I pretty sure they're way ahead of you on that.
What do you think happened to Bjork?

I've heard that volcanic earth is great for growing pot.
Icelanders should do that.

Add the "Eye Of Sauron" and Frodo will feel right at home! 

My new desktop. Wow.

From NASA...click on it for the large version.

From NASA...click on it for the large version.

A flickr contact of mine, who lives in Iceland and takes amazing photos,  stated in her blog that the farmers have had to slaughter a lot of their livestock. 

These are incredible and, beyond capturing the beauty and force of this event in nature, they show what local, rural people and their animals are dealing with.  That's a story I haven't heard much about.

I wondered about that myself.  From Smithsonian.com :

...The scientists now believe that volcanoes can produce two kinds of lightning during an eruption. The first type, which has been understood for some time, occurs in the volcano's smoke plume a few minutes after the eruption ends. In this case, highly energized hot air and gases clash with the cool atmosphere, creating the sort of "organized," branched lightning found in a thunderstorm, says Thomas.

The second kind of lightning, which the authors called "a newly identified explosive phase," came as a surprise, says Thomas. As magma, ash and rocks spewed from Augustine carrying great electrical charge, they created continuous, chaotic sparks near the mouth of the volcano.

"There's some mechanism in there that's making it come out charged," says Thomas, who hopes the new observations will lead to a better understanding of both kinds of volcanic lightning.

Not all volcanic eruptions produce lightning, says McNutt, but the new equipment might be used to track the ones that do-particularly those in remote regions.

Why does the volcano make lightning?

Why does the volcano make lightning?

What's also rather worrying is there are absolutely no health warning on the news about this. It's all about those deserted and how much money is being lost. Mrs Hobie mentioned earlier that there is some of this fine rock on the ground in the south west. If it's on the ground it must be in my lungs. I'm actually quite sick right now with what feels like man flu but my throat is extremely sore. Ok, this could be a coincidence but some advice would be helpful but there's none at all. What goes up must come down so to speak.