more volcano erutions, perceptions

More volcanoes erupting and on US soil at that. There are now 2 erupting volcanoes in Alaska's Aleutian Islands in less than a months time, Okmok and Mount Cleveland. Here's what Reuters had to say:

By Yereth Rosen

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (Reuters) - A second volcano (Okmok pictured to left) in Alaska's Aleutian Islands has erupted in less than a month, shooting steam and ash as high as 20,000 feet into the air, officials said on Tuesday.

The eruption on Mount Cleveland on Chuginadak Island took place 90 miles west of Okmok Volcano where ongoing eruptions since July 12 have captured the attention of scientists and forced nearby residents to evacuate.

The initial eruption on Mount Cleveland, a volcano about 940 miles southwest of Anchorage, occurred on Monday, showering ash on nearby fishing vessels, according to the Alaska Volcano Observatory, a joint federal-state office that monitors Alaska's plentiful volcanoes.

Mount Cleveland, (pictured at left) one of Alaska's most restless volcanoes, has continued to spew clouds comprised mostly of steam and there is what appears to be a small lava flow trickling from the vent, the monitoring group said.

"It erupts so frequently that it's not a surprise when it erupts," said Peter Cervelli, research geophysicist for the Alaska Volcano Observatory, noting that Mount Cleveland, which rises to 5,676 feet, erupted last year.

Cervelli called the proximity of the two eruptions a coincidence and said the two events are unrelated.

The events at Okmok, a 3,520-foot (1,073-metre) volcano on Umnak Island, have been more dramatic, prompting the Alaska Volcano Observatory to keep staff at work around the clock.

Explosions from Okmok have recurred regularly since the initial eruption on July 12, sending steam and ash up to 30,000 feet in the air and keeping the remote island's 10 evacuees from returning home.

If Okmok remains true to historical patterns, eruptions there are likely to continue for weeks or even months, according to projections from the Alaska Volcano Observatory.

In the fishing hub of Unalaska/Dutch Harbor, located 65 miles northeast of Okmok, ash has turned skies hazy and prompted air-quality advisories from the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation.

Airline pilots and mariners passing through the area are also under advisories to avoid the ash.

They make it sound so normal! Kind of like...in other news today, a volcano erupted and we had to evacuate the island that was quickly taken over by martians...Ok, I guess that's a little exaggerated.

Weird fact of the day: 'Dreamt' is the only English word that ends in the letters 'mt'.

Ohhhh....here's a good one LOL:
Couple make burglar clean their home at gunpoint An American couple turned the tables on a burglar they caught ransacking their home by dispensing their own summary justice.

Without waiting for the law to arrive, the pair doled out their own punishment to the surprised criminal - they made him clean up the house at gunpoint!

The unlucky burglar was caught red-handed when Adrian and Tiffany McKinnon returned to their house near Montgomery, Alabama, after a week away.

To their dismay they discovered their home had been plundered.
"Tears just rolled down my face as I walked in and saw everything gone and piles of trash all over my home," Mrs. McKinnon told her local newspaper the Montgomery Advertiser.

When her husband walked into another room to check what was missing he came face to face with the burglar, who was wearing one of Mr. McKinnon's hats.

"My husband Adrian caught the thief red-handed in our home. And what is even crazier, the man even had my husband's hat sitting right on his head," Mrs. McKinnon said.

Mr. McKinnon held suspect Tajuan Bullock at gunpoint and made him sit down until he decided what to do.

"We made this man clean up all the mess he made, piles of stuff, he had thrown out of my drawers and cabinets onto the floor," Mrs. McKinnon said.

When the police arrived the work-shy burglar had the cheek to complain to them - about having to clean up his mess at gunpoint.

"This man had the nerve to raise sand about us making him clean up the mess he made in my house," said Mrs McKinnon.

But the police officer laughed at Bullock when he complained and told him that anybody else would have shot him dead.

Bullock was arrested on burglary and theft charges and was held in Montgomery County Detention Facility.

A police spokesman said the victims were lucky to be able to catch the suspect in the act and hold him until police arrived. It was an unusual case because usually burglars struck while the homeowner was away and were in and out fast so they could quickly sell the stolen items, the spokesman added.

More strange facts:

Blue whale babies weigh up to 7 tonnes at birth. (Glad I'm not a whale mommy!)

A female cod can lay up to 9 million eggs. (You go girl!)

Snakes can see through their eyelids. (creepy!)

Elephants spend 23 hours a day eating. (oink, oink!)

Vultures sometimes eat so much they can't take off again. (Shoot them while they can't move!)

The Amazon 'Jesus Christ lizard' can run across water. (Jesus!)

Time for me to finish up and get out of here, yippee! Have a safe evening all....until next post...