Month: February 2021

More than 150 million people in the central and southern United States were under winter storm warnings or advisories Monday, with record-breaking cold temperatures gripping the nation from the Gulf of Mexico to the Canadian border.
 
The south-central state of Texas may be takin g the worst of the winter weather.  Hit by ice storms last week that led to a deadly, 100-vehicle pileup on a freeway, on Sunday much of the state saw snow, more ice and unusually cold temperatures. The thermometer at Houston’s Intercontinental Airport early Monday read –8.3 degrees Celsius, the coldest temperature there in 32 years.
 
Officials in charge of the state’s electricity grid said the storms and frigid temperatures locked up wind turbines on Sunday, reducing power output.  Meanwhile, the cold weather created excessive energy demand prompting electric companies to implement rolling blackouts.
 
Officials say at least 2.5 million people were without power early Monday. Texas Governor Greg Abbott reached out to U.S. President Joe Biden, who, Sunday, declared a state of emergency for Texas, authorizing U.S. agencies to coordinate.
 
While forecasters say Texas and the rest of the central U.S. are likely to see more record-breaking cold into Tuesday, the winter weather is already moving to the east. Louisiana is among those states under a winter storm warning with snow, ice, and temperatures at or below freezing already hitting much of the state.
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To every sport, there’s a season, a spot on the calendar that fans mark for the big event. World Series, October. College hoops, March. Indy 500, Memorial Day.
For dog owners, it’s right around Valentine’s Day. That’s when they normally cuddle up on the couch with their precious pooch to watch the Super Bowl of Dogs — the Westminster Kennel Club show.
This year, they’ll have to wait for the coveted best in show. Because of coronavirus concerns, the competition was moved from Madison Square Garden this weekend to mid-June at an outdoor estate about 25 miles north of New York City.
For now, AP Baseball Writer Ben Walker and wife Ginger Tidwell share their fondest memories from the green carpet over 20 paws-itively wonderful years covering Westminster: Uno, a 15-inch beagle, poses with his trophy after winning Best in Show at the 132nd Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show at Madison Square Garden in New York, Feb. 12, 2008.He’s Numero Uno!
Beagles had always been in the Westminster doghouse. No matter how cute, poor ol’ Snoopy had never, ever won the grand prize. Bow-wow bummer.
That changed in 2008 when perhaps the greatest show dog of all time showed up. A tri-colored package of personality-plus, Uno quickly bayed his way to fan favorite.
A sold-out Garden crowd chanted his name as judge J. Donald Jones studied the seven finalists for nearly three minutes, mulling over his pick for best in show. They say there’s no cheering in the press box, but having been raised in Maryland with beagles — Charlie, Gatsby, Sam and Jake — I looked at Ginger and prayed this was our moment.
When Jones said, “May I have the beagle,” the place went bonkers.
“Ah-roo!” Uno erupted. “Ah-roo!”
This little, merry hound enjoyed a terrific life. He visited President George W. Bush at the White House, rode in a float at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and brought out the first ball at Busch Stadium and Miller Park.
Uno lived till 13, spending his last years on a ranch in Texas and playing with his buddy, a neighbor’s potbellied pig.
Happy trails, champ.Got Some Grub?
Sometimes the dog that everybody’s barking about isn’t the best in show. Like, Dario the Leonberger.
Winning wasn’t on this big guy’s mind when he romped around the ring in the 2016 working group competition. Naw, he only wanted to gnaw at his handler’s pocket, trying to scarf up a treat.
Doggedly determined, the 2 1/2-year-old eating machine kept nipping at Sam Mammano’s gray suit, hoping to grab some loose rebounds. A dog just being a dog … and the crowd went crazy, hollering with every step and every bite.
He didn’t win, that went CJ the German shorthaired pointer. But Dario earned a place in dogdom lore forever.
We rushed from our seats on the floor to catch up with Mammano backstage, right after he left the ring. He was a little disappointed, but also could see the charm.
“Good comic relief,” he said. “He’s a young, silly dog and was just having fun.”K-9 Heroes
Most years, a dog like Appollo wouldn’t get close to the green carpet at the Garden. But the show in 2002 was no ordinary show.
With New York City still in shock from the 9/11 terrorist attacks,  20 search and rescue dogs were honored  for their tireless work at the World Trade Center and Pentagon.
At 10, Appollo the German shepherd was getting a bit gray in the muzzle, his teeth were yellowing. He didn’t look like the 2,500 perfectly primped pooches around him.
Yet there was hardly a dry eye as the 10,000 spectators stood and cheered for the German shepherds, retrievers and their partners, an ovation usually reserved for the star athletes who played in the arena. It was hard not to be swept up in the emotion.
A spotlight featured them as they walked one by one into the center ring and actress Glenn Close sang “God Bless America” during the 15-minute ceremony.
Not the usual reception for this group.
“We were pretty nervous,” said Lt. Daniel Donadio, head of the New York Police Department’s K-9 unit. “We’d rather face gunmen than the crowd.”Underdogs
Each year, there are the favorites. J.R. the bichon frise, Mick the Kerry blue terrier, Banana Joe the affenpinscher. Wire fox terriers and poodles always seem to take home the hallowed silver bowl.
Then there was Stump.
With floppy ears and a slow roll, the golden-red Sussex spaniel didn’t make our early list of potential champions in 2009. How could he? Retired from the ring for five years, it was just five days before the show when handler Scott Sommer thought Stump might like to take one final walk at the Garden.
What a walk! At 10 — that’s almost 70 in human years — Stump became the oldest Westminster winner ever.
He was in good company among unlikely top dogs over the years. Rufus the colored bull terrier had a football-shaped noggin and won by a head. Hickory the Scottish deerhound was a rare champion. Big, barkin’ Josh the Newfoundland slobbered around the ring, then nearly knocked over Ginger in the winner’s circle.
And Stump. That old dog sure taught the young pups some new tricks.Pooch Planet
Seeing an Azawakh at the Garden was unusual. Loosely called an African greyhound, they made their Westminster debut last year.
Seeing the woman cheering them on was even more eye-catching. Dressed in bright pink and wearing a colorful hijab, Aliya Taylor realized she stood out.
“Like a sore thumb,” she laughed.
The retired Philadelphia police officer is among the few Muslims in the dog show world.
“Our sport welcomes people from all walks of life,” said Gail Miller Bisher, the television host of the event. “That’s our common bond, dogs.”
Hiram Stewart made history in 2003 when he guided Les the Pekingese into the final best-in-show ring. It had been three decades since an African American handler made it that far.
“Maybe this will raise awareness of our sport among people of color,” he said at the time. “It might give people of color something to aspire to.”
In a competition that can include a Norwegian elkhound, Australian shepherd and Chinese shar-pei, the people come from all over the world, too. Born in Mexico, Gabriel Rangel is among the most successful handlers in history.
He’s won best in show three times at Westminster. In 2014, he guided Sky the wire fox terrier to victory. One of the perks was a walk-on part at the Tony Award-winning Broadway musical “Kinky Boots.”
Ginger had the pleasure of dog-sitting Sky in a third-floor dressing room when he wasn’t on stage. Almost every actor dropped by during the show to pet him and pose for a picture.
Having never tended such a prized pooch, Ginger wondered what to do if the dog got hungry. Surely some special high-performance, ultra-healthy food was in order, right?
Nope, said Rangel’s wife, Ivonne.
“Just go get him a hot dog,” she said.
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The line between politics and entertainment is increasingly blurred in America, where a former reality TV star recently served as president and entertainment has become more political. The content people choose to watch and listen to reflects a politically divided country, and as VOA’s Elizabeth Lee shows, the division often cuts across families.Produced by: Elizabeth Lee
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The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are expecting their second child, their office confirmed Sunday.
A spokesperson for Prince Harry, 36, and Meghan, 39, said in a statement: “We can confirm that Archie is going to be a big brother. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are overjoyed to be expecting their second child.”Britain’s Prince Harry and his wife Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, are pictured in this undated handout photo supplied to Reuters, following an announcement that they are expecting their second child.In a black-and-white photo of themselves, the couple sat near a tree with Harry’s hand placed under Meghan’s head as she lies on his lap with her hand resting on her bump.
The baby will be eighth in line to the British throne.
A Buckingham Palace spokesman said: “Her Majesty, Duke of Edinburgh, Prince of Wales and the entire family are delighted and wish them well.”
The duke told chimpanzee expert Jane Goodall in 2019 that he would only have two children for the sake of the planet.
Goodall said: “Not too many,” and Harry replied: “Two, maximum.”  
Harry and American actor Meghan Markle married at Windsor Castle in May 2018. Their son Archie was born a year later.
In early 2020, Meghan and Harry announced they were quitting royal duties and moving to North America, citing what they said were the unbearable intrusions and racist attitudes of the British media. They recently bought a house in Santa Barbara, California.
In November, Meghan revealed that she had a miscarriage in July 2020, giving a personal account of the traumatic experience in hope of helping others.
A few days ago, the duchess won a privacy claim against a newspaper over the publication of a personal letter to her estranged father.
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The search for three climbers, who went missing on Pakistan’s K2 mountain earlier this month, has found no trace of them.Iceland’s John Snorri, 47, Chile’s Juan Pablo Mohr, 33, and Pakistan’s Muhammad Ali Sadpara, 45, lost contact with base camp on February 5 during their ascent of what global mountaineers describe as the killer mountain. K2 is the world’s second-highest mountain at 8,611 meters.”An unprecedented search in the history of mountaineering has been ongoing,” Vanessa O’Brien, the first British-American mountaineer to climb K2, said Sunday.She is assisting the search effort as part of the virtual base camp comprising family members in Iceland, Chile, and specialists from around the world, including in Pakistan.”It has been nine long days. If climbing the world’s second-tallest mountain in winter is hard, finding those missing is even more of a challenge,” said O’Brien.When asked whether the men could still be alive despite harsh winter conditions, O’Brien told VOA, “That I don’t know. But on Valentine’s Day, I guarantee you they were loved by their families and their nations.”She explained that specialists, with “devoted support” from Pakistani, Icelandic and Chilean authorities, have scrutinized satellite images, used synthetic aperture radar technology, scanned hundreds of pictures, and checked testimonials and times.”When the weather prevented the rotary machines (helicopters) from approaching K2, the Pakistan Army sent a F-16 (aircraft) to take the photographic surveys,” O’Brien said.Unfortunately, there has been no sign of the missing climbers, she added.Karrar Haidri, an official at the private Alpine Club of Pakistan that promotes mountaineering in the country, said the base camp stopped receiving signals from Snorri and his companions after they reached 8,000 meters.Sonrri made his first winter attempt on K2 in 2019, but was forced to abort it “when two members of his team expressed they did not feel fully prepared” for the expedition. ‘Savage Mountain’K2 has gained the reputation as “Savage Mountain” because while more than 6,500 people have climbed the world’s highest peak, Everest, only 337 have conquered K2 to date.Since 1954, up to 86 climbers have died in their attempt to scale K2, where summit winds reach hurricane force and still-air temperatures can plunge below -65 degrees Celsius.Experts say about one person dies on K2 for every four who reach the summit, making it the deadliest of the five highest peaks in the world.Since the first failed bid in 1987-88, only a few expeditions had attempted to summit K2 in winter.Last month, a 10-member team of Nepali climbers made history when they became the first to climb K2 in winter.Located in the Karakoram range along the Chinese border, K2 was the last of the world’s 14 tallest mountains higher than 8,000 meters to be scaled in winter.Bulgarian alpinist Atanas Skatov died earlier this month on K2. A renowned Spanish climber, Sergi Mingote, fell to his death last month while descending the mountain.
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The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are expecting their second child, their office confirmed Sunday.A spokesperson for the couple said in a statement: “We can confirm that Archie is going to be a big brother. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are overjoyed to be expecting their second child.”  The baby will be eighth in line to the British throne.Prince Harry and American actress Meghan Markle married at Windsor Castle in May 2018. Their son Archie was born a year later.In early 2020, Meghan and Harry announced they were quitting royal duties and moving to North America, citing what they said were the unbearable intrusions and racist attitudes of the British media. They recently bought a house in Santa Barbara, California.In November, Meghan revealed that she had a miscarriage in July 2020, giving a personal account of the traumatic experience in hope of helping others.
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Archaeologists have discovered a 5,000-year-old brewery that could produce thousands of liters of beer in the ancient Egyptian city of Abydos, Egypt’s Tourism and Antiquities Ministry said. The site in Egypt’s Sohag Governorate likely dates back to the reign of King Narmer around 3,100 BC, the ministry said in a statement on Saturday. Dr. Matthew Adams, one of the leaders of the Egyptian-American mission that made the discovery, said they believe the beer was used in royal burial rituals for Egypt’s earliest kings. The brewery, which had a production capacity of 22,400 liters, was split into eight sections each containing 40 clay pots used to warm mixtures of grain and water. Officials are keen to show off newly discovered artefacts as they try to revive visitor numbers after Egypt’s tourism industry received a painful blow during the coronavirus pandemic. The number of tourists visiting the country dropped to 3.5 million last year from 13.1 million in 2019. 
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Diamond cloning is said to be a vocation, an artform and a rare skill. New York artist John Hatleberg creates precise reproductions of famous diamonds, but one copy became his life’s work – the Blue Diamond of the French Crown. Vladimir Lenski has the story, narrated by Anna Rice.
Camera: Aleksandr Barash and Natalia Latukhina
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As 17-year-old Darius Jackson watched TV, listening in rapt attention to 22-year-old Amanda Gorman recite her poem The Hill We Climb at the inauguration of U.S. President Joe Biden last month, he was struck by the “powerful words” of the young Black woman.It was a “defining moment in history,” said Jackson, who is a high school senior at Central Visual and Performing Arts School in St. Louis, Missouri.With her reading on Jan. 21, televised nationally and across the globe, Gorman has singlehandedly lit a firestorm of interest in an art form that spans millennia, now drawing a new generation of enthusiasts.Jackson told VOA he saw some similarities in her poem to Martin Luther King Jr.’s stirring I Have a Dream speech in 1963 that called for an end to racism.One of two books by Inaugural Youth Poet Laureate Amanda Gorman that are set to be released in September. “There’s been tension and racial divide in America,” Jackson explained, “and in this poem I feel she was trying to put a Band-Aid on the wound we’ve been going through” to try to bring the country together.His English teacher, Maggie Schuh, said the inspirational poems Gorman recited at the inauguration and more recently at the Super Bowl of American football resonate with her students.Gorman, who became the first National Youth Poet Laureate in 2017, is inspiring children to reach out to poetry, which is “alive and well,” she said, and includes more than just reading “stuffy old dead white guys’ poems.”Today’s poetry, which includes slam, spoken word and hip-hop lyrics, gives them more freedom to express themselves, she said.According to Tyra Jenkins, an English teacher at Northwestern High School in Hyattsville, Maryland, Gorman’s poetry, which focuses on issues such as civil rights, feminism, unity and social justice, is making her students think about “expressing their political voices.”Jenkins also said Gorman’s smooth delivery gives them more confidence that they, too, can be good public speakers.But there was a time when Gorman wasn’t so confident.FILE – A teenage Amanda Gorman at a WriteGirl poetry workshop in 2015. (Courtesy WriteGirl)The poet grew up in Los Angeles and turned to writing when she was young to cope with a speech impediment.  When she was 14, she joined WriteGirl, an afterschool program that mentors teenage girls in underserved communities to give them a voice through creative writing.Karen Taylor, founder and executive director of WriteGirl, recalls that when Gorman first came “she was shy and terrified of the microphone.”  But always eager to learn, once she got over her fear of the microphone, she was “unstoppable.”“Gorman comes from a vibrant slam poetry tradition. She has a lot of energy and there’s a freshness to her delivery” that I think resonates with young people today, explained Kiki Petrosino, a poetry professor at the University of Virginia.“And now she’s considered a shining star,” said Taylor of Gorman, who recently graduated from Harvard University with a degree in sociology.Gorman has also “captivated the imagination of young people because she is the voice of democracy, freedom, and a future of what’s possible,” said Laura Brief, chief executive officer of 826 National, a youth writing network for elementary and high school students in some under-resourced communities across the country. Gorman is on the group’s board and is mentoring some of the students in its workshops, she said.Beyance James, a senior at Northwestern High School in Hyattsville, Maryland, calls Gorman “an inspiration who uses her words to touch everyone, especially in such difficult times.”James said the last lines of The Hill We Climb are special to her because they are a reminder for her and other young people to make a difference, even when times are tough:“For there is always light, 
if only we’re brave enough to see it. 
If only we’re brave enough to be it.” 
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After Navy veteran Maxwell Moore returned home to Los Angeles following numerous tours to war zones in Iraq and Afghanistan, the local Veterans Affairs office urged him to find a hobby to help him deal with his post-traumatic stress disorder. His therapy eventually turned into a business, as reporter Angelina Bagdasaryan found in this story narrated by Anna Rice. Camera: Vazgen Varzhabetian . 
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More than 180 human rights groups are calling for diplomatic boycott of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games to protest Beijing’s abuses of racial and ethnic minorities.  The coalition of FILE – International Olympic Committee member Dick Pound, Nov. 1, 2010.”The games are not Chinese Games, the games are the IOC Games,” FILE – Extending gloved hands skyward in racial protest, U.S. athletes Tommie Smith, center, and John Carlos stare downward during the playing of “The Star-Spangled Banner” in the 1968 Mexico City Games.Since then, South Africa was expelled from the 1970 Games for the country’s policy of apartheid. It was not readmitted to competition until the 1992 Barcelona Games. In 1980, 66 countries, led by the United States, boycotted the Moscow Games because of the Soviet Union’s invasion of Afghanistan. Daryl Adair, an associate professor of sports management at the University of Technology Sydney, told VOA via email that the IOC has a responsibility to be sure that the principles that underpin the Olympics are appropriately reflected in countries that host the games.  “For example, would the IOC and the international sporting community be comfortable with an Olympics hosted by Myanmar, given its treatment of the Rohingya people, followed more recently by a military coup?” he asked.”China is, like Myanmar, a country for which external observers have serious and legitimate concerns – most notably with claims about Beijing’s treatment of some ethnic minorities,” Adair added.  Plugged In-Myanmar Democracy in PerilThe United States is levying new sanctions on Myanmar’s military following its takeover of the country’s government on February 1, placing Aung San Suu Kyi under house arrest and ending a nearly 10-year experiment in democracy. Plugged In with Greta Van Susteren examines the situation with Derek Mitchell, former U.S. ambassador to Myanmar. Airdate: February 10, 2021.Adair said that unless Beijing can demonstrate that such claims are without merit, calls to disallow Beijing from hosting the 2022 Olympics would continue. “And the IOC will be drawn irrevocably into a discussion it seems reluctant to have,” he told VOA.  Rule 50  Currently, the International Olympic Committee’s official stance is that it is only a sporting body that does not get involved with politics.  The committee points to Rule 50 of the Olympic Charter, which states, “No kind of demonstration or political, religious or racial propaganda is permitted in any Olympic sites, venues or other areas.”  Yet, with athlete activism on the rise, the IOC Athletes’ Commission is now consulting with athletes globally on different ways Olympians can express themselves in a “dignified way,” with a recommendation on Rule 50 expected in early 2021. Jules Boykoff, a political science professor at Pacific University, represented the U.S. on the Olympic soccer team from 1989 to 1992 before turning professional to play for the Portland Pride, Minnesota Thunder and Milwaukee Wave.  He told VOA, “The Chinese government’s treatment of the ethnic Uighur Muslim population in Xinjiang province and its tough and brutal crackdown on the dissent in Hong Kong clash mightily with the principles that are enshrined in the Olympic Charter.”  FILE – Riot police detain a man as they clear protesters taking part in a rally against a new national security law in Hong Kong, July 1, 2020.Boykoff, the author of  Activism and the Olympics, told VOA that the IOC commission’s review of Rule 50 is “absolutely necessary.” “It has long been outdated and it clashes with fundamental human rights principles such as (United Nations) Article 19, which states very clearly that one should be able to speak out with freedom on issues that matter to them,” Boykoff said, adding that curtailing the freedom of speech actually clashes with ideas that are based in the Olympic Charter.  Many human rights groups welcome the review. “In the age of social media, it has had to review this rule,” said Richardson, of Human Rights Watch. “We believe that the IOC should simply remove all barriers to peaceful expression.”  Yet Adair said there might be a flip side to laissez-faire political speech and gestures on the field of play and during ceremonies if athletes advocate for causes that do not align with themes that the IOC endorses.  He took the recent Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement as an example.  “Advocating for a cause like BLM is consistent with the Olympic Charter,” he said, “However, if an athlete advocated for white supremacy or ethnic cleansing, that would be inconsistent with the sport participation equity principles underlying the Olympic Movement.”  He urged the IOC to provide guidelines consistent with the values it espouses for athlete participation because “this would also have the benefit of deterring political commentary that is not about human rights or social justice.”  Yu Zhou from the VOA Mandarin Service contributed to this report.   
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“Ailey,” a documentary about the life and creative spirit of iconic African American dancer, director and choreographer Alvin Ailey, weaves an immersive portrait of Ailey as a creative genius and a complex individual, who emoted his life experience through movement. The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. VOA’s Penelope Poulou spoke with the filmmaker about how Ailey’s modern dance reflected the Black cultural experience. 
Camera: Penelope Poulou   Produced by: Penelope Poulou   
 
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Chick Corea, a towering jazz pianist with a staggering 23 Grammy Awards who pushed the boundaries of the genre and worked alongside Miles Davis and Herbie Hancock, has died. He was 79.Corea died Tuesday of a rare form of cancer, his team posted on his website. His death was confirmed by Corea’s web and marketing manager, Dan Muse.On his Facebook page, Corea left a message to his fans: “I want to thank all of those along my journey who have helped keep the music fires burning bright. It is my hope that those who have an inkling to play, write, perform or otherwise, do so. If not for yourself then for the rest of us. It’s not only that the world needs more artists, it’s also just a lot of fun.”A prolific artist with dozens of albums, Corea in 1968 replaced Herbie Hancock in Miles Davis’ group, playing on the landmark albums “In a Silent Way” and “Bitches Brew.”Wide varietyHe formed his own avant-garde group, Circle, and then founded Return to Forever. He worked on many other projects, including duos with Hancock and vibraphonist Gary Burton. He recorded and performed classical music, standards, solo originals, Latin jazz and tributes to great jazz pianists.He was named a National Endowment of the Arts Jazz Master in 2006. He member of the Church of Scientology and lived in Clearwater, Florida.FILE – Chick Corea performs with Eddie Gomez and Brian Blade in Moscow, Russia, May 15, 2017.Drummer Sheila E. took to Twitter to mourn. “This man changed my life thru his music and we were able to play together many times. I was very fortunate to call him my family,” she wrote “Chick, you are missed dearly, your music and brilliant light will live on forever.”Last year, Corea released the double album “Plays,” which captured him at various concerts armed simply with his piano.”Like a runner loves to run because it just feels good, I like to play the piano just because it feels good,” he told The Associated Press at the time. “I can just switch gears and go to another direction or go to another song or whatever I want to do. So it’s a constant experiment.”Own compositions, classics, R&BThe double album was a peek into Corea’s musical heart, containing songs he wrote about the innocence of children decades ago as well as tunes by Mozart, Thelonious Monk and Stevie Wonder, among others.Corea is the artist with the most jazz Grammys in the show’s 63-year history, and he has a chance to posthumously win at the March 14 show, where he’s nominated for best improvised jazz solo for “All Blues” and best jazz instrumental album for “Trilogy 2.”Corea was born in Massachusetts and began piano lessons at 4. But he bristled at formal education and dropped out of both Columbia University and the Juilliard School. He began his career as a sideman.FILE – Pianist Chick Corea reacts to audience applause after performing the national anthem before the start of the New York Knicks’ NBA basketball game against the Dallas Mavericks, Nov. 14, 2016, at Madison Square Garden in New York.Corea liked inviting volunteers onto the stage during solo concerts, sitting them down near his piano and creating spontaneous, entirely subjective tone poems about the person. “It starts as a game — to try to capture something I see in music,” he told the AP. “While I play, I look at them a couple of times like a painter would. I try to see if, while I’m playing, are they agreeing with what I’m playing? Do they think that this is really a portrait of them? And usually they do.”Late last year, Corea had two commissions: a trombone concerto for the New York Philharmonic and a percussion concerto for the Philadelphia Orchestra. “I get interested in something and then I follow that interest. And that’s how my music comes out,” he said then. “I’ve always followed my interest. It’s been my successful way of living.”Online instructorHe also started teaching online, creating the Chick Corea Academy to offer his views on music, share the opinions of others, take questions and chat with guests. He said he hoped his students would explore their freedom of expression and think for themselves.”Does everyone have to like what I like? No. And it’s what makes the world go around that we all have different likes,” he told the AP. “We come together and we collaborate.”Corea is survived by his wife, Gayle Moran, and a son Thaddeus.  
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The president of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics organizing committee reportedly will resign after making sexist remarks about women that were disclosed to media.
 
Japan’s Kyodo news agency and other news outlets, citing unnamed sources, reported Thursday that Yoshiro Mori would step down on Friday after concluding he could not let the ensuing controversy continue.
 
A committee spokesman declined to comment on the reports.
 
The former prime minister reportedly said at an Olympics board of trustees meeting on Feb. 3 that “board meetings with lots of women take longer” because “if one member raises her hand to speak, others might think they need to talk, too.”
 
Mori retracted his comments and apologized the next day, saying he would not resign.
 
His remarks, which were leaked to a Japanese newspaper, sparked public debate in the country about gender equality.
 
The 83-year-old’s reported pending resignation has fueled concerns over the feasibility of holding the games later this year.  
 
More than 80% of the Japanese public believe the games should be canceled or postponed, according to recent polls.
 
A meeting of the organizing committee executive board is planned for Friday.  
 
In an interview with Nippon TV, Mori did not confirm reports he was stepping down, but said he would “explain his thoughts” at the meeting.
 
The Japanese news outlet TBS News reported that Saburo Kawabuchi, the former mayor of the Olympic village and president of the Japan Football Association, would replace Mori.
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