idschmyd 4 Apr 20 2010, 11:22 AM wrote: International Air Transport Association
For immediate release Date: 19 April 2010 No: 14
“We have seen volcanic activity in many parts of the world but rarely has it resulted in airspace closures - and never at this scale. When Mount St. Helens erupted in the US in 1980, we did not see large scale disruptions, because the decisions to open or close airspace were risk managed with no compromise on safety,”
Criticism of Europe's over-reaction is now in the mainstream press too.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/artic ... t-ban.html
Daily Mail 20 April 2010
Critics said the agency used a scientific model based on 'probability' rather than fact to forecast the spread of the ash cloud.
This is pretty much buried among the more sensational stories about the volcano event: epic journies home, "Dunkirk-style" rescue etc.
I feel my above Ash-the-band / James Bond post was very inadequate but at this point it's hard to know what we're dealing with and how significant it is:
Is this event
(1) a one-off blip hastily cobbled together for the convenience of one NATO excercise that will quickly be forgotten?
Or
(2) a new stage in the game which has been planned for years and will chronically affect peoples' live for years to come?
If it is (1) then nobody should waste their time re-interpreting pop songs and films in terms of an Icelandic volcano conspiracy.
But I suspect this is more of a (2)...
If so, then we have been specifically primed for it with cultural, historical, religious messages through the media. - Messages which are still being played out in order to keep us in thrall to its spell.
Motifs include 9/11 due to the closure of airspace of course.
Also, the "Dunkirk spirit"/WW2 as vulnerable Brits flock to the northern coast of France awaiting recue by sea.
(I dont' understand why they call this the "Armada" as that has connotations of enemy invaders. "Fleet" would make more sense.)
Pilgrimmage is a very strong theme with all the travellers on their quests to return to Albion.
Galvanising this theme is the prominence of the John Cleese story:
It is reported all over the world how Monty Python/Fawlty Towers actor John Cleese took an epic taxi journy from Oslo to Brussels because of the volcano.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/ap ... disruption
“We checked every option, but there were no boats and no train tickets available. That’s when my fabulous assistant determined the easiest thing would be to take a taxi.”
"I will think about a joke you've probably already heard: how do you get God to laugh? Tell him your plans," Cleese said.
None of the news reports mention how evocative this is of Cleese's 1986 role in the film Clockwise where he misses his train and ends up on a madcap car journey to Norwich, loaded with religious pilgrimmage imagery...
...
Not meaning to be UK-centric, the volcano event is being used to stir up feelings and memories and myths about our country.
After being traumatised with it on the TV news, (every time I have watched) it is followed by News stories about our general election in which the Liberal Democrat party is shown in a positive light...
So, when we are most suggestible we are told to vote Liberal Democrat.
(incidentally, John Cleese has made at least two party political broadcasts for the Liberal Democrats...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9gv4Abt3sZU )
Whatever the agenda, this volcano event will always be associated with the days immediately before our 2010 general election.
(this article seems to encapsulate the Liberal Democrat - Volcano alliance:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/cif- ... smic-shift