A favourite story from a British journalist who interviewed Boris Yeltsin:

Journalist: “So, President Yeltsin, how would you describe the state of the Russian economy in one word?”
Yeltsin: “Good”.
Journalist: “Okay then Mr President, perhaps you would describe it in more than one word?”
Yeltsin: “Ah, in that case – not good.”

(thanks to popbitch)

So, Saddam’s dead then, which will surely come as a shock if you’ve been living under a large rock this Christmas. But, in these cases, it’s always worth looking beyond the headlines. Robert Fisk has two articles showing the emerging murky facts about the execution. In “Our complicity dies with him,” Fisk notes that the many secrets Saddam Hussein had about the West’s business dealings with Iraq are gone forever. which is handy for George and Tony. In “A dictator created then destroyed by America“, he points out that “Osama bin Laden will certainly rejoice, along with Bush and Blair.” And finally, for those that wondered why the “official” execution video had no sound, IraqSlogger describes the common-sense and divisive conclusions you can draw from the timing of the execution and the soundtrack on the new sneaky mobile phone video of the execution. Nothing’s as it seems, is it? Happy New Year, Iraq!

Ringing in the changes: Now that’s the kind of rapid rise career to have. Charles Dunstone set up Carphone Warehouse with £6000 savings. 15 years later, he’s just bought the once-mighty AOL UK. And all it takes is guts and a bit of luck…

Imagine you’re a cabbie waiting to drive a technology editor back from an interview at the BBC television centre. Imagine your surprise when, after you turn up early, you’re grabbed by the floor manager, mistaken for the editor and plonked in front of cameras – and interviewed, live on air, about the latest Apple Computer vs Beatles debacle. Imagine bluffing your way through quite spectacularly…
Don’t worry – there’s no need to imagine – here’s the evidence. The expression on the poor cabbie’s face is priceless…! Here’s a Guardian article on it, here’s loads of news articles on it, and here’s the video. Awesome.

A quick lesson in bird-based perspective.

I’ve been a little out of the loop with Bloggerheads recently, owing mainly to the incessant work coming in from my *real* job. But he and his team of merry men have gone and planted a bomb underneath the government this time, Guy Fawkes style. Craig Murray, on a site that Tim and I built, has published the UK Torture Memos defied the government’s ban. And, true to form, someone has immediately brought down the site. Odd, that. Never mind, it’ll be up soon – and with good forthought the memo has been simultaneously published and linked on many other weblogs.So let me join in:
- This post at Bloggerheads has the background information.
- Here is the Bloggerheads post tracking the reaction the the memo publication.
- AAAAAND FINALLY… Here’s the link to Craig’s Torture Memo post. Have fun, newspaper editors…

So, as I’ve hinted in previous posts, our Managing Director has left after two and half years of fun and frolics. And who can blame him – he’s only in his mid-thirties, career-focused and in demand. Bigger companies can offer bigger wages. On his leaving day, we all crowded round him while he was gently ribbed about his time here, and later on that evening we crowded round a small bar up the road and bade him farewell. He looked quite excited about the change, telling us about his car and his nice new office in Hemel Hempstead.
So, in an idle moment this Monday morning I found his new place of work on the internet. You’ll see an overhead shot of the area. The yellow line is the road the head office is on.
Oh, and the red line is where the burning, blown up Buncefield Oil Refinery was, subject of the “largest explosion in peacetime Britain.” last week.
Apparently, he is “working from home” at the moment.

New Orleans. I’d always wondered what it’s like. Now, I suppose, only photographs and video will be able to tell me thanks to Hurricane Katrina. If you need a wake up call as to how the situation has descended into anarchy, read this email that was sent to BoingBoing, and read this account of the current anarchy in what used to be one of the iconic cities of America. Watching the news last night, they revealed that with rivers covering the sides and a huge lake on the fourth, it was such a precariously-placed city that its no wonder it would eventually succumb. The defences, bizarrely, were only built to deal with a Category Three storm. Hurricane Katrina at points became a top-notch Category One hurricane.
Of course, it’s not just New Orleans that has taken the brunt. Gulfport has been utterly thrashed. have a look at the photos on Flickr for up to the minute sights and minds…

Twice looks like carelessness. BBC News link.
Update 2:44pm – Robin has ongoing updates running again.
Update 2:54pm – Police say this is “very serious incident”. Armed police seen going into University College Hospital.
Update 3:11pm – BBC News carries a timeline. Tony Blair to give statement.
Update 3:40pm – Four buses stop in Whitehall, and police are clearing the area. Reporters asked to turn off cameras.
Update 3:47pm – The following swiped from perfect.co.uk:
Sky News : BBC report, eyewitness accounts, reporters log : Guardian report, newsblog : Wikinews : Nosemonkey liveblogging