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Thursday, June 27, 2013
Power Outage Delays Launch of NASA Solar Observatory
A power outage in California over the weekend has delayed launch preparations for NASA's newest sun-studying spacecraft by 24 hours, pushing the new solar observatory's blastoff to no earlier than Thursday (June 27), space agency officials said.
The Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph satellite, or IRIS, was originally slated to lift off Wednesday (June 26) from California's Vandenberg Air Force Base. But the power went out for several hours at Vandenberg and other locations throughout the state's central coast Sunday night (June 23), affecting the base's key tracking and telemetry systems.
"Due to this issue, we will delay our first launch attempt Wednesday evening to Thursday evening," IRIS launch director Tim Dunn, of NASA's Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida, told reporters today (June 25). [NASA's IRIS Solar Observatory Mission in Pictures]
As power was restored at Vandenberg, a fire broke out in an electrical switching box that feeds about five transformers at the base, officials said. The fire damaged an important part that now needs to be replaced before the tracking systems can come back online.
"Once that piece is installed and we've tested it ? and we've brought up all the range equipment, so we've gone through all the extensive testing and rehearsing that we need to do ? we feel confident that we'll be able to support a Thursday evening launch," said Lt. Col. Burton Catledge, commander of the 2nd Range Operations Squadron at Vandenberg.
IRIS will launch aboard a Pegasus XL rocket, which is built by the Virginia-based aerospace firm Orbital Sciences. A carrier aircraft will drop the Pegasus into the skies above Vandenberg, at which point the rocket's engines will kick on and send the spacecraft into Earth orbit.
Once up there, IRIS will peer at a mysterious sliver of the sun between the solar surface and the corona, or outer atmosphere. Scientists are keen to understand this interface region, which is just 3,000 to 6,000 miles (4,800 to 9,600 kilometers) wide, because the immense energy flowing through it helps drive many aspects of space weather.
IRIS is "going to look in closely, and it's going to look at that specific region to see how the changes in matter and energy occur in this region," Jim Hall, IRIS mission manager for the Launch Services Program at KSC, said in a statement. "It's going to collectively bring us a more complete view of the sun."
Weather on Thursday is expected to be good; Air Force officials estimate just a 20 percent chance of a weather-related scrub.
Follow Mike Wall on Twitter?@michaeldwall?and?Google+.?Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook?or Google+. Originally published on?SPACE.com.
Copyright 2013 SPACE.com, a TechMediaNetwork company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.Source: http://news.yahoo.com/power-outage-delays-launch-nasa-solar-observatory-203704153.html
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Wednesday, June 26, 2013
Nigeria opposes British plan to impose visa bond
LAGOS, Nigeria (AP) ? Nigeria has summoned Britain's top diplomat to protest that country's plans to impose a 3,000-pound ($4,630) bond on visas for first-time visitors from "high-risk" countries in Africa and Asia.
A government statement says Foreign Affairs Minister Olugbenga A. Ashiru expressed "the strong displeasure of the government and people of Nigeria" over the "discriminatory" policy.
He warned British High Commissioner Andrew Pocock at a meeting at his office in Abuja on Tuesday that the move would "definitely negate" the two country's commitment to double trade by 2014.
Britain is proposing the pilot scheme for first-time visitors from its former colonies in Ghana, Nigeria, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. The bond will be refunded when the visitor leaves Britain.
British government figures indicate 101,000 Nigerians were granted visas in 2012.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/nigeria-opposes-british-plan-impose-visa-bond-073510287.html
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Sony Xperia Z Ultra: hands-on with a 6.4-inch Android phone (update: video)
Sony's been explaining the design story behind its new Xperia range at a UK briefing, how it's trying to balance both the dematerialization of tech (touchscreens, gesture interfaces) and a design that's both desirable and beautiful -- and Sony's certainly got the latter down on its new smartphone. The Xperia Z Ultra follows the lines of the rest of the Z series. It has the same "OmniBalance" plane, uniform screen surface, but this time it measures in at 6.4 inches across, but still running at 1080p resolution. Yep, it does feel substantially bigger than the original Xperia Z -- check out our comparison gallery, the new Ultra model dwarfs it. You're looking at a screen width almost identical to a passport and that 6.5mm profile helped fit it into pockets. We managed to cram it into our trouser pockets without an issue. It's certainly a bigger device than the likes of LG's Optimus G Pro or Samsung's Galaxy Note II and you're going to have to test it out for yourself to see if you'd be willing to talk into this Xperia like phone -- it's going to catch the eye.
There's also Qualcomm's notable Snapdragon 800 powering the device on a relatively large 3,000mAh battery, while Sony's simplified the design dropping a few of those much-maligned protective flaps, at least on the headphone socket. There are more impressions and a hands-on video after the break!
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Sony
Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/4dQE8wJ3zdY/
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Aussie PM Gillard loses leadership ballot to Rudd
Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard speaks in parliament in Canberra, Australia, Wednesday, June 26, 2013. Supporters of Gillard's chief intra-party rival are again pushing for a vote to oust the Australian prime minister this week. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)
Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard speaks in parliament in Canberra, Australia, Wednesday, June 26, 2013. Supporters of Gillard's chief intra-party rival are again pushing for a vote to oust the Australian prime minister this week. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)
Former Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd smiles as he sits in parliament during question time in Canberra, Australia, Wednesday, June 26, 2013. Supporters of Prime Minister Julia Gillard's chief intra-party rival are again pushing for a vote to oust the Australian prime minister this week. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)
Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard, top, stares at the opposition leader, Tony Abbott, in Canberra, Australia, Wednesday, June 26, 2013. Opposition leader Abbott challenged Gillard to bring forward the election to Aug. 3 because of the leadership wrangling. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)
Former Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd walks in the chambers in the parliament during question time in Canberra, Australia, Wednesday, June 26, 2013. Supporters of Prime Minister Julia Gillard's chief intra-party rival are again pushing for a vote to oust the Australian prime minister this week. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)
Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard speaks in the parliament in Canberra, Australia, Wednesday, June 26, 2013. Supporters of Gillard's chief intra-party rival are again pushing for a vote to oust the Australian prime minister this week. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)
CANBERRA, Australia (AP) ? Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard was ousted as Labor Party leader Wednesday by her predecessor, Kevin Rudd, in a vote of party lawmakers hoping to avoid a huge defeat in upcoming elections.
The ballot took place three years and two days after Gillard ousted Rudd in a similar internal government showdown to become the country's first female prime minister. Wednesday's vote makes Rudd leader of the party, but he is not yet prime minister and may not get the job if lawmakers abandon Labor's ruling coalition.
Party official Chris Hayes said Gillard lost 57 votes to 45.
Rudd will likely have to demonstrate that he can command a majority of lawmakers in the House of Representatives before Governor-General Quentin Bryce makes him prime minister as early as Thursday.
If he cannot, opposition leader Tony Abbott could be asked to form a government, or the elections could be moved up from September to August.
Labor controls 71 seats in the 150-seat House of Representatives, Abbott's coalition holds 72 and the remaining 7 are held by independents or the minor Greens party.
Constitutional lawyer George Williams of the University of New South Wales said it is likely that the government will retain power with the support of independent lawmakers and Rudd as prime minister.
The Sept. 14 election was a Gillard promise. Rudd could call an election as early as Aug. 3.
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Puig leads Dodgers to 3-1 win over Giants
LOS ANGELES (AP) ? Rookie sensation Yasiel Puig hit his seventh home run in 20 major league games and added a tiebreaking single in the eighth inning against Madison Bumgarner, leading the Los Angeles Dodgers to a 3-1 victory over the San Francisco Giants on Monday night.
Nick Punto, who replaced third baseman Juan Uribe in a double switch, led off the eighth with an opposite-field double down the right-field line. Mark Ellis sacrificed Punto to third and reached safely when Bumgarner threw high to first for an error.
Puig greeted George Kontos with a line-drive single to left that scored Punto. Hanley Ramirez drove in the final run on a liner toward the middle that shortstop Brandon Crawford knocked down with a lunging attempt before getting the out at first.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/puig-leads-dodgers-3-1-win-over-giants-052911028.html
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Productive Skills: Resources for Independent Learning | Oxford ...
Nowadays the Internet provides numerous possibilities for students to improve, polish and master their English language skills. In my lessons I introduce these options, explaining how my students can use them and inspiring them with my own personal experience.
I have divided these resources into two main groups:
1. for receptive skills, with 2 subgroups: reading and listening
2. for productive skills, with 2 subgroups: writing and speaking
In each group there are several useful resources. Choose the most appropriate ones for your class.
| Receptive Skills | Productive Skills | ||
| Reading | Listening | Writing | Speaking |
| 1.Fiction literature | 1.Radio | 1. Social networks | 1. Social networks |
| 2.Professional literature | 2.Audio books | 2. Language learning communities | 2. Language learning communities |
| 3.Bilingual parallel texts | 3. Films | ?3. Writing Clubs | 3. British Council |
| 4.Newspapers, magazines, online news | 4.Podcasts | ?4. Private journal | 4. Speaking Clubs |
| 5. Blogs | 5. Conversations | 5. Couchsurfing | |
| 6. Scripts | 6.Music | 6. International learning and volunteer programs | |
In this post, I?ll be looking at Productive Skills. I covered Receptive Skills in my previous post.
Writing
1. Social networks
Skype, Twitter and Facebook are examples of free resources to communicate in written English as you would orally. Write in your Skype profile that you are looking for a native speaker to improve your English. When someone contacts you, explain your needs and offer to correspond on a regular basis. You can then chat with them through Facebook chat, on Twitter, through blogs, etc. The disadvantage of this approach is that people are unlikely to correct your mistakes (unless you ask them to); however as the correspondence is very informal and friendly, the learner can relax and express himself/herself freely. Twitter messages make you formulate your thoughts very concisely, as the maximum length of the post is 140 characters. It teaches you to write the core idea. Blogging is also a good way to present your ideas to a wide audience and invite comments and corrections to your writing.
2. Language learning communities
Language learning communities, such as Lang-8, Phrase Base are specialized sites to help you polish your language skills, where native speakers from 180 countries will correct your writing for free. First you have to log in, and then write your text, publish it and wait until a native speaker (possibly even a teacher) checks it and gives a detailed explanation of any mistakes. You can write your own blog, correct posts of other participants if they are in your native language, make friends, create your own community, and expand your network.
3. Writing Clubs/Classes
These are a very popular form of mastering the language. The teacher gives you a theme for your writing and a deadline to submit your work. The goal is to write an essay, to develop writing skills and to monitor your mistakes, both grammatical and stylistic. Sometimes writing clubs can include written debates on a particular topic. When the discussion is over the teacher individually comments on mistakes, or a peer assessment is provided. Different Universities offer such courses, and there are several such classes on Coursera.
4. Private journal
This resource demands a higher level of motivation, as the student has to commit to keeping a regular journal. It can be a fictitious or simply a record of everyday events. The habit of writing regularly promotes a habit of thinking in English. There are several online journal tools, such as Life Journal. Nobody monitors your mistakes, but Life Journal?s password and encryption system keeps your information safe and private, unless you choose to share it to get feedback on your writing.
Speaking
1. Social networks and 2. Language learning communities
The same principle as with writing, with one difference ? you have to talk with your new native language friends. Speaking demonstrates any gaps in your language knowledge. Corresponding with pan-pals through social networks, ask them to have a conversation via Skype or another service. Regular real-life conversations will put what you?ve learned into practical application. The best practice will come from conversations with a native speaker, but even if he/she is not, you will learn to speak spontaneously and across a variety of different topics.
3. British Council
The representative office of the British Council is in every country. The main aim of the British Council is to help to share British expertise and knowledge with over 100 countries worldwide. You can attend seminars and workshops in English, meet English-speaking partners and master your speaking skills.
4. Speaking Clubs
This is a very popular forum to improve your speaking skills. Clubs are often organized to discuss the latest news and talk about different subjects.
5. Couch Surfing
Participating in a ??Couch Surfing?? club allows you to host travellers at your house and to connect with new friends all around the world by staying at their houses while travelling. You can offer your guide services in your home town and invite the foreign visitors just for a cup of coffee, which will definitely involve and improve your speaking skills. Some examples are CouchSurfing, HomeExchange, and The Hospitality Club.
6. International learning and volunteer programs
Participation in different learning and volunteer programs, such as archaeological excavations, building projects, medical volunteering, wildlife conservation or life-long learning programs, such as Grundtvig practical learning for adults, gives you the opportunity to improve your speaking skills significantly.
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Author: Oxford University Press ELT
The official global blog for Oxford University Press English Language Teaching. Bringing teachers and other ELT professionals top quality resources, tools, hints and tips, news, ideas, insights and discussions to help further their ELT career. Follow OUPELTGlobal on Twitter.
Source: http://oupeltglobalblog.com/2013/06/25/productive-skills-resources-for-independent-learning/
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