Mount Merapi Erupts

Smoke rises Monday from Indonesia's Mount Merapi, one of the world's most volatile and dangerous volcanoes. Thousands of people living on the volcano's fertile slopes began evacuating as Merapi started erupting Tuesday, sending hot ash and rocks high in the air. (See an Indonesia map.)

Scientists had been warning for days that pressure building in the rumbling volcano has the potential to set off an especially violent eruption. (See related pictures of the ten most dangerous U.S. volcanoes.)

"The energy is building up. ... We hope it will release slowly," Indonesian-government volcanologist Surono told reporters, according to the Associated Press. "Otherwise we're looking at a potentially huge eruption, bigger than anything we've seen in years."

Meanwhile, officials in western Indonesia are racing to deal with the aftermath of a deadly tsunami that struck the remote Mentawai Islands late Monday, killing at least 113 and leaving hundreds more missing. The killer wave, triggered by a magnitude 7.7 earthquake centered offshore of the island of Sumatra, had many recalling the December 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, which devastated the same region.

While it's unclear whether Monday's earthquake and the Merapi volcano eruption are linked, neither event is uncommon in Indonesia. The archipelago sits along the Pacific Ring of Fire, a series of fault lines that stretches from the Pacific coasts of the Americas through Japan and into Southeast Asia. (See "Deadly Java Quake Highlights "Ring of Fire" Dangers.")

originally from :  http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2010/10/photogalleries/101026-indonesia-mount-merapi-volcano-eruption-world-science-pictures-photos/

Volcano Spews Lava, Gas in Indonesia; 11,000 Evacuated

       Indonesian officials began evacuating 11,000 people from around the Merapi volcano today, as lava and clouds of gas and debris poured down its steep, upper slopes, news agencies reported.

       The 9,700-foot (2,900-meter) volcano on the Indonesian island of Java has been sporadically spewing clouds of toxic gas and lava for several weeks.

        Experts believe a major eruption could come at any time. 

      Villagers were being trucked away from the foot of the mountain to temporary shelters. 

"Of course it is dangerous. But we don't know for sure whether the lava dome will collapse," Subandriyo, a government volcanologist who uses only one name, told the Associated Press. 

      Officials said a cloud of gas from Merapi stretched for 2.4 miles (4 kilometers), and piles of lava were pushed up to 4 miles (7 kilometers) from the crater, according to the news reports. 

      Activity in the region has increased since a magnitude 6.3 earthquake struck about 20 miles (30 kilometers) to the south of the volcano on May 27. 

        The earthquake killed more than 5,800 people. 

        Scientists believe the earthquake may have contributed to the increased activity at the volcano.

"I don't think that's unreasonable. The volcano is an unstable pile of rock. It's fragile," said Stanley Williams, a volcanologist at Arizona State University in Tempe who has studied Merapi.

"I would be surprised if [the earthquake] didn't literally shake the mountain," he added. 

        A major eruption of Merapi could strain quake-relief efforts. 

originally from : http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2006/06/060606-merapi.html

Faktor-Faktor Yang Bisa Membuat Wanita Ingin Bercinta

Biasanya hasrat bercinta perempuan lebih tertutup dari pria. Namun ada beberapa situasi yang bisa memancing hasrat tersebut. Mau tahu apa saja?

Melissa LaRicca, seorang ahli seks yang dilansir Askmen, Selasa, (29/12/2009) mengungkap, ada 9 situasi yang bisa membangkitkan hasrat seks perempuan.

Pasca Adu Argumen
Adu argumen dengan pasangan akan membuat emosi seorang perempuan kacau. Kadang adu argumen itu berakhir dengan sebuah tangisan. Saat itu dinginkan kepala Anda, akhiri argumen dengan sebuah pernyataan maaf, lalu usap air matanya. Beri pasangan Anda sebuah kecupan lembut. Dan Anda berdua akan berakhir di tempat tidur.

Perasaan Senang
Sama halnya seperti kemarahan dan kesedihan, perasaan senang juga akan menimbulkan mood bercinta perempuan. Liburan romantis atau kejutan manis akan membuat pasangan Anda senang. Kegiatan bercinta Anda pun akan menjadi seru.

Stres
Stres juga adalah satu kondisi yang bisa membuat perempuan berhasrat seks. Seks bisa membuat mereka lebih tenang, dan membuat syaraf lebih santai. Tak heran banyak perempuan yang menginginkan seks saat sedang stres.

Cemburu
Cemburu membuat emosi perempuan naik. Selain itu, cemburu juga menimbulkan rasa tidak aman (insecure) pada perempuan. Untuk menunjukkan eksistensinya, perempuan akan menunjukkan 'servis' terbaik mereka di tempat tidur pada para pasangan. Sehingga para pria sadar begitu berharga pasangannya.

Masa Ovulasi
Setiap masa ovulasi, hasrat seks perempuan memang meningkat. Hal ini berhubungan dengan situasi hormonal yang dialami perempuan.

Pesta
Sebuah pesta juga bisa meningkatkan gairah perempuan. Mood yang terbentuk saat pesta, serta minuman beralkohol pada kadar yang pas membuat perempuan ingin bercinta.

Film Dewasa
Tak hanya pria, perempuan pun ternyata bisa naik libidonya saat menonton film dewasa. Tak salah rasanya bila sesekali Anda dan pasangan menonton film itu bersama, untuk menaikkan mood bercinta.

Hubungan Jarak Jauh
Mempunyai hubungan jarak jauh membuat perempuan menimbun hasratnya. Saat ia bertemu dengan pasangannya, maka hasratnya tak lagi bisa ditahan.

Berkarya
Perempuan sangat suka melakukan hal-hal yang melatih kreativitasnya, misalnya memasak, melukis dan sebagainya. Saat melakukan kegiatan itu, mood mereka menjadi senang. Jika Anda 'menggoda' mereka saat tengah berkarya, biasanya hasrat seks mereka cepat naik. Jadi tak ada salahnya 'mengganggu' pasangan saat mereka tengah sibuk berkarya.