Plenty of Nothing

Unarigoe (うなりごえ), Chapter 1

Sometimes It's Better Just To Stay In

Radar is an awesome invention. Play with it at Environment Canada's website.

You're My Best Friend

Newfoundland's The Once do Queen's "You're My Best Friend".

About the Swiss National League B

The Swiss National League B (NLB) is the second level of hockey in Switzerland. There are currently eleven clubs each playing 50 games from September to Februaury.

The top eight teams qualify for the playoffs, which take the familiar form of best-of-seven quarterfinals, semifinals and finals, the only twist being that in the quarterfinals the top seeded clubs get to choose their opponent. The playoff winner is champion and plays the worst team of the NLA playouts in a best-of-seven series for membership in next season's NLA.

The clubs are:

HC Ajoie. Les ajoulots have been based in Porrentruy in the canton of Jura in the northwestern corner of Switzerland since 1973. Their rink is the Patinoire de Voyeboeuf (which holds 4,070 supporters). They wear yellow, black and red.

EHC Basel. Founded in 1932, they have been Sharks only a short while, since 2009. St Jacob-Arena can contain 6,612 Basel supporters. The club was relegated from the NLA in 2008. Black, red and white.

GCK Lions.  They were founded in 1934, and were 1966 Swiss champions under the name Grasshopper Club Zürich. In 2000 they merged with SC Küsnach, and now are the farm club for ZSC Lions of the NLA. Red, white and blue. They play at Eishalle Küsnacht (capacity 2,200) in Küsnacht on Lake Zürich.

HC La Chaux-de-Fonds. The Bees. Founded in 1919, their glory days were the years 1968 to 1973 when they won the Swiss championship six times in a row. Their rink is the Patinoire des Mélèzes, with seating for 5,900. Blue, white and yellow.

SC Langenthal. Current NLB champions. They played Ambri-Piotta for a spot in this year's NLA, but lost. Founded in 1946. Eishalle Schoren (capacity 4,800) is where they hang. Colours: blue and yellow. [Peter Regin of the Ottawa Senators signed with Langenthal, but moved on to Lukko in Finland.]

Lausanne HC. Founded in 1922, they have spent 26 years in the NLA. They play at the Centre Intercommunal de Glace de Malley, which can house 10,300 hockey fans. Colours: red and white. Lion's head logo. Lausanne is on the north shore of Lake Geneva.

HC Red Ice Martigny-Verbier-Entremont. This club is the result of a merger in 2008 between HC Martigny (founded in 1939) and HC Verbier Val-des-Bagnes, at the western end the French-speaking canton of Valais. They play at the Forum d'Octodur, which seats 3,520. Octodurum was Martigny's name during the Roman Empire, it's that old. The NLB was expanded to eleven clubs this year to include Red Ice. Colours: red and white. When in Valais be sure to catch the cow fights. [Patric Hörnqvist of the Nashville Predators and Chris Kelly of the Boston Bruins have signed with Martigny.]

EHC Olten. Founded in 1934. Yellow and green. Mouse logo. Kleinholz Stadium can accommodate 6,500. Olten is smack in the middle of northern Switzerland.

HC Sierre. Sierre is midway between Martigny and Visp in the Valais. Founded in 1933, HC Sierre last played in the NLA in 2001-02. Red and yellow. The Patinoire de Graben holds 4,523. Graben is German for the trenches, so expect a lot of action along the boards.

HC Thurgau. More lions. Green, white and gold. They play at Die Eishalle Güttingersreuti (3,100) in Weinfelden, Thurgau Canton, in northeastern Switzerland by Lake Constance, which makes them neighbours of Ravensburg Towerstars of the 2. Eishockey-Bundesliga.

EHC Visp. Still more lions. 1962 Swiss champions. Red and white. Litternahalle holds 4,300. Visp is in the eastern, German-speaking part of the canton of Valais. Founded in 1939.

A Roll of Linoleum

All that remains of the Nairn Flooring Company is a wall.

Morton travel to Fife to play Raith Rovers. Currently Morton sit in third place, Raith fourth. Morton need the win to keep in touch with league leaders Partick and Dunfermline. Raith need the win to keep in touch with Morton. Positive: Morton have yet to lose an away game in league play. Negative: it's got to happen sooner or later.

Celtic have made it to the final 16 of the UEFA Champions League for the third time in the past decade.

Three of five First Division matches have been postponed today owing to the pitches being "as hard as a sheet of linoleum." (Official language there.)

SPL chief Neil Doncaster has been spotted at the Raith/Morton game. And Gordon Brown.

[3 - 3. Morton goals by Rutkiewicz, O'Brien and Hardie.]

The soccer season has wrapped up in South Korea. Our guys, Pohang Steelers, finished third in the league, and won their third Korean FA Cup. They qualify for the 2013 AFC Champions League group stage. They were the fourth-highest drawing team in the league, averaging 9,696 spectators per game.

Tomorrow is the derby of the eternal enemies, between Panathinaikos and Olympiacos, in Athens. [2 - 2.] Also, the Dundee derby in Dundee. Dundee FC have not won beaten Dundee United since 2004. [Tangerines win.]

Dave Brubeck

Dave Brubeck Quartet, Take Five.

Pride (プライド)

Pride is an 11-part Japanese television drama about a hockey team. See the first part of episode one here. (Via Tofugu.)

Purity Original Cream Crackers

A Newfoundland and Labrador favourite since 1930.

Chris Smither, "Killing the Blues"

Listen up.

Unarigoe, Chapter 4, Page 20