STORY UPDATES: KILLER PLEADS GUILTY AND VOLCANO CONTINUES TO CAUSE MISERY

By Debbie Bulloch



ICELANDIC VOLCANO CONTINUES TO CAUSE MISERY IN EUROPE AND BEYOND

A lingering volcanic ash plume forced extended no-fly restrictions over much of Europe on Saturday. Meanwhile, scientists in Iceland warned that volcanic activity had increased and showed no sign of abating.

Scientists say that because the volcano is situated below a glacial ice cap, the magma is being cooled quickly; causing explosions and plumes of grit that can be catastrophic to plane engines if prevailing winds are right.

Stranded passengers reported the delays were causing financial hardships. Some had to check out of hotels and sleep in the airports. Others, desperate to return home or get to meetings, rushed to book a ride on ferries or taxis.

Europeans have been warned that continued flight bans could spark shortages of imported fresh fruit and vegetables.

In Iceland, torrents of water have carried away chunks of ice the size of small houses. Sections of the country's main road were wiped out by the flash floods. More floods from melting waters are expected as long as the volcano keeps erupting. In 1821, the same volcano managed to erupt for more than a year.

Iceland, a nation of 320,000 people, sits on a large volcanic hot spot in the Atlantic's mid-oceanic ridge; there is a long history of devastating eruptions. One of the worst eruptions was the 1783 eruption of the Laki volcano, which spewed a toxic cloud over Europe, killing tens of thousands. Historians believe that the 1783 eruption of the Laki volcano set the stage for the events that eventually led to the French Revolution.

KILLER OF CHELSEA KING AND AMBER DUBOIS PLEADS GUILTY – WILL SPEND THE REST OF HIS LIFE IN PRISON

This is an update to previous stories about Chelsea King and Amber Dubois. [ New Details About Killer and Help Find Chelsea and Amber ]

On Friday, April 16, accused killer John Gardner pled guilty to murdering teenagers Chelsea King and Amber Dubois.

Gardner entered into a plea deal with the San Diego District Attorney. In exchange for the guilty pleas, Gardner will be sentenced to two consecutive life in prison terms, without the possibility of parole.

Chelsea, 17, disappeared Feb. 25 after heading out for a jog near Lake Hodges. Her body was found just days later in a shallow grave near the lake. Gardner’s DNA was found on Chelsea’s underwear.

Amber, 14, vanished in Feb. 2009 while walking to school. Her skeletal remains were found in early March—just miles from where Chelsea was discovered.

Gardner also faces 33 years to life in prison for attacking a woman in December 2009.

Gardner has a history of violence against underage girls. In 2000 he was sentenced to six years behind bars after pleading guilty to assaulting a 13-year-old girl. He ultimately served just five years.

Society needs to do more to remove monsters like John Gardner from our midst.

Our heart-felt condolences go to the families and friends of Chelsea King and Amber Dubois. May they find comfort in the years to come. God bless you.

ICELAND'S VOLCANO AFFECTS ALL OF EUROPE

By Debbie Bulloch



The Eyjafjallajokull volcano, one of Iceland’s largest, had been dormant for nearly two centuries before returning to life in the late evening of March 20. The first sign that the volcano was coming back to life was the angry, red cloud glowing above the vast glacier that covers the volcano.

In the following days, fire fountains jetted from a dozen vents on the volcano, reaching as high as 100 meters, according to the Institute of Earth Sciences at the University of Iceland. After a few day of spectacular volcanic activity the volcano seemed to return to sleep. Then on Wednesday, the volcano roared back to life sending clouds of ash soaring as high as 11,000 meter and molten lava down the mountain.

The latest eruption caused massive flooding as molten lava ate away at a 200-foot-thick cap of ice that covered some sections of the volcanic fissure. As much as a third of the glacial ice above the crater has melted — it had been up to 250 meters thick in spots — raising the level of a nearby river by nearly a meter and covering some roads. Three large holes have opened in the ice as a result of the eruption. The Red Cross evacuated residents of Hvolsvollur, a town approximately 65 miles from Reykjavik.

The latest eruption is the fourth by Eyjafjallajokull in 1,100 years, volcanologists say. The last one, in 1821, which began with days of explosive eruptions, left deep layers of dark-gray ash through vast areas of southern Iceland — some of it nearly reached Reykjavik — and it caused the Markarfljot and the Holtsa rivers to flood.

In an interesting historical twist, historians believe that the explosion of another Icelandic volcano helped trigger the French Revolution. The Laki volcanic fissure in southern Iceland erupted over an eight-month period from June 1783 to February 1784, spewing lava and poisonous gases that devastated the island's agriculture, killing much of the livestock. It is estimated that perhaps quarter of Iceland's population died through the ensuing famine. The disruption to farming and the death of large numbers of livestock throughout most of Europe caused widespread hunger and much misery.

In France a sequence of extreme events included a surplus harvest in 1785 that caused poverty for rural workers, accompanied by droughts, bad winters and summers, including a violent hailstorm in 1788 that destroyed crops. This in turn contributed significantly to the build up of poverty and famine that triggered the French Revolution in 1789.

European health authorities warned people Thursday to beware of possible health problems from ash falling to the ground. Persons in European countries directly in the path of the ash flow are being encouraged to take precautions, including staying indoors and avoiding all outdoor physical activities.

It seems that the world has entered a cycle of heightened seismic and volcanic activity. Large earthquakes in Haiti, Chile, China, Indonesia and Mexico /Southern California plus the Iceland volcano are indicators of a period of possible future instability. Whether this activity is a presage of more serious trouble to come, or simply a hiccup in the life of the Earth remains to be seen.

Stay tuned and be safe!