Ittsa Quiz! Parrots, trees and dragons: test yourself with our quiz on national flag changes The ‘independence flag’ now flies in parts of Syria following the fall of Bashar al-Assad, but can you identify these other countries that have changed their flags (or not)? https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/jan/01/parrots-trees-dragons-quiz-national-flag-changes

US lawmakers eye health insurance reform as frustrations mount Nearly one in four doctors say the practice of prior authorization has led to serious issues for patients Melody Schreiber https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/dec/31/health-insurance-prior-authorization

Eight ways to stay happier this year, according to science BBC Future team https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20241231-eight-ways-to-stay-happier-this-year-according-to-science

Happy New Year!

New Year’s Eve celebrations: Sydney welcomes 2025 with spectacular fireworks display – live
Thousands of revellers in Australia pack into viewing points to see fireworks as people around the world prepare to celebrate new year
People around the world ring in the new year
Fireworks light up the midnight sky over Sydney Harbour Bridge and Sydney Opera House.
Martin Farrer
https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2024/dec/31/new-years-eve-celebrations-2024-2025-live

South Korean court issues arrest warrant for President Yoon Suk Yeol
The warrant was sought over Yoon’s controversial and short-lived decision to impose martial law early in December
Justin McCurry in Osaka and agencies
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/dec/31/arrest-warrant-south-korea-president-yoon-suk-yeol-martial-law-ntwnfb

News from NoDak:  Son of US senator jailed for 28 years over chase and crash that killed police officer
Ian Cramer, 43, son of North Dakota senator Kevin Cramer, sentenced over incident last year in which he fled hospital
Associated Press
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/dec/30/ian-cramer-son-republican-north-dakota-senator

‘Moving to the mountaintops’: rising seas displace tens of thousands in Papua New Guinea
Gulf province councillor says growing numbers are leaving, in what climate activist describes as a ‘humanitarian crisis’
Rebecca Bush in Port Moresby
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/dec/31/moving-to-the-mountaintops-rising-seas-displace-tens-of-thousands-in-papua-new-guinea

Oh no! Say it ain’t so:  Opinion
Germany
People like me flocked to Berlin because it was ‘poor but sexy’. Those times are over
Fatma Aydemir
Brutal cuts to culture subsidies are about to make the city a welcoming place only for the lazy work of rich kid artists
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/dec/31/people-like-me-flocked-to-berlin-because-it-was-poor-but-sexy-those-times-are-over

O! O! O! The poor, poor, poor dear:  Donald Trump loses appeal against E Jean Carroll sexual abuse verdict
Federal appeals court upholds $5m sexual assault and defamation verdict in setback for president-elect
Joseph Gedeon in Washington
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/dec/30/donald-trump-loses-appeal-e-jean-carroll

US Treasury says it was hacked by China in ‘major incident’
Nadine Yousif and Joe Tidy
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c3weye2j0e7o

The forgotten priest who predicted black holes – in 1783
Ben Platts-Mills
https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20240626-the-priest-who-predicted-black-holes-in-1783

At last! At long last! The vital information you all have been waiting for:  Six boozy facts to help avoid a hangover
The BBC Science Features team
https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20241224-five-facts-to-overcome-a-hangover

Even MOAR help for the hungover: https://youtu.be/POxOCj2RlP4?si=x3UB3Y-s5JYFNGBa

9 o’ them lessons and carols is just starting on Minnesota Public Radio: https://www.yourclassical.org/playlist/classical-mpr

Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs accused of forcing ex-assistant to clean up after ‘Wild King Night’ parties
Attorneys for Phillip Pines lay out list of claims related to alleged sex parties in lawsuit filed in Los Angeles
Edward Helmore
https://www.theguardian.com/music/2024/dec/24/sean-diddy-combs-assistant-claim

Champagne-soaked sex and slow-burn longing – was this the swooniest year of TV ever?
Be it the understated romance of Japanese epic Shōgun, Danny Dyer’s tree sex in Rivals or Adam Brody risking his career for love – this was the year TV stole hearts
Hollie Richardson
https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2024/dec/24/champagne-soaked-sex-and-slow-burn-longing-was-this-the-swooniest-year-of-tv-ever

Ripley to The Rings of Power: your top TV of 2024 Who is a god of TV? Who has magical chemistry? And who deserves to be lightning-bolted for bad behaviour? Here are Guardian readers’ best shows of the year Guardian readers and Alfie Packham https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2024/dec/24/ripley-to-the-rings-of-power-your-top-tv-of-2024

What home means to me
Turkey
After a breakup, can you ever be happy living alone? I moved countries to find out
Carolin Würfel
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/dec/24/breakup-living-alone-partner-berlin

Yeah, right: Birmingham LGBTQ+ church members ‘cut off’ after sexual assault complaints
Former members also say complaints were mishandled and are seeking apology from Methodist church
Jessica Murray Midlands correspondent
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2024/dec/24/birmingham-lgbtq-methodist-church-sexual-assault-complaints

BYD construction site in Brazil shut over ‘slavery-like’ conditions More than 160 Chinese nationals were found living in ‘degrading’ conditions and working excessive hours Business live – latest updates Kalyeena Makortoff and agencies https://www.theguardian.com/business/2024/dec/24/byd-car-factory-construction-site-brazil-shut-chinese-nationals

I watched a gawdawful amount of BBC whilst isolating in Belgium, and I was shocked, shocked I tell you to find out that not all the people on game shows were Whyte or walked or straight couples. Same with their ‘fix the garden’ and their shopping shows and antique hunting game shows. The host is often male and gorgeous, but the range of contestants was wide and more varied than standard American TV — not that I watch it like I did there. But they really presented a wide range of people and treated them well.

One of their ‘fix the house’ shows is about organizing a community fix-up project for a family in over their heads because of death or disabilities, where they redo the house so it at least looks like it meets the needs of the people living there where before it clearly did not. Obviously, it fixes a small number of houses for a small number of families, but it focuses and brings the community together to help some of the people in very serious ways — and it’s not to flip the house.

I should add, it’s a knock that wall down and back 10 meters and add a wheelchair wet room, and add on over it for two bedrooms, an office and a bathroom or two kind of fix-up, not just a paint job.

We attended a Last Post this time in Belgium — Menin Gate, Ypres, West Flanders — and visited a few cemeteries. It was too early for any poppies, if in fact they bloom there. Australians were there for the ceremony. Held in a huge triumphal arch. Trumpets, wreaths, marching every night.

In the cemeteries, the English Empire graves were orderly; the German Empire less so. It probably meant the world to my grandfather, but we have seen so much worse since that bitter family squabble.

We got there a bit late to get great standing room, and it was packed without much masking. Many of the older people let the school children get ahead for a better view to carry the memory forward further than any of us can.

My peak whinge, after contracting covid in Brussels, after the night of the hotel fire, going down and up and down six stories of stairs often in the dark with asthma and covid and no longer young, I ordered a 19 euro breakfast over the phone in the new hotel. After room service told me how I was supposed to have done it by marking a form and putting it on the door by 2 am (when I’m not sure I’d reached the room by 2 am), she started suggesting things to order and suggested muesli, which is my standard breakfast — I love Bircher muesli! Anyway, what I got instead of my beloved Bircher muesli was instant oatmeal — it was absolutely dreadful even with European yogurt on it.

I made it home last Saturday, May 21, after testing positive for COVID on Sunday, May 8. I was supposed to fly out on May 9. I only changed my departure three or four times which was great fun in itself. Fortunately, I usually had three BBC cable channels to keep me entertained while on eternal hold with Delta and Delta Vacations.

On May 11, the hotel I was staying/isolating in, Aloft Brussels Schuman, caught fire. I spent the next mumble days sweltering on the 8th floor of a nearby hotel, NH Hotel, that they moved us to after a rather long interval quite late night/early morning.

The night desk guy, who was quite friendly when I checked out at 4:45 am on Saturday, May 21, said that Aloft had called and asked for rooms — all the hotel rooms.

The first test I ran after testing positive on May 8, was on May 19, and I tested negative. I had to spring for an ‘official’ test at the Brussels airport to get out of Belgium, and got a CDC interview here after I got off the plane.

Waay too much fun. Fortunately, the beer I packed all made it home, and Allianz should cover most of the extended stay. I did abandon two bottles of Belgian beer in the last hotel. In retrospect, I probably could have packed it, but my luggage was heavy enough already.