Upcoming shows
Real News

NOW ON AIR
Now On Air

Story Time

1:00 am 6:00 am



Maga First News

Upcoming Shows

Join The MAGA Network on Discord

0 0

Biological Male Is Top-ranked NCAA Women’s Track Star

A top-ranked runner in NCAA women’s track is dominating the competition and setting records one year after competing as a man at the same level.

Franklin Pierce University senior CeCe Telfer leads the NCAA’s Division II women’s division in the 55 meter dash and 55 meter hurdle events. Telfer led Franklin Pierce’s women’s track team into the top 25 rankings for the first time in program’s history, local newspaper The Keene Sentinel reported in December. The New Hampshire college is ranked 14th in DII.

“Senior CeCe Telfer (Lebanon, N.H.) won three Northeast-10 Conference titles on Sunday, to lead the Franklin Pierce University women’s track & field team and earn Most Outstanding Track Athlete honors at the NE10 Championships, hosted by American International College, on the campus of Smith College,” reads a Feb. 17 article the school’s athletic department posted.

Telfer broke the conference finals record at the meet and qualified for three different events at March’s NCAA championships, the article noted.

Telfer is one of the fastest runners in NCAA women’s track and field at any division — not just at the DII level. Telfer’s best time in the 55 meter dash is tied with the third-fastest runner at the women’s DI level.

Telfer previously ran a variety of events for Franklin Pierce’s men’s team, during most of which time he went by the first name Craig, according to school records.

Telfer competed on Franklin Pierce’s men’s team as recently as January 2018, according to published meet results from the Middlebury Winter Classic in Vermont. By that point Telfer had started using the name CeCe, while still competing on the men’s team.

NCAA policy is that male athletes who identify as transgender can compete on women’s teams if they suppress their testosterone levels for a full calendar year. Otherwise, so-called mixed teams — which have both males and females — can compete in the men’s division, but not in the women’s division, according to NCAA rules.

The NCAA in 2011 published an explainer calling it “not well founded” to assume “that being born with a male body automatically gives a transgender woman an unfair advantage when competing against non-transgender women.”

“Transgender women display a great deal of physical variation, just as there is a great deal of natural variation in physical size and ability among non-transgender women and men. Many people may have a stereotype that all transgender women are unusually tall and have large bones and muscles. But that is not true,” the explainer states.

“A male-to-female transgender woman may be small and slight, even if she is not on hormone blockers or taking estrogen. It is important not to overgeneralize. The assumption that all male-bodied people are taller, stronger, and more highly skilled in a sport than all female-bodied people is not accurate,” it continues.

Telfer’s success in the women’s division, which was first highlighted by sports blog Turtleboy Sports, is the latest example of biological males who identify as transgender women piling up victories in women’s sports.

Two biologically male high schoolers in Connecticut, Terry Miller and Andraya Yearwood, are dominating girls’ track in the state. The two teens are among the fastest high school sprinters in the country — though only in the girl’s division.

One of Miller’s and Yearwood’s female competitors, fellow junior Selina Soule, told the Associated Press that it was unfair to force female high schoolers to compete against male athletes.

“We all know the outcome of the race before it even starts; it’s demoralizing,” Soule said. “I fully support and am happy for these athletes for being true to themselves. They should have the right to express themselves in school, but athletics have always had extra rules to keep the competition fair,” she added.

One of the top scorers for Australia’s women’s handball team is Hannah Mouncey, who played for the Australian men’s handball team before transitioning. Mouncey played women’s Australian rules football between transitioning and switching to women’s handball.

Mouncey was banned from the women’s division of the Australian Football League’s women’s division in October 2017 before receiving approval to play  in February 2018.

Mouncey abandoned the sport for women’s handball in September 2018, a month after the football league announced tighter restrictions on testosterone levels.

Rachel McKinnon, a biologically male college professor who identifies as a transgender woman, won a women’s cycling world championship in October. McKinnon won the women’s sprint 35-39 age bracket at the 2018 UCI Masters Track Cycling World Championships in Los Angeles.

McKinnon in January 2018 was quoted in USA Today arguing against requiring biological males to suppress testosterone as a requirement for competing against women.

“We cannot have a woman legally recognized as a trans woman in society, and not be recognized that way in sports,” McKinnon told USA Today. “Focusing on performance advantage is largely irrelevant because this is a rights issue. We shouldn’t be worried about trans people taking over the Olympics. We should be worried about their fairness and human rights instead.”

Democratic Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar called for an investigation into USA Powerlifting in January after the athletic association announced that male lifters who identify as transgender women aren’t allowed to compete as women.

Omar called it a “myth” that men who identify as transgender women have a “direct competitive advantage” in a Jan. 31 letter she sent to USA Powerlifting on behalf of Jaycee Cooper, a male powerlifter in Omar’s district who identifies as a transgender woman.

Omar copied Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison on the letter, “with a recommendation that he investigate this discriminatory behavior.”

Ellison said his office didn’t have the jurisdiction to investigate USA Powerlifting, but recommended that Cooper “file a complaint with the Minnesota Department of Human Rights.”


Source: InfoWars

0 0

Japan’s Netflix contender bets on youth-driven viral hits

AbemaTV's staffs prepare for filming at its studio in Tokyo
AbemaTV's staffs prepare for filming at its studio in Tokyo, Japan, February 22, 2019. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-hoon

March 14, 2019

By Sam Nussey

TOKYO (Reuters) – On a Friday night at a downtown Tokyo television studio, 12 teen models with cutesy nicknames like Ayamin and Kyokyo are waiting nervously to find out who has won coveted spots on the cover of Popteen magazine, a Japanese fashion bible.

The girls, sporting a range of trendy styles, are the stars of “Popteen Cover Girl War,” a hit show from internet upstart AbemaTV that may signal a new direction for Japanese television.

Eschewing the pricy serials and star-studded films that have helped companies like Netflix upend the traditional TV business in the U.S., AbemaTV is betting on low-budget, reality-based fare with colorful graphics, relatable young faces and a relentless focus on generating social media buzz.

The approach has pulled in millions of young viewers, convincing some advertisers and industry analysts that AbemaTV has found a lucrative new model.

“It’s a generation used to rapidly processing information,” Tatsuhiko Taniguchi, head of AbemaTV, said of his young viewers. Dramas are put together “as if we are stuffing in twice the amount of screenplay,” he added.

Japan’s traditional broadcasters, boxed in by government regulations and concerned about upsetting their regional stations, have mostly left the internet field clear for upstarts like AbemaTV and foreign players like Netflix and Amazon.com.

Yet AbemaTV remains an unproven bet for its biggest backer, online ad agency CyberAgent, which launched the network three years ago with TV Asahi. CyberAgent spent 20 billion yen ($179.73 million) on the venture in the fiscal year that ended in September, much of that on programming, against revenues of just 6 billion yen.

CyberAgent’s stock price is down 40 percent from last July’s all time high at a time when its advertising and gaming units are also under pressure.

And the overseas players continue to make inroads: In addition to subtitling their large back catalogues, they are offering a growing library of local-language content such as Netflix’s “Terrace House.”

But CyberAgent founder and CEO Susumu Fujita, who at age 26 became the youngest CEO ever to take a company public in Japan, remains confident.

“We are not rushing to reach profitability,” said Fujita, 45, who estimates that revenue will double this year on the same amount of spending.

AbemaTV has around 8 million viewers each week. Goldman Sachs analyst Masaru Sugiyama sees the venture turning profitable next year and hitting 164 billion yen in revenue in 2024.

With big consumer brands looking for online advertising opportunities, “there’s a huge need for professional content on the internet, but there is a scarcity of that, especially in Japan,” Sugiyama said.

HIT MACHINE

AbemaTV viewers can watch about 25 ad-supported channels showing everything from 24-hour news to anime to Korean dramas to fishing via an app or in a browser.

Along with an ad-supported catch-up service for recently aired shows, for more hardcore fans there is also a 960-yen-per-month service providing access to every show AbemaTV has aired.

Japanese TV shows use lots of explanatory on-screen text, designed to capture viewers zapping between channels, along with wide shots of terraced rows of entertainers.

By contrast, AbemaTV’s smartphone-focused approach features a cleaner look with frequent close-ups.

AbemaTV hits include a variety show featuring former members of Japan’s once-biggest boy band, SMAP, and a dating show in which the female contestants and viewers try to identify which of the male contestants is a “wolf” lying to gain their affections.

During the run of “Popteen,” its stars inspired fierce loyalties among fans on social media as they completed tasks like been photographed while being splattered with goo, with their final ranking partly determined by viewer votes.

“In the end those who revealed their weak side got cheered on more than the girls who were perfectly cute,” said Airi Tsukioka, a producer on the show. Social media reaction informed the direction the show took, she said.

DIGITAL INTERFERENCE

AbemaTV traces its roots to Fujita’s participation from 2013 in discussions on the future of TV Asahi’s programming. One central question was how to meet the threat from foreign players like Netflix and Amazon Prime.

Fujita’s answer was AbemaTV.

TV Asahi holds a 37 percent stake, helping reduce the burden on CyberAgent. AbemaTV gained another vote of confidence in October when it won the backing of two of Cyberagent’s rivals, Dentsu and Hakuhodo DY Holdings, which have taken 5 percent and 3 percent stakes respectively.

The investment brings on board two players who between them control a big chunk of Japan’s ad market and could help drive big brands to the platform.

Dentsu figures released last month showed that in 2018 internet spending grew 17 percent compared to a year earlier. TV spending shrank by almost 2 percent.

“We want to support the growth of new media,” said Arinobu Soga, Dentsu’s chief financial officer.

($1 = 111.2800 yen)

(Reporting by Sam Nussey; Editing by Jonathan Weber and Gerry Doyle)

Source: OANN

0 0

Bloody Sunday: Sri Lanka Easter Church And Hotel Bombings Kill Over 200

Just as Sri Lanka’s minority Christian population gathered to celebrate Easter at churches across the nation on Sunday morning, six nearly simultaneous explosions ripped through three churches and three high-end hotels packed with tourists.

Local police have said they believe at least two of the church blasts were carried out by suicide bombers in a highly coordinated attack, leaving over 200 people dead and multiple hundreds more injured, including more than 27 foreigners, according to the AP.

The first bombing targeted St. Anthony’s Shrine in the country’s capital of Colombo, while the second hit St. Sebastian’s Church in Negombo, a Catholic majority town north of Colombo.

The churches, which also included a third in Batticaloa, were targeted as worshippers gathered for Easter service at 8:45am local time. A seventh blast was reported near the national zoo in Colombo after the first six, and CNN reports there may have been up to eight bomb sites.

Three luxury hotels in Colombo were also targeted, identified in international reports as the Shangri La, Cinnamon Grand and Kingsbury.

There appears to have also been a possible shootout between suspected attackers and police as at least one Sri Lankan officer was reported to have died while raiding a location believed to house some of the terror attack plotters.

The country’s defense minister announced later in the day that seven suspects linked to the blasts have been arrested.

Meanwhile the prime minister condemned the attacks as “cowardly” and a nationwide curfew has been imposed.

Eyewitnesses reported the ground shaking in the vicinity of some of the blasts, with other reports citing witnesses who saw severed body parts outside one of the luxury hotels hit.

No group has yet to claim responsibility for the deadly Easter morning attack, though Sri Lankan Christians as a sizable minority at about 8% have reported at uptick of persecution and threats coming from Muslims and majority Buddhist population.

Theravada Buddhism is the official religion of Sri Lanka, at about 70% of the population. The vast majority of Sri Lanka’s Christians are Roman Catholic.

President Trump has offered US assistance in the wake of the Easter terror attacks now gripping world headlines.

The Easter Sunday attacks are the worst single day violence the country has seen since its civil war ended a decade ago. Via Bloomberg:

Sri Lanka’s ability to attract direct foreign investments is expected to diminish following the attacks on Sunday, according to Raffaele Bertoni, head of debt-capital markets at Gulf Investment Corp. in Kuwait City. This morning’s events along with rising political tensions and lower economic activity will have an impact on assets starting with the rupee. He sees the rupee weakening to 180 per dollar.

This after the Rupee closed at 174.11 a dollar on Thursday.


Alex Jones describes how our ancestors’ tribal call to war is sounding out yet again, this time for the information war, and we must fight all tyrannical, oppressive ideas to truly defeat globalism worldwide.

Source: InfoWars

0 0

Israeli election: the left that dare not speak its name

FILE PHOTO: A part of a campaign billboard of Benny Gantz, a former Israeli armed forces chief and the head of a new political party, Israel Resilience, can be seen in Tel Aviv
FILE PHOTO: A part of a campaign billboard of Benny Gantz, a former Israeli armed forces chief and the head of a new political party, Israel Resilience, can be seen in Tel Aviv, Israel January 29, 2019 REUTERS/Amir Cohen/File Photo

April 4, 2019

By Maayan Lubell

TEL AVIV (Reuters) – When Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wants to undermine his strongest election challenger, he pins a label on him that many Israelis see as an insult: “Leftist”.

Israel was founded by the left, which dominated politics in the early years of the state. In 1992 it took 61 of the 120 seats in the Knesset, or parliament.

Nearly 30 years on, the left is forecast to take only around 25 seats in an election on Tuesday.

The left has been reeling after a series of setbacks – the assassination of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin in 1995, the failure of his 1993 and 1995 Oslo accords to deliver peace with the Palestinians, many rounds of failed negotiations and years of bloodshed that have made both sides bitter and mistrustful.

Now, only 12 percent of Jewish Israelis identify themselves as left-wing, according to the Israel Democracy Institute. It was around double that a decade-and-a-half ago. Fifty-six percent now describe themselves as right-wing, up from 40 percent over the same period, and the amount who say they are centrists is little changed at 26.5 percent.

With Netanyahu in power for the past decade and months away from becoming Israel’s longest-serving leader if he is re-elected, the right is on the ascendant.

The only candidate with a chance of beating Netanyahu is not a leftist. Benny Gantz, a former general and political novice, belongs to a new party that is running on a centrist platform.

Seeking to win over right-leaning voters, Gantz, 59, has highlighted his military credentials and is a pragmatist.

Gantz was head of the Israeli military during the 2014 Gaza war between Israel and the militant Islamist group Hamas in which 2,100 Palestinians were killed, against an Israeli death toll of 67 soldiers and six civilians.

Gantz embraces that legacy, running a television ad which highlighted the number of Palestinian militants killed on his watch.

Careful not to alienate centrist voters, Gantz also chooses his words carefully on the issue that more than any other divides Israel’s left and right – a “two-state solution” for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Gantz nods to the left by saying Israel should pursue peace and end its dominion over the Palestinians but stops short of endorsing Palestinian statehood.

Most polls show Gantz’s centrist Blue and White party leading Netanyahu’s right-wing Likud in a straight race. But they also show a Netanyahu-led alliance of all the right-wing parties is more likely to secure a majority.

“TRAITORS”

   Netanyahu has cast Gantz as a weak leftist who will endanger Israel’s security by giving territorial concessions to the Palestinians, which is anathema to the right.

This is Netanyahu’s standard play-book, say his opponents.

“The word ‘left’ is a tool to delegitimize everyone or anyone who’s against Netanyahu,” said Labour lawmaker Merav Michaeli. “‘Left’ has become like a curse, so it’s not surprising that so many people are trying to avoid it.”

    “If there is really deep damage our prime minister has done to society, it’s making the left-wingers traitors,” said Labour supporter Liat Arbel. “We are as (much a) part of Israel as right-wingers.”   

In the build-up to the election, Netanyahu struck an alliance with anti-Arab and far-right politicians, some of whom seek to annex the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

Foremost among Netanyahu’s critics for veering further right is the last left-winger to beat him in an election, Ehud Barak.

Like Gantz, Barak is a former military man. Now retired from politics, Barak, 77, says the far-right has become the driving force in Israeli politics, “like the tail wagging the dog.” The left, he says, has lost steam.

“The left used to have a vision for Israel – a modern, Zionist, enlightened society on the cutting edge of the advanced world,” said Barak, who was prime minister from July 1999 until March 2001.

“The right-wing has its own vision which is, in a way, dark, ultra-nationalist, somewhat racist and messianic. But it’s a burning vision – so it motivates them.”

Historian Gadi Taub, of Hebrew University’s School of Public Policy, describes himself as a former leftist.

He says the left has become elitist, over-critical of their own society, and out of touch with mainstream Israelis, who are deeply skeptical about prospects for peace with Palestinians.

“The Israeli public is pragmatic. It drew its conclusions from the failure of the left’s vision and it changed direction,” said Taub.

NO PEACE

For many Israelis, Barak played a big role in the left’s decline. In 2000, he and Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat failed to agree a peace accord.

“From that day onwards the Israeli public believed that there was no partner, that ‘they’ don’t want peace,” said Angela Godfrey-Goldstein, a veteran Israeli peace activist. “Israelis hunkered down.”

The outbreak of a Palestinian intifada, or uprising, a few months later drove the sides even further apart. Palestinians carried out shootings and suicide bombings, and Israel carried out air strikes and army raids.

Opinion was further hardened when Israel pulled its soldiers and settlers out of Gaza in 2005, only for Hamas to seize control of the territory two years later, further dimming prospects for peace. 

If he is to secure victory, Gantz may have to convince voters he is in the model of former commanders turned politicians, such as Rabin and Ariel Sharon, who was prime minister from March 2001 until April 2006.

Gantz was asked about the comparison with Rabin at an election event in Tel Aviv on Tuesday.

“To be compared to Yitzhak Rabin would be nothing short of the best compliment I can think of,” he replied. “Rabin was center, a bit left, a bit right, however you want to define him.”

(Writing by Maayan Lubell; Additional reporting by Elana Ringler and Stephen Farrell; Editing by Stephen Farrell and Timomthy Heritage)

Source: OANN

0 0

Explainer: How 5G drove moves by Apple, Qualcomm and Intel

FILE PHOTO: Silhouette of mobile user is seen next to a screen projection of Apple logo in this picture illustration
FILE PHOTO: Silhouette of mobile user is seen next to a screen projection of Apple logo in this picture illustration taken March 28, 2018. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo

April 17, 2019

By Stephen Nellis

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – Apple Inc and Qualcomm Inc on Tuesday settled an acrimonious two-year legal dispute. Shortly afterward, Intel Corp said it will exit the smartphone modem chip business.

The entire drama played out as the mobile phone industry prepares to shift to a technology called 5G.

Echoing complaints from the U.S. Federal Trade Commission, Apple had alleged that Qualcomm used its patent licensing business to keep a monopoly on modem chips that connect devices like the iPhone to wireless data networks. Qualcomm insisted that Apple was using its valuable technology with proper payment, and Apple later dropped Qualcomm’s chips in favor of those from Intel.

In the end, Apple and Qualcomm ceased all litigation, with Apple signing a six-year licensing deal with Qualcomm and also agreeing to buy Qualcomm chips. Hours later, Intel said it was getting out of the modem chip business.

WHAT IS 5G?

5G is a new network technology for wireless communications that could be up to 100 times faster than current 4G networks. The networks are coming on line in the United States, China, South Korea and other places this year, but probably will not be widespread until 2020. Modem chips connect devices like phones to these networks.

WHO ARE THE PLAYERS IN 5G?

Prior to Tuesday, five companies had disclosed 5G modem chips or plans to make them: Qualcomm, Intel, MediaTek Inc, Huawei Technologies Co Ltd and Samsung Electronics Co Ltd. Samsung and Huawei, however, only make chips for their own mobile phones.

WHY DOES APPLE CARE ABOUT 5G?

Some of Apple’s rivals in the smartphone market – notably Samsung – plan to release 5G devices this year, which could put pressure on Apple to match the feature. Many carriers that are investing heavily to build 5G networks are also likely to put their marketing efforts behind 5G phones.

WILL APPLE HAVE A 5G PHONE THIS YEAR?

It would require an extraordinary effort from both companies. New modems take months of testing to ensure phones will work on carrier networks. Under traditional time lines, Apple would have needed to start testing a 5G iPhone last year, but its supplier Intel did not have a chip ready.

WILL APPLE LOSE MARKET SHARE WITHOUT A 5G PHONE?

Apple was slow to 4G too and did not pay a price. Samsung and others released 4G phones in 2011 as the networks were rolling out. Apple waited until 2012, when 4G networks become widely accessible. Many analysts believe Apple is making the same bet with 5G.

WHY DOES APPLE NEED QUALCOMM’S CHIPS?

Apple’s only current modem supplier, Intel, said that it would not have a 5G chip ready until 2020, which could have pushed Apple’s launch of a 5G iPhone into 2021 – a long enough delay that it could hurt sales. Qualcomm, on the other hand, is preparing to ship its second generation 5G chip and can meet Apple’s needs with its current products.

WILL APPLE EXCLUSIVELY USE QUALCOMM’S CHIPS?

Not necessarily. While Apple and Qualcomm signed a supply agreement, Apple is working on developing its own modems and disclosed in court earlier this year that it has held talks with MediaTek and Samsung around modems.

WHY DID INTEL SHARE RISE AFTER IT EXITED THE MODEM BUSINESS?

Intel Chief Executive Bob Swan has told investors in the past that modem chips are not likely to fetch the same high margins as its CPU chips. Intel has plenty of other ways to make money from 5G, like selling CPUs to makers of base stations and so-called programmable chips to makers of networking gear.

(Reporting by Stephen Nellis in San Francisco; Editing by Greg Mithcell and Lisa Shumaker)

Source: OANN

0 0

Michigan man receives congratulatory telegram 50 years later

A man who graduated from the University of Michigan in 1969 has finally received a congratulatory telegram from family friends that was sent more than 50 years ago.

The Ann Arbor News reports that Robert Fink received the Western Union telegram this year.

The telegram originally arrived in 1969 at an Ann Arbor apartment Fink shared with three classmates a day after he'd left to attend graduate school in New York.

It ended up in an old filing cabinet now owned by a digital marketing company based in Ann Arbor. Christina Zaske found the telegram in December after removing the bottom drawer to retrieve a piece of paper that had fallen inside.

Zaske used the internet to find Fink in southeast Michigan and return the note to him.

Fink says the letter has made him reflect on his old connections.

___

Information from: The Ann Arbor News, http://www.mlive.com/ann-arbor

Source: Fox News National

0 0

Report: Steelers add former Rams linebacker Barron

NFL: Super Bowl LIII-New England Patriots vs Los Angeles Rams
Feb 3, 2019; Atlanta, GA, USA; New England Patriots wide receiver Cordarrelle Patterson (84) runs the ball against Los Angeles Rams inside linebacker Mark Barron (26) during the second quarter in Super Bowl LIII at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

March 17, 2019

The Pittsburgh Steelers agreed to a two-year, $12 million deal with linebacker Mark Barron, ESPN reported Sunday.

Barron was recently released by the Los Angeles Rams after 4 1/2 seasons with the organization.

Barron had 60 tackles in 2018 while being limited to 12 games due to an ankle injury. He also had one sack and one forced fumble.

The 29-year-old Barron has nine career sacks, eight interceptions five forced fumbles in 104 games (93 starts) over seven NFL seasons.

Barron spent his first 2 1/2 seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

–Field Level Media

Source: OANN

NOW ON AIR
Now On Air

Story Time

1:00 am 6:00 am



Joe Biden’s brain surgeon said his former patient is “totally in the clear” as speculation over the candidate’s health — with Biden possibly becoming the oldest president in U.S. history — is likely to become a campaign issue.

The former vice president, who had been perceived by many as the strongest potential contender for the Democratic Party’s 2020 presidential nomination, formally announced his candidacy Thursday.

But Biden’s age – 76 – is expected to become a source of attacks from a younger generation of Democrats not because of obvious generational differences, but possibly for actual health concerns if Biden gets into office.

WHY THE MEDIA ARE CONVINCED JOE BIDEN WILL IMPLODE

Biden himself agreed last year that “it’s totally legitimate” for people to ask questions about his health if he decides to run for president, given his medical history — which has included brain surgery in 1988.

“I think they’re gonna judge me on my vitality,” Biden told “CBS This Morning.” “Can I still run up the steps of Air Force Two? Am I still in good shape? Am I – do I have all my faculties? Am I energetic? I think it’s totally legitimate people ask those questions.”

“I think they’re gonna judge me on my vitality. …  I think it’s totally legitimate [that] people ask those questions.”

— Joe Biden

But Dr. Neal Kassell, the neurosurgeon who operated on Biden for an aneurysm three decades ago, told the Washington Examiner that Biden appears to be “totally in the clear” — and even joked that the operation made Biden “better than how he was.”

“Joe Biden of all of the politicians in Washington is the only one that I’m certain has a brain, because I have seen it,” Kassell said. “That’s more than I can say about all the other candidates or the incumbents.”

“Joe Biden of all of the politicians in Washington is the only one that I’m certain has a brain, because I have seen it.”

— Dr. Neal Kassell

BIDEN’S CLAIM HE DIDN’T WANT OBAMA TO ENDORSE TRIGGERS MOCKERY

At the same time, however, Biden hasn’t been forthcoming about his health at least since 2008 when he released his medical records as a vice presidential candidate. The disclosure that time revealed some fairly minor issues such as an irregular heartbeat in addition to detailing previous operations, including removing a benign polyp during a colonoscopy in 1996, the outlet reported.

It remains unclear if Biden had more aneurysms. Some medical experts say that people who have had an aneurysm can have another one.

An aneurysm, or a weakening of an artery wall, can lead to a rupture and internal bleeding, potentially placing a patient’s life in jeopardy.

Biden won’t be the only Democrat grappling with old age. Sen. Bernie Sanders, another 2020 frontrunner, is currently 77 years old and agreed with Biden last year that their ages will be an issue in the race.

“It’s part of a discussion, but it has to be part of an overall view of what somebody is and what somebody has accomplished,” Sanders told Politico.

“Look, you’ve got people who are 50 years of age who are not well, right? You’ve got people who are 90 years of age who are going to work every day, doing excellent work. And obviously, age is a factor. But it depends on the overall health and wellbeing of the individual.”

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Sanders released his medical records in 2016, with a Senate physician saying in a letter that the senator was “in overall very good health.”

Source: Fox News Politics

Listen to https://magaoneradio.net and Listen Daily! Don't Forget to Share Click a Link Below!

Cambodian authorities have ordered a one-hour reduction in the length of school days because of concerns that students and teachers may fall ill from a prolonged heat wave.

Education Minister Hang Chuon Naron said in an announcement seen Friday that the shortened hours will remain in effect until the rainy season starts, which usually occurs in May. The current heat wave, in which temperatures are regularly reaching as high as 41 Celsius (106 Fahrenheit), is one of the longest in memory.

Most schools in Cambodia lack air conditioning, prompting concern that temperatures inside classrooms could rise to unhealthy levels.

School authorities were instructed to watch for symptoms of heat stroke and urge pupils to drink more water.

The new hours cut 30 minutes off the beginning of the school day and 30 minutes off the end.

School authorities instituted a similar measure in 2016.

Source: Fox News World

Listen to https://magaoneradio.net and Listen Daily! Don't Forget to Share Click a Link Below!

Explosions have rocked Britain’s largest steel plant, injuring two people and shaking nearby homes.

South Wales Police say the incident at the Tata Steel plant in Port Talbot was reported at about 3:35 a.m. Friday (22:35 EDT Thursday). The explosions touched off small fires, which are under control. Two workers suffered minor injuries and all staff members have been accounted for.

Police say early indications are that the explosions were caused by a train used to carry molten metal into the plant. Tata Steel says its personnel are working with emergency services at the scene.

Local lawmaker Stephen Kinnock says the incident raises concerns about safety.

He tweeted: “It could have been a lot worse … @TataSteelEurope must conduct a full review, to improve safety.”

Source: Fox News World

Listen to https://magaoneradio.net and Listen Daily! Don't Forget to Share Click a Link Below!
The Wider Image: China's start-ups go small in age of 'shoebox' satellites
LinkSpace’s reusable rocket RLV-T5, also known as NewLine Baby, is carried to a vacant plot of land for a test launch in Longkou, Shandong province, China, April 19, 2019. REUTERS/Jason Lee

April 26, 2019

By Ryan Woo

LONGKOU, China (Reuters) – During initial tests of their 8.1-metre (27-foot) tall reusable rocket, Chinese engineers from LinkSpace, a start-up led by China’s youngest space entrepreneur, used a Kevlar tether to ensure its safe return. Just in case.

But when the Beijing-based company’s prototype, called NewLine Baby, successfully took off and landed last week for the second time in two months, no tether was needed.

The 1.5-tonne rocket hovered 40 meters above the ground before descending back to its concrete launch pad after 30 seconds, to the relief of 26-year-old chief executive Hu Zhenyu and his engineers – one of whom cartwheeled his way to the launch pad in delight.

LinkSpace, one of China’s 15-plus private rocket manufacturers, sees these short hops as the first steps towards a new business model: sending tiny, inexpensive satellites into orbit at affordable prices.

Demand for these so-called nanosatellites – which weigh less than 10 kilograms (22 pounds) and are in some cases as small as a shoebox – is expected to explode in the next few years. And China’s rocket entrepreneurs reckon there is no better place to develop inexpensive launch vehicles than their home country.

“For suborbital clients, their focus will be on scientific research and some commercial uses. After entering orbit, the near-term focus (of clients) will certainly be on satellites,” Hu said.

In the near term, China envisions massive constellations of commercial satellites that can offer services ranging from high-speed internet for aircraft to tracking coal shipments. Universities conducting experiments and companies looking to offer remote-sensing and communication services are among the potential domestic customers for nanosatellites.

A handful of U.S. small-rocket companies are also developing launchers ahead of the expected boom. One of the biggest, Rocket Lab, has already put 25 satellites in orbit.

No private company in China has done that yet. Since October, two – LandSpace and OneSpace – have tried but failed, illustrating the difficulties facing space start-ups everywhere.

The Chinese companies are approaching inexpensive launches in different ways. Some, like OneSpace, are designing cheap, disposable boosters. LinkSpace’s Hu aspires to build reusable rockets that return to Earth after delivering their payload, much like the Falcon 9 rockets of Elon Musk’s SpaceX.

“If you’re a small company and you can only build a very, very small rocket because that’s all you have money for, then your profit margins are going to be narrower,” said Macro Caceres, analyst at U.S. aerospace consultancy Teal Group.

“But if you can take that small rocket and make it reusable, and you can launch it once a week, four times a month, 50 times a year, then with more volume, your profit increases,” Caceres added.

Eventually LinkSpace hopes to charge no more than 30 million yuan ($4.48 million) per launch, Hu told Reuters.

That is a fraction of the $25 million to $30 million needed for a launch on a Northrop Grumman Innovation Systems Pegasus, a commonly used small rocket. The Pegasus is launched from a high-flying aircraft and is not reusable.

(Click https://reut.rs/2UVBjKs to see a picture package of China’s rocket start-ups. Click https://tmsnrt.rs/2GIy9Bc for an interactive look at the nascent industry.)

NEED FOR CASH

LinkSpace plans to conduct suborbital launch tests using a bigger recoverable rocket in the first half of 2020, reaching altitudes of at least 100 kilometers, then an orbital launch in 2021, Hu told Reuters.

The company is in its third round of fundraising and wants to raise up to 100 million yuan, Hu said. It had secured tens of millions of yuan in previous rounds.

After a surge in fresh funding in 2018, firms like LinkSpace are pushing out prototypes, planning more tests and even proposing operational launches this year.

Last year, equity investment in China’s space start-ups reached 3.57 billion yuan ($533 million), a report by Beijing-based investor FutureAerospace shows, with a burst of financing in late 2018.

That accounted for about 18 percent of global space start-up investments in 2018, a historic high, according to Reuters calculations based on a global estimate by Space Angels. The New York-based venture capital firm said global space start-up investments totaled $2.97 billion last year.

“Costs for rocket companies are relatively high, but as to how much funding they need, be it in the hundreds of millions, or tens of millions, or even just a few million yuan, depends on the company’s stage of development,” said Niu Min, founder of FutureAerospace.

FutureAerospace has invested tens of millions of yuan in LandSpace, based in Beijing.

Like space-launch startups elsewhere in the world, the immediate challenge for Chinese entrepreneurs is developing a safe and reliable rocket.

Proven talent to develop such hardware can be found in China’s state research institutes or the military; the government directly supports private firms by allowing them to launch from military-controlled facilities.

But it’s still a high-risk business, and one unsuccessful launch might kill a company.

“The biggest problem facing all commercial space companies, especially early-stage entrepreneurs, is failure” of an attempted flight, Liang Jianjun, chief executive of rocket company Space Trek, told Reuters. That can affect financing, research, manufacturing and the team’s morale, he added.

Space Trek is planning its first suborbital launch by the end of June and an orbital launch next year, said Liang, who founded the company in late 2017 with three other former military technical officers.

Despite LandSpace’s failed Zhuque-1 orbital launch in October, the Beijing-based firm secured 300 million yuan in additional funding for the development of its Zhuque-2 rocket a month later.

In December, the company started operating China’s first private rocket production facility in Zhejiang province, in anticipation of large-scale manufacturing of its Zhuque-2, which it expects to unveil next year.

STATE COMPETITION

China’s state defense contractors are also trying to get into the low-cost market.

In December, the China Aerospace Science and Industry Corp (CASIC) successfully launched a low-orbit communication satellite, the first of 156 that CASIC aims to deploy by 2022 to provide more stable broadband connectivity to rural China and eventually developing countries.

The satellite, Hongyun-1, was launched on a rocket supplied by the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp (CASC), the nation’s main space contractor.

In early April, the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology (CALVT), a subsidiary of CASC, completed engine tests for its Dragon, China’s first rocket meant solely for commercial use, clearing the path for a maiden flight before July.

The Dragon, much bigger than the rockets being developed by private firms, is designed to carry multiple commercial satellites.

At least 35 private Chinese companies are working to produce more satellites.

Spacety, a satellite maker based in southern Hunan province, plans to put 20 satellites in orbit this year, including its first for a foreign client, chief executive Yang Feng told Reuters.

The company has only launched 12 on state-produced rockets since the company started operating in early 2016.

“When it comes to rocket launches, what we care about would be cost, reliability and time,” Yang said.

(Reporting by Ryan Woo; Additional reporting by Beijing newsroom; Editing by Gerry Doyle)

Source: OANN

Listen to https://magaoneradio.net and Listen Daily! Don't Forget to Share Click a Link Below!

At least one person is reported dead and homes have been destroyed by a powerful cyclone that struck northern Mozambique and continues to dump rain on the region, with the United Nations warning of “massive flooding.”

Cyclone Kenneth arrived just six weeks after Cyclone Idai tore into central Mozambique, killing more than 600 people and displacing scores of thousands. The U.N. says this is the first time in known history that the southern African nation has been hit by two cyclones in one season.

Forecasters say the new cyclone made landfall Thursday night in a part of Mozambique that has not seen such a storm in at least 60 years.

Mozambique’s local emergency operations center says a woman in the city of Pemba was killed by a falling tree.

Source: Fox News World

Listen to https://magaoneradio.net and Listen Daily! Don't Forget to Share Click a Link Below!

Listen to https://magaoneradio.net and Listen Daily! Don't Forget to Share Click a Link Below!
Current track

Title

Artist