Wednesday, January 30, 2008

Soda Can Stove


Dad,

Cool blog here from My Hidden Room (http://gabrielcain.com/) how you can create a stove for camping out of a soda can that seems to be hotter than many other options.

The post follows:

Soda Can Stove
Last night, I made a soda can stove. Melissa has been reading about various people's methods of cooking for the Pacific Crest Trail. We talked about the soda can stove, and I decided to make one. It's pretty easily done, as long as one is careful to follow the building guide, and maintain strict tolerances during construction. That is, measure twice, cut once. It took about 45 minutes to make, from start to successful flaming operation. So after building it, I of course had to test it out! We ended up cooking dinner with it.
It will boil a cup of water in about 4 minutes. Faster than the "real" stove in the house. Wow. It took about 1 oz of fuel to boil ~7 cups of water for our ramen and udon noodle dinner.


The instructions are from an PCT hiker's website and can be by Clicking Here.

VERY COOL STUFF!

Matson

Monday, January 28, 2008

Brother Oliver's Update

A quick update on Brother Olivers. Over the weekend we were able to salvage and offer up some items for sale. You will find the famous tables from Oliver's Pub at the rockin' "On the Y" bar near Fulton and Fair Oaks.

Other equipment and goods are helping other entrepreneurs or non-profits across the area.

But, here is the most important news.

Apparently, now that Brother Oliver's is closed, the land owners are going to tear it down and build a Beverages and More on the property.

Guess we know their real motivation. They didn't care about the icon... they wanted the tenant gone so they could build something far more profitable.

As a capitalist, I support that profit motive... as a lover of great restaurants... it makes me sad.

Saturday, January 26, 2008

Fw: Nurse Rachette

From: Michael Genung
A heart-warming photo, you'll have to admit.

Hey, hold on a minute:  what's he doing with his fingers, next to the hand-shake???

Michael
PS:  the caption for the photo reads - "Keep your friends close but your enemies closer."

Re: Equipment List

Dad,
 
Glad the operation went well! I am looking forward to getting your equipment list. I've started mine, but my garage has a flooding problem in these rains so I am busy cleaning that up and fixing the problem.
 
That's interesting about the nutrition. I'm curious, does it break down by how many calories we burn per mile and at what speed?
 
Matson

Equipment List

Son

Good morning!

I will have an equipment list for you by the first week of February.

I found an interesting site www.thru-hiker.com. There are many interesting
articles about backpacking. Look under articles and then nutrition. This has
many hard facts about the nutritional needs of a backpacker. I am using this
information to create a menu.

You need calories for your body. You need at least 50% calories from
carbohydrates, 15% calories from protein, 35% calories from fat. We prepare
our meals according to that formula, we should feel great. Now to get the
right food without the weight.

My operation went great. My doctor was going to fuse my big toe joint but
after getting in and looking, he did not need to. He cut off the bunion and
closed up. That takes a good 4 weeks off the recovery period. I was very
happy.

Talk to you later

Love,

Dad

Thursday, January 24, 2008

A Sacramento Icon, Brother Oliver's, Closes its Doors

In what may be the first victim of the faltering economy combined with a dramatic increase in California's minimum wage, Brother Oliver's, a Sacramento area restaurant best know for it's tudor style building and its English pub feel, closed its doors the night of Tuesday, January 22.

Robert Miller opened Brother Oliver's over 28 years ago and for the last quarter century, it was an icon on the corner of Madison and Manzanita on the edge of the Sacramento community of Carmichael.

On Tuesday, Robert and his family simply walked away from his life's work. Why? For the same reason any business fails.... outgo was greater than income.

Essentially, the continuous increase in CODB (cost of doing business) including lease of the building, increased food costs and wage increases were too much for the Miller family to sustain.

Whether or not they tried to sell the restaurant first is hard to discern, and Robert is a very private individual with too much pride to hang his problems on others. No, the restauranteur simply decided that instead of paying the increased costs, he should just gather the staff around, give them the bad news and close the doors.

Now I can debate all day and all night that their are a thousand other options that are better than just good riddens to your life's work, but, then again, I am not privy to their books or the dy to day operations.

I do know that the current owners of the building and the land, apparently real a-holes, raised the rent to almost $12,000 a month (up from $10K); food costs have continuoulsy increased due to the rising cost of gas, corn, and other fundamental building blocks of the food industry; and the increase in the minimum wage for servers... good for them, bad for restaurants.

I am also sure that Robert, who is in his early 60's, was far too set in his ways to make the dramatic changes necessary to keep Brother Oliver's hip in the increasingly competitive Sacramento area restaurant market.

But still, there are so many easy solutions... marketing is the first. Robert continued paying for expensive Sacramento Bee advertising. Truly a waste. But he never brought anyone in to help him understand how modern marketing is done for little or no costs. And the idea of social networking or web 2.0 was far too foreign. Then, of course, there is the decor... a real neat concept, but was it increasingly... dull? And the menu. From a grand menu with terrific options to a single one-page with limited selections. One pagers ARE definitely the trend in modern restaurants, but it looks like a menu based on food cost, not on customer demand.

And instead of walking away... what about selling? What about auctioning off the memorabilia and other restaurant equipment?

Oh well... just another RANT: Restaurants are a tough business... Brother Oliver's thrived for a quarter century. That's amazing. It died a quick death. That's stupid.

Wednesday, January 23, 2008

Another Rapper Arrested... Say it Isn't So!

Okay... so some rapper named Lil' Wayne was arrested. Wow. Surprising. Not.

Now I am definitely not one to generalize about rappers, but doesn't it seem that the simple culture these artists come from lends itself directly to drugs, guns and all other forms of criminal behavior?

It is understood that many times we are seeing inner-city youth fight their way out of poverty by the power of rhythm and rhyme. But once the success and money start rolling in, do they have to bring their former life with them?

Isn't the idea to move away from the guns, the drugs and the violence? If their only intention is to simply be a bigger fish within their former hood, then maybe they just need to stay in the gangs and stop trying to sell their beats to a national audience.

Crime is crime. Criminals are criminals.

Yes, a simple statement and some would say that it is too simplistic a view of the many complicated dynamics inherent in the criminals life... but I have always found simplicity to be the best solutions for all problems.

Today's RANT: Once a CRIMINAL always a CRIMINAL if you continue to act like a CRIMINAL!

Tuesday, January 22, 2008

Heath Ledger, A Note on His Death

The death of Heath Ledger is a tragic story and one that is not limited to the world of celebrity. As the story continues to unfold, and as of this writing the trend is towards accidental death by sleeping pills, I think it is time to RANT about medications.

Back in 2005, I hosted a weekly talk show called Through the Mind, Discovering Mental Health. One of the primary subjects of the show was the increasingly unnecessary use of medications in society for both mental health and health in general.

I saw it as my mission to help educate consumers about the true effects of medication so they didn't just take a adman's pitch for the latest over the counter drug.

It seems so easy these days to solve all problems with a pill. From headaches to erectile disfunction, from attention deficit to sleep disorder, pills are available to solve all our life's problems.

But is that the right way to confront what bothers us? Many times, the basic problems going on in our lives are easily solved by simply asking the right question.

In the case of Heath Ledger, it is becoming more obvious that he had problems for weeks. Something was causing him anxiety and sleepless nights. Could not this have been solved by some other means than sleeping pills?

Of course. But in today's society, we tend to take the easy route, so sleeping pills it is. And not just the basic run of the mill sleeping pills, but the full on high-potency pills that warn you to have at least eight hours of available sleep time, cuz, buddy, once you're out... you're OUT!

And so, Heath, who had trouble sleeping before, finds that one pill ain't working... how about two... more? And the rest, as they say... is history and the stuff of tabloid legend.

But, in reality, if we continue on this path of taking a stronger and stronger pill to solve the most basic problems of being human, we are doomed to the same fate as this terribly young and talented star.

Equipment List and Redundancy

Dad,

I am going to start an inventory of all my backpacking equipment and survival gear. You should do the same. We need to compare lists and see what we individually have that the other may not need to bring. Certain items need redundancy like the Mini Mag Lite and my Leatherman Multi-Tool but others like your cool Jetboil Stove we only need one.

I should have my inventory done and emailed to you by the middle of February. I am spending all my extra time the next couple weeks studying for the Chief Petty Officer exam for the Navy. I take it early February.

Love ya!

Matson

Saturday, January 19, 2008

Time to get Political: It Starts with the South Carolina Primary

I've avoided pure political statements up until now. This blog is titles Matsonian's Rants so it is time to... RANT.

John McCain, a true American hero, has just won the South Carolina primary. And now the media, based on historical trends, will project McCain to win the Republican nomination.

Let me tell you a little about electoral politics. For those who do not know me, I have many years of political consulting under my belt prior to becoming Marketing Director for The Community College Foundation. So my Rants are not unqualified.

So, when I see that McCain is looked at by the media as the favored potential nominee, I know EXACTLY what is really going on.

McCain cannot win the Presidency of the United States. There is truly no way on God's green earth, that McCain could beat either Hillary or Obama. Lets look at why that is...

#1 - McCain vs. Conservatives. McCain is a moderate Republican. He may support the war, but he is not Conservative and conservatives will simply not show up to support him.

#2 - McCain vs. Hillary. McCain does not have the machine to defeat the well established Clinton operation.

#3 - McCain vs. Obama. If Obama is the nominee, any disparaging remark by the Republican candidate towards Obama will be immediately construed as racist by prominent liberals.

Simply put, McCain could only beat one candidate - Edwards - and chances are he won't be a nominee.

No, I do not pretend to know which Republican candidate could win against Hillary or Obama, but I know it is no McCain.

Besides... when was the last time a Senator won the Presidency? Americans WANT an outsider to be President. Nixon, Carter, Reagan, Bush 41, Clinton, Bush 43... all were "outsiders" coming into the Presidency. None were members of that elite and arrogant group we call the Senate.

So if the Republicans are to have a viable candidate, it must be Romney or Huckabee. Governors. Americans prefer Governors for president. They know how to lead.

Re: Exercise & Backpack

Dad,

Good to hear from you! I'm looking for my backpack now. Not sure what direction I am going to go. I need to get a bigger bag, but I may not have the funding to get one as great as yours.

As for exercise, Louisa and I joined Anytime Fitness, a new franchise fitness center, that keeps it membership small and allows 24 hour access, but doesn't have 24 hour staff. Great high-quality equipment. I go in next week for my trainer to develop a program which will include the elliptical trainer for my legs & knees to get them used to the constant movement and the other equipment to lose weight and build up back strength.

Matson

Thank you for the Self Inflating Air Mattress!

Dad,

Thank you! I picked up the Therm-a-Rest ProLite 4 Fast & Light Mattress from REI that you ordered for my Christmas present. It is truly a great self-inflating mattress. I was not planning on having an air mattress, I tend to be a minimalist in hiking, but now that I have it, I am excited about the potential comfort it is going to provide. It is very lite, only 2 lbs, and has a very small footprint when stored away. I am going to get a Thermarest Stuff Bag.

On another note, I just picked up my Moison-Nagant, M44 rifle from Big-5. I bought it two weeks ago when they were on sale for $89. What a great deal! It shoots 7.62 x 54R and has a built in bayonet. Very cool rifle from WWII - complete with a new bolt and ready for target shooting. Of course I won't be bringing on the trip!

Hope all is going well, talk soon!

Matson


Exercise & Backpack

Son

Good morning. We have 160 days to go before we start our adventure. I
received my new backpack last week. It is a Gregory Palisades Pack. It is
rated at 5550 Cubic inches. The weight is 6lb 14 oz. I did a lot of research
and found that the Palisades was recommended by a high number of people. On
sale at REI for $234.83, it fell within my budget and it was a Christmas
present from my wife.

I have my operation on my bunion On Wednesday the 23rd. The Doc said I could
not walk on the foot for 4 to 6 weeks. Since it is on the right foot I
cannot drive which is not cool. The Doc is going to let me watch the
operation. I am looking forward to get the operation over with but not
excited about the recovery period. Since I cannot walk much, crutches only,
I will be spending many hours on the computer writing.

I have been doing my exercise program for several weeks. It is designed to
condition the Abs and weights using dumbbells.

Have you started any exercise programs?

Talk to you soon

Dad

Wednesday, January 16, 2008

If Bush Were to Quit...

Another great email from Michael Genung.
--------------------------

If Bush resigned today, this is what his speech would
be.....

Normally, I start these things out by saying "My Fellow
Americans." Not doing it this time. If the polls are any indication,
I don't know who more than half of you are anymore. I do know something
terrible has happened, and that you're really not fellow Americans any
longer.

I'll cut right to the chase here: I quit. Now before
anyone gets all in a lather about me quitting to avoid impeachment, or
to avoid prosecution or something, let me assure you: There's been no
breaking of laws or impeachable offenses in this office.

The reason I'm quitting is simple. I'm fed up with you
people. I'm fed up because you have no understanding of what's really
going on in the world. Or of what's going on in this once-great nation
of ours. And the majority of you are too damned lazy to do your
homework and figure it out.

Let's start local. You've been sold a bill of goods by
politicians and the news media. Polls show that the majority of you
think the economy is in the tank. And that's despite record numbers of
homeowners, including record numbers of MINORITY homeowners. And while
we're mentioning minorities, I'll point out that minority business
ownership is at an all-time high. Our unemployment rate is as low as it
ever was during the Clinton administration. I've mentioned all those
things before, but it doesn't seem to have sunk in.

Despite the shock to our economy of 9/11, the stock
market has rebounded to record levels and more Americans than ever are
participating in these markets. Meanwhile, all you can do is whine
about gas prices, and most of you are too damn stupid to realize that
gas prices are high because there's increased demand in other parts of
the world, and because a small handful of noisy idiots are more worried
about polar bears and beach front property than your economic security.

We face real threats in the world. Don't give me this
"blood for oil" thing. If I were trading blood for oil I would've
already seized Iraq's oil fields and let the rest of the country go to
hell. And don't give me this 'Bush Lied; People Died' crap either.

If I were the liar you morons take me for, I could've easily had chemical
weapons planted in Iraq so they could be 'discovered.' Instead, I owned
up to the fact that the intelligence was faulty.

Let me remind you that the rest of the world thought
Saddam had the goods, same as me. Let me also remind you that regime
change in Iraq was official US policy before I came into office. Some
guy named 'Clinton' established that policy. Bet you didn't know that,
did you?

You idiots need to understand that we face a unique
enemy. Back during the cold war, there were two major competing
political and economic models squaring off. We won that war, but we did
so because fundamentally, the Communists wanted to survive, just as we
do. We were simply able to out spend and out-tech them.

That's not the case this time. The soldiers of our new
enemy don't care if they survive. In fact, they want to die. That'd be
fine, as long as they weren't also committed to taking as many of you
with them as they can. But they are. They want to kill you , and the
bastards are all over the globe.

You should be grateful that they haven't gotten any more
of us here in the United States since September 11. But you're not.
That's because you've got no idea how hard a small number of
intelligence, military, law enforcement, and homeland security people
have worked to make sure of that. When this whole mess started, I
warned you that this would be a long and difficult fight. I'm
disappointed how many of you people think a long and difficult fight
amounts to a single season of 'Survivor.'

Instead, you've grown impatient. You're incapable of
seeing things through the long lens of history, the way our enemies do.
You think that wars should last a few months, a few years, tops.

Making matters worse, you actively support those who
help the enemy. Every time you buy the New York Times, every time you
send a donation to a cut-and-run Democrat's political campaign, well,
dang it, you might just as well FedEx a grenade launcher to a Jihadist.
It amounts to the same thing.

In this day and age, it's easy enough to find the truth.
It's all over the Internet. It just isn't on the pages of the New York
Times or on NBC News. But even if it were, I doubt you'd be any
smarter. Most of you would rather watch American Idol.

I could say more about your expectations that the
government will always be there to bail you out, even if you're too
stupid to leave a city that's below sea level and has a hurricane
approaching.

I could say more about your insane belief that
government, not your own wallet, is where the money comes from. But
I've come to the conclusion that were I to do so, it would sail right
over your heads.

So I quit. I'm going back to Crawford. I've got an
energy-efficient house down there (Al Gore could only dream) and the
capability to be fully self-sufficient. No one ever heard of Crawford
before I got elected, and as soon as I'm done here pretty much no one
will ever hear of it again. Maybe I'll be lucky enough to die of old
age before the last pillars of America fall.

Oh, and by the way, Cheney's quitting too. That means
Pelosi is your new President. You asked for it. Watch what she does
carefully, because I still have a glimmer of hope that there are just
enough of you remaining who are smart enough to turn this thing around
in 2008.

So that's it. God bless what's left of America. Some
of you know what I mean. The rest of you, kiss off.

Saturday, January 12, 2008

Dad was in a Truck Accident... Another Reason to Do This Hike

Matson

Good morning! I am sorry I have not posted any information on our trip. I
will do so in the next few days.

I have enclosed several pictures of my truck. I was in an accident last
Friday that destroyed the truck. I was very lucky that I was not killed.
When I talk to you on the phone I will give you more details. The only
injury I have is a burn mark on the front of my face where the air bag got
me. I was very lucky.

I will try and give you a call this weekend.

Did you pick-up your sleeping pad?

Dad

Wednesday, January 09, 2008

6.4 quake strikes off the coast of Oregon--USGS

Incredible... an earthquake off the coast of Oregon! Hey Oregonians... welcome to California!

WASHINGTON -- Inquirer.net -- A 6.4 magnitude earthquake struck off the Pacific coast of Oregon on Wednesday, the US Geological Survey reported.

The quake was located 246 kilometers (153 miles) west of Winchester Bay on the coast of the northwestern state of Oregon, and 406 kilometers (252 miles) southwest of Portland, the USGS said in a statement.

The earthquake occurred at 5:37 pm (0137 GMT Thursday) at a depth of 10 kilometers (six miles).

There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage.

Hacks vs. Flacks? Stop Complaining! Offer Solutions Instead!

At my day job, I am director of marketing, public relations and sales for TechEd Events, a division of The Community College Foundation.

Part of my job's responsibilities is to send Press Advisories far and wide to promote the conference. Recently I sent out an advisory about TechEd and the $19 billion educational technology industry it represents.

A freelance journalist called me and asked how I got his email, which was through a subscription service called Cision (formerly Bacon's).

He then emailed the following to Andree Beckham, the director of marketing at Cision:
Andree,

This is one of many unsolicited emails I started getting over the last couple days. I called Mr. Breakey, who I'm including in this email, yesterday, and he said he was sending me this email because of your company.

Please consult with him if you need to know how he got my email address exactly -- whether he purchased a list or just copied my name out of a directory, etc. -- and let me know how you will remove me from any and all lists of reporters to whom unsolicited email is sent.

All contact in sig file below.

Please confirm that this found you

Best,

Andy


Turns out this journalist recently wrote an article titled, cleverly enough, Things Turn Ugly in the ‘Hacks vs. Flacks’ War. Your can read it by CLICKING HERE.

I was obviously cc'd on the email to Andee, so here was my reply:
Andy,

Nice article, but when writing an article of this nature, wouldn’t it be nice to ask those who are complaining what the solution should be?

Since long before email, Press Advisories and Press Releases have been the primary form of communication between the PR and the journalist. In fact, from my background, it was frowned upon to use relationships or direct communication with the journalist to get your story, because of the obvious influence factor.

The simple release or advisory stood on its own. If it did not communicate, if it didn’t garner attention, it was not worthy of a story. Just because Bob at Acme PR knows Frank at XYZ Media, does not then qualify the story for greater coverage.

Granted, that with the advent of email, it was no longer necessary to fax 2000 press advisories, we only need to email. Unfortunately, with the world of SPAM continuing to grow, our emails become just as irritating for the average journalist.

As a publisher of a small community paper in Sacramento, I welcome those emails as a welcome communication from every industry and every part of the country. A chance to learn and a chance to expand our reader’s interest.

So again, instead of hacks attacking flacks, maybe hacks should solve their own problems by offering more effective solutions.

Regards,

Matson Breakey


It's just one of my constant rants... stop complaining and offer solutions!

Tuesday, January 08, 2008

Need someone to Call the dry cleaners? Win a Virtual Assistant!

After reading "The Four Hour Work Week" by Tim Ferris, I have been fascinated with the idea of having a Virtual Assistant. Someone to handle the minutia in my life.

Well, if you, like me, have wondered what it would be like, now is your chance! Elance, a very reputable company that links freelancers with companies needing service, has a new contest. You can Win a Virtual Assistant for One Year! Here is the information from their website:

What If You Had a Virtual Assistant?

Do you have big plans for your business in 2008, but not all of the resources you want to make a big impact? Dream big, because you could win a Virtual Assistant for 2008!

Travel Plans, Data Entry, Word Processing, Transcription, Market Research, Event Planning, Presentations, Calendar Management, Online Marketing
How to Enter the Contest
Answer this question: How would you use a virtual assistant to grow your business or improve your personal life?
Send your answer—in video, written or audio form—to Elance via email or snail mail: 441 Logue Avenue, Suite 150, Mountain View, CA 94043. Written entries must be 500 words or less, and audio and visual entries must be one-minute or less. Entries must be received by January 25, 2008 11:59:59pm PST.
Remember, the contest is open to all registered Elance Members who have an Elance Account in good standing at the time of entry, so if you haven’t established an Account yet, establish one now—it's free!

PRIZES:

One Grand Prize Winner will receive Elance promotional credit redeemable for the purchase of $5,000 in services on Elance.
Three Runner-up Winners will each receive Elance promotional credit redeemable for the purchase of $500 in services on Elance.
Ten Honorable Mentions will receive a copy of best-selling business productivity book The 4-Hour Workweek by Tim Ferriss.



The full information on this contest is available by CLICKING HERE.

Win a Virtual Assistant for One Year!

After reading "The Four Hour Work Week" by Tim Ferris, I have been fascinated with the idea of having a Virtual Assistant. Someone to handle the minutia in my business life. Helping me to focus on the further development of QuickPlanner Plus and meeting the needs of our growing number of users.

If you, like me, have wondered what it would be like, now is your chance! Elance, a very reputable company that links freelancers with companies needing service, has a new contest. You can Win a Virtual Assistant for One Year! Here is the information from their website:

What If You Had a Virtual Assistant?
Do you have big plans for your business in 2008, but not all of the resources you want to make a big impact? Dream big, because you could win a Virtual Assistant for 2008!
Travel Plans, Data Entry, Word Processing, Transcription, Market Research, Event Planning, Presentations, Calendar Management, Online Marketing
How to Enter the Contest
Answer this question: How would you use a virtual assistant to grow your business or improve your personal life?
Send your answer—in video, written or audio form—to Elance via email or snail mail: 441 Logue Avenue, Suite 150, Mountain View, CA 94043. Written entries must be 500 words or less, and audio and visual entries must be one-minute or less. Entries must be received by January 25, 2008 11:59:59pm PST.
Remember, the contest is open to all registered Elance Members who have an Elance Account in good standing at the time of entry, so if you haven’t established an Account yet, establish one now—it's free!

PRIZES:

One Grand Prize Winner will receive Elance promotional credit redeemable for the purchase of $5,000 in services on Elance.
Three Runner-up Winners will each receive Elance promotional credit redeemable for the purchase of $500 in services on Elance.
Ten Honorable Mentions will receive a copy of best-selling business productivity book The 4-Hour Workweek by Tim Ferriss.


The full information on this contest is available by CLICKING HERE.

Wednesday, January 02, 2008

Volcano in Chile Erupts - Can you say WOW!

There is something amazing about Volcanoes. Their destructive power is only second to the incredible beauty of the eruption. Here are a couple stories from today on the Llaima Volcano in Chile. I hope to someday be able to visit Hawaii and visit the volcanoes there. My last trip to Hawaii was Navy-related and I spent most of my time in Pearl Harbor.

Chilean Volcano Erupts; Authorities Declare Alert (Update1)
By Robin Stringer

Jan. 2 (Bloomberg) -- A volcano erupted in southern Chile, prompting authorities to declare a ``yellow alert'' and to evacuate at least 150 people from a national park.

The Llaima volcano erupted in the southern Araucania region late yesterday, emitting clouds of grey smoke around the site, Chile's Emergency Bureau said on its Web site.

Authorities evacuated 150 tourists and all staff from the Conguillio National Park. Lava from the volcano reached some 300 meters above the crater and covered about 600 meters of hillside east of the Andean mountains, the bureau said.

About a thousand residents fled the nearby town of Melipeuco, Chile's El Mercurio newspaper reported.

To contact the reporter on this story: Robin Stringer in London at rstringer@bloomberg.net .


FonMonkey

Chilean Volcano Erupts, Forcing Evacuation of Park (Update2)
By Michael Smith and James Attwood

Jan. 2 (Bloomberg) -- A volcano erupted in southern Chile, spewing lava and ash thousands of meters into the sky and forcing the evacuation of at least 150 people from a national park.

The Llaima volcano erupted in the southern Araucania region late yesterday, sending lava down the mountain and creating a 20- kilometer-long (12.4-mile-long) plume of ash-laden smoke, Chile's Emergency Bureau and eyewitnesses said. Red lava gushed out of the conical, snow-capped peak today and smoke billowed into the air, images broadcast by Chilean Television Nacional showed.

``It's like the most amazing fireworks show you can imagine, but it's scary too,'' Carlos Melillan, 50, who owns a small hotel in Melipeuco 50 kilometers from the volcano, said in a telephone interview. ``The big fear that we have is that it will explode.''

Lava shot 300 meters into the air above the crater and flowed 600 meters down the side of the volcano, the bureau said. Authorities evacuated 150 tourists and all staff from the Conguillio National Park.

Some farmers near the volcano also fled, and emergency officials are concerned that melting snow could send a nearby river over its banks, Jose Abumohor, a spokesman for the emergency bureau, said in an interview. About a thousand residents fled the nearby town of Melipeuco, Chile's El Mercurio newspaper reported.

``The river could burst out of its banks and cause flooding,'' Abumohor said.

Nearby residents increased purchases of gasoline and candles, Megavision television reported. No people or livestock have been injured by the eruption, Chilean Interior Minister Belisario Velasco said in comments broadcast by Megavision.

``There are no problems at the moment,'' Velasco said.

To contact the reporter on this story: Michael Smith in Santiago at mssmith@bloomberg.net