Just this weekend, the Soviet Union offered Romania additional energy resources (390, 000 tons of oil for January and 22 million cubic meters of natural gas daily) to help cushion the latter against the winter's expected hardships, hardships likely to be exacerbated by severe shortages and dislocations following the recent revolution.

CENTERFORSECURITYPOLICY: Center For Security Policy

Mr Ishikawa's spheres, by contrast, can be wafted along tubes on a cushion of gas.

ECONOMIST: Semiconductors