1. Eyjafjallajökull – named when the person writing about it fell asleep on their keyboard.
2.Q: What did the airplane say to the volcano?
A: Shut up, you ash-hole
3. Welcome to Iceland. We’re currently doing a bit of construction – please pardon the dust.
4. The European Union actually asked for cash, but their alphabet doesn’t include the letter C.
5. The German airline Lufthansa said it plans to resume some flights. Apparently there are so many Germans in France right now that the French government surrendered.
6. First, Iceland goes bankrupt. After that, it sets itself on fire. This has insurance scam written all over it.
7. An eruption in Katla (the volcano next to Eyjafjallajökull) will be a lot harder on everyone, except on those who have to pronounce it.
8. It was the last wish of the Icelandic economy that its ashes were spread all over Europe.
9. Q:What’s the difference between the Iceland Volcano and Cheryl Cole?
A: The Volcano is still blowing Ash.
10. There’s no volcano in Iceland. Chuck Norris is just having a barbecue.
11. “The volcanic ash from Iceland disrupted air travel all over Europe. Everything’s grounded. Commercial flights. Private jets. The only thing still flying — Toyotas.†( Jay Leno)
Polar Dance Photo: Thomas D. Mangelsen
Tortoises at Dawn, Galapagos Islands, 1984 Photo: Frans Lanting
Stone Canyon. Petrified sand dunes and reflection, Paria Canyon – Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness, Arizona Photo: Jack Dykinga
Split Rock and Cloud, Eastern Sierra, California, 1976 Photo: Galen Rowell/Mountain Light
Twilight of the Giants, Botswana 1989 Photo: Frans Lanting
Water lilies, Nymphaea nouchali, Okavango Delta, Botswana Photo: Frans Lanting
The images will be auctioned at Christie’s to raise money for the 40th annual Earth Day, to raise awareness of the fragility and beauty of the natural environment. The money raised will go towards environmental groups.
Earth Day 2010: a history of four decades of environmental campaigning
This year is the 40th anniversary of the annual Earth Day, which raises awareness about environmental issues. Here is a brief history.
Gaylord Nelson, Earth Day’s founder was a Democrat Governor of Wisconsin as well as a US Senator for the state. He died in 2005 aged 89.
* He founded Earth Day as an environmental demonstration – similar to those about the Vietnam War – that was designed to be a “teach-in†on conservation issues.
* Organisers say its premise was that “all people, regardless of race, gender, income, or geography, have a moral right to a healthy, sustainable environmentâ€.
* The first Earth Day was held on April 22 1970 and more than 20 million American demonstrated including from students from 2,000 universities. It came after the idea was first floated in a speech by Nelson in September 1969.
* This year organisers hope about 1.5 billion people will undertake more than 31 billion “acts of green†organised by 19,000 organisations in 190 countries.
* Its first national co-ordinator was Denis Hayes, a former Stanford University student president who dropped out of Harvard’s Kennedy School to join the campaign.
* Nelson consolidated the success of the first event with the Environmental Education Act and in 1972 also helped found the National Environmental Education Act.
* In December 1970, Congress authorised the creation of a new federal agency to tackle environmental issues, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
* Some of the 58 members of its Global Advisory Committee include Carrie Lee Dobson, Nelson’s wife, Al Gore, the former US Vice President, Princess Lalla Hasnaa Alaoui of Morocco, Sir Richard Branson, Leornardo DiCaprio, who is co-chairman, Julia Marton-Lefèvre, director general of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), Ted Turner, the founder of CNN, Barbara Streisand, the singer and Martin Scorsese, the acclaimed director.
* This year, Earth Day 2010 will coincide with the World People’s Conference on Climate Change, to be held in Cochabamba, Bolivia, and with the International Year of Biodiversity.
A rally that is expected to attract tens of thousands of people will be held this weekend in Washington DC with speakers including James Cameron, the Titanic and Avatar director, The Rev Jessee Jackson while Sting will also sing,
* President Obama has urged people to write to him with their Earth Day stories while US politicians are expected to release their long-awaited climate change bill in four days time.
* Hollywood is producing 40 million pounds less trash as a result of the day while Peter Byck, a filmmaker, has produced a new film called “Carbon Nation†showing how people across America have successfully moved to a low carbon economy.
Sources: Telegraph archives/ earthday.org / epa.gov / AP / AFP / Reuters / Bloomberg / NY Times
The Earth Day (April 22) Blu-ray release of their Oscar-winning digital space western is just the first holler. The commitment to plant a million trees around the world with the help of the Earth Day Network is the second. But the two intrepid filmmakers, who also brought the monolithic Titanic to the big screen, say the success of Avatar has brought with it a huge responsibility to keep the environmental message afloat in a sea of political bile.
Continue reading about James Cameron (Avatar) Celebrates Earth Day
Sent back to England. But the Icelandic Ash Cloud allowed him to be safe for another week!
Mom, I’ll be home for Mother’s Day. I hope!
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For more Earth Day Pictures, Animations, Information and Activities, visit:
http://celebrateearthday.blogspot.com/
Continue reading about Clean Air Travel in Europe-Just in time for Earth Day
Waiter, there’s volcanic ash in my soup.
I know, it’s a no-fly zone.
