Dubai Base

Memo from UAE Defense Ministry - High Temperature

noreply@blogger.com (Buddy dela Cruz) — Tue, 29 May 2012 07:42:00 +0000

Subject: Memo from UAE Defense Ministry - High Temperature
Importance: High

Dear All,

This is for your kind information.

Memo from UAE Defense Ministry

UAE - The Defence Ministry has advised all car owners in the UAE not to fill the tank full cause for the next few weeks temperatures will shoot upto 53-54 degrees and thus can cause the tank to burst. Please pass this message on as all of us here are habitual of filling our car tanks full.

السلطات الإماراتيه

تنصح مواطنيها مالكي السيارات بأن لإيقوموا بملىء خزان الوقود بشكل كامل وان يتركو فراغ على الأقل للأسابيع القليله القادمه وذلك توقعا لارتفاع درجات الحراره مابين 53 و 54 درجة مئوية ولاحتمال انفجار الخزان مما قد يترتب عليه إصابات وخسائر لا قدر الله  أرجوا إرساله للجميع. لأن هذا الموضوع مهم جدا

UAE Oil Pipeline to Bypass Strait of Hormuz

noreply@blogger.com (Buddy dela Cruz) — Mon, 28 May 2012 04:32:00 +0000

A pipeline being built by the UAE to pump most of its oil exports from east coast terminals bypassing the Strait of Hormuz will be operational next month, His Highness Shaikh Hamad Bin Mohammad Al Sharqi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Fujairah, told AFP in an interview.

Construction of the 360-km pipeline began in 2008.

The pipeline will have an initial capacity of 1.5 million barrels a day rising to 1.8 million barrels a day, which represents the bulk of the UAE's current production of around 2.5 million barrels a day, Shaikh Hamad said.

The Habshan-Fujairah pipeline will carry oil from fields in Abu Dhabi to Fujairah.

Fears of a closure of the Strait of Hormuz intensified in recent months after Iran threatened to close the strategic outlet to the Gulf if Western governments kept up their efforts to choke off its oil exports in a bid to rein in its controversial nuclear programme.

In addition to the exports of the UAE and Iran itself, all the oil exports of Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar are shipped through the waterway. Iraq also pumps the bulk of its exports through ports on the Gulf. Saudi Arabia, the world's largest oil exporter, pumps most of its crude from its terminals on the Gulf, but it can divert significant supplies to terminals on the Red Sea.

Shaikh Hamad, however, played down the possibility of a closure of Hormuz. "I do not believe there will be a war," he said, arguing that the tension with neighbouring Iran is just a "summer cloud that will clear."

Source Gulfnews.com

World Largest Outdoor Pool

noreply@blogger.com (Buddy dela Cruz) — Wed, 23 May 2012 05:02:00 +0000

The Crystal Lagoon, located at the San Alfonso del Mar resort in Algarrobo, Chile, is the world's largest outdoor pool, stretching more than half of a mile and filled with 66 million gallons of water.

Source YahooNews

Diablo 3 Officially Launch

noreply@blogger.com (Buddy dela Cruz) — Thu, 17 May 2012 05:15:00 +0000

Diablo III is a dark fantasy/horror-themed action role-playing game by Blizzard Entertainment. The game takes place in Sanctuary, the dark fantasy world of the Diablo series. This world was saved twenty years prior by a handful of unnamed heroes in Diablo II. Having survived the onslaught brought by the armies of the Burning Hells, Tyrael rewarded the heroes by sending them to safety. It is up to a new generation of heroes to face the forces of evil threatening the world of Sanctuary. Players will have the opportunity to explore familiar settings such as Tristram. Daily Special! 5/17/2012: Bose Wired In-Ear Stereo Headphones Now $89.95!

UAE Dress Code

noreply@blogger.com (Buddy dela Cruz) — Tue, 15 May 2012 07:33:00 +0000

UAE have varying degrees of tolerance to clothing styles from around the world. There are legal guidelines as to what is not acceptable, especially in Sharjah which has its own decency laws, but in general, people can mostly wear what they like within reason. If you like to reveal more flesh than commonly accepted in the office place, or like to wear what many would regard as extreme, offensive, or off-beat clothing, then it would be wise to tone down your dress code in the UAE, especially outside Dubai, and especially areas with a greater proportion of nationalities likely to be offended, and especially during Ramadan.

This information guide is generally intended for western expatriates, tourists, and visitors since they are usually the ones who most commonly come into conflict with dress codes in the UAE. Arab citizens from GCC countries tend to wear similar clothing, and other Arabs and most Asians usually dress more conservatively than westerners anyway.

source: dubaifaq

Study: Wikipedia as accurate as Britannica

noreply@blogger.com (Buddy dela Cruz) — Wed, 09 May 2012 04:53:00 +0000

Wikipedia is about as good a source of accurate information as Britannica, the venerable standard-bearer of facts about the world around us, according to a study published this week in the journal Nature.

Over the last couple of weeks, Wikipedia, the free, open-access encyclopedia, has taken a great deal of flak in the press for problems related to the credibility of its authors and its general accountability.
In particular, Wikipedia has taken hits for its inclusion, for four months, of an anonymously written article linking former journalist John Seigenthaler to the assassinations of Robert Kennedy and John F. Kennedy. At the same time, the blogosphere was buzzing for several days about podcasting pioneer Adam Curry's being accused of anonymously deleting references to others' seminal work on the technology.

In response to situations like these and others in its history, Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales has always maintained that the service and its community are built around a self-policing and self-cleaning nature that is supposed to ensure its articles are accurate.

Still, many critics have tried to downplay its role as a source of valid information and have often pointed to the Encyclopedia Britannica as an example of an accurate reference.

By Daniel Terdiman

Staff Writer, CNET News

The culture chasm: On the wrong side of the law

noreply@blogger.com (Buddy dela Cruz) — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 06:41:00 +0000

Dubai: Expatriates have found themselves on the wrong side of the law — jail terms followed by deportation for public indecency and obscene gestures. Alarming, worrying, yet true. The accused have been guilty of acts ranging from flashing a finger at someone to consensual sex in public.

The recent court cases reported by Gulf News not only illustrate this, but point to a far more insidious subtext — cultural misunderstanding.

An expatriate who considers the middle finger as a commonplace gesture in his country, now finds himself in an uncommon position — in front of a judge for the very act. He may also not realise — until it is too late — that apart from obscene acts, certain overt physical gestures overlooked in his home country are punishable in his host country.

Would you call this a case of misunderstanding? Or would it be fair to label expatriates as culturally ignorant? Read more in Gulfnews.com

Vietnam's Halong Bay is officially confirmed as one of the New7Wonders of Nature

noreply@blogger.com (Buddy dela Cruz) — Sun, 01 Apr 2012 05:19:00 +0000

Bernard Weber: "The spectacular seascape of Halong Bay is one of the great treasures of our natural world."

Halong Bay is now confirmed as one of the New7Wonders of Nature. The Official Inauguration events will take place on 27 April in Hanoi and on 1 May at Halong Bay. Making the announcement today in Hanoi, Bernard Weber, Founder-President of New7Wonders, congratulated the people of the Vietnam and the fans of Halong Bay across the world for supporting the finalist in the international voting campaign.

"The spectacular seascape of Halong Bay is one of the great treasures of our natural world," said Weber. "The extraordinary scenic beauty of this site and its unique, dramatic rock formations emerging out of the mirror-like calm ocean water in the bay, makes it a worthy Wonder of Nature, and those who voted for it in such large numbers were confirming what the people of Vietnam have appreciated for generations. It is our intention now, using the resources of New7Wonders, to ensure that the people of the world learn more about the splendour of Halong Bay."

Accompanied by Jean-Paul de la Fuente, the Director of New7Wonders, Bernard Weber discussed plans for the Official Inauguration of Halong Bay with His Excellency Hoang Tuan Anh, the Minister of Culture, Tourism and Sports. The New7Wonders delegation also held talks with the leadership Quáng Ninh Province, where Halong Bay is located. Among the ideas explored were a New7Wonders of Nature Theme Park and New7Wonders Hotel in the bay area.

In alphabetical order, the confirmed and provisional New7Wonders of Nature are: Amazon, Halong Bay, Iguazu Falls, Jeju Island, Komodo, Puerto Princesa Underground River and Table Mountain.

For more information, contact:

Eamonn Fitzgerald

Head of Communication, New7Wonders

E-mail: fitzgerald@n7w.com

Mobile phone: +49 151 22680088

New7Wonders: http://www.new7wonders.com

New7Wonders Cities: http://www.n7w.com/cities

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/new7wonders

Twitter: http://twitter.com/New7Wonders

Emirates to hire 10,000 professionals this year

noreply@blogger.com (Buddy dela Cruz) — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 06:26:00 +0000

Source Gulfnews.com

Dubai: Emirates, the world's biggest international passenger carrier, will hire up to 10,000 professionals this year to manage its growth, a senior official said.

"We will hire 10,000 people this year to manage our expansion and growth as 30 new aircraft join our fleet," Boutros Boutros, Emirates Divisional Senior Vice-President for Media Relations, Sponsorships and Events, told a gathering of top Indian management professionals on Saturday.

Emirates Group, which also includes the ground handling and ticketing arm Dnata, has nearly 60,000 people on its payroll.

The airline, which has a fleet of 171 aircraft, flies to more than 130 destinations.

Encyclopaedia Britannica to stop printing books after 244 years

noreply@blogger.com (Buddy dela Cruz) — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 18:06:00 +0000

Encyclopaedia Britannica announced that after 244 years, it will put an end to the print edition and be available only in digital form.

Hours after Encyclopaedia Britannica Inc. announced it will stop publishing print editions of its flagship encyclopedia for the first time in more than 200 years, someone among the editing minions of free online rival Wikipedia made an irony-free note of that fact.

"It was announced that after 244 years, the Encyclopaedia Britannica is going out of print, instead focusing on its online encyclopedia," the entry read.

The book-form of Encyclopaedia Britannica has been in print since it was first published in Edinburgh, Scotland, in 1768. It will stop being available when the current stock runs out, thecompany said. The Chicago-based company will continue to offer digital versions.

Officials said the end of the printed, 32-volume set has been foreseen for some time.

"This has nothing to do with Wikipedia or Google," Encyclopaedia Britannica Inc. President Jorge Cauz said. "This has to do with the fact that now Britannica sells its digital products to a large number of people."

UAE vs Uzbekistan Football team - UAE wins

noreply@blogger.com (Buddy dela Cruz) — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 17:55:00 +0000

UAE's football team made their dreams and history of UAE Football when they scored 3-2 victory against Uzbekistan in Tashkent to be in the London Olympics 2012.

(GettyImage)

41 Mega Pixel Phone from Nokia - Nokia 808 PureView

noreply@blogger.com (Buddy dela Cruz) — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 10:25:00 +0000

Pure quality with PureView
It’s time to think differently about photography. Say hello to perfect photos ready to share or print. Nokia PureView imaging technology turns the world of photography upside down. It takes every bit of image goodness captured by a 41 MP sensor and Carl Zeiss lens and turns it into beautifully detailed 5 MP photos and Full HD videos. Be ready to shoot in a second, even in low light, and share instantly with friends – all from a rather clever smartphone

The technology:
PureView Pro imaging specifications
• 41Mpix sensor with pixel oversampling
• Lossless zoom: 3x for stills, 4x for full HD 1080p video
• Carl Zeiss optics

The product:
Nokia 808 PureView lens and sensor specifications
• Carl Zeiss Optics
• Focal length: 8.02mm
• 35mm equivalent focal length: 26mm, 16:9 | 28mm, 4:3
• F-number: f/2.4
• Focus range: 15cm – Infinity (throughout the zoom range)
• Construction:
· 5 elements, 1 group.All lens surfaces are aspherical
· One high-index, low-dispersion glass mould lens
· Mechanical shutter with neutral density filter
• Optical format: 1/1.2”
• Total number of pixels: 7728 x 5368
• Pixel Size: 1.4 microns

Dimensions:
Size: 123.9 x 60.2 x 13.9 mm (17.95 mm at camera)
Weight (with battery): 169 g
Volume: 95.5 cc

Memory:
16 GB internal user memory
Support for up to 48 GB with an external microSD memory card
Use as USB mass memory device for storing photos, documents and more

Talk time (maximum):
GSM up to 11 h
WCDMA up to 6.5 h
Standby time (maximum):
GSM up to 465 h
WCDMA up to 540 h

This Phone will cost at around 450 euros (bbc news magazine) ...

Click Here to learn More - source nokia.com

Russell Peters returning in Dubai

noreply@blogger.com (Buddy dela Cruz) — Sun, 26 Feb 2012 19:40:00 +0000

Russell's back with a new act and a new WORLD TOUR! and He is coming in Dubai March 20 and Abu Dhabi March 22.

The World Tour will take Peters not only to the Middle East, but also to South Africa, Singapore, Jakarta, Hong Kong, Manila, Australia, New Zealand, Northern Europe and arenas across his native Canada and the United States and also features NYC's DJ Spinbad and comedian Ruben Paul.

Tickets, priced Dh250, Dh350, Dh450 and Dh550, will be available at ticketingco.com for Dubai and thinkflash.ae for Abu Dhabi.

Puerto Princesa Underground River officially confirmed as one of the New7Wonders of Nature

noreply@blogger.com (Buddy dela Cruz) — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 07:40:00 +0000

Weber: “Today’s confirmation is the well-earned reward for this extraordinary display of enthusiasm”

Puerto Princesa Underground River (PPUR) is now confirmed as one of the New7Wonders of Nature. Making the announcement in Manila, Bernard Weber, Founder-President of New7Wonders, congratulated the people of the Philippines for supporting their national finalist in the global campaign.

“When your very own President Aquino came out in support of the PPUR campaign, I knew that this country was taking the New7Wonders of Nature seriously,” said Weber. “Fans of PPUR all over the world responded to his call for action by voting in record numbers and today’s confirmation is the well-earned reward for this extraordinary display of enthusiasm,” he added.

Mr Weber was speaking during a meeting with Edward Hagedorn, Mayor of Puerto Princesa, Nardz Villafranca, PPUR campaign coordinator and Jean-Paul de la Fuente, New7Wonders Director. Subjects discussed included the arrangement of the Official Inauguration events and the implementation of the strategic plan for promoting PPUR using its title as one of the New7Wonders of Nature.

“This confirmation is wonderful news for Puerto Princesa, and a great example of how now its more fun to be in the Philippines,” said Mayor Hagedorn. “World-wide exposure of our natural beauty on this level is critical both for tourism and for our image nationally and internationally.”

Puerto Princesa Underground River is located some 50km north of the city of Puerto Princesa, on Palawan island in the Philippines. It consists of a limestone karst mountain landscape, several large chambers containing significant formations of stalactites and stalagmites, and an 8.2 km. navigable underground river that winds through a cave before flowing directly into the West Philippine Sea.

In alphabetical order, the provisional New7Wonders of Nature announced on 11 November 2011 are: Amazon, Halong Bay, Iguazu Falls, Jeju Island, Komodo, Puerto Princesa Underground River and Table Mountain. Following Jeju Island, PPUR is the second to be confirmed on a preliminary basis, as New7Wonders has now completedthe telephone voting validation in the Philippines. The remaining five provisional New7Wonders of Nature are currently undergoing the three steps of the verification process, namely the national voting validation, the global voting calculation confirmation by an independent audit firm, and the preparation and implementation of the Official Inauguration ceremonies.

For more information, contact:

Eamonn Fitzgerald

Head of Communication, New7Wonders

E-mail: fitzgerald@n7w.com

Mobile phone: +49 151 22680088

New7Wonders: http://www.new7wonders.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/new7wonders

Twitter: http://twitter.com/New7Wonders

News Room: http://news.n7w.com

Pacquiao v Mayweather in in Dallas or Dubai?

noreply@blogger.com (Buddy dela Cruz) — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 05:04:00 +0000

Mayweather called out Pacquiao Tuesday, writing on his social networking site Twitter to “Step up punk.”    Roach scoffed at Mayweather’s challenge to fight on May 5 in Las Vegas but said he welcomes the undefeated US boxer’s willingness to step in the ring with his Filipino dynamo.

“We have been chasing this guy for two years and he receives a get out of jail card and now he wants to fight,” Roach said Friday at his Wild Card Boxing Club.
   “Dallas would be the best place to put on that fight in the US because you could get 100,000 people in Cowboys Stadium but Dubai is the best moneywise.”
Roach said a group from the Dubai is willing to pay huge sums so that the title fight can be staged in the United Arab Emirates.
   “There were negotiations with people from Dubai. I met with a group of people who were negotiating with (Pacquiao’s financial adviser) Michael Koncz,” Roach said.
   Roach said May 5 is possible but not practical for a number of reasons, including talks that are currently ongoing with another fighter.
   “I want Mayweather as much as anyone,” said Roach, who is the subject of a new HBO series called “On Freddie Roach” which airs January 20.
“A May 5 date is a possibility but a June date would be much better because we would have more time to train.
   “Manny always stays in good shape. If it was up to me I would pick the later date. But I also like a challenge.”
The problem with fighting after May is that Mayweather is supposed to report to jail on June 1 to serve a 90-day sentence for a domestic violence conviction.

   Roach said they shouldn’t move too quickly on a fight of this magnitude because it should be promoted properly on a grand scale.
   “That’s a fight you really have to promote. A May date could be rushing it.
   “Some of our other big promotions have included 12 cities in 14 days and we should take the time to do something similar.
   “It is good that Mayweather wants to fight now. I believe it will happen soon.”
Mayweather and Pacquiao, 33, previously saw a fight derailed by the US fighter’s demands about blood testing, with both boxers accusing the other of running scared.
   Boxing promoter Bob Arum said he favors a showdown in late May and previously told the Los Angeles Times he could secure $40 million more with the construction of a temporary venue in Las Vegas.

by:Greg Heakes, Sapa-AFP
Source: Sports Live

2012 Honda CR-V

noreply@blogger.com (Buddy dela Cruz) — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 06:32:00 +0000

2012 Honda CR-V

Exterior:
Versatility has a whole new look.
Turn Some Heads
The CR-V sports a bold, new look that's bound to get noticed.

Anything but Ordinary
A redesigned grille and front bumper give the CR-V an impressive new style.

It's All in the Details
Stylish design accents are everywhere, like 17-inch alloy wheels that come standard on EX models and above.

High-Tech Safety Features:
CR-V is packed with many of Honda’s safety features. Vehicle Stability Assist™ with Motion-Adaptive EPS (Electric Power Steering)[1] helps keep you safer through corners. The anti-lock braking system (ABS) helps keep you in control at all times. Front, front side, and side curtain airbags with rollover sensor come standard, and a Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS)[2] alerts the driver when air pressure in any tire becomes significantly low.

Find out more here

iPhone celebrates fifth birthday

noreply@blogger.com (Buddy dela Cruz) — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 05:07:00 +0000

Five years ago today, Apple unveiled the original iPhone to the world. It wasn't a tightly kept secret, shrouded in mystery and speculation like more recent Apple announcements, but it was arguably the world's most anticipated gadget launch.

"An iPod, a phone, an internet mobile communicator. An iPod, a phone, an internet mobile communicator.... these are NOT three separate devices!" Jobs said when preparing to introduce the iPhone in January 2007.

"Today Apple is going to reinvent the phone. And here it is..."
"And we are calling it iPhone!"

iPhone 4s

iPhone3G - iPhone4 - iPhone4s

Dubai Shopping Festival - Opening Day Ceremony

noreply@blogger.com (Buddy dela Cruz) — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 07:56:00 +0000

Dubai: Today January 05, 2011 the Dubai Shopping Festival opens and about 40,000 fireworks will go off in a span of five minutes stretching six kilometres, the longest fireworks display in the history of the Dubai Shopping Festival (DSF), to usher in the 17th edition of the event.

The fireworks are organised by Al Zarooni Group and will light up the sky over the Dubai Creek.

New Years Eve of 2012 in Dubai – UAE

noreply@blogger.com (Buddy dela Cruz) — Sun, 25 Dec 2011 10:01:00 +0000

A possible list of Fireworks Display in Dubai for 2012 New Year Eve:

Fireworks @ Burj Khalifa – Dubai (Dubai Mall if you want closer view or you can go to nearby places such as Jumeirah, Safa area, Business Bay or Al Quoz to get a perfect glimpse of fireworks)

Fireworks Show @ Burj Al Arab – best viewed if you are in or near Burj Al Arab / Jumeirah Beach hotel and from the open beach besides Jumeirah Beach Hotel Duration will be for 15 minutes and start at 12:00 midnight.

2012 Fireworks show at Dubai Creek... Can be viewed from Bur Dubai Abra Station or Deira Creek side and Maktoum Bridge.

Fireworks @ Bab al Shams for 2012 New years Fireworks in the Desert.

Various Activities in Global Village for welcoming 2012 and probably a fireworks display also.

Malaria case in Dubai

noreply@blogger.com (Buddy dela Cruz) — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 05:06:00 +0000

Dubai: Several cases of malaria have been reported in International City (IC) in Dubai, doctors said. Doctor treating 2-3 cases every week as mosquitoes thrive in dirty water bodies .

General practitioner Dr Fouziya Ayyub, who works in IC, said dozens of residents could be infected by mosquitoes thriving in dirty water bodies in the residential cluster. "The stagnant waters are mosquito-breeding grounds. People get bitten and fall sick. When I test them, it turns out to be malaria," said Dr Fouziya.

"As far as I know, there were zero malaria cases here. But now I see about two or three cases per week."
She added some cases appear to be "local transmissions" rather than "imported" ones.
The UAE was declared malaria-free by the World Health Organisation in 2007, but there have been incidents of people getting infected abroad and entering the country.
The Dubai Health Authority (DHA) told XPRESS: "Like any other capital cities where malaria transmission is eradicated, we do have cases of imported malaria in the country... People can get the infections and return to UAE. This is what we call imported malaria." It added: "All cases reported to DHA in 2011 are cases of imported malaria; all the cases are expatriates..."
However, Dr Fouziya said some patients had told her they had not travelled outside the UAE "for a long time". If her suspicions are true, this would be a case of local malaria transmission, she added.

source Gulfnews.com

to read more visit gulfnews.com

Viagra in a Condom

noreply@blogger.com (Buddy dela Cruz) — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 10:47:00 +0000

A new condom that aims to enhance erections may also lift earnings and buyout prospects for unprofitable U.K. drugmaker Futura Medical Plc. (FUM)

Durex condoms made by partner Reckitt Benckiser Group Plc will contain a dose of Futura’s Zanifil gel inside the tip, boosting blood flow within the penis. The product results in firmer, larger and longer-lasting erections for men who may find wearing condoms challenging, according to Futura.

Premium pricing may help the condom generate global sales of 150 million pounds ($235 million) annually within five years, tempting Slough, England-based Reckitt Benckiser to keep all that revenue for itself, said Daniel Mahony, who manages $300 million at Polar Capital in London. Reckitt Benckiser, the maker of Lysol cleaners, doesn’t usually agree to sales-sharing accords, which makes it likely takeover talks are under way, said Lala Gregorek, an analyst at Edison Investment Research.

“It’s essentially Viagra in a condom,” said Mahony, who owns shares of Guildford, England-based Futura. “I wouldn’t be surprised if Reckitt tries to either buy the whole company or buy that royalty stream out at some point.”

Futura Chief Executive Officer James Barder declined to comment on any discussions with Reckitt Benckiser. While Futura isn’t for sale, he said, “ultimately, we’re looking to optimize and maximize our return at the appropriate time.”

source: bloomberg.com

Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol at the Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF)

noreply@blogger.com (Buddy dela Cruz) — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 05:22:00 +0000

UNITED ARAB EMIRATES, Dubai : US actor Tom Cruise (R) poses on the red carpet with Emirati Prime Minister and Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashed al-Maktoum at the Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF) on December 7, 2011. AFP PHOTO / MARWAN NAAMANI

Most Earth-like planet discovered

noreply@blogger.com (Buddy dela Cruz) — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 08:11:00 +0000

(Reuters) - The most Earth-like planet ever discovered is circling a star 600 light years away, a key finding in an ongoing quest to learn if life exists beyond Earth, scientists said on Monday.

A diagram comparing our own solar system to Kepler-22, a star system containing the first ''habitable zone'' planet discovered by NASA's Kepler mission, is seen in this undated handout picture released by NASA, December 5, 2011.

Credit: Reuters/NASA/Ames/JPL-Caltech/Handout

The planet, called Kepler-22b, joins a list of more than 500 planets found to orbit stars beyond our solar system. It is the smallest and the best positioned to have liquid water on its surface -- among the ingredients necessary for life on Earth.

"We are homing in on the true Earth-sized, habitable planets," said San Jose State University astronomer Natalie Batalha, deputy science team lead for NASA's Kepler Space Telescope that discovered the star.

The telescope, which was launched three years ago, is staring at about 150,000 stars in the constellations Cygnus and Lyra, looking for faint and periodic dimming as any circling planets pass by, relative to Kepler's line of sight.

Results will be extrapolated to determine the percentage of stars in the Milky Way galaxy that harbour potentially habitable, Earth-size planets.

This is the first detection of a potentially habitable world orbiting a Sun-like star, scientists reported in findings to be published in The Astrophysical Journal.

Kepler-22b is 600 light years away. A light year is the distance light travels in a year, about 6 trillion miles (10 trillion km).

read more here

source: reuters.com

Mission Impossible 4: Ghost Protocol

noreply@blogger.com (Buddy dela Cruz) — Sun, 04 Dec 2011 05:36:00 +0000

"Mission: Impossible 4 - Ghost Protocol" the trailer shows some of the film's widely anticipated action-packed scenes.

UAE President issues National Day resolutions

noreply@blogger.com (Buddy dela Cruz) — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 09:23:00 +0000

Abu Dhabi: President His Highness Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan issued a series of resolutions on the occasion of National Day that aim to provide stability and good life for Emiratis, as well as meeting their aspirations.

As per the resolutions, federal government employees will receive a salary hike in 2012. Judicial authorities will receive a 100 per cent raise on their basic salary. Ministry of Health employees will receive a 100 per cent raise on their work nature compensation, and a 100 per cent raise for Ministry of Education teachers.

The decision stipulates that employees in the rank of under-secretary and assistant under-secretary would get a special raise of 35 per cent of the basic salaries of those whose ranks are between special first and sixth rank, while those on the seventh to the 14th rank would get a raise of 45 per cent of their basic salaries. The increase will be added to the employee’s transport allowance.

Shaikh Khalifa also issued a resolution, in his capacity as Ruler of Abu Dhabi, to allocate 2,500 plots of land for Emiratis, which is in line with Shaikh Khalifa’s keenness to ensure that Emiratis receive adequate housing, and ensuring stability and security for their family and future.

The President issued another resolution setting up a fund with a capital of Dh 10 billion to study and address the loans of Emiraits with limited income. The fund will settle personal loans by coordinating with the UAE Central Bank and other banks in the country.

Shaikh Khalifa also issued a resolution increasing allocations for social aid by 20 per cent for specified cases that are eligible for the aid.

Shaikh Khalifa also issued a resolution that allows the sons and daughters of Emirati women married to non-nationals to apply for the citizenship when they reach the age of 18.

The resolution also orders all ministries, governmental departments and concerned bodies to treat the sons and daughters of Emirati women married to non-nationals as Emiratis.

The President issued a Federal Decree setting up the UAE President Appreciation Award, which will honour innovators and hard workers that have accomplished achievements that enhanced the UAE’s position on the local, regional and international stage. The award seeks to The winners will be awarded with a badge and a financial reward.

The decree stipulates that the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs will set up the board of trustees, which will be chaired by the Deputy Minister of Presidential Affairs, and include the membership of six other officials that possess the necessary capabilities and expertise.

The board’s duties include specifying the conditions and terms for nominating people for the award, and setting up the award’s specialized committees. The board of trustees will also determine the specifications of the badge and the financial reward.

Source: Gulfnews.com