'Twilight' keeps shining with $42M second weekend (AP)

LOS ANGELES ? The latest "Twilight" movie has plenty of daylight left with a second-straight win at the weekend box office.

"The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn ? Part 1" took in $42 million domestically over the three-day weekend and $62.3 million in the five-day Thanksgiving boom time from Wednesday to Sunday. That raised its domestic total to $221.3 million, while the Summit Entertainment release added $71.5 million overseas to lift the international total to $268 million and the worldwide take to $489.3 million.

Debuting at No. 2 was Disney's family flick "The Muppets," with $29.5 million for the three-day weekend and $42 million over the five-day holiday haul.

Three other family films rounded out the top-five: the Warner Bros. sequel "Happy Feet Two" at No. 3 with a three-day total of $13.4 million and $18.4 million for five days; Sony's animated comedy "Arthur Christmas" at No. 4 with $12.7 million for three days and $17 million for five days; and Paramount's epic adventure "Hugo" at No. 5 with $11.4 million for three days and $15.4 million for five days.

Between "Breaking Dawn" and the blitz of family films, analysts thought Hollywood had a shot at record revenue over Thanksgiving, one of the year's busiest weekends at movie theaters. But viewers did not come in anywhere close to record numbers.

"I was pretty surprised by this. I just thought this was the perfect combination of films in the marketplace," said Paul Dergarabedian, analyst for box-office tracker Hollywood.com. "Maybe there was just too much out there."

Domestic revenue totaled $234 million from Wednesday to Sunday, well below the $273 million record set two years ago, when "The Twilight Saga: New Moon" led the Thanksgiving weekend, according to Hollywood.com. Receipts also fell short of last Thanksgiving's $264 million haul, when "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1" finished on top.

Studio executives concede it's growing harder to lure fans into theaters given all the portable games, devices and other electronics people have to fill up their entertainment time. A so-so Thanksgiving on a weekend with such a good variety of movies could be a sign that Hollywood simply has to live with diminished expectations.

"I don't know that choice is ever a bad thing, and in terms of a weekend for families, this is one of the best," said Dave Hollis, head of distribution for Disney, which brought "The Muppets" back to the big-screen after a 12-year absence. "The challenge is breaking through and being relevant and meaningful and fresh enough to take the more finicky customers and have them choose you."

Disney reported that "The Muppets" drew a good mix of families and couples without children who fondly remember Kermit, Miss Piggy and the rest of the gang on "The Muppet Show." The film stars Jason Segel and Amy Adams as fans helping to reunite the Muppets for a telethon to save their decaying studio.

"Breaking Dawn" was holding close to the pattern set by "New Moon" two years ago, though domestic revenues were off slightly. Factoring in higher ticket prices since "New Moon," the audience shrank even further for "Breaking Dawn."

"I think the audience has changed a bit. Everybody's grown a little older, and I guess we lose a few of our patrons to age," said Richie Fay, head of distribution for Summit.

With no big new releases coming next weekend, though, "Breaking Dawn" has a shot at making up some ground, Fay said.

"Happy Feet Two" has failed to live up to its Academy Award-winning predecessor, a blockbuster that took in nearly $200 million domestically. The sequel about dancing penguins has managed just $43.8 million since opening Nov. 18, a 10-day total that barely matches the opening-weekend gross of the 2006 original.

"Arthur Christmas," from the British animation unit Aardman that made "Chicken Run" and the "Wallace and Gromit" films, has long-haul potential because of its good reviews and holiday story line. The voice cast includes James McAvoy, Hugh Laurie and Jim Broadbent in a Christmas Eve romp about a child's present that falls through the cracks in Santa Claus' high-tech delivery operation.

"To have the one picture that really is kind of carrying the torch as a Christmas picture really bodes well for the future," said Rory Bruer, head of distribution for Sony.

Distributor Paramount has similar long-term hopes for Martin Scorsese's "Hugo," which also has great reviews. Based on a children's book, "Hugo" follows the adventures of an orphan boy who tends the clocks in a Paris train station and becomes caught up in unraveling a mystery that connects a surly old man (Ben Kingsley) and a mechanical automaton the youth is trying to repair.

Paramount scaled back "Hugo" from a full wide release over Thanksgiving, opening it in 1,277 theaters, about a third the number for most other top movies. The studio plans to roll the film out more gradually, spreading its marketing budget over the coming weeks to capitalize on the critical word of mouth and potential awards buzz leading up to the Jan. 24 Oscar nominations.

Critics have praised "Hugo" for Scorsese's dazzling use of 3-D. Unlike 3-D fatigue that set in for some other recent movies, whose 3-D business dipped below half of total revenues, "Hugo" audiences have been willing to pay an extra few dollars to see it in three dimensions. About 75 percent of the film's revenue came from 3-D screenings, according to Paramount.

"People are reading the reviews that say, `You've got to see it in 3-D,' and they're going out and voting with their dollars," said Don Harris, head of distribution at Paramount.

In narrower release, the Marilyn Monroe drama "My Week with Marilyn" opened solidly with a $1.8 million weekend and $2.1 million since opening Wednesday. The Weinstein Co. release stars Michelle Williams as Monroe during her tumultuous time filming Laurence Olivier's "The Prince and the Showgirl."

Playing in 244 theaters, "My Week with Marilyn" had a weekend average of $7,266 a cinema, compared with a $10,330 average in 4,066 locations for "Breaking Dawn."

Another Weinstein release, the black-and-white silent film "The Artist," had a big opening in limited release with a three-day haul of $210,414 in just four New York City and Los Angeles theaters. That gave the film an average of $52,604 a theater.

"The Artist" traces the fall of a silent-film star (Jean Dujardin) and the rise of a new screen sensation (Berenice Bejo) as talking pictures take over in the 1920s and `30s. The acclaimed film gradually expands to nationwide release during the buildup to the Oscar nominations.

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 Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn ? Part 1," $42 million ($71.5 million international).

2. "The Muppets," $29.5 million ($1.6 million international).

3. "Happy Feet Two," $13.4 million.

4. "Arthur Christmas," $12.7 million ($11.9 million international).

5. "Hugo," $11.4 million.

6. "Jack and Jill," $10.3 million.

7. "Immortals," $8.8 million.

8. "Puss in Boots," $7.5 million ($9 million international).

9. "Tower Heist," $7.3 million ($7.3 million international).

10. "The Descendants," $7.2 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.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/movies/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111127/ap_en_mo/us_box_office

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Video: After sale, are Jags headed to L.A.?

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'DWTS' champ Martinez invited to Pentagon

WASHINGTON?? Defense Secretary Leon Panetta invited soldier-turned-actor J.R. Martinez, winner of this season's "Dancing with the Stars" competition, to meet him at the Pentagon, a spokesman said Friday.

During a 10-minute telephone call Friday, Panetta told the dance champion he demonstrated the strength and resilience of wounded veterans, Pentagon spokesman Capt. John Kirby said.

Story: J.R. Martinez wins 'Dancing's' ballroom battle

Martinez credited his military training for his performance on the ABC show, Kirby said. Martinez and professional partner Karina Smirnoff bested fellow finalists Rob Kardashian and Ricki Lake in the finale broadcast Tuesday.

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Martinez, 28, was severely burned over more than 40 percent of his body when the Humvee he was driving for the U.S. Army in Iraq struck a land mine in 2003. After dozens of operations during a nearly three-year recovery, Martinez became a motivational speaker and in 2008 won a role on the now-retired ABC soap opera "All My Children."

Story: Source: 'Dancing' crew is 'livid' with pro Maks Chmerkovskiy

Details of Panetta's meeting with Martinez are being worked out.

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Source: http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/45461297/ns/today-entertainment/

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Cyberwar storm clouds are gathering

Has the threat of cyberwar entered a significant new phase? Unpicking the burgeoning reports of activity on the digital battlefield

CYBERSPACE. Some call it the new domain of war, after land, sea, air and space. The 2010 Stuxnet cyberattack on Iran's uranium enrichment plant, suspected to have come from Israel or the US, seemed to confirm this status.

Stuxnet raised the spectre of cyber-sabotage. The recently discovered Duqu trojan, which contains some Stuxnet code, is built to steal information about computers controlling industrial plants. IT security analysts such as Symantec suspect Duqu came from the same source as Stuxnet, and may be seeking vulnerable points for future sabotage.

October saw a glut of talk about cyberwar. News reports in the US claimed that Barack Obama's administration chose not to launch a cyberattack against Libyan air defences in March. Also in October, the Pentagon announced that the joint chiefs of staff, the country's highest military officers, were reviewing the rules of engagement for cyberwar. A few days later, another report suggested China may have launched a cyberattack against two US civilian satellites.

Despite all this activity, the nature of cyber-threats remains poorly defined. Analysts have been warning for years about vulnerabilities in US government and private computer networks. In 2009, Obama launched a 60-day cyberspace security review to assess the threats. It concluded they were dire, and urged government-wide coordination to fight the threat under the direction of the US National Security Council, along with cooperation with other countries and private industry.

Firewalls guarding US military information are attacked relentlessly, sometimes successfully. "Over the past decade, terabytes of data have been extracted by foreign intruders," then US deputy defence secretary William Lynn said in July. A single intrusion in March saw 24,000 files stolen.

Yet cyberwar goes far beyond this activity. There is industrial espionage; criminal attacks, including stealing military secrets; and selling counterfeit military parts on the internet, which can damage or destroy equipment. Insurgents and opposition groups pose their own threats. Thus security must go far beyond protecting government documents and facilities.

In May 2010, the Pentagon established the US Cyber Command to fight the threat. So far its budget is a relatively lowly $2 to $3 billion. Given this, its strategy, announced in July, stressed defence.

Inevitably offence is studied too, covertly. But governments are reluctant to attack openly. The US decision not to target Libya was largely political, says James Lewis of the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington DC. "The US wanted to be seen as in the background in that conflict," he says. Also, he adds, the Obama administration did not want to be the first to openly launch a new form of warfare.

Caution and a focus on defence make sense. Computer technology spreads fast. It does not pay to attack if your weapons can be turned against you.

Duqu's intelligence gathering is troublesome, but more extensive Stuxnet-like sabotage could tip the scales to a real cyberwar.

Jeff Hecht is a New Scientist consultant

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UN warns 25 pct of world land highly degraded

ROME (AP) ? The United Nations has completed the first-ever global assessment of the state of the planet's land resources, finding in a report Monday that a quarter of all land is highly degraded and warning the trend must be reversed if the world's growing population is to be fed.

The U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization estimates that farmers will have to produce 70 percent more food by 2050 to meet the needs of the world's expected 9 billion-strong population. That amounts to 1 billion tons more wheat, rice and other cereals and 200 million more tons of beef and other livestock.

But as it is, most available land is already being farmed, and in ways that actually decrease its productivity through practices that lead to soil erosion and wasting of water.

That means that to meet the world's future food needs, a major "sustainable intensification" of agricultural productivity on existing farmland will be necessary, the FAO said in "State of the World's Land and Water Resources for Food and Agriculture."

The report was released Monday, as delegates from around the world meet in Durban, South Africa, for a two-week U.N. climate change conference aimed at breaking the deadlock on how to curb emissions of carbon dioxide and other pollutants.

The report found that climate change coupled with poor farming practices had contributed to a decrease in productivity of the world's farmland following the boon years of the Green Revolution, when crop yields soared thanks to new technologies, pesticides and the introduction of high-yield crops.

Thanks to the Green Revolution, the world's cropland grew by just 12 percent between 1961 and 2009, but food productivity increased by 150 percent.

But the U.N. report found that rates of growth have been slowing down in many areas and today are only half of what they were at the peak of the Green Revolution.

It found that 25 percent of the world's land is now "highly degraded," with soil erosion, water degradation and biodiversity loss. Another eight percent is moderately degraded, while 36 percent is stable or slightly degraded and 10 percent is ranked as "improving."

The rest of the Earth's surface is either bare or covered by inland water bodies.

Some examples of areas at risk: Western Europe, where highly intensive agriculture has led to pollution of soil and aquifers and a resulting loss of biodiversity; In the highlands of the Himalayas, the Andes, the Ethiopian plateau and southern Africa, soil erosion has been coupled with an increase intensity of floods; In southeast and eastern Asia's rice-based food systems, land has been abandoned thanks in part to a loss of the cultural value of it.

The report found that water around the world is becoming ever more scarce and salinated, while groundwater is becoming more polluted by agricultural runoff and other toxins.

In order to meet the world's water needs in 2050, more efficient irrigation will necessary since currently most irrigation systems perform well below their capacity, FAO said.

The agency called for new farming practices like integrated irrigation and fish-farm systems to meet those demands, as well as overall investment in agricultural development.

The price tag deemed necessary for investments through 2050: $1 trillion in irrigation water management alone for developing countries, with another $160 billion for soil conservation and flood control.

___

Online:

www.fao.org

Associated Press

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NASA launches super-size Mars rover to red planet

The world's biggest extraterrestrial explorer is on its way to Mars.

NASA on Saturday launched the six-wheeled, one-armed robotic rover, nicknamed Curiosity. An unmanned rocket blasted off with the spacecraft from Cape Canaveral.

The journey to Mars will take 8 1/2 months and cover 354 million miles.

Curiosity weighs a ton and is the size of a car. It's a mobile, nuclear-powered laboratory holding 10 science instruments that will sample Martian soil and rocks, and analyze them right on the spot. There's a drill as well as a stone-zapping laser machine.

Curiosity will spend two years looking for evidence that Mars may once have been -- or still is -- suitable for microbial life.

The mission costs $2.5 billion.

Thousands of NASA guests converged on Kennedy Space Center for the launch.

Source: http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/news/science/~3/1LNWux75lFw/la-sciw-nasa-mars-launch-20111127,0,3191748.story

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Asus Zenbook UX31-RSL8

When we first saw the Asus Zenbook UX31-RSL8 ($1,049 list at Best Buy), we knew it would take a top spot in the new laptop ultrabook category, thanks to its well-crafted all-metal construction, superb Bang & Olufsen audio, and a keyboard that rivals the trend-setting Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (Thunderbolt) ($1,299.99 direct, 4 stars) for comfort. And testing in our Labs showed that it provides more than six hours of battery life, as well as more features and better all-around performance than any other slim-bodied laptop we've reviewed. It's our Editors' Choice for ultrabooks, but it should be noted that later versions of this SKU at Best Buy will have the lower-clocked 1.6GHz Intel Core i5-2467M processor, rather than its current 1.7GHz Core i5-2557M.

Design
The Zenbook UX31-RSL8 measures 0.66 by 12.79 by 8.78 inches (HWD), and is roughly the same size as the Apple MacBook Air and Acer Aspire S3 ($899.99 direct, 3.5 stars). The UX31-RSL8's chassis has a spun finish, with tight concentric circles radiating out from the logo etched into its aluminum lid. Asus has emulated Apple's "unibody" construction with an all-metal "monoshell" chassis. But in contrast Apple's seamless single-piece construction, Asus has sandwiched together the palm rest and the underside of the chassis and bolted the two together. The palm rest has an attractive vertical brushed pattern. There was no perceptible flexing in the screen or chassis, and holds up to a firm palm press on the lid.

Compared with the plastic construction of the Acer Aspire S3, the Zenbook UX31-RSL8 feels sturdier and much more substantial, even though it tapers down to 0.11 inch thick at its thinnest point and 0.66 inches at its thickest. The UX31-RSL8 weighs 2.86 pounds, lighter than the MacBook Air (2.9 pounds), Acer Aspire S3 (2.94 pounds), and Samsung Series 9 (NP900X3A) ($1,599 street, 4 stars) (2.9 pounds).

The Zenbook UX31-RSL8 has a 13.3-inch widescreen that displays in 1,600-by-900 resolution?higher than the 1,366-by-768 display on the Acer S3 and 1,440-by-900 one on the MacBook Air. At 450 nits, it's brighter than the display on the Samsung Series 9 and matches the bright backlit screen of the Acer Aspire S3. The Zenbook UX31-RSL8 also has wider viewing angles than the Acer S3, making it better suited to sharing the screen with another person. The audio on the UX31-RSL8 is also impressive, powered by Bang & Olufsen's ICEpower. The resulting sound on the Zenbook is crystal clear and consistent at high volumes?and you can get a surprising amount of volume out of this little laptop. While you can fill a room with sound, you won't be rumbling with bass. For movies and music, you'll definitely want to add a subwoofer to the mix.

The Zenbook UX31-RSL8 has a chiclet-style keyboard that shares the square tile layout of the MacBook Air 13-inch, but adds a new luxurious element with metal keys. While the keys have the same low height and shallow keystrokes as the MacBook Air, the backlight is sadly absent. The glass-topped touchpad is smooth and expansive, measuring five inches diagonally. The broad touch surface supports multitouch gestures, and though it has distinct right and left mouse buttons, it also features a clickpad. The bottom right and left corners?which serve as nearly silent mouse buttons?click more easily than the clickpad surface, making the use of the clickpad optional for those who want the more familiar experience of a standard trackpad.

Features
The thin-sliced proportions of an ultrabook are achieved, in part, by jettisoning many of the features you would find in a standard mainstream laptop, like the optical drive. Despite the limited space available, Asus has managed to include a few features you won't find on the Acer S3. On the left hand side of the Zenbook UX31-RSL8, you'll find a USB 2.0 port, a combined headphone and microphone jack, and a built-in card reader (SD/MMC). On the right, there's a USB 3.0 port, a mini VGA connection, and a microHDMI port. Neither the MacBook Air or the Acer Aspire S3 offer USB 3.0, and the microHDMI output can be used on a much broader array of monitors and HDTVs than Apple's Thunderbolt port, though it may require an adapter.

In addition to these on-board ports, Asus includes two additional adapters with the Zenbook?a mini VGA-to-VGA adapter (allowing greater use with monitors and projectors), and a USB-to-Ethernet adapter (allowing a wired LAN connection). The Samsung Series 9 also requires (and included) an Ethernet adapter. Integrated 802.11n Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.0 technologies are onboard the UX31-RSL8. Asus bundles a protective laptop sleeve, an attractive fabric and faux-leather envelope with a soft padded lining, and a small matching case for the dongles themselves.

Asus has made a point of keeping your information secure with several Asus branded tools, including Asus Secure Delete and Asus Face Logon, which combines facial recognition and a built-in webcam to make logging onto the Zenbook UX31-RSL8 as easy as looking at the screen. Automatic data backup and recovery kicks in whenever the battery level dips below five percent, ensuring that even when left in standby mode for several weeks, your work won't be lost. A 60-day trail of Trend Micro Titanium Internet Security also provides protection, though only for a limited time.

The UX31-RSL8 is equipped with a 128GB solid-state drive (SSD), and access to Asus's Web Storage which lets you offload storage to the cloud. Asus provides 2GB of free storage space for a year, and unlimited space can be bought for a modest subscription fee?ranging from $8.99 for a three-month subscription to $54.99 for two years. Though the SSD doesn't offer the 320GB offered by the Acer Aspire S3's spinning hard drive?or the lower cost?it does have the benefit of being more durable than traditional spinning drives, and allows practically instant boot-up and resume times. Our own testing confirmed Asus' claims of 15-second cold start and 2-second resume from sleep.

There are a few preinstalled programs. In addition to the aforementioned security software trial for Trend Micro, there's also Microsoft Office Starter 2010, a Bing toolbar, and Nuance PDF reader. There are also several Asus-branded utilities, including Asus Tools, and Asus Vibe 2.0, which includes a multimedia library and games. On the desktop are utilities for toggling Instant-On on and off, and PowerWiz, which gauges your current power usage and provides a running estimate of remaining battery life. Asus covers the Zenbook UX31-RSL8 with a one-year warranty, which includes accident protection, and a second one-year warranty covering the battery.

Best Buy offers an extended warranty program, which gives customers an extra year of protection beyond the one-year warranty of most system manufacturers. There are two plans in this extended warranty program. The standard plan ($119.99) covers the system against normal wear and tear, power surge damage, and includes a "No Lemon" guarantee in which Best Buy will simply replace the computer if it requires more than four repairs during the coverage period. Best Buy's advanced plan ($219.99) offers all this, and also covers the system against accidental damage from drops and spills. Other special offers can be found online or in stores, like discounts on printers, software, and tech support plans which are available with any new PC purchased through Best Buy.

Performance
Perhaps the most gratifying aspect of the Zenbook UX31-RSL8 is its performance. Asus equipped the UX31-RSL8 with a 1.7GHz Intel Core i5-2557M dual-core ultra low voltage processor and 4GB of RAM, the same components found in the MacBook Air 13-inch. It's also a step up from the processor used in the Acer S3 and the upcoming Lenovo IdeaPad U300 ($1,199, stay tuned for our review), which uses the same Core i5-2467M processor found in the smaller Apple MacBook Air 11-inch (Thunderbolt) ($1,199 direct, 3.5 stars). Despite the similar hardware, the UX31-RSL8 outperformed the 13-inch MacBook in PCMark 7 (3,531 points) and Cinebench R11.5 (2.2 points)?the 13-inch MacBook Air scored 3,186 points and 2.17 points, respectively. It also produced the best performance in multimedia tasks, with leading scores in both Handbrake (2:08) and Photoshop CS5 (4:36). This performance pulled ahead the MacBook Air (2:09 in Handbrake; 4:55 in CS5), Acer Aspire (2:36 in Handbrake; 5:37 in CS5), and Samsung Series 9 (4:45 in Handbrake; 5:53 in CS5).

Though it outperformed the MacBook Air in processor performance, the MacBook Air produced better graphics scores using the same integrated Intel graphics chipset. In 3DMark 06 the Zenbook UX31-RSL8 scored 4,619 points at medium detail settings and 1,024-by-768 resolution. With these same settings the MacBook Air scored 4,781 points. The Acer S3 fell behind with 3,530 points. In our Crysis and Lost Planet 2 gaming benchmark tests, the Zenbook UX31-RSL8 (18.4 frames per second in Crysis; 17.1fps in Lost Planet 2) and MacBook Air were close (18.8 fps in Crysis; 21.2 frames per second in Lost planet 2), but the Acer S3 only scored 16.3fps in Crysis and couldn't run Lost Planet 2.

One of the defining characteristics of the ultrabook category is long battery life. Though Asus has claimed the 50Wh battery in the UX31-RSL8 will provide up to eight hours of continuous use, it lasted only 6 hours 9 minutes in MobileMark 2007. However, this test was performed with all battery-extending features turned off, making it possible to eke out more time with power-saving measures in place. So far, the only comparable laptop to break the six-hour mark is the Samsung Series 9 (6:04, capacity not specified) and Toshiba Portege Z835-P330 ($799.99 list, 3.5) (7:35, 47Wh battery), while the Apple MacBook Air lasted 5:46 (with a 50Wh battery) and Acer Aspire S3 lasted 5:20 with a smaller capacity 36Wh battery. Asus also claims that the Zenbook has up to 14 days of standby time, which is considerably shorter than the 30 days claimed by the MacBook Air or 50 days claimed by the Acer Aspire S3. We couldn't test this standby estimate overnight, but you should still feel confident leaving the UX31-RSL8 in standby mode for days at a time.

The Asus Zenbook UX31-RSL8 tops the spiritual progenitors of the ultrabook category, the Apple MacBook Air 13-inch and the Samsung Series 9. While it may not be as affordable as the Acer Aspire S3 or the Prot?g? Z835-P330, it more than makes up for it in superior construction, a fuller feature set, and stronger performance. With models on the horizon, it may face some stiff competition soon, but for the time being, the Zenbook UX31-RSL8 is our Editors' Choice and the ultrabook to beat.

BENCHMARK TEST RESULTS:

COMPARISON TABLE
Compare the Asus Zenbook UX31-RSL8 with several other laptops side by side.

More laptop reviews:
??? Asus Zenbook UX31-RSL8
??? HP ProBook 4430s
??? HP Pavilion dv7-6b55dx
??? Sony VAIO VPC-F237FX/B
??? Samsung Series 9 (NP900X3A-B01UB)
?? more

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Report: Millions of birds killed by power lines

Tens of millions of flamingos, storks, pelicans and other migratory birds are being killed across the world when they fly into power lines, according to a new study.

The AFP news agency reported that wildfires had been caused in dry areas of the United States and Eastern Europe by birds hitting power lines, then falling to the ground in flames.

The study was published at Convention on Migratory Species in Bergen, Norway, according the news agency.

Tens of millions of birds are killed in collisions and hundreds of thousands are electrocuted in Africa and Eurasia, the study said.

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Dutch ornithologist Hein Prinsen, who took part in the study, told AFP that "collision and electrocution are among the most important human-related causes for bird mortality," along with hunting.

Solution needed
There are about 43 million miles of power lines in the world, the news agency reported.

"Today, Eastern Europe is a hot spot for problems, for great bustards and birds of prey for example," John O'Sullivan, an ex-member of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, told AFP.

"But the worst situation may well be soon to be found in India and Africa where vast amounts of power lines are being built and where there are very large populations of birds," he added.

O'Sullivan said it "completely makes sense" to try to solve the problem because power outages resulting from collisions had a "high costs for society."

AFP said that 12 percent of blue cranes died annually after flying into power lines in South Africa. The blue crane is that country's national bird.

? 2011 msnbc.com Reprints

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45443549/ns/world_news-world_environment/

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PFT: Vikings won't have Peterson for Falcons

AP

There wasn?t a lot of mystery to Adrian Peterson?s status this week despite Peterson telling Sid Hartman of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune during the week that he would play.

The Vikings made it official on Saturday, downgrading Peterson?to out when he didn?t make the team flight to Atlanta.?Peterson suffered a high ankle sprain with some ligament damage against the Raiders last week.

Toby Gerhart will start at running back for the Vikings. ?Lorenzo Booker and Percy Harvin figure to pick up snaps in the Vikings backfield.

There were durability concerns about Peterson coming out of college, but this will only be the fourth missed game of his five-year career.

Source: http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=169272

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