Plenty of Nothing

Yoshida Kōgyō Kabushikigaisha

Canada sometimes claims to be the birthplace of the zipper, but YKK of Tokyo really ran with it.

Femme de la région de Taza - Zaïan, 1939

Photo by Jean Besancenot. Source. Visit La Maison de la Photographie website for more Moroccan photography.

The Master of the Blue Jeans

Blue denim has been worn in Italy since the 16th Century. The word "jeans" possibly derives from the placename Genoa. An anonymous 17th-Century painter who specialized in portraits of peasants dressed in denim is now known as the Master of the Blue Jeans.

Barbara Kawakami

Barbara Kawakami is an expert on the clothing worn by Japanese agricultural workers in Hawaii. Source. She is the author of Picture Bride, a history of Japanese women sent to Hawaii to marry. Read an article by Kawakami, and watch a video.

Danbo Graduates

Students at Kanazawa College of Art dress as they please for graduation. This member of the class of 2014 went as Danbo. Source.

The Carnival of Aalst

Source. The Carnival of Aalst is a masterpiece of the oral and intangible heritage of humanity, according to UNESCO.

Inverness

Edmond Dehodencq Wearing an Inverness Cape, by Alfred Dehodencq.

It's Inverness CT versus Morton.

ICT are fourth with 33 points, Morton sixth with 30. ICT are the better goalscorers with 33 to Morton's 25, and also a bit better defensively with 29 goals allowed to Morton's 32. Head to head this season ICT are in front with a win and a draw in two meetings. Morton's last win in Inverness came a year ago tomorrow.

2018-19 is two-thirds over. Morton have 7 wins, 9 draws and 8 losses, putting them on track to finish with 45 points, which would be equal to 1996-97, worse than 14 other seasons since 1994 and better than 9.

The Championship has separated into two packs. The leaders are Ross County, Ayr United and Dundee United, any of whom could win the division. Then comes a 9-point gap. The teams from fourth place to tenth are grouped together in a ten-point range from 33 points down to 23. All of them have to worry about relegation, even Inverness. And all of them have a shot at fourth place, even Alloa. Going into today's play ICT, QoS, Morton, Dunfermline and Partick each have 7 wins.

Would 45 points be enough to evade the relegation zone?

Since the 3-point win came in, no team with 45 points has been relegated, except in cases of insolvency. But Stranraer were demoted from the Second Division with 44 points at the end of the 2002-03 season.

Would 30 points be enough?

No. Alloa are on track for 33 points, Falkirk 36, Partick 37.

However, Morton have already done better than their worst season of the 3-point-win era, 2013-14, when they finished with 26 points.

Other Championship matches:

Ayr United (2nd) [0 - 1] Dunfermline (7th)

Falkirk (9th) [1 - 1] Dundee United (3rd)

Partick Thistle (8th) [2 - 4] Ross County (1st)

QoS (5th) [1 - 2] Alloa (10th)

[Inverness 1 - 0 Morton.]

Scottish Cup 5th round replay (Tuesday):

Inverness CT 2 - 2 Ross County (ICT win on PK.) Inverness are into the quarter-finals.

How have Morton fared in Match 25 this decade?

2018/2/24      Inverness CT 2 - 0 Morton

2017/2/25      Dundee United 1 - 1 Morton

2016/2/24      Hibs 0 - 3 Morton

2015/2/21      Morton 2 - 0 Stranraer

2014/2/22      Morton 0 - 1 Alloa

2013/2/23      Dunfermline 1 - 4 Morton

2012/3/3        Raith Rovers 5 - 0 Morton

2011/3/5        Dunfermline 1 - 3 Morton

2010/3/17      Morton 2 - 1 Airdrie United

5 wins, 1 draw, 3 losses.

1928-29: Morton hosted Dundee United and won 2 - 0.

1951-52: Morton travelled to Broomfield Park where they were beaten 4 - 0 by Airdrieonians in the third round of the Scottish Cup.

How many games have Inverness CT played against the other 2018-19 Championship clubs?

  60        Ross County

  53        Dundee United

  49        Falkirk

  38        Dunfermline

  36        Partick Thistle

  32        Alloa

  32        Ayr United

  30        Queen of the South

  21        Morton

Top and bottom Championship teams week by week (2 of 3):

Week 13            Ayr United            Falkirk

Week 14            Ayr United            Falkirk

Week 15            Ayr United            Partick Thistle

Week 16            Ayr United            Falkirk

Week 17            Ayr United            Falkirk

Week 18            Ross County        Falkirk

Week 19            Ross County        Falkirk

Week 20            Ross County        Partick Thistle

Week 21            Ross County        Partick Thistle

Week 22            Ross County        Falkirk

Week 23            Ross County        Falkirk

Week 24            Ross County        Alloa Athletic

Most draws in a 36-game season, Morton:

14            2001-02

13            2016-17

12            3 times

11            4 times

10            5 times

  9            once + 2018-19 after 24 games

Most draws in a 36-game season, Inverness CT:

15            2012-13

13            three times

12            twice + 2018-19 after 24 games

11            twice

Cowlairs versus Motherwell. These two played together in Division Two in 1893-94 and 1894-95. They each won twice. Motherwell outscored Cowlairs 11 - 9.

SWFL2 W/SW: Morton Women [19 - 0] Annan Athletic Ladies

This game is at Inverclyde Academy.

It's the quarter-finals of the Scottish Junior Cup:

Hurlford [1 - 1] Clydebank

Largs [5 - 0] Kilwinning

Pollok [0 - 3] Auchinleck Talbot

Troon [0 - 2] Lochee United

UEFA Europa League, Round of 32, second leg (Feb 21st):

Valencia 1 - 0 Celtic

Chelsea 3 - 0 Malmö

Celtic are out. Malmö are out.

Swiss Challenge League: Chiasso [1 - 1] Winterthur

Regionalliga Südwest: Eintracht Stadtallendorf [0 - 3] 1. FC Saarbrücken

The playoff stage of the 2019 AFC Champions League was held this midweek. Two J.League clubs were in it:

Sanfrecce Hiroshima 0 - 0 Chiangrai United (Sanfrecce win on PK.)

Kashima Antlers 4 - 1 Newcastle Jets

The 2019 J1 season began last night. J2 starts tomorrow.

Tomorrow Iwaki FC play a pre-season friendly against Fukushima United. [Iwaki 5 - 0 Fukushima United. Reminder: Fukushima United play in J3, and Iwaki FC are in the Tohoku League, two tier below them.]

2019 CONCACAF Champions League Round of 16 (first leg):

Independiente (Panama) 4 - 0 Toronto FC

HFX Wanderers have signed Alex De Carolis, who recently played for Västerås SK and Umeå FC, and Christian Oxner, former goalkeeper for St. Mary's Huskies. Also signed are Koaumé Ouattara, an Ivorian New Brunswicker, and Kodai Iida from Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan. These last two took part in the open tryouts last fall, Ouattara in Halifax and Iida in Montreal. Iida played for Yamanashi Gakuin University in Kofu.

Izu Dancer Cosplay

Kawabata's story "The Dancing Girl of Izu" starts off just here, at the north entrance to the Amagi Tunnel. They held a dance festival there in 2010. Source.

Red Figure Leggings

Source.

Golden Kamuy Cosplay

Source. Golden Kamuy.