Dropping in on the 'door to hell' in pictures

 Photograph: George Verschoor/National Geographic Channels The crater has become a minor tourist attraction in Turkmenistan, though Kourounis says he didn't have any trouble with crowds of people turning up to watch him. Only a few "tourist outfits" and a couple of people with camels passed by."Once you're there – if you can find the place – you can drive up, get out of your car, walk over to the edge, and jump right in, if you want," he says. "The choice is yours. And I'm so far the only person who has actually done that".
Photograph: George Verschoor/National Geographic Channels Kourounis compared his experience of descending into the pit with what it might feel like to land on another planet. He describes it as a "coliseum of fire" made up of thousands of small flames, which together sound as loud as a jet engine.
Photograph: George Verschoor/National Geographic Channels "You feel very, very small and very vulnerable in a place like that," says Kourounis.
Flying over fire Kourounis and the team were happy with the results of their expedition, and believe it may even help to inform potential space missions in the future searching for signs of life outside of our solar system.
"We did find some bacteria living at the bottom that are very comfortable living in those high temperatures, and the most important thing was that they were not found in any of the surrounding soil outside of the crater," he says. "Outside of our solar system, there are planets that do resemble the conditions inside this pit, and [knowing that] can help us expand the number of places where we can confidently start looking for life outside of our solar system."
Photograph: George Verschoor/National Geographic Channels Turkmenistan is one of the most isolated countries in the world, yet its fledgling tourism industry hopes to capitalise on crater as an attraction for thrillseekers. Because it’s not fenced off, visitors can stand right on the edge of the crater, despite the safety hazards.
Photograph: George Verschoor/National Geographic Channels
View the original article here

Washington wildfires destroy 100 homes and displace hundreds

AppId is over the quota
AppId is over the quota
Residents of Pateros on Friday survey the ruins of their home, which was consumed by the Carlton Complex Fire, in Washington. Photograph: David Ryder/Reuters
A wildfire raging east of Washington state's Cascade Mountains has destroyed about 100 homes and displaced hundreds of people, an emergency official said on Saturday, with cooler weather not expected to provide relief for another day.
The four-blaze Carlton Complex fire destroyed homes in and around the town of Pateros, about 120 miles (193 km) north-east of Seattle, said Mark Clemens, a spokesman for the Washington emergency management division.
The town's 650 people were under mandatory evacuation orders, though some began returning on Friday to survey the charred remains of their homes and belongings. "Today is still a little bit dicey," Clemens said.
He said temperatures were not expected to drop or humidity rise until Sunday to help the 625 firefighters battling the blaze which has whipped through areas of timber and grass.
The Carlton Complex fire was triggered by lightning strikes on Monday. It has since burned more than 100,000 acres (40,500 hectares) of parched vegetation. The fire is among more than two dozen burning from southern California to Idaho as drought-parched western states enter their annual fire season.
The biggest fire, the lightning-sparked Buzzard Complex, has burned about 368,000 acres of rangeland in eastern Oregon and is about a fifth contained, said Rita Dyer, a fire spokeswoman.
Washington and Oregon have declared states of emergency as wildfires scorched thousands of acres, destroying homes, outbuildings and crops.

View the original article here

Typhoon Rammasun makes landfall in China - video

AppId is over the quota
AppId is over the quota

Typhoon Rammasun kills 18 in China
Strongest typhoon to hit southern China in 41 years leaves death and destruction in its wake as it heads towards Vietnam

View the original article here

Why Spirit Airlines Wants to 'Hug the Haters'

ABC News | ABC Sports News Copy Don't be a hater. Or do, and and get rewarded. That's the latest message from Spirit Airlines to its many, many critics. But the low-coast carrier Americans love to hate thinks it can embrace all the airline negativity out there and turn it into something positive: free airline miles. As the airline puts it, "We're going to hug the haters." World's Cheapest Airline Is One You've Probably Never Heard of The airline will give away miles up to one billion. Travelers need to go to HateThousandMiles.com and vent on Spirit -- or any other carrier -- in 140 characters or less. The payoff is 8,000 miles. And while that will get you "well on your way" to a free flight, the airline said, the minimum number of miles needed for a free flight is 10,000. The promotional miles can be combined with previously earned miles on Spirit. "Airlines mess up -- but at least Spirit is willing to admit it," the promotional page reads. "We know many customers love us and our approach to air travel," Spirit CEO Ben Baldanza said. We're confident once the haters see how we're different, and how much money they can save, they'll learn to love us, as well." Because as soon as travelers understand that Spirit offers "a cheap seat for a cheap-a**," as the promotional video points out, maybe the mean tweets will stop. You are using an outdated version of Internet Explorer. Please click here to upgrade your browser in order to comment.
View the original article here

Typhoon Rammasun kills at least 17 in China

AppId is over the quota
AppId is over the quota
Link to video: Typhoon Rammasun makes landfall in China
A typhoon believed to be the strongest storm to hit southern China in four decades has killed 17 people after claiming 94 lives in the Philippines, officials said.
Typhoon Rammasun killed nine people and left five missing after hitting Hainan island on Friday off China's southern coast, said an official at the ministry of water resources' flood control department said.
Eight others died later in the Guangxi region as the storm ploughed into the mainland on its way north to Vietnam.
The typhoon is the strongest to hit southern China in 41 years, according to the China Meteorological Administration. Wind speeds reached 216kmh (130 miles per hour), with the storm knocking down power lines and damaging buildings, Xinhua news agency said.
Authorities in southern China ordered the highest level of alert and suspended hundreds of buses, trains and flights across the region.
The typhoon had wreaked havoc earlier in the week in the northern Philippines, leaving 94 people dead.
The death toll added to a bleak weekend for China as on Saturday a truck loaded with flammable liquid collided with a bus on a highway in the south of the country, killing at least 43 people. Xinhua said the truck collided with the bus around 3am on the Hukun Expressway in Hunan province, with the truck's driver and passenger among the dead. Five people were also injured.

View the original article here

Wildfire in southern Oregon destroys homes as lightning sparks more blazes

A southern Oregon wildfire has destroyed six homes and 14 other buildings, and dozens of additional blazes ignited after thousands of lightning strikes lashed the state.
In central Oregon, a wildfire at the confluence of the Ochoco National Forest and ranchland has prompted the evacuation of numerous campgrounds and nearly a dozen ranch homes, Wheeler County Sheriff Chris Humphreys said Monday night. Local fire departments were protecting homes.
The Bailey Butte fire also temporarily closed a 2-mile section of U.S. Highway 26 about 13 miles west of Mitchell, the Oregon Transportation Department said.
The destructive Moccasin Hill fire — named for a longstanding subdivision — began Sunday near the ranching town of Sprague River, about 25 miles northeast of Klamath Falls, fire spokeswoman Erica Hupp said Monday. Many residents keep horses and cattle on plots of 3 to 5 acres, and neighbors have been stepping in to shelter both stock and pets, she said.
The blaze has burned across about 4 square miles, fire officials said, and caused more than 100 people to evacuate before the threat subsided and many returned home.
Another fire spokeswoman, Tina O'Donnell, said 231 structures remained threatened Monday and one minor injury was reported. She did not know if the injury was suffered by a resident or a firefighter.
Walter "Butch" Browning, who operates a general store in Sprague River, said the flames reached the driveway at his home Sunday afternoon, forcing his wife to "get out of there" with a computer, a change of clothes, medications and the dogs. The wind changed direction, he said, sparing his place. He slept in his own bed, confident there were enough firefighters between his house and the blaze that has left burning stumps.
Wildfires are an annual concern for the community, Browning said. He has been evacuated at least four times in his 22 years on the property, and once lost a home, he said.
"I had two houses at one time; I have one now. I'm down to my last house," he quipped. "It's the price you pay for living in paradise, I guess."
A shelter for displaced residents has been set up at the Sprague River Community Center. Only one person spent the night, but more people filtered in Monday to take advantage of food and other services, said Julie Miller, spokeswoman for the American Red Cross Cascades Region.
The fire is believed to have been started by humans, though how it began is still under investigation. It is zero percent contained.
"Our objectives are clear; we will minimize the growth of the fire by utilizing direct attack efforts wherever possible," said incident commander Chris Cline.
Meanwhile, lightning struck Oregon more than 6,000 times Sunday and Monday, touching off small fires by the dozens on both sides of the Cascades. Such a barrage can be expected to cause numerous "sleeper" or holdover fires in coming days, said Robin DeMario, spokeswoman for the Northwest Interagency Coordination Center.
Elsewhere in the West, authorities in Northern California say a wildfire started by exhaust from a truck at a marijuana cultivation site led to new evacuations Monday. It was not clear how many homes were included in the new evacuation order in the rural Shasta County community of Igo.
Fire officials previously said the Bully Fire, which started on Friday, was threatening 15 homes after destroying eight homes and 10 other structures.
A 27-year-old Sacramento man, Freddie Alexander Smoke III, was arrested on suspicion of causing the blaze. Fire crews have been hindered by steep terrain, dry conditions and triple-digit heat.
In Idaho, the Boise County Sheriff's Office asked residents of about 60 homes east of Alder Creek in Garden Valley to voluntarily evacuate because of the Calder Fire. It's one of about 20 blazes sparked by lightning across the Boise National Forest during a storm Sunday night.
Firefighters got a better handle Monday on a wildfire burning in central Washington.
The Mills Canyon fire was 34 percent contained by Monday night, fire officials said. It remains about 35 square miles. The area near Entiat saw a few lightning strikes Monday but no new fire starts, fire spokesman Vladimir Steblina said.
Residents of three dozen homes have been told to evacuate. Officials notified residents of about 500 other homes to watch fire updates and be prepared to leave.

View the original article here

Typhoon Rammasun kills 18 in China

Damage to a building after typhoon Rammasun made land in Haikou, capital of Hainan province in southern China. Photograph: Xia Yifang/Xinhua Press/Corbis
The strongest typhoon to hit southern China in four decades has killed 18 people, according to the government, while in the Philippines the death toll from the storm rose to 94.
Typhoon Rammasun killed nine people and left five missing after hitting Hainan island off China's southern coast on Friday, the civil affairs ministry said in a statement. Nine others died later in the Guangxi region as the storm plowed into the mainland on its way towards Vietnam.
The typhoon is the strongest to hit southern China in 41 years, according to the China Meteorological Administration. Wind speeds reached 130 miles (216km) an hour, with the storm knocking down power lines and damaging buildings, Xinhua said.
Authorities in southern China ordered the highest level of alert and suspended hundreds of buses, trains and flights across the region.
The typhoon had wreaked havoc earlier in the week in the northern Philippines, leaving 94 people dead.

View the original article here