As often as companies love to toy with flexible displays, we're seldom told how we'd control that newfound freedom. Are we supposed to make e-paper cranes? Credit LG for some forward thinking -- it's just receiving a US patent for a 2008-era user interface invention that would use a bending screen to its advantage. The implementation includes two displays, one of which flexes while the other accepts touch; bend or fold the first display, and the touchscreen changes to suit the context. Having two closely linked displays would also let the panels run either in unity or independently. Suffice it to say that the technology is unlikely to roll out as-is on a smartphone, if ever: LG's attention has swung towards having one big touchscreen as of late. However, the interface does give the Korean firm a place to start if it develops devices to match its new flexible batteries.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on Thursday she was forming a panel to investigate the attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya, that killed Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three other U.S. officials.
The panel, whose creation is generally required by law when someone is killed or seriously injured at a U.S. mission abroad, will be chaired by Thomas Pickering, a retired diplomat who served as U.S. ambassador to Russia, India, Israel, Nigeria, El Salvador, Jordan and at the U.S. Mission to the United Nations.
Such panels, made up of four people chosen by the secretary of state and one by the U.S. intelligence community, are charged with writing a report on whether security systems and procedures were adequate, and they might recommend improvements.
Lawmakers have demanded answers on how Stevens, a State Department information management officer and two security agents could have died in the incident, and whether sufficient security was in place. Stevens' death marked the first time a U.S. ambassador had been killed in such an attack since 1979.
The panel's inquiry is separate from an FBI probe of the Benghazi attack.
U.S. authorities are investigating possible collusion between the militants who launched the attack and locally hired Libyan personnel guarding the facility, three U.S. officials said on condition of anonymity.
So far, there is no proof the attackers were helped by Libyan security personnel hired by the consulate. One official said the Obama administration was playing down that possibility.
But all the officials said the question of whether the attackers had inside help was a serious issue in the U.S. investigation into the attack, which occurred on the 11th anniversary of the September 11 attacks on the United States.
Clinton gave lawmakers a classified briefing in an effort to answer questions and make the case for continued U.S. engagement in the Middle East despite a wave of anti-American protests in the region this month.
U.S. embassies in Egypt, Sudan, Tunisia and Yemen have been attacked and U.S. diplomatic facilities in the Middle East and North Africa have been the target of protests sparked by a film made in California that depicts the Prophet Mohammad as a womanizer and a fool.
U.S. CANNOT WITHDRAW FROM MIDDLE EAST - OBAMA
Appearing at a forum sponsored by Univision and Facebook, and hosted by the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Florida, President Barack Obama said the United States would not retreat from the region.
"My message to the presidents of Egypt, Libya, Tunisia and these other countries: we want to be a partner with you, we will work with you and we stand on the side of democracy," he said.
"But democracy is not just an election, it's also are you looking out for minority rights, are you respecting freedom of speech, are you treating women fairly?" he added.
"The one thing we can't do is withdraw from the region. The United States continues to be the one indispensable nation."
Speaking at a news conference before she briefed U.S. lawmakers, Clinton also stressed the importance of U.S. relations with such countries despite questions about whether the United States should continue aid following the protests.
"We are concerned, first and foremost, with our own people and facilities, but we are concerned about the internal security in these countries because ultimately that puts at risk the men, women and children of these societies on a daily, ongoing basis if actions are not taken to try to restore security," she added.
A congressional committee wrote to Clinton on Thursday demanding information about the attack in Benghazi, including all U.S. security analyses and threat assessments before the violence and any documents that clarify whether the attack was spontaneous or premeditated.
"The American people have a right to know the facts about this egregious attack on U.S. sovereign territory," Republican Representative Jason Chaffetz wrote to Clinton, setting an October 4 deadline for her to provide the information.
Adam Smith, the senior Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee, attended part of the briefing and said - as Reuters reported on Wednesday - that the U.S. ambassador to Libya had five security guards with him. Smith said he thought that was an appropriate number.
Asked about possible collusion between Libyans working for the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi and the attackers, Smith said, "There is no evidence of that at this time."
(Additional reporting by Arshad Mohammed; Editing by Peter Cooney)
Sinocalliopteryx as a stealth hunter feeding on the dromaeosaur Sinornithosaurus, left, and the primitive bird Confuciusornis, right.
Illustration by Cheung Chungtat
The dinosaurs of our childhood aren?t around anymore. The sluggish, swamp-bound pea-brains that haunted museum halls and trundled through picture books have been eviscerated by agile, hot-blooded, and, often, feathery dinosaurs that more accurately reflect what Tyrannosaurus rex and kin were actually like. What?s more, thanks to a heap of lovely fossils, we now know that even the most fearsome of the tyrant dinosaurs were closely related to the avian dinosaurs?the birds?that flit around our backyards today.
Not everyone is pleased with the dramatic dinosaur makeover. In ?How Science Ruined Everything,? io9?s Esther Inglis-Arkell said, ?Dinosaurs used to be cool, feathers came in, and now it?s like, they?re going to ruffle their plumage when they come after me, and that is not scary.? It?s not surprising that the new imagery of enfluffed dinosaurs makes Velociraptor and company seem more like chickenosaurs than the monsters we grew up with. I used to hate fluffy dinosaurs, too. When feathery dinosaurs started to appear in museum shops and poorly-rendered fuzzballs strutted through basic-cable documentaries, I mourned the loss of the reptilian monsters I once knew. But when I dug into why dinosaur depictions have changed so radically, I came away with a new appreciation of dinosaur feathers.
Paleontologists have uncovered scores of fluffy, fuzzy, bristly, and otherwise spectacularly-adorned dinosaur species throughout the group?s family tree. Feathers weren?t meant for flight from the start; at first they were adaptations for insulation and display?for showing off. By comparing the microscopic features of dinosaur feathers with those of modern birds, paleontologists are answering one of the most perplexing dinosaur mysteries: What color were they? (Some were iridescent blue; some were black and white like a magpie; and some had rust-colored stripes along their tails.) We can finally start to explore the beauty of the dinosaur palette, something I was told as child would be totally impossible. I?ll trade evolutionary secrets for slightly silly dinosaurs any day.
Of course, not everyone agrees. Some people would rather go back to the days before 1996?when Sinosauropteryx, the first fluffy dinosaur, was announced?to a world of naked dinosaurs. If you?re one of those people who loathe dinosaur feathers, there?s a group that will commiserate with you: creationists.
Creationists are on a campaign to ?take dinosaurs back.? Earlier this year, the creationist crackpot Ken Ham, president of Answers in Genesis?the organization that established the fundamentalist funhouse called the Creation Museum?said, ?Dinosaurs have been held hostage for decades? by his mortal enemy, the nefarious ?secular humanists.? Ham is determined to appropriate dinosaurs for biblical literalists. (The organization?s website even sells a ?We?re taking dinosaurs back!? bumper sticker.)
This isn?t about science. It?s about marketing. Ham is sore that natural history museums?many of which actually run research programs and contribute new facts and hypotheses to our understanding of prehistoric life, unlike the Creation Museum?use dinosaurs to help visitors learn about the evolution of what Charles Darwin called ?endless forms most beautiful and most wonderful.? Why should people who accept natural selection and geologic time have all the fun? Creationists, in Ham?s view, should use dinosaurs as star attractions to get the public to imbibe the religious swill he and his organization peddle.
Dinosaurs are unlikely symbols of religious fundamentalism. The first dinosaurs evolved about 230 million years ago, and, with the exception of birds, perished about 66 million years ago. Archaic humans didn?t originate until 60 million years later, so it?s not surprising that Stegosaurus, Triceratops, and kin aren?t mentioned in the Bible. Of course, Ham and like-minded literalists would beg to differ. Non-avian dinosaurs were created on Day 6 of creation week 6,000 years ago, with birds being brought into existence on Day 5 (which is out of order with the fossil record). Creationists also fervently believe that Behemoth and Leviathan of the Old Testament were actually dinosaurs, all scientific and historical evidence to the contrary. I?ve never seen creationists propose that we lived in a Dinotopia per se, but a saddle-bearing dinosaur at the Creation Museum is meant not as a fanciful kiddy ride but as a historical reconstruction.
But dinosaurs with feathers are not welcome at Ham?s amusement park. Even though paleontologists have uncovered numerous dinosaurs with everything from bristles and fuzz to full-flight feathers?which document the evolution of plumage from fluff to aerodynamic structures that allowed dinosaurs to take to the air?creationists deny the clear fossil record. There?s plenty of reason for creationists to abhor dinosaur feathers. The mountain of evidence that birds are living dinosaurs, and that many ?bird? traits were widely shared among non-avian dinosaurs, are among the most gorgeous examples of evolutionary change yet found. Put feathers on a Velociraptor?we know it had feathers thanks to quill knobs preserved along its arm bones?and you get something disturbingly birdlike, revealing the dinosaur?s kinship to the ancestors of Archaeopteryx and other early birds. Not surprisingly, creationist groups like Answers in Genesis don?t feature feathery dinosaurs in their literature and museum exhibits. Instead, they take pride in promoting out-of-date, monstrous dinosaurs that more easily fit their contention that these animals were created separately from all other forms of life.
To help them dispute the evidence, creationists have become followers of a group of misguided researchers who denounce the idea that birds are living dinosaurs. Paleontologists such as Alan Feduccia, Larry Martin, Theagarten Lingham-Soliar, and John Ruben insist that birds sprang from a different ancestor, one more closely allied with crocodiles than dinosaurs. They also claim that feathered dinosaurs such as Microraptor must be birds that lost the ability to fly. These scientists, while they have made worthwhile contributions in other areas of fossil research, have not provided a reasonable, testable hypothesis for an alternate bird origin, and they take an entirely critical approach to the work of others. In other words, they are acting a bit like creationists?pushing a particular agenda, unhindered by evidence, because of a preconceived conclusion.
Groups like Answers in Genesis have latched onto these scientists to give their religious tracts a science-ish veneer. If Feduccia, Martin, and a handful of other scientists disagree with a dinosaur origin for birds, the creationists suggest, then the entire idea of avian evolution becomes suspect. Creationists even crib arguments from these paleontologists?who are fully on-board with the concept of evolution?to make themselves seem wiser in the eyes of their followers.
The military has been looking into securing borders with automated surveillance systems, but the cameras and computers have trouble distinguishing between terrorists and coyotes ? so a new project uses the most powerful visual threat analysis engine available: the human brain.
Computer vision is growing more powerful and useful every year: it powers autonomous cars, facial recognition in cameras, and many other practical applications. But a false positive on a camera's smile shutter isn't a big deal, while a false positive along a contested border could cause great expense or even armed conflict.
The Cognitive Technology Threat Warning System (or?CT2WS, hardly less cumbersome) used a visual processing system to watch terrain in tests, and it returned a staggering 810 false alarms every hour, almost a third of the total events it recorded. Spread those numbers over miles and miles of forested or tropical borders, and the problem soon gets out of control.
In order to reduce the number of false alarms, the researchers (spread over a number of institutions but led by DARPA's?Gill Pratt) inserted a human into the equation. But not just someone looking at the camera feed?for hours; such monotonous work is fatiguing and often leads to missed events.
Instead, the screen shows image after image in quick succession to the user, while monitoring their brainwaves for a specific pattern: called a P-300 brainwave, it indicates something that needs to be paid attention to by the visual system. And humans, trained for years in the real world, are incredibly responsive to even slight glimpses of motion and suspicious shapes.
The result was a more than 99 percent reduction of false alarms: the researchers'?testing showed just five per hour, and when combined with an extra radar system, that number dropped to zero.
It certainly may sound a bit alarming, using a person?as essentially a graphics processing unit, but the fact is that people are naturally good at this and even if CT2WS is never deployed, computer vision systems can learn a lot from the way humans?do their job.
via Ars Technica
Devin Coldewey is a contributing writer for NBC News Digital. His personal website is coldewey.cc.
UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Iran has been using civilian aircraft to fly military personnel and large quantities of weapons across Iraqi airspace to Syria to aid President Bashar al-Assad in his attempt to crush an 18-month uprising against his government, according to a Western intelligence report seen by Reuters.
Earlier this month, U.S. officials said they were questioning Iraq about Iranian flights in Iraqi airspace suspected of ferrying arms to Assad, a staunch Iranian ally. On Wednesday, U.S. Senator John Kerry threatened to review U.S. aid to Baghdad if it does not halt such overflights.
Iraq says it does not allow the passage of any weapons through its airspace. But the intelligence report obtained by Reuters says Iranian weapons have been flowing into Syria via Iraq in large quantities. Such transfers, the report says, are organized by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
"This is part of a revised Iranian modus operandi that U.S. officials have only recently addressed publicly, following previous statements to the contrary," said the report, a copy of which was provided by a U.N. diplomatic source.
"It also flies in the face of declarations by Iraqi officials," it said. "Planes are flying from Iran to Syria via Iraq on an almost daily basis, carrying IRGC (Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps) personnel and tens of tons of weapons to arm the Syrian security forces and militias fighting against the rebels."
It added that Iran was also "continuing to assist the regime in Damascus by sending trucks overland via Iraq" to Syria.
Although the specific charges about Iraq allowing Iran to transfer arms to Damascus are not new, the intelligence report alleges that the extent of such shipments is far greater than has been publicly acknowledged, and much more systematic, thanks to an agreement between senior Iraqi and Iranian officials.
Ali al-Moussawi, Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's media adviser, dismissed the intelligence report.
"Iraq rejects baseless allegations that it allows Iran to use its airspace to ship arms to Syria," he said. "The prime minister has always called for a peaceful solution to the Syrian conflict and ... the need for a ban on any state interfering in Syria whether by sending arms or helping others to do so."
The issue of Iranian arms shipments to Syria came up repeatedly at a Senate hearing in Washington on Wednesday on the nomination of Robert Beecroft as the next U.S. ambassador to Baghdad. Beecroft is currently deputy chief of mission there.
John Kerry, the Democratic chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, asked Beecroft what the embassy was doing to persuade the Iraqis to prevent Iran from using their airspace for flights carrying weapons to Syria. Beecroft said that he and other U.S. officials made clear to Iraq the flights must stop.
U.S. THREAT TO REVIEW AID
Kerry said he was alarmed that U.S. efforts thus far had not persuaded Baghdad to halt the overflights, and suggested that the United States could in future make some of the hundreds of millions of dollars in assistance it gives to Iraq contingent on their cooperation on Syria.
"Maybe we should make some of our assistance or some of our support contingent on some kind of appropriate response," he said. "It just seems completely inappropriate that we're trying to help build democracy, support them, put American lives on the line, money into the country, and they're working against our interest so overtly."
The intelligence report, which Western diplomats said was credible and consistent with their information, said Iran had cut a deal with Iraq to use its airspace.
One envoy said it was possible that Tehran and Baghdad did not in fact have any formal agreement, but only an informal understanding not to raise questions about possible arms transfers to Syria.
In comments published by Iranian media on Sunday, IRGC commander-in-chief Mohammad Ali Jafari said members of the force were providing non-military assistance in Syria and Lebanon. He added that Tehran might get involved militarily in Syria if its closest ally came under attack. A day later, however, Iran's Foreign Ministry denied those remarks.
Two Boeing 747 aircraft specifically mentioned in the intelligence report as being involved in Syria arms transfers - an Iran Air plane with the tail number EP-ICD and Mahan Air's EP-MNE - were among 117 aircraft hit with sanctions on Wednesday by the U.S. Treasury Department.
The Treasury Department also blacklisted aircraft operated by Iran's Yas Air for supplying Syria with weapons. A U.N. panel of experts that monitors compliance with U.N. sanctions against Iran has repeatedly named Yas Air, along with Iran Air, as a supplier of arms to Syria.
The Treasury Department statement on the new blacklistings said the move would "make it easier for interested parties to keep track of this blocked property, and more difficult for Iran to use deceptive practices to try to evade sanctions."
The statement did not mention Iraq.
Earlier this year, the U.N. panel of experts recommended that Yas Air be put on the U.N. blacklist for helping Iran skirt a U.N. arms embargo. So far the Security Council has not taken any action on that recommendation.
The U.N. panel's reports have described Iranian arms shipments to Syria via Turkey, not Iraq.
The intelligence report said such transfers across Turkish airspace had ceased.
"Since Ankara adopted a firm position against Syria, and declared that it would intercept all weapons shipments sent to the Assad regime through Turkish territory or airspace, Tehran has all but completely stopped using this channel," it said.
Tehran is forbidden from selling weapons under a U.N. arms embargo, which is part of broader sanctions against Iran over its nuclear program.
Earlier this month, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said Syria's conflict had taken a brutal turn with other countries arming both sides, spreading misery and risking "unintended consequences as the fighting intensifies and spreads.
(Additional reporting by Andrew Quinn, Mark Hosenball and Susan Cornwell in Washington and Ahmed Rasheed in Baghdad, editing by David Brunnstrom and Mohammad Zargham)
NASA catches Tropical Storm Leslie and Hurricane Michael in the AtlanticPublic release date: 10-Sep-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Rob Gutro robert.j.gutro@nasa.gov 443-858-1779 NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center
Satellite images from two NASA satellites were combined to create a full picture of Tropical Storm Leslie and Hurricane Michael spinning in the Atlantic Ocean. Imagery from NASA's Aqua and Terra satellites showed Leslie now past Bermuda and Michael in the north central Atlantic, and Leslie is much larger than the smaller, more powerful Michael.
Images of each storm were taken by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer, or MODIS instrument that flies onboard both the Aqua and Terra satellites. Both satellites captured images of both storms on Sept. 7 and Sept. 10. The image from Sept. 7 showed a much more compact Michael with a visible eye. By Sept. 10, the eye was no longer visible in Michael and the storm appeared more elongated from south to north.
Leslie Moves Past Bermuda Heads to North Atlantic
On Sept. 8 at 5 p.m. Leslie was a tropical storm with maximum sustained winds near 55 knots. It was about 240 miles (390 km) south-southeast of Bermuda near 29.4 North latitude and 62.5 West longitude. Leslie was moving north and expected to pass to the east of or close to Bermuda later in the day. A tropical storm warning was in force for Bermuda on Sept. 8 and 9, and forecasters at the National Hurricane Center expected rainfall totals of 1 to 2 inches in Bermuda.
By Sept. 9 at 5 p.m. EDT, Leslie had passed to the east of Bermuda and was centered about 175 miles (280 km) east-northeast of the island, near 33.4 North and 61.2 East. Leslie's maximum sustained winds were near 60 mph (95 kmh) as it continued moving to the north at 14 mph (22 kmh).
By Monday, Sept. 10, Leslie had moved north of Bermuda and was about 805 miles (1,300 km) south-southwest of Cape Race, Newfoundland, Canada, near 36.5 North latitude and 60.8 West longitude. Leslie was moving to the north-northeast at 18 mph (30 kmh) and had maximum sustained winds near 60 mph (95 kmh).
MODIS satellite data shows that Leslie has one main band of powerful thunderstorms and heavy rainfall, located to the northeast quadrant of the storm.
Watches have now been posted for Newfoundland, Canada as Leslie tracks northward. A hurricane watch is now in effect in Newfoundland, from Stones Cove to Charlottetown. A hurricane watch means that hurricane conditions are possible within the watch area, in this case within 24 to 36 hours, according to the National Hurricane Center.
In addition, a tropical storm watch is in effect for Newfoundland, from Indian Harbor to Stones Cove and from Fogo Island to Charlottetown.
Monday, Sept. 10 is expected to be Leslie's last day in warm waters and low-wind shear. After today the storm is forecast to move into cooler waters and the wind shear is expected to kick up. Those are two factors that weaken a tropical cyclone. Leslie is expected to start transitioning from a warm core system to a cold core system later on Sept. 10, which means the storm will be undergoing a change into an extra-tropical storm.
Michael, Once "Wide-Eyed," Now Weakening from Atmosphere and Ocean
Hurricane Michael experienced some adjustments in "vision" over the weekend when the storm's eye grew wider. On Sept. 8, Michael was still a hurricane with maximum sustained winds near 90 knots (150 kmh). Michael was located near 33.1 North latitude and 42.3 West longitude, about 925 miles (1,485 km) west-southwest of the Azores. Michael's tropical-storm-force wind field was about 70 miles (110 km) out from the center, making the storm about 140 miles (220 km) in diameter. Michael was weakening slowly due to atmospheric conditions and cooler waters and by Sept. 9, Michael's maximum sustained winds were still near 90 mph (150 kmh) when it was 990 miles (1,590 km) west-southwest of the Azores islands. On Sunday, Michael's eye widened from 10 miles in diameter to 30 miles in diameter, as was seen in satellite imagery.
By Monday, Sept. 10, Michael's maximum sustained winds at 5 a.m. EDT were near 80 mph (130 kmh). Michael was centered about 1,065 miles (1,715 km) west of the Azores Islands near 33.5 North and 45.2 West. Michael was moving to the west at 7 mph (11 kmh) and is expected to turn northwestward later on Sept. 10, followed by a turn to the north and northeast. Michael could become a tropical storm by the end of the day on Sept. 10, according to the National Hurricane Center.
Another Storm Brewing in the Eastern Atlantic
Satellite imagery showed that another tropical depression may be forming in the eastern Atlantic. The low, called System 90L appears more organized on Monday, Sept. 10. It is located about 855 miles west of the Cape Verde Islands and is being carefully watched. The National Hurricane Center gives it a 90 percent chance of becoming a depression later on Sept. 1 as it moves west-northwestward at 15 to 20 mph.
###
To see the Sept. 10 MODIS image of Leslie and Michael, visit: http://lance-modis.eosdis.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/imagery/single.cgi?image=LeslieMichael.A2012253.1650.4km.jpg
To see the Sept. 7 MODIS image of Leslie and Michael, visit: http://lance-modis.eosdis.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/imagery/single.cgi?image=LeslieMichael.A2012251.1525.4km.jpg
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
NASA catches Tropical Storm Leslie and Hurricane Michael in the AtlanticPublic release date: 10-Sep-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Rob Gutro robert.j.gutro@nasa.gov 443-858-1779 NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center
Satellite images from two NASA satellites were combined to create a full picture of Tropical Storm Leslie and Hurricane Michael spinning in the Atlantic Ocean. Imagery from NASA's Aqua and Terra satellites showed Leslie now past Bermuda and Michael in the north central Atlantic, and Leslie is much larger than the smaller, more powerful Michael.
Images of each storm were taken by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer, or MODIS instrument that flies onboard both the Aqua and Terra satellites. Both satellites captured images of both storms on Sept. 7 and Sept. 10. The image from Sept. 7 showed a much more compact Michael with a visible eye. By Sept. 10, the eye was no longer visible in Michael and the storm appeared more elongated from south to north.
Leslie Moves Past Bermuda Heads to North Atlantic
On Sept. 8 at 5 p.m. Leslie was a tropical storm with maximum sustained winds near 55 knots. It was about 240 miles (390 km) south-southeast of Bermuda near 29.4 North latitude and 62.5 West longitude. Leslie was moving north and expected to pass to the east of or close to Bermuda later in the day. A tropical storm warning was in force for Bermuda on Sept. 8 and 9, and forecasters at the National Hurricane Center expected rainfall totals of 1 to 2 inches in Bermuda.
By Sept. 9 at 5 p.m. EDT, Leslie had passed to the east of Bermuda and was centered about 175 miles (280 km) east-northeast of the island, near 33.4 North and 61.2 East. Leslie's maximum sustained winds were near 60 mph (95 kmh) as it continued moving to the north at 14 mph (22 kmh).
By Monday, Sept. 10, Leslie had moved north of Bermuda and was about 805 miles (1,300 km) south-southwest of Cape Race, Newfoundland, Canada, near 36.5 North latitude and 60.8 West longitude. Leslie was moving to the north-northeast at 18 mph (30 kmh) and had maximum sustained winds near 60 mph (95 kmh).
MODIS satellite data shows that Leslie has one main band of powerful thunderstorms and heavy rainfall, located to the northeast quadrant of the storm.
Watches have now been posted for Newfoundland, Canada as Leslie tracks northward. A hurricane watch is now in effect in Newfoundland, from Stones Cove to Charlottetown. A hurricane watch means that hurricane conditions are possible within the watch area, in this case within 24 to 36 hours, according to the National Hurricane Center.
In addition, a tropical storm watch is in effect for Newfoundland, from Indian Harbor to Stones Cove and from Fogo Island to Charlottetown.
Monday, Sept. 10 is expected to be Leslie's last day in warm waters and low-wind shear. After today the storm is forecast to move into cooler waters and the wind shear is expected to kick up. Those are two factors that weaken a tropical cyclone. Leslie is expected to start transitioning from a warm core system to a cold core system later on Sept. 10, which means the storm will be undergoing a change into an extra-tropical storm.
Michael, Once "Wide-Eyed," Now Weakening from Atmosphere and Ocean
Hurricane Michael experienced some adjustments in "vision" over the weekend when the storm's eye grew wider. On Sept. 8, Michael was still a hurricane with maximum sustained winds near 90 knots (150 kmh). Michael was located near 33.1 North latitude and 42.3 West longitude, about 925 miles (1,485 km) west-southwest of the Azores. Michael's tropical-storm-force wind field was about 70 miles (110 km) out from the center, making the storm about 140 miles (220 km) in diameter. Michael was weakening slowly due to atmospheric conditions and cooler waters and by Sept. 9, Michael's maximum sustained winds were still near 90 mph (150 kmh) when it was 990 miles (1,590 km) west-southwest of the Azores islands. On Sunday, Michael's eye widened from 10 miles in diameter to 30 miles in diameter, as was seen in satellite imagery.
By Monday, Sept. 10, Michael's maximum sustained winds at 5 a.m. EDT were near 80 mph (130 kmh). Michael was centered about 1,065 miles (1,715 km) west of the Azores Islands near 33.5 North and 45.2 West. Michael was moving to the west at 7 mph (11 kmh) and is expected to turn northwestward later on Sept. 10, followed by a turn to the north and northeast. Michael could become a tropical storm by the end of the day on Sept. 10, according to the National Hurricane Center.
Another Storm Brewing in the Eastern Atlantic
Satellite imagery showed that another tropical depression may be forming in the eastern Atlantic. The low, called System 90L appears more organized on Monday, Sept. 10. It is located about 855 miles west of the Cape Verde Islands and is being carefully watched. The National Hurricane Center gives it a 90 percent chance of becoming a depression later on Sept. 1 as it moves west-northwestward at 15 to 20 mph.
###
To see the Sept. 10 MODIS image of Leslie and Michael, visit: http://lance-modis.eosdis.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/imagery/single.cgi?image=LeslieMichael.A2012253.1650.4km.jpg
To see the Sept. 7 MODIS image of Leslie and Michael, visit: http://lance-modis.eosdis.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/imagery/single.cgi?image=LeslieMichael.A2012251.1525.4km.jpg
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
LOS ANGELES (AP) ? "The Possession" occupied the top spot at a nearly comatose box office.
The fright flick with Kyra Sedgwick and Jeffrey Dean Morgan playing the parents of a girl possessed by a demon earned $9.5 million in its second outing, the lowest grossing weekend for the box office this year and one of the worst weekends at the box office in a decade. It marked the first time since 2008 that no film managed to crack the $10 million mark.
The weekend after Labor Day is typically the slowest of the year, but this weekend's grosses were down 20 percent over last year when "Contagion" opened in first place with $22.4 million. Total box office revenues are estimated at $67 million, which would make this the worst weekend at the box office since the weekend after 9/11 when revenues were $59.7 million.
"There just wasn't a strong opener," said Paul Dergarabedian, box-office analyst for Hollywood.com. "We came off a summer that ended with a whimper. There wasn't any momentum. It just comes down to the movies and the marketplace. There's wasn't some extraneous force keeping people out of the theaters. This crop of movies just didn't have that solid draw."
The bootlegging tale "Lawless" starring Shia LaBeouf, Tom Hardy and Jessica Chastain kept a lock on the No. 2 position in its second weekend with $6 million, bringing its total haul to $23.5 million, while "The Words" featuring Bradley Cooper as an aspiring writer and Zoe Saldana as his girlfriend debuted in third place with $5 million.
A pair of action sequels rounded out the top five films. The ensemble flick "The Expendables 2" earned $4.7 million in its fourth weekend, while "The Bourne Legacy" captured $4 million in its fifth outing at the box office. "Expendables 2" also won $14 million internationally in 23 territories, and "Bourne Legacy" nabbed $13 million in 49 territories.
"2016: Obama's America," a conservative film exploring the roots of President Barack Obama's political views, raised its total to $26 million in its ninth week of release, earning another $3.3 million this weekend. That now makes "2016" the second highest grossing political documentary of all time behind director Michael Moore's "Fahrenheit 9/11," which holds the top spot with $119.1 million.
"The Cold Light of Day," the weekend's only other new major release, wasn't able to see the light of the top 10. The drama starring Henry Cavill and Bruce Willis earned just $1.8 million in the No. 13 spot.
Below "The Cold Light of Day," an IMAX re-release of 1981's "Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark" collected $1.7 million in the No. 14 position. The film starring Harrison Ford as the iconic archaeologist is playing a limited engagement in 267 theaters.
Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Hollywood.com. Where available, latest international numbers are also included. Final domestic figures will be released Monday.
1. "The Possession," $9.5 million ($3.5 million international).
2. "Lawless," $6 million ($1.4 million international).
3. "The Words," $5 million.
4. "The Expendables 2," $4.7 million ($14 million international).
5. "The Bourne Legacy," $4 million ($13 million international).
6. "ParaNorman," $3.8 million ($2.4 million international).
7. "The Odd Life of Timothy Green," $3.6 million.
8. "The Campaign," $3.5 million.
9. "The Dark Knight Rises," $3.3 million ($13 million international).
10. "2016: Obama's America," $3.3 million.
___
Estimated weekend ticket sales at international theaters (excluding the U.S. and Canada) for films distributed overseas by Hollywood studios, according to Rentrak:
9. (tie) "Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted," $4.3 million.
10. "The Amazing Spider-Man," $3.8 million.
___
Online:
http://www.hollywood.com
http://www.rentrak.com
___
Universal and Focus are owned by NBC Universal, a unit of Comcast Corp.; Sony, Columbia, Sony Screen Gems and Sony Pictures Classics are units of Sony Corp.; Paramount is owned by Viacom Inc.; Disney, Pixar and Marvel are owned by The Walt Disney Co.; Miramax is owned by Filmyard Holdings LLC; 20th Century Fox and Fox Searchlight are owned by News Corp.; Warner Bros. and New Line are units of Time Warner Inc.; MGM is owned by a group of former creditors including Highland Capital, Anchorage Advisors and Carl Icahn; Lionsgate is owned by Lions Gate Entertainment Corp.; IFC is owned by AMC Networks Inc.; Rogue is owned by Relativity Media LLC.
___
Follow AP Entertainment Writer Derrik J. Lang on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/derrikjlang.
USPTO | Email this | Comments
Sinocalliopteryx as a stealth hunter feeding on the dromaeosaur Sinornithosaurus, left, and the primitive bird Confuciusornis, right.
![[ Back to EurekAlert! ]](http://www.eurekalert.org/images/back2e.gif){kind=small}
Public release date: 10-Sep-2012
Share ]