Word: volcanoe
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...past month the citizens of Yogyakarta have warily watched Mount Merapi, an active volcano 25 km from the ancient Indonesian city. Scientists warned that Merapi was ready to erupt, and thousands of villagers living on its slopes were evacuated as a precaution. So far Merapi hasn't blown. Instead, Yogyakartans discovered on Saturday that the real danger was the ground beneath their feet...
...past month the citizens of Yogyakarta have warily watched Mount Merapi, an active volcano 25 km from the ancient Indonesian city. Scientists warned that Merapi was ready to erupt, and thousands of villagers living on its slopes were evacuated as a precaution. So far Merapi hasn't blown. Instead, Yogyakartans discovered on Saturday that the real danger was the ground beneath their feet...
...campaign's goal is not without precedent. Previous suicide magnets - the Empire State Building, Sydney Harbor Bridge, the Eiffel Tower, and the Mt. Mihara volcano in Japan - have all installed barriers, resulting in dramatic reductions, in some cases to zero, in the number of desperate people who jump...
...mysticism: animist spirits, Hindu gods, Sufi saints. One of the most sacred sites is a magnificent 3,000-m peak called Merapi, which literally means "fire mountain." For centuries villagers living on its slopes and base have pledged their fate to Merapi, not just because it's an active volcano but because it provides fertile soil for them to grow food and raise cattle, and sand and stone for them to build their homes. Every year they bring Merapi gifts of food, tobacco and clothing, both to appease it and to seek its protection. The volcano even has a caretaker...
...Last week, however, thousands of them filed back to their homes, partly out of fear that they were being looted (they weren't). Merapi's current caretaker, 79-year-old Marijan, told reporters his dreams tell him the volcano won't blow its top, but that the eruptions are a warning to the people to fulfill their obligations to the spirits. He says he won't leave his own home, even though it's just 6 km from the summit: "If I do, I would not be guarding the mountain I have promised to guard. I would not be doing...