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Mount Etna has erupted and is dropping volcanic ash on nearby towns in Sicily.

I am having a back and forth with Japan Today regarding their publishing of an article which appeared in Capitol Hill Blue that has subsequently been exposed to be false.Japan Today did not get the article from Capitol Hill Blue though. They got it from Truthout.org, a leftist propaganda outfit.I wanted to see if Truthout.org even had the story up on their site. I went to their main page, Truthout.org and checked. Nothing. I noticed a search box up at the top. So I took a phrase from the original article, sought significant quantities and hit search.Bingo.Here is what the...

SNIPPET: "The FBI says that an actor threatened to kill flight passengers on a flight from Chicago Tuesday night. The plan was headed to Orange County and Arash "Ash" Durrani, 26, is going to appear in federal court Friday. Sources say that Ash Durrani was being unruly by pacing the aisles, demanding alcohol, harassing female passengers and threatening to kill people. According to the affidavit, the deranged model and actor yelled, "I'm from Afghanistan and I will murder all of you." This San Antonio Celebrity Examiner is just in shock. Did he say Afghanistan? Durrani was born in Alexandria, Virginia."

Sacha Baron Cohen dumps fellow dictator Kim Jong-Il's 'ashes' over Ryan Seacrest By Gael Fashingbauer Cooper Sacha Baron Cohen not only was allowed to stride the red carpet in costume as Admiral General Aladeen, "The Dictator" from his upcoming movie, but he brought a fellow dictator along with him. Kind of. Clad in full dictator regalia, he was accompanied by two beautiful women in short-skirted "army" uniforms and red berets. And in his arms, he carried a cremation urn with an image of late North Korean leader Kim Jong-il. But those ashes didn't stay in the urn long. When Baron...

A week after every Roman Catholic bishop in the United States denounced his decision to move forward with a regulation that will force American Catholics to act against the teachings of their faith by requiring that they purchase health insurance plans that pay for sterilizations, contraceptives and abortifacients, President Barack Obama issued a three-sentence statement saying he and his wife are honoring Ash Wednesday and the beginning of Lent. The president's statement on Ash Wednesday did not mention Jesus Christ, the Crucifixion, the Resurrection or Easter. “Today, Michelle and I honor Ash Wednesday with Christians

There’s some good coming off China’s extensive coal exploitation (the nation holds the top place for most pollutant emissions resulting from burning coal), as recent mining activities around Wuda in Inner Mongolia, China, has uncovered an almost perfectly preserved 298 million year-old forest. The forest, which also features intact trees with leaves, branches, trunk and cones, was buried by volcanic ash, and thus kept away from time’s unforgiving touch. The researchers dubbed the forest the “Pompeii of the Permian period, since the manner in which it was preserved bared a striking resemblance to the famous Roman namesake event. The volcanic...

(Reuters) - There's something to be said for going out with a bang. Two Alabama game wardens have devised a smoking send-off for avid hunters and gun enthusiasts: For a small fee, the pair will turn cremated ashes into ammunition that the deceased's loved ones can fire at will. Holy Smoke LLC has serviced only two clients since launching in July, but founders Thad Holmes and Clem Parnell said they have seen an uptick in prearrangements thanks to word-of-mouth and a recent flurry of international press. "It's about celebrating life," Holmes, a 16-year state conservation officer, said on Friday. "We...

SYDNEY (AP) — Asian and African night owls were treated to a lunar eclipse, and ash in the atmosphere from a Chilean volcano turned it blood red for some viewers. The Sydney Observatory said the eclipse was to begin at 3:25 a.m. Thursday (1:25 p.m. EDT, 5:25 p.m. GMT Wednesday) and last until after 5 a.m. Scientists said the specific phenomenon happening Thursday — known as a "deep lunar eclipse" — often exudes a coppery color. But the intensity of the color depends on the amount of ash and dust in the atmosphere. Luckily for moon-gazers, there was plenty of...

Tens of thousands of passengers in Australia and New Zealand were stranded when airlines suspended flights Sunday as an ash cloud from an erupting volcano in southern Chile spread, threatening to damage engines. Australia's national carrier, Qantas Airways, said all the airline's flights in and out of the southeastern city of Melbourne would be grounded. Other carriers including Virgin Australia and discount airlines Jetstar and Tiger similarly suspended flights. Up to 30,000 passengers in New Zealand and Australia found themselves stuck, according to airlines' estimates. Sunday afternoon, frustrated travelers lined up in airports and looked for last-minute accommodation. Hotels near...

The largest fossil spider uncovered to date once ensnared prey back in the age of dinosaurs, scientists find. The spider, named Nephila jurassica, was discovered buried in ancient volcanic ash in Inner Mongolia, China. Tufts of hairlike fibers seen on its legs showed this 165-million-year-old arachnid to be the oldest known species of the largest web-weaving spiders alive today — the golden orb-weavers, or Nephila, which are big enough to catch birds and bats, and use silk that shines like gold in the sunlight. The fossil was about as large as its modern relatives, with a body one inch (2.5...

Icelandic Volcano 'Set To Erupt' Scientists in Iceland are warning that another volcano looks set to erupt and threatening to spew-out a pall of dust that would dwarf last year's event. Lava and ash explode out of the caldera of Iceland's Eyjafjallajokull volcano Photo: REUTERS 6:38PM GMT 08 Feb 2011 Geologists detected the high risk of a new eruption after evaluating an increased swarm of earthquakes around the island's second largest volcano. Pall Einarsson, a professor of geophysics at the University of Iceland, says the area around Bárdarbunga is showing signs of increased activity, which provides "good reason to worry"....

Volcanic Ash To Close London's Heathrow Airport By JENNIFER QUINN, Associated Press Writer LONDON – Europe's busiest airport was set to close early Monday morning as a dense crowd of volcanic ash drifts across England from Iceland, aviation authorities said. The airspace over London's Heathrow Airport will be closed at 1 a.m. Monday (0000 GMT; 7 p.m. EDT), Britain's National Air Traffic Service said in a statement late Sunday night. The restrictions affecting Heathrow — as well as Gatwick, Stansted, and London City airports — will be in place until at least 7 a.m. Monday, the aviation authority said. Airports...

May 16, 2010 Scientists forecast decades of ash clouds Many more of Iceland’s volcanoes seem to be stirring Iceland could be at the start of a surge in volcanic activity that may produce more eruptions Jonathan Leake and Chris Hastings THE Icelandic eruption that has caused misery for air travellers could be part of a surge in volcanic activity that will affect the whole of Europe for decades, scientists have warned. They have reconstructed a timeline of 205 eruptions in Iceland, spanning the past 1,100 years, and found that they occur in regular cycles — with the relatively quiet phase...

The Ash Cloud Is Shutting Down British Airports Again Gus Lubin May. 15, 2010, 10:18 PM At this point you can call Eyjafjallajokull a protracted economic problem for the UK, if not the rest of Europe. The volcano is still spewing with no end in sight. British transportation authorities have warned they may shut down airspace from Sunday through Tuesday. Daily Mail: The prediction of closures from tomorrow until Tuesday morning is based on continuing volcanic activity in Iceland and prevailing weather conditions. The Department of Transport said: 'Within this time frame, different parts of UK airspace - including airspace...

Iceland's Unstoppable Volcano Could Turn Europe Summer Travel Season To Ash Shawn Pogatchnik, The Associated Press May 13, 2010 08:46:29 AM DUBLIN - It's been a month now, and Iceland's volcano shows no sign it will stop belching ash across Europe anytime soon. The rolling eruptions threaten more havoc for summer vacation plans and higher costs for struggling airlines. Although the global disruption of last month's massive eruption has faded, smaller ash plumes snarled air services intermittently over the last week all the way to Turkey — more than 2,500 miles (4,100 kilometres) from the Eyjafjallajokul (pronounced ay-yah-FYAH-lah-yer-kuhl) volcano. Air-control...

Iceland Volcano Update: Europe Flight Delays Continue May 10, 2010 By: Meagan Drillinger TravelAgentCentral Sources are reporting continuing flight delays in Europe as a result of the Eyjafjallajokul volcano eruption in Iceland. According to Examiner.com, two Ryanair jets (Europe's low-cost airline) were found with ash in its engines. Four Ryanair flights were canceled on Sunday, May 9, leaving more passengers in the all-too familiar stranded predicament. British Airways and EasyJet are reporting minimal delays as of this morning, May 10. Eurocontrol told Examiner.com that an expected 28,500 flights were go forward today, around 2 percent below normal levels. As of...

Eyjafjallajökull Ash Wreaking Havoc Across Europe, And It Could Get Even Worse Vincent Fernando, CFA May. 10, 2010, 6:48 AM Be aware that Iceland's Eyjafjallajökull continues to open and shut airports across Europe, causing delays. It's all pretty unpredictable of course, and if you're planning on air travel in the region there's really nothing that can do to avoid this, but just have a back-up plan since anything can happen. Also expect more pain for related industries. Airwise: Trans-atlantic flights remain affected and are required to undergo significant rerouting, leading to some delays, the agency said earlier in a statement....

The Eyjafjallajökull Volcanic Ash Is Back With A Vengeance, Will It Ruin Cannes? Joe Weisenthal May. 9, 2010, 9:17 AM Just when you thought this story was long over, the ash from the Eyjafjallajökull volcano is iceland is back, and flights are being cancelled left and right across Europe. Of course, this is exactly what Europe doesn't need right now, particularly Portugal, caught in the middle of a debt storm and now caught in the middle of this as well. Times Online UK: Today Ryanair announced the cancellation of 178 European flights while easyJet warned of further disruption on routes...

Ash From Iceland Volcano Disrupts Sunday Air TravelMay 9, 2010, 5:54 a.m. EDT TEL AVIV (MarketWatch) -- Fresh plumes of ash from the Iceland volcano again are disrupting Sunday air travel in Europe, media reports say. AFP reported that airspace over France, Italy and Portugal was closed and dozens of flights were cancelled on Sunday. Ash Cloud Closes Spanish AirportsAirports in Spain, Portugal and France closed, or expected to close, after an Icelandic volcano's ash cloud blew south. Trans-Atlantic flights were forced to reroute. Video courtesy of Reuters. Ryanair said in a statement on Sunday that it expects airspace over...

Eyjafjallajökull Is Back And It's About To Spew Another Massive Cloud Again Vincent Fernando, CFA May. 7, 2010, 7:48 AM The Icelandic volcano, Eyjafjallajokull, that grounded much of Northern Europe's air activity previously, is set to emit a massive new cloud of ash. AFP: A plume of ash measuring up to seven kilometers (more than four miles) high had been detected at the Eyjafjoll volcano, said a statement from the Icelandic Met Office and Institute of Earth Science. "The eruption has changed back to an explosive eruption, lava has stopped flowing and most of the magma gets scattered due to...