This is the Top Five Countdown! We’re raising the curtain on the five most popular songs in the Billboard Hot 100 Pop Singles chart, for the week ending March 4, 2017.

Break out the popcorn, movie fans, because we have a blockbuster debut for you.

Number 5: The Chainsmokers Featuring Halsey “Closer”

The action starts in fifth place, where the Chainsmokers and Halsey rebound two slots with “Closer.” This song is now a record-setter – it has spent 26 total weeks – six months – in the Top Five. That’s the longest Top Five run in the Hot 100’s 58-year history. The previous record was 25 weeks, jointly held by Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars with “Uptown Funk,” and LeAnn Rimes with “How Do I Live.”

That’s pretty spectacular, but the real fireworks arrive in fourth place.

Number 4: Katy Perry Featuring Skip Marley “Chained To The Rhythm”

One of our most dependable hit makers returns this week, as Katy Perry opens in fourth place with “Chained To The Rhythm.”

This is not only Katy’s 14th Top 10 single, it’s also her third-highest Hot 100 debut. “Part Of Me” opened at number one in 2012, while “California Gurls” hit second place in 2010. The featured artist on this song is Skip Marley, the grandson of reggae great Bob Marley.

Number 3: Migos & Lil Uzi Vert “Bad And Boujee”

Migos and Lil Uzi Vert slip a slot to third place with “Bad And Boujee,” and Migos are already planning new chart conquests.

On February 24, Calvin Harris dropped his latest single “Slide,” featuring Frank Ocean, along with Migos members Quavo and Offset. Three days later on February 27, DJ Khaled sent out a series of Instagram photos featuring Migos, Justin Bieber, and Chance The Rapper…and it just so happens DJ Khaled is dropping a new album, Grateful, on March 22.

Number 2: Zayn & Taylor Swift “I Don’t Wanna Live Forever”

Zayn and Taylor Swift jump a notch to second place with “I Don’t Wanna Live Forever.”

On February 22, Zayn faced off against his former One Direction groupmates in the BRIT Awards…and lost. 1D took the Video Of The Year crown for “History,” while Zayn was an also-ran with his “Pillowtalk” clip.

Number 1: Ed Sheeran “Shape of You”

Ed Sheeran extends his run at the top to four weeks with “Shape Of You,” and it sounds like Ed has a new friend. 

Last week, Katy Perry stopped by the BBC for a pre-BRIT Awards interview…and Ed crashed the conversation. He recalled their first meeting after a gig in Toronto in which Ed was covered in sweat…things didn’t go so smoothly then but they’re good pals now.

Will Ed Sheeran’s run at the top continue? Join us next week for the answers!
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From: MeNeedIt

Nearly four decades after Elvis sang his last tune, his legacy got a $45 million boost with the Thursday opening of a major new attraction at his Graceland estate — an entertainment complex that Priscilla Presley says gives “the full gamut” of the King of rock ‘n’ roll.

About 200 people streamed into “Elvis Presley’s Memphis” after the late singer’s wife cut a ribbon and allowed fans to see the $45 million complex for the first time.

Resembling an outdoor mall, the 200,000-square-foot campus sits across the street from Graceland, Presley’s longtime home-turned-museum. The complex features a comprehensive Presley exhibit with clothing he wore on stage and guitars he played; a showcase of the cars he owned and used; a soundstage; a theater; two restaurants and retail stores.

“You’re getting the full gamut of who Elvis Presley was,” Priscilla Presley said during an interview after the grand opening. “You’re getting to see and participate a bit in his life and what he enjoyed and what he loved to collect.” 

It’s part of a $140 million expansion, which also includes a $90 million, 450-room hotel that opened last year. The complex replaces the aging buildings that have housed Presley-related exhibits for years. An old, gray, strip-mall style visitor center will be torn down to make room for a greenspace along Elvis Presley Boulevard, the street that runs in front of the house.

Graceland has been updating its tourist experience. Visitors now use iPads for self-guided tours of the house. The new Guest House at Graceland, with modern amenities like glass-encased showers with wall-mounted body sprays and in-room Keurig coffeemakers, has replaced the crumbling Heartbreak Hotel, which is scheduled for demolition.

“We want to keep updating. … If you don’t keep up with what’s going on in the times, you get left out,” Priscilla Presley said. She was joined at the ribbon-cutting by Elvis Presley Enterprises CEO Jack Soden and Joel Weinshanker, managing partner of Graceland Holdings.

The opening comes just before the 40th anniversary of Presley’s death on Aug. 16, 1977, at age 42.

Adults pay $57.50 for a standard tour of the house and access to the complex. Visitors can also choose to tour just the house for a lower price. Discounts are offered for seniors and children. A self-guided tour of two airplanes owned by Presley is $5 more. 

From the ticketing area, people line up to wait for buses that take visitors to the museum, or they can move through the entertainment complex’s large, high-ceilinged buildings.

Gladys’ Diner — named after the singer’s mother — has the feel of a 1950’s eatery, complete with pictures of Presley, aqua-colored chairs and stations where patrons can order hot dogs, burgers and ice cream.

There’s also Presley’s favorite: Gladys’ World Famous Peanut Butter and Banana Sandwich, fried in bacon grease. Another PB&B sandwich is cooked in butter.

Across a wide walkway lies the automobile museum, filled with some of Presley’s favorite toys. Among them is a pink 1955 Cadillac Fleetwood — a custom painted model that he gave to his mother — and a sleek, black 1973 Stutz Blackhawk that he drove the day he died.

The walkway leads to the 20,000-square foot museum called “Elvis: The Entertainer,” which features white and purple jumpsuits he wore during concerts and gold-colored guitars he played on stage.

 Several retail stores line the complex. A second restaurant, a barbecue joint called Vernon’s Smokehouse — named after Presley’s father — will also open. So will an exhibition focused on Sam Phillips, the Sun Records producer and rock ‘n’ roll pioneer who recorded Presley for the first time.

The complex is still being finished. Priscilla Presley said there’s a warehouse full of artifacts, ready for display.

During the interview with The Associated Press, Priscilla Presley declined to comment about a court battle in Los Angeles between Lisa Marie Presley, the daughter she had with Elvis, and Lisa Marie’s estranged husband.

Among the fans eager to get a glimpse at the new exhibits Thursday was Carol Carey, a retiree who made the short trip across the state line from Southaven, Mississippi, with her son.

Wearing a pink shirt with the words “Wild About Graceland” on it, Carey beamed a wide smile as she talked about the complex.

“We couldn’t wait to see it,” she said. “We’ve been here every other day, checking it out. Getting used to saying goodbye to the old, and seeing friends who are all taking pictures of everything.”
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From: MeNeedIt

U.S. first lady Melania Trump read to a group of children at a New York hospital Thursday to celebrate National Read Across America Day.

In one of her first outings in a traditional first lady role, Trump read to children at the pediatrics ward from the Dr. Seuss favorite, Oh, the Places You’ll Go!

She told the children, “I came here to encourage everyone to read and to just think about the books and what you want to achieve in life.”

Trump also brought a box full of children’s books by American author Theodor Geisel, who is better known as Dr. Seuss, to leave for the children.

“Dr. Seuss has brought so much joy, laughter and enchantment into children’s lives all around the globe for generations,” she said. “Through his captivating rhymes, Dr. Seuss has delighted and inspired children while teaching them to read, to dream and to care.”

Melania Trump is living in New York while her son finishes school, rather than joining her husband at the White House in Washington, D.C.
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From: MeNeedIt

Federal law enforcement agents have searched three facilities of the American heavy-equipment manufacturer Caterpillar Incorporated in the U.S. Midwest.

Caterpillar spokeswoman Corrie Heck Scott said in an email that the company, the world’s largest manufacturer of mining and construction equipment, was cooperating with law enforcement, but she gave no further details about the searches Thursday. Federal agents with search warrants entered three Caterpillar offices in Peoria, Illinois, and the surrounding area.

News of the searches sent Caterpillar shares tumbling more than 4 percent on U.S. stock exchanges within hours. Caterpillar reported $38.5 billion in sales last year, but that was an 18 percent decline from 2015.  

Sharon Paul, a spokeswoman for the U.S. attorney’s office in Illinois’ Central District, said the searchers were agents from the Internal Revenue Service’s criminal investigation unit, the U.S. Department of Commerce’s office of export enforcement and inspectors from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, which investigates banks.

The Commerce Department said its office of export enforcement focuses on “sensitive exports to hostile entities” and “prohibited foreign boycotts,” among other things.

Caterpillar has faced a number of investigations in recent years focusing on its business practices, according to filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Most recently, in 2015, a federal court in Illinois subpoenaed the company for documents and information relating to the distribution of profits and movement of cash among its subsidiaries. The IRS has charged Caterpillar with $2 billion for unpaid taxes and penalties in that case, but the corporation said it is “vigorously contesting” the tax demand.
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From: MeNeedIt

Street vendors are a part of the life of many American cities. They’re not always regulated and many are immigrants. Los Angeles is a prime example. Street vending is has been illegal. A number of the vendors there are undocumented immigrants. With hopes to protect them from deportation for breaking the law, the city recently decriminalized street vending. Goldy Fogel narrates for video journalist Arturo Martinez.
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From: MeNeedIt

Every year, the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising Museum in Los Angeles holds an exhibit showcasing the works of Oscar nominated fashion designers of that year. VOA got a closer look at the designs of this year’s costumes, and spoke to one of the nominees.
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From: MeNeedIt

The more science learns about staying healthy, one thing seems increasingly clear: to stay fit, mentally and physically, keep moving. But moving can be hard when most people sit at desks all day. A new study suggests that even if you spend all day in a chair, a couple of hours a week of movement may be enough to keep you healthy. VOA’s Kevin Enochs reports.
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From: MeNeedIt

The death from childbirth of a woman named Time magazine “Person of the Year” in 2014 for her work fighting Ebola in Liberia is being investigated after reports surfaced that health workers were afraid to treat her, the country’s health ministry said Wednesday.

Ebola survivor Salomé Karwah died last week four days after suffering complications from giving birth by cesarean section in a major hospital, according to the ministry’s chief medical officer, Francis Kateh.

Josephine Manley, Karwah’s sister, told Time that they rushed her back to hospital after she lapsed into convulsions following the birth, but said staff refused to touch her because she had contracted the deadly virus in late 2014.

“It is tragic that one of our heroes, who survived Ebola, died from childbirth in a hospital,” Kateh told the Thomson Reuters Foundation by phone from Liberia’s capital, Monrovia.

“We are taking the death very seriously,” he said, adding that the authorities were investigating whether staff had refused to treat Karwah.

Karwah, who worked as a nursing assistant after recovering from the virus, was one of five people featured on the Time magazine cover for their work battling Ebola.

Thousands of victims

Liberia was hit hardest by the world’s worst outbreak of Ebola, losing more than 4,800 people in an epidemic that killed about 11,300 people across Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone between 2013 and 2016.

Many survivors have been shunned by their families, communities and even health workers.

The virus can lie dormant and hide in parts of the body such as the eyes and testicles long after leaving the bloodstream — raising questions about whether it can ever be beaten, with West Africa’s 17,000 survivors acting as a potential human reservoir.

While health experts say the risk of Ebola re-emerging in survivors and being transmitted to others is low, some fear that the stigma surrounding the virus could lead to further preventable deaths of survivors in the three affected countries.

“Emergencies like these create lasting effects, partly because they can be so destructive to the social fabric of a country or community,” said Richard Mallett, research officer at the Overseas Development Institute, a U.K.-based think tank.

The Alliance for International Medical Action (ALIMA), a medical charity, said many Ebola survivors were struggling to access health care in West Africa, but not as a result of being stigmatized by health workers.

“Many survivors lost their jobs, or their spouse, and can no longer afford health care for themselves or their family,” said Ivonne Loua, head of ALIMA’s survivor care program in Guinea.
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From: MeNeedIt

The predicted peak blooming period for this year’s cherry blossom season in Washington is being announced.

The window is expected to be announced Wednesday at a news conference at the Newseum.

Last year’s peak bloom happened March 25. According to the National Park Service website, however, from 2013 to 2015, peak bloom was around April 10.

Peak bloom means at least 70 percent of the trees around Washington, D.C.’s Tidal Basin are blossoming. Once peak bloom is reached, the blossoms can remain on the trees from four to 10 days.

This year’s National Cherry Blossom Festival , which is timed to coincide with the blooming, will be held from March 20 to April 16.

 
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From: MeNeedIt

[[As people age, their bones can get thinner, their memories can fail, their hormone levels decline and they are more likely to suffer from heart disease. The U.S. National Institutes of Health funded studies to see if testosterone therapy in men could help offset the ravages of age. VOA’s Carol Pearson reports the results were mixed.
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From: MeNeedIt

In the shadow of New York City, a group of farmers is tending their crop and prepping it for shipment into the Big Apple on a same day basis. But there isn’t a whole lot of room for a farmer’s field in Kearny, New Jersey. That’s where some high tech hydroponics are changing the face of suburban farming. VOA’s Kevin Enochs reports.
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From: MeNeedIt

Vietnam is coming under pressure from lawmakers in Europe to improve its human rights record before ratification of an EU free trade deal that the Communist government prizes after the loss of a major U.S.-led agreement.

European Parliament members voiced concerns in late February about Vietnam as its Subcommittee on Human Rights traveled to the Southeast Asian country. The committee recommended more debate in Vietnam on political rights and freedom of expression and religion.

Europe’s human rights concerns

Without meeting Europe’s strict conditions on human rights, ratification of the trade agreement will be difficult, the subcommittee’s chair was quoted saying in Hanoi. The Vietnamese government has not directly responded to the comments. 

The deal, signed in December 2015 and due to take effect next year, must pass the European Parliament as well as the legislatures of the member countries. When lawmakers in Belgium deliberated the agreement in January, a number raised questions about Vietnam’s socio-economic situation.

“They have this very daunting prospect of having to go through 27 national assemblies to get anything ratified,” said Frederick Burke, partner with the multinational law firm Baker & McKenzie in Ho Chi Minh City. “That’s a challenge to get through all those ratifications.”

The European Union had pursued the trade deal with Vietnam so its companies could better access an increasingly wealthy consumer market of about 93 million people. The agreement also builds toward an eventual EU free trade agreement with the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations, to which Vietnam belongs.

Vietnam wants the agreement as a burgeoning export-driven nation keen to diversify markets and avoid dependence on China, a long-time political rival. 

TPP died with Trump Administration

Vietnam was a member of the Trans Pacific Partnership or TPP, which would have dropped import tariffs in Japan and the United States. The deal effectively died after U.S. President Donald Trump withdrew the United States in January.

EU-Vietnam trade comes to about $40.1 billion per year. Vietnam counts the European Union, with a market of about 500 million people, as its No. 3 trading partner after China and the United States.

“If it’s ratified soon, it’s much better. The sooner the better for Vietnam,” said Hoang Viet Phuong, head of institutional research and investment advisor at SSI Securities Services in Hanoi.

Free trade deal helps garment and textile exports

“It should not be a problem because already (it has) been signed,” she said. “I think people expected the TPP the most but as the TPP was not realized, this FTA will also help. For sectors such as garments and textiles, we export to Europe a lot.”

The deal would drop almost all import tariffs within seven years and open Vietnam to European services such as healthcare, packaging and holding exhibitions.

Almost a year before the parliament committee’s visit to Vietnam, the French advocacy group Worldwide Movement for Human Rights had accused the European Union of failing to do a human rights impact study.

Human rights demands less rigorous than TPP

The FTA includes “strong commitments to protect people’s basic rights at work, their human rights more broadly, and the environment,” chief European negotiator Mauro Petriccione said in a statement last year.

But the European agreement’s language is less rigorous than corresponding text in the TPP, Burke said. 

The TPP would have required pro-union changes in Vietnamese labor law to stop worker exploitation and forced heavy industries to pay penalties if poor pollution controls caused an impact on trade, with violators facing extra tariffs.

“The EU FTA was not drafted as clearly as the TPP,” he said. “The language is not as self-enforcing. It relies more on goodwill and people willing to do things.”

Human rights abuses continue

Vietnamese authorities harass and imprison bloggers and political activists as well, American advocacy group Human Rights Watch says. Workers cannot form their own unions, it says, while farmers are losing land to development projects.

Some of the estimated 8 million Christians in the officially atheist state are sometimes arrested for airing their beliefs because the government sees their religion as “being tied to foreign powers,” the American advocacy group Open Doors says.

To satisfy European legislators, the country will probably pass laws or release a few prisoners of conscience without making fundamental changes, said Carl Thayer, Vietnam scholar and emeritus professor of politics at The University of New South Wales in Australia.

Hanoi changed what it was required before being allowed into the TPP, he noted. Human rights activists could still criticize Vietnam, he said, but American officials were satisfied.

“The real answer is that Vietnam will resist, but instead of stonewalling, like they did with the U.S., they worked out a kind of modus vivendi,” he said. 
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From: MeNeedIt