitors can’t be much help until the FDA authorizes vaccines that can be more easily produced.

“You can scale up, but it’s more complicated than hitting a button and turning on a machine somewhere,” said Jim Robinson, a retired industry consultant who worked for pharmaceutical giants Sanofi and Merck. “Money isn’t the constraint here, it’s everything else.”

Still, some steps — such as allowing a competitor’s factories to take over the final steps of bottling, capping, and labeling the finished products — could help alleviate bottlenecks as Pfizer and Moderna struggle to get out more of their vaccines.

“Americans are eager to get vaccinated, and we’re working with manufacturers to increase the supply of vaccines as quickly as possible,” Jeff Zients, the White House’s COVID-19 czar, said on Wednesday. He argued that supply was already ramping up, with 11 million doses now being shipped nationwide each week, a 28% increase from when Biden took office.

In response to questions about whether the White House would step in to help boost manufacturing sooner, Andy Slavitt, a White House COVID-19 response adviser, said last week that “everything is on the table.” The administration is reportedly considering whether to partner competing manufacturers that are normally barred from working together because of antitrust laws. And last week, Biden invoked the wartime Defense Production Act to prioritize manufacturing pumps and filters that Pfizer needs to make its vaccine.

The vaccine makers are also taking some shortcuts to speed production on their own, rather than handing over the wholesale manufacturing, like de Blasio called for. On Wednesday, the New York Times reported that Merck, the world’s second-largest vaccine maker, might assist Pfizer or Johnson & Johnson. The drugmakers Sanofi and Novartis have agreed to bottle hundreds of millions of doses of the Pfizer–BioNTech mRNA vaccine in Europe. On Friday, the FDA allowed Moderna to fill its vials with 14 doses instead of 10, a simple way to deliver more vaccines without major manufacturing changes.

Pfizer and Moderna declined to respond to questions from BuzzFeed News about the bottlenecks they face in ramping up production of their vaccines. But in a statement on Thursday confirming Biden’s purchase of extra doses by this summer, Moderna chief executive officer Stéphane Bancel said, “We continue to scale up our manufacturing capability, both in and outside of the United States. Our goal is to bring our vaccine to as many people as possible.”


With vaccines, the process is the product.

Courtesy Pfizer
Construction of a freezer farm at Pfizer’s Kalamazoo plant, in October 2020

The difficulty in scaling up production led Operation Warp Speed to steadily lower its projections for vaccine output last year. The $18 billion public-private partnership initially pledged to deliver 600 million US doses by December, a promise that eventually slid down to 40 million, a target it also missed.

OWS spent billions setting up vaccine factories to start production last year, before the shots were even shown to work. That bet paid off as vaccines started to be shipped out to states days after the FDA’s authorization. But getting those factories working hasn’t been easy. Johnson & Johnson, whose vaccine candidate will soon up for FDA authorization, revealed last month that manufacturing troubles led the company to fall two months behind schedule. The company is now promising fewer than 10 million doses by February.


“The process is the product” is the pharmaceutical industry saying about vaccines. That’s because when you get a vaccine, you aren’t just getting a shot. That 0.3 milliliter dose (about a hundredth of an ounce) is the final product of a vast integrated machine, distributed across many states and nations. A factory can cost around $600 million, each a giant tool with one job: making a specific vaccine.





In St. Louis, MO, the DNA of the spike protein is extracted and multiplied over the course of approximately four days.

The DNA is shipped to Andover, MA, where it is converted to mRNA, then frozen, and packed into bags.

The bags of mRNA are shipped to Kalamazoo, MI

Lipids are manufactured and shipped from Alabaster, AL

The mRNA is defrosted and mixed with lipids in a highly specialized machine to make nanoparticles.

BOTTLENECK

Other companies can’t currently help with this step

The result of that process is mixed with the remaining ingredients, which stabilize the vaccine for shipment and defrosting.

BOTTLENECK

Other companies are starting to help with this step

In the “fill and finish” process, the vaccine is then bottled, capped, and labeled.

Vials are packaged for shipment, then loaded onto trucks and airplanes.
This diagram outlines the manufacturing process for Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine.
BuzzFeed News; Getty Images


The currently authorized mRNA vaccines inject genetic instructions to make spike proteins, the part of the coronavirus that latches onto human cells. These proteins trigger the immune system to build up antibodies and other immune defenses against an actual infection. Crafting the shots is a multistep process that begins with mass-producing the mRNA molecules and then adding them to precisely designed lipids, or fat molecules, made at another facility.

The seemingly simple step of combining these two ingredients is seen as a major bottleneck in our current vaccine production: They have to be mixed together precisely as nanoparticles that are not much bigger than molecules. Not enough care with this step breaks up the mRNA, making it useless.

Aside from Moderna and Pfizer, few in the drug business can do this mixing, because nobody else has made an authorized mRNA vaccine before.

“I believe that you can count on one hand the number of facilities who can make the critical lipid nanoparticles,” pharmaceutical industry researcher Derek Lowe wrote in a blog post last week. He added, “This is the single biggest reason why you cannot simply call up those ‘dozens’ of other companies and ask them to shift their existing production over to making the mRNA vaccines.” Notably, the recent Defense Production Act prioritization of filters for Pfizer seems aimed at aiding this step in production.

This bulk vaccine has to then be combined with stabilizing ingredients, poured into vials under sterile conditions, packaged, and shipped. This “fill and finish” stage has emerged as another bottleneck.

Designing an assembly line to fill and finish takes a long time for any new vaccine factory, former industry managers told BuzzFeed News, because it requires extensive safety testing for each step. Introducing any changes to the line, or adding lines at other facilities, requires that same lengthy testing. Moderna's move to pack more doses into the same number of vials on its filling lines, rather than just filling more vials with the original number of doses at somebody else’s factory, is a way around this problem.

We can open up some of the bottlenecks — but need to be careful.

Pool / Getty Images
UPS employees move shipping containers with the first cases of the Pfizer and BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine inside a UPS sorting facility in Louisville, Kentucky, in December 2020.

Between April and June last year, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, based in Norway, conducted a survey of vaccine manufacturers, finding a worldwide capacity to make 2 billion to 4 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines by the end of 2021. Industries have mobilized to produce more doses since then, but that will fall far short of what’s needed to vaccinate the world’s 7.7 billion people.

For decades, vaccines didn’t bring the profits that other drugs did, driving the pharmaceutical industry to shutter factories and exit the business. In the last decade, there has been a revival, but industrial expertise is still lagging. “We can’t be harsh on the industry and their profits but also expect them to turn on the dime on their own time to have lots of extra capacity available,” said Robinson.

For this reason, it may make more sense to augment existing factories to boost production of mRNA vaccines while looking for outside facilities to shore up the supply of more traditional shots still being tested against the coronavirus.

But worldwide shortages of raw materials and specialized equipment should make Biden’s White House ultracautious about stepping in with the Defense Production Act to prioritize materials that other countries need to make their vaccines, Robinson said. They might retaliate by blocking US imports of other supplies made in their country, with the end result that fewer vaccines are made everywhere.

“Nobody’s supply chain is 100% domestic for vaccine raw materials,” Robinson said. Muscling one’s way into pharmaceutical supply chains to prioritize raw materials for vaccines could also mean that other vital medicines go unmade.

Any move to upgrade production in manufacturing has to be checked for unintended consequences downstream or upstream. The US might prioritize Pfizer or Moderna getting first dibs on lipids, for example, but that could slow production of other drugs that use them, like those for multiple sclerosis or cancer. Adding more machines to combine the lipids with the mRNA might require halting production at a factory while they are installed, causing a temporary dip in supply.

For those reasons, vaccines that will arrive later and don’t rely on mRNA, such as Johnson & Johnson’s, might benefit from using outside manufacturers to scale up production. That vaccine is based on an approach more manufacturers have experience with, using a harmless cold virus that is equipped with the genes for coronavirus spikes. The vaccine showed 66% effectiveness in reducing COVID-19 cases in worldwide trials, according to clinical trial data announced last month. Last week, Johnson & Johnson applied for authorization from the FDA, which would make it the third vaccine available in the US.

“These first vaccines aren’t going to be the answer for everyone,” Robinson said.

On top of all this, Anthony Fauci, chief of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said on Wednesday that vaccine makers are weighing how to change their shots to address dangerous new coronavirus mutants. A variant found in South Africa, which has been seen in a few US cases, is of particular concern, he said, although vaccines still show efficacy against the virus in limiting severe disease. Changing existing vaccines could add an extra level of complexity if manufacturers decide to collaborate.

In a January interview with BuzzFeed News, Pfizer vaccine chief scientist Philip Dormitzer expressed confidence in the company’s ability to swiftly retool RNA vaccines if a coronavirus variant resistant to current vaccines emerged. Rather than undergoing exhaustive clinical trials for brand-new shots, Dormitzer was hopeful that those retrofitted vaccines could be released more like seasonal flu shots.

“The bottom line is that we have vaccines that work well,” Fauci said. ”Obviously what we're going to be planning, if necessary, is to upgrade vaccines in the future.” ●

UPDATE
February 12, 2021, at 11:27 a.m.


This story has been updated to include the FDA's decision on Friday to allow Moderna to fill its vials with 14 doses instead of 10.

Serena Williams Leaves Press Conference In Tears After Questions About Retirement (buzzfeednews.com)

This wasn't helped by the fact that a clearly emotional Serena choked up in a press conference following the match and, after being asked about retirement, left the room in tears.

"The Aussie crowd is so amazing, so it was nice to see," she said of the reaction to her leaving the court. When asked if it was a farewell, Serena gave a wry laugh and added, "I don't know – if I ever say farewell, I wouldn't tell anyone."

However, despite seeming in good spirits when she gave the answer, seconds later Serena fought back tears and quickly put an end to the questions, tearfully saying: "I'm done."

Williams exits in tears as Osaka halts record bid

Issued on: 18/02/2021

Serena Williams's last Grand Slam title win was in Melbourne in 2017

 William WEST AFP


Melbourne (AFP)

Japan's Naomi Osaka brutally halted Serena Williams's latest bid for a record-equalling 24th Grand Slam title as she set up an Australian Open final with Jennifer Brady on Thursday.

Three-time major-winner Osaka once again proved the American's nemesis with a one-sided 6-3, 6-4 win which heightened questions about whether Williams, 39, will ever match Margaret Court's all-time record.

Williams put her hand on her heart as she acknowledged a standing ovation on Rod Laver Arena, and later cut short her post-match press conference in tears, saying: "I'm done."

The American has lost four Grand Slam finals since winning her 23rd in Melbourne in 2017, and victory over Osaka would have given her a golden opportunity against Brady, who will be playing first major decider.

But US Open champion Osaka has never lost a Slam semi-final and after going 0-2 down in the first set, she reeled off five straight games to take charge against a despairing Williams.

"I hit a lot of unforced errors in the first few games, I was just really nervous and scared," said Osaka.

"But then I sort of eased my way into it and the biggest thing for me was having fun."

Williams lamented a "big error day" and refused to discuss whether it might have been her last Australian Open.

"I don't know," she said, when asked if her salute to the crowd was a farewell.

"If I ever say farewell, I wouldn't tell anyone."

Williams's exit was watched by thousands of fans returning after a state-wide snap coronavirus lockdown, a welcome sight in Rod Laver Arena after five days of matches in front of empty seats.

- 'My legs are shaking' -

The Australian Open is the first Covid-era Grand Slam to welcome large numbers of fans after last year's Wimbledon was cancelled, the US Open took place behind closed doors and the French Open was limited to 1,000 a day.

The returning spectators then witnessed more fireworks in Brady's victory over Karolina Muchova, where the American needed five match points before subduing the Czech 25th seed.

America's Brady eventually prevailed 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 in 1hr 55min to reach her debut major final against the formidable Osaka.

"My legs are shaking, my heart is racing," said Brady, 25, who has admitted she hated watching and playing tennis as a child.

"My legs felt fresh but they weren't moving. They felt stuck in mud."

In the night match, world number one Novak Djokovic faces an unlikely foe in the men's semi-finals -- Russian qualifier Aslan Karatsev, who is enjoying one of the greatest Grand Slam debuts in history.

Exemplifying the gulf between them, Karatsev, 27, has won 18 Grand Slam sets in his career, while Djokovic, 33, is going for his 18th major title.

Vladikavkaz native Karatsev is bidding to become the first player to reach the final on his Grand Slam debut, in just his 19th Tour-level match.

"I try to believe what I'm doing on the court, and it's helped me to win matches," said Karatsev.

"I arrive on the court and say, 'Okay, I try to do my best with more belief.'

Djokovic, who is carrying an abdominal injury, has won 13 of his last 14 Grand Slam semi-finals, and is going for a record-extending ninth Australian Open crown.

"He doesn't have anything to lose, really," said the Serb of his Russian rival. "He's motivated."

© 2021 AFP

When Naomi met Serena: tantrums and tears

Issued on: 17/02/2021 - 

Naomi Osaka hides her tears during the presentation after beating Serena Williams to win the 2019 US Open

 TIMOTHY A. CLARY AFP



Melbourne (AFP)

Tennis superstars Naomi Osaka and Serena Williams will play each other for just the fourth time on Thursday with a place in the Australian Open final at stake.

Here, AFP Sport recalls their three previous meetings, including a US Open final remembered for all the wrong reasons:

- Miami Open 2018: Rd 1

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Osaka won 6-3, 6-2

A 20-year-old Osaka, fresh from her breakthrough title win at Indian Wells, was superior throughout in the pair's first meeting and took just one hour and 17 minutes to end Williams's fourth match after maternity leave.

The American clearly lacked movement in just her second tournament after 13 months out as she slumped to her first defeat in an opening match at an American hardcourt championship for 21 years.

Williams was fined for skipping her post-match media duties and instead issued a brief statement that read: "Every tournament is an opportunity for me to better understand the areas I need to improve to be my best.

"Naomi played a great match and I look forward to continuing my return by progressing every day."

- US Open 2018: Final -

Osaka won 6-2, 6-4

Osaka became the first Japanese player to win a Grand Slam singles title but was left in tears after an infamous Williams implosion.

The astonishing second-set tantrum was sparked by umpire Carlos Ramos warning Williams for receiving coaching from her player's box.

A second code violation for racquet abuse, along with a point penalty, then caused Williams to erupt.

She tearfully accused him of being a "thief" and demanded an apology.

"You're attacking my character," she fumed. "You will never, ever be on another court of mine. You are the liar," she ranted before Ramos handed her a game penalty for a third code breach -- verbal abuse.

That put Osaka one game from victory and the 20-year-old displayed remarkable poise to serve out for a historic win despite the furore.

The pro-Williams New York crowd booed the trophy ceremony announcer, leaving Osaka in tears and trying to hide her face. She was consoled by a subdued Williams.

"It doesn't really feel that real right now. Maybe in a few days I'll realise what I've done," said Osaka, who had the gloss taken off her first taste of Grand Slam glory.

Williams was later fined $17,000 by tournament organisers for her behaviour.

- Toronto 2019: QF -

Williams won 6-3, 6-4

Williams achieved her maiden win against Osaka at the third time of asking to reach the Rogers Cup semi-final in the the pair's first meeting since the Flushing Meadows meltdown.

Williams this time was on her best behaviour in a solid performance with pin-point serving helping her to a straight-sets victory against a lacklustre Osaka.

"I knew her game a little bit more, so that's a little easier. I'm just overall a little bit better," Williams said.

© 2021 AFP


Record-chasing Williams wary of 'cool cat' Osaka

Serena Williams faces a blockbuster semi-final against Naomi Osaka 

Issued on: 17/02/2021 - 

Melbourne (AFP)

Serena Williams knows she must raise another level against "cool cat" Naomi Osaka to keep alive her dream of a record-equalling 24th Grand Slam crown, wary of again falling victim to the Japanese superstar.

The pair meet in a blockbuster Australian Open semi-final on Thursday with the winner facing either Czech 25th seed Karolina Muchova or American 22nd seed Jennifer Brady in Saturday's decider.

Williams, 39, continues to chase Margaret Court's elusive all-time mark of 24 major titles, after losing four Slam finals since her 2017 victory at Melbourne Park while pregnant.

One of those was her controversial 2018 US Open final defeat to Osaka, where the American star was docked a point and a game after losing her temper when warned about coaching.

Osaka was booed by some fans and was in tears during the awards ceremony, later calling what should have been her moment of glory "a little bittersweet".

Williams said both players had reached "closure" on the painful moment, which has seen them inextricably linked ever since.

"Well, I think we both have had closure, and we have reached out to each other," said Williams, after overpowering second seed Simona Halep in the quarter-finals.

"I have definitely reached out, and she's -- yeah. So off the court, it's hard. I think she's a great competitor and she's a cool cat."

They have played each other just once since that New York meeting, in the quarter-finals of the 2019 Canadian Open which Williams won in straight sets.

If she can get past third seed Osaka, Williams may never have a better chance to finally seal her 24th title after world number one Ashleigh Barty was upset by Muchova in the last eight on the other side of the draw.

Instead, she would face either the Czech or Brady, neither of whom have made a Slam final -- in comparison with the 33 played by Williams, who has been in vintage form so far this year.

- 'She's Serena' -

But first up is Osaka, and 10th seed Williams is taking nothing for granted.

"Obviously I have an incredible opponent to play, so it would be nice to hopefully keep raising the level of my game. I'm going to have to," she said.

"She's a very strong player. I feel like she does everything well. She has a good serve, she has a great return, she's strong on both sides."

Osaka, who swept past Taiwanese veteran Hsieh Su-wei to set up the meeting, is eager to add to her three Grand Slam titles after her wins at Flushing Meadows in 2018 and last year, and Melbourne in 2019.

"I always watch Serena's matches," she admitted when asked if she planned to do any homework on her opponent.

"I grew up watching Serena, Federer, Nadal. It's just more of a habit than anything. But I feel like everyone in the tournament watches her."

And despite beating Williams in the 2018 US Open final, the 23-year-old admitted to still feeling "really intimidated when I see her on the other side of the court".

"She's Serena," she explained.

Brady will face Muchova in the other semi-final, with a maiden Slam final guaranteed for one of them.

Muchova, fresh from her upset of Barty, said she had noted her "very big strokes, fast ones" in their one previous meeting, when she beat the American in Prague in 2019.

"So definitely going to be a tough battle," she said of Brady, who toppled compatriot Jessica Pegula to make her second major semi-final, after last year's US Open.

"I think I will have to bring my A-game to play with her because she is really playing amazing matches, having a good season."

© 2021 AFP