Friday - April 16, 2010

Blue skies Smiling at me Nothing but blue skies Do I see.  Irving Berlin

People with breathing conditions urged to stay indoors as volcanic ash begins falling on Britain

By Liz Hazelton
Last updated at 3:25 PM on 16th April 2010

People with breathing problems were today advised to stay inside as ash from the volcanic cloud that has paralysed Europe’s airlines fell on the UK.

With no signs of the dust storm abating, medical experts said that those with respiratory diseases should also keep their medication with them at all time.

There had earlier been conflicting advice about the health dangers associated with the dust as one spokesman for the World Health Organisation had issued a blanket warning that everyone should stay inside.

But later in the day, the UN agency gave revised advice, falling into line with the Health Protection Agency (HPA) in Britain and doctors.

SOURCE

Very cold all day with icy winds at times. Otherwise, puffy white clouds and blue skies in our part of the south.  The map shows us covered but there isn’t a sign of fallout anywhere that we can see. Just isn’t here and I for one am not sorry. 

A sensible precaution or elf ‘n’ safety paranoia?

By Richard Littlejohn
Last updated at 2:36 PM on 16th April 2010

There was something strangely symbolic about the Icelandic fug which brought Britain’s airports to a standstill yesterday.

I have visions of the Banki hankipanki burning the IOUs shortly before the fraud squad burst through the door, scattering the accumulated savings of the gullible into the atmosphere.

The grounding of all commercial flights across the United Kingdom had a metaphorical symmetry with the collapse of the financial system.

With depressing predictability, the British authorities responded with their usual impersonation of headless chickens in hi-viz jackets.

It was a breathtaking demonstration of the elf ‘n’ safety paranoia which has engulfed this country over the past decade.

No doubt there was a risk of volcanic ash clogging up the jet engines of airliners. But did that justify the knee-jerk stupidity which closed every airport immediately?

The decision to shut down the south of England was taken when the dust cloud was still north of the Outer Hebrides.

Was there really an imminent danger of planes falling out of the sky like flies? Or was this just another manifestation of the ‘can’t be too careful’ culture which seeks to erase every scintilla of chance from our everyday lives?

Look, I know the default position of this column is scepticism, but TV news was showing film taken within the ash clouds over Scandinavia. You could see the wings of the plane the footage was shot from.

Why was it safe for that reconnaissance aircraft to fly into the eye of the storm and not safe for the 11.15 from Gatwick to take off for Madrid?

Our society is now so risk-averse that yesterday we learned that a supermarket butcher has been banned from boning meat with a sharp knife because he might cut himself.

You couldn’t make it up. This ludicrous mentality is sadly commonplace,

Pssst. Got a light?

Posted by peiper     on 04/16/2010 at 09:36 AM   
Filed Under: • Environment •  
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