Leaderboard
728x15
Showing posts with label Photo Effects Online. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Photo Effects Online. Show all posts

Model Richmond

Check out these photo effects online images:


Model Richmond
photo effects online
Image by Derek K. Miller
Fake tilt-shift lens effect created by TiltShiftMaker (thanks to Scott for the link). Richmond, B.C., June 2002. This is a real aerial shot; it just looks like a model because of the focus effect.


E-G.A Personnel Mollification Unit
photo effects online
Image by n.stauffer
A planet-wide ban on the import of all Ephra-Goll Assemblies products has gone into effect until the security forces of the city of New Refiun regain full control their mechs. Although no one has yet been injured or killed except while attempting to incapacitate either IPUs or the USNU, there is no consensus on when, if ever, they will respond to issued orders again.

The apparently busy "SMITH, JOHN" and another so-called clerical error have resulted in a large shipment of Personnel Mollification Units being shipped in by E-G.A. Although just over a meter tall and running software that barely qualifies as AI, they've shown themselves to be remarkably crafty hiding themselves throughout the USNU's bay. They have been observed to disassemble still-online robots while giggling using sound samples of children's laughter from the planetwide archives.

Frankly, this would be absurd if it weren't so dangerous. Overwhelming force will be brought to bear on the bay soon if the mechs' AIs continue to refuse killswitch commands.

I wanted to build something a little more animalistic. I also wanted an excuse to do stumpy, bladed legs which suggested that I'd need a quadruped or at least knuckle-walking mech which led me to this ape-esque design. Unintentionally, it happens to resemble some of the colossi from the game 'Shadow of the Colossus'.


Dinky downtown L.A.
photo effects online
Image by Derek K. Miller
Fake tilt-shift lens effect created by TiltShiftMaker (thanks to Scott for the link). Downtown L.A., August 2006. It's a real aerial shot, but looks like a model because of the focus effect.

Cool Photo Effects Online images

Some cool photo effects online images:


Poison Ivy, Toxicodendron radicans....Ivy có độc....#9
photo effects online
Image by Vietnam Plants & The USA. plants
Taken on June 8, 2012 in Waco city, Texas state, Southern of America.

Nếu nhìn trên bản đồ của Bộ Nông Nghiêp Hoa Kỳ ( USDA ) bạn sẽ thấy sự hiện diện của loài cây này trên nửa nước Mỹ .
Khi bạn chạm phải hay đến rất gần loài cây này, bạn cũng có khả năng bị nổi lên những mụn đỏ trên da gây ngứa dữ dội, ngứa đến nổi bạn có thể gãi đến chảy màu, nếu không đi đến bác sĩ kịp thời . Tốt nhất là sau khi đã đi vào rừng hay đến những vùng có nhiều cây cỏ thiên nhiên, bạn nên tắm gội toàn thân để trút sạch những độc tính mà bạn có thể vướng vào da thịt, quần áo . Lần đầu tiên khi chụp hình loài cây và hoa này, tôi chưa đọc kỷ thông tin cho nên chưa biết, sau khi trở về nhà, tôi đã làm nhiều việc nhà , cho đến 10 giờ tối tôi mới đi tắm ,và tôi đã bị nổi mụn đỏ khắp mình. mụn nổi đến đâu thì cơn ngứa hoành hành đến đó tôi rất kềm chế nếu không có thể gãi đến chảy máu , nhưng may là không nổi trên hai tay và mặt, có lẽ vì khi trở về nhà tôi đã rửa mặt và tay liền . Hậu quả là tôi đã phải uống thuốc chống dị ứng một tuần lễ , và các mụn đỏ để lại dấu vết trên cơ thể rất ghê. Con trai nóng ruột quá đi mua cho tôi Johnson Baby Lotion loại có : Vanilla Oatmeal để sau khi tắm xong ,thoa lên những chỗ có vết mụn để lại thì những vết đỏ sẽ mau phai cách nhanh chóng . Nếu trong vườn bạn có mọc loài cây này, hãy đốn bỏ đi tận gốc rể để đề phòng bênh tật nhất là nếu bạn có trẻ nhỏ, tôi không biết nếu trẻ nhỏ chạm phải cây này thì sẽ như thế nào.

I was itched and had many acne redness ( look like Chicken-pox )on skin from the hip to the feet, after I touched the leaves, flowers for taking some images of these plants. I used allergy tablet for stop itchy in 7 days. After that I read some information of this plant, and I tried to come back to take some more photos for , but I had a shower right after I came back home, not wait until evening as before, and I didn't be itch again.
That's my experience .....Read the information below carefully, please.
The foliage of Poison Ivy can irritate the skin of most people, causing redness and blisters. This is caused by a reaction of the immune system to urushiol. People who are immune to Poison Ivy when they are young, can become sensitive to its irritating effects when they become older ( www.illinoiswildflowers.info ).

Vietnamese named : Thường Xuân độc, Sơn đôc, Ivy độc.
Common names : Poison Ivy, Eastern Poison Ivy.
Scientist name : Toxicodendron radicans (L.) Kuntze
Synonyms :
Familly : Anacardiaceae - Sumac family.
Group : Dicot
Duration : Perennial
Growth Habit : Shrub - Forb/herb - Subshrub - Vine
Kingdom : Plantae – Plants
Subkingdom : Tracheobionta – Vascular plants
Superdivision : Spermatophyta – Seed plants
Division : Magnoliophyta – Flowering plants
Class: Magnoliopsida – Dicotyledons
Subclass : Rosidae
Order : Sapindales
Genus : Toxicodendron Mill. – poison oak
Species : Toxicodendron radicans (L.) Kuntze – eastern poison ivy

**** vst.vista.gov.vn/home/database/an_pham_dien_tu/MagazineNa...
Khí nhà kính sinh ra những cây leo độc

Cây thường xuân có độc (toxicodendron radicans) mọc như một loại cây bụi hoặc leo lên thân các cây khác là hiểm họa đối với những người làm vườn và những người dân quê ở Bắc Mỹ vì chúng có thể gây ra chứng phát ban rất đau trên da. Loại cây này tạo ra một loại chất độc gọi là urushiol nằm trong lá cây.
Trong nghiên cứu này, Mohan và các cộng sự của bà đã bơm thêm khí CO2 vào 3 khu đất lớn bao quanh ở rừng thông phía Bắc California. Trong sáu năm, cây cối trong rừng nhận một lượng CO2 là 580 phần triệu so với lượng CO2 trong bầu khí quyển hiện vào khoảng 380 phần triệu. Con số 580 phần triệu là là con số chúng ta dự đoán mức độ ô nhiễm vào giữa thế kỷ 21.
Nghiên cứu khác đã cho rằng các cây leo có xu hướng lớn nhanh đặc biệt khi lượng CO2 tăng cao hơn, và những cây leo đang tăng nhanh về số lượng trên khắp trái đất. Không giống như các loại cây thông thường hấp thụ lượng khí cacbonic tăng thêm để sản sinh thêm gỗ, những cây leo này hấp thụ lượng lượng khí cacbonic tăng thêm để sản sinh thêm lá. Lượng lá cây tăng thêm lại giúp cây leo hập thụ thêm khí CO2, vòng tuần hoàn này lặp đi lặp lại và những cây leo này ngày càng phát triển hơn.
Thí nghiệm của Mohan nhằm mục đích kiểm tra xem liệu kết quả trên cây leo có lớn vọt lên trong thiên nhiên như chúng đã thể hiện ở thí nghiệm trong nhà kính hay không. Và câu trả lời là “Có, chúng lớn rất nhanh”. Những cây thường xuân có độc lớn nhanh gấp hai lần so với những cây cùng loại được phát triển ở dưới mức CO2 bình thường, trong khi tỷ lệ này ở các loài cây thân gỗ là khoảng 31%. Nhóm nghiên cứu cho biết khí CO2 tăng lên cũng tạo ra một loại chất độc urushiol nguy hiểm hơn.
Chất béo gây đau rát
Urushiol được tạo ra từ nhiều loại chất béo khác nhau. Loại chất béo ít độc hơn là chất béo “bão hòa,” có nghĩa là các nguyên tử cacbon trong phân tử chỉ có liên kết đơn với các nguyên tử cacbon khác, và phần còn lại của các liên kết này bão hòa với hyđrô. Tuy nhiên hầu hết các chất béo trong urushiol đều không bão hòa. Chúng có hơn 1 liên kết hóa học giữa nguyên tử cacbon và có ít hyđrô hơn. Những chất béo không bão hoà này được cho là những chất làm da tấy rát nhất.
Bằng cách chiết xuất chất urushiol từ lá cây, các nhà nghiên cứu đã phát hiện ra rằng cây thường xuân có độc phát triển trong môi trường có hàm lượng khí CO2 cao sinh ra một dạng chất độc không bão hoà urushiol nhiều hơn 150% và chất urushiol bão hòa ít hơn 60%.
Các nhà nghiên cứu không chắc chắn tại sao sự biến đổi hóa học này lại xảy ra, nhưng có ý kiến cho rằng hàm lượng cacbon tăng lên bằng cách nào đó sẽ tạo điều kiện thuận lợi cho các phản ứng hóa học sản sinh ra dạng không bão hòa của chất urushiol.
Ước tính ở Mỹ mỗi năm cây thường xuân độc gây ra 350.000 trường hợp phát ban trên da. Khoảng 80% người dân có phản ứng với chất độc này và càng tiếp xúc nhiều hơn với chất độc, phản ứng của họ càng tệ hơn. Mohan nói rằng: “Tôi có những đồng nghiệp bị dị ứng mạnh đến nỗi các bác sĩ chuyên khoa da liễu của họ nói rằng họ phải chuyển nghề.”
Mohan cho rằng sự tăng lên của CO2 cũng làm tăng trưởng các cây leo độc khác trong họ Toxicodendron trên khắp thế giới. “Những loài cây phổ biến của rừng trong tương lai sẽ khác với những loài cây phổ biến trong rừng hiện nay.”
N.M.N (theo Nature online, 30/5/2006)

________________________________________________________________

**** plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=tora2
**** en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toxicodendron_radicans
**** www.duke.edu/~cwcook/trees/tora.html
**** www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=TORA2
**** www.illinoiswildflowers.info/trees/plants/poison_ivy.htm

**** www.kingdomplantae.net/poisonIvy.php

A highly variable perennial woody vine or shrub, native to North America and Asia and introduced in Great Britain, Europe, and Australia.
There is considerable disagreement over whether poison ivy is one species with variations, or many separate species. It is also sometimes said that the poison oaks (Toxicodendron diversilobum and Toxicodendron quercifolium) are merely variations of the same species.

The photos on this page depict the common form in my locale (a trailing vine), but the text is more general.

Poison ivy prefers rich soil with good drainage and plenty of water. It is particularly common around lakes, swamps, and rivers. It will grow perfectly well, however, in a wide variety of other habitats. It's common along roadsides and trails, in areas of waste ground, in thickets, in open woods, and in old fields. It seems to do best in my area (Minnesota) in places that are just slightly shaded.

New poison ivy shoots sprout from existing roots, from rhizomes (underground stems), from climbing vines, and of course, from seed.

The stems are woody, brown, and smooth (though older stems of climbing plants develop a very hairy appearance). They may trail along (or just under) the ground, sending frequent branches both out and up. They may grow upright, in a shrub form, which can reach 7 feet in height under good conditions. Or they may grow as a vine, up to 5 inches in diameter, climbing trees and fences by means of dense, dark, fibrous, aerial roots (giving the vines that hairy look).

The alternate leaves have rather long stalks and are palmately compound (the leaflets radiate outward from a center point, like the fingers on your hand). The three leaflets, around 2" to 4" in length, may be shiny or not, are generally (but not always) wavy-edged or slightly toothed, and are sometimes slightly lobed. The young leaves are green, often with a reddish cast that they lose as they mature. In late spring to early summer, the flowers appear, in loose clusters from the leaf axils. The flowers have five petals, are about 1/8" diameter, are off-white with a yellowish or greenish tinge, and develop into small (about 1/4" diameter), round, dry, off-white fruits with a yellowish or greenish tinge. The fruit ripens in late summer through late fall, and at about the same time the leaves turn bright red, providing a cue to the many birds that feed on the fruits. The leaves fall once temperatures drop below freezing, while the fruits remain on the plants through the winter.

The thing that makes poison ivy so famous is the presence of a pale yellow oil called urushiol. This oil is present within all parts of the plant, but is not found on the surface unless the plant is damaged or bruised. The plant is somewhat fragile, however, and the majority of specimens are damaged in some way. Furthermore, urushiol can take many years to break down, particularly in cool and dry conditions, so it is also present in dead plants.

Urushiol is sticky, and is easily transferred to anything that touches it. And, as it is a stable compound, once it's on something (like your clothes, tools, or pets), at least some of it will stay there for quite a while unless it's washed off. When poison ivy is burned, the urushiol is carried on particles of soot and dust in the smoke.

Urushiol itself is not poisonous. However, urushiol which remains on your skin for more than five minutes or so will begin to be absorbed and metabolized.


The metabolites bind with skin proteins, forming new structures. In about 85% of the human population, the immune system sees these structures as foreign and attacks them. It is this immune response, or allergic reaction, which causes the itching, inflammation, and blistering of the skin. These symptoms generally appear after half a day to two days. After a few more days, when all of the alien structures have been destroyed (along with much of the surrounding tissue), the rash begins to heal...

The average person doesn't have a reaction the first time they're exposed, and if they do, it's usually delayed by seven to ten days. It takes some time for your body to produce the appropriate T-cells. Sensitivity also varies among individuals, and usually decreases with age. The palms of the hands and the soles of the feet, where the skin is thicker, are generally immune.

Severe cases, especially those involving mucous membranes (eyes, mouth, throat, lungs, etc.) require medical attention. Hydrocortisone preparations or, in really severe cases, steroids, are generally given to reduce the immune response. As with many allergens, a severe reaction can be fatal if left untreated.


The best way to avoid getting "poison ivy" is to not get urushiol on your skin. Know what the plant looks like and avoid it. If you can't avoid it, wear protective clothing. Wash anything that may have come in contact with the plant before it touches your skin, including your dog. Never ever ever burn poison ivy. Stay away from forest fires (unless you're a firefighter, then wear protective gear). There are also barrier creams that are commercially available.

If you think you've been exposed, wash the area as soon as possible, preferably within an hour after exposure, with lots of cool running water. A lake or a river works well. Don't use soap unless it contains no oils (oil will cause the urushiol to spread). In the woods, look for bouncing bet (Saponaria officinales). With its high saponin content, it makes a workable oil-free soap. You may also wash the area with alcohol or another solvent, rinsing with plenty of water, but keep in mind that this strips your skin of its protective oils, making it more vulnerable to urushiol.

The most well known herbal treatment for poison ivy is the juice of jewelweed (Impatiens spp.) There may be a compound in jewelweed which binds to the same sites as the urushiol metabolites, thereby blocking their access. If this is true, applying jewelweed to the skin just before or just after exposure should prevent the rash. There is quite a lot of anecdotal evidence that this works. Jewelweed also has anti-inflammatory properties and should be a soothing treatment for an already developed rash.

Plantain (Plantago spp.), applied as a poultice, may also prevent the rash and will also soothe an already developed rash. Other plants with astringent and/or soothing properties may also help.

There is anecdotal evidence of people desensitizing themselves to poison ivy by eating poison ivy leaves, first starting with a tiny amount and then gradually increasing the dosage until a maintenance level is reached. The most common side effect of this treatment, however, is getting the rash where the urushiol passes out of your body. It is also possible to have symptoms internally. Similar treatments in pill form can be obtained from a doctor or dermatologist, but have the same unpleasant side effects. No other immunization appears to be available at this time.

Medicinally, poison ivy has been used to treat paralysis, arthritis, and certain persistent skin disorders, and also as a sedative. It is still used in homeopathic medicine for arthritis and skin disorders.

Poison ivy fruits are an important food source for a wide variety of birds (who also spread the seeds), and also for other wildlife, including deer. Goats quite like poison ivy and can be an effective means of controlling it. I've heard that drinking the milk from such a goat might desensitize a person, though I haven't seen any evidence to back that up. Studies have been done showing that urushiol is not transferred to the milk, but whether its metabolites are present seems to be unknown.

Poison ivy has occasionally been planted in gardens for color. This is how it arrived in England and Australia.

The sap turns black, and dries hard (like lacquer), when exposed to air, and has been used as a permanent ink, as a dye, and as an ingredient in varnishes.

To control poison ivy, either pull or dig it out by hand, cover it with mulch so that no light reaches it, mow it close to the ground, spray it with herbicides, or use any combination of methods. If you pull it out by hand, the best time is probably late fall or very early spring, and protective clothing must be worn. Be sure to get every part of the plant or it will regenerate. Throw it all in the trash (double bag it for the trash collector). Do not attempt to compost it and never ever try to burn it. When you're finished, wash everything, including yourself, thoroughly (wash your clothes separately from your other laundry or have them dry-cleaned if necessary). Using mulch is simple, but the ivy may pop through again, so cover it well. Mowing will kill a portion of it, anyway, as will the exposure to full sun, but remember that you're getting the oil all over the place, so wear protective gear and clean your equipment afterward. If herbicides are used, use them carefully, following the directions, and no more than necessary. Probably the most effective and least harmful method is to cut it and then use a disposable foam brush to paint the stump with the herbicide. You'll probably also want to wash everything when you're done. Herbicides are poisons, after all.

One last way to control poison ivy is to make the site inhospitable for it. Pay attention to the local conditions that it likes to grow in, and those it doesn't grow in, and then add or remove other plants to make the poison ivy feel less at home. Planting aggressive plants or plants that inhibit the growth of other plants, like black walnut or mugwort might be worth a try.

A last thought - don't create a problem where none exists. Behind the building where I work, there's a granite outcropping covered in wild blackberries, wild roses, staghorn sumac, moss with tiny little flowers and poison ivy. Small animals and birds loved the place, as did I, often picking blackberries there (carefully) on my lunch break. The poison ivy never spread off the rock because the area around it was kept mowed. But some safety official from the big city decided it was dangerous and had to be eliminated, so our maintenance crew has been spraying Round-up all over it for months and months. They haven't killed the poison ivy - and probably won't, even if they try to dig it out, since the roots run through the rock, but they've killed almost everything else there - there are no more blackberries, no roses, no birds or rabbits or tiny little flowers - and as far as I know noone ever actually got poison ivy there because only a few of us ever went back there and we were all nature types who knew enough to avoid it. It's just a waste of time, energy, and much needed habitat to start a war against something that isn't hurting anyone.


Poison Ivy, Toxicodendron radicans....Ivy có độc....#4
photo effects online
Image by Vietnam Plants & The USA. plants
Taken on June 8, 2012 in Waco city, Texas state, Southern of America.

Nếu nhìn trên bản đồ của Bộ Nông Nghiêp Hoa Kỳ ( USDA ) bạn sẽ thấy sự hiện diện của loài cây này trên phân nửa nước Mỹ .
Khi bạn chạm phải hay đến rất gần loài cây này, bạn cũng có khả năng bị nổi lên những mụn đỏ trên da gây ngứa dữ dội, ngứa đến nổi bạn có thể gãi đến chảy màu, nếu không đi đến bác sĩ kịp thời . Tốt nhất là sau khi đã đi vào rừng hay đến những vùng có nhiều cây cỏ thiên nhiên, bạn nên tắm gội toàn thân để trút sạch những độc tính mà bạn có thể vướng vào da thịt, quần áo . Lần đầu tiên khi chụp hình loài cây và hoa này, tôi chưa đọc kỷ thông tin cho nên chưa biết, sau khi trở về nhà, tôi đã làm nhiều việc nhà , cho đến 10 giờ tối tôi mới đi tắm ,và tôi đã bị nổi mụn đỏ khắp mình. mụn nổi đến đâu thì cơn ngứa hoành hành đến đó tôi rất kềm chế nếu không có thể gãi đến chảy máu , nhưng may là không nổi trên hai tay và mặt, có lẽ vì khi trở về nhà tôi đã rửa mặt và tay liền . Hậu quả là tôi đã phải uống thuốc chống dị ứng một tuần lễ , và các mụn đỏ để lại dấu vết trên cơ thể rất ghê. Con trai nóng ruột quá đi mua cho tôi Johnson Baby Lotion loại có : Vanilla Oatmeal để sau khi tắm xong ,thoa lên những chỗ có vết mụn để lại thì những vết đỏ sẽ mau phai cách nhanh chóng . Nếu trong vườn bạn có mọc loài cây này, hãy đốn bỏ đi tận gốc rể để đề phòng bênh tật nhất là nếu bạn có trẻ nhỏ, tôi không biết nếu trẻ nhỏ chạm phải cây này thì sẽ như thế nào.

I was itched and had many acne redness ( look like Chicken-pox )on skin from the hip to the feet, after I touched the leaves, flowers for taking some images of these plants. I used allergy tablet for stop itchy in 7 days. After that I read some information of this plant, and I tried to come back to take some more photos for , but I had a shower right after I came back home, not wait until evening as before, and I didn't be itch again.
That's my experience .....Read the information below carefully, please.
The foliage of Poison Ivy can irritate the skin of most people, causing redness and blisters. This is caused by a reaction of the immune system to urushiol. People who are immune to Poison Ivy when they are young, can become sensitive to its irritating effects when they become older ( www.illinoiswildflowers.info ).

Vietnamese named : Thường Xuân độc, Sơn đôc, Ivy độc.
Common names : Poison Ivy, Eastern Poison Ivy.
Scientist name : Toxicodendron radicans (L.) Kuntze
Synonyms :
Familly : Anacardiaceae - Sumac family.
Group : Dicot
Duration : Perennial
Growth Habit : Shrub - Forb/herb - Subshrub - Vine
Kingdom : Plantae – Plants
Subkingdom : Tracheobionta – Vascular plants
Superdivision : Spermatophyta – Seed plants
Division : Magnoliophyta – Flowering plants
Class: Magnoliopsida – Dicotyledons
Subclass : Rosidae
Order : Sapindales
Genus : Toxicodendron Mill. – poison oak
Species : Toxicodendron radicans (L.) Kuntze – eastern poison ivy

**** vst.vista.gov.vn/home/database/an_pham_dien_tu/MagazineNa...
Khí nhà kính sinh ra những cây leo độc

Cây thường xuân có độc (toxicodendron radicans) mọc như một loại cây bụi hoặc leo lên thân các cây khác là hiểm họa đối với những người làm vườn và những người dân quê ở Bắc Mỹ vì chúng có thể gây ra chứng phát ban rất đau trên da. Loại cây này tạo ra một loại chất độc gọi là urushiol nằm trong lá cây.
Trong nghiên cứu này, Mohan và các cộng sự của bà đã bơm thêm khí CO2 vào 3 khu đất lớn bao quanh ở rừng thông phía Bắc California. Trong sáu năm, cây cối trong rừng nhận một lượng CO2 là 580 phần triệu so với lượng CO2 trong bầu khí quyển hiện vào khoảng 380 phần triệu. Con số 580 phần triệu là là con số chúng ta dự đoán mức độ ô nhiễm vào giữa thế kỷ 21.
Nghiên cứu khác đã cho rằng các cây leo có xu hướng lớn nhanh đặc biệt khi lượng CO2 tăng cao hơn, và những cây leo đang tăng nhanh về số lượng trên khắp trái đất. Không giống như các loại cây thông thường hấp thụ lượng khí cacbonic tăng thêm để sản sinh thêm gỗ, những cây leo này hấp thụ lượng lượng khí cacbonic tăng thêm để sản sinh thêm lá. Lượng lá cây tăng thêm lại giúp cây leo hập thụ thêm khí CO2, vòng tuần hoàn này lặp đi lặp lại và những cây leo này ngày càng phát triển hơn.
Thí nghiệm của Mohan nhằm mục đích kiểm tra xem liệu kết quả trên cây leo có lớn vọt lên trong thiên nhiên như chúng đã thể hiện ở thí nghiệm trong nhà kính hay không. Và câu trả lời là “Có, chúng lớn rất nhanh”. Những cây thường xuân có độc lớn nhanh gấp hai lần so với những cây cùng loại được phát triển ở dưới mức CO2 bình thường, trong khi tỷ lệ này ở các loài cây thân gỗ là khoảng 31%. Nhóm nghiên cứu cho biết khí CO2 tăng lên cũng tạo ra một loại chất độc urushiol nguy hiểm hơn.
Chất béo gây đau rát
Urushiol được tạo ra từ nhiều loại chất béo khác nhau. Loại chất béo ít độc hơn là chất béo “bão hòa,” có nghĩa là các nguyên tử cacbon trong phân tử chỉ có liên kết đơn với các nguyên tử cacbon khác, và phần còn lại của các liên kết này bão hòa với hyđrô. Tuy nhiên hầu hết các chất béo trong urushiol đều không bão hòa. Chúng có hơn 1 liên kết hóa học giữa nguyên tử cacbon và có ít hyđrô hơn. Những chất béo không bão hoà này được cho là những chất làm da tấy rát nhất.
Bằng cách chiết xuất chất urushiol từ lá cây, các nhà nghiên cứu đã phát hiện ra rằng cây thường xuân có độc phát triển trong môi trường có hàm lượng khí CO2 cao sinh ra một dạng chất độc không bão hoà urushiol nhiều hơn 150% và chất urushiol bão hòa ít hơn 60%.
Các nhà nghiên cứu không chắc chắn tại sao sự biến đổi hóa học này lại xảy ra, nhưng có ý kiến cho rằng hàm lượng cacbon tăng lên bằng cách nào đó sẽ tạo điều kiện thuận lợi cho các phản ứng hóa học sản sinh ra dạng không bão hòa của chất urushiol.
Ước tính ở Mỹ mỗi năm cây thường xuân độc gây ra 350.000 trường hợp phát ban trên da. Khoảng 80% người dân có phản ứng với chất độc này và càng tiếp xúc nhiều hơn với chất độc, phản ứng của họ càng tệ hơn. Mohan nói rằng: “Tôi có những đồng nghiệp bị dị ứng mạnh đến nỗi các bác sĩ chuyên khoa da liễu của họ nói rằng họ phải chuyển nghề.”
Mohan cho rằng sự tăng lên của CO2 cũng làm tăng trưởng các cây leo độc khác trong họ Toxicodendron trên khắp thế giới. “Những loài cây phổ biến của rừng trong tương lai sẽ khác với những loài cây phổ biến trong rừng hiện nay.”
N.M.N (theo Nature online, 30/5/2006)

________________________________________________________________

**** plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=tora2
**** en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toxicodendron_radicans
**** www.duke.edu/~cwcook/trees/tora.html
**** www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=TORA2
**** www.illinoiswildflowers.info/trees/plants/poison_ivy.htm

**** www.kingdomplantae.net/poisonIvy.php

A highly variable perennial woody vine or shrub, native to North America and Asia and introduced in Great Britain, Europe, and Australia.
There is considerable disagreement over whether poison ivy is one species with variations, or many separate species. It is also sometimes said that the poison oaks (Toxicodendron diversilobum and Toxicodendron quercifolium) are merely variations of the same species.

The photos on this page depict the common form in my locale (a trailing vine), but the text is more general.

Poison ivy prefers rich soil with good drainage and plenty of water. It is particularly common around lakes, swamps, and rivers. It will grow perfectly well, however, in a wide variety of other habitats. It's common along roadsides and trails, in areas of waste ground, in thickets, in open woods, and in old fields. It seems to do best in my area (Minnesota) in places that are just slightly shaded.

New poison ivy shoots sprout from existing roots, from rhizomes (underground stems), from climbing vines, and of course, from seed.

The stems are woody, brown, and smooth (though older stems of climbing plants develop a very hairy appearance). They may trail along (or just under) the ground, sending frequent branches both out and up. They may grow upright, in a shrub form, which can reach 7 feet in height under good conditions. Or they may grow as a vine, up to 5 inches in diameter, climbing trees and fences by means of dense, dark, fibrous, aerial roots (giving the vines that hairy look).

The alternate leaves have rather long stalks and are palmately compound (the leaflets radiate outward from a center point, like the fingers on your hand). The three leaflets, around 2" to 4" in length, may be shiny or not, are generally (but not always) wavy-edged or slightly toothed, and are sometimes slightly lobed. The young leaves are green, often with a reddish cast that they lose as they mature. In late spring to early summer, the flowers appear, in loose clusters from the leaf axils. The flowers have five petals, are about 1/8" diameter, are off-white with a yellowish or greenish tinge, and develop into small (about 1/4" diameter), round, dry, off-white fruits with a yellowish or greenish tinge. The fruit ripens in late summer through late fall, and at about the same time the leaves turn bright red, providing a cue to the many birds that feed on the fruits. The leaves fall once temperatures drop below freezing, while the fruits remain on the plants through the winter.

The thing that makes poison ivy so famous is the presence of a pale yellow oil called urushiol. This oil is present within all parts of the plant, but is not found on the surface unless the plant is damaged or bruised. The plant is somewhat fragile, however, and the majority of specimens are damaged in some way. Furthermore, urushiol can take many years to break down, particularly in cool and dry conditions, so it is also present in dead plants.

Urushiol is sticky, and is easily transferred to anything that touches it. And, as it is a stable compound, once it's on something (like your clothes, tools, or pets), at least some of it will stay there for quite a while unless it's washed off. When poison ivy is burned, the urushiol is carried on particles of soot and dust in the smoke.

Urushiol itself is not poisonous. However, urushiol which remains on your skin for more than five minutes or so will begin to be absorbed and metabolized.


The metabolites bind with skin proteins, forming new structures. In about 85% of the human population, the immune system sees these structures as foreign and attacks them. It is this immune response, or allergic reaction, which causes the itching, inflammation, and blistering of the skin. These symptoms generally appear after half a day to two days. After a few more days, when all of the alien structures have been destroyed (along with much of the surrounding tissue), the rash begins to heal...

The average person doesn't have a reaction the first time they're exposed, and if they do, it's usually delayed by seven to ten days. It takes some time for your body to produce the appropriate T-cells. Sensitivity also varies among individuals, and usually decreases with age. The palms of the hands and the soles of the feet, where the skin is thicker, are generally immune.

Severe cases, especially those involving mucous membranes (eyes, mouth, throat, lungs, etc.) require medical attention. Hydrocortisone preparations or, in really severe cases, steroids, are generally given to reduce the immune response. As with many allergens, a severe reaction can be fatal if left untreated.


The best way to avoid getting "poison ivy" is to not get urushiol on your skin. Know what the plant looks like and avoid it. If you can't avoid it, wear protective clothing. Wash anything that may have come in contact with the plant before it touches your skin, including your dog. Never ever ever burn poison ivy. Stay away from forest fires (unless you're a firefighter, then wear protective gear). There are also barrier creams that are commercially available.

If you think you've been exposed, wash the area as soon as possible, preferably within an hour after exposure, with lots of cool running water. A lake or a river works well. Don't use soap unless it contains no oils (oil will cause the urushiol to spread). In the woods, look for bouncing bet (Saponaria officinales). With its high saponin content, it makes a workable oil-free soap. You may also wash the area with alcohol or another solvent, rinsing with plenty of water, but keep in mind that this strips your skin of its protective oils, making it more vulnerable to urushiol.

The most well known herbal treatment for poison ivy is the juice of jewelweed (Impatiens spp.) There may be a compound in jewelweed which binds to the same sites as the urushiol metabolites, thereby blocking their access. If this is true, applying jewelweed to the skin just before or just after exposure should prevent the rash. There is quite a lot of anecdotal evidence that this works. Jewelweed also has anti-inflammatory properties and should be a soothing treatment for an already developed rash.

Plantain (Plantago spp.), applied as a poultice, may also prevent the rash and will also soothe an already developed rash. Other plants with astringent and/or soothing properties may also help.

There is anecdotal evidence of people desensitizing themselves to poison ivy by eating poison ivy leaves, first starting with a tiny amount and then gradually increasing the dosage until a maintenance level is reached. The most common side effect of this treatment, however, is getting the rash where the urushiol passes out of your body. It is also possible to have symptoms internally. Similar treatments in pill form can be obtained from a doctor or dermatologist, but have the same unpleasant side effects. No other immunization appears to be available at this time.

Medicinally, poison ivy has been used to treat paralysis, arthritis, and certain persistent skin disorders, and also as a sedative. It is still used in homeopathic medicine for arthritis and skin disorders.

Poison ivy fruits are an important food source for a wide variety of birds (who also spread the seeds), and also for other wildlife, including deer. Goats quite like poison ivy and can be an effective means of controlling it. I've heard that drinking the milk from such a goat might desensitize a person, though I haven't seen any evidence to back that up. Studies have been done showing that urushiol is not transferred to the milk, but whether its metabolites are present seems to be unknown.

Poison ivy has occasionally been planted in gardens for color. This is how it arrived in England and Australia.

The sap turns black, and dries hard (like lacquer), when exposed to air, and has been used as a permanent ink, as a dye, and as an ingredient in varnishes.

To control poison ivy, either pull or dig it out by hand, cover it with mulch so that no light reaches it, mow it close to the ground, spray it with herbicides, or use any combination of methods. If you pull it out by hand, the best time is probably late fall or very early spring, and protective clothing must be worn. Be sure to get every part of the plant or it will regenerate. Throw it all in the trash (double bag it for the trash collector). Do not attempt to compost it and never ever try to burn it. When you're finished, wash everything, including yourself, thoroughly (wash your clothes separately from your other laundry or have them dry-cleaned if necessary). Using mulch is simple, but the ivy may pop through again, so cover it well. Mowing will kill a portion of it, anyway, as will the exposure to full sun, but remember that you're getting the oil all over the place, so wear protective gear and clean your equipment afterward. If herbicides are used, use them carefully, following the directions, and no more than necessary. Probably the most effective and least harmful method is to cut it and then use a disposable foam brush to paint the stump with the herbicide. You'll probably also want to wash everything when you're done. Herbicides are poisons, after all.

One last way to control poison ivy is to make the site inhospitable for it. Pay attention to the local conditions that it likes to grow in, and those it doesn't grow in, and then add or remove other plants to make the poison ivy feel less at home. Planting aggressive plants or plants that inhibit the growth of other plants, like black walnut or mugwort might be worth a try.

A last thought - don't create a problem where none exists. Behind the building where I work, there's a granite outcropping covered in wild blackberries, wild roses, staghorn sumac, moss with tiny little flowers and poison ivy. Small animals and birds loved the place, as did I, often picking blackberries there (carefully) on my lunch break. The poison ivy never spread off the rock because the area around it was kept mowed. But some safety official from the big city decided it was dangerous and had to be eliminated, so our maintenance crew has been spraying Round-up all over it for months and months. They haven't killed the poison ivy - and probably won't, even if they try to dig it out, since the roots run through the rock, but they've killed almost everything else there - there are no more blackberries, no roses, no birds or rabbits or tiny little flowers - and as far as I know noone ever actually got poison ivy there because only a few of us ever went back there and we were all nature types who knew enough to avoid it. It's just a waste of time, energy, and much needed habitat to start a war against something that isn't hurting anyone.


Poison Ivy, Toxicodendron radicans....Ivy có độc....#1
photo effects online
Image by Vietnam Plants & The USA. plants
Taken on June 8, 2012 in Waco city, Texas state, Southern of America.

Nếu nhìn trên bản đồ của Bộ Nông Nghiêp Hoa Kỳ ( USDA ) bạn sẽ thấy sự hiện diện của loài cây này trên phân nửa nước Mỹ .
Khi bạn chạm phải hay đến rất gần loài cây này, bạn cũng có khả năng bị nổi lên những mụn đỏ trên da gây ngứa dữ dội, ngứa đến nổi bạn có thể gãi đến chảy màu, nếu không đi đến bác sĩ kịp thời . Tốt nhất là sau khi đã đi vào rừng hay đến những vùng có nhiều cây cỏ thiên nhiên, bạn nên tắm gội toàn thân để trút sạch những độc tính mà bạn có thể vướng vào da thịt, quần áo . Lần đầu tiên khi chụp hình loài cây và hoa này, tôi chưa đọc kỷ thông tin cho nên chưa biết, sau khi trở về nhà, tôi đã làm nhiều việc nhà , cho đến 10 giờ tối tôi mới đi tắm ,và tôi đã bị nổi mụn đỏ khắp mình. mụn nổi đến đâu thì cơn ngứa hoành hành đến đó tôi rất kềm chế nếu không có thể gãi đến chảy máu , nhưng may là không nổi trên hai tay và mặt, có lẽ vì khi trở về nhà tôi đã rửa mặt và tay liền . Hậu quả là tôi đã phải uống thuốc chống dị ứng một tuần lễ , và các mụn đỏ để lại dấu vết trên cơ thể rất ghê. Con trai nóng ruột quá đi mua cho tôi Johnson Baby Lotion loại có : Vanilla Oatmeal để sau khi tắm xong ,thoa lên những chỗ có vết mụn để lại thì những vết đỏ sẽ mau phai cách nhanh chóng . Nếu trong vườn bạn có mọc loài cây này, hãy đốn bỏ đi tận gốc rể để đề phòng bênh tật nhất là nếu bạn có trẻ nhỏ, tôi không biết nếu trẻ nhỏ chạm phải cây này thì sẽ như thế nào.

I was itched and had many acne redness ( look like Chicken-pox )on skin from the hip to the feet, after I touched the leaves, flowers for taking some images of these plants. I used allergy tablet for stop itchy in 7 days. After that I read some information of this plant, and I tried to come back to take some more photos for , but I had a shower right after I came back home, not wait until evening as before, and I didn't be itch again.
That's my experience .....Read the information below carefully, please.
The foliage of Poison Ivy can irritate the skin of most people, causing redness and blisters. This is caused by a reaction of the immune system to urushiol. People who are immune to Poison Ivy when they are young, can become sensitive to its irritating effects when they become older ( www.illinoiswildflowers.info ).

Vietnamese named : Thường Xuân độc, Sơn đôc, Ivy độc.
Common names : Poison Ivy, Eastern Poison Ivy.
Scientist name : Toxicodendron radicans (L.) Kuntze
Synonyms :
Familly : Anacardiaceae - Sumac family.
Group : Dicot
Duration : Perennial
Growth Habit : Shrub - Forb/herb - Subshrub - Vine
Kingdom : Plantae – Plants
Subkingdom : Tracheobionta – Vascular plants
Superdivision : Spermatophyta – Seed plants
Division : Magnoliophyta – Flowering plants
Class: Magnoliopsida – Dicotyledons
Subclass : Rosidae
Order : Sapindales
Genus : Toxicodendron Mill. – poison oak
Species : Toxicodendron radicans (L.) Kuntze – eastern poison ivy

**** vst.vista.gov.vn/home/database/an_pham_dien_tu/MagazineNa...
Khí nhà kính sinh ra những cây leo độc

Cây thường xuân có độc (toxicodendron radicans) mọc như một loại cây bụi hoặc leo lên thân các cây khác là hiểm họa đối với những người làm vườn và những người dân quê ở Bắc Mỹ vì chúng có thể gây ra chứng phát ban rất đau trên da. Loại cây này tạo ra một loại chất độc gọi là urushiol nằm trong lá cây.
Trong nghiên cứu này, Mohan và các cộng sự của bà đã bơm thêm khí CO2 vào 3 khu đất lớn bao quanh ở rừng thông phía Bắc California. Trong sáu năm, cây cối trong rừng nhận một lượng CO2 là 580 phần triệu so với lượng CO2 trong bầu khí quyển hiện vào khoảng 380 phần triệu. Con số 580 phần triệu là là con số chúng ta dự đoán mức độ ô nhiễm vào giữa thế kỷ 21.
Nghiên cứu khác đã cho rằng các cây leo có xu hướng lớn nhanh đặc biệt khi lượng CO2 tăng cao hơn, và những cây leo đang tăng nhanh về số lượng trên khắp trái đất. Không giống như các loại cây thông thường hấp thụ lượng khí cacbonic tăng thêm để sản sinh thêm gỗ, những cây leo này hấp thụ lượng lượng khí cacbonic tăng thêm để sản sinh thêm lá. Lượng lá cây tăng thêm lại giúp cây leo hập thụ thêm khí CO2, vòng tuần hoàn này lặp đi lặp lại và những cây leo này ngày càng phát triển hơn.
Thí nghiệm của Mohan nhằm mục đích kiểm tra xem liệu kết quả trên cây leo có lớn vọt lên trong thiên nhiên như chúng đã thể hiện ở thí nghiệm trong nhà kính hay không. Và câu trả lời là “Có, chúng lớn rất nhanh”. Những cây thường xuân có độc lớn nhanh gấp hai lần so với những cây cùng loại được phát triển ở dưới mức CO2 bình thường, trong khi tỷ lệ này ở các loài cây thân gỗ là khoảng 31%. Nhóm nghiên cứu cho biết khí CO2 tăng lên cũng tạo ra một loại chất độc urushiol nguy hiểm hơn.
Chất béo gây đau rát
Urushiol được tạo ra từ nhiều loại chất béo khác nhau. Loại chất béo ít độc hơn là chất béo “bão hòa,” có nghĩa là các nguyên tử cacbon trong phân tử chỉ có liên kết đơn với các nguyên tử cacbon khác, và phần còn lại của các liên kết này bão hòa với hyđrô. Tuy nhiên hầu hết các chất béo trong urushiol đều không bão hòa. Chúng có hơn 1 liên kết hóa học giữa nguyên tử cacbon và có ít hyđrô hơn. Những chất béo không bão hoà này được cho là những chất làm da tấy rát nhất.
Bằng cách chiết xuất chất urushiol từ lá cây, các nhà nghiên cứu đã phát hiện ra rằng cây thường xuân có độc phát triển trong môi trường có hàm lượng khí CO2 cao sinh ra một dạng chất độc không bão hoà urushiol nhiều hơn 150% và chất urushiol bão hòa ít hơn 60%.
Các nhà nghiên cứu không chắc chắn tại sao sự biến đổi hóa học này lại xảy ra, nhưng có ý kiến cho rằng hàm lượng cacbon tăng lên bằng cách nào đó sẽ tạo điều kiện thuận lợi cho các phản ứng hóa học sản sinh ra dạng không bão hòa của chất urushiol.
Ước tính ở Mỹ mỗi năm cây thường xuân độc gây ra 350.000 trường hợp phát ban trên da. Khoảng 80% người dân có phản ứng với chất độc này và càng tiếp xúc nhiều hơn với chất độc, phản ứng của họ càng tệ hơn. Mohan nói rằng: “Tôi có những đồng nghiệp bị dị ứng mạnh đến nỗi các bác sĩ chuyên khoa da liễu của họ nói rằng họ phải chuyển nghề.”
Mohan cho rằng sự tăng lên của CO2 cũng làm tăng trưởng các cây leo độc khác trong họ Toxicodendron trên khắp thế giới. “Những loài cây phổ biến của rừng trong tương lai sẽ khác với những loài cây phổ biến trong rừng hiện nay.”
N.M.N (theo Nature online, 30/5/2006)

________________________________________________________________

**** plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=tora2
**** en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toxicodendron_radicans
**** www.duke.edu/~cwcook/trees/tora.html
**** www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=TORA2
**** www.illinoiswildflowers.info/trees/plants/poison_ivy.htm

**** www.kingdomplantae.net/poisonIvy.php

A highly variable perennial woody vine or shrub, native to North America and Asia and introduced in Great Britain, Europe, and Australia.
There is considerable disagreement over whether poison ivy is one species with variations, or many separate species. It is also sometimes said that the poison oaks (Toxicodendron diversilobum and Toxicodendron quercifolium) are merely variations of the same species.

The photos on this page depict the common form in my locale (a trailing vine), but the text is more general.

Poison ivy prefers rich soil with good drainage and plenty of water. It is particularly common around lakes, swamps, and rivers. It will grow perfectly well, however, in a wide variety of other habitats. It's common along roadsides and trails, in areas of waste ground, in thickets, in open woods, and in old fields. It seems to do best in my area (Minnesota) in places that are just slightly shaded.

New poison ivy shoots sprout from existing roots, from rhizomes (underground stems), from climbing vines, and of course, from seed.

The stems are woody, brown, and smooth (though older stems of climbing plants develop a very hairy appearance). They may trail along (or just under) the ground, sending frequent branches both out and up. They may grow upright, in a shrub form, which can reach 7 feet in height under good conditions. Or they may grow as a vine, up to 5 inches in diameter, climbing trees and fences by means of dense, dark, fibrous, aerial roots (giving the vines that hairy look).

The alternate leaves have rather long stalks and are palmately compound (the leaflets radiate outward from a center point, like the fingers on your hand). The three leaflets, around 2" to 4" in length, may be shiny or not, are generally (but not always) wavy-edged or slightly toothed, and are sometimes slightly lobed. The young leaves are green, often with a reddish cast that they lose as they mature. In late spring to early summer, the flowers appear, in loose clusters from the leaf axils. The flowers have five petals, are about 1/8" diameter, are off-white with a yellowish or greenish tinge, and develop into small (about 1/4" diameter), round, dry, off-white fruits with a yellowish or greenish tinge. The fruit ripens in late summer through late fall, and at about the same time the leaves turn bright red, providing a cue to the many birds that feed on the fruits. The leaves fall once temperatures drop below freezing, while the fruits remain on the plants through the winter.

The thing that makes poison ivy so famous is the presence of a pale yellow oil called urushiol. This oil is present within all parts of the plant, but is not found on the surface unless the plant is damaged or bruised. The plant is somewhat fragile, however, and the majority of specimens are damaged in some way. Furthermore, urushiol can take many years to break down, particularly in cool and dry conditions, so it is also present in dead plants.

Urushiol is sticky, and is easily transferred to anything that touches it. And, as it is a stable compound, once it's on something (like your clothes, tools, or pets), at least some of it will stay there for quite a while unless it's washed off. When poison ivy is burned, the urushiol is carried on particles of soot and dust in the smoke.

Urushiol itself is not poisonous. However, urushiol which remains on your skin for more than five minutes or so will begin to be absorbed and metabolized.


The metabolites bind with skin proteins, forming new structures. In about 85% of the human population, the immune system sees these structures as foreign and attacks them. It is this immune response, or allergic reaction, which causes the itching, inflammation, and blistering of the skin. These symptoms generally appear after half a day to two days. After a few more days, when all of the alien structures have been destroyed (along with much of the surrounding tissue), the rash begins to heal...

The average person doesn't have a reaction the first time they're exposed, and if they do, it's usually delayed by seven to ten days. It takes some time for your body to produce the appropriate T-cells. Sensitivity also varies among individuals, and usually decreases with age. The palms of the hands and the soles of the feet, where the skin is thicker, are generally immune.

Severe cases, especially those involving mucous membranes (eyes, mouth, throat, lungs, etc.) require medical attention. Hydrocortisone preparations or, in really severe cases, steroids, are generally given to reduce the immune response. As with many allergens, a severe reaction can be fatal if left untreated.


The best way to avoid getting "poison ivy" is to not get urushiol on your skin. Know what the plant looks like and avoid it. If you can't avoid it, wear protective clothing. Wash anything that may have come in contact with the plant before it touches your skin, including your dog. Never ever ever burn poison ivy. Stay away from forest fires (unless you're a firefighter, then wear protective gear). There are also barrier creams that are commercially available.

If you think you've been exposed, wash the area as soon as possible, preferably within an hour after exposure, with lots of cool running water. A lake or a river works well. Don't use soap unless it contains no oils (oil will cause the urushiol to spread). In the woods, look for bouncing bet (Saponaria officinales). With its high saponin content, it makes a workable oil-free soap. You may also wash the area with alcohol or another solvent, rinsing with plenty of water, but keep in mind that this strips your skin of its protective oils, making it more vulnerable to urushiol.

The most well known herbal treatment for poison ivy is the juice of jewelweed (Impatiens spp.) There may be a compound in jewelweed which binds to the same sites as the urushiol metabolites, thereby blocking their access. If this is true, applying jewelweed to the skin just before or just after exposure should prevent the rash. There is quite a lot of anecdotal evidence that this works. Jewelweed also has anti-inflammatory properties and should be a soothing treatment for an already developed rash.

Plantain (Plantago spp.), applied as a poultice, may also prevent the rash and will also soothe an already developed rash. Other plants with astringent and/or soothing properties may also help.

There is anecdotal evidence of people desensitizing themselves to poison ivy by eating poison ivy leaves, first starting with a tiny amount and then gradually increasing the dosage until a maintenance level is reached. The most common side effect of this treatment, however, is getting the rash where the urushiol passes out of your body. It is also possible to have symptoms internally. Similar treatments in pill form can be obtained from a doctor or dermatologist, but have the same unpleasant side effects. No other immunization appears to be available at this time.

Medicinally, poison ivy has been used to treat paralysis, arthritis, and certain persistent skin disorders, and also as a sedative. It is still used in homeopathic medicine for arthritis and skin disorders.

Poison ivy fruits are an important food source for a wide variety of birds (who also spread the seeds), and also for other wildlife, including deer. Goats quite like poison ivy and can be an effective means of controlling it. I've heard that drinking the milk from such a goat might desensitize a person, though I haven't seen any evidence to back that up. Studies have been done showing that urushiol is not transferred to the milk, but whether its metabolites are present seems to be unknown.

Poison ivy has occasionally been planted in gardens for color. This is how it arrived in England and Australia.

The sap turns black, and dries hard (like lacquer), when exposed to air, and has been used as a permanent ink, as a dye, and as an ingredient in varnishes.

To control poison ivy, either pull or dig it out by hand, cover it with mulch so that no light reaches it, mow it close to the ground, spray it with herbicides, or use any combination of methods. If you pull it out by hand, the best time is probably late fall or very early spring, and protective clothing must be worn. Be sure to get every part of the plant or it will regenerate. Throw it all in the trash (double bag it for the trash collector). Do not attempt to compost it and never ever try to burn it. When you're finished, wash everything, including yourself, thoroughly (wash your clothes separately from your other laundry or have them dry-cleaned if necessary). Using mulch is simple, but the ivy may pop through again, so cover it well. Mowing will kill a portion of it, anyway, as will the exposure to full sun, but remember that you're getting the oil all over the place, so wear protective gear and clean your equipment afterward. If herbicides are used, use them carefully, following the directions, and no more than necessary. Probably the most effective and least harmful method is to cut it and then use a disposable foam brush to paint the stump with the herbicide. You'll probably also want to wash everything when you're done. Herbicides are poisons, after all.

One last way to control poison ivy is to make the site inhospitable for it. Pay attention to the local conditions that it likes to grow in, and those it doesn't grow in, and then add or remove other plants to make the poison ivy feel less at home. Planting aggressive plants or plants that inhibit the growth of other plants, like black walnut or mugwort might be worth a try.

A last thought - don't create a problem where none exists. Behind the building where I work, there's a granite outcropping covered in wild blackberries, wild roses, staghorn sumac, moss with tiny little flowers and poison ivy. Small animals and birds loved the place, as did I, often picking blackberries there (carefully) on my lunch break. The poison ivy never spread off the rock because the area around it was kept mowed. But some safety official from the big city decided it was dangerous and had to be eliminated, so our maintenance crew has been spraying Round-up all over it for months and months. They haven't killed the poison ivy - and probably won't, even if they try to dig it out, since the roots run through the rock, but they've killed almost everything else there - there are no more blackberries, no roses, no birds or rabbits or tiny little flowers - and as far as I know noone ever actually got poison ivy there because only a few of us ever went back there and we were all nature types who knew enough to avoid it. It's just a waste of time, energy, and much needed habitat to start a war against something that isn't hurting anyone.

PicLens, The Most Beautiful Way to Browse Photography on the Web

Check out these photo effects online images:


PicLens, The Most Beautiful Way to Browse Photography on the Web
photo effects online
Image by Thomas Hawk
Well I've been using PicLens for a few months now, and I'm a bit late with this post, but if you haven't installed PicLens yet for browsing photos on the web you are missing one of the most beautiful ways to view photography on the internet yet.

The screenshot above does not do justice to the visual experience. PicLens is hands down the best I have ever seen photos look online.

PicLens is an add on for Firefox users. You can go get it here. When you add PicLens to your Firefox experience, photos on many internet sites (including Flickr and Zooomr) have a little play type triangular icon over them. When you click on this icon it transforms your viewing experience and takes photos to a brand new level. Only photos are loaded on the screen and you can move your mouse to scroll through the photos or enlarge or shrink photos in your viewing experience.

With PicLens photos float through your browser like beauty flowing from a waterfall. The motion effects are outstanding. Best of all though, PicLens allows you to see photos in the true splendor that they are best seen in. Large. One of the problems with viewing many photos large on the internet is that you have to click and wait for a new page to load. This gets boring and tiresome. Not with PicLens though. Simply move your mouse scroll button up or down and photos get larger and smaller.

As amazing as PicLens is for browsing photos on the web I do wish that they improve one thing.

Right now interacting with photos on PicLens is very difficult. While you can click through to any photo to fave/comment/bookmark/etc., when you do this PicLens ends abruptly. After you interact with the photo there is no easy way to get back to the PicLens page where you were browsing before you clicked out of your PicLens experience.

What would most easily fix this would be if PicLens allowed you to ctl-click (on a PC) or cmd-click (on a Mac) and have that photo's page load in Firefox in the background. This way you could browse someone's entire stream, favorites, etc. in PicLens, all the while cmd-clicking (in my case) as you go to go back and interact with the photos that you liked best once you were done.

Alternatively, TranceMist suggests that people simply could be allowed to fave/comment on a photo from within PicLens.

Looking at photos on PicLens is like seeing them in a fine art gallery or museum. Photos take on a whole new beauty. But more interactive features are still needed.

More on PicLens from Read/Write Web and Webware.


Adriene made me a silver necklace that says PussyPower!
photo effects online
Image by Tricia Wang 王圣捷
Adriene had this silver necklace made for my birthday. She appreciates my attempts to reclaim this word. When I was in college, I became sick and infuriated when hearing men call other men "pussys" for not being a "real man." But even more untolerable was hearing other women call other men "pussys" for failing at "manhood."

Whenever I heard "pussy" used in such a condescending way, I would always say "excuse me? those are my genitals you are referring to and my Pussy is POWERFUL, not weak. So if you are going to de-masculinize a man, you can de-phallasize him, you can call him an ass asshole, you can call him a dick, a bastard, but never give him the power of your pussy."

After giving that speech once every week I decided something had to be done, women needed to reclaim the word "pussy" and in effect reclaim their own pussies. So I coined the term "pussy power kunt control." Pussy Power stuck while kunt control fell to the wayside. I made buttons with the word "Pussy Power" and I passed it out to women who honored their pussies by referring to it as celebratory word, not a hurtful word.

Adriene has known me for about 10 years now and I think she has heard me give that speech so many times. Finally I have a beautiful necklace for my birthday from one of my best friends! thank you Adriene! you TOO have the power of the Pussy!

We will reclaim an identity that we allowed to be taken away from and reclaim the responsibilities that comes along with it. If YOU have Pussy Power, NEVER let a man or boy and most importantly another woman call another male a pussy in a hurtful or denigrating way. Those are YOUR genitals. PUSSY POWER!

Now on a separate note - Several friends commented on how they were so amazed I could post these photos about Adriene's pussy power necklace gift for me openly on flickr. My birthday was back in April - and those few comments made me pause before posting this on my blog. So here are my thoughts on this matter.

so when my friends told me that I was brave to openly post these- I ask them why exactly should I have been embarrassed or afraid? They would say well you know you get google searched for jobs and grants and people might think that you are a liability or they may judge you before they get to meet you. Academic colleagues have said well your students are going to find it and you're never going to get tenured for posting this or what happens if your professor sees this online? Well duh - I always googled people before I would interview, hire or even meet someone. I would like to remind everyone that I was openly doing internet searches on potential dates and hirings back in the late 1900's and early 2000's before Google even existed ok?

So of COURSE I understand that this public internet posting will be potentially seen by my past, current and future colleagues and/or students. But I don't think I am doing anything wrong or embarrassing when I insist that women not allow the word "pussy" to be used in a derogatory way. I am not using it in a nasty way - so how is that a liability? What I find offensive is when people remain quiet when something offensive is said. And worse off I find it offensive when people judge others for unsubstantiated reasons. To be anymore hush-hush with pussy feeds into larger schemas of patriarchy and misogyny.

I stand behind my attempts to un-dirty the word in a fashionable way. For too long (not in all communities) women's reproductive organs have been considered to be profane and unworthy of equal respect to the phallus. The sexuality associated with vaginas have been seen as a threat and rituals are created to take away the power from their vaginas. The menstrual cycles that women go through are seen as filthy - requiring physical separation of women from the community. I find it problematic that although we have formal gender equality, this is not always reflected in our vernacular. The heavy association of the word "pussy" is too weighted on the side of the "nasty" or as lacking a cock which means lacking power. So powerful and normalized is the cock that we celebrate and laugh at the word. Even when a male is called a "cock" - like "he's such a cock," he's a cock precisely because of his unwarranted use of power. We laugh at jokes about "dicks' - such as Justin Timberlake's Dick in a Box - but the word pussy is so nasty and weak that it can't even be intellectualized or comedized (I made this word up) in popular culture. My point is that the verbal representitive use of genitals reflects underlying real world inequalities and tensions between males and femals.

I simply will not be embarassed by the names of female genitals - And if this prevents me from being hired - then I certainly don't belong at that organization, institution or company. And if students can't take me seriously after reading this, then they need to grow up. Really. and if Professors find this and are horrified then I am sure glad that they aren't working with me.

When we make a claim to an identity, it's not just about claiming rights or something abstract like belonging - but it's about claiming responsibility to that identity. So in claims that I make - like I claim I am Chinese-American or I claim that I am from the U.S. or that I live in Brooklyn or that I a female- then I take a responsibility in those claims to act and to practice what I claim.

And hopefully future colleagues who do come upon this will see that this is a sign of character - that I am not afraid to stand behind someone or something. Now I am not some militant gender freak - so I feel no need to parade my thoughts or beat up people for calling men pussies. Nor do I lack the sense to wear this necklace when I interview someone or when I am being interviewed - or at some funding meeting or my dissertation defense or even at any professional meetings. I don't believe in drawing unnecessary attention to myself and detracting from the larger goals or messages in professional situations because I do understand wearing this necklace entails the burden of explaining the message - which I embrace in moments when I want to teach people about pussy power. BUT I will wear it when I find see fit and fashionable! And if after reading this explanation and you still find my pussy power offensive, horrific or distasteful then it's time to bring in some humor into your life and chillll out! Go turn on Prince and Mozart and watch some South Park.



"Video Art Adrenaline" - a 45-second Video Art Production by mimitalks, married w/children (view in HD)
photo effects online
Image by mimitalks, married, under grace
45 seconds of pure energy and having nothing better to do :).
Buffer first, then view again for the full effect. Interestingly enough, the music (via my Pinnacle Studio HD Ultimate program) is a discordant mix of tunes titled "Adrenaline" and "Evolution", respectively.

All graphics are originals, created with the use of Paint Shop Pro vs. 6 (no longer available online, but my version of choice for ease of use). The strobe lighting effect was purely accidental - I liked it, so I kept it in...

Should you find yourself bored on a lovely spring day and wish to view more of this type of Video Art, please see my set:
www.flickr.com/photos/mimitalks/sets/72157626808492762/

The Glorious Church at Stanford

Some cool photo effects online images:


The Glorious Church at Stanford
photo effects online
Image by Stuck in Customs
A Full SmugMug review

Hey Flickr friends... don't hate me... I'll still post here too, BUT, I decided to start using SmugMug a lot more - see why at www.stuckincustoms.com/online-portfolio/


Daily Photo - The Glorious Church at Stanford

During our amazingly fun Stanford photowalk, our entire unit crashed into into the church like the Allies setting up barracks inside a French cathedral.

Right before we went in, as I climbed the stairs, one of the more nervous-types that was on the photowalk said, "Uhhh, I don't know if they will let us in because they are about to close." I said something to the effect of, "Who cares, we're going in anyway until they come tell us to leave!" And with that, we blew in through the front doors and spread out far and wide. I set up my camera and gave a little talk about my settings for the shot. I mentioned that in dark situations, you don't want your multiple exposures to all be 30 seconds. You need to widen your aperture and increase the ISO so that your all your exposures get finished, with the final one at 30 seconds. In this situation, I shot 5 exposures at 1 step increments with my 5 respective shutter speeds at 2 seconds, 4 s, 8s, 15s, and 30s.




Play: Photo Booth
photo effects online
Image by Ronald Heft
Play: I took this photo using my laptop's Photo Booth software and the mirror effect. I was just messing around with the different effects before taking the self photo, found this particuliar effect interesting, and decided to use it for the assignment.

I would not normally upload this photo online for sharing, but I did in this case. Normally this would just sit on my laptop for me to look at when I'm bored.

Cool Photo Effects Online images

Check out these photo effects online images:


Designed By Shane Warne
photo effects online
Image by Eva Rinaldi Celebrity and Live Music Photographer
Shane Warne aka 'The Spin King', continues to race ahead of the pack and reinvent himself, be it on Australian or European soil.

He's endorsed video and audio companies, online poker, and now toys (no, not dolls), cars... Hot Wheels cars from Mattel to be exact.

Today he appeared at a press conference in Surry Hills, Sydney, to tell us all about what he sees in Hot Wheels.

On the surface Warne looks to be a pretty good match. He loves his cars (owning a number of real sports cars in his private collection), is known for his fast women (now just one - lucky Liz), who has him in good shape thanks to the "Liz Effect", as Warnie puts it, and who knows what else is in the pipeline. Young men around the world may do well to note that Mr Warne has settled down now with the one lovely lady now and that commitment to the one lass can be a very good thing.

A couple of whispers overheard at today's presser went something like "Doesn't Mattel also do Barbie and Ken dolls (TM)." For the record there was nothing on Ken or Barbie.

The Hot Wheels 'Spin King' has supposed to be a bit of a secret, but we suspect that was all part of the media and marketing plan. You know, make something a secret, so it gets written and talked about. If that's the case, Mattel and Team Warnie have done their jobs well. Warne is understood to have "collaborated" with Mattel's Hot Wheels for about 6 months, and the financial terms of the deal are not being released, at least at this stage. It must be good, since Warne and his management are used to cranking deals with online poker brands and the like, and those don't come cheap.

'The Spin King' signature range designed by Australian sports stars sure looks hot (if your into toy cars).

This is not the virgin car deal for Mr Warne. Last year Warnie was named Lamborghini's Australian ambassador and gifted a 0,000 Murcielago as a "long-term loan car", and a couple of Lambos' were seen racing around East Sydney earlier today, so perhaps he was driving one of them. You can bet Warnie and Liz's kids are doing to have a ball of a time playing with all the toys they will be gifted by Mattel and Hot Wheels.

Warnie's press statements included something along the lines of "I've always has a passion for cars. I used to play with Hot Wheels cars as a kid, so when they offered me the chance to design my own, I jumped at it". Containing his excitement he also shared "I loved every minute of the design process and working with the team at hot Wheels was great fun. The 'Spin King' is a fusion between all of my favorite fast cars and its been great seeing my vision come to life". To Australian press (and public) he had an equally important message: "When Liz and I settle down in Melbourne please respect our privacy and don't throw rocks at our place at 2am in the morning. I've told Liz Melbourne is beautiful".

It was a hot looking brochure and media kit, but sadly no Hot Wheels car in the pack, but Christmas is coming, so here's hoping.

Thanks for the great photos Warnie. Sydney is the quick and the dead, and we did our best, so we're hoping you like them.

Verdict: Shane Warne and Mattel's Hot Wheels gets the green light. They are to hit stores in March 2012, and we're told they are worth the wait. Catch them if you can.

Websites

Hot Wheels
www.hotwheels.com

Mattel
www.mattel.com

Shane Warne official website
www.shanewarne.com

Eva Rinaldi Photography Flickr
www.flickr.com/evarinaldiphotography

Eva Rinaldi Photography
www.evarinaldi.com

Music News Australia
www.musicnewsaustralia.com

Splash News
www.splashnews.com

Splash News Online
www.splashnewsonline.com

Designed By Shane Warne

Check out these photo effects online images:


Designed By Shane Warne
photo effects online
Image by Eva Rinaldi Celebrity and Live Music Photographer
Shane Warne aka 'The Spin King', continues to race ahead of the pack and reinvent himself, be it on Australian or European soil.

He's endorsed video and audio companies, online poker, and now toys (no, not dolls), cars... Hot Wheels cars from Mattel to be exact.

Today he appeared at a press conference in Surry Hills, Sydney, to tell us all about what he sees in Hot Wheels.

On the surface Warne looks to be a pretty good match. He loves his cars (owning a number of real sports cars in his private collection), is known for his fast women (now just one - lucky Liz), who has him in good shape thanks to the "Liz Effect", as Warnie puts it, and who knows what else is in the pipeline. Young men around the world may do well to note that Mr Warne has settled down now with the one lovely lady now and that commitment to the one lass can be a very good thing.

A couple of whispers overheard at today's presser went something like "Doesn't Mattel also do Barbie and Ken dolls (TM)." For the record there was nothing on Ken or Barbie.

The Hot Wheels 'Spin King' has supposed to be a bit of a secret, but we suspect that was all part of the media and marketing plan. You know, make something a secret, so it gets written and talked about. If that's the case, Mattel and Team Warnie have done their jobs well. Warne is understood to have "collaborated" with Mattel's Hot Wheels for about 6 months, and the financial terms of the deal are not being released, at least at this stage. It must be good, since Warne and his management are used to cranking deals with online poker brands and the like, and those don't come cheap.

'The Spin King' signature range designed by Australian sports stars sure looks hot (if your into toy cars).

This is not the virgin car deal for Mr Warne. Last year Warnie was named Lamborghini's Australian ambassador and gifted a 0,000 Murcielago as a "long-term loan car", and a couple of Lambos' were seen racing around East Sydney earlier today, so perhaps he was driving one of them. You can bet Warnie and Liz's kids are doing to have a ball of a time playing with all the toys they will be gifted by Mattel and Hot Wheels.

Warnie's press statements included something along the lines of "I've always has a passion for cars. I used to play with Hot Wheels cars as a kid, so when they offered me the chance to design my own, I jumped at it". Containing his excitement he also shared "I loved every minute of the design process and working with the team at hot Wheels was great fun. The 'Spin King' is a fusion between all of my favorite fast cars and its been great seeing my vision come to life". To Australian press (and public) he had an equally important message: "When Liz and I settle down in Melbourne please respect our privacy and don't throw rocks at our place at 2am in the morning. I've told Liz Melbourne is beautiful".

It was a hot looking brochure and media kit, but sadly no Hot Wheels car in the pack, but Christmas is coming, so here's hoping.

Thanks for the great photos Warnie. Sydney is the quick and the dead, and we did our best, so we're hoping you like them.

Verdict: Shane Warne and Mattel's Hot Wheels gets the green light. They are to hit stores in March 2012, and we're told they are worth the wait. Catch them if you can.

Websites

Hot Wheels
www.hotwheels.com

Mattel
www.mattel.com

Shane Warne official website
www.shanewarne.com

Eva Rinaldi Photography Flickr
www.flickr.com/evarinaldiphotography

Eva Rinaldi Photography
www.evarinaldi.com

Music News Australia
www.musicnewsaustralia.com

Splash News
www.splashnews.com

Splash News Online
www.splashnewsonline.com


Designed By Shane Warne
photo effects online
Image by Eva Rinaldi Celebrity and Live Music Photographer
Shane Warne aka 'The Spin King', continues to race ahead of the pack and reinvent himself, be it on Australian or European soil.

He's endorsed video and audio companies, online poker, and now toys (no, not dolls), cars... Hot Wheels cars from Mattel to be exact.

Today he appeared at a press conference in Surry Hills, Sydney, to tell us all about what he sees in Hot Wheels.

On the surface Warne looks to be a pretty good match. He loves his cars (owning a number of real sports cars in his private collection), is known for his fast women (now just one - lucky Liz), who has him in good shape thanks to the "Liz Effect", as Warnie puts it, and who knows what else is in the pipeline. Young men around the world may do well to note that Mr Warne has settled down now with the one lovely lady now and that commitment to the one lass can be a very good thing.

A couple of whispers overheard at today's presser went something like "Doesn't Mattel also do Barbie and Ken dolls (TM)." For the record there was nothing on Ken or Barbie.

The Hot Wheels 'Spin King' has supposed to be a bit of a secret, but we suspect that was all part of the media and marketing plan. You know, make something a secret, so it gets written and talked about. If that's the case, Mattel and Team Warnie have done their jobs well. Warne is understood to have "collaborated" with Mattel's Hot Wheels for about 6 months, and the financial terms of the deal are not being released, at least at this stage. It must be good, since Warne and his management are used to cranking deals with online poker brands and the like, and those don't come cheap.

'The Spin King' signature range designed by Australian sports stars sure looks hot (if your into toy cars).

This is not the virgin car deal for Mr Warne. Last year Warnie was named Lamborghini's Australian ambassador and gifted a 0,000 Murcielago as a "long-term loan car", and a couple of Lambos' were seen racing around East Sydney earlier today, so perhaps he was driving one of them. You can bet Warnie and Liz's kids are doing to have a ball of a time playing with all the toys they will be gifted by Mattel and Hot Wheels.

Warnie's press statements included something along the lines of "I've always has a passion for cars. I used to play with Hot Wheels cars as a kid, so when they offered me the chance to design my own, I jumped at it". Containing his excitement he also shared "I loved every minute of the design process and working with the team at hot Wheels was great fun. The 'Spin King' is a fusion between all of my favorite fast cars and its been great seeing my vision come to life". To Australian press (and public) he had an equally important message: "When Liz and I settle down in Melbourne please respect our privacy and don't throw rocks at our place at 2am in the morning. I've told Liz Melbourne is beautiful".

It was a hot looking brochure and media kit, but sadly no Hot Wheels car in the pack, but Christmas is coming, so here's hoping.

Thanks for the great photos Warnie. Sydney is the quick and the dead, and we did our best, so we're hoping you like them.

Verdict: Shane Warne and Mattel's Hot Wheels gets the green light. They are to hit stores in March 2012, and we're told they are worth the wait. Catch them if you can.

Websites

Hot Wheels
www.hotwheels.com

Mattel
www.mattel.com

Shane Warne official website
www.shanewarne.com

Eva Rinaldi Photography Flickr
www.flickr.com/evarinaldiphotography

Eva Rinaldi Photography
www.evarinaldi.com

Music News Australia
www.musicnewsaustralia.com

Splash News
www.splashnews.com

Splash News Online
www.splashnewsonline.com

doidedcomics vol.3 / 2012 - in memoria btjunkie page 10

Check out these photo effects online images:


doidedcomics vol.3 / 2012 - in memoria btjunkie page 10
photo effects online
Image by 2dedcomics
doidedcomics vol.3 / 2012 - in memoria btjunkie page 10


doidedcomics vol2.an2012 - Îţi dai seama că eşti din Cluj dacă
photo effects online
Image by 2dedcomics
doidedcomics vol2.an2012 - Îţi dai seama că eşti din Cluj dacă


doidedcomics vol2.an2012 - Îţi dai seama că eşti din Cluj dacă
photo effects online
Image by 2dedcomics
doidedcomics vol2.an2012 - Îţi dai seama că eşti din Cluj dacă

Nice Photo Effects Online photos

A few nice photo effects online images I found:



Victoria miniature
photo effects online
Image by Derek K. Miller
Fake tilt-shift lens effect created by TiltShiftMaker (thanks to Scott for the link). B.C. Legislature buildings and Victoria Inner Harbour, December 2008. This looks like a miniature model because of the focus effect, but it's actually the real thing.

Small Vancouver

Check out these photo effects online images:


Small Vancouver
photo effects online
Image by Derek K. Miller
Fake tilt-shift lens effect created by TiltShiftMaker (thanks to Scott for the link). Downtown Vancouver, 2004.


Real Geologists Don't Drink Virtual Beer
photo effects online
Image by cogdogblog
Today ended my participating in a pilot of the online workshop from Carelton College/ SERC on New Worlds for Geoscience Teaching: Using Online Games and Environments.

The agenda included at the end a gathering for "virtual beer" which was not exactly agreed upon how to do it. If you've ever been around geologists, there is often a lot of beer involved, so we opted to share photos of us sipping some brews.

So this is me enjoying a Fat Tire, and playing with the effects features of PhotoBooth in Mac OS X to do a cheap greenscreen of me at Yosemite.

Virtual beer just does not cut it!


I Must Admit, It's Pretty Cool
photo effects online
Image by douglas.earl
Learn more here: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Capitol

One of the more irritating aspects of sharing online is the discrepancy with monitor contrast and the subsequent effect on photos. If this one looks super-washed out and grainy to you, try toning down the contrast or tilting your laptop screen a bit..

One day someone smart is going to make a widget for browsers that allows you to use a universal setting.

Etna-Volcano-Sicily-Italy - Creative Commons by gnuckx

A few nice photo effects online images I found:


Etna-Volcano-Sicily-Italy - Creative Commons by gnuckx
photo effects online
Image by gnuckx
News

Etna, the Forge of Hephaestus - Etna, la fucina di Efesto
by Francesco Pappalardo.

This is an excellent Photography book recently published by this great photographer and flickr friend cicciofarmaco.

This book is a collection of the most beautiful pictures of the Etna volcano paroxysmal eruptions of 2011. As you can see, Francesco has a natural talent in photography and his work is truly inspirational, so through this book you can live again the most spectacular and fascinating moments of the eruptions of the Etna volcano of 2011.

Buy this magnificent Photography book easily online through this link Etna, la fucina di Efesto. by Francesco Pappalardo and enjoy these historic events of nature forever.

====================================================================

Mount Etna
Mount Etna, also known as Muncibeḍḍu in Sicilian and Mongibello in Italian, a combination of Latin mons and Arabic gibel, both meaning mountain) is an active stratovolcano on the east coast of Sicily, close to Messina and Catania. Its Arabic name was Jebel Utlamat (the Mountain of Fire). It is the second largest active volcano in Europe, currently standing 3,329 metres (10,922 ft) high, though this varies with summit eruptions; the mountain is 21 m (69 ft) lower now than it was in 1981. It is the highest mountain in Italy south of the Alps. Etna covers an area of 1,190 km² (460 sq mi) with a basal circumference of 140 km. This makes it by far the largest of the three active volcanoes in Italy, being about two and a half times the height of the next largest, Mount Vesuvius. Only Mount Teide in Tenerife surpasses it in the whole of the European region (though geographically Tenerife is an island of Africa).

Mount Etna is one of the most active volcanoes in the world and is in an almost constant state of eruption. It is also believed to be the world’s oldest active volcano. The fertile volcanic soils support extensive agriculture, with vineyards and orchards spread across the lower slopes of the mountain and the broad Plain of Catania to the south. Due to its history of recent activity and nearby population, Mount Etna has been designated a Decade Volcano by the United Nations.

Geological history
Volcanic activity at Etna began about half a million years ago, with eruptions occurring beneath the sea off the coastline of Sicily. 300,000 years ago, volcanism began occurring to the southwest of the present-day summit, before activity moved towards the present center 170,000 years ago. Eruptions at this time built up the first major volcanic edifice, forming a strato-volcano in alternating explosive and effusive eruptions. The growth of the mountain was occasionally interrupted by major eruptions leading to the collapse of the summit to form calderas.
Etna seen from Spot Satellite.

From about 35,000 to 15,000 years ago, Etna experienced some highly explosive eruptions, generating large pyroclastic flows which left extensive ignimbrite deposits. Ash from these eruptions has been found as far away as Rome, 800 km to the north.
A crater near the Torre del Filosofo, about 450 metres below Etna’s summit.

Thousands of years ago, the eastern flank of the mountain experienced a catastrophic collapse, generating an enormous landslide in an event similar to that seen in the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens. The landslide left a large depression in the side of the volcano, known as ‘Valle del Bove’ (Valley of the Ox). Research published in 2006 suggests that this occurred around 6000 BC, and caused a huge tsunami which left its mark in several places in the eastern Mediterranean. It may have been the reason that the settlement of Atlit Yam (Israel), now below sea level, was suddenly abandoned around that time.

The steep walls of the Valley have suffered subsequent collapse on numerous occasions. The strata exposed in the valley walls provide an important and easily accessible record of Etna’s eruptive history.

The most recent collapse event at the summit of Etna is thought to have occurred about 2,000 years ago, forming what is known as the Piano Caldera. This caldera has been almost entirely filled by subsequent lava eruptions, but is still visible as a distinct break in the slope of the mountain near the base of the present-day summit cone.

Historical eruptions
Eruptions of Etna are not all the same. Some occur at the summit, where there are currently (as of 2008) four distinct craters – the Northeast Crater, the Voragine, the Bocca Nuova, and the Southeast Crater. Other eruptions occur on the flanks, where there are more than 300 vents, ranging in size from small holes in the ground to large craters hundreds of meters across. Summit eruptions can be highly explosive and are extremely spectacular, but are rarely threatening for the inhabited areas around the volcano. On the contrary, flank eruptions can occur down to a few hundred meters altitude, close to or even well within the populated areas. Numerous villages and small towns lie around or on cones of past flank eruptions. Since the year 1600 A.D., there have been at least 60 flank eruptions and countless summit eruptions; nearly half of these have occurred since the start of the 20th century, and the 3rd millennium has seen five flank eruptions of Etna so far, in 2001, 2002-2003, 2004-2005,2007 and 2008.

The first known record of an eruption at Etna is that of Diodorus Siculus.

The Roman poet Virgil gave what was probably a first-hand description of an eruption in the Aeneid:
“ Portus ab accessu ventorum immotus et ingens ipse; sed horrificis iuxta tonat Aetna ruinis; interdumque atram prorumpit ad aethera nubem, turbine fumantem piceo et candente favilla, attollitque globos flammarum et sidera lambit; interdum scopulos avolsaque viscera montis erigit eructans, liquefactaque saxa sub auras cum gemitu glomerat, fundoque exaestuat imo. (3.39)

“ A spreading bay is there, impregnable To all invading storms; and Aetna’s throat With roar of frightful ruin thunders nigh. Now to the realm of light it lifts a cloud Of pitch-black, whirling smoke, and fiery dust, Shooting out globes of flame, with monster tongues That lick the stars; now huge crags of itself, Out of the bowels of the mountain torn, Its maw disgorges, while the molten rock Rolls screaming skyward; from the nether deep The fathomless abyss makes ebb and flow.

In 396 BC, an eruption of Etna is said to have thwarted the Carthaginians in their attempt to advance on Syracuse during the First Sicilian War.

A particularly violent explosive (Plinian) summit eruption occurred in 122 BC, and caused heavy tephra falls to the southeast, including the town of Catania, where many roofs collapsed. To help with reconstruction and dealing with the devastating effects of the eruption, the Roman government exempted the population of Catania from paying taxes for ten years.

Recent eruptions
Etna’s 2002 eruption, photographed from the ISS.
Same, seen in a wider field.
Etna’s south east crater 2006 eruption, photographed from Torre del Filosofo.

Another large lava flow from an eruption in 1928 led to the first (and only) destruction of a population center since the 1669 eruption. The eruption started high on Etna’s northeast flank on 2 November, then new eruptive fissures opened at ever lower elevation down the flank of the volcano. The third and most vigorous of these fissures opened late on 4 November at unusually low elevation (1200 m above the sea-level), in a zone known as Ripe della Naca. The village of Mascali, lying downslope of the Ripe della Naca, was obliterated in just two days, with the lava destroying nearly every building. Only a church and a few surrounding buildings survived in the north part of the village, called Sant’Antonino or “il quartiere”. During the last days of the eruption, the flow interrupted the Messina-Catania railway line and destroyed the train station of Mascali. The event was used by Benito Mussolini’s Fascist regime for propaganda purposes, with the evacuation, aid and rebuilding operations being presented as models of fascist planning. Mascali was rebuilt on a new site, and its church contains the Italian fascist symbol of the torch, placed above the statue of Jesus Christ. In early November 2008, the town of Mascali commemorated the 80th anniversary of the eruption and destruction of the village with a number of public manifestations and conferences, where, amongst others, still living eyewitnesses of the eruptions recalled their impressions of that experience.

Other major 20th-century eruptions occurred in 1949, 1971, 1981, 1983 and 1991-1993. In 1971, lava buried the Etna Observatory (built in the late 19th century), destroyed the first generation of the Etna cable-car, and seriously threatened several small villages on Etna’s east flank. In March 1981, the town of Randazzo on the northwestern flank of Etna narrowly escaped from destruction by unusually fast-moving lava flows – that eruption was remarkably similar to the one of 1928 that destroyed Mascali. The 1991-1993 eruption saw the town of Zafferana threatened by a lava flow, but successful diversion efforts saved the town with the loss of only one building a few hundred metres from the town’s margin. Initially, such efforts consisted of the construction of earth barriers built perpendicularly to the flow direction; it was hoped that the eruption would stop before the artificial basins created behind the barriers would be completely filled. Instead, the eruption continued, and lava surmounted the barriers, heading directly toward Zafferana. It was then decided to use explosives near the source of the lava flow, to disrupt a very efficient lava tube system through which the lava traveled for up to 7 km without essentially losing heat and fluidity. The main explosion on 23 May 1992 destroyed the lava tube and forced the lava into a new artificial channel, far from Zafferana, and it would have taken months to re-establish a long lava tube. Shortly after the blasting, the rate of lava emission dropped and during the remainder of the eruption (until 30 March 1993) the lava never advanced close to the town again.

Following six years (1995-2001) of unusually intense activity at the four summit craters of Etna, the volcano produced its first flank eruption since 1991-1993 in July-August 2001. This eruption, which involved activity from seven distinct eruptive fissures mostly on the south slope of the volcano, was a mass-media eruption, because it occurred at the height of the tourist season and numerous reporters and journalists were already in Italy to cover the G8 summit in Genoa. It also occurred close to one of the tourist areas on the volcano, and thus was easily accessible. Part of the “Etna Sud” tourist area, including the arrival station of the Etna cable car, were damaged by this eruption, which otherwise was a rather modest-sized event for Etna standards.

In 2002-2003, a much larger eruption threw up a huge column of ash that could easily be seen from space and fell as far away as Libya, 600 km south across the Mediterranean Sea. Seismic activity in this eruption caused the eastern flanks of the volcano to slip by up to two metres, and many houses on the flanks of the volcano experienced structural damage. The eruption also completely destroyed the tourist station Piano Provenzana, on the northeastern flank of the volcano, and part of the tourist station “Etna Spud” around the Rifugio Sapienza on the south flank. Footage from the eruptions was recorded by Lucasfilm and integrated into the landscape of the planet Mustafar in the 2005 film Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith. The Rifugio Sapienza is near the site of a cable car station which had previously been destroyed in the 1983 eruption; it has now been rebuilt.
Etna’s Sept. 2007 eruption as seen from the southeast crater ridgeline.

Following a rather silent, slow and non-destructive lava outflow on the upper southeastern flank between September 2004 and March 2005, intense eruptions occurred at the Southeast Crater in July-December 2006. These were followed by four episodes of lava fountaining, again at the Southeast Crater, on 29 March, 11 April, 29 April and 7 May 2007. Ash emissions and Strombolian explosions started from a vent on the eastern side of the Southeast Crater in mid-August 2007.
House destroyed by lava on the slopes of Etna.

On 4 September 2007 Etna violently erupted at around 8:00 p.m. local time, spewing lava up to 400 m into the air along with strong winds that sent ash and smoke into the underlying towns. This Southeast Crater eruption was visible far into the plains of Sicily, ending the following morning between the hours of 5 to 7 am local time. Catania-Fontanarossa Airport shut down operations during the night for safety precautions. A similar paroxysm occurred during the night of 23-24 November 2007, lasting for 6 hours and causing ash and lapilli falls to the north of the volcano. Again, the source of the activity was the Southeast Crater. Following several months of rather minor activity from the Southeast Crater and flurries of seismic activity especially in the eastern sector of the mountain, a new powerful eruptive paroxysm occurred on the late afternoon of 10 May 2008. Due to bad weather, it was not possible to see much of the activity at the vent, but several branches of lava traveled down the eastern flank of the volcano, into the Valle del Bove depression. This latest paroxysm lasted about 4 hours, ending on the evening of 10 May 2008.

A new eruption started on the morning of 13 May 2008 immediately to the east of Etna’s summit craters, accompanied by a swarm of more than 200 earthquakes and significant ground deformation in the summit area. On the afternoon of the same day, a new eruptive fissure opened at about 2800 m above sea-level, with a number of vents displaying Strombolian activity and emission of lava flows toward the Valle del Bove. During the following 24 hours the lava traveled approximately 6 km to the east, but thereafter its advance slowed and stopped, the most distant lava fronts stagnating about 3 km from the nearest village, Milo. Ash emissions became more frequent between 16 and 18 May and produced small but spectacular clouds, whereas the rate of lava emission showed a gradual diminution. During late May and the first week of June, the activity continued at low levels, with lava flows advancing only a few hundred meters from the vents as of 4 June. Four days later, on 8 June, there was a considerable increase in the vigor of Strombolian activity and lava output rate. During the following week, lava flows advanced up to 5 km from the source vents. In June and July, the eruption continued with mild Strombolian activity from two vents at about 2800 m elevation, and lava advancing up to 4 km eastward, remaining confined to the Valle del Bove collapse depression. Activity in mid-July produced loud detonations that were well audible in numerous population centers around the volcano. In late-July, explosive activity waned, but lava emission continued at a fairly low rate, feeding short lava flows that advanced little more than 1 km.

On 13 November 2008, six months after its onset, the 2008 flank eruption of Etna was continuing, at a relatively low rate, and it thus became the longest of the four flank eruptions of Etna so far in the 3rd millennium. Previous eruptions, in 2001, 2002-2003, and 2004-2005 had lasted 3 weeks, 3 months, and 6 months, respectively.

Unusual characteristics

In the 1970s Etna erupted smoke rings, one of the first captured events of this type, which is extremely rare. This happened again in 2000.



Monte Etna
L'Etna (Mungibeddu o semplicemente 'a Muntagna in siciliano) è un vulcano attivo che si trova sulla costa orientale della Sicilia, tra Catania e Messina. È il vulcano attivo più alto del continente europeo[1] e uno dei maggiori al mondo. La sua altezza varia nel tempo a causa delle sue eruzioni, ma si aggira attualmente sui 3.340 m. s.l.m. Il suo diametro è di circa 45 chilometri.
Un tempo era noto anche come Mongibello.

Leggende
A proposito del dio Eolo, il re dei venti, si diceva che avesse imprigionato i venti sotto le caverne dell'Etna. Secondo il poeta Eschilo, il gigante Tifone fu confinato nell'Etna e fu motivo di eruzioni. Un altro gigante, Encelado, si ribellò contro gli dei, venne ucciso e fu bruciato nell'Etna. Su Efesto o Vulcano, dio del fuoco e della metallurgia e fabbro degli dei, venne detto di aver avuto la sua fucina sotto l'Etna e di aver domato il demone del fuoco Adranos e di averlo guidato fuori dalla montagna, mentre i Ciclopi vi tenevano un'officina di forgiatura nella quale producevano le saette usate come armi da Zeus. Si supponeva che il mondo dei morti greco, Tartaro, fosse situato sotto l'Etna.

Su Empedocle, un importante filosofo presocratico e uomo politico greco del V secolo a.C., venne detto che si buttò nel cratere del vulcano, anche se in realtà sembra che sia morto in Grecia. Si dice che quando l'Etna eruttò nel 252, un anno dopo il martirio di Santa Agata, il popolo di Catania prese il velo rosso della Santa, rimasto intatto dalle fiamme del suo martirio, e né invocò il nome. Si dice che a seguito di ciò l'eruzione finì e che per questo motivo i devoti invocano il suo nome contro il fuoco e lampi.

Secondo una leggenda inglese l'anima della regina Elisabetta I d'Inghilterra ora risiede nell'Etna, a causa di un patto che lei fece col diavolo in cambio del suo aiuto durante il suo regno.

Turismo e ambiente
Il territorio del vulcano è tutto un mondo di ambienti differenti per morfologia e tipologia. Coltivato fino ai mille metri s.l.m. e fortemente urbanizzato sui versanti est e sud si presenta selvaggio e brullo soprattutto dal lato ovest dove dai mille metri in poi predominano le "sciare", specie nella zona di Bronte. Poco urbanizzato, ma di aspetto più dolce il versante nord con il predominio dei boschi al di sopra di Linguaglossa. Il versante est è dominato dall'aspetto inquietante della Valle del Bove sui margini della quale si inerpicano i fitti boschi. Al di sopra dei 1000 m, in inverno, è presente la neve che spesso dura fin quasi all'estate. Questa è raggiungibile agevolmente dai versanti sud e nord. Di conseguenza sull'Etna si trovavano anche due stazioni sciistiche la cui particolarità è quella di poter sciare sulla neve potendo osservare il mare. Da quella Sud del Rifugio Sapienza, nel territorio di Nicolosi, è possibile ammirare tutto il golfo di Catania e la valle del Simeto. Nelle piste a Nord, quelle di Piano Provenzana in territorio di Linguaglossa, lo scenario che si apre d'innanzi comprende Taormina e le coste della Calabria. Le piste di Nicolosi sono state danneggiate dall'eruzione dell'estate del 2001, quando una colata lavica ha distrutto la stazione d'arrivo della funivia ed il centro servizi passando a pochi metri dallo stesso "Rifugio Sapienza". Le piste di Piano Provenzana sono state colpite dalla colata dell'Autunno del 2002.
L'Etna visto da sud in autunno

Negli anni settanta del XX secolo le piste del versante sud,Nicolosi, sono state protagoniste della "Tre giorni Internazionale dell'Etna" gara di sci alpino che vedeva alla partenza i grandi nomi dello sci alla fine delle gare della coppa del mondo. Poi con il passare degli anni e con l'avvento del professionismo esasperato in tutte le discipline sportive, questa gara non ha più avuto luogo.

L'Etna è anche meta ininterrotta delle visite di turisti interessati al vulcano e alle sue manifestazioni in virtù del fatto che è uno dei pochi vulcani attivi al mondo ad essere a portata di mano di chiunque avendo a supporto ogni tipo di mezzo di comunicazione per raggiungerlo. Sono presenti infatti anche guide specializzate e mezzi fuoristrada che in sicurezza portano fino ai crateri sommitali. Il circondario ha caratteristiche che ne rendono le terre ottime per produzioni agricole, grazie alla particolare fertilità dei detriti vulcanici. La zona abitata giunge fino ai 1000 m.s.l.m. mentre le zone coltivate e boschive vanno fin oltre i 1500 metri. Ampie parti delle sue pendici sono comprese nell'omonimo parco naturale che è meta di turisti amanti della natura e di un sano relax.


Volcan Etna
El Etna (37°45.304′N 14°59.715′E / 37.755067, 14.99525) es un volcán activo en la costa este de Sicilia, entre las provincias de Messina y Catania. Tiene alrededor de 3.322 metros de altura, aunque ésta varía debido a las constantes erupciones. La montaña es hoy en día 21,6 metros menor que en 1865. Es el mayor volcán activo de Europa y la montaña más alta de Italia al sur de los Alpes. El Etna cubre un área de 1.190 km2, con una circunferencia basal de 140 kilómetros.

Hasta inicios de s XX, por lo menos, era frecuente que la población siciliana llamara Gibellu a este célebre volcán; tal denominación local deriva de la presencia árabe en el lugar durante la edad media. En efecto, Gibellu o Gibello deriva de la palabra árabe جبل ŷébel (monte, montaña). Aún en 2005, se llama en Sicilia Gibello o Mongibelo a la montaña; quedando la denominación Etna para el cono volcánico.

En la mitología griega, el Etna era el volcán en cuyo interior se situaban las fraguas de Hefesto, que trabajaba en compañía de cíclopes y gigantes. El monstruoso Tifón yacía debajo de esta montaña, lo que causaba frecuentes terremotos y erupciones de humo y lava.

Su nombre derivaba de la ninfa Etna, hija del gigante Briareo y de Cimopolia, o de Urano y Gea, que se convirtió en la deidad de este famoso volcán. Por ello, fue la juez que resolvió la disputa sobre la posesión de Sicilia entre Deméter y Hefestos.

Uniéndose con éste último fue madre de los pálicos, los dos dioses de sendos géiseres famosos en la isla.

Haciendo abstracción de la mitología, el nombre deriva de la palabra cananea (o del fenicio) attanu (arder) y luego de la griega aithos (con el mismo significado de arder). Durante la ocupación árabe de Sicilia en la Edad Media, el Etna fue llamado Ŷébel Uhamat (Montaña de Fuego), pasando a ser llamado durante siglos por gran parte de los italianos con la palabra mixta (románica-arábiga): Mongibello.

El Etna es uno de los volcanes más activos del mundo, y está casi en constante erupción. Aunque en ocasiones puede ser muy destructivo, no está contemplado como un volcán particularmente peligroso y miles de personas viven en sus alrededores e incluso en sus faldas. La fertilidad de la tierra volcánica hace que la agricultura extensiva, con viñas y huertos, se extiende a lo largo de las laderas de la montaña. Debido a la reciente actividad volcánica y a su población, el Etna ha sido designado como uno de los 16 volcanes de la década por las Naciones Unidas.



etna vulcan vulcano volcan catania katane sicily sicilia italy italia europe europa eu nature landscape author michael castielli free license creative commons high resolution copyright patent wallpaper graphical design disegno new sky travel viaje viaggio trip vacation vacanze vacaciones holiday site web


Etna-Catania-Sicilia-Italy - Creative Commons by gnuckx
photo effects online
Image by gnuckx
News

Etna, the Forge of Hephaestus - Etna, la fucina di Efesto
by Francesco Pappalardo.

This is an excellent Photography book recently published by this great photographer and flickr friend cicciofarmaco.

This book is a collection of the most beautiful pictures of the Etna volcano paroxysmal eruptions of 2011. As you can see, Francesco has a natural talent in photography and his work is truly inspirational, so through this book you can live again the most spectacular and fascinating moments of the eruptions of the Etna volcano of 2011.

Buy this magnificent Photography book easily online through this link Etna, la fucina di Efesto. by Francesco Pappalardo and enjoy these historic events of nature forever.

====================================================================

Mount Etna
Mount Etna, also known as Muncibeḍḍu in Sicilian and Mongibello in Italian, a combination of Latin mons and Arabic gibel, both meaning mountain) is an active stratovolcano on the east coast of Sicily, close to Messina and Catania. Its Arabic name was Jebel Utlamat (the Mountain of Fire). It is the second largest active volcano in Europe, currently standing 3,329 metres (10,922 ft) high, though this varies with summit eruptions; the mountain is 21 m (69 ft) lower now than it was in 1981. It is the highest mountain in Italy south of the Alps. Etna covers an area of 1,190 km² (460 sq mi) with a basal circumference of 140 km. This makes it by far the largest of the three active volcanoes in Italy, being about two and a half times the height of the next largest, Mount Vesuvius. Only Mount Teide in Tenerife surpasses it in the whole of the European region (though geographically Tenerife is an island of Africa).

Mount Etna is one of the most active volcanoes in the world and is in an almost constant state of eruption. It is also believed to be the world’s oldest active volcano. The fertile volcanic soils support extensive agriculture, with vineyards and orchards spread across the lower slopes of the mountain and the broad Plain of Catania to the south. Due to its history of recent activity and nearby population, Mount Etna has been designated a Decade Volcano by the United Nations.

Geological history
Volcanic activity at Etna began about half a million years ago, with eruptions occurring beneath the sea off the coastline of Sicily. 300,000 years ago, volcanism began occurring to the southwest of the present-day summit, before activity moved towards the present center 170,000 years ago. Eruptions at this time built up the first major volcanic edifice, forming a strato-volcano in alternating explosive and effusive eruptions. The growth of the mountain was occasionally interrupted by major eruptions leading to the collapse of the summit to form calderas.
Etna seen from Spot Satellite.

From about 35,000 to 15,000 years ago, Etna experienced some highly explosive eruptions, generating large pyroclastic flows which left extensive ignimbrite deposits. Ash from these eruptions has been found as far away as Rome, 800 km to the north.
A crater near the Torre del Filosofo, about 450 metres below Etna’s summit.

Thousands of years ago, the eastern flank of the mountain experienced a catastrophic collapse, generating an enormous landslide in an event similar to that seen in the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens. The landslide left a large depression in the side of the volcano, known as ‘Valle del Bove’ (Valley of the Ox). Research published in 2006 suggests that this occurred around 6000 BC, and caused a huge tsunami which left its mark in several places in the eastern Mediterranean. It may have been the reason that the settlement of Atlit Yam (Israel), now below sea level, was suddenly abandoned around that time.

The steep walls of the Valley have suffered subsequent collapse on numerous occasions. The strata exposed in the valley walls provide an important and easily accessible record of Etna’s eruptive history.

The most recent collapse event at the summit of Etna is thought to have occurred about 2,000 years ago, forming what is known as the Piano Caldera. This caldera has been almost entirely filled by subsequent lava eruptions, but is still visible as a distinct break in the slope of the mountain near the base of the present-day summit cone.

Historical eruptions
Eruptions of Etna are not all the same. Some occur at the summit, where there are currently (as of 2008) four distinct craters – the Northeast Crater, the Voragine, the Bocca Nuova, and the Southeast Crater. Other eruptions occur on the flanks, where there are more than 300 vents, ranging in size from small holes in the ground to large craters hundreds of meters across. Summit eruptions can be highly explosive and are extremely spectacular, but are rarely threatening for the inhabited areas around the volcano. On the contrary, flank eruptions can occur down to a few hundred meters altitude, close to or even well within the populated areas. Numerous villages and small towns lie around or on cones of past flank eruptions. Since the year 1600 A.D., there have been at least 60 flank eruptions and countless summit eruptions; nearly half of these have occurred since the start of the 20th century, and the 3rd millennium has seen five flank eruptions of Etna so far, in 2001, 2002-2003, 2004-2005,2007 and 2008.

The first known record of an eruption at Etna is that of Diodorus Siculus.

The Roman poet Virgil gave what was probably a first-hand description of an eruption in the Aeneid:
“ Portus ab accessu ventorum immotus et ingens ipse; sed horrificis iuxta tonat Aetna ruinis; interdumque atram prorumpit ad aethera nubem, turbine fumantem piceo et candente favilla, attollitque globos flammarum et sidera lambit; interdum scopulos avolsaque viscera montis erigit eructans, liquefactaque saxa sub auras cum gemitu glomerat, fundoque exaestuat imo. (3.39)

“ A spreading bay is there, impregnable To all invading storms; and Aetna’s throat With roar of frightful ruin thunders nigh. Now to the realm of light it lifts a cloud Of pitch-black, whirling smoke, and fiery dust, Shooting out globes of flame, with monster tongues That lick the stars; now huge crags of itself, Out of the bowels of the mountain torn, Its maw disgorges, while the molten rock Rolls screaming skyward; from the nether deep The fathomless abyss makes ebb and flow.

In 396 BC, an eruption of Etna is said to have thwarted the Carthaginians in their attempt to advance on Syracuse during the First Sicilian War.

A particularly violent explosive (Plinian) summit eruption occurred in 122 BC, and caused heavy tephra falls to the southeast, including the town of Catania, where many roofs collapsed. To help with reconstruction and dealing with the devastating effects of the eruption, the Roman government exempted the population of Catania from paying taxes for ten years.

Recent eruptions
Etna’s 2002 eruption, photographed from the ISS.
Same, seen in a wider field.
Etna’s south east crater 2006 eruption, photographed from Torre del Filosofo.

Another large lava flow from an eruption in 1928 led to the first (and only) destruction of a population center since the 1669 eruption. The eruption started high on Etna’s northeast flank on 2 November, then new eruptive fissures opened at ever lower elevation down the flank of the volcano. The third and most vigorous of these fissures opened late on 4 November at unusually low elevation (1200 m above the sea-level), in a zone known as Ripe della Naca. The village of Mascali, lying downslope of the Ripe della Naca, was obliterated in just two days, with the lava destroying nearly every building. Only a church and a few surrounding buildings survived in the north part of the village, called Sant’Antonino or “il quartiere”. During the last days of the eruption, the flow interrupted the Messina-Catania railway line and destroyed the train station of Mascali. The event was used by Benito Mussolini’s Fascist regime for propaganda purposes, with the evacuation, aid and rebuilding operations being presented as models of fascist planning. Mascali was rebuilt on a new site, and its church contains the Italian fascist symbol of the torch, placed above the statue of Jesus Christ. In early November 2008, the town of Mascali commemorated the 80th anniversary of the eruption and destruction of the village with a number of public manifestations and conferences, where, amongst others, still living eyewitnesses of the eruptions recalled their impressions of that experience.

Other major 20th-century eruptions occurred in 1949, 1971, 1981, 1983 and 1991-1993. In 1971, lava buried the Etna Observatory (built in the late 19th century), destroyed the first generation of the Etna cable-car, and seriously threatened several small villages on Etna’s east flank. In March 1981, the town of Randazzo on the northwestern flank of Etna narrowly escaped from destruction by unusually fast-moving lava flows – that eruption was remarkably similar to the one of 1928 that destroyed Mascali. The 1991-1993 eruption saw the town of Zafferana threatened by a lava flow, but successful diversion efforts saved the town with the loss of only one building a few hundred metres from the town’s margin. Initially, such efforts consisted of the construction of earth barriers built perpendicularly to the flow direction; it was hoped that the eruption would stop before the artificial basins created behind the barriers would be completely filled. Instead, the eruption continued, and lava surmounted the barriers, heading directly toward Zafferana. It was then decided to use explosives near the source of the lava flow, to disrupt a very efficient lava tube system through which the lava traveled for up to 7 km without essentially losing heat and fluidity. The main explosion on 23 May 1992 destroyed the lava tube and forced the lava into a new artificial channel, far from Zafferana, and it would have taken months to re-establish a long lava tube. Shortly after the blasting, the rate of lava emission dropped and during the remainder of the eruption (until 30 March 1993) the lava never advanced close to the town again.

Following six years (1995-2001) of unusually intense activity at the four summit craters of Etna, the volcano produced its first flank eruption since 1991-1993 in July-August 2001. This eruption, which involved activity from seven distinct eruptive fissures mostly on the south slope of the volcano, was a mass-media eruption, because it occurred at the height of the tourist season and numerous reporters and journalists were already in Italy to cover the G8 summit in Genoa. It also occurred close to one of the tourist areas on the volcano, and thus was easily accessible. Part of the “Etna Sud” tourist area, including the arrival station of the Etna cable car, were damaged by this eruption, which otherwise was a rather modest-sized event for Etna standards.

In 2002-2003, a much larger eruption threw up a huge column of ash that could easily be seen from space and fell as far away as Libya, 600 km south across the Mediterranean Sea. Seismic activity in this eruption caused the eastern flanks of the volcano to slip by up to two metres, and many houses on the flanks of the volcano experienced structural damage. The eruption also completely destroyed the tourist station Piano Provenzana, on the northeastern flank of the volcano, and part of the tourist station “Etna Spud” around the Rifugio Sapienza on the south flank. Footage from the eruptions was recorded by Lucasfilm and integrated into the landscape of the planet Mustafar in the 2005 film Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith. The Rifugio Sapienza is near the site of a cable car station which had previously been destroyed in the 1983 eruption; it has now been rebuilt.
Etna’s Sept. 2007 eruption as seen from the southeast crater ridgeline.

Following a rather silent, slow and non-destructive lava outflow on the upper southeastern flank between September 2004 and March 2005, intense eruptions occurred at the Southeast Crater in July-December 2006. These were followed by four episodes of lava fountaining, again at the Southeast Crater, on 29 March, 11 April, 29 April and 7 May 2007. Ash emissions and Strombolian explosions started from a vent on the eastern side of the Southeast Crater in mid-August 2007.
House destroyed by lava on the slopes of Etna.

On 4 September 2007 Etna violently erupted at around 8:00 p.m. local time, spewing lava up to 400 m into the air along with strong winds that sent ash and smoke into the underlying towns. This Southeast Crater eruption was visible far into the plains of Sicily, ending the following morning between the hours of 5 to 7 am local time. Catania-Fontanarossa Airport shut down operations during the night for safety precautions. A similar paroxysm occurred during the night of 23-24 November 2007, lasting for 6 hours and causing ash and lapilli falls to the north of the volcano. Again, the source of the activity was the Southeast Crater. Following several months of rather minor activity from the Southeast Crater and flurries of seismic activity especially in the eastern sector of the mountain, a new powerful eruptive paroxysm occurred on the late afternoon of 10 May 2008. Due to bad weather, it was not possible to see much of the activity at the vent, but several branches of lava traveled down the eastern flank of the volcano, into the Valle del Bove depression. This latest paroxysm lasted about 4 hours, ending on the evening of 10 May 2008.

A new eruption started on the morning of 13 May 2008 immediately to the east of Etna’s summit craters, accompanied by a swarm of more than 200 earthquakes and significant ground deformation in the summit area. On the afternoon of the same day, a new eruptive fissure opened at about 2800 m above sea-level, with a number of vents displaying Strombolian activity and emission of lava flows toward the Valle del Bove. During the following 24 hours the lava traveled approximately 6 km to the east, but thereafter its advance slowed and stopped, the most distant lava fronts stagnating about 3 km from the nearest village, Milo. Ash emissions became more frequent between 16 and 18 May and produced small but spectacular clouds, whereas the rate of lava emission showed a gradual diminution. During late May and the first week of June, the activity continued at low levels, with lava flows advancing only a few hundred meters from the vents as of 4 June. Four days later, on 8 June, there was a considerable increase in the vigor of Strombolian activity and lava output rate. During the following week, lava flows advanced up to 5 km from the source vents. In June and July, the eruption continued with mild Strombolian activity from two vents at about 2800 m elevation, and lava advancing up to 4 km eastward, remaining confined to the Valle del Bove collapse depression. Activity in mid-July produced loud detonations that were well audible in numerous population centers around the volcano. In late-July, explosive activity waned, but lava emission continued at a fairly low rate, feeding short lava flows that advanced little more than 1 km.

On 13 November 2008, six months after its onset, the 2008 flank eruption of Etna was continuing, at a relatively low rate, and it thus became the longest of the four flank eruptions of Etna so far in the 3rd millennium. Previous eruptions, in 2001, 2002-2003, and 2004-2005 had lasted 3 weeks, 3 months, and 6 months, respectively.

Unusual characteristics

In the 1970s Etna erupted smoke rings, one of the first captured events of this type, which is extremely rare. This happened again in 2000.



Monte Etna
L'Etna (Mungibeddu o semplicemente 'a Muntagna in siciliano) è un vulcano attivo che si trova sulla costa orientale della Sicilia, tra Catania e Messina. È il vulcano attivo più alto del continente europeo[1] e uno dei maggiori al mondo. La sua altezza varia nel tempo a causa delle sue eruzioni, ma si aggira attualmente sui 3.340 m. s.l.m. Il suo diametro è di circa 45 chilometri.
Un tempo era noto anche come Mongibello.

Leggende
A proposito del dio Eolo, il re dei venti, si diceva che avesse imprigionato i venti sotto le caverne dell'Etna. Secondo il poeta Eschilo, il gigante Tifone fu confinato nell'Etna e fu motivo di eruzioni. Un altro gigante, Encelado, si ribellò contro gli dei, venne ucciso e fu bruciato nell'Etna. Su Efesto o Vulcano, dio del fuoco e della metallurgia e fabbro degli dei, venne detto di aver avuto la sua fucina sotto l'Etna e di aver domato il demone del fuoco Adranos e di averlo guidato fuori dalla montagna, mentre i Ciclopi vi tenevano un'officina di forgiatura nella quale producevano le saette usate come armi da Zeus. Si supponeva che il mondo dei morti greco, Tartaro, fosse situato sotto l'Etna.

Su Empedocle, un importante filosofo presocratico e uomo politico greco del V secolo a.C., venne detto che si buttò nel cratere del vulcano, anche se in realtà sembra che sia morto in Grecia. Si dice che quando l'Etna eruttò nel 252, un anno dopo il martirio di Santa Agata, il popolo di Catania prese il velo rosso della Santa, rimasto intatto dalle fiamme del suo martirio, e né invocò il nome. Si dice che a seguito di ciò l'eruzione finì e che per questo motivo i devoti invocano il suo nome contro il fuoco e lampi.

Secondo una leggenda inglese l'anima della regina Elisabetta I d'Inghilterra ora risiede nell'Etna, a causa di un patto che lei fece col diavolo in cambio del suo aiuto durante il suo regno.

Turismo e ambiente
Il territorio del vulcano è tutto un mondo di ambienti differenti per morfologia e tipologia. Coltivato fino ai mille metri s.l.m. e fortemente urbanizzato sui versanti est e sud si presenta selvaggio e brullo soprattutto dal lato ovest dove dai mille metri in poi predominano le "sciare", specie nella zona di Bronte. Poco urbanizzato, ma di aspetto più dolce il versante nord con il predominio dei boschi al di sopra di Linguaglossa. Il versante est è dominato dall'aspetto inquietante della Valle del Bove sui margini della quale si inerpicano i fitti boschi. Al di sopra dei 1000 m, in inverno, è presente la neve che spesso dura fin quasi all'estate. Questa è raggiungibile agevolmente dai versanti sud e nord. Di conseguenza sull'Etna si trovavano anche due stazioni sciistiche la cui particolarità è quella di poter sciare sulla neve potendo osservare il mare. Da quella Sud del Rifugio Sapienza, nel territorio di Nicolosi, è possibile ammirare tutto il golfo di Catania e la valle del Simeto. Nelle piste a Nord, quelle di Piano Provenzana in territorio di Linguaglossa, lo scenario che si apre d'innanzi comprende Taormina e le coste della Calabria. Le piste di Nicolosi sono state danneggiate dall'eruzione dell'estate del 2001, quando una colata lavica ha distrutto la stazione d'arrivo della funivia ed il centro servizi passando a pochi metri dallo stesso "Rifugio Sapienza". Le piste di Piano Provenzana sono state colpite dalla colata dell'Autunno del 2002.
L'Etna visto da sud in autunno

Negli anni settanta del XX secolo le piste del versante sud,Nicolosi, sono state protagoniste della "Tre giorni Internazionale dell'Etna" gara di sci alpino che vedeva alla partenza i grandi nomi dello sci alla fine delle gare della coppa del mondo. Poi con il passare degli anni e con l'avvento del professionismo esasperato in tutte le discipline sportive, questa gara non ha più avuto luogo.

L'Etna è anche meta ininterrotta delle visite di turisti interessati al vulcano e alle sue manifestazioni in virtù del fatto che è uno dei pochi vulcani attivi al mondo ad essere a portata di mano di chiunque avendo a supporto ogni tipo di mezzo di comunicazione per raggiungerlo. Sono presenti infatti anche guide specializzate e mezzi fuoristrada che in sicurezza portano fino ai crateri sommitali. Il circondario ha caratteristiche che ne rendono le terre ottime per produzioni agricole, grazie alla particolare fertilità dei detriti vulcanici. La zona abitata giunge fino ai 1000 m.s.l.m. mentre le zone coltivate e boschive vanno fin oltre i 1500 metri. Ampie parti delle sue pendici sono comprese nell'omonimo parco naturale che è meta di turisti amanti della natura e di un sano relax.


Volcan Etna
El Etna (37°45.304′N 14°59.715′E / 37.755067, 14.99525) es un volcán activo en la costa este de Sicilia, entre las provincias de Messina y Catania. Tiene alrededor de 3.322 metros de altura, aunque ésta varía debido a las constantes erupciones. La montaña es hoy en día 21,6 metros menor que en 1865. Es el mayor volcán activo de Europa y la montaña más alta de Italia al sur de los Alpes. El Etna cubre un área de 1.190 km2, con una circunferencia basal de 140 kilómetros.

Hasta inicios de s XX, por lo menos, era frecuente que la población siciliana llamara Gibellu a este célebre volcán; tal denominación local deriva de la presencia árabe en el lugar durante la edad media. En efecto, Gibellu o Gibello deriva de la palabra árabe جبل ŷébel (monte, montaña). Aún en 2005, se llama en Sicilia Gibello o Mongibelo a la montaña; quedando la denominación Etna para el cono volcánico.

En la mitología griega, el Etna era el volcán en cuyo interior se situaban las fraguas de Hefesto, que trabajaba en compañía de cíclopes y gigantes. El monstruoso Tifón yacía debajo de esta montaña, lo que causaba frecuentes terremotos y erupciones de humo y lava.

Su nombre derivaba de la ninfa Etna, hija del gigante Briareo y de Cimopolia, o de Urano y Gea, que se convirtió en la deidad de este famoso volcán. Por ello, fue la juez que resolvió la disputa sobre la posesión de Sicilia entre Deméter y Hefestos.

Uniéndose con éste último fue madre de los pálicos, los dos dioses de sendos géiseres famosos en la isla.

Haciendo abstracción de la mitología, el nombre deriva de la palabra cananea (o del fenicio) attanu (arder) y luego de la griega aithos (con el mismo significado de arder). Durante la ocupación árabe de Sicilia en la Edad Media, el Etna fue llamado Ŷébel Uhamat (Montaña de Fuego), pasando a ser llamado durante siglos por gran parte de los italianos con la palabra mixta (románica-arábiga): Mongibello.

El Etna es uno de los volcanes más activos del mundo, y está casi en constante erupción. Aunque en ocasiones puede ser muy destructivo, no está contemplado como un volcán particularmente peligroso y miles de personas viven en sus alrededores e incluso en sus faldas. La fertilidad de la tierra volcánica hace que la agricultura extensiva, con viñas y huertos, se extiende a lo largo de las laderas de la montaña. Debido a la reciente actividad volcánica y a su población, el Etna ha sido designado como uno de los 16 volcanes de la década por las Naciones Unidas.



etna vulcan vulcano volcan catania katane sicily sicilia italy italia europe europa eu nature landscape author michael castielli free license creative commons high resolution copyright patent wallpaper graphical design disegno new sky travel viaje viaggio trip vacation vacanze vacaciones holiday site web

Leaderboard