What a mess

MANIFESTO

A few thoughts on the volcano story ...

First, it seems to be every bit as bad as Katrina:

International Air Transport Association Director General and Chief Executive Giovanni Bisignani said in a statement on Wednesday that he expects it will take the airline industry at least three years to recover from the volcano crisis.

Second, I've never heard the name of the volcano pronounced; American newscasters aren't even trying to pronounce "Eyjafjallajokull" and consistently refer to it as the "Iceland volcano."

Finally, while I can't imagine the frustration of waiting in an airport for days for a flight that may or may not depart, I have to admit that I'm getting a little tired of the Eyjafjallajokull story. Both NPR and Charles Osgood devoted much too much time to passengers' inconveniences this morning. We get it already: It's a pain. Can we now move on to something at least as important, like, oh, whether or not the country's economic system will survive?