The City News Service announced Monday that two California condo chicks were born last week at San Diego Zoo Safari Park. They were the first two chicks born in the zoo for this year.

Traditionally, the California Condor Recovery Program let humans take care of the eggs until they are hatched. However, zoo officials said the eggs were raised and hatched by their parents.

The condor chicks were hatched on March 14 and 16.

There are still two other eggs in the incubators at the Safari Park’s condor breeding program.

Other condor breeding programs are held at various zoos such as the Los Angeles Zoo, Oregon Zoo and the World Center for Birds of Prey. Birds that were released in the wild have bred and laid eggs as well.

The condor breeding program in the San Diego Zoo Safari Park started in the 1980s. That time, there were only about 22 condors left in the entire world. Since then, the park has hatched about 165 chicks from the last 22 California condors they placed under captive breeding program.

They have released 80 condors into the wilds of Arizona, Baja California and California. Zoos are also exchanging eggs to widen the pool of condor genes.

In the 20th century, the number of condors have remarkably declined because of habitat destruction, lead poisoning and poaching. A conservation plan structured by the government of United States helped preserve the number of condors.

Currently, there are 370 California condors both in the wild and in captivity.

A cruel storm hit on the first day of spring in the metropolitan area of Southern California. Mountainous areas were covered with snow while several other parts of the region were affected by heavy rain and strong winds on Sunday.

The winter storm warnings issued by the National Weather Service on Sunday were extended until midday of Monday for the mountainous areas of Los Angeles, Santa Barbara and Ventura counties.

At the Bob Hope Airport, sixteen flights were cancelled and at least eight flights were diverted by the Southwest Airlines because of strong winds in Burbank on Sunday. Long delays were also experienced by other airlines, according to an airport spokesman.

Nearly 27 inches of snow covered the Pine Mountain Club located in Kern Country while Lockwood Valley were covered with 19 and ½ inches of snow, said weather specialist Stuart Seto of National Weather Service in Oxnard. The Ventura River is also expected to crest at midnight.

Power interruptions were also experienced by almost 60,000 homes, including many business establishments mostly outside of Los Angeles sand Orange Counties. Most of them were customers of Department of Water and Power, as well as California Edison.

Power interruptions were also experienced by almost 60,000 homes, including many business establishments, mostly outside of Los Angeles and Orange Counties. They were under the Department of Water and Power, as well as California Edison electricity supply company.

Road accidents were increased on Sunday because of slick roads, flooding and mudslides. However, there were no fatalities reported, according to Ed Jacobs, California Highway Patrol Officer.

Officials said several challengers who joined the 26th Los Angeles Marathon were brought to the hospital because of hypothermia.

Seto said another low-pressure system is expected to hit Los Angeles accompanied with more rain on Friday.

Hawaii is facing another problem after a tsunami brought by the massive earthquake in Japan hit the shores of Hawaii and damaged many establishments and homes last week. At the moment, the island is bracing for a decline in the number tourists from Japan.

The island, whose economy depends mostly on tourism, is a top U.S. travel destination for many Japanese citizens.

Japanese account for more than 1.2 million of the total 16.6 million tourists in Hawaii last year. They had dispensed around $1.9 billion in Hawaii or around 17 percent of the state’s $11.4 billion total visitor revenue in 2010.

Gov. Neil Abercrombie said the consequences of the downturn in Japanese travelers in the economy of Hawaii might be severe. The state is already experiencing an expected shortfall of almost $1 billion for the next couple of years.

The Japanese are well favored in Hawaii because of their fondness for dining and shopping. Every day, about 13 direct flights travel to the Aloha State from Japan. They bring about 3,000 to 5,000 visitors.

Hawaii has already had several canceled flights from Japan. As a consequence, arrival of thousands of visitors has been hampered. After the March 11 earthquake, new bookings from Japan decreased by half and cancellation of flights tripled, based on the information gathered from H.I.S Hawaii travel agency.

However, the company’s assistant manager Naomi Hashizume said the cancellation rate has decreased to less than 10 percent since Wednesday. Hashizume is still optimistic that the travel market will rebound soon when Japan is fully restored.

A parade of green was held on Thursday to commemorate St. Patricks Day in New York City. The 250th annual parade, which was led by Mary Higgins, was the largest St. Patrick’s Day Parade in America.

The parade took off at 11:00 PM and continued until 4:30 PM. It started at 44th Street to the Fifth Avenue until it ended at 79th Street. They also passed at the world renowned St. Patrick’s Cathedral.

Marry Higgins, whose roots can be traced to the West of Ireland, proudly led the 2011 St. Patrick’s Day in New York City.

NYC St. Patrick’s Day has been celebrated with a lavish parade since 1762. It popularly depicts the Irish culture and heritage in the most populous city in the United States.

Restaurants in New York City benefit as well with the celebration of St. Patrick’s Day.

They are expected to serve traditional Irish dishes such as shepherd’s pie, as well as corned beef and cabbage. Drinks like Guinness beer and Bailey’s are also served. However, green beer is the people’s all-time favorite.

Several people and families who were unable to join the parade watched the large festivity live on the Internet or through the official website of NYC St. Patrick’s Day parade. Also, families left at home took part in the celebration by cooking their own corned beef in a crock pot, as well as other Irish dishes.

Houses and many establishments were decorated with shamrocks. People giving four leaf clovers and telling funny rhymes are just some of the ways that perk up the spirit of St. Patrick Day.

The website of NYC St. Patrick’s Day encourages supporters to give contributions to the traditional event so it can continue for generations.

The Obama administration is setting up more radiation monitors on the state of Hawaii, as well as on other islands covered by the United States, the environmental regulators informed on Tuesday.

The government is deploying radiation detectors on the islands even though it is not expecting harmful radiation levels coming from the quake-hit nuclear power plants in Japan to reach the soils of United States.

A notice was posted on the website of the Environmental Protection Agency on Tuesday, saying it has plans to collaborate with federal agencies to put additional radiation detectors on the western part of the United States and other U.S. territories.

An official from EPA said that there were already seven monitors being deployed to three U.S. islands. Three monitors were sent to Aleutian Islands in Alaska and two monitors each to Hawaii and Guam. According to the official, the monitors were sent “in an abundance of caution.”

The EPA official, who refused to be named, also said that the agency has 40 more detectors that could be dispatched. These detectors will enhance the several monitors already installed in the entire 50 states of U.S., a Democratic congressional said.

Japan has been trying to deal with the damage done on the nuclear power plants since the earthquake and tsunami has hit the country on Friday. U.S. officials have already advised many American citizens around the area of the Fukushima nuclear complex to evacuate as soon as possible.

However, U.S. officials are not expecting any harmful radiation from the devastated country to reach the borders of the United States. Still, EPA will continue tracking the radiation levels from the radiation detectors through its Internet database.

The US announced late last night that they are chartering at least a couple of flight out of japan.  This is not a mandatory evacuation but only a voluntary one.  The US Government wants US Diplomats and their families currently in Japan to have a way home if they would like to do so.

The areas of Japan where US personnel are currently located are the US Embassy in Tokyo, the US Consulate in Nagoya and the Foreign Service Institute int Yakohama.

This Voluntary evacuation is also being extended to any US citizens currently in Japan as well. There is limited seating, so US citizens are encouraged to call ahead at 1-212-501-4444 or email [email protected]. US Citizens can also just show up at the airport and try to get a seat as well.

So far there is at least one Charter plane going to both the New International Airport in Tokyo and the Old International Airport in Haneda.

Priority will be given to US Citizens with medical conditions.

Also announce last night was the US Nuclear Regulatory Committee’s recommendation that US Citizens and personnel evacuate to at least 50 miles from the Fukushima power plant site. This is contradictory information from the Japanese Government who is recommending only a 12 mile evacuation.

Memories of the 1979 Three Mile Island accident haunt many of the 8,700 residents who fled from the town as the risks for Japan’s nuclear power plant meltdown dominated the headlines in United States.

Judy Stare, 70, is one of the residents who remember the accident 32 years ago. Back then, her children were adolescents attending high school in a town nearby.

She told her children they might never go back and asked them to bring one of their favorite things before they evacuated from the melting core of the Three Mile Island nuclear reactor.

In the nation’s history, Three Mile Island is the most serious nuclear accident. The first accident occurred March 28 when an electrical or mechanical failure occurred on the turbine part of the nuclear building. This led to one of the reactors in the Three Mile Island to shut down.

A valve on the reactors opened to alleviate the build up of pressure. It was supposed to close, but remained open when the pressure decreased. Coolant had already leaked out, which went unnoticed by power plant operators.

The overheated uranium fuel rods started to melt. When the operators noticed that the coolant had leaked, almost half of the power plant reactor had already melted. The crisis in the region lasted for four days. Component failures, personal error and design deficiencies- all had been to blame for the accident.

On Tuesday, President Obama said he was sincerely concerned about the potential public risks of Japan’s quake-hit nuclear reactors. However, he promised to further develop and improve the safety of several atomic facilities in United States.

SeaWorld’s theme parks in San Diego, Orlando and San Antonio are gradually trying to get their trainers back in the water with the captive orcas just a year after an incident with a 6-ton killer whaled named Tilikum.

During a noontime performance held last year, Tilikum unexpectedly dragged the ponytail of his trainer and pulled her from a poolside platform and into the water. Dawn Brancheu, the trainer, eventually died from drowning and received some traumatic injuries.

The most recent incident with Tilikum raised intense discussions about trainer’s safety issues, including how captivity affects the behavior of an orca.

SeaWorld Park’s curator of zoological operations, Chuck Tompkins said there is no timetable yet when trainers will get back to working in the water. He said it might not even happen at all. But, the newest whale show that will debut in the theme parks this April is being planned to include the interaction and play in the water.

The adventure park has already invested in new safety equipment, which cost several millions of dollars. This includes a rising pool to rapidly lift whales and people out of the water, handy oxygen bottles for the trainers, as well as underwater vehicles to divert an animal’s attention during emergencies.

Since the death of Brancheau on Feb. 24, 2010, whale exhibitions have continued. However, the whale trainers have stayed on the pool deck. From time to time, they just stroke an orca when it moves onto the platform.

Tompkins said the orcas will have to get used to mingling with humans in the water again. They are being retrained to ignore loud distractions by the trainers and to swim on the side of the pools.

The plans to bring trainers back in the water will go forward even with federal Occupational Safety and Health administration’s findings that accuse the amusement park of carelessly putting trainers in danger.

The United States is positive about Japan’s ability to handle and manage economic challenges brought by the earthquake and devastating tsunami. The country also expects the disaster won’t affect the recovery of the world from economic recession, a spokesman from the White House said on Monday.

Jay Carney, White House spokesman said during a news briefing that the Obama administration has full confidence in Japan to deal with the economic challenges at these extremely difficult times.

At the news briefing, Carney was also asked whether or not President Obama’s economic advisers were worried that the disaster might pull back the world’s recovery from profound economic recession.

Carney answered the government is confident that not only Japan, but the whole world can deal with the crisis and react in a way that is good for Japan and the world.

He added that the resiliency of both Japanese people and Japanese economy are two very important factors in the Asian country’s ability to handle the situation. Therefore, it is also essential that the entire world will work with Japan to deal with it.

The third world’s largest economy has been struggling after the catastrophic natural disaster that hit Japan on Friday. An 8.9 magnitude earthquake near the city of Sendai in Japan triggered a massive tsunami that covered several thousands of homes and establishments. Three power nuclear reactors in Fukushima plant also caused fears of possible meltdown.

But, economists expect that the earthquake will only pull back the already weak economy in a short period, as the impact on global extent appears quite modest.

It’s a common knowledge among businessmen that Chicago’s magnificent mile slows down during the end of summer as students head back to school and tourism drops. For that reason, aside from entertainment, a summer festival will occur at the end of summer as an attempt to lift the slowing business during that time. The summer festival will take place on North Michigan Avenue from August 28 to September 8, 2011. It will be called Magnificent Mile Shopping Festival, since the city’s Magnificent Mile is known for their numerous high-end stores, luxury hotels and fine restaurants.

The event is being organized by the Greater North Michigan Avenue Association. They will use the other shopping festivals around the world as inspiration for the preparation of the festival. They want it to be like the Dubai Shopping Festival which lasted for an entire month with 3 million visitors from all over the world. It was said that the event garnered about $1 billion on all the items sold. The sold not just clothing articles, accessories and home equipment but they also sold cars and even luxury homes.

Though compared to Dubai’s Shopping Festival, the organizers are modest in their expectations. Since it is their first shopping festival, they aren’t planning on lavishing the event just how Dubai did their own. However, they have perks such as the announced raffle where the lucky person gets to stay at the Fairmont Chicago Millennium Park Hotel’s presidential suite for five days. There are also planning on putting street performances and fun activities aside from the great sales on items which will be the major attraction.

It will be a Festival to look forward to as North Michigan Avenue is known for its shopping centers. They are expecting a great number of shoppers being drawn by the discounted items, special sales and special offers given by the stores during the festival.