Vikings head coach Mike Tice fired -- annouced just 20 minutes ago on ESPN

After a controversial year which saw the departure of Randy Moss to the Oakland Raiders, the acquistion of seven new defensive players, a new offensive coordinator, and a terrible incident of indecent exposure involving 17 players, Mike Tice, the Minnesota Vikings head coach, was fired after their 34 to 10 victory over the Chicago Bears, who had already cliched home field advantage for the playoffs.

Europe faces potential gas crisis

This is on the Scotsman and from Reuters. It could mean high prices in America too..or should I report "higher" prices.

By Stuart Penson

LONDON (Reuters) - Europe faced a potential energy crisis on Sunday after Russia started cutting gas flows to Ukraine amid a bitter dispute over prices.


Europe gets about a quarter of its gas from Russia, most of it pumped west via Ukraine. Sunday's move by Russia, which wants Ukraine to pay much more for its gas, comes as European demand hovers near peak levels because of freezing weather.

Analysts say Ukraine could defy Russia and continue drawing gas from transit pipelines, reducing the volumes bound for European customers.

Industry sources said utilities across the continent were on standby to open the taps on back-up storage depots and to ask for more gas from other suppliers like Norway and the Netherlands to safeguard flows to industrial consumers.

This despite reassurances from Russian state-controlled energy giant Gazprom that flows to Europe would not be hit by the move against Ukraine.

"Our members hope that there is enough gas in storage for the next two to three months," said Wulf Binde, senior gas specialist at the VIK industrial energy consumers' association in Germany, the biggest buyer of Russian gas.

"There could be some questions over pipeline capacity within Germany if we have to get gas from other suppliers," he said. "Gas will have to be moved within Germany and that could be a problem."

Germany's biggest supplier, E.ON Ruhrgas , which gets about a third of its gas from Russia, has said it could cope with disruptions as its storage tanks are full.

Italian utility Eni said on Saturday that Gazprom had advised it that gas supplies could be put at risk by the dispute with Ukraine.

European Union officials are due to meet for emergency talks on January 4 to discuss the situation.

Aside from Germany, Russian gas goes to Italy, France and Austria, as well as central European markets including Poland and Hungary, which say they have been preparing for supply disruptions.

Britain, which relies on imports from Belgium to meet winter demand, could also feel the squeeze if Russian flows to mainland Europe start to drop, traders said.

If continental Europe feels uncomfortable about its own supply situation then exporting gas to Britain will not be their top priority, traders said.

Britain's gas supply is already tight as output from its ageing North Sea fields drops.

A squeeze on gas supplies could also force up prices across Europe, which are already close to record highs after rallying in line with oil prices.

Sunday's events will stoke underlying concerns in Europe about future security of supply and reliance on Russia and will put EU energy policy under fresh scrutiny.

"The EU hasn't made any effort to intervene (in the Russia/Ukraine row)," said Jonathan Stern, Russian gas expert at the Oxford Institute of Energy Studies.

"For years we've been telling Russia to move towards market prices and now what are we are going to say -- market prices (for Ukraine) are not such a good idea?"

Jerry Brown moving out of Oakland

The news is at Oakland Focus -- just click on the title of this post.

Happy New Year 2006!

Happy New Year! I'm glad this year is here and after a 2005 that felt like three years in one. And where I had five family members with cancer -- two of which, my father and stepdad, who passed on. It was a year that seemed to have everything. But I got this year off right, with a great dinner at Girabaldi's with my new friend Jean, and a song or two at The Alley, all here in Oakland.

My wish for the year is good health and happiness for my Mom, the continued growth of my business, a set of great relationships for me and my friends, and the continuance of what has been a good period of my life. I also wish political victories for all my friends!

This is a political year, and for me those are the most exciting!

Nuclear Monitoring of Muslims Done Without Search Warrants

The Bush Administration is reportedly more interested in determining who leaked this information, than appologizing to the Muslim community. Read about this by clicking on the title of this post.

The Rolling Stones Set To Perform A Free Show In Brazil!

From: http://www.rollingstones.com

ROLLING STONES - "A BIGGER BANG"
Copacabana Beach - February 18, 2006
Tuesday, December 13 -- The Rolling Stones announced today that they will bring the "A Bigger Bang" World Tour to Brazil on February 18th.

Brazilian fans will now have the opportunity to experience the excitement felt by sold-out crowds throughout the tour when the Stones play at the Copacabana Beach. This will mark the third time that the Stones have performed in Brazil, but it will be the first time they hold a free concert.

After their stop in Brazil, The Rolling Stones, and their "A Bigger Bang" World Tour, will continue to thrill audiences throughout Mexico and South America with electrifying performances that include their classic hits and songs from their critically acclaimed new release, "A Bigger Bang."

The band is working closely with their design team to create a unique show for their international fans that combines the intimacy of a small venue with the spectacle of their outdoor stadium shows

To organize the show at the Copacabana Beach, the Stones will gather a crew of nearly 1,500. The show's main stage, to be located in front of the Copacabana Palace Hotel, will be 22 meters high and 57 meters wide. In addition to the main stage, the Rio concert will also feature the Rolling Stones' famous "B" stage, which can extend 55 meters into the audience. Sixteen sound and image towers (with high definition big screens) will also be constructed and spread along the seashore as far back as the Meridien Hotel.

Rolling Stones, U2 Drive Concert Revenues

By ALEX VEIGA
AP Business Writer

LOS ANGELES -- Powerhouse tours by the Rolling Stones, U2 and Paul McCartney helped drive concert ticket revenues in North America to a record $3.1 billion in 2005, even as the number of tickets sold declined for the third year in row.

Fans purchased 36.1 million tickets to the top 100 concert tours, compared with 37.6 million in 2004 and 38.7 million in 2003, according to Pollstar, the industry trade magazine.

"You have to figure that's not a healthy sign for the industry overall," said Gary Bongiovanni, Pollstar's editor-in-chief.

Despite a slow first-half of the year and the decline in tickets sold, concert tours in 2005 amounted to a 10.7 percent increase in gross receipts over last year's total of $2.8 billion.

The record revenue was due largely to the rare confluence of superstar artists touring.

"You don't normally see three huge acts like that out touring in the same year," Bongiovanni said. "McCartney and The Stones alone really helped drive up ticket prices."

The average ticket price for the top 100 tours rose to a record $57, compared with $52.39 in 2004, Pollstar said.

The average ticket price has gone up nearly $7 since 2003.

Still, concertgoers proved this year that they remained willing to pay more to see their favorite acts, and the roster of legends that filled touring arenas had little trouble packing them in.

Until this year, the biggest tour of all time had been The Rolling Stones' 1994 outing, which drew $121.2 million in gross receipts, Bongiovanni said.

"Both U2 and The Stones went way beyond that this year," he said.

The Rolling Stones' "A Bigger Bang" tour led all other concert tours in 2005 with $162 million in gross receipts, according to the magazine.

The average Stones ticket was $133.98. The tour sold around 1.2 million tickets.

U2 generated the second most gross receipts, $138.9 million, with an average ticket price of $96.92. The Irish rockers' "Vertigo 2005" tour sold the most tickets, around 1.4 million.

McCartney's tour earned $77.3 million in gross receipts, with the average ticket selling for $135.46. The tour sold around 570,000 tickets.

Other veteran acts who ended the year among the top 20 in sales receipts included the Eagles, Elton John, Neil Diamond, Bruce Springsteen, Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, Motley Crue and Jimmy Buffett.

Green Day, Rascal Flatts, Dave Matthews Band, Toby Keith, Kenny Chesney, Coldplay, Gwen Stefani and the Anger Management Tour were among the contemporary acts to break into the top 20 biggest earners.

Celine Dion and Barry Manilow, who performed mostly in Las Vegas, also were top draws in 2005. The Canadian diva's shows pulled in $81.3 million in total gross receipts, the third highest. Manilow's shows drew $22.7 million in gross receipts.

"The baby boomers really continue to support and fuel the concert business," Bongiovanni said.