Author Archives: marcia

September 25-October 1

Posted on by

 

Overall Color for the Week:    Fire Engine Red

What’s the hurry?  What’s the emergency?  The energies of the week will make you feel as though everything is so important, however before you accept the overall importance of this or that, it is really, really important that you first know what it is that you are wanting for yourself.  Take some time this week to look around you are recognize the stuff that really does not mean much to you, the people who are there out of habit, the situations that constantly repeat.  There is much to be learned by a critical and impersonal analysis of these things.

Sunday, September 25:    Light Lavender

The morning is not going to be at all what you expected, so be ready for anything.  There is a message coming your way that has something importnat for you.  Do not discredit synchronicites or serendipity in this regard. Perhaps all you need is just to know that things are okay.  There is a lot of movement right now in your life, and sometimes you can feel like you are walking on a conveyor belt through a swamp, not having the time to focus or complete anything that you want to do.  This is a good time to look at priorities.  Pick out one, make that your folcus for the day, and get it done.  Get some kind of feeling of resolution about it.  Then you can put that aside and move on.  Tonight is a good time and a good energy for relaxing and just feeling what it is that you enjoy doing.  Make a little celebration of things.  Look out on the natural world around you and feel yoru connectedness.  This is a great exercise for calming the heart.

Crystal energy:    Albite—-The energies of this stone assist within flow, particularly in terms of cellular hydration.  Resonates with all chakras.

Monday, September 26:    Slate Grey

You will be finding that things are kind of oozing up from your memories and your past today.  The energy is such that there can be emotion around a lot of these.  Do not fight it, rather let the feelings come, take a look at them, honor them, and let them move on.  This is not a time to become stuck in things that are not helping you to move forward in what it is that you are truly wanting to do and be at this time.  We all have a past, and we can recognize that, but it is important tot to get stuck in it.  The new challenges and opportunities that are here in front of you today need your complete and conscious focus and attention.  Take time to center within your heart and know what it is that will be best for you at this time.  Stay focused on the essential WHO of you, and things will begin to flow more easily.  Moreover, you will start to see things and people for what they are.  This can cause a bit of upheaval, but sometimes upheaval is good..

Tuesday, September 27:    Cloudy White

This is a good day for taking care of yourself, honoring how you feel, doing what you want, and not worrying about all the other stuff.  Sometimes the other stuff has to take care of itself, and today you need to take care of you.  Take some time out to center.  Then treat yourself to something you love, a small (or large) indulgence, but it must come from your heart.  You know that if the indulgence is out of proportion with the other stuff going on in your life, you will regret it.  You are NOT to regret this indulgence.  It is something that will get you through some of the crazy times that are on the horizon.  This is also a good day for making a call that you have been putting off.  You can be very surprised at how they had looked forward to hearing from you.  There is not a lot of clarity in the air, but remember that miracles can come out of the clouds.

Crystal Energy:    Lavender Aventurine—-The energy of this stone assists those who are struggling with depression to let go of worries and achieve some calm.  It also is good for people who work with those in need, particularly counselors.  Resonates with the Third Eye and Crown Chakras.

Wednesday, September 28:     Grainy White

This is a day for remembering all the good things, and that is because there is a lot of turmoil, anger, and uncertainty in the air.  While it may not be coming from you, it is so much in the atmosphere that you will be noticing it.  This is a good time to step back (way back, today) and take a look at what is going on around you,.  You can find that there are those who will be revealing their true personalities and opinions.  Some of that might just surprised you. Do not plan to start or finish anything today because it all is going to take a lot more effort than it should.  This can leave you feeling frustrated and testy.  In this kind of energy also, it is good to take care in traffic and let that other guy go.  Sometimes the ride there is more rewarding and enlightening than the actual destination.  Tonight, take time to relax, do a little journaling or creative work, something that will allow you to come to grips with how you are feeling at this time.  And then, a good dinner, a glass of wine, a great conversation or a comfort movie.

Crystal Energy:    Massive Cuprite—-The energies of this mineral assist in bringing relaxation to one, particularly in terms of digestive related issues.  It allows for release of certain toxins in these areas.  Resonates with the Root, Navel, and Solar Plexus chakras.

Thursday, September 29:    Red Flame

Getting rid of the old, bringing in the new, and acknowledging all that you have done are all part of the atmosphere today.  If things are upsetting you, it is time to let people know about it.  Even more so, it is time to accept for yourself that you have limits in terms of what you will allow from others, and to define clearly those limits.  This is a huge step in reclaiming your power and putting forth your declaration of self worthiness, honor, and ability.  You have worked for a long time to make things accommodate the truths that you feel within your heart.  The energies of the day allow you to become your own champion and stand up for what it is that is truly you.

Crystal Energy:    Peach Moonstone—-This stone vibrates to the true knowing of the heart, bringing a sense of peace, understanding, and compassion.  It resonates with the Heart Chakra.

Friday, September 30:    Lime Green

Things will be appearing out of the mists today, but be aware that other things can just as easily be lost in them.  This is true on all levels – physical, emotional, spiritual, and mental.  There may be some strongly held ideas that are being shaken up as evidence comes forth to make you question their validity.  In dealings with people, be certain inside yourself of their sincerity and of the importance of the things they are presenting to you. The Trickster loves these foggy days, and he can hide himself in many, many different ways.  Look around you and be certain of the paths you take, the decisions you make, and the situations you encounter.  Past stuff can confuse when dealing with present focus and desire.

Crystal Energy:    Astrophyllite—-The energy of this mineral assists one in bringing together many strands of mysteries, emotions, relationships, and making sense of the whole, but not without dedication and effort on one’s own part.  Resonates with the Root and Crown Chakras.

Saturday, October 1:    Orange Yellow

There is movement going on today, and even if your were planning a quiet time, you cannot help but feel; it.  Along with that can come a sense of restlessness and the feeling that things are not going the way you want them to.  When you feel this way, step back and think about how it is that you are wishing things to fall into place in your life.  These kinds of feelings are hints of the greater picture that you need to be aware of.  Everything is falling into new patterns, ideas, and ways right now.  Not much is for certain.  That is why it is so important to center, to ground, and always to be aware of WHO you are.  Today affords you an experience of being you in the midst of all that is shifting and changing outside of you.  There can be some laughter as the day closes.

Crystal Energy:    Zincite—-This mineral is a great stimulant.  It works with the positive energies of the body to remove what is no longer desired.  It asks for your communication and agreement, and with those can bring about amazing results.  Resonates with the Navel and Solar Plexus Chakras.

El Hierro Volcanic Risk

Posted on by

El Hierro (Canary Islands, Spain) : volcanic risk alert increased to “yellow”

Last update: September 25, 2011 at 12:59 am by By 

The Canary Islands government has set the ‘yellow alert’ for the population of El Hierro as a lot of volcanic tremors are continuing to occur below the island since last July.
The ‘yellow alert’ decision bas been after consulting the PEVOLCA, and is based on the conclusions of the meeting of the Scientific Committee. The committee met on Saturday morning in El Hierro. Main reason for the alert increase where the increasing number of volcanic earthquakes as well as deformations (up to 30 mm change from the beginning).
The current ‘yellow alert’  phase does not mean that an eruption is eminent, but that the population will be informed on the risks and will be informed how to take certain protective action.
At this stage the ‘Cabildo de El Hierro’ will be responsible for informing the public of the practical aspects of the action plan including meeting points, shelters and evacuation plans.
The website is www.emergenciaselhierro.org.
The Canary Islands government will report weekly on the evolution.

 

Image courtesy ign.es

 

Interesting links
Map of El Hierro with the seismic activity projected on it
Graphic of the number of earthquakes and their depth since July 18
Deformation graphics (look at the stations HI01 to HI04)

 

X-Flare Incoming

Posted on by

SATURDAY X-FLARE: Behemoth sunspot 1302 unleashed another strong flare on Saturday morning–an X1.9-category blast at 0940 UT. NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory recorded the extreme ultraviolet flash:

The movie also shows a shadowy shock wave racing away from the blast site. This is a sign that the blast produced a coronal mass ejection (CME). Analysts at the Goddard Space Weather Lab say the CME could deliver a glancing blow to Earth’s magnetic field on Sept. 26 at 14:10 UT (+/- 7 hours);

fr.spaceweather.com

Challenges of Gluten Free Living

Posted on by

 

Ron Mattocks

Adventures In Going Gluten-Free

Posted: 9/23/11 08:26 AM ET

I never suspected that 39 would be the age when I had to consider that I may actually be mortal.

Not that I’m a Greek god, but at six-foot one, 190 pounds (give or take), my body’s always been naturally fit — until recently anyway. Over the course of the past 10 months, I’ve experienced recurring back problems, suffered from chronic fatigue and been diagnosed with astigmatism. I feel this is fundamentally unfair, especially considering that at 39, Brad Pitt hadn’t even married Jennifer Aniston, let alone thought about playing daddy to six children with Angelina Jolie. And yet, here he is nearly a decade — a decade — older than I am and still flaunting sit-up-free abs that could be mistaken for rumble strips, while mine are starting to resemble something closer to a single, large speed bump!

My most recent ailment has been the addition of an intolerance to gluten. This should’ve come as no surprise given that the hereditary nature of this autoimmune disease means a sizable portion of my mother’s side of the family already deals with this minor inconvenience. Aunts, uncles, cousins, siblings, young and old, are affected by the gluten gene or some form of it. And even though it’s shown up at varied stages of our lives, like a coven of vampires who can trace their origins back to a single point of origin, we all agree that our vampire creator is Grandma. Of course, no one blames her — these things can’t be controlled — and furthermore, after two colonoscopies, I can attest to the fact that Grandma feels sorry about the whole thing.

Let me back up here for a moment. Yes, you read that correctly. I’ve already been subjected to a pair of colonoscopies before having reached the required age for AARP membership (even though my wife believes I should be admitted on a honorary basis considering how often I yell at the television). In both cases, however — and I’m not kidding — the clinic staff claimed that while waking from the anesthesia, I called out my grandmother’s name. Coincidence? Maybe. What I believe, though, is that in my unconscious state, Grandma appeared in my dreams to apologize for the reason behind why a camera was presently snaking its way up toward my intestines. In turn, I tell her there’s no need to apologize for something that’s not her fault. Then I ask why, on top of the whole gluten thing, she had to pass along the virus that caused her lips to break out with cold sores. It really made for some awkward dating situations in high school.

I’ve been gluten free now for several months, which comes off sounding as if I’m some sort of addict celebrating his most recent stint of sobriety. To some extent there are temptations to fall off the wagon — for me it’s pie — yet by recalling the consequences, I can maintain my resolve. What’s irritating to me, however, is expending all the energy in staying disciplined only to be “glutened” (that’s what they call it) from eating something you never would’ve suspected contained gluten. Twizzlers for example, and Play Doh for Pete sakes! I love Twizzlers. I used to eat whole bags at one shot, which of course, explains a lot about the next day’s events — not anymore. Play Doh, on the other hand, although surprising, doesn’t bother me as much. It’s a bit bland to me, and to be honest, I’ve never really been much of an arts-and-crafts kind of guy.

The grocery store is another matter. I’ll give them credit for expanding their gluten-free offerings, but why these items are placed in the same aisle as 85 percent of the manufactured baked goods produced by Pepperidge Farms, Mrs. Bairds and Sara Lee seems counterproductive in my opinion. It’s almost as if someone’s trying to play a game of “Stump the Chump” at the expense of my defect digestive tract.

For their part, the companies dedicated to making gluten-free products are doing a good job from what I can tell, although, I would like to pick the brains of those responsible for naming these items. My question to them would be why do they think forcing the word gluten into the product’s nomenclature is a solid marketing strategy? Glutino, Glutimins, Glutes — all brand names whose sole function is reminding me of what I am to avoid eating while simultaneously revealing to the cashier my embarrassing secret in same way it would if I were to hand her a tube of Vagisil.

In light of all the above, I then find it both annoying and amusing that anyone would choose a gluten-free diet as a means of being trendy. Such was the case a few weeks ago during a friend’s birthday dinner where a hip, single lawyer in her late twenties went on and on to my wife about how healthy it was to be gluten-free even if you don’t need to be.

“The other day, I had this thing with tomatoes, and onions and chicken wrapped in a flour tortilla. Sooo good.”

“Flour tortillas have gluten in them,” my wife said.

“Gluten’s in flour?” The lawyer sounded genuinely surprised by this Gluten-101 factoid. “Well then I must be gluten intolerant because I was pooping all night after that.”

Pooping. Classy — and from a lady who just explained why she prefers shopping at Neiman Marcus over Saks

to read more, go to:    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ron-mattocks/going-gluten-free_b_976698.html

Weekend Forecast 9/23-26

Posted on by

from:    -Matt Baranowski
-9/22/11 (Thursday)
-8:00pm CDT

http://centralstorm.wordpress.com/

 

The end of the week is almost here. Time for everyone to kick back and relax. This may be, depending on where you live, the last warm weekend of the year as October is knocking on the doorstep. We have quite a difference in areas of warm temperatures, rainy temperatures, chilly temperatures and normal temperatures all over the Nation. This forecast, which I am going to explain below, will go through Monday Spetember 26, 2011. 

Everyone in the west and in the Rockies region is probably going to jump up and down seeing this graphic. Yet others will want to rip it up in pieces. Here’s the situation:
As you can see by the black/white striped going from South Dakota through Missouri up to Ohio and up in the North East fashion. This is the jet stream forecast for the next few days. Now this will fluxuate back and forth a bit but that would be the ‘centered’ point on where that Jet Stream will lay out. Now with that Jet stream forecast brings Major differences in temperatures . With that stream like that, you have a build or a rise in the Stream to the North over Montana and South Dakota. This Jet stream comes from the Pacific Ocean so this would be called the Pacific Jet in MET Terms. Now whats going to occur is that high pressure that is currently their isn’t going to move much. This is going to keep this jet stream at its current place or move slowly throughout days. With that also we have the High Pressure that is forecast to build into the Midwest locations by Friday. With that will bring Cool Air from Canada southward. That means some locations won’t get out of the 50′s in the Northern Great Lakes. Now remember that Low Pressure that I forecast to impact the North East by Thursday days ago… Well it had slowed a bit and timing was just a bit off. So it now looks as North Eastern States will see the rainy conditions all the way through Monday and May be won’t stop till Tuesday. Flooding is a potential but widespread 6 inches like a first Isolated event is not a huge bet. Most areas will see 2-4 inches in that green area. As for the south, pop up storms will likely be in company Friday and Saturday and limit to a very Isolated Event come Saturday Night. Normal temperatures in the 80′s are in the forecast. Quick jump back to the Midwest and Great lakes… Not only will you see rainy off and on conditions but it will be chilly too. So please, you can catch a cold from this weather as conditions are expected to go back to the 80′s by Wednesday.

Forecast by Color:
-Orange Area: Warm Temperature. Humid farther south you get but not un controllable humid. Due to the high, Severe weather and rain in general is not likely. Temperatures in the 80′s in the north and middle areas and 90′s are a potential down south.

-Blue: A chilly, overcast and miserable weekend as that low pressure spins and you get the backside shower activity. Won’t be a wash out but it definitively will be cool with temps in the 50′s and 60′s.

-White: Normal Temperatures for this time of year. Not crazily hot with temperatures in the 80′s. Shower or a storm is a potential on Friday and Saturday but could also occur on Monday.

-Green: Like the Great Lakes Region, A miserable weekend. Some rains that fall could “train” and cause flooding so stay tuned and turn around don’t drown. Temperatures also chilly in the mid to upper 60′s. Most areas will see 1-4 inch rains depending on location.

Hope Everyone has a great weekend! Enjoy the warm weather while it lasts! (Excuse my mistake in the word “Overcast” in the graphic. Stay tuned to Storm Central for the latest on Ophelia. We will have the latest breaking news if anything changes.

-Rate by Stars!

Nostradamus & 9/11

Posted on by

Did Nostradamus Really Predict the 9/11 Terrorist Attacks?

Benjamin Radford, Life’s Little Mysteries Contributor
Date: 11 September 2011 Time: 03:47 PM ET
WTC 9/11 Attack
September 11 terrorist attack on the World Trade Centers in New York City.
CREDIT: Public domain image

It’s a story that began nearly a decade ago, circulated widely for months, and is still believed by many around the world: That the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Centers had been foretold by the famous sixteenth-century French writer Nostradamus. He wrote in ambiguous, nearly inscrutable sets of phrases called quatrains that believers claim predicted everything from the American Civil War to Hitler to John F. Kennedy’s assassination.

Those who believe in prophecy sift through reams of Nostradamus’s vague writings trying to breathe new meaning into stale words. Here are a few of the Nostradamus prophecies that seemed to be eerily prophetic:

“Two steel birds will fall from the sky on the Metropolis / The sky will burn at forty-five degrees latitude / Fire approaches the great new city / Immediately a huge, scattered flame leaps up / Within months, rivers will flow with blood / The undead will roam the earth for little time.”

It’s easy to fit these words to the actual events of 9/11, and much was made of the second line, as New York City (the “Metropolis”), lies at about 40 degrees north latitude. To someone reading Nostradamus for the first time, one could be convinced that he might have predicted the tragedy.

If you’re familiar with the writings of Nostradamus, though, this particular prediction does not ring true: This writing is actually a hybrid of real Nostradamus verse and fiction, and whoever rewrote it was spectacularly sloppy. Not only is it not written in quatrain form (Nostradamus’ typical writing style), but the phrase “two steel birds” is a obvious give away, as steel wasn’t invented until 1854, nearly 200 years after Nostradamus died.

Another suspect quatrain that surfaced after 9/11 reads: “In the city of God there will be a great thunder? / Two brothers torn apart by Chaos while the fortress endures? / The great leader will succumb / The third big war will begin when the big city is burning?- Nostradamus 1654.”

Given the fact that Nostradmaus died in 1566, 88 years before the quatrain was supposedly written, it seems a remarkable piece indeed. This was actually published on a Canadian website as part of an essay on how easily an important-sounding prophecy can be created using vague imagery. What began as an essentially skeptical piece explaining how prophecy can fool people eventually circulated as the real thing.

to read more, go to:    http://www.livescience.com/16001-nostradamus-predict-9-11-world-trade-center.html

 

Young Serbian Human Magnets?

Posted on by

Are Serbian Cousins Human Magnets?

Benjamin Radford, Life’s Little Mysteries Contributor
Date: 20 September 2011 Time: 02:43 PM ET
7-year-old Bogdan is apparently magnetic.
7-year-old Bogdan
CREDIT: MSNBC

What’s in the water over in Serbia?

Earlier this year, a 7-year-old Serbian boy named Bogdan made international news with his alleged paranormal ability to make objects stick to his skin. Photos and videos of Bogdan showed various kitchen items (including flatware and plates) “magnetically” sticking to the smiling boy.

Little Bogdan may have competition on the Belgrade sideshow circuit, because it’s happened again. Twice.

Two young Serbian cousins, Luka and David Petrovic, are claimed by family members to attract small objects. Like Bogdan, photos show forks and spoons clinging to 4-year-old David’s chest. Both boys have been examined by doctors who say they are perfectly healthy and seem to suffer no ill effects from their strange ability (or affliction).Various explanations have been put forth for these and other so-called “magnetic people” over the years, including psychic powers and some unknown bodily energy field. One Belgrade radiologist told the Associated Press, “As far as I know, there is no medical or scientific explanation.”

Indeed, a closer examination is in order. We can begin by noting that not all of the objects that stick to these magnetic peoples’ skin are metal (some are glass or porcelain). So we know that whatever is making the object adhere to the skin is not based in magnetism.

Second, these objects only stick to bare skin — not through a shirt, for example. Thus we know that direct contact with skin is necessary for the objects to mysteriously stick. Third, most of the objects are fairly lightweight (such as keys and spoons), and/or have a lot of surface area compared to their weight (such as a shallow metal pan). Fourth, the objects are usually placed on the chest at an angle, so their weight is partly being supported by the chest muscles.

The answer to the mystery is that the objects are held in place by simple skin friction. Bare skin is not only pliable and elastic, but also emits oils which can cause lightweight objects to stick the skin. Most people don’t notice this, of course, because they don’t spend their time putting random household objects on their unwashed bare chests to see what sticks and what doesn’t.

So it is a hoax, or a mistake? My guess is that the Petrovic family really believes that their kids have this strange (and useless) ability. Or perhaps little Bogdan, the other Serbian magnetic kid, lives next door and they just wanted to keep up with the neighbors.

Eye Witness Testimony, Memory, & Emotion

Posted on by

Eyewitness Testimony Can Be Tragically Mistaken

Stephanie Pappas, LiveScience Senior Writer & Jeanna Bryner, LiveScience Managing Editor
Date: 22 September 2011 Time: 06:39 PM ET
Lady Justice holding the scales of justice.
A statue of Lady Justice holding scales.
CREDIT: Rob Wilson, Shutterstock

Last night’s execution of convicted murderer Troy Davis reportedly sent those convinced of Davis’ innocence into hysterics. One of their concerns — that eyewitness testimony in the case had been recanted — also concerns cognitive scientists.

“This is not the first time a person is pretty much convicted based on eyewitness testimony and circumstantial evidence,” said Jason Chan, assistant professor of psychology at Iowa State University, adding that the number of eyewitnesses who later recanted their testimony was “relatively unusual.”

Seven of nine witnesses who implicated Davis in the shooting of a police officer recanted their testimonies. Others reporting the man who originally implicated Davis was actually the killer.

Chan can’t speak to the truth of the case, but he said eyewitness accounts of crimes are like other memories: They’re not reliable.

Part of the problem with eyewitness statements comes from the mismatch between an eyewitness’ sureness in their memories and the true accuracy of those memories, Chan said.

“A lot of times people overestimate their ability to remember things, and this overconfidence can sometimes lead people [like a jury] to believe what they are saying,” Chan told LiveScience. “Guess what, most people’s memories are not all that reliable.”

The failure of memory

Some of this failure of reliability happens at the scene of the crime, said Maria Zaragoza, a psychologist at Kent State University in Ohio. Things happen quickly; the emotional charge of witnessing a crime may keep people from cuing into important details. If there’s a weapon, Zaragoza said, people tend to become hyper-focused on it. They pay more attention to a gun than to the face of the person holding it.

Often, “the information getting into the memory system is very limited,” Zaragoza told LiveScience.

The next source of memory uncertainty happens during the investigation. Suggestive questioning can distort memories, Zaragoza said. Each time you relive the crime, either out loud to an investigator or in your own head, that distorted memory is strengthened.

In one famous case, 22-year-old college student Jennifer Thompson was raped at knifepoint by an intruder in her bedroom. Through her terror, Thompson tried to categorize the details of her assailant’s face. She went to the police and worked with an artist to draw a composite sketch. In photo, in a lineup and in court, she identified her rapist as Ronald Cotton.

“I was completely confident,” Thompson (now Jennifer Thompson-Cannino) wrote in a 2000 editorial in the New York Times. “I was sure.”

But 11 years later, new DNA techniques disproved Cotton’s guilt. He’d spent more than a decade in prison for a crime committed by another man, Bobby Poole.

It’s likely that working on the police sketch altered Thompson’s memory of her rapist’s face, Zaragoza said. Later, when she’d picked him out of a lineup, her confidence only grew. Cotton’s face started haunting her flashbacks. When she met her real rapist in court, she didn’t even recognize him.

What happened to Cotton and Thompson, chronicled in the book “Picking Cotton: Our Memoir of Injustice and Redemption” (St. Martin’s Press, 2009), wasn’t a weakness of Thompson’s, Zaragoza said. Anyone’s memory can become twisted with time.

And often in witnessing traumatic events, such as a murder or even the 9/11 terrorist attacks, we think we remember all of the details vividly. The truth is, we’re often wrong, research has shown. In one 2004 study, researchers were even able to corrupt witnesses’ memories of a terrorist bombing by suggesting to them that they’d seen things — such as an angry animal — that hadn’t actually been in the scene.

Combining memories

to read more, go to:

Earthquake Near Tonga Volcano

Posted on by

Very strong shallow earthquake near Niuafo’ou volcano (Tonga) – NO special volcanic activity reported

Last update: September 23, 2011 at 1:04 am by By 

Article also compiled by Carlos Robles
Earthquake overview :  Very strong earthquake near a rim volcano island in Tonga. As this earthquake is extremely shallow and as the location of the epicenter has a substantial error margin, we feared for volcanic activity.

NOAA tsunami message for the Pacific :
NO DESTRUCTIVE WIDESPREAD TSUNAMI THREAT EXISTS BASED ON HISTORICAL EARTHQUAKE AND TSUNAMI DATA

IMPORTANT UPDATE 00:57 UTC :
Matangi reports : The earthquake was felt by Niuafo’ou residents. Meola Vaka at the Western Union office at ‘Esia said she felt an earthquake this morning that lasted for less than a minute. She said there was no unusual volcanic activity evident on the island.

Update 23/09 – 00:11 UTC : Both EMSC and USGS have epicenters approx. 30 to 40 km from the volcanic island.  If the epicenter locations are accurate which we do not know at the moment, it may be well a normal earthquake close to a volcano.

Update 23/09 – 00:11 UTC : The latest known eruption from the volcano was in 1985.

Update 23/09 – 00:04 UTC : Between 1946 and 1947, the island was completely evacuated by the Tongan government following a volcanic eruption. In 1957 about half of the population returned to Niuafo’ou, and the rest remained in ‘Eua (source Wikipedia)

Update 23:59 UTC : As this earthquake is extremely shallow and as the location of the epicenter has a substantial error margin, we do not exclude volcanic activity.

for more and to get updates, go to:    http://earthquake-report.com/2011/09/23/very-strong-shallow-earthquake-near-niuafoou-tonga-volcanic-origin/

Equinox Sunrise

Posted on by

QUINOX SUNRISE: The seasons changed this morning at 5:05 a.m. EDT when the Sun crossed the celestial equator heading south. Fall began in the Northern Hemisphere, spring in the Southern Hemisphere. Geoffrey Wyatt of Sydney, Australia, woke up early to watch the equinox sun rise over Watson’s Bay:

“This is how the first day of spring began in Australia,” says Wyatt. “Recent fires in the Sydney area have contributed to redder than usual sunrises and sunsets.Temperature gradiants over the water produced the added bonus of a miraged sun.”

Happy Equinox!