How Would You Like To Live Inside A Dormant Volcano?

The Pacific island of Aogashima is a volcanic Japanese island in the Philippine Sea. As of 2014, the island's population was 170 on almost 9 km of land. Aogashima is also within the boundaries of the Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park.

I happened to see a picture of the island posted by my friend Herb on Facebook and looking closer, I saw what appeared to be homes inside the dormant volcano and my curiosity led me to delve more into its history.

The history of human settlement on Aogashima is uncertain. Most of the people in Aogashima are Japanese. The island is mentioned in Edo period records kept at Hachijō-jima, which record volcanic activity in 1652, and from 1670-1680.

An earthquake swarm in July 1780 was followed by steam rising from the lakes in the Ikenosawa Caldera. Further earthquakes in May 1781 led to an eruption. In April 1783, lava flows from the Maruyama cone resulted in the evacuation of all 63 households on the island.

During a massive eruption in 1785, some 130-140 of the population of 327 islanders perished.Accordingly, the population has fluctuated, depending upon the last time it, uh......erupted.

Located in the Kuroshio region of open seas and known for tidal wave generation, the island is barely reachable except by boat. The island has no real harbor to anchor boats due to the steep rugged cliffs of layered volcanic deposits that surrounds the entire island. The other option is to take a helicopter provided by Tokyo Island Shuttle Service.

There isn’t much to do on Aogashima though, except enjoy the serenity of a tropical paradise. In the center of the island lies a geothermal sauna. There is a public facility utilizing the geothermal power and gas and people use it to cook. This cooker using geothermal steam is available for free. Steamed fresh vegetables, potatoes or eggs are one of the specialties of Aogashima. The facility also features a sauna, a public bath, and hot showers.

Aogashima is the smallest village in Japan. As of 2009, the island's population was 205 and it’s decreasing. The island has a primary school with about 25 students. When they reach the age of fifteen, they would to go to high school on the mainland and nobody knows if and when they will be back to Aogashima. The folklore songs that people here sing are mostly about stories of leaving the island and parting with their loved ones.

Now I don't claim to be a Rhodes Scholar, but living near or inside a volcano doesn't seem like a very good idea, but I suppose that if one is born there, one doesn't know the difference....sort of like Detroit or Chicago.

I've seen the before and after pictures of Mount St. Helens and I don't think I would sleep very well at night. Nevertheless, given the opportunity, I would enjoy visiting the island.....

The News As I See It: Obama's approval rating in the U.S. is at its lowest point ever, 41 percent. After hearing this, the president said, "When did I become less popular in this country than soccer? How did that happen?"

The U.S. vs Ghana World Cup game drew a record 15.9 million American viewers. This breaks the old record of Americans watching soccer by 15.8 million viewers.

Obama is sending troops back to Iraq. He said, "Don't worry, we should not be there any longer than a Kardashian marriage."

Hillary Clinton said she won't support legalizing recreational marijuana until we see how it goes in Colorado. Officials in Colorado couldn't respond because they were too busy swimming in a pool of money.

A new survey found that 27 percent of airline passengers don't like making small talk with the person sitting next to them. While the other 73 percent of airline passengers can't take a hint.

Amazon introduced its own smartphone. You can tell it's from Amazon because after you hang up with someone, Amazon suggests other people you might want to call.

Kourtney Kardashian is reportedly pregnant. Just this morning I was thinking to myself, "There just aren't enough Kardashians." Kourtney's family was surprised when they heard the news. Bruce Jenner looked shocked. Then again, he's looked shocked for a couple of years now, hasn't he?

Starbucks has teamed up with Arizona State University to create a program that will pay for Starbucks employees to get a college degree. Starbucks is doing this because without an educated workforce, nobody will be able to afford $10 for a cup of coffee.

This Date In History: 1756; British soldiers were thrown into the cell known as the "Black Hole of Calcutta." 1782; The Great Seal of the United States was adopted. 1819; The 320-ton Savannah became the first steamship to cross the Atlantic. 1837; Queen Victoria ascended the British throne.

1863; West Virginia became the 35th state in the United States. 1893; Lizzie Borden, accused of murdering her parents, was found innocent by a jury in New Bedford, Mass. 1967; Muhammad Ali was convicted of violating Selective Service laws by refusing to be drafted.

Picture Of The Day: Mount St. Helens about 6 minutes before it erupted on that fateful day on May 18th, 1980. The ensuing explosion is shown below.

Printable Things I Never Told You: 1) The way the economy is going, I'm pretty sure that in 20 years, Chinese parents will be saying, "Clean your plate, people in the US are starving." 2) Marriage is permanent. It's like a tattoo that yells at you. 3) One of my lady friends invited me to a gathering of clairvoyants but when we got there, it was canceled due to unforeseen events. 4) I know 5 people who are clinically insane. I'm two of them. 5) My blonde lady friend was worried that her mechanic was trying to rip her off but she was relieved when he told her all she needed was turn signal fluid.....and that's five !

Today's Horoscope: Gemini - June 20th: This weekend will be good for you and chances are that you'll find that item that you really wanted on sale. Don't let some of the prices of other products daunt your search. You're just experiencing economic déjà vu, the feeling that you've been in these stores before and paid much lower prices!

Birthdays: My friend Jackie - Happy Birthday girl! 19XX, Jacques Offenbach, composer 1819, Lloyd Augustus Hall, chemist 1894, Lillian Hellman, American dramatist 1905, Audie Murphy, war hero and actor 1924, Olympia Dukakis, actress 1931, José Alexandre “Xanana” Gusmão, revolutionary leader 1946, Robert Rodriguez, filmmaker 1968.

The AREA 51 Retirement Home Bar And Grill: Little Johnny is passing his parents' bedroom in the middle of the night, in search of a glass of water. Hearing a lot of moaning and thumping, he peeks in and catches his folks in "the act". Before dad can even react, little Johnny exclaims "Oh, boy! Horsie ride!"

Daddy, relieved that Johnny's not asking more uncomfortable questions and seeing the opportunity not to break his stride, continues. Pretty soon mommy starts moaning and gasping. Johnny cries out, "Hang on tight, Daddy! This is the part where the milkman usually get bucked off!"

A man goes to his doctor's office and says, "I'm sorry doctor, I know this is unusual, but I seem to have lettuce stuck up my ass!"

The doctor says, "Good grief! I'd better take a look." The doctor examines the man and says, "It's even worse and that's just the tip of the iceberg!"

Aogashima Island - Port of Sanpo

The Hits Just Keep On Coming: A man is struck by a bus on a busy street in New York City. He lies dying on the sidewalk as a crowd of on-lookers gathers around. The man gasps, "Somebody get me a priest!" A policeman checks the crowd and there's no priest, no minister, no man of God of any kind.

Then out of the crowd steps a little old man. He says, "Mr. Policeman, I'm not a priest. I'm not even a Catholic. But for fifty years now I've been living behind St. Elizabeth's Catholic Church on First Avenue, and every night I'm listening to the Catholic litany. Maybe I can be of some comfort to this man."

The policeman agrees and brings the old man over to where the dying man lay. He kneels down, leans over the injured man and says slowly in a solemn voice, "B-4. I-19. N-38. G-54. O-72..."

A teacher is explaining biology to her 4th grade students and said, "Human beings are the only animals that stutter." A little girl raises her hand and said, "I had a kitty-cat who stuttered." The teacher, knowing how precious some of these stories could become, asked the girl to describe the incident.

The little girl said, "Well, I was in the back yard with my kitty and the Rottweiler that lives next door got a running start and before we knew it, he jumped over the fence into our yard!" The teacher said, "That must have been scary."

The little girl said, "It sure was! My kitty raised his back, went 'Fffff, Fffff, Fffff' and before he could say 'F*ck', the Rottweiler ate him!"

That's it for today, my little tadpoles. Remember, don't let maladies and ailments keep you down. I used to be schizophrenic, but we're all right now. I'm heading over to AREA 51 for happy hour.

Have a great weekend and more on Monday.

Stay Tuned !