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Surfers Take On 70ft Giant Waves As Storm Hits California

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The world’s top big wave surfers are flocking to California to take advantage of the largest storm swells to hit the US West Coast in years.

Surfers from Brazil, France, and Portugal have arrived at Mavericks, a popular wave south of San Francisco, to surf the massive water walls.

As heavier waves pass past, riders have ridden waves up to 70ft (21 meters).

After enormous rogue waves injured many, officials cautioned bystanders to keep away from the shore.

Chris Cuvelier, who administers the Maverick Surf Awards competition and can see the swells from his kitchen, told BBC News on Friday that “people have been getting on flights all over the world” this week to surf the famed site.

waves

Surfers Take On Giant Waves As Storm Hits California

Pro surfers, “especially people that surf Mavericks, they’re big wave surfers and many of them are travelling around the globe to go catch big waves”, he said.

Famous pros such as Kai Lenny, Andrew Cotton, and Lucas Chumbo have all recently participated at Mavericks, with some competing for the Maverick Awards prize money.

They can enter the digital competition for a chance at the as-yet-unknown 2024 prize pool if they film the ride of their lives in this surge.

JoJo Roper, a pro surfer from San Diego, packed his car after Christmas when he noticed the “gigantic” swell forecast.

He claims it was the biggest since at least 2007, telling BBC News that “it’s been a long time since it’s been that kind of day.”

On Thursday, Mr Roper, 33, said he was one of the only California surfers out on the 60-70ft waves.

His pal flew from Hawaii to tow him into the waves on a jet ski.

“It’s nice to have it in our territory, and take advantage of some waves close to home rather than travelling to Portugal or where all these other guys come from to chase their waves,” he said in an interview with BBC News.

waves

Surfers Take On Giant Waves As Storm Hits California

“They’re on their way to chase our waves.” It’s cool. Everything comes full circle.”

On Friday, he described Thursday as “certainly one of the best days in my lifetime.”

He shot into the barrel of a big collapsing wall of water on his third wave of the day.

“It was a privilege.” “And just getting barreled is a whole other realm of victory,” he laughs triumphantly.

“So I’m pretty happy about it.”

Forecasters have given additional warnings of impending peril after a rogue wave knocked pedestrians off their feet and inundated a Ventura hotel.

The National Weather Service (NWS) issued an advisory warning of “extremely dangerous conditions.”

“Powerful waves and life-threatening rip currents pose an exceptional risk of ocean drowning and damage to coastal structures.”

Rip currents, according to the NWS, provide an “increased risk of ocean drowning.”

waves

More swells are predicted for Mavericks, which is located near the city of Half Moon Bay.

However, only the world’s top experts should contemplate diving into the ocean during this El Nio-driven weather phenomenon.

“Mavericks is kind of the biggest of the big here on the West Coast,” said Mr Cuvelier. “But I don’t think any beginner or even intermediate surfers should really be surfing anywhere in California (in these conditions).”

SOURCE – (BBC)

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Trudeau Rocks to Taylor Swift While Montreal Burns

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Trudeau, Montreal

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has come under fire yet again after a video surfaced on X, showing him dancing at a Taylor Swift performance while anti-Nato protestors ransacked downtown Montreal.

Trudeau attended Taylor Swift’s concert in Toronto on Friday night. Before Taylor Swift approached the stage, X shared a viral video of him dancing and singing along to the song “You Don’t Own Me.”

The image of Trudeau dancing amid violent protests in Montreal generated widespread indignation online. Some social media users even compared Trudeau to the ancient Roman dictator Nero, known for “fiddling while Rome burned.”

Don Stewart, a Member of Parliament (MP) representing part of Toronto, called out the prime minister in a post on X.

“Lawless protesters run roughshod over Montreal in violent protest. The Prime Minister dances,” Stewart wrote. “This is the Canada built by the Liberal government.”

“Bring back law and order, safe streets and communities in the Canada we once knew and loved,” the MP added.

On Saturday, the day after Taylor Swift’s concert, Trudeau condemned the anti-NATO protests, calling them “appalling.”

Anti-NATO activists set off smoke bombs and marched through Montreal’s streets waving Palestinian flags. According to the Montreal Gazette, rioters set fire to automobiles and battled with police.

Pro-Palestinian protests

Protesters also tossed tiny explosives and metal objects at officers. At one point, the mob torched an effigy of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Police used tear gas and batons to disperse the gathering, and three persons were arrested for attacking officers and impeding police operations.

Masked protesters were seen burning flares and bashing storefront windows in videos and photographs shared on social media. Pro-Palestinian protests have been taking place across Canada since the Israel-Gaza conflict began late last year.

Critics have lambasted Trudeau for doing nothing to stop the violent pro-Palestinian marches, with some claiming he has fueled anti-Israel sentiment in Canada.

On Friday, Trudeau stated that Canada would respect the orders of the International Criminal Court (ICC), which issued an arrest warrant for Mr Netanyahu, even if it meant arresting the Israeli prime leader on Canadian soil.

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Calgary Zoo Admits Human Error in Death of Baby Gorilla

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Baby Gorilla, Calgary Zoo
The zookeeper's negligence caused the death of a 2-year-old baby gorilla

The Calgary Zoo has admitted in a public statement that a zookeeper’s negligence caused the death of a 2-year-old baby gorilla. Eyare, a newborn gorilla, died last week after being slammed in the head by a hydraulic door.

The accident occurred when a zoo worker attempted to separate Eyare from the rest of the gorilla tribe for a solitary training session.

The gorilla died from significant head injuries, according to the zoo’s statement.

“This tragedy has struck us all in the deepest way imaginable,” Colleen Baird, director of animal care at the Calgary Zoo, said during a news conference. “Eyare’s brief but meaningful existence gave so much joy to our community, and all will sorely miss her. We will do everything possible to prevent repeat accidents.”

According to Baird, the staff member involved was immediately removed from the workplace and will be reassigned to another area of the zoo. The Calgary Zoo stated that it would take preventive steps, such as specialist personnel training and animal behavioral training, to avoid a similar incident.

Calgary Zoo Questioned

It is not the first time an animal at the zoo has died from negligence at the Calgary Zoo. A capybara was accidentally crushed by a hydraulic door similar to the one that killed Eyare in 2019.

An otter died in 2016 after being entangled in an “unauthorized” pair of jeans that a zookeeper had dropped in its enclosure. In 2013, a penguin died in “a freak accident” after swallowing a stick.

Animal Justice, a Canadian group that promotes animal welfare, has called for an independent investigation of animal safety and oversight at the Alberta facility.

“The Calgary Zoo appears to have a higher rate of animal deaths compared to other zoos, and in light of Eyare’s death there should be a systematic review of the zoo’s operations and practices, conducted transparently by the government or another outside party,” according to Camille Labchuk, the executive director of Animal Justice.

The Calgary Zoo refuted that it has more animal deaths than other zoos, emphasizing that it adheres to operating requirements and has maintained accreditation by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ independent Accreditation Commission since 1978.

“We love and care for more than 4,000 animals representing over 100 species that call our zoo home,” stated a Calgary Zoo representative.

“Human error-related deaths in animals are quite infrequent. We have lost two animals in the last ten years: a North American river otter in 2016 and ‘Eyare’ this week.

While rare, even one human-caused death is too many. These unfortunate instances have served as vital learning experiences, prompting us to examine and tighten protocols to provide the greatest level of care.”

Baird said at the news conference that using hydraulic doors is “common practice with accredited zoos,” adding that the facility will consider switching to alternate doors to improve safety.

The Calgary Zoo, which established the Wilder Institute in 2021, caters to nearly 4,000 creatures, including six more western lowland gorillas.

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Canada’s Lotto Max jackpot Climbs to $80M

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Lotto Max in Canada has reached $80 million for only the second time in Canadian lottery history. Friday’s draw sought a winner for a $75 million pool, but the top reward remained unclaimed as of Saturday, increasing the jackpot.

Only once did the jackpot reach $80 million in September, when it broke the previous record. Before that, the prize was $75 million, a record.

The Lotto Max prize maximum was boosted earlier this year, enabling for jackpots of more than $70 million. The cap is now at $80 million.
While a greater fee may encourage more people to play, the odds of winning the lottery remain extremely low.

According to the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation, the odds for a $5 ticket are around one in 33,294,800.

While there was no jackpot winner in Friday’s draw, someone did match six of the seven winning numbers, plus a bonus, earning them a payout of more than $320,000.

Lotto Max History

Lotto Max is one of three national lottery games in Canada, overseen by the Interprovincial Lottery Corporation. The game was introduced on September 19, 2009, and its inaugural draw occurred on September 25, 2009. It replaced Lotto Super 7.

The odds of winning the Lotto Max are 1 in 33,294,800. This is correct to a point but misleading.

Let’s have a look at the rules:

  1. Players choose 7 numbers out of 50
  2. Numbers cannot be repeated
  3. Numbers are automatically sorted into ascending order
  4. Each play buys 3 lines
  5. Each play costs $5

Seeing that players choose 7 out of 50 non-repeating numbers, the equation for the total number of possible combinations (this is different from permutations where the order in which the numbers appear is significant) when playing the Lotto Max is 50! / (7! x 43!)

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