Volcano ash.

Is it England's turn for the ashes?

 

*Why Oh Why* is an essential service like Air Ambulance funded by a
charity when it is an *essential* service. A bit like the Life Boat
service.

 

Unless it's on the IoM and is being used as part of race back up.

 

The Thames Valley Air Ambulance is the only charity I actively support.
I've seen it called out twice - on one occasion it savd my bacon by
proxy, on the other occasion it left empty, but in both cases I'm
fucking glad it was available.

 

Indeed, Air Ambulances, Mountain Rescue, and Lifeboats IMO should all
by state funded rather than charities.

 

I'd sooner the money went on those services rather than on subsidising
3rd World countries like Scotland and Wales but that'll never happen.

 

Using the patented Mavis Beacon "Hunt&Peck" Technique, Ben

The lifeboats are actively opposed to state funding.

After all, the way things are, they're not at risk of losing a
significant proportion of their funding because somebody wants a new
nuclear weapon.

 

It does mine, absolutely no question.

 

The other two I don't know much about, but as a lifelong mountain person
I'm pretty comfortable with the mountain rescue in the UK being a voluntary
service, as long as their equipment and support is adequately supplied,
which is perhaps what you meant. If I lived in a mountain area in Britain I
would definitely volunteer for the MR - it's part of the community.

 

From the BBC report

Police said on Saturday that it was "highly unlikely" that the volcanic
ash cloud above the UK was a factor in the crash, but added that it
would form part of the investigation.

 

All them Bob Marley fans ?

 

California has state, county, and local lifeguards. If anyone ever
proposed they become a volunteer force, the clamor about possible
deaths from a lack of expertise would kill the idea instantly.

Our ambulances are part of the fire service. There was a push to
privatize it in the early 80's. In December, 1980, I was hit by a
maniac out on bail for murdering his wife. He intentionally sideswiped
my motorcycle with his truck while I was going ~60mph. It happened in
the middle of the day on the city's busiest freeway. A news crew
showed up in time to film me being lifted into a city ambulance. For
the next year, whenever the privatization issue was in the news, they
showed me being lifted into the ambulance. Eventually, voters decided
they wanted public control over lifesavers.

 

Not all of California. In the bay area, they are private company (AMR)
contracted by the county to respond with fire to emergencies.

I have the bills to prove it.

 

Using the patented Mavis Beacon "Hunt&Peck" Technique, Borg

Yes, that's what it says now following complaints from a number of
pilots.

 

But we've got them!

 

Umm, yeah. By "our", I meant Sandy Eggo.

 

It's all very well and good leaving people stuck in 5* hotels in Cancun for
an extra buckshee week but I've got radiotherapy equipment out of service
because spares are sitting in Scandanavia.

Past time DHL deployed supersonic cavitation effect cargo subs.

 

And what's with all the media using the term "stranded"? These people
might not be where they would like to be, but I don't think anyone is
stranded, are they?

 

my sister's stuck in a 5* hotel in Egypt.

All well and good, but she's only got 5 days more of her MS medication
left.

 

They are if they can't afford alternative transport.