Plenty of Nothing

Black Deeds

Will St Mirren's black away team dressing room demoralize the Ton before they take the field?

It's a Friday night game under the lights at St. Mirren Park. My God, St Mirren are having a horrible season. After dropping out of the Premiership they sit in eighth place, twelve points behind Morton, who you'll recall played in League One last year. They have two wins (QoS and Livi), four draws, and seven losses. They have yet to win at home. They are contenders for the relegation playoffs in May, along with Livi and Dumbarton. The Buddies have never played in the third tier.

Morton are on a four-game winning streak.

[1 - 1. Morton goal by Samuel.]

This weekend it's Round Three of the Scottish Junior Cup. Port Glasgow Juniors, Largs Thistle and Greenock Juniors are out so let's watch:

Clydebank [0 - 1] Kelty Hearts

Whitletts Victoria [1 - 5] Dalkeith Thistle

Hurlford United [4 - 1] Falkirk Juniors

Scone Thistle [pp] Saltcoats Victoria

Kinnoull [pp] Auchinleck Talbot

Linlithgow Rose [5 - 0] Cumbernauld United

It's also Round Three of the Empress' Cup.

Match No. 33: Nippon TV Beleza [5 - 0] Waseda University

Match No. 34: Speranza FC Osaka Takatsuki [1 - 2] Iga FC Kunoichi

Match No. 35: Albirex Niigata [2 - 1] Stella Kanagawa

Match No. 36: Nittaidai FC Ladies [0 - 2] JEF United

Match No. 37: Vegalta Sendai Ladies [4 - 1] Daito Bunka University

Match No. 38: Urawa Red Diamond Ladies [2 - 0] AC Nagano Parciero Ladies

Match No. 39: Yunogo Belle [2 - 6] AS Elfen Saitama

Match No. 40: Angeviolet Hiroshima [0 - 5] INAC Kobe Leonessa

Tomorrow: Giresonspor [3 - 1] Karşıyaka. Greenock Juniors [0 - 2] Largs Thistle.

It's the final weekend of the league schedule in Japan.

Consadole Sapporo has changed its name to Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo.

Kagoshima United has been admitted to J3. Reinmeer Aomori is promoted to the JFL.

Bécassine Mobilisée

 

Akino Kondoh

I'm a sucker for well-composed panels. This one by Akino Kondoh has the formality of a Japanese room in one-point perspective, over which the speach balloons have been arranged like flowers on a branch. And the wind.

Louisbourg Sentry

Seems that King Louis is not behind the times in employing female staff. Tour Louisbourg with John, Marie, Rob and Lisa. Compare.

Republic Day

Efígie da República by Manoel Lopes Rodriques. The Brazilian Republic came into being on this date in 1889.

Three of Cups

Three of Cups, from the Steampunk Tarot. Source.

Morton host Queen of the South. This is their fourth meeting of 2015-16, and 2016 hasn't even started. In head to head competition each club has a win, a loss, and a draw, and they're even on goals. Morton's win came in the League Cup.

Morton are on a three game winning streak in league play, their first since the tail end of last season. Right now there is a nine-point gap between Morton and seventh-place Livingston. This season's schedule seems to pit Morton against all the weak clubs, and then all the strong clubs, so they need to pile up the points now. There might not be any in December. Morton's five losses have come at the hands of the five clubs that are above them in the table.

In the fan forums the supporters of both sides agree that a draw would be acceptable.

There's a 31-point gap between top and bottom in the Championship. Rangers are top and Alloa bottom. Rangers finally gave up some points last weekend, against hungry Hibs. And the latest appeal in the big tax case has gone against them, so they could conceivably implode before the end of the season.

East Stirlingshire hold their accustomed position of tenth place in League Two, but with only ten points separating top and bottom in that league anyone could end up in the g̶r̶a̶i̶n̶ ̶s̶i̶l̶o̶  pyramid playoff. The leaders of the Highland and Lowland Leagues are Cove Rangers and Edinburgh City.

It's between Ayr and Dunfermline in League One.

One of the semi-finals of the Challenge Cup goes today: Queen's Park [1 - 2] Peterhead. The other one is in two weeks.

Waghorn Watch: Waghorn 14 goals for; Greenock Morton 13 goals for.

Largs Thistle [2 - 1] Yoker Athletic.

Emperor's Cup, Round Four. Let's watch:

Match No. 75: Vegalta Sendai (J1) [2 - 1] Matsumoto Yamaga (J1)

Match No. 78: Sagan Tosu (J1) [4 - 3] Montedio Yamagata (J1)

Match No. 79: FC Tokyo (J1) 2 - 0 Mito HollyHock (J2)

Empress' Cup, Round Two. How about:

Match No. 21: Albirex Niigata Ladies [5 - 0] Urawa Red Diamonds Ladies

Match No. 25: Vegalta Sendai Ladies [3 - 0] Japan Soccer College Ladies

Match No. 29: Yunogo Belle [3 - 1] Yamato Sylphid

[Morton win 2 - 0. Two goals by Johnstone. Morton are in fourth place.]

NASL Championship final tomorrow: New York Cosmos [3 - 2] Ottawa Fury. Winner gets the Soccer Bowl. Ottawa have won the NASL Fair Play Award, and their goalie Romuald Peiser got the Golden Glove.

Astrid Lindgren on Set

Astrid Lindgren on the set of Pippi Longstocking, 1969.

Street Collection

Masakazu Ishiguro parodies Kantai Collection in this portrait of Hotori Arashiyama, the main character in his And Yet the Town Moves.

The Return of Fox and Badger, page 5

Fooling the Pechenegs

    6505 (997). When Vladimir went to Novgorod after upland troops with which to fight the Pechenegs (for there was desperate and constant conflict with them), the latter, on perceiving that for the moment there was no prince at hand, came and beset Belgorod. They allowed no sally from the city, and great famine prevailed. Vladimir could not bring succor, for he had no troops with him, and the number of the Pechenegs was great. The seige was thus prolonged, and the famine grew increasingly severe. The inhabitants thus held a council in the city, and said among themselves, "We are about to die from hunger, and no aid is to be expected from the Prince. Is it not better to die? Let us surrender to the Pechenegs, and let them spare some, though they kill others. We are perishing of famine as it is." Thus they came to a decision. But one old man was not present at the council, and inquired what it was about. The people told him that on the morrow they would surrender to the Pechenegs. Upon hearing this decision, he summoned the city-elders, and remarked that he understood they intended to surrender to the nomads. They replied that the people would not endure famine. Then the ancient said, "Listen to me: do not surrender for three days, and do as I tell you." They gladly promised to obey, and he directed them to collect a measure of oats, wheat, or bran apiece. They gladly went in search of these supplies. Then he bade the women prepare the liquid with which they brew porridge, and ordered them to dig a pit. In this pit he bade them place a tub, and to pour the liquid into the tub. Then he ordered them to dig a second pit, and place a tub in the latter likewise. He next commanded them to bring honey, so they fetched a basket of honey that was stored in the prince's storehouse. He then bade them dilute it greatly, and to pour it into the tub in the other pit.

    Upon the morrow, he directed them to send messengers to the Pechenegs. The citizens went forth to the Pechenegs, and offered them hostages, so that ten of the nomads should come into the city to see what was happening in their town. The Pechenegs rejoiced, thinking that they wished to surrender. They therefore accepted the hostages, and selected the chief men of their own party, whom they sent into the city to look over the town and learn what was occuring. The Pecheneg representatives entered the town, and the inhabitants said to them, "Why do you waste your strength? You cannot overcome us if you besiege us for ten years. We secure our sustenance from the earth. If you do not believe it, behold it with your own eyes." They thus conducted the Pecheneg envoys to the pit where the brew was, then drew some up in a pail and poured it into pots. After they had brewed porridge, they conducted the Pechenegs to the other pit. They hauled up the buckets and after eating from them themselves, offered them to the Pechenegs. The latter were astonished, and exclaimed, "Our princes will not believe this marvel, unless they eat of the food themselves." So they poured out a bowl of brew and buckets of mead from the pits, and gave them to the Pechenegs, who returned to their camp and recounted all that had happened. After brewing the porridge, the Pecheneg princes ate it, and were amazed, and upon recovering their own hostages and returning those given by the city, they raised the siege and returned home.

Cross and Sherbowitz-Wetzor (translators), The Russian Primary Chronicle: Laurentian Text, pages 122-123.