“SMART DIPLOMACY:” Syria, the New Afghanistan.

CHANGE: In North Dakota, derailment strengthens pipeline push.

LEAKAGE: Proof at last: Eurocrats secretly admit that countries are better off out.

AT AMAZON, New Year’s Deals in Home & Kitchen.

Plus, coupons galore in Health & Personal Care.

HAPPY TENTH ANNIVERSARY to the Jawa Report.

HOW’S THAT WORKIN’ OUT FOR YA, BARRY? White House trying “very hard” to get Fox not to report on Benghazi.

SPACE: Nasa says Mars mystery rock that ‘appeared’ from nowhere is ‘like nothing we’ve ever seen before.’ Well, we know what this is about.

LUGGAGEBLOGGING: Andrew Morriss writes that his wife likes the Hartmann carryon bag I recommended in response to his bleg a while back: “She likes the bag – it fits under the seat well, it seems rugged, and holds the laptop and a fair bit of other stuff without bulging. A winner!” The Insta-Wife has that bag and loves it.

Likewise, I continue to like the Everki laptop briefcase and the Briggs & Riley garment bag, both of which kept me organized and wrinkle-free on my recent NYC book trip. The multiple zipper pockets in the laptop bag are especially handy for keeping all the various cords, plugs, etc. sorted and easy to deal with. On a day-to-day basis I sometimes wish I’d gotten the next smaller model, since I usually just carry a MacBook Air, but when I travel the extra space comes in handy; I pack a spare shirt and a few other minor necessities in case my checked bag gets lost.

Helping the Insta-Daughter pack her new suitcases, we both commented that nice luggage actually does make a difference.

ANDREW CUOMO: Leave New York? I never said that. . . .

A HEARTFELT PLEA: For the Love of God, Stop Wearing Your Bike Helmet the Wrong Way.

K-12 IMPLOSION UPDATE: 6 more former Atlanta Public Schools employees admit to test-cheating.

PEOPLE HAVE ASKED ME ABOUT THE OMNIBUS BILL’S defunding of enforcement for the light bulb ban, but I’m not convinced it will make much of a difference. It’s not the first time they’ve done that. And the manufacturers, who were the real impetus behind the ban, just don’t want to sell the bulbs. And so long as the law is on the books, but just not enforced, I can’t imagine anyone sinking much capital into starting their own company.

SHOULD AMBASSADORS tweet criticisms of their host country? “U.S. Ambassador Caroline Kennedy has tweeted her concern at the ‘inhumaneness’ of a Wakayama Prefecture village’s traditional dolphin hunt.”

21ST CENTURY RELATIONSHIPS: Swiss Company Compresses Cremation Ashes Into Diamonds. “The basic process reduces the ash to carbon, then slides it into a machine that applies intense heat and pressure — for weeks. That’s at least several hundred million years faster than diamonds are made in nature.”

CONSTITUTIONAL THEORY: Conservatives Adopt Progressive Priorities.

THAT DIDN’T TAKE LONG: Some Terry McAuliffe sleaze shows up already. “The incident is also bad because it’s a bridge between the McDonnell scandal and the McAuliffe administration. . . . This is exactly the kind of story that the McAuliffe people don’t want.” If the voters of Virginia thought that electing Terry McAuliffe was going to bring them less sleaze, then they deserve what’s coming.

HIGHER EDUCATION BUBBLE UPDATE: Fla. Unveils Rating System for Its Universities Based on Cost, Number of Pell Grants, Graduates’ Earnings. “Under a new rating system for Florida’s state universities, schools must meet the state’s definition of an excellent school to earn state funding. The benchmarks set by the Florida State University System’s Board of Governors will influence who gets into the school (Pell Grant students are favored) and what subjects students study (STEM degrees encouraged).”

AT AMAZON, deals galore in the Baby Nursery Event.

Plus, save on classroom and school supplies.

Also, deals on bestselling glassware and drinkware.

A COMET-CHASER IS READY TO AWAKEN. “On Monday Jan 20, the European Space Agency’s Rosetta spacecraft will awaken from deep space hibernation and begin the final leg of its journey to land a probe on a comet.”

HMM: “In a jaw-dropping revelation on NBC’s Meet the Press, House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Rogers (R-Michigan) has stated that he believes the fugitive Edward Snowden had assistance from Russian spies when he stole vast amounts of sensitive U.S. security data and fled to Russia.”

A LOOK AT THE HISTORY OF VELVEETA. “In 1918, Frey figured out how to use similar technology to help recoup some of the factory’s waste. He learned that by adding a by-product of cheesemaking called whey, which is the liquid released from curds during the cheesemaking process, to the leftover Swiss bits, he could create a very cohesive end-product. Frey named the product Velveeta, and in 1923, the Velveeta Cheese Company became its own corporation. It was successful for a while as its own company (which was based out of Monroe, NY), but in 1927, it was sold to Kraft Foods.”

Blessed are the cheesemakers.

CANADIAN INDIAN CHIEFS getting money from Tides Foundation for opposing oil sands development?

A left-wing lobby group in San Francisco wired $55,000 to the bank account of an Indian chief in Northern Alberta, paying him to oppose the oilsands.

And sure enough, that chief – Allan Adam, from the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation – earned his money. Last weekend, he flew to Toronto to sit on a stage next to Neil Young, the folk singer who was in town to demonize Canada’s oil industry.

I wonder if they’re getting Saudi money, too?

CHANGE: Aerie’s Unretouched Ads ‘Challenge Supermodel Standards’ For Young Women. Actually, wouldn’t this have the opposite effect? Girls with blemishes that previously could have been photoshopped out will now be passed over in favor of models who are more perfect . . . .

SPACE: Japan to Test Space Junk Cleanup Tether Soon: Report.