New Year's Day:  Now is the accepted time to make your regular annual good resolutions.  Next week you can begin paving hell with them as usual.  ~Mark Twain

I intended on posting this yesterday...

Maybe we can eventually make language a complete impediment to understanding. -Hobbes

I predicted this yesterday:

Russia has lowered deliveries to Ukraine, and ukraine will lower deliveries West. Russia will blame Ukraine, but what will Europe do? Will they be weak and tell the Ukrainians to stop "stealing" gas? Will they offer to help the Ukrainians pay for the increased price? Or will they do the right thing and remind the Russians that the gas is purchased at the Czech border and that it is the Russians' responsibility to take care of transit to that points? You can't do it, we'll take over? Sell us your gas at the Russian-Ukrainian border...
Europe has been insanely weak-kneed is dealing with Russia, but on this one, it's a no-brainer.

In the end, I expect a compromise whereby gas prices will be increased, but a bit less than the Russians asked for; gas transit fees through Ukraine will also be increased, but not enough to compensate for the increased price in gas for the Ukrainians, and loans will be provided for the difference - and will never be paid.

We're right on schedule now: Russia has cut off gas, and supplies West have been cut, as at least Hungary, Poland ans Austria have noted.

Funnily enough, the blame game has not been started by Russia, but bu the US, which (rightly) blame Russia.

To be continued... The essential thing is that Europe show some backbone.

In the long run, we're all dead. John Maynard Keynes

Second major storm washes across California

GUERNEVILLE, Calif. -- The second major storm in two days washed across Northern California on Sunday, prolonging the threat of flooding as residents began cleaning up the mud and debris left behind by the first wave of floodwater.

Hundreds of homes and businesses across the region had been inundated Saturday as heavy rain sent the Napa and Russian rivers spilling over their banks.

As much as 3 inches of rain fell in the same area Sunday, on top of the 4 to 9 inches that had already swamped the region the day before.

• Britons in Gaza
  
• various in Iraq (including a Frenchman)
  
• Italian tourists in Yemen
  
• the usual Columbian hostages, give or take a few

The chief designer of Apple Computer Inc.'s phenomenally popular iPod digital music player was named on Friday in the Queen's Honours List.

London-born Jonathan Ive, 38, Apple's senior vice president of design, on Friday was awarded the title of Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (CBE) by Queen Elizabeth.

The title recognizes Ive's achievements in industrial design as leader of the team that produced not only the iPod but also the iMac, iBook and Powerbook computer lines in his nearly 13-year career at Cupertino, California-based Apple.

Ive studied design and art at Newcastle Polytechnic in England. In 1989, he became a partner at Tangerine, a London-based design consultant where he worked on products ranging from power tools to wash basins. He joined Apple in 1992 and became the leader of the company's design team in 1996.

BBC
Questioned by reporters, Mr Bush said he was conscious of people's civil liberties and the violation of their privacy - but added: "If somebody from al-Qaeda is calling you, we'd like to know why."

"We're at war," the president said.

He called the operation legal as well as vital to thwarting terrorist attacks, and contended the leak making it public had caused "great harm to the nation".

"This is a limited program designed to prevent attacks on the United States of America and, I repeat, limited," Mr Bush said.

Oh, where to start...

In the long run, we're all dead. John Maynard Keynes

Freed Italians return to kidnappers in Yemen

SANAA, Jan. 1 (Xinhuanet) -- Three female Italian tourists abducted and later released by Yemeni tribesmen returned to kidnappers on Sunday, refusing to be freed until their two male companions are also released, government sources said.

The three, who had been set free and turned over to the local government of the eastern province of Maarib earlier in the day, went back to the kidnappers upon learning that the two male Italians in their tourist team remained captive, said the sources.

The five tourists were snatched away by armed tribesmen in Maarib, about 170 km east of the capital Sanaa. The kidnappers demanded the Yemeni government to release eight tribe members imprisoned on criminal charges.

Yemeni armed tribesmen often abduct foreign tourists to pressure the government to release jailed relatives. The hostages were usually set free unhurt after negotiation between authorities and kidnappers.

Hey!  How'd you find me?

BERLIN (Reuters) - German police Thursday captured two men suspected of stealing from 15 cars and two garden sheds by following their footprints in the snow for several miles.

Policemen were checking up on a car whose alarm had been set off just after midnight in the town of Hoentrop when they found a smashed window and two sets of footprints which they followed more than ten streets.

I won't post any gossip tonight.  I've already done enough damage to my credibility with my last post in Agnes' thread (sorry Agnes).

Maybe we can eventually make language a complete impediment to understanding. -Hobbes

Turkish child tested for suspected bird flu dies

ANKARA, Jan. 1 (Xinhuanet) -- A Turkish child who had been tested for possible infection of the bird flu disease died in hospital on Sunday, semi-official Anatolia news agency reported.

He was among six people including five children and a middle-age woman who have been sent to the hospital over Saturday and Sunday for medical treatment of symptoms of high fever, coughing and bleeding in throat.

But Anatolia cited doctors as saying that there was no evidence that the boy died of bird flu and that tests of the six patients, all from Dogubayazit town, for possible infection of the deadly disease have not been finished yet.

Last Tuesday, the Turkish Ministry of Agriculture said that some dead chickens had been tested positive for an H5 variant of avian flu in the eastern Aralik town, which is very close to Dogubayazit, and that parts of Aralik had been put under quarantine.

Iran develops uranium separation machinery

TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iran said on Sunday it had developed machinery to separate uranium from its ore, part of the Islamic state's ongoing drive to become self-sufficient in nuclear technology.

The mixer-settler machinery was developed by Iran's Atomic Energy Organization (IAEO), state television said.

"Unfortunately, because of the problems that exist, it was not possible for us to buy this machine from abroad and we had to build it domestically. Fortunately, we succeeded," an unidentified IAEO official said.

Barroso hails EU enlargement on accession anniversaries

BRUSSELS, Jan. 1 (Xinhuanet) -- European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso on New Year's Day hailed the enlargement of the European Union (EU), saying it is good for both existing members and acceding countries.

"The example of Greece, Spain and Portugal provides good evidence that enlargement is beneficial to the existing as well as to the acceding countries," said Barroso in a statement on the accession anniversaries of the three countries.

"It (The accession of these countries) consolidated Europe's Mediterranean and Atlantic dimensions, and opened up new vistas in Africa and Latin America."

The perspective of membership helped consolidate democracy and encourage reform in these countries, said Barroso. "Membership led to unprecedented development, the result of which was greater stability and greater competitiveness."

Further enlargement, however, is a controversy among EU citizens. After the fifth enlargement in 2004 took in 10 Eastern and Central European countries, an "enlargement fatigue" has gripped Europe.

The latest Eurobarometer poll showed that only one third of Britons believe EU membership is a good thing. In Austria, which takes over the rotating EU presidency on New Year's Day, the rate was even lower -- 32 percent.

This just in from the French prime minister's office:

• unemployment has been erradicated
  
• Paris has soldily petitioned the Olympic Committee and London has been dethroned
  
• the budget deficit has left, overnight, it was last seen taking a bus towards the Andorran border

The UN panel probing the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister RAFIQ HARIRI asked to meet Syrian President BASHAR AL-ASSAD and his Foreign Minister Farouq al-Shara.

"The commission has already sent a request to interview Syrian President Assad and Foreign Minister Shara, among others," a UN inquiry spokeswoman told Reuters on Monday.

The panel will also try to interview former Vice President Abdel-Halim Khaddam as soon as possible, the spokeswoman added.

There was no immediate comment from the Syrian government.

The UN's request follows Khaddam's expulsion by the governing Baath Party in Syria.

Khaddam, now living in Paris after resigning in June, alleged on Friday that the Syrian President threatened HARIRI before his Feb. 14 assassination.

The UN spokeswoman said: "What Mr. Khaddam said corroborates information the commission has received and said in two reports." She refused to provide further details.

The UN released an interim report in October implicating top Syrian and Lebanese officials in HARIRI's killing. Damascus has strongly denied any involvement.

In October, the Security Council adopted a resolution calling on Syria to co-operate with the inquiry, and arrest suspects identified by the UN probe, or face further action.

The UN Security Council voted last month to extend the probe by a further six months.

The Government's much-heralded patient choice policy has entered a new era today as the programme was rolled out across England.
People needing treatment will now be offered a choice of at least four NHS or private hospitals, clinics and treatment centres in their local area when they are referred by their GP.

But by 2008 the choice agenda will be flung wide open, with ministers promising that patients will be able to choose from any hospital or provider anywhere in the country which meets NHS standards at NHS prices.

But concerns remain about the effect allowing patients a free choice of where they are treated will have on the NHS and individual hospitals.

There are fears that less popular units could be forced to close due to a lack of patients choosing to go there, while popular hospitals will be overwhelmed and see waiting lists soar.

However health secretary Patricia Hewitt maintained that the policy would help drive up standards while giving patients the control they wanted over their care.

"In our modern society people have more and more choice and control over every aspect of their lives. They are telling us they want more choice over their healthcare," she said.

"Choice is now a reality in the NHS. Patients have new rights over their own healthcare.

"These rights will allow patients to choose services which best meet their individual needs and preferences."

Ms Hewitt said that the evaluation of choice pilot schemes suggested that hospitals would become much more responsive to what really mattered to patients.

This included concerns about the speed of treatment, the quality of the food and being treated with dignity and respect.

Ms Hewitt said that choice would drive improvement in health services, encouraging hospitals to get better to pull in more patients.