Spectacular Neon Blue Lava Pours From Indonesia's Kawah Ijen Volcano At Night

You've heard of "red hot" and "white hot" to describe searing temperatures. But what about "blue hot"?
That's the surreal hue of Indonesia's Kawah Ijen Volcano, which glows with an otherworldly "blue lava" at night. The mountain contains large amounts of pure sulfur, which emits an icy violet color as it burns, turning the rocky slopes into a hot (at least 239 degrees Fahrenheit), highly toxic environment.
Despite the dangers, photographer Olivier Grunewald captured the scene, along with a group of men who toil on the volcano at night, battling noxious gases to mine sulfur from the crater and carry it out by hand.
Miners carry between 176 and 220 pounds of sulfur chunks per trip and sell the pieces for around 2.5 cents per pound. Yahoo reports they average two loads every 24 hours, thereby doubling their salaries amid sulfurous flames that can reach 16 feet high.
The volcano is the subject of a new documentary -- produced by Grunewald and Régis Etienne, the president of Geneva's Society of Volcanology -- released earlier this month. (See the trailer, in French, below)
PHOTOS of Kawah Ijen's blue lava:

The 36th Kennedy Center Honors Gala

WASHINGTON, DC - DECEMBER 08: First Lady Michelle Obama attends the 2013 Kennedy Center Honors on December 8, 2013 in Washington, DC. The honorees this year include: opera singer Martina Arroyo, jazz musician Herbie Hancock, musician Billy Joel, actress Shirley MacLaine and musician Carlos Santana. (Photo by Kristoffer Tripplaar-Pool/Getty Images)

The first lady of the United States turns 50 today and in her own words she says she feels '50 and fabulous.' There's a big party planned at the White House on Saturday, and guests have been told to come ready to dance and to eat before they come! Happy Birthday, Michelle!

Amou Haji, 80-Year-Old Iranian Man, Smokes Animal Poop, Says He Hasn't Bathed In 60 Years

He claims cleanliness brings him sickness.
By that logic, you'd probably smoke animal turds, too.
Amou Haji, an 80-year-old Iranian, is being called the world's dirtiest man. In an article published Jan. 6, he told the Tehran Times that he hasn't bathed in 60 years.
Haji reportedly lives in isolation in Dejgah village, in the Southern Iranian province of Fars, subsists on rotten porcupine meat, and says the thought of a bath after all this time makes him very angry.
He said he adopted his extreme, isolated lifestyle after suffering emotional setbacks in his youth.





In addition to animal feces, Haji apparently likes regular smokes as well -- five at a time.