Romney hits morning shows, armed with talking points about Obama’s billions

He runs the PAC RT @StuartRoy: Min invest yields win head 2 head w/ romney MT @chucktodd Santorum SuperPAC up with new ad in MO

Continue Reading... Labels: about, armed, Billions, morning, Obama’s, points, Romney, shows, talking

Satellite Photo Shows New Island Rising from Earth's Red Sea

The Red Sea has a new inhabitant: a smoking island.

The island was created by a wild eruption that occurred in the Red Sea earlier this month. It is made of loose volcanic debris from the eruption, so it may not stick around long.

According to news reports, fishermen witnessed lava fountains reaching up to 90 feet (30 meters) tall on Dec. 19, which is probably the day the eruption began, said Erik Klemetti, a volcanologist at Denison University in Granville, Ohio.

Ash plumes were seen emanating from the spot  Dec. 20 and Dec. 22 by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA's Terra and Aqua satellites. The Ozone Monitoring Instrument  on NASA's Aura satellite detected elevated levels of sulfur dioxide, further indicating an eruption. By Dec. 23, what looked like a new island had appeared in the Red Sea off the west coast of Yemen.

"I am surprised about how quickly the island has grown," Klemetti, who writes Wired's Eruptions Blog, told OurAmazingPlanet.

The volcanic activity occurred along the Zubair Group, a collection of small islands that run in a roughly northwest-southeast line. The islands rise from a shield volcano (a kind of volcano built from fluid lava flows) and poke above the sea surface.

Scientists will keep a close eye on the new island to see if it has staying power.

"Many times the islands are ephemeral as they are usually made of loose volcanic debris, so they get destroyed by wave action quite quickly," Klemetti said. But the volcanic activity could outpace the erosion due to the wave action.

Newly emerging islands aren't unheard of. Other newly emerged islands include Surtsey off of Iceland, Anak Krakatau in the caldera of Krakatoa in Indonesia, and Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha`apai in Tonga in the South Pacific.

This story was provided by OurAmazingPlanet, a sister site to SPACE.com. Follow staff writer Brett Israel on Twitter: @btisrael and OurAmazingPlanet at @OAPlanet and on Facebook.

Continue Reading... Labels: Earth's, Island, photo, Rising, Satellite, shows

Ill George Michael cancels shows

23 November 2011 Last updated at 18:27 ET

Austria's state broadcaster says George Michael is being treated in Vienna's AKH hospital

George Michael has postponed a series of concerts, including two this weekend in Cardiff, after being taken to hospital for treatment for pneumonia.

The singer, 48, had been due to appear in Vienna as part of his Symphonica tour on Monday but cancelled two hours before it was due to start.

He is reportedly being treated at a hospital in the Austrian capital.

His publicist said performances in Vienna, Strasbourg and at Cardiff's Motorpoint Arena would be rescheduled.

Connie Filippello said dates would be provided when available.

Austria's state broadcaster is reporting that the former Wham star is being treated in Vienna's AKH hospital.

Michael's European tour of Symphonica kicked off in Prague in August and was originally meant to include 47 dates.

It has seen the Careless Whisper singer return to live performance accompanied by a 41-piece symphony orchestra.

'Re-energised'

He had previously claimed his 2008 concerts would be his last live shows but announced the Symphonica tour after serving a short jail term last year for crashing his car in London while under the influence of cannabis.

George Michael performed at the Royal Albert Hall in London as part of his Symphonica tour last month

At the press launch in May he said: "I felt very re-energised after my recent troubles.

"I think musically this tour and album will be surprising because I'm being far more true to myself."

In October, a viral infection caused Michael to pull out of a show at the Royal Albert Hall in London, following advice from doctors.

Ticketholders were emailed on Wednesday to tell them the concert would be rescheduled for 2 May at the same venue.

Earlier this month Michael played a gig at the Royal Opera House in London, to raise money for Sir Elton John's Aids Foundation.

Continue Reading... Labels: cancels, George, Michael, shows

Video shows pepper spraying of UC Davis protesters

The lightest solid in the world is less dense than air and was modeled after the Eiffel Tower: http://t.co/7ESIMlxR

Continue Reading... Labels: Davis, pepper, protesters, shows, spraying, Video