Out and about

I'm going to be away for most of the next week or so, and as most of it will be spent in a tent far away from the internet, you'll have to go somewhere else for your fun for a while. Never mind, Matt's back from holiday now, so you can find a fair dose of snarkines there, I'm sure.

Football trivia

One (probably unwelcome) first was achieved by the Portuguese side last night - they were the first home side to lose the final of a European Championship they hosted.

It's happened a couple of times in the World Cup - Sweden in 1958, Brazil in 1950 - but up till now any European Championship hosts reaching the final had won it, though it has to be said that ever since the tournament expanded from to 8 teams in 1980 (and 16 from 1996), Platini's 1984 French side were the only other hosts to make it to the final.

It's happened a few more times in the Copa America, but that's probably because it's been held more often than any other tournament. Tunisia (in 1965) and Nigeria (2000) have suffered the same fate in the African Nations Cup. In 1996, the UAE joined the club by losing in the final of the Asian Nations Cup they hosted and probably the most reluctant members are Australia who lost the 1998 Oceanian Nations Cup Final in Brisbane to old rivals New Zealand. Portugal can at least be glad it wasn't a defeat by Spain.

Meanwhile, on Planet Watson

You know, if he wasn't an MP and therefore in some position of supposed power, Tom Watson's view of the world would be quite amusing.

I'm not sure which is more amusing - the reference to Lib Dems wearing sandals - a joke so hackneyed even Lib Dem Watch must think it's dated, a Blairite New Labour MP complaining about 'London spin machines' or just his wondering if the aforementioned spin machine will let Nicola Davies speak when it's taken him a week to mention the Labour candidate's name?

Still, it must just me a minor technical glitch that means I can find no quotes from The Labour Candidate Who Cannot Be Named, or even a mention of his name, on Labour's own website.

Behold the power of the blog, part 29

Things to remember if you're going to go to the newspapers with a kiss-and-tell story: while cutting a few years off your age to make yourself a twentysomething might increase the cash you get from The Sun, if you are planning to do it, it's a good idea to check that no one you knew at school has a blog and can point out that you're a big fat liar.

Because it will no doubt amuse that small part of my audience that happens to be either Lebanese or a traffic reporter...

Man lands plane on Beirut highway.

They're back...

A full list of the candidates for Hodge Hill and Leicester South can be found here. Certain bloggers may be interested to note that the (definitely not quasi-fascist, oh no) English Democrats have a candidate in Hodge Hill while the NF have now returned under the new name of 'National Front Protect Our Children's Future'. Somehow, I doubt that includes every child in Hodge Hill.

Meanwhile, we also have 'Operation Christian Vote Promoting Christ's Lordship' - either because since reform of the Upper House, he's lost his seat or one of their policies is to make him Lord Christ of Jerusalem.

Leicester South features Yvonne Ridley for the Courage, Strength and Indefatigability Respect Coalition. Unfortunately, the presence of David Paul Roberts of the Socialist Labour Movement means she won't be listed on the ballot paper directly above RU Seerius from the Official Monster Raving Loony Party. That would have been a nice juxtaposition.