Plenty of Nothing

Log Stove

The Queen

In case you hadn't heard, today Elizabeth II becomes the longest-reigning British monarch of all time, surpassing the previous record holder, Victoria. She is 89, and has reigned for 63 years and a bit. Her eventual successor, Charles, will become the oldest person to ascend the throne, and is already a pensioner.

2015 Emperor's Cup, Round Two

Tokyo University Light Blue (a.k.a. Todai LB) won the 1949 Emperor's Cup. It's unlikely any of these old boys were on that squad. Source.

Round Two. Let's watch:

Game No. 42: Mito HollyHock (J2) 2 - 1 Giravanz Kitakyushu (J2)

Game No. 46: Consadole Sapporo (J2) 1 - 0 Yokohama FC (J2)

Game No. 47: Albirex Niigata (J1) [4 - 0] Blaublitz Akita (J3)

Game No. 50: Montedio Yamagata (J1) 3 - 1 Kamatamare Sanuki (J2)

Game No. 55: Vegalta Sendai (J1) 3 - 2 Sendai University

Market Street

Winter Camping Wardrobe

Look who's back with her winter wardrobe. Compare 1998. And.

Clash of the Tartans

Livingston FC and Greenock Morton FC. The Scottish Register of Tartans.

Morton bus to Almondvale Stadium to face Livingston FC. Livi were my pick to finish tenth this season, but Alloa are pretty awful and already seem poised to seize the wooden spoon. Although at the moment Livi are ninth with but one single point and a minus 5 goal difference they are still alive in both the League Cup and the Challenge Cup. And they are the defending Challenge Cup holders.

The last time Morton and Livi worked in the same division, 2011-12 to 2013-14, Morton won five, Livi two, with five draws.

Morton have signed striker Alex Samuel, on loan from Swansea City. The transfer window is now closed.

[Morton win 2 - 4. Goals by McCluskey (in the first half!), johnstone, Barr, and Scullion. Morton are in fourth place.]

Today is the Second Preliminary Round of the Scottish Cup. The matches:

Civil Service Strollers [0 - 4] Kelty Hearts

Hermes [0 - 4] Auchinleck Talbot

Wigtown & Bladnoch [2 - 3] Hawick Royal Albert

Lothian Thistle HV [2 - 2] Girvan

Cove Rangers [7 - 2] St Cuthbert Wanderers. St Cuthbert Wanderers wear blue and white hoops.

You could make a division out of Scottish clubs named Wanderers or Rovers: St. Cuthbert Wanderers, Nithsdale Wanderers, Raith Rovers, Albion Rovers, Gala Fairydean Rovers, Threave Rovers, Peebles Rovers, Heston Rovers.

The Premiership is idle today because it's an international weekend. Last night it was Georgia 1 - 0 Scotland. Also, Canada 3 - 0 Belize. Luca Gasparotto was an unused substitute.

The quarter-finals of the J League Cup are going on. The J League Cup has such a strange format I feel I have to describe it, but you can read up on it here.

Only the 18 J1 clubs participate. It starts with a group stage involving 14 clubs divided into two groups. Each team plays a round robin of six games, and the top two from each group advance. Meanwhile the four clubs that qualified for the AFC Champions League are given a bye and go straight into the quarter-finals against the four successful group stage teams. The quarter-finals and semi-finals are played in two legs, and the final is a single game. So in order to win the cup a team from the group of 14 must play eleven games, but a team from the AFC Champions League foursome must play only five. Granted, the AFC group have been playing a group stage round robin in that competition, so at the end of the day everyone has played about the same number of matches. But it underscores the impression that league cups are in some fundamental way busy-work.

[Albirex Niigata, Kashima Antlers, Vissel Kobe, and Gamba Osaka advance. Two from the 14 and two from the AFC four.]

Athlone host UCD. With six games to play in the schedule the Students have a decent shot at first place and automatic promotion. Otherwise second or third place will mean the playoffs. UCD have fewer losses than anyone else, but fewer wins than either Wexford or Finn Harps. [2 - 2.]

Soda Bread

Gladiatrix Versus Gladiatrix

Total War: Rome II enables you to simulate the blood-drenched battles of classical antiquity, or to orchestrate mass slaughters of your own invention. With a recent add-on you can now recruit female combatants into your army, like these mercenary gladiatrices, seen here fighting other mercenary gladiatrices and somehow knowing who is on which side. There were female gladiators in Roman times -- as attested by this inscription naming two of them, Achillea and Amazon -- however, there's no record of them ever fighting in a war. But if they had, based on this model, the spearwomen would have needed to come up a defence for that serious vulnerability on the back lefthand side.

Gladiatrices are in training today in England, France and Italy. Screen captures.

Fathers of Invention, 1864

The Fathers of Confederation pose before Government House, the Lieutenant-Governor's residence in Charlottetown, September 1864, and not Province House, the provincial legislature, which is a stone building.

Asakusa Before and After

Views of the Twelve Storey Tower, in the Asakusa district outside Tokyo, before and after the Great Kanto Earthquake of September 1, 1923. This post is really just an opportunity to direct you to this excellent website about the quake.