LuaX2 may delay his flight, perhaps.

"GOMA, Congo (Reuters) - A river of molten rock is pouring from a volcano in Congo, a day after it erupted, killing dozens, swallowing buildings whole and forcing hundreds of thousands to flee the town of Goma.

U.N. officials estimated 45 people had died in the 24 hours since tongues of red hot lava began forking from Nyiragongo volcano through villages on its slopes, down through Goma itself and on into Lake Kivu, which straddles the Rwandan border."

-- Anonymous, January 18, 2002

Answers

first time Goma has been red hot for a long time...

-- Anonymous, January 18, 2002

I can't believe none of you have made any comments about the popular omni-fruit flavoured cartoned drink. Letters will be sent home.

-- Anonymous, January 18, 2002

unfortunately I think I know the lines to the advert:

"way down deep in the middle of the congo, the hippo took an apricot a guavo and a mango, he put em all together and danced a dainty tango the rhino said I know we'll call it umbongo, um bongo um bongo they drink it in the congo...."

well you get the picture.

-- Anonymous, January 18, 2002

.....300,000 people homeless: goodness knows how many killed by rivers of lava flowing at up to 50mph, and the resulting fires.

Unimaginable.

-- Anonymous, January 18, 2002

all that tragedy, and there's me reciting 1980's adverts

-- Anonymous, January 18, 2002

I think last time this volcano went up it killed something like 2000 people in 45 minutes, no wonder they are leaving.

-- Anonymous, January 18, 2002

It's scary stuff, it makes you glad there aren't any vocanoes in England.

-- Anonymous, January 19, 2002

Edwinsburg (Edinburgh) castle is built on a volcano, just though you might like to know that...no...I'll be off then.

-- Anonymous, January 19, 2002

the whole of the Forth is full of islands that are volcanic plugs, the river is so deep that you can't echo the bottom of it in some places, so if you thought abut how high the top of the volcanoes were from the bottom to top it must have been pretty scary around here several million years ago.

Maybe that was why they invented whisky, to calm the nerves

-- Anonymous, January 20, 2002

I thought all the volcanoes in Britain were extinct (?)

-- Anonymous, January 20, 2002

Congo have lost their first match 1-0, but it sounds like LLL was lively throughout, winning free kicks, getting shots in and "delighting the crowd with his ball juggling" to quote the beeb. Hopefully there'll be some highlights on later...

-- Anonymous, January 20, 2002

Paul, I think you are right and all volcanoes are extinct. I'm just relieved that I live in the safe place that I do. According to researchers/scientist Fuji is waking up and is no longer 'dormant'. It's a good job you can't believe everything scientists say isn't it?

-- Anonymous, January 20, 2002

Paul - which is a damning indictment of current ecological policy in this country. Years ago you could walk around any time of day or night and hear the gentle roar of another eruption. These days, not a whimper. Extinct? That's man's rape of the environment for you.

-- Anonymous, January 21, 2002