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News Ton Barbier

SpaceX: Starship rocket explodes!

The largest rocket ever launched into space, to date, exploded shortly after liftoff during a first test launch this morning at 8:33 a.m. local time from the Boca Chica, Texas launch pad.

Although the liftoff was initially successful, despite a delay of a few minutes, the craft exploded four minutes after liftoff as the rocket and first stage of the craft separated.

Although it is still a little early, a problem of reactor could be at the origin of this incident since 6 of the 33 reactors would not have been activated at the time of the launch, and this, even if the launch speed seemed good at the beginning.

It will therefore be impossible for SpaceX and Elon Musk to recover the first stage of the rocket, which is supposed to be reusable (an innovation in the aerospace field).

Elon Musk nevertheless congratulated the team on Twitter.

Starship was scheduled to launch last Monday (April 17), but had to be postponed due to a pressurization issue and a frozen valve.

Starship’s mission is to send humans to the Moon and Mars in the future.

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Éphémérides (anglais)

It happened on a… April 20

2021

Former police officer Derek Chauvin convicted of the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis.

2010

The Deepwater Horizon drilling rig explodes, killing 11 and causing the rig to sink, causing a massive oil discharge into the Gulf of Mexico and an environmental disaster.

2008

Danica Patrick driving for Andretti Green Racing wins the Indy Japan 300 at Twin Ring Motegi; first female driver in history to win an IndyCar Series race.

1992

Expo ’92 opens in Seville Spain.

1980

Cuban President Fidel Castro announces he is opening the Mariel Port for Cubans to leave, about 125,00 leave in next 5-6 months

1977

“Annie Hall”, directed by Woody Allen and starring Woody Allen and Diane Keaton, is released (Academy Awards Best Picture 1978)

1974

Paul McCartney & Wings release single “Band on the Run” in the US.

1968

Pierre Elliott Trudeau sworn in at Rideau Hall as Canada’s 15th Prime Minister, succeeding Lester Pearson.

1902

Scientists Marie and Pierre Curie isolated the radioactive element radium.

1879

First mobile home (horse drawn) was used in a journey from London to Cyprus.

1841

In Philadelphia, PA, Edgar Allen Poe’s first detective story, “The Murders in the Rue Morgue,” was published in Graham’s Magazine.

1611

First known performance of Shakespeare’s tragedy Macbeth at the Globe Theatre, London.

1534

Jacques Cartier, a French explorer, set sail from St. Malo to explore the North American coastline during which he discovers Canada and Labrador.

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Éphémérides (anglais)

It happened on a… April 19

2021

San Jose Sharks forward Patrick Marleau breaks Gordie Howe’s record for most games played in the NHL (1,768).

NASA successfully flies its drone helicopter Ingenuity on Mars, first powered aircraft to fly on another world.

2020

Together At Home concert for COVID-19 aid curated by Lady Gaga and streamed worldwide.

2011

Fidel Castro resigns from the Communist Party of Cuba’s central committee after 45 years of holding the title.

2005

Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger elected Pope Benedict XVI of the Papal conclave.

1987

The Simpsons premieres as a short cartoon on The Tracey Ullman Show.

1982

Sally Ride is named the 1st American woman astronaut.

1971

Charles Manson sentenced to life in prison for the murder of Sharon Tate.

1963

Johnny Cash releases his single “Ring Of Fire” written by his future wife June Carter and Merle Kilgore.

1934

Shirley Temple appears in her 1st feature length film, “Stand Up & Cheer”.

1897

1st Boston Marathon (B.A.A. Road Race), the world’s oldest annual marathon inspired by success of the first marathon at the 1896 Summer Olympics.

1883

Fire destroys the Parliament Buildings in Quebec City.

1770

Marie Antoinette marries Louis XVI in a proxy wedding.

Captain James Cook sights the eastern coast of what is now Australia.

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Éphémérides (anglais)

It happened on a… April 18

2020

Canada’s worst modern mass shooting as a gunman kills 18 people, including a Royal Canadian Mounted Police officer, across Nova Scotia.

2017

Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo becomes first player to score 100 goals in the Champions League with a hat-trick in Real Madrid’s 4-2 win over Bayern Munich.

1999

Wayne Gretzky (New York Rangers) played his final game in the NHL. He retired as the NHL’s all-time leading scorer and holder of 61 individual records.

1995

Quarterback Joe Montana announces his retirement from football.

1975

John Lennon releases single “Stand by Me”.

1956

Actress Grace Kelly and Prince Rainier of Monaco were married. The religious ceremony took place April 19.

1946

Jackie Robinson has four hits, including a three-run homer, as the Montreal Royals beat Jersey 14-1; first black man to play in professional baseball’s all-white leagues.

1938

Superman, the world’s first super hero, appeared in the first issue of Action Comics. The cover date was June 1938.

1923

Yankee Stadium opened in the Bronx, NY. The Yankees beat the Boston Red Sox 4-1. John Phillip Sousa’s band played the National Anthem.

1906

San Francisco earthquake and fire kills nearly 4,000 while destroying 75% of the city.

1506

The cornerstone of the current St. Peter’s Basilica is laid in the Vatican by Pope Julius II.

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News

A puma tried to tear off a man’s head

A rabid mountain lion is reportedly wanted by Colorado Parks and Wildlife Services as the feline allegedly attacked a man who was in the hot tub of a rental home.

The man who was attacked told officials with the Colorado Parks and Wildlife that he was jumped around 8 p.m. last Saturday while in a “hot tub” with his wife.

According to a news release, the individual “felt something grab his head.” When the lovers saw the beast, they screamed and sent water to him so that he left the place. The woman even turned on the light on her cell phone to see what animal it was, and that’s when the cougar fled.

“We think it’s likely that the cougar saw the man’s head moving in the darkness at ground level, but did not recognize the people in the hot tub. The couple did the right thing by making noise and shining a light on the cougar,”said Sean Shepherd, wildlife manager for the area.

As for the man’s injuries, he escaped with four scratches described as superficial on the top of his head and near one of his ears!

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News

No release for Elizabeth Holmes!

The deposed founder of pharmaceutical company Theranos has been denied bail pending her appeal of the conviction.

Sentenced to 11 years in prison for fraud and conspiracy to defraud, her imprisonment will then begin as scheduled at the end of April.

The story and arrest of Elizabeth Holmes has captivated the world and has since been the subject of several documentaries and even a miniseries, starring Amanda Seyfried, airing on Hulu in 2022.

Holmes, along with her lover and accomplice Sunny Balwani, swindled investors out of millions of dollars by claiming that her invention was revolutionary in screening for several diseases with a single blood test in her machine… when she knew full well that the machine in question did not work at all.

Although her lawyer stated that she posed no danger to the public, the judge explained that the basis on which Holmes is seeking an appeal is so weak that it is unlikely to change anything for her.

He then imposed that her incarceration proceed as scheduled on April 27.

Stay tuned!

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News

Justin Trudeau puts a conservative in his place and the video goes viral

Canada’s Prime Minister got into a heated discussion with a young Conservative (a PPC fan actually) during a visit to the University of Manitoba.

In a video first posted on Reddit, Justin Trudeau cordially answers questions from a young individual identifying himself as a member of the Conservative Party of Canada.

The young Conservative is visibly trying to pin the Prime Minister down on difficult topics, but instead finds himself doubting his own beliefs the further the conversation goes.

In an argument that begins with the dental program to help low-income families, the Prime Minister asks his interlocutor if he agrees with that and as the youngster deflects from his initial answer to finally say that he “thinks they should”, he is reminded by the Prime Minister that Pierre Poilièvre, the leader of the Conservative Party, voted against this assistance program.

As the conversation drifts to abortion, the young man, who identifies as a Christian, says women should not have the right to choose what happens to their own bodies and that is when the PM goes for the knockout.

Of course, the young man still has several years ahead of him to mature his thoughts on these very important issues for women and Canadian society.

And the Prime Minister seems to be looking pretty good, in those little and big debates, lately!

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News

The person responsible for the leak of secret documents arrested by the FBI

The FBI has arrested the person responsible for the leak of classified documents that has plagued the U.S. government for several weeks.

The 21 year old man, Jack Teixeira, would indeed be responsible for having published on Reddit classified documents of the Pentagon.

Attorney General Garland indeed confirmed that the young man, who was part of the Massassuchetts Air National Guard, was arrested in connection with “an investigation into allegations of unauthorized deletion, retention and transmission of classified national defense information.”

Jack Teixeira was a member of a Reddit group formed during the pandemic, and according to CNN, a source who was part of that group says the document leak had been going on for several months, not a few weeks as authorities report.

These are certainly troubling revelations that show only the tip of the iceberg in this story that is far from over!

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Entertainment Gossip

“Body shaming”: Ariana Grande fires back at her critics

As Ariana Grande promoted her r.e.m. beauty products on Instagram, many pointed out that the star looked skinny, generating a snowball of comments from the singer’s fans, and not-so-fans, regarding her weight and appearance.

“I’m seriously worried,” wrote one of the star’s die-hard fans under a post.

“Please stay healthy 💜 no hate, but stay safe and be careful!”, begged another user of the platform, obviously aware (not) of the health status of the superstar!

Ariana, aware of the importance of the moment, decided to retort in a video published on TikTok. The message, however, is meant to be educational and inclusive.

Grande also responds to some of her fans who preferred her former body, which they said was healthy, which she said would not necessarily be true.

WennCover
Categories
Entertainment Gossip

Harry joins Charles, but leaves Meghan behind!

After months of speculation, the Royal Palace has finally announced that the Duke of Sussex will be present at the coronation of his father, King Charles, which will take place on May 6.

However, the royal family will be reunited for this grand occasion… without Harry’s wife, Meghan Markle, as she will reportedly remain in the United States with the couple’s children.

She would have received an invitation to the event from the king himself, that said, if reports are accurate.

The reunion will no doubt be a little tense between Harry, members of the royal family and the press following the publication of the Prince’s memoirs, Spare, in which he makes numerous criticisms of his family and the British media.

But, could this new announcement also be the beginning of a reconciliation between Harry and his family?

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To be continued!