Plenty of Nothing

Flag Consideration

The New Zealand Flag Consideration Project has come out with a long list of 40 candidates to replace the current ensign. I think the obvious choice is the black and white fern flag in the upper right.

Spaceport Cape Breton Was a Bad Idea

In 2006 the province of Nova Scotia reserved 300 acres of land northwest of Sydney Mines, Cape Breton for the development of a spaceport. PlanetSpace, a London, Ontario company founded to exploit NASA's switch to commercial launch and catch an anticipated boom in space tourism, claimed it could build the spaceport for $200 million, and have a spacecraft flying by 2009. The argument in favour of Cape Breton was that it was northerly enough to compete with Baikonur, and far enough from population centres that falling debris wouldn't be a bother.

Well, the government of Nova Scotia never saw a get rich scheme it didn't want to buy into. But above and beyond the fantasy budget figures and timetable, there were two major problems with this concept. One, the ground around Sydney Mines is a honeycomb of old mineshafts. They've been digging coal there since the 18th century. The forces involved in space launches would have led to subsidence and maybe even fire. The other is that Cape Breton is right underneath the eastward trail of jet airliners traveling from the US to Europe. The population you're trying to stay clear of would be right there above your head.

PlanetSpace failed to secure a NASA contract. It held its last annual meeting in 2010, and was unincorporated by the Canadian government in 2013. To date no tourist has gone into space except aboard Soyuz, which was available before. But the dream lives on.

Coal seams northwest of Sydney Mines. Source.

Telescope

Fifty-Three Stations of Tokaido: Surprise at Akasaka, by Utagawa Kunisada (1852).

    'Come and look,' cried a man with a telescope. 'You can see all the streets of Ōsaka, down to the very ants crawling in the roads. You can see all the people walking on Dōton Bridge and can count the number of priests among them. You can see both young and old and how many pockmarks they've got. You can see all the pretty girls and all the ugly ones too. You can see them buying and eating baked potatoes. You can see them relieving themselves by the rivers. You can see the beggars catching lice and count how many they've got. You can see 'em as wonderful as if you'd got 'em in your hand. You can see all the scenery. You can see Sumiyoshi harbour and the island of Awaji and Hyōgo Point, and Suma, and Akashi. You can see the sailors in the ships and count the bowls of rice they're eating. You can see what they're eating, too. More wonderful still, if you put it to your ear you can hear the actors in the theatres and tell what they're chanting. It's all the same whether you looks or listens. Smell it with your nose and you'll smell the eels they're frying in the next street. Only four coppers for a look through this wonderful glass. Here you are. Ten thousand miles at a glance. Here you are.'

Ikku Jippensha, Hizakurige or Shank's Mare (trans. Th. Satchell), p. 323.

The Return

The Return (1927), by David Shanks Ewart, housed in the National Galleries of Scotland. This is the companion piece to The Emigrants.

Morton return to the Scottish Championship. The Ton are back after only one year away, like Queen of the South two years ago, but unlike Dunfermline Athletic who are now entering their third season in League One.

How does the Championship differ from two years ago? Dundee, Hamilton Academical, and Cowdenbeath are out. Rangers, Hibs, and St Mirren are in. It's been years since Morton has played regularly against any of those three clubs.

Morton are now low man on the Championship seniority list, along with St Mirren. Rangers and Hibs have one year under their belts, Alloa and Queen of the South two, Dumbarton three, Livingston four, Falkirk five, and Raith Rovers six. St Mirren, Hibs and Falkirk came into the league from above, Morton, Rangers, Alloa, Queen of the South, Dumbarton, Livingston and Raith Rovers from below.

Today Falkirk visit Cappielow. In 2013-14 Morton earned only two points from the Bairns, so a win today would be a Good Start. But Falkirk are in pretty fine form, and I predict they'll make the promotion playoffs.

In pre-season friendlies Falkirk defeated Athlone Town and Drogheda United of the League of Ireland, lost to Hamilton Accies, and played Partick to a scoreless draw. They beat East Fife 3 - 1 in the Challenge Cup and East Stirlingshire 5 - 0 in the League Cup.

Morton also won 5 - 0 last weekend. The last time Morton had a result of that magnitude was December 17th, 2012 when they knocked Turriff United out of the Scottish Cup 6 - 0.

When Morton and Falkirk were previously in the same division not so long ago (2010-11 to 2013-14), Falkirk won 7 games, Morton won 4, with 5 draws.

Though Morton and Falkirk are well known to each other in league play, they haven't met in a cup competition since the 1980-81 Anglo-Scottish Cup, when Falkirk took a win and a draw in two meetings.

Morton have already re-established last season's pattern of scoring mainly in the second half. In two cup games they are 0 and 7 in the first and second halves.

How many times have Morton played the other clubs of the 2015-16 Championship?

St Mirren: 192 (not counting all those Renfrewshire Cups.)

Falkirk: 185.

Rangers: 169. (Yeah, yeah.)

Dumbarton: 159.

Hibernian: 156.

Raith Rovers: 141.

Alloa: 101.

Queen of the South: 92.

Livingston: 62.

Grand total: 1257.

What should Morton aim for this year? How about: Beat everyone at least once. Beat someone four times, preferably Alloa who did it to us last time. Fill the park at least once. (Last season a visit from Rangers put more than 6000 spectators in Falkirk Stadium, Stark's Park, and Palmerston.) Get on TV.

How do the best and the brightest at Pie and Bovril predict Morton will finish? 16 said 7th, 13 said 8th, 6 said 9th.

Frank McKeown wrecked his knee this week. Tidser, O'Ware and McKee are also out. But Morton have Canadian defender Luca Gasparotto on loan from Rangers.

Morton played a friendly against a Rangers XI on Monday and lost 1 - 0.

Today's starting XI are: [Gaston; Pepper, Kilday, Lamie, Russell; Barr, Miller, Forbes, S. McCluskey; MacDonald, Johnstone. Derek Gaston has been Morton goalkeeper in four straight season-openers.]

Compare the first match of 2014-15: Gaston; Kilday, Crighton, Milojevic, Lamie; McKee, Pepper, Miller, Allan; J. McCluskey; McManus.

It's hard to believe, but Jim Duffy, who has been Morton's gaffer since only May 2014, is the longest-serving current manager in the Championship.

Rangers started the Championship season yesterday evening with a 3 - 1 victory over St Mirren. I predict that Rangers will end the season in first place, and I prognosticate that Livingston will finish tenth.

[Morton 1 - 1 Falkirk. Second-half goal by MacDonald.]

After two games Brora Rangers are on top of the Highland League table with 14 goals for, 0 against.

[Buckie Thistle 1 - 8 Brora Rangers.]

UEFA:

Qarabağ 0 - 0 Celtic. Celtic advance.

Aberdeen 1 - 1 Kairat Almaty. Aberdeen are out.

Yesterday UCD hosted Waterford and won 5 - 1.

Today is the Turkish Super Cup between Galatasaray and Bursaspor. [Galatasaray win 1 - 0.]

Yugao by Hiroshige

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Pita Poetry

Wrangy

Epona of Bliesbruck

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Hey, They Fixed It

Twisty