Iceland to send Volcano to the Oscars

I share this only because it's so annoying. Why call a film Volcano when it's got nothing to do with volcanos????????????

From IceNews: Iceland to send Volcano to the Oscars
Iceland has already decided which film it is going to put forward as its offering for the Best Foreign Film category at next year’s Oscars: Eldfjall (Volcano).

Members of the Icelandic Film & Television Academy have voted for the Runar Runarsson film, Eldfjall to be the Icelandic entry for the Oscars 2012 in the Best Foreign Film category.

Eldfjall is the story of Hannes, a 67 year-old man who is entering retirement. He is an old-school kind of man; isolated from his family and home and needing to get to grips with his new role in life. Eldfjall is a story of human development about a man who needs to come to peace with the decisions of the past and the difficulties of the present in order to have a shot at happiness in the future.

Eldfjall had its premiere at the Cannes Film Festival, where it competed in two categories: the Director’s Fortnight and the Camera D’Or. Visir.is reports that the film has also been screened at other international film festivals, including at Karlovy Vary and, more recently, at Toronto. Eldfjall will go on general release in Icelandic cinemas on 30th September.

Runar Runarsson directed and wrote Eldfjall and the producers are Skuli Malmquist and Thor Snaer Sigurjonsson from Zik-Zak Filmworks.

Indonesian govt to pay $2b compensation for mud volcano victims

From ABC Radio Australia: Indonesian govt to pay $2b compensation for mud volcano victims

The Indonesian government has announced it will use state funding to pay compensation for victims of the country's worst mud flow disaster in East Java.

Since the volcano erupted in May 2006, the mud flow has covered a dozen villages in the Porong district of Sidoarjo, displacing more than 15,000 people and affecting 45,000 households.

Experts predict volcano Lusi will continue to pour out mud for at least 30 years.

Mining company Lapindo has always said an earthquake two days before was to blame for triggering the volcano, but many scientists dispute this claim.

Now, the Indonesian government says it will allocate more than two billion dollars from the state budget for the victims.

Washington: Rainforests & Volcanoes

A webzine from India with tourism info on the US:

From Moneylife: Washington: Rainforests & Volcanoes

Jaideep Mukerji visits an iconic state in the US which offers grand landscapes and endless opportunities to visit historic, cultural and scenic locations

In the far northwest of the continental United States is located the state of Washington. Not to be confused with the American capital, the city of Washington, DC, the state of Washington was carved out of land which had been surrendered by Britain in 1846. The state is named after George Washington, the first president of the US and is the only American state named after a president.

Approximately 60% of Washington’s residents live in the Seattle metropolitan area, the centre of transportation, business and industry along the Puget Sound region, an inlet of the Pacific Ocean consisting of innumerable islands, deep fjords and bays carved out by glaciers during the last Ice Age. The rest of the state comprises dense rainforests in the west, mountain ranges and a semi-arid (almost desert like-centre), given over to agriculture.



The Cascade Range, which dominates Washington state, contains five volcanoes that tower over the other mountains. From the north to the south, these volcanoes are: Mt Baker, Mt Rainier, Glacier Peak, Mt St Helens and Mt Adams. Mt St Helens is currently the only actively erupting volcano in the US, though all of these are considered active volcanoes. The 14,411-ft high Mt Rainier, the prominent snow-covered volcanic cone 80km south of the city of Seattle, is considered the most dangerous volcano in the US due to its nearness to the Seattle metropolitan area. On clear days, it dominates the south-eastern horizon in most of the Seattle metropolitan area to such an extent that locals sometimes refer to it simply as ‘the Mountain’. With 26 major glaciers and 93sq km of permanent snowfields and glaciers, Mt Rainier is the most heavily glaciated peak in the US with its summit topped by two large volcanic craters. After Mt Rainier, Mt Baker is the most heavily glaciated of the Cascade Range of volcanoes with its volume of snow and ice more than that of all the other Cascade volcanoes (except Mt Rainier) combined. It is also one of the snowiest places in the world; in 1999, the Mt Baker Ski Area, located 14km from the mountain itself, set a world record for highest snowfall in a single winter season—1,140 inches or about 95ft of snow fell that year!

At the extreme northwest corner of Washington is the unique Olympic National Park. A must-see for any visitor to the state, the Park became an International Biosphere Reserve in 1976 and was designated a World Heritage Site by the United Nations in 1981. With no obstruction for thousands of kilometres to the west in the vast Pacific Ocean, impressive waves that form come crashing ashore along the rugged coastline of the Olympic Peninsula in showers of spray and foam.

To the east, are ancient temperate rainforests, including the Hoh Rainforest which receives annual rainfall of about 150 inches (380cm) making this perhaps the wettest area in the US. Because this is a temperate rainforest, unlike a tropical one (like the Amazon Rainforest in South America), it is dominated by dense coniferous trees and mosses that coat the bark of the trees and drip down from their branches in green, moist tendrils.

Prior to the arrival of European settlers, the area’s human population consisted of Native Americans, indigenous people who used the peninsula mainly for fishing and hunting. Most, if not all Pacific Northwest indigenous people, were severely affected by European diseases and their numbers were greatly reduced. A number of indigenous cultural sites have been identified in the Olympic peninsula; important sites and artefacts are now protected and are worth a visit to appreciate the region’s native history.

Located only an hour’s drive north of Seattle, and just south of the Canadian border, is Washington state’s scenic Skagit Valley which comes alive with brilliant colours each spring. Acres and acres of daffodils, tulips, irises and lilies bring visitors to the towns of La Conner and Mount Vernon. The flower-viewing season begins with dainty yellow daffodils in mid- to late-March; a rainbow of tulips takes the stage in April. Irises and lilies follow, providing colour well into the month of May. The fields are also cultivated to produce bulbs of flowers, a major industry in the Skagit Valley. In addition to viewing and photographing the fields of colour, visitors to the Skagit Valley tulip festival (held every April) can explore the different display gardens and garden centres to learn about bulb-gardening.



While driving to the Skagit Valley, do not miss The Future of Flight Aviation Center & Boeing Tour located in Mukilteo, 40km north of Seattle. The 90-minute public tour of Boeing’s Everett aircraft factory is available seven days a week and you can see the Boeing 747, 767, 777 and 787 Dreamliner airplanes being built for Boeing’s worldwide customers. During the tour, you will also see the world’s largest building by volume (472 million cubic feet) where some of the aircraft are assembled.

Finally, end the tour with a visit to Seattle’s Space Needle and the waterfront Pike Place Market. The Space Needle Tower is a major landmark of the entire region of the US and a symbol of Seattle. Located at the Seattle Center, it was built for the 1962 World’s Fair and is 605ft (184m) high. The Space Needle features an observation deck, a gift shop and the rotating SkyCity restaurant that rotates 360 degrees in exactly 47 minutes, all at a height of 500ft. From the top of Space Needle, one can see not only the Seattle city skyline, but also the Olympic and Cascade Mountains, Mt Rainier, Mt Baker, Elliott Bay and the surrounding islands.

Seattle’s Pike Place Market is a public market built on the edge of a steep hill on the waterfront of Elliott Bay. Pike Place opened in 1907 and is one of the oldest continually-operated public farmers’ markets in the US. It is a place of business for many small farmers, craftspeople and merchants and remains one of Seattle’s most popular tourist destinations. Local farmers and craftspeople sell year-round in the arcades in accordance with the Market’s mission and founding goal: allowing consumers to ‘Meet the Producer’.

Though often overlooked, this corner of the US offers grand landscapes and endless opportunities for visiting historic, cultural and scenic locations.



Why Go There: Washington and the Pacific northwest of the US is an area bordering the Pacific Ocean consisting of innumerable islands, deep fjords and bays carved out by glaciers. The rest of the state consists of dense rainforests, mountain ranges and an almost desert-like centre, apart from bustling Seattle and its many attractions.

Getting There: There are direct flights to Seattle from several European cities with convenient connections from most of the major metros in India as well as from all major American cities.

Visas: Indian nationals require a US visa.

Where To Stay: It is easy to book Washington state hotels online on any of the popular hotel sites like Expedia, Travelocity or Hotels.com. The official tourism website of the state—www.washingtonbeautiful.com—has a wealth of information on the dozens of attractions.

Pershore podiatrist climbs volcano for charity

Evesham Journal: Pershore podiatrist climbs volcano for charity
A PODIATRIST who lives near Pershore is putting his best foot forward to raise funds for charity.

Jonathan Small sets off today on an ice-climbing trek across one of the highest active volcanos in the world. He’s climbing Cotopaxi in Ecuador to raise money for the Raynaud’s and Scleroderma Association in memory of his mother Pat Small, from Walsall, who died from the disease 16 years ago.

Jonathan was all set for a similar challenge last year but it was beset with problems.

The 45-year-old said: “I volunteered to do a charity trek with a team of husky dogs across Lapland. However, two weeks before the trek, an infected abscess which needed surgery prevented me from going, then the whole trip was cancelled because of the volcanic ash cloud.”

This year an old injury threatened to scupper his plans, but after knee surgery in March, and lots of exercise ever since, Jonathan declared himself fit and well.

The father of one has already raised nearly £4,000 and is keen to increase that total.

To sponsor Jonathan, visit justgiving.com/Footman. [This article is from Sept 15, 2011).

World sites from Ireland to Brazil aim to get on UN Geoparks list

From the Silicon Republic: World sites from Ireland to Brazil aim to get on UN Geoparks list
From the breathtaking Cliffs of Moher in Ireland to Tuscany's Alpi Apuane mountain range, a glacier-covered volcano in Iceland and a mineral-rich outcrop in Brazil and the Aras in Iran, 16 new world sites are vying to glean a place on the UN-backed Geoparks List.

The 16 sites will be examined today in Norway during the Bureau of the Global Geopark Network three-day event in the Gea Norwegica Geopark.

The Geoparks network, first devised by UNESCO in 2004, has 78 site members from 26 countries.

The 16 candidates for 2011 are:

Carnic Alps (Austria),
Bodoquena-Pantanal (Brazil)
Quadrilatero Ferrifero (Brazil)
Hong Kong park (China)
Tianzhushan (China)
The parks of Bauges (France)
Chablais park (France)
Katla (Iceland)
Batur (Indonesia)
Pacitan (Indonesia)
Aras (Iran)
The Burren and Cliffs of Moher (Ireland)
Alpi Apuane (Italy)
Muroto (Japan)
Sierra Norte di Sevilla Geopark (Spain)
Villuercas Ibores Jara (Spain)

To qualify for the Geopark label, sites must present important geological heritage, and benefit from a sound management structure and economic development strategy with particular emphasis on sustainable tourism, according to the UN.

Last year, the Bureau added 11 new sites, ranging from subterranean rivers in China and Ice Age-shaped landscapes in Finland to volcanic Jeju island in the Republic of Korea and mountainous landscapes, cave formations and coastal features in Italy's Apennine Mountains.

'Artificial volcano' to cool down the Earth

From TodayOnline.com: 'Artificial volcano' to cool down the Earth
NORFOLK (England) - A bizarre "artificial volcano" experiment taking place at a disused Norfolk airfield next month could help save the planet from global warming.

Light-scattering particles would be pumped high into the atmosphere to reflect the sun's rays and cool the Earth. The effect would be similar to that of a volcanic eruption spewing out clouds of sulphate droplets which can have an impact on the climate.

Sulphate emissions from the Mount Pinatubo eruption in the Philippines in June 1991 reduced world temperature by 0.5°C for two years.

Dr Matt Watson, from the University of Bristol, who is leading the Spice (Stratospheric Particle Injection for Climate Engineering) project, said: "We're going to try to pump tap water to a height of one kilometre through a pipe as a test of the technology."

The test will take place on a disused airfield at Sculthorpe, north Norfolk, using a dirigible "blimp" balloon of the type commonly used to carry adverts or take photos.

Water will be forced up the pipe using an ordinary pressure pump available from hardware stores. After spouting from the top the water will evaporate or fall to the ground as light "rain".

Measurements and recordings made by the scientists will help shape the next stages of the research.

Constructing artificial volcanoes to alter climate is seen as a "last resort" if it proves impossible to bring carbon emissions under control.

Pouring 10 million tonnes of material into the stratosphere each using 10 to 20 giant balloons could achieve a 2°C global drop in temperature, the scientists believe.

Details of the three-year, £1.6-million (S$3.1-million) Spice project were presented on Thursday at the British Science Festival at the University of Bradford.

Skidaway Institute scientist studies hydrothermal vents, undersea volcano

From Savannah Now: Skidaway Institute scientist studies hydrothermal vents, undersea volcano

Skidaway Institute of Oceanography scientist Aron Stubbins joined a research cruise this summer to study hydrothermal vents, but what his fellow scientists found was a recently erupted undersea volcano.

The discovery of the new eruption came on July 28, when Chadwick, Nooner and their colleagues led an expedition aboard the R/V Atlantis, operated by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. Using “Jason,” a remotely operated robotic vehicle (ROV), they discovered a new lava flow on the seafloor that was not present a year ago. The expedition was funded by the National Science Foundation and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

Stubbins was on the cruise to study the dissolved organic matter being released from the hydrothermal vents in the ocean floor with Pamela Rossel from the Max Planck Institute Marine Geochemistry group in Oldenburg, Germany, and David Butterfield from the NOAA Vents program.

For Stubbins and Rossel, the journey of discovery is just beginning. “Nobody knows how much carbon is pumped into the ocean by these snow blowers or the other vents associated with the eruption,” Stubbins said. The good fortune of sampling right after a major eruption has provided a unique opportunity to find out.