text:
Based on information from Tonga Meteorological Services and pilot observations, the Wellington VAAC reported that a cloud from Tofua rose to an altitude of 1.2 km (4,000 ft) a.s.l.
Source: Wellington Volcanic Ash Advisory Center (VAAC)
Five thermal alerts detected, 28 September-30 June 2015
Tofua is a remote volcano in Tonga that is not monitored. The primary sources of information about the volcano's activity are from infrequent field visits, ash advisories from the Wellington Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre, and MODIS thermal sensors aboard the Aqua and Terra satellites.
No ash advisories from the Wellington Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre were issued during the reporting period, 28 September 2013-30 June 2015. Since the last report through 27 September 2013 (BGVN 38:07), five thermal alerts were recorded through 30 June 2015 (table 3). Two of those alerts, on 14 and 23 September 2014, were located outside and NW of the caldera rim and therefore were probably not associated with volcanic activity. No thermal alerts were issued between 18 October 2014 and 30 June 2015.
|No. Pixels
|10 Oct 2013
|27 Jul 2014
|14 Sep 2014
|23 Sep 2014
|18 Oct 2014
Several articles on Tofua's volcanic geology and geochemistry published in the past few years have come to our attention (Caulfield, 2011, 2012, 2015). Caulfield and others (2011, 2012) include helpful aerial and cross-section sketches of the volcano's various geologic features.
References: Caulfield, J. T., Cronin, S.J., Turner, S.P., & Cooper, L.B., 2011, Mafic Plinian volcanism and ignimbrite emplacement at Tofua volcano, Tonga, Bull. Volcanology, v. 73, pp.1259–1277.
Caulfield, J. T., Turner, S. P., Smith, I. E. M., Cooper, L. B., & Jenner, G. A., 2012, Magma evolution in the primitive, intra-oceanic Tonga arc: petrogenesis of basaltic andesites at Tofua volcano. Journal of Petrology, v. 53(6), pp. 1197-1230.
Caulfield, J. T., Blichert-Toft, J., Albarède, F., & Turner, S. P., 2015, Corrigendum to 'Magma Evolution in the Primitive, Intra-oceanic Tonga Arc: Petrogenesis of Basaltic Andesites at Tofua Volcano'and 'Magma Evolution in the Primitive, Intra-oceanic Tonga Arc: Rapid Petrogenesis of Dacites at Fonualei Volcano, Journal of Petrology, v. 56(3), pp. 641-644.
Information Contacts: Hawai'i Institute of Geophysics and Planetology (HIGP), MODVOLC Thermal Alerts System, School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology (SOEST), Univ. of Hawai'i, 2525 Correa Road, Honolulu, HI 96822, USA (URL: http://modis.higp.hawaii.edu/).
2011: July
Based on information from Tonga Meteorological Services and pilot observations, the Wellington VAAC reported that a cloud from Tofua rose to an altitude of 1.2 km (4,000 ft) a.s.l.
Source: Wellington Volcanic Ash Advisory Center (VAAC)
Reports are organized chronologically and indexed below by Month/Year (Publication Volume:Number), and include a one-line summary. Click on the index link or scroll down to read the reports.
Emission of "smoke" reported
A message received from the ship MV Marama at 1445 on 31 May stated that the W side of frequently active Tofua . . . was emitting smoke, but that no activity was visible on Late.
Information Contacts: R. Richmond, Mineral Resources Dept., Fiji; J. Latter, DSIR, Wellington; S. Tongilava, Lands Survey and Natural Resources, Tonga; R. Jones, Air Tonga.
Fumarolic activity noted during July
Most of the reported eruption sites were investigated during the 11-18 July cruise of the Fijian research vessel RV Bulikula.... Large fluctuations in the intensity of fumarolic activity were observed at both Fonualei and Tofua.
Information Contacts: D. Woodhall and R. Richmond, Mineral Resources Dept., Fiji; D. Tuni, Ministry of Natural Resources, Solomon Islands.
Typical fumarolic emissions continue; geologic mapping of cinder-cone complexes
On 1 August 2000, Jeff and Raine Williams, aboard the sailing yacht Gryphon, reported that they spent a couple nights at Uanukuhahaki island, approximately 48 km E of the volcanic islands of Kao and Tofua. They noted that "steam can be seen rising from Tofua almost continuously." They also observed that pumice stones were scattered all along the beach at Uanukuhahaki.
Tim Worthington (Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel) notes that the activity seen on 1 August 2000 is the normal state of Tofua. In September 1999, Worthington mapped a thick compound ash layer (with three distinct units) containing abundant pumice clasts that is widespread on Kotu, Ha'afeva, Matuku, and other islands in the group 30-50 km E of Tofua and Kao. The ash represents the distal part of the pyroclastic flow sequence associated with a pre-historic caldera-forming eruption on Tofua. Other workers, including Shane Cronin (GEOMAR), are looking at these units in more detail with a view to dating the eruption. The "pumice stones" seen on Uanukuhahaki may be blocks of andesitic pumice eroded from this ash sequence.
Geologic mapping and observations, November 2000. Worthington was part of a group that spent 8 days mapping and sampling at Tofua in late November 2000. Tofua is a nearly circular island 9.5 x 7.1 km in diameter. The flanks rise steeply to a well-defined caldera rim reaching 515 m elevation in the NW and SE. The inner caldera walls are precipitous, and the caldera is occupied by a large, cold, fresh-water lake standing at 30 m elevation. The most recent volcanism took place from vents within the N half of the caldera, where there are three cinder-cone complexes.
The westernmost cinder-cone complex is densely forested and rather degraded. The easternmost complex consists of four distinct but intergrown small cinder cones with well-formed craters (two have sub-craters). A series of young rubble-topped basaltic andesite lavas were erupted from these cones and flowed towards (and into) the lake. Different degrees of vegetation on each flow suggest a recurrence interval of about 50 years, and the youngest may have been emplaced during the 1958-60 eruptions. It was mapped by visiting geologists in the early 1970s.
The northernmost cinder cone is the large and vigorously degassing Lofia, with a basal diameter of ~500 m and a summit at 380 m elevation. Lofia has a summit crater 70 m in diameter with vertical inner walls, which was completely filled by dense brownish-blue SO2-rich steam during the visit. Intermittent chugging sounds resembling a train starting to move could be heard from the crater rim. From the yacht, occasional dull orange reflections were observed in clouds above the caldera rim on two nights. However, there was no evidence of recent spatter around the crater rim, nor any indication of significant volcanic activity since the 1958-60 eruptions.
On calm days the plume from Lofia rose above the caldera rim and was visible from nearby islands and to passing ships; more commonly it dispersed in the wind before passing the caldera rim. Numerous breadcrust bombs were plastered onto the NW caldera wall downwind from Lofia, and had welded to form a sparsely vegetated 20-m-thick rootless lava flow on the NW caldera rim. The region of sparse vegetation on the outer NW caldera wall extended from 300 to 515 m elevation, gaving the NW summit of Tofua a "burnt" appearance to passing ships. The spatter testifies to vigorous fire-fountaining at Lofia, whose summit is 130 m below and 700 m S of the caldera rim. The latest episode of this activity may have taken place during the 1958-60 eruptions, but the spatter almost certainly represents the accumulated result of many such episodes.
Information Contacts: Tim J. Worthington, Institut für Geowissenschaften, Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel, Olshausenstr. 40, D-24118 Kiel, Germany; Jeff and Raine Williams, P.O. Box 729, Funkstown, MD 21734, USA.
Glow seen in summit crater vent during May-June 2006 fieldwork
Fieldwork at Tofua during 11 May-1 June 2006 was accomplished by a group led by John Caulfield (Macquarie University). The work involved detailed lithological mapping of the island, with specific focus on the N side. It is hoped that correlation of geological units and U-Series disequilibria will help to unravel the eruptive history.
The active vent, Lofia, was degassing throughout the visit. Fumaroles were located at the bottom of the vent and on the lower half of the inside of the vent. There was no degassing on the flanks of Lofia. Expelled gases were brownish-blue, with a strong sulfurous smell. The "chugging" sounds reported by Tim Worthington (BGVN 26:12) were still occurring at a rate of once every few minutes to bursts of up to four, one after the other. The highest point on the rim of Lofia was very unstable, probably weakened by the large earthquake that occurred on 4 May. A large crack (~ 30 cm wide), trending roughly WNW-ESE had opened across the thick ash and spatter deposits in the caldera, several hundred meters N of Lofia.
When the gas was periodically cleared by wind gusts, three craters could be seen at the bottom of the 150-200-m-deep vent. Of these craters, one was fumarolic, one was quiet, and one contained an orange glow. Although the depth and angle of the vent meant that the magma itself was not visible, the strong glow suggested that lava had ponded there. There was abundant spatter around the rim and abundant bombs on the flanks, the latter most likely resulting from eruptive activity in 1958. The pH of the large crater lake was determined to be 5.5-6.
Information Contacts: John Caulfield and Heather Cunningham, ARC National Key Centre for Geochemical Evolution and Metallogeny of Continents (GEMOC), Department of Earth & Planetary Sciences, Macquarie University, NSW 2109, Australia (URL: http://gemoc.mq.edu.au/); Graham Smith, Department of Earth Sciences, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EQ,United Kingdom.
Intermittent observations and thermal alerts in 2004 and 2007-2009 indicate activity
An increased number of satellite-based MODVOLC thermal alerts occurred at Tofua (figure 1) on nine days during March to November 2008, as compared with alerts on three days in 2004, none in 2005 or 2006, two days in 2007, and one day in 2009 (as of 5 April). All of these infrared-derived alerts have been in the same area, a zone several kilometers N of the lake near the 5-km-diameter caldera's N rim, a region where numerous cones and craters reside. One or more of those cones was steaming in a 1990 image. In that image, this area appears steep and largely rocky, an unlikely location for repeated fires (figure 2). Eyewitness views of glow, scoria and spatter ejections from in the crater of Lofia cone during 1993, 2004, and 2009 suggest that at least some if not all the MODVOLC alerts are credible signatures reflecting the minimum level of volcanism at Tofua.
|Figure 1. A set of index maps and a larger map of the main part of the Tonga Archipelago. The latter shows the location of Tofua Island in the western part of the Ha'apai Island Group. From Bauer (1970).
|Figure 2. Aerial photograph of Tofua volcano showing the steaming Lofia cinder cone. Courtesy of the Tonga Ministry of Lands, Survey, and Natural Resources, 1990 (published in Taylor and Ewart, 1997).
Previous reports in the Bulletin on Tofua covered aspects of activity during portions of 1979, 2000, and 2006 (SEAN 04:06, 04:12; BGVN 26:12, and 31:06, respectively). Taylor and Ewart (1997) compiled a chronology of Tongan eruptions.
Observations during 1993. Mary Lyn Fonua sent the following summary regarding a visit to Tofua in 1993. "It was quite a long time ago that we did a photographic feature on Tofua in May 1993 for our Eva magazine. Pesi, my husband, went there on [29 April 1993] on a two seater amphibian aircraft piloted by Peter Goldstern that landed on the crater lake. There was a smoking vent on the side of the volcano and thick yellowish smoke pouring out of the wall of the crater. They felt the island rumbling. There were hot thermal pools to bathe in. I seem to remember Pesi saying that ... it was possible to see a glow from volcanic activity in the crater at night. About 10 people were living on the island at the time, on the southern tip of the island .... There was forest and scrub on some parts of the island."
The above description of visible glow presumably came from the Lofia vent area just N of the lake. Vegetation and permanent or itinerant inhabitants suggests that some of the outlying thermal alerts discussed below might have been false-positives due to fires. Nicole Keller, of Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, also notes that Tongans often communicate from island to island using fires.
Observations during 2004. Nicole Keller sent the following information about her October 2004 visit. "The only fumaroles were located inside Lofia crater?not at all accessible. None of the other, smaller cones around Lofia were active in any way (no obvious signs of degassing, no sulfur smell), but definitely had some alteration features that suggest they were hydrothermally altered in the past. Every few minutes there was a rumbling, and every now and again (1-time to 2-times per hour) there was a bigger explosion projecting juvenile scoria over the crater rim." Similar activity was seen by John Caulfield in May 2006 (BGVN 31:06), but without the scoria showers.
MODVOLC Thermal Alerts, 2004-2009. Satellite thermal data over Tofua revealed the absence of thermal alerts between 30 May 2004 and 18 March 2007. The MODVOLC alerts mentioned above began 19 March 2004 (table 1 and figure 3). The maps reveal repeating alerts at and adjacent to the N-caldera cone (Lofia). The October 2004 in situ observations from Keller confirm that the 19 March and 10 and 29 May 2004 MODVOLC alerts were probably due to volcanism. Given the pattern of small ongoing eruptions from a deep crater at Lofia as discussed by visitors during 1993, 2004, and at some point during 2008-2009, it is likely most of the MODVOLC alerts reflect volcanism at Tofua.
|Figure 3. Graphic depiction (by year) of satellite thermal alerts (MODVOLC) for Tofua volcano from 19 March 2004 through 6 April 2009. No alerts were measured between 30 May 2004 and 14 March 2007. Images show alerts during 2004, 2007, 2008, and 2009. Courtesy of HIGP Thermal Alerts System.
|Date (UTC)
|Time (UTC)
|19 Mar 2004
|10 May 2004
|29 May 2004
|15 Mar 2007
|22 May 2007
|07 Mar 2008
|07 Mar 2008
|21 Jun 2008
|21 Jun 2008
|22 Jun 2008
|23 Jun 2008
|04 Jul 2008
|22 Aug 2008
|23 Aug 2008
|20 Nov 2008
|21 Nov 2008
|08 Mar 2009
The HIGP Thermal Alerts System listed approximately 190 pixels ~ 45 km SE of Tofua Island on 17 January 2009. Rob Wright of the MODIS/MODVOLC team explained that these were artifacts over the ocean due to reflected sunlight (see http://modis.higp.hawaii.edu/daytime.html). "The last field in the MODVOLC text alert file is a sunglint vector. When this number is over 12 degrees it means that the MODIS sensor was 'looking' within 12 degrees of the specular angle (like being blinded by a mirror when the sun-mirror-eye angle is just right). In this case the mirror is the water surface. We leave them off the map because they are not real hot-spots. We leave them in the text alert file because our 12 degree threshold errs on the side of caution, and other workers may want to use a less restrictive threshold." On the date in question the glint vector was between 1 and 3.
Observations during March 2009. Swiss adventurer Xavier Rosset reported a clear description of minor eruptive activity at Tofua. His audio dialog, posted 13 March 2009, referred to his visit to the active cone during the preceding week, although the exact date of observation was unclear. At that time the crater was about 80-100 m deep and the same in diameter. Three openings of undetermined size displayed an orange glow. Lava ejections from these vents rose 10-50 m high and were accompanied by loud noises. Photos taken by Rosset (figures 4 and 5) show the active cone with lava in the bottom. Rosset's 27 March 2009 dialog discusses a strong earthquake in the region (Mw 7.6 on 20 March, centered ~ 45 km SE of Tofua), which caused several rockfalls on the island. He visited the volcano in the afternoon and, looking into the active crater, saw few noticeable changes.
|Figure 4. Photo of Xavier Rosset in front of the active Lofia cinder cone at Tofua, March 2009. The caldera lake resides in the background. Courtesy of X. Rosset.
|Figure 5. Photo looking down into the vertical-walled Lofia crater to an orange-colored, circular zone of lava on the floor, March 2009. Courtesy of X. Rosset.
References. Bauer, G.R., 1970, The Geology of Tofua Island, Tonga: Pacific Science, v. 24, no. 3, p. 333-350.
Morrison, C., 29 May 2008, Xavier Rosset, 300 days alone on an island: The Islomaniac website (http://www.the-islomaniac.com/).
Taylor, P.W., and Ewart, A., 1997, The Tofua Volcanic Arc, Tonga, SW Pacific: a review of historic volcanic activity: Aust Volc Invest Occ Rpt, 97/01, 58 p.
Information Contacts: Hawai'i Institute of Geophysics and Planetology (HIGP) Thermal Alerts System, School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology (SOEST), Univ. of Hawai'i, 2525 Correa Road, Honolulu, HI 96822, USA (URL: http://modis.higp.hawaii.edu/); Mary Lyn Fonua, Matangi Tonga Online, Vava'u Press Ltd., Tonga (URL: http://www.matangitonga.to/); Xavier Rosset (URL: http://www.xavierrosset.com/); Paul W. Taylor, Australian Volcanological Investigations, P.O. Box 291, Pymble, NSW, 2073 Australia; Nicole S. Keller, Department of Geology and Geophysics, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, MA, USA.
Evidence of ongoing intermittent eruption into 2011
Tofua is a non-instrumented, remote, island volcano that is seldom the subject of reports; it continued to emit at least low-level eruptions well into 2011. This small volcanic island lies in southern Tonga (see map and other figures in BGVN 34:02), ~ 1,700 km NNE of New Zealand. In 1993 there were ~ 10 residents (BGVN 34:02).
Our previous report on Tofua (BGVN 34:02) gave a summary of MODVOLC thermal alert data through March 2009 and discussed data artifacts due to reflected sunlight over the ocean. Since that time, only a single-pixel thermal alert was measured, located at the vent on 4 March 2011.
Sailors visit in 2010. On 24 April 2010, sailors in a replica 7.6-m-long wooden boat landed on the island associated with a re-enactment of the landing made by Captain Bligh after he and his crew were cast off of the Bounty in 1789. A number of photos associated with announcements regarding the 2010 landing and activities on Tofua suggests that the volcano was still active in a manner similar to that previously discussed (BGVN 31:06 and 34:02), issuing spatter from a small vent that contained lava (figure 6).
|Figure 6. Looking into the active crater at Tofua on 24 April 2010 from the crater's N side. The shot emphasizes the crater's sheer walls, ledges draped with ash, and a morphologically complex crater floor covered by black, fresh looking spatter, ash, and possibly lava flows. The scene on the crater floor differs somewhat from the photo made in March 2009 (BGVN 34:02). A large down-dropped zone seems to have developed adjacent (to the right of) the glowing vent. Portions of that lower area emitted gases. As in the 2009 photo, this documents a glowing vent that contains molten lava and the area at the far end of this vent suggest active spattering. Photo by Stuart Kershaw posted by the Tonga Visitors Bureau.
Other photos confirmed that, seen from a distance, the active Lofia crater emitted either a substantial white plume or thin gaseous emissions. A down-dropped zone appears to have developed on part of the crater floor between March 2009 and early 2010 (figure 6). The floor itself is not horizontal; much of it slopes at ~45 degrees from the horizontal.
The original caption for the photo shown in figure 6 read "Mark Belvedere peers into Tofua's very active volcanic crater." Belvedere (president of the Kalia Foundation, an organization developed to preserve and extend the Polynesian seafaring tradition) participated in events associated with the re-enactment. The sailors traveled on a replica of the boat used by Bligh and the crew members loyal to him.
According to the expedition announcements, the re-enactment attempted to make the voyage under similar conditions with the same amount of food and water. The sailors went without charts, additional landfalls, and many modern luxuries. According to news accounts, the 2010 voyage took 7 weeks, ending in Kupang, West Timor.
VAAC report in 2011. July reports by the Tonga Meteorological Services and pilot observations described a cloud of unspecified color and dimension from Tofua that rose to an altitude of 1.3 km. This led the Wellington Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre (VAAC) to produce aviation reports (called Volcanic Ash Advisories) starting 13 July 2011. Follow-up reports (without new information) continued until 19 July 2011. Subsequent notices stated that the cloud was not detected in satellite imagery.
Bligh's comment. Following the 1789 mutiny on the Bounty, Captain William Bligh and 18 others were cast adrift on the small launch in which they completed a 6,700 km journey from near Tofua to West Timor. Bligh's small notebook formed the basis of In Bligh's Hand: Surviving the Mutiny on the Bounty (Gall, 2010). An entire chapter is devoted to Tofua ("We eat under great apprehension of the Natives, Tofua and indigenous relations") but the remarks describing the volcano's behavior are brief:
"When Bligh left the Bounty in the launch, he set course for Tofua, 30 miles away. Its location was marked by a smoke smudge on the skyline issuing from the island's active volcano."
That comment indicates the volcano was degassing when seen in 1789, but leaves the issue of the exact eruptive state ambiguous. The earliest witnessed eruption, the 1774 eruption seen by Captain Cook, was judged as explosive (a VEI 2 eruption; Siebert and others, 2010).
References. Gall, J., 2010, In Bligh's Hand: Surviving the Mutiny on the Bounty, National Library of Australia collection highlights, 234 pp. [ISBN: 9780642277053] (Selected portions, including those referred to here, available on Google books, URL: http://books.google.com/books?id=0TfjOmTv8bYC& )
Siebert, L., Simkin, T., and Kimberly, P., 2010, Volcanoes of the World, 3nd edition: University of California Press and Smithsonian Institution, 568 p.
Tonga Visitors Bureau, 2010, The 'Mutiny on the Bounty' crew visit the volcanic island of Tofua; Tonga Visitors Bureau (Ministry of Tourism), the National Tourist Office (NTO) for the Kingdom of Tonga, URL: http://www.tongaholiday.com/?p=4892; Posted 6 May 2010; accessed August 2011.
Information Contacts: Hawai'i Institute of Geophysics and Planetology (HIGP) MODVOLC Thermal Alerts System, School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology (SOEST), Univ. of Hawai'i, 2525 Correa Road, Honolulu, HI 96822, USA (URL: http://modis.higp.hawaii.edu/); Kalia Foundation USA, 4515 SW Natchez Ct., Tualatin, Oregon 97062 USA; Mark Belvedere, Treasure Island Eueiki Eco Resort, Vava'u, Tonga; Stuart Kershaw, In the Dark Productions company (URL: http://inthedarkproductions.co.uk/); Wellington Volcanic Ash Advisory Center (VAAC), New Zealand (URL: http://vaac.metservice.com/).
Elaborative comments on April 2010 observations
This report on Tofua elaborates on observations in our previous report (BGVN 36:07).
Several maps show Tofua (figure 7) with respect to other geographic features, and also areas of responsibility of Volcanic Ash Advisory Centers in the region. A map of islands in the main part of the Archipelago appeared in BGVN 34:02.
|Figure 7. (inset at lower right) Tofua shown in geographic context. Tofua is a part of the Kingdom of Tonga. (main map) Various areas of responsibility of Volcanic Ash Advisory Centers (VAACs) in the region; responsibility for Tonga resides with the Wellington Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre. Courtesy of ESRI Corporation (modified).
Mark Belvedere (Kalia Foundation) sent additional comments regarding his visit to Tofua on 24 April 2010 (see BGVN 36:07). Belvedere noted that at night as they approached the island the glow from the active crater flickered and was visible ~50 km from the volcano. The glow was absent during the day but a plume was conspicuous. In describing his approach to the crater he stated that "As I was walking up towards [it] the area was littered with lava stone from the sizes of golf balls to beach balls." The observation of those ejecta made him nervous. To him, the crater "looked like an air-breathing red hot lava tube ready to shoot out lava stones at any moment but NO I didn't stay to physically see it shooting out the lava nor the lava stones."
Upon reaching the summit the visitors were surprised at how unstable the rim looked. Belvedere had to have his companions hold his feet in order to lean out over the crater to get the photo shown in our previous report (BGVN 36:07). He guessed the distance to the sloping crater floor was on the order of 50 m. The low-level eruptions accompanied larger ash plumes. The plumes were quite reflective at night. A sulfurous odor prevailed.
Stuart Kershaw's attempts to create a video with narration on the scene proved difficult because the eruptions were broken with pauses of about 8-15 minutes, and each pulse behaved differently in terms of how much sound they generated.
Information Contacts: Mark Belvedere, Kalia Foundation USA, 4515 SW Natchez Ct., Tualatin, OR 97062, USA (www.kaliafoundation.org); Treasure Island Eueiki Eco Resort, Vava'u, Kingdom of Tonga (www.tongaislandresort.com); Stuart Kershaw, In the Dark Productions (URL: http://inthedarkproductions.co.uk/); Sakopo Lolohea, Tongan Visitor Bureau, Ministry of Tourism. Vuna Rd., Nuku'alofa, Tonga (URL: http://www.tonga.holiday.com/).
2005 field observations and elevated temperatures detected during 2011-2013
Tofua is a remote volcano in Tonga that is not monitored. The active Lofia crater, the largest and northernmost cone, appears to be undergoing a long-term, low level eruption, with spatter from a small vent containing lava, thin gaseous emissions, and an infrequent plume (BGVN 36:07 and 36:09). This report covers activity since our previous reports in July and September 2011, enumerates thermal alerts since April 2009, and quotes part of a blog published in 2005 by a traveler to Tofua that was not previously included in our previous reports.
During 13-14 August 2012, the Wellington Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre (VAAC) issued several volcano ash advisories, based on a pilot report and subsequently confirmed by the Tongan Meterological Service. Apparently, however, the advisories were triggered by a scrub fire that residents had set to flush out wild boars.
A previous report (BGVN 34:02) listed thermal alerts through 6 April 2009. Since then, ten thermal alerts were recorded through 27 September 2013, listed in table 2.
|Date (UTC)
|No. of Pixels
|04 Mar 2011
|04 Nov 2011
|06 Mar 2012
|09 Mar 2012
|22 Mar 2012
|01 Sep 2012
|20 Jan 2013
|23 Jan 2013
|25 Aug 2013
|15 Sep 2013
The following is a portion of a blog published by Richard Cowley on the STA Travel Blogs website on 9 August 2005. The author and fourteen others traveled to Tofua by boat and hiked to the summit. In the author's words:
"We took about 2 hours to reach the summit of the island through a mixed terrain of jungle. When we got to the summit we set up camp again on a volcanic type surface which was really strange and nothing like I had seen before. Once we had set up camp we headed towards the active volcano walking around the rim of the island gaining some great views at the same time. The whole island had a great big lake in the middle of it with the old craters of extinct volcanoes and then the big one which was still active. We headed around the rim and down towards the active volcano. Once we got up to the active volcano which was a steep climb we could look right into the creator [sic] where we could see all of the lava below and smell all the gases coming out of the crater ...".
Information Contacts: Wellington Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre (VAAC), Meteorological Service of New Zealand Ltd (MetService), PO Box 722, Wellington, New Zealand (URL: http://www.metservice.com/vaac/ , http://vaac.metservice.com/); Hawai'i Institute of Geophysics and Planetology (HIGP), MODVOLC Thermal Alerts System, School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology (SOEST), Univ. of Hawai'i, 2525 Correa Road, Honolulu, HI 96822, USA (URL: http://modis.higp.hawaii.edu/); Earthquake Report (URL: http://earthquake report.com/); and STA Travel Blog (URL: http://blogs.statravel.com).
Five thermal alerts detected, 28 September-30 June 2015
Tofua is a remote volcano in Tonga that is not monitored. The primary sources of information about the volcano's activity are from infrequent field visits, ash advisories from the Wellington Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre, and MODIS thermal sensors aboard the Aqua and Terra satellites.
No ash advisories from the Wellington Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre were issued during the reporting period, 28 September 2013-30 June 2015. Since the last report through 27 September 2013 (BGVN 38:07), five thermal alerts were recorded through 30 June 2015 (table 3). Two of those alerts, on 14 and 23 September 2014, were located outside and NW of the caldera rim and therefore were probably not associated with volcanic activity. No thermal alerts were issued between 18 October 2014 and 30 June 2015.
|No. Pixels
|10 Oct 2013
|27 Jul 2014
|14 Sep 2014
|23 Sep 2014
|18 Oct 2014
Several articles on Tofua's volcanic geology and geochemistry published in the past few years have come to our attention (Caulfield, 2011, 2012, 2015). Caulfield and others (2011, 2012) include helpful aerial and cross-section sketches of the volcano's various geologic features.
References: Caulfield, J. T., Cronin, S.J., Turner, S.P., & Cooper, L.B., 2011, Mafic Plinian volcanism and ignimbrite emplacement at Tofua volcano, Tonga, Bull. Volcanology, v. 73, pp.1259–1277.
Caulfield, J. T., Turner, S. P., Smith, I. E. M., Cooper, L. B., & Jenner, G. A., 2012, Magma evolution in the primitive, intra-oceanic Tonga arc: petrogenesis of basaltic andesites at Tofua volcano. Journal of Petrology, v. 53(6), pp. 1197-1230.
Caulfield, J. T., Blichert-Toft, J., Albarède, F., & Turner, S. P., 2015, Corrigendum to 'Magma Evolution in the Primitive, Intra-oceanic Tonga Arc: Petrogenesis of Basaltic Andesites at Tofua Volcano'and 'Magma Evolution in the Primitive, Intra-oceanic Tonga Arc: Rapid Petrogenesis of Dacites at Fonualei Volcano, Journal of Petrology, v. 56(3), pp. 641-644.
Information Contacts: Hawai'i Institute of Geophysics and Planetology (HIGP), MODVOLC Thermal Alerts System, School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology (SOEST), Univ. of Hawai'i, 2525 Correa Road, Honolulu, HI 96822, USA (URL: http://modis.higp.hawaii.edu/).
This compilation of synonyms and subsidiary features may not be comprehensive. Features are organized into four major categories: Cones, Craters, Domes, and Thermal Features. Synonyms of features appear indented below the primary name. In some cases additional feature type, elevation, or location details are provided.
|Tofooa | Amatofua
|Feature Name
|Feature Type
|370 m
There is data available for 11 Holocene eruptive periods.
|Start Date
|Stop Date
|Eruption Certainty
|Activity Area or Unit
|2004 Mar 19
|2014 Oct 18
|Historical Observations
|Lofia crater
|[ 1993 Apr 29 ]
|[ Unknown ]
|Northern part of caldera
|1958 Dec 31 ± 120 days
|1960 Jul 2 (?) ± 182 days
|Historical Observations
|Northern part of caldera
|1906 Dec
|Historical Observations
|Northern part of caldera
|1906 Jan
|1906 Feb
|Historical Observations
|Northern part of caldera
|1885 Oct (in or before)
|Historical Observations
|Historical Observations
|1847 Jul 10 (in or before)
|Historical Observations
|1845 Jul 1 ± 60 days
|Historical Observations
|Historical Observations
|1774 Jun
|Historical Observations
There is no Deformation History data available for Tofua.
There is no Emissions History data available for Tofua.
|A small plume rises from Lofia cone on the N side of the caldera lake of Tofua volcano in this 1990 aerial photograph. Recent tephra was emplaced onto the caldera rim to the NW. The steep walls of the 5-km-wide caldera are about 500 m high. Three post-caldera cones were constructed at the N end of a cold fresh-water caldera lake, whose surface lies only 30 m above sea level.
Aerial photo by Tonga Ministry of Lands, Survey, and Natural Resources, 1990 (published in Taylor and Ewart, 1997).
|Clouds almost entirely obscure the small island of Kao (lower-center) in this NASA Space Shuttle image, and a circular cloud pattern rises above the caldera rim of the larger island of Tofua (left-center). No historical eruptions are known from Kao, and fresh-appearing lava flows are not seen, although the absence of sufficient time for erosion to produce deep gullies or high sea cliffs suggests a very recent origin.
NASA Space Station image ISS008-E-14026, 2004 (http://eol.jsc.nasa.gov/).
The maps shown below have been scanned from the GVP map archives and include the volcano on this page. Clicking on the small images will load the full 300 dpi map. Very small-scale maps (such as world maps) are not included. The maps database originated over 30 years ago, but was only recently updated and connected to our main database. We welcome users to tell us if they see incorrect information or other problems with the maps; please use the Contact GVP link at the bottom of the page to send us email.
Title: Fiji, New Caledonia, Tonga
Publisher: DMA Aerospace Center
Country: Fiji
Year: 1986
Series: ONC
Map Type: Topographic
Scale: 1:1,000,000
Title: Tonga Region, Topo of
Publisher: USGS-CCOP/SOPAC S. Pacific Project
Country: Tonga
Year: 1982
Map Type: Bathymetric
Scale: 1:1,800,000
There are no samples for Tofua in the Smithsonian's NMNH Department of Mineral Sciences Rock and Ore collection.
|Volcanic Hazard Maps
|The IAVCEI Commission on Volcanic Hazards and Risk has a Volcanic Hazard Maps database designed to serve as a resource for hazard mappers (or other interested parties) to explore how common issues in hazard map development have been addressed at different volcanoes, in different countries, for different hazards, and for different intended audiences. In addition to the comprehensive, searchable Volcanic Hazard Maps Database, this website contains information about diversity of volcanic hazard maps, illustrated using examples from the database. This site is for educational purposes related to volcanic hazard maps. Hazard maps found on this website should not be used for emergency purposes. For the most recent, official hazard map for a particular volcano, please seek out the proper institutional authorities on the matter.
|Middle InfraRed Observation of Volcanic Activity (MIROVA) is a near real time volcanic hot-spot detection system based on the analysis of MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) data. In particular, MIROVA uses the Middle InfraRed Radiation (MIR), measured over target volcanoes, in order to detect, locate and measure the heat radiation sourced from volcanic activity.
|MODVOLC Thermal Alerts
|Using infrared satellite Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) data, scientists at the Hawai'i Institute of Geophysics and Planetology, University of Hawai'i, developed an automated system called MODVOLC to map thermal hot-spots in near real time. For each MODIS image, the algorithm automatically scans each 1 km pixel within it to check for high-temperature hot-spots. When one is found the date, time, location, and intensity are recorded. MODIS looks at every square km of the Earth every 48 hours, once during the day and once during the night, and the presence of two MODIS sensors in space allows at least four hot-spot observations every two days. Each day updated global maps are compiled to display the locations of all hot spots detected in the previous 24 hours. There is a drop-down list with volcano names which allow users to 'zoom-in' and examine the distribution of hot-spots at a variety of spatial scales.
Sentinel Hub Playground
Sentinel Hub EO Browser
|The Sentinel Hub Playground provides a quick look at any Sentinel-2 image in any combination of the bands and enhanced with image effects; Landsat 8, DEM and MODIS are also available. Sentinel Hub is an engine for processing of petabytes of satellite data. It is opening the doors for machine learning and helping hundreds of application developers worldwide. It makes Sentinel, Landsat, and other Earth observation imagery easily accessible for browsing, visualization and analysis. Sentinel Hub is operated by Sinergise
|IRIS seismic stations/networks
|Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology (IRIS) Data Services map showing the location of seismic stations from all available networks (permanent or temporary) within a radius of 0.18° (about 20 km at mid-latitudes) from the given location of Tofua. Users can customize a variety of filters and options in the left panel. Note that if there are no stations are known the map will default to show the entire world with a "No data matched request" error notice.
|UNAVCO GPS/GNSS stations
|Geodetic Data Services map from UNAVCO showing the location of GPS/GNSS stations from all available networks (permanent or temporary) within a radius of 20 km from the given location of Tofua. Users can customize the data search based on station or network names, location, and time window. Requires Adobe Flash Player.
|DECADE Data
|The DECADE portal, still in the developmental stage, serves as an example of the proposed interoperability between The Smithsonian Institution's Global Volcanism Program, the Mapping Gas Emissions (MaGa) Database, and the EarthChem Geochemical Portal. The Deep Earth Carbon Degassing (DECADE) initiative seeks to use new and established technologies to determine accurate global fluxes of volcanic CO2 to the atmosphere, but installing CO2 monitoring networks on 20 of the world's 150 most actively degassing volcanoes. The group uses related laboratory-based studies (direct gas sampling and analysis, melt inclusions) to provide new data for direct degassing of deep earth carbon to the atmosphere.
Single Volcano View
Temporal Evolution of Unrest
Side by Side Volcanoes
|WOVOdat is a database of volcanic unrest; instrumentally and visually recorded changes in seismicity, ground deformation, gas emission, and other parameters from their normal baselines. It is sponsored by the World Organization of Volcano Observatories (WOVO) and presently hosted at the Earth Observatory of Singapore.
|Large Eruptions of Tofua
|Information about large Quaternary eruptions (VEI >= 4) is cataloged in the Large Magnitude Explosive Volcanic Eruptions (LaMEVE) database of the Volcano Global Risk Identification and Analysis Project (VOGRIPA).
|EarthChem develops and maintains databases, software, and services that support the preservation, discovery, access and analysis of geochemical data, and facilitate their integration with the broad array of other available earth science parameters. EarthChem is operated by a joint team of disciplinary scientists, data scientists, data managers and information technology developers who are part of the NSF-funded data facility Integrated Earth Data Applications (IEDA). IEDA is a collaborative effort of EarthChem and the Marine Geoscience Data System (MGDS).


text:
Let $(M, \omega)$ be a symplectic manifold and $G$ be a compact Lie group. Suppose we have a Hamiltonian $G$-action on $M$, with moment map $\mu: M \to {\mathfrak g}^*$.
We assume that the moment map is proper in case $M$ is noncompact.
The question is: for any loop $\gamma: S^1 \to G$, and a point $x\in M$, is the loop $t\mapsto \gamma(t) x$ a contractible loop in $M$? So we assume neither $G$ or $M$ is simply-connected.
We may assume that $\gamma$ is actually a 1-parameter subgroup of $G$, generated by a vector $\xi \in {\mathfrak g}$. In the case $M$ is compact, we restrict the moment map to this subgroup, which is equivalent to a real valued function $\mu_\gamma$. Then the gradient flow of this function should push the loop to a critical point, which is a fixed point of this subgroup. Hence this shows that the loop is contractible.
Now if $M$ is noncompact, the gradient flow doesn't necessarily converge to a critical point (could escape to $\pm \infty$). Note that the real valued function $\mu_\gamma$ is not necessarily proper. So the above method fails. But I still guess that the loop should be contractible.
Is there any proof or counter-example? Or should we add some conditions to guarantee this?

subset: commoncrawl


text:
MOORE, Okla. (AP) — Neighborhoods are flattened and buildings are on fire after a mile-wide tornado moved through the Oklahoma City area.
Television footage on Monday afternoon showed homes and buildings that had been reduced to rubble in Moore, Okla., south of Oklahoma City. Footage also showed vehicles littering roadways south and southwest of Oklahoma City.
There were no immediate reports of injuries.
The suburb of Moore was hit hard by a tornado in 1999. The storm had the highest winds ever recorded near the earth's surface.


text:
Everyone knows a Quagmire or a Masuka that enjoys their gadgets as much as they enjoy themselves—or rather, they enjoy using their gadgets TO enjoy themselves. This is for them, or for you, if you're buying under an alias.
Those of you who hate the gallery format can see it all on one page by clicking here. Oh, and basically everything in this post is NSFW.
The Fleshlight: There are many flavors to the Fleshlight—you can now even custom design it to your specifications—but the base idea remains constant through all of them. It's a plastic flashlight you place your junk into. The sensation is halfway between your hand and a real person, which explains its popularity despite the extra preparation and cleanup. Your giftee will thank you for the experience, but curse you for the added work. $50-$90, depending on the type of Fleshlight and type of hole. [Review]
Form 2: For the ladies, you have the Form 2 from Jimmy Jane. It's a palm-sized vibrator that Fleshbot claims is basically the best vibrator around. The semi-discrete bunny-shaped body means it's up to your female (or male) loved one to figure out how they want to use it. $135. [JimmyJane]
FyreTV: The first set-top-box, all-in-one digital streaming solution to get porn from the internets onto a big-ass living room HDTV. It's not free, but the amount of variety included beats having to haul over to the adult video store every time your friend needs a new title for his DVD player. $10 a month, plus more for more credits. [FyreTV; Review]
Real Touch: It's like a Fleshlight that knows exactly what porn you're watching, and moves exactly as the person onscreen does. Fleshbot's review says it's pretty darn good, but due to technical problems with Windows 7—damn you Microsoft!!!—we haven't been able to test it out ourselves. We can say that it's like putting a football-sized piece of plastic up to your groin, but since it doesn't work yet, we can't say much else. Oh, and there's no Mac support. So make sure your recipient doesn't have a Mac (or knows how to use boot camp). $200, plus more for more minutes. [Real Touch; Fleshbot Review]
The OhMiBod: Yeah, it's the vibrator that works in sync with an iPod. This is the closest a person's going to get to actually making love with an Apple device without sticking it inside themselves. Plus, they get to hear their own music while they pleasure themselves. So, double bonus for that Apple fan on your gift list. $130. [Babeland; Review]
Mini DisplayPort to HDMI Adapter: And what if a person wants to get their porn onto their TV while still taking advantage of all the free adult content out there? Easy: just hook up a Mac to a TV with an adapter. It's easily cheaper than paying over and over for so-called premium content, seeing as any local BitTorrent site has lots of porn for your friend to slurp down. $70 [Kanex; Review]
Real Doll: It's old, in internet years, but no company has quite managed to get their product to a stage to rival the Real Doll. Yeah, it's a full body simulation of a woman, and it costs so much that it's unlikely that you're going to buy this for anyone but yourself. And even then, it's super unlikely, thanks to the price. But it is the closest you're going to get to being intimate with a robot in the next 10 years. $6000 [Real Doll]
Any iPhone porn app: Do you hate the person you're giving this to? Are you trying to drum up business for local optometrists? There are plenty of better, and LARGER, porn opportunities than trying to squint at something on an iPhone. Not to mention that these apps are all super crappy anyway. [iPhone NSFW]
All Giz Wants is our annual round-up of favorite gift ideas, including amazing attainable objects and a few far-out fantasies. We'll be popping guides catered to different interests several times per day for the next week, so keep checking back.


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There are no reviews yet.
Elevated ceilings throughout
Quality LED lights and feature light fittings
Designer kitchen and bathroom fixtures
Stone benchtops and 2-pac finish to kitchen cabinets
Frameless shower screens and floor to ceiling porcelain tiles to wet areas
Double glazed windows and sliding doors with 5mm toughened glass
• 2.4m wide pods – Heavy duty external steel framing with corrugated high strength steel seam-welded panels to external walls and roof panels and steel framed internal walls.
• 3.4m wide pods – heavy duty external steel framing with steel framed internal walls.
• Heavy gauge steel floor joists & bearers.
• Heavy gauge steel corner posts for bracing and loading capacity.
• Pressed steel seam welded roofing panels.
• 2.4m wide pods – R4.0 spray on expanding polyurethane insulation to ceiling and sprayed on polyurethane to external walls providing a rating of R3.1.
• 3.4m wide pods – R4.0 spray on expanding polyurethane insulation to ceiling and sprayed on polyurethane to external walls providing a rating of R3.1.
• R1.5 Rockwool batts to all internal walls.
• 8mm 3-in-1 underfloor insulation with thermal break.
External Cladding
• 2.4m wide pods – Long life weatherproof paint over corrugated high strength steel wall and ceiling panels. External cladding not included.
• 3.4m wide pods – Sisalation plus 9mm Dekopanel decorative fibre cement cladding screw fixed to external steel framing, including decorative expressed joints where necessary.
Windows/External Entrance Doors
• Double glazed tempered glass (5mm) to aluminium framed windows and glass sliding doors. Keyed locks to all external doors.
• Fibreglass insect screens to all window and external door openings.
Internal Fit-Out
• Compressed FC flooring, glued and screw fixed to steel floor joists: 2.4m pods – 20mm sheets; 3.4m pods – 24mm sheets.
• Floating timber floor, veneer on plywood, 15mm, with expansion joints and foam underlay throughout (excluding wet areas): pre-laid in single pod homes and supplied flat-packed for multi-pod homes (for laying by purchaser after home installation).
• 12mm plaster lined walls throughout excluding wet areas.
• Fibre cement lined walls to bathrooms.
• 12mm plasterboard fixed to ceiling battens, installed throughout, including shadow line for architectural merit (excludes Bathroom ceilings).
• European Beech 68mm x 12mm architraves and skirting throughout (excludes wet areas) and to jamb-sets for door openings where applicable.
• Flush panel timber veneer internal doors, painted.
• Architectural Lever Series internal door furniture.
• Aluminium framed feature glass sliding doors to robes (except walk-through robes) and linen cupboards where applicable.
• Custom robe fit-out including a bank of shelves, top shelf with hanging rails.
• Built-in overhead and side cupboards in nominated bedrooms as per plan.
• Custom built 2-pac combination robe, desk & overhead cupboards with LED lighting where applicable to design.
• Ceiling fans as per plan.
• 3 coat premium paint system to internal walls.
• Square edged reconstituted quartz stone benchtops.
• Gloss 2-pac finish to kitchen cupboard fronts, including metal cabinetry handles (where applicable).
• Four drawer cutlery unit including Blum soft closing drawer slides.
• Feature toughened glass kitchen sink, 1.5 bowl to applicable designs.
• Ceramic tiled kitchen splashback, 600mm high, to applicable designs.
• Provision for dishwasher including cold water connection and electrical.
• Feature light fitting over kitchen island bench.
• Toughened glass shower screen with pivot or sliding door as appropriate, 1.8m high.
• Rectified tiles to ceiling in shower recess and 1.2m to remainder in ensuites and bathrooms, as appropriate.
• Mirrored shaving cabinet with light in bathrooms.
• Glass mosaic feature wall or feature strip to main bath shower recess where applicable.
• Wall mounted 2-pac single bowl vanity installed as per plan and reconstituted quartz stone top; vitreous china basin with chrome pop-up waste.
• Deluxe 3 star WELS rated "Wall Faced" vitreous china toilet suite with soft closing seat & lid.
• Premium Series bathroom accessories including one towel rail per bathroom, one face mounted toilet roll holder per WC, wall mounted soap holders to shower recess and bath (where applicable).
• Laundry cabinet with stainless steel underslung sink; reconstituted quartz stone benchtop (depending upon design).
• Premium Series basin mixers where applicable.
• Premium Series wall mixer to shower recess where applicable.
• Premium Series kitchen mixer.
• Premium Series laundry mixer.
• Premium Series ¼ turn washing machine cocks.
• Premium Series ¼ turn cistern cocks to WC's.
• Premium Series shower rose on rail combo.
• Light fittings, GPO's, phone, data and TV points as per electrical plan.
• Internal switchboard.
• Pre-wiring for air conditioners.
Bushfire Attack Level (BAL) Rating
• Compliance with BAL-LOW. BAL-19 to 40 is an optional upgrade.


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Toyota is introducing an all-new Camry for 2007. Gone is the Camry criticized as stodgy and plain. The new one features aerodynamic new styling that shows more vigor and life than we've come to expect from a car many have labeled, and not kindly, Japan's Buick.
The 2007 Toyota Camry is thoroughly revamped, re-worked and upgraded from the tires to the roof, from the front bumper to the back, from the dashboard to the trunk. Inside is a new, airy interior. The engines are more powerful, the transmissions more diverse. And across the line, the new models are more fuel efficient.
Models range from the surprisingly well-equipped CE to the near-luxury XLE. In between are the LE, a modest step up from the base CE, and the SE, decked out with suspension, tires and trim to please the sporty crowd. Also new for 2007 is the Toyota Camry Hybrid with a combination electric motor/gasoline engine fitted with a new, super-efficient, continuously variable transmission. While the federal government's fuel economy ratings are just estimates, the Hybrid's range from 37 to 43 mpg.
All Camry models are five-passenger, four-door sedans. (The Camry Solara convertible has not been redesigned.)
Almost from its debut in the U.S. 23 years ago as a 1983 model, the Camry has been a quality car, a solid design, well built and with almost unmatched durability. For eight of the past nine years, the Camry has been the best selling car in America. Today, the Toyota Camry defines the midsize four-door sedan. It's the standard for the segment all the others are measured against.
The 2007 Toyota Camry comes in four trim levels plus the new Hybrid model. All four trim levels, CE $19,520), LE ($19,925), SE ($21,140), and XLE ($24,900), come standard with the 158-hp 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine. A 268-hp 3.5-liter V6 is available for the LE ($23,540), SE ($24,815), and XLE ($28,020). Then there's the Hybrid ($25,900).
The entry-level Camry is the CE, but it comes standard with air conditioning with pollen filter, cruise control, tilt-and-telescope steering wheel, six-way adjustable driver's seat, the usual array of power accessories, a multi-function driver information display, a 160-watt AM/FM/CD/MP3 stereo with six speakers and P215/60R16 tires on steel wheels. The CE comes standard with the five-speed automatic.
The LE adds an eight-way power driver's seat, remote keyless entry and, when the V6 is ordered, chrome tips on the dual exhaust. Options include a JBL sound system with a six-disc, in-dash CD changer, eight speakers and Bluetooth capability; power tilt/slide moonroof; alloy wheels; and electro-chromatic rearview mirror with compass. The LE comes standard with the four-cylinder engine and five-speed manual gearbox, but can be upgraded with the five-speed automatic ($20,975) or to the V6 with the six-speed automatic.
The sporty SE comes with a firmer and beefier suspension, unique interior and exterior trim, and P215/55R17 tires on aluminum alloy wheels. The SE's option list includes leather interior trim with heated front seats, a power moonroof with rear seat reading lamps, programmable remote opener system, a DVD-based navigation system with touch screen integrated into a JBL sound system with a four-disc, in-dash CD changer and all-season tires. The SE comes with the four-cylinder and manual, with the five-speed automatic optional; also available is the V6 with six-speed automatic.
The XLE includes dual-zone climate control, engine immobilizer with alarm, Bluetooth-capable stereo with steering wheel-mounted controls, eight-way power driver's seat and four-way power front passenger's seat, heated outside mirrors, power moonroof, rear seat reading lamps, 40/20/40 split and reclining rear seat, manual rear window sunshade, cargo net, fog lamps and 16-inch alloy wheels. Leather interior trim is standard with the V6 and optional with the four-cylinder. Also optional are the programmable remote opener system, heated front seats (only with leather), the navigation system and, exclusive to the XLE with the V6, the Smart entry system with keyless entry and push-button start. The XLE comes standard with the four-cylinder engine and the five-speed automatic; the V6 with six-speed automatic is optional.
The Hybrid comes with the most complete list of features. Other than the power moonroof, the navigation system, the leather interior and the heated front seats (available with the leather trim), the Hybrid comes fully loaded. It's fitted with 16-inch alloy wheels. The moonroof, navigation system, leather seats and heated front seats are optional.
Safety features on all models include the required frontal airbags, upper body-protecting side-impact airbags for the front seats, head-protecting side air curtains for front and rear seats, and a driver's knee airbag, which better positions the driver for controlling the car and for avoiding injury from the steering column. A tire pressure monitoring system comes standard. Also standard are antilock brakes (ABS), which aid steering control during a panic stop, Brake Assist, which applies the brakes more quickly and consistently when it senses the onset of a panic stop, and electronic brake-force distribution (EBD), which balances brake application front and rear for optimal stopping distance.
Vehicle Stability Control with Traction Control is an optional active safety feature for the CE, LE, SE and XLE, and we recommend getting it.
Boring and bland are out. Flash and dash are in. Well, maybe not quite, but the 2007 Toyota Camry design is more laid back, less boxy.
The front end is fresh, with sharp points, curving cut-lines and entertaining surface planes. The hood dips broadly across the middle, pushing visual heft out over the bold front fenders. The grille wears a Toyota emblem prominently above softly slanted, horizontal slats. The one-piece fascia blends all the diverse elements into a smooth aero-look that's several steps away from the pro forma, overly inoffensive, just-another-midsize-car-from-Japan look.
The side aspect is less fashionable, somewhat bulky looking with a high beltline, symmetrical windows and square doors, graced with a barely discernible character line running through flush-mounted door handles. The wheel openings are circular, which on a car with a lower profile might suggest sporty intentions, but on the Camry draws attention to the vast expanse of sheet metal between them and instead whispers, "sedate." An odd, but increasingly popular, miniaturized rip on the BMW 7 Series squared-off trunk lid finishes the side profile.
That bustle-like hump gives the trunk's trailing edge a minimalist aero-lip that invites the inference it's there to reduce rear lift at high speeds. The SE boosts this inference with an honest spoiler. An oversize Toyota emblem perches atop the license plate recess. Proud taillight lenses mirror the headlights' outline, angling down and inward across the trunk lid seam to end in sharp points that stylistically mesh with the curved lower lip of the license plate indent, again closely tracing the pattern set by the headlights and grille. The bumper wraps around the back end, seamlessly capping the corners beneath the taillights and sweeping over and under to a soft, horizontal indentation that, on the V6-equipped models, finishes in cutouts on each end for the chrome-tipped, dual exhausts.
While the outside of the 2007 Camry has been touched with a splash of pizzazz, the inside has been brushed with shades of elegance. The treatment is not quite up to, say, Lexus-level luxury, but especially in the top-of-the-line XLE, the new Camry definitely raises the bar on mid-price, midsize sedan interior polish.
Everything about the new Camry's interior speaks refined function. Speedometer and tachometer are large and circular, easy to scan, save for brief periods at dusk and under certain types of street lighting, when the luminescent instruments on all but the SE can wash out to the point they're almost unreadable. Those in the SE, which are black on white, avoid this eye-straining fade.
Controls for audio and air conditioning are easy to control, clearly labeled and logically positioned in the center stack, with audio above and climate below. A welcome touch is separate on/off switches for the audio and navigation system. This is a departure from most other systems today, which have a single on/off switch, meaning if you want the nav system but no audio, you have to crank the volume all the way down.
Cup holders and assorted covered bins and cubbies are located conveniently about the center stack and console. A large glove box spans the lower dash between the center stack and passenger door. Only the front doors get map pockets, which are fixed, hard plastic. A similar material forms the magazine pouches on the backside of the front seatbacks. A covered storage bin in the fold-down center armrest in the rear seat doubles as cup holders; on the SE and XLE, it conceals a pass-through to the trunk. Despite a fully finished trunk, there are no pull downs inside to spare fingers the grime and grit that can accumulate on auto bodies in winter.
The cabin is trimmed in a brushed metallic finish in the CE, LE, SE and Hybrid. Real-looking wood grain is used inside the XLE, including surrounds for the inside door latches. The fabric upholstery combines breathable, waffle-texture insets with smooth bolsters and backing. The leather upgrade isn't quite kid glove, but it does feel expensive. Seat bottoms are markedly short on thigh support, however. And the mouse fur-grade headliner disappoints.
Much of the two inches added to the wheelbase of the 2007 Camry over the '06's has been translated into more room for people, although not necessarily in quantifiable, industry-standard measures. On paper, rear seat legroom is up by only half an inch, but a redesign of the rear seat floor space and of the base of the front seats has delivered more usable foot room. Front seat legroom is up a miniscule tenth of an inch, but front seat travel has been increased by more than a half-inch. This may not sound like much, but it's a couple clicks on the manual track, or a tap or three on the power button and that makes a big difference in our sense of roominess. The dash has been pushed away from the front seat, giving the cabin a more airy feel.
Rear seat passengers in the XLE enjoy a luxury heretofore unheard of in the class: reclining seatbacks. This latter feature exacts a cost in trunk space, which in the XLE drops by more than 2 cubic feet from the '06's quite respectable 16.7. The 2007 Camry CE, LE and SE models offer 15 cubic feet of trunk space.
Tempering the feel of roominess in the new Camry are direct comparisons with the competition. Today's midsize sedans are roomy vehicles. In headroom, for instance, the new Camry betters only the Chevrolet Malibu in both front and rear seats; it matches the Ford Fusion, but trails the Honda Accord and Hyundai Sonata by almost an inch and a half in front. Camry loses to all four in front seat legroom. Camry offers more rear legroom than the competition, however; only the Malibu tops it and only by a fraction of an inch. Camry is mid pack in hiproom, about equaling the Accord and Fusion, beating the Malibu but trailing the Sonata. In trunk capaci
We're trying not to gush over the new Camry, but only the four-cylinder automatic left us wishing for better. Lengthy sessions with four-cylinder manual and V6 automatic models seriously impressed us. We drove LE, SE, XLE and Hybrid models. We were impressed not only with the overall packaging, but also with the clear distinctions among the different models, both inside and underneath.
The LE with four-cylinder and automatic was competent if short of inspiring. Performance-wise, this is not surprising, given the mass burdening this class-trailing powerplant. The four-cylinder engine is buzzy, and we felt some torque steer, under full throttle the steering wheel is lightly pulled this way and that, a common phenomenon with front-wheel drive. There's noticeable body lean in corners. Wind and road noise were audible. Fit and finish were Toyota grade, which means very well done, with zero buzzes, squeaks and/or rattles, and tight tolerances between panels and parts.
The SE, on the other hand, was a fresh and welcome departure from the Camry's heretofore conservative legacy. Finally, a Camry that's fun and entertaining to drive. The manual transmission shifted cleanly, if not with sports-car crispness. Clutch engagement was smooth and easily managed. Foot brake and gas pedal are closely enough juxtaposed that heel-and-toe shifting is doable, although again, not with sports-car ease. The V6 eagerly spins all the way up to its programmed limiter at 6500 revolutions per minute, although we could feel the power drop off some beyond the 6200-rpm redline. It lugs without stumble from 1000 rpm in top gear. Steering turn-in could be a bit more precise, but cornering is markedly solid and stable, with little body lean. The sequential-shift automatic won't upshift when in manual mode, even with the engine bouncing off the rev limiter, but it will downshift if pressed. We're still struggling with the proper shift lever direction in these manu-matics. In some, pushing the lever forward feels right for downshifting, in others, the same feels OK for upshifting. In the SE, for whatever reason, we wanted it to go opposite the way that it does, that is, forward to go down a gear and rearward to go up one. But whatever, shifts were smooth but reassuringly certain. And while we never doubted the stopping power, brake pedal feel and travel were sedan-grade, too soft and too long, that is, for our preferences.
If there's any vestige of Buick-ism to be found in the new Camry, it's in the XLE. More than just the entry-plush interior, in ride and handling, too, the top of the line '07 was more soft and floaty than firm and planted. Not wandering or imprecise, mind you, as we were entirely comfortable and assured piloting it leisurely along gently curving two-lane byways and on lightly traveled or rush hour-packed, multi-lane highways. But the XLE is more of the set-it-and-forget-it mode of transport than one actively inviting driver participation in the task. Which, in its place, we found imminently enjoyable, along with the great sound system.
The Hybrid tucked right in between the LE and the XLE, in performance, especially, although the instantaneous torque from the electric motor at times delivered acceleration that felt equal to, if not quicker than the V6. And compared with the Honda Accord Hybrid, the transitions between just the electric motor powering the car to full hybrid, with motor and engine together, were much smoother. Not invisible, but more heard than felt, whereas in an Accord Hybrid we had driven a couple weeks earlier, the transitions sometimes felt like an almost-missed shift. But in terms of ride, handling and interior comfort, were it not for the graphic display of the hybrid's status, the substitution of a welcome, real-time, fuel economy gauge for the tachometer and the unique, abbreviated shift gate, we easily could have believed we were driving an XLE. The hybrid system combine
Inside and out, the all-new 2007 Toyota Camry has new energy and style. More powerful and livelier engines, new transmissions. Yet another version of Toyota's hybrid technology. A thoroughly remodeled interior. People expecting another Japanese-brand Buick are in for a major surprise.
NewCarTestDrive.com correspondent Tom Lankard filed this report from Ojai, California.


text: Her Justice provides legal assistance to low-income residents of New York City who are female or identify as female. Her Justice concentrates on matrimonial law, handling uncontested and litigated divorces. Her Justice also concentrates on family law, encompassing custody and visitation of minor children, child support, spousal support and orders of protection. Regarding immigration, we focus on the Violence Against Women Act Self-Petition and Battered Spouse Waiver, U Non-Immigrant Status and T Visas.


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From Dr. Webster Griffin Tarpley. I commend this (in part) to you. You will never see or hear of this on mainstream media for obvious reasons.
In this autumn of 2015, humanity is being subjected to an unprecedented mass brainwashing campaign in the name of pessimism and the renunciation of a better standard of living for oneself and one's children. This campaign is advancing under the banner of climate change, global warming, overpopulation, industrial pollution, and general historical and cultural pessimism. Unfortunately, Pope Francis and the Vatican bureaucracy are playing a deplorable role by supporting this campaign, which is touted in the current pope's first encyclical entitled "Laudato Sii." The Roman Catholic bishops of much of the world have demanded the phasing out of all fossil fuels, including coal and oil, a reckless, irresponsible, and potentially lethal recommendation for the poor of the planet whom Francis says he is trying to help.
The controlled media of much of the world are laboring hard to create a pessimistic block universe, a new prisonhouse of the human mind. The problem is obviously that only the increased application of science, technology, and modern industry – including production facilities on the moon and other planets and in interplanetary space – can provide significant improvements in the standard of living, longevity, and quality of life of billions of poor people across the globe. But if every proposal for modern production, including modern energy production, is immediately dismissed with the slogans of climate change, then the situation of mankind is a blind alley, and thus truly tragic.
Fortunately for all of us, although there has been some global warming lately, it seems to have stopped about 15 years ago. In addition, whatever warming has occurred is far more likely to be attributable to solar activity than to the carbon emissions of which the climate charlatans prate.
To be a climate scientist is almost automatically to be a charlatan. Climate science is not a real discipline, like history, philosophy, mathematics, geology, astronomy, meteorology, and others. All of these disciplines maintain an open mind as to where scientific inquiry will take them. But climate science is automatically bound hand and foot to a specific conclusion – anthropogenic global warming caused by carbon emissions, which must be fought by wholesale deindustrialization and the introduction of anti-economic and backward technologies like windmills and solar cells.
One does not have to be a climate scientist to have an educated view of the anthropogenic climate change/global warming claim. For a historian like the present writer, it is easy to refute the exaggerated claims of the foundation funded thinkers of our time by going back to about 1000 to 1200 AD, the time which has long been known as the Medieval Warm Period, when, in the absence of widespread use of coal and oil, ocean and air temperatures rose to levels as high as today, and higher. The historian does not have to muck around with ice cores or other inherently problematic forms of evidence; we are lucky enough to have a written document to use as our source. We refer here to the medieval scholar Adam of Bremen, who wrote in northern Germany in the 11th century A.D., telling us of Winland, an island in the North Atlantic, where grapevines spontaneously grow. We would say Vineland.
The earliest record of the name Winland is found in Adam of Bremen's Descriptio insularum Aquilonis ("Description of the Northern Islands", ch. 39) written c. 1075. Adam implies that the name contains Old Norse vín (Latin vinum) "wine" (rendered as Old High German win):
"Moreover, he has also reported one island discovered by many in that ocean, which is called Winland, for the reason that grapevines grow there by themselves, producing the best wine." (Praeterea unam adhuc insulam recitavit a multis in eo repertam occeano, quae dicitur Winland, eo quod ibi vites sponte nascantur, vinum optimum ferentes).
Be careful when consulting, online reference works on the Medieval Warm Period, since the climate science charlatans long ago identified the Medieval Warm Period as one of the main vulnerabilities in the junk science they were peddling.
Over the years, the more cynical and outspoken of the Malthusian demagogues like Maurice Strong, Alexander King, and Aurelio Peccei have admitted that the principal purpose of campaigns around the limits of growth, overpopulation, or climate change is to prevent the scientific, technological, and industrial development of the Third World (or developing countries, or the postcolonial sector). This is already a very serious matter, since it amounts to saying that anthropogenic climate change/global warming is an ideology of genocide, just as surely as Alfred Rosenberg's ravings were an ideology for genocide in the 1930s and 1940s.
The oligarchy as a whole is compelled to seek an ideology like global warming in order to prevent the development of technology, which constantly erodes the irrational privileges of financiers and similar figures, while providing upward mobility to scientifically trained representatives of the lower classes. The oligarch must assert overpopulation, since this allows him to classify some people as superfluous and inferior, thus helping to cement oligarchical privilege.
Another reason is the one discussed by Sigmund Freud. Oligarchs who fear that their outrageous class privileges might be taken away can easily develop into paranoia. Under these circumstances, the interior of the oligarchical mind feels that all available objects have been deprived of libidinal cathexis. This is experienced by the oligarchical paranoiac as the end of his world. A frequent reaction to this internal impoverishment is to project a zero level of libidinal cathexis onto the outside world, as for example in the claim that the end of the world is approaching. The oligarch is then delighted to find that this warped intuition provides an admirable rhetorical tool for duping and stampeding the weak minded.
The argument here today is that Malthusian thinking, otherwise known as environmentalism, radical ecology, zero growth, or other names represent the inherent mental and emotional attitude of oligarchy (the rule of the few) as it has been expressed over almost 3 millennia, going back to archaic Greece. In a profound sense, today's acrimonious debates are not primarily concerned with scientific hypotheses, evidence, or findings in the theory of anthropogenic climate change/global warming. We are rather dealing with the perennial, compulsive attitude of the oligarchical mind towards human society.
Right now, the oligarchs, charlatans, and demagogues of the world are straining mightily to bind humanity into the straitjacket of their discredited ideology. They want to see anthropogenic climate change/global warming and their view of its consequences enacted into a binding treaty imposed upon all nations of the earth, an agreement which could in theory be enforced by military measures.
The climate change canard. As Obama's science czar, the most frightening John Holdren, espouses, the bases of the hysterical climate change frisson is anti-industrial Malthusian genocide and depopulation. The debate between Cornucopians and Malthusians underlies much of the flashpoint and rhetoric behind disagreements over the implications of alleged environmental science and the mythologic of climate change. Cornucopian refers to the "horn of plenty" of Greek mythology and as such cornucopians for the most part are radically and vehemently against economic and population growth strictures with limits, while Malthusians named after Thomas Malthus, take the opposing position. Immerse yourself in this subject matter. Learn of Agenda 21, Club of Rome, Malthus and Bentham. Dr. Webster Griffin Tarpley is without peer in his admonitions and historical exposure of these horrid purveyors of crypto-eugenics.
While you slept, the word plotted without you. Just a few samplings. A few ideological amuses-bouches to scare you witless.
- "The superior power of population cannot be checked without producing misery or vice." (Malthus)
- "The whole aim of practical politics is to keep the populace alarmed — and hence clamorous to be led to safety — by menacing it with an endless series of hobgoblins, all of them imaginary." And, "The urge to save humanity is almost always only a false face for the urge to rule it." (H. L. Mencken)
- "It's unlikely that the U.S. is going to take serious action on climate change until there are observable, dramatic events, almost catastrophic in nature, that drive public opinion and drive the political process in that direction." (Robert Stavins, the head of Harvard's Environmental Economics program)


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Here's a mash-up we'll see quarter to never. Rey Arzeno took the Original Trilogy's leading cast, threw in some of the X-Men's genealogy, and voilà — "Darth Holme" and her wayward children Kurt Skywalker and Princess Leianna. By the way, that's Destiny (not Storm, deceiving Force lightning) as a stand-in for the Emperor — this embellishment adds a newly amorous element to Palpatine and Anakin's relationship.
[Via The Mary Sue]


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When homebuyers look for Amelia Island waterfront real estate, too often it seems the most desirable properties are hidden amongst the numerous other properties listed for sale. Fortunately for those discriminating investors, Chaplin Williams Realty of Fernandina Beach has focused on upscale, waterfront homes in their new online publication, Exclusively Amelia.
The publication will focus on riverfront and oceanfront homes such as 3709 S Fletcher Avenue in Fernandina Beach, which has recently come onto the market. Offering all of today's most desirable amenities in the best possible locations, this Amelia Island home is a perfect example of the new publication focus.
This home is not in a planned community, so there are no homeowners' fees or association rules. A private swimming pool with waterfall graces the back yard and with five bedrooms and over 3100 square feet total space, 3709 S. Fletcher offers enough living space for a large family, while still preserving the ocean views and unhurried, traditional feel of the Fernandina Beach community. This two-story, fenced and gated home features fruit trees and tropical landscaping.
On entering 3709 S. Fletcher, visitors are greeted with an open floor plan that extends into the white-on-white kitchen with its diagonal-tile backsplash. There's room for a family breakfast at the granite countertop, while a formal dining table fits in easily close to the patio door. The master suite is on the first floor, and includes a bathroom with step-up garden tub and a walk-in shower. Generous closets yield plenty of space for fashionistas, and carpeted floors make for a quiet, warm effect. Also on the main floor are two other bedrooms, one currently used as a technology hub and the other boasting hardwood floors, making it ideal for an office, exercise, hobby or game room. There is also a laundry room with utility sink, washer and dryer. This home is exemplifies the focus of the Chaplin Williams Exclusively Amelia project.
Investors know that Amelia Island waterfront homes offer tremendous bang for the buck. An oceanfront lifestyle, combined with the charm of Fernandina Beach and its official historic district, is a sure winner among knowledgeable purchasers. When a home like the one at 3709 S. Fletcher Avenue will be marketed by the time-tested professionals at Chaplin Williams Real Estate using their new online magazine, Exclusively Amelia, sellers will have an additional assurance that their property is being showcased online with residences of similar stature.
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Policy Makers Should Consider Full-Day Preschool
A study by the National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER) (Is More Better? The Effects of Full-Day vs. Half-Day Preschool on Early School Achievement , 2006), finds that the benefits of full-day preschool over half-day programs are significant and concludes that "policy makers should strongly consider implementation of full-day preschool."
The NIEER report discusses a randomized trial that compared children from low-income families in half-day and full-day public preschool programs.
Results show that children attending full-day programs did better on mathematics and literacy tests than children in a 2.5 to 3-hour public preschool program and the achievement gains continued at least until the end of first grade.
Moreover, the results indicated that quality early childhood education can help make up for "disadvantaged circumstances." The researchers said quality preschool, therefore, may be "an effective tool for enhancing equality of opportunity as well as increasing achievement generally."
The study sponsored by NIEER, was conducted by Kenneth B. Robin, Ellen C. Frede, and W. Steven Barnett.
The researchers explain, "Preschool programs vary greatly -- from less-than-half-day to full-day-plus programs. Little rigorous research is available to inform policy decisions about the relative benefits of programs with shorter and longer hours per day or days per year. To address this need, NIEER conducted a randomized trial in which 4-year-olds in a low-income urban district were randomly assigned to programs of different durations. The programs were otherwise quite similar: all had teachers with college degrees, a low ratio of children to teachers, and used the same curriculum."
According to the report, "Children who attended an extended-day, extended-year preschool program experienced greater improvement in test scores compared to peers who attended half-day programs. The difference in performance gains over time was evident for measures of both verbal and mathematic abilities. These results indicate that duration is an important consideration for the effectiveness of preschool education. Common sense and other research suggests that increased time in the classroom yields better results because it provides greater opportunity for teachers to work individually with students and allows for a more relaxing atmosphere with less time proportionately spent on routines such as meals, tying shoelaces and hand washing."
The study concludes:
"Although further research is needed to augment this single study of half-day vs. extended-day preschool, the results clearly indicate that duration and intensity matter. Extended-day preschool seems to have dramatic and lasting effects when it is high quality. All teachers in the study classrooms were certified, public school employees paid on union scale. A comprehensive curriculum was implemented with strong supervisory support offered to classroom staff. Classrooms were also well supplied, and both children and families received support services. Given the evident need of many families for full-day care for their 4 year olds and the evidence presented here that full-day preschool has important benefits for child learning, policy makers should strongly consider implementation of full-day preschool."
Is More Better? The Effects of Full-Day vs Half-Day Preschool on Early School Achievement (2006) (PDF, 220 KB, 22pp). NIEER working paper.
May 2006


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Outsourcer Accenture has reported an increase in global sales and operating profits for the third quarter, but sales in the EMEA region were slightly down.
For the third quarter ended 31 May net revenues were US$7.2 billion, an increase of 1 percent in US dollars, and 3 percent in local currency over the same period last year.
This was slightly below the company's guided range of $7.25 billion to $7.50 billion.
Operating income for the quarter increased to $1.14 billion, including the benefit of $50 million from a reduction in corporate reorganisation liabilities. Excluding the benefit, operating income increased 3 percent to $1.09 billion, with operating margins also up.
New contract bookings for the quarter were $8.3 billion, with consulting bookings of $3.9 billion and outsourcing bookings of $4.4 billion.
Pierre Nanterme, Accenture CEO, said: "Our third-quarter results were solid overall, although consulting revenues were below our expectations. We delivered very good profitability, with operating margin expansion and EPS (earnings per share) growth reflecting the disciplined management of our business."
He added: "Quarterly new bookings of $8.3 billion brought us to nearly $25 billion for the first three quarters of the year, which positions us well for the future and demonstrates the relevance of our services and capabilities to the needs of our clients."
EMEA third quarter sales were down to $2.78 billion, compared with $2.91 billion for the third quarter of 2012, a decrease of 4 percent in US dollars and 1 percent in local currency.
TechMarketView analyst Anthony Miller said of the results: "Accenture incoming CFO David Rowland on last might's Q3 investor call announced one of Accenture's rare 'misses' in company guidance, because consulting softened more quickly and severely than management expected.
"Outsourcing was the opposite story, with revenues and bookings higher than expected, but Accenture forecasts a slowdown in outsourcing growth."
An acronym being promoted in the US covering growth areas is "SMAC" - social, mobile, analytics and cloud - and Accenture said sales in these areas were growing faster than its traditional services, "but there were no numbers to back this up", said Miller.
Accenture's Nanterne said, "The creators of 'SMAC' are in the US and the early adopters of these new technologies are more in the US."


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#1 - Once, I was a pickle in a jar. It was frightening. I was living peacefully with my friends. Then, all the sudden, a fork starting stabbing frantically in the jar. I knew it was me or the other guy (pickle). As the prongs of the fork pierced into the flesh of my pickle skin, I woke up.
#2 - Another time as I dreamed peacefully in my sleep, I discovered that I was, in fact, a hotdog....on a bun. It was a pretty good life. As I lay on the soft, white bread bun, I thought about how good my life was. Then, somebody squirted ketsup on me. I knew it was over. Then I woke up.
C - A more moving dream was the one when I was Martin Luther King, Jr. I was a man with a plan. I worked hard. I was genuine. I had work to get done. I spoke to audiences everywhere. I even gave the infamous "I have a dream" speech. (Oddly, my subconscious can repeat a lot of that speech.) After a long day, I went back to my hotel. Someone shot me. My wife cried and cried. Then I woke up.
Disclaimer: these were long ago and I've dreamt nothing as interesting since then.
Saturday, February 21, 2009
I used to have dreams.
Posted by Anonymous at Saturday, February 21, 2009 3 comments
Here's the deal: I've been in a bit of a rut for a small amount of time. It's been uncomfortable and frustrating. Every time I turn around, there's a hurdle I've got to jump. Don't get me wrong, we all have hurdles. But I have asthma. I can jump every hurdle in my path as long as I can catch my breath once in a while.
For this small period of time, I felt like I never caught my breath before my next jump. I wasn't sure how or when I'd get a time-out. During this time, I put much time and effort into learning how to be very sensitive into any direction or coaching I could find. I found very little.
All along, I had access to the break I needed.
I don't have the words to explain it but I caught my breath.
Posted by Anonymous at Saturday, February 21, 2009 3 comments
the Stupor
possible definitions:
1. being in a state of diminished feeling or sensibility
2. a state of mental numbness
3. a state in which one has difficulty in thinking or using one's senses
4. insensible
5. dazed
6. drunken
I'm not sure which category I fall into...maybe all of them.
possible ways to remove yourself from "the Stupor":
1. I don't know.....I think that constitutes stuporness.
or B. Crash a car into another one, accidentally of course.
I'm out.
Posted by Anonymous at Saturday, February 21, 2009 1 comments
Sunday, February 08, 2009
kW's CuPcAkEs
Katherine made me the bestest cupcakes in the whole world. The icing was to die for and the whip cream was homemade. Whoever thought of putting cream inside a nice piece of cake? A genius, that's who. The post-it note was an essential tool to keep the Centerville D.I. staff from even looking in the general direction of the goodness.
One co-worker asked if the post-it applied even if the cupcakes fell out of the fridge. I pretty clearly expressed my dismay by telling him that I would rub his face in each individual cupcake and he would have a rug burn so deep no one would recognize him ever again.
I like cupcakes.
Thank you Katherine and Matt! You're both too good to be true!
Posted by Anonymous at Sunday, February 08, 2009 5 comments
The ad for my piano was posted for a good 48 hours. Sweet deal, right?
Indeed it was....until the guy who bought it tried to move it with only his wife. They drug it across my kitchen floor. The linoleum didn't take it well. I have to replace my kitchen floor.
Please submit all your flooring ideas.
Posted by Anonymous at Sunday, February 08, 2009 5 comments
Doug & Emmy's
To be conservative, I ordered 1/2 a sweet roll.
One inch deep icing on a roll the size of a cow.....mmmmmmmmm.
Posted by Anonymous at Sunday, February 08, 2009 1 comments


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SAS received the highest possible score for the criteria of decision arbitration, customer recognition, and measurement and observation.
"Customer experience is rapidly becoming the key competitive differentiator," said Lisa Loftis, Principal in the Global Customer Intelligence group at SAS. "To succeed, all customer-impacting decisions must be relevant, timely and personalized. As I believe SAS' position as a Leader in this report highlights, our customer intelligence suite of products, particularly SAS Customer Intelligence 360 and SAS Intelligent Decisioning, provides the analytical power and real-time decisioning capabilities needed to elevate your customer experience."
Real-time interaction management (RTIM) is a critical CX technology that helps brands create the personalized experiences necessary to win, serve and retain customers, regardless of their point of interaction. Per Forrester, "RTIM integrates customer data, content and channels with sophisticated decision engines to align marketing and customer experience delivery."
SAS Intelligent Decisioning, a primary driver of RTIM and the automation of operations decisions, is part of the SAS Customer Intelligence family of software that helps marketers and CX leaders deliver timely and relevant decisions across all interaction channels.
In addition to receiving the highest possible score for the criteria of decision arbitration, customer recognition, and measurement and observation, SAS also received the highest possible score in the business technology vision, innovation road map and supporting products and services criteria. According to the report, "SAS (unsurprisingly) excels at meeting RTIM's rigorous analytical requirements for decision arbitration, measurement, and optimization." References from financial services, retail and telecommunications firms – representing North America, Europe and Asia – lauded SAS for both its technology capabilities and business value. One went so far as to credit SAS for "helping to make us the most analytically driven player in the sector."
We evaluated how well each vendor is positioned for current and future success in the RTIM market based on business technology vision, innovation road map, past performance, supporting products and services, partner ecosystem, and commercial model.
The Forrester Wave™: Real-Time Interaction Management, Q1 2019
Recommended Resources
Explore the impact that SAS Intelligent Decisioning can have on your business.
Learn how to improve the customer experience with artificial intelligence.
Get the latest insights on marketing analytics and customer engagement.
© 2019, Forrester Research, Inc. All rights reserved. Unauthorized reproduction is strictly prohibited. Information is based on best available resources. Opinions reflect judgment at the time and are subject to change. Forrester®, Technographics®, Forrester Wave, RoleView, TechRadar, and Total Economic Impact are trademarks of Forrester Research, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective companies. Unauthorized copying or distributing is a violation of copyright law. To purchase reprints of this document, please email email@example.com. For additional information, go to www.forrester.com.


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Family Bundle Package
Car Club Pte Ltd, a subsidiary of Mitsui & Co., is Singapore's largest Car-Sharing service provider. Besides Singapore, Car-Sharing is a world-wide mobility trend popular in global major cities like New York, Paris, Berlin and Tokyo.
At Car Club, we manage our Car-Sharing service using the latest telematic and mobile technology to serve our ever-growing individual and corporate members. We leverage on technology to deliver MOBILITY AS A SERVICE (MaaS) to everyone in Singapore and in the region. With MCaaS as our core objective, we offer an on-demand (24/7) mobility choice, at our conveniently located Car-Sharing stations.


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What are Adhesive and Sealant Dispensers used for?
Adhesive dispensers ensure a controlled application of adhesives such as glues, silicones and pastes, which are used to bond solids together. There are various dispensers and accessories available depending on application and whether its to dispense only or mix and dispense. These take the form of syringe guns, squeeze bottles, pump dispensers, dispenser needles, syringes and mixer nozzles. Brands include RS PRO, Electrolube, Molex, Kahnetics, 3M and Araldite.
Sealant dispensers, also known as caulking guns, deliver a measure of sealant in a smooth line or are used for filling gaps or cracks. They normally hold a tube or cartridge of sealant material. Brands of sealant dispensers available include ACC Silicones, Geocel, Henkel and RS PRO.
Tape dispensers are available in many sizes depending on whether youre looking to tape up a parcel in a packing area or for use as a handy desktop sealer. Tape widths can vary from 50mm to 96mm. The packing tape dispensers work by applying pressure sensitive tape to the package and are fast and effective. The smaller desktop dispensers use office tape and generally have a non-slip rubber base, while the bench tape dispensers are a more robust metal version with a blade protection cap. Choose from brands 3M, Rapesco, RS PRO, Tesa and Vermason.
Accessories for Adhesive Dispensers
Accessories available include:
- Adhesive Dispenser Needles – mainly used in industrial applications and come in different tip sizes manufactured in stainless steel or plastic. Different tips are designed for different applications, such as tapered tips to help prevent obstructions and increase flow rates to brush tips to use on larger surface areas.
- Epoxy Mixer Nozzles – for use with epoxy guns and mixing two or more adhesives together.
- Syringes – uses a plunger to draw the fluid up and dispense accordingly.


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2012 Jingle Ball Celebrity Pictures
Justin, Alicia, Ke$ha and More Ring In the Holidays at Jingle Ball
Justin, Alicia, Ke$ha and More Ring In the Holidays at Jingle Ball
Justin Bieber, Alicia Keys and Ke$ha showed their holiday spirit at KIIS-FM's Jingle Ball in LA last night. The Nokia Theatre housed the annual event, with a star-studded performance lineup that featured Justin, Flo Rida, The Wanted and Psy. We caught up with Flo Rida as he headed inside, and he revealed he planned to pump himself up to take the mic by doing a few push-ups. After walking the red carpet, Alicia Keys made a surprise appearance on stage.
Justin belted out his hit single "All Around the World," then flashed his abs for fans during "Baby." Before his revealing performance, Justin was reportedly holding hands with Selena Gomez. Between his on-again girlfriend's company and a strong performance, Justin later tweeted about the Jingle Ball's being a "great show."