Plenty of Nothing

Neftegorsk

Neftegorsk was an oil town built in 1963 in Northern Sakhalin. The town was destroyed by an earthquake on this date in 1995 with the loss of two thousand lives, and it has never been rebuilt. Source.

St Petersburg Sphinxes

There are two Egyptian sphinxes guarding the quay in St Petersburg. They're made of pink granite from Aswan and portray the pharoah Amenhotep III who reigned in the 14th century BC. The Russians acquired them in the 1830s. Source.

Vladimir Lebedev

Source.

The Sky Is Calling (1959)

небо зовёт (The Sky Is Calling) is a Soviet science fiction film released in 1959. In 1961 Roger Corman bought the US rights, dubbed and recut it and released it as Battle Beyond the Sun. IMDb.

Submarine Greenock

The Soviet sub Lennitz 15 arrived in Greenock for a refit on February 15, 1943. They would not get the welcome mat this week. Source.

Morton host Arbroath. Arbroath are top of the division with 46 points. Morton are sixth seventh with 30. So far Arbroath have a win and a draw against Morton. Morton have yet to register a win against Arbroath, Kilmarnock or Raith Rovers this season.

Arbroath have the best offence in the Championship with 38 goals scored, and the best defence with only 18 goals allowed. Morton are 30 and 35. Arbroath's Michael McKenna has 11 goals. Nicky Low, who is regarded as the clubs best forward, has been injured most of the season. Last weekend Arbroath played Queen of the South to a 0 - 0 draw. Derek Gaston has 12 clean sheets so far this season. Jack Hamilton has 7.

When was the last time these two clubs met in the top division? December 12, 1974. Morton won 3 - 2.

Morton, with 30 points from 26 games played, have surpassed last season's point total of 29 points in 27 games.

[Morton 0 - 0 Arbroath.]

Arbroath's last ten winning seasons:

2018-19        36    20    10      6    63    38    +25    70    1st, League One

2017-18        36    17      8    11    70    51    +19    59    4th, League One

2016-17        36    18    12      6    63    36    +27    66    1st, League Two

2014-15        36    16      8    12    65    46    +19    56    3rd, League Two

2012-13        36    15      7    14    47    57     -10    52    5th, Second Division

2011-12        36    17    12      7    76    51    +25    63    2nd, Second Division

2010-11        36    20      6    10    80    61    +19    66    1st, Third Division

2007-08        36    14    10    12    54    47      +7    52    4th, Third Division

2006-07        36    22      4    10    61    33    +28    70    2nd, Third Division

The other Championship matches:

Hamilton Academical (7th) 1 - 1 Inverness CT (3rd) (last night)

Ayr United (8th) [0 - 1] Queen of the South (10th)

Dunfermline (9th) [0 - 0] Killie (2nd)

Raith Rovers (4th) [0 - 0] Partick Thistle (5th)

Other matches:

UCD 0 - 0 Finn Harps (yesterday)

Schaffhausen 3 - 2 Winterthur (yesterday)

Beerschot 2 - 3 Charleroi (yesterday)

East Kilbride [5 - 2] Gala Fairydean Rovers

Fort William [1 - 2] Clachnacuddin

FC Isle of Man [4 - 3] Wythenshawe Amateurs West Didsbury & Chorlton

Largs Thistle [1 - 2] Troon

Winterthur [2 - 0] Yverdon (tomorrow)

Mito HollyHock [2 - 3] Vegalta Sendai (tomorrow)

Turkgucu Munchen [1 - 5] 1.FC Saarbrücken (Monday)

Emperor's Cup Qualifying (tomorrow): Waseda University [0 - 1] Tokyo 23

The Tokyo Cup, Metro Tokyo's qualifying tournament for the Emperor's Cup, involves eight teams: Tokyo United, Tokyo 23 and Nankatsu SC from the Kanto League Division One; Aries Tokyo, and Hitachi Building Systems from Kanto Division 2; FC N. and Tokyo United FC +Plus from the Tokyo League Division 1; and Waseda University from the JUFA Kanto League.

Two kanji to learn if you're following Japanese university soccer are: 男 (man); 女 (woman). I'm convinced that 男 led Kobo Abe to write the novel Box Man, which is about a guy who goes around wearing a cardboard box on his head.

Experience the 16 JFL stadia along with some sick beats.

SWF Championship South: Livingston [4 - 2] Morton (tomorrow)

2021-22 Europa League knock-out round play-off, second leg (February 24):

Rangers 2 - 2 Borussia Dortmund

Rangers advance.

2021-22 Europa Conference League knock-out round play-off, second leg (February 24):

Bodø/Glimt 2 - 0 Celtic

Celtic are out.

The 2021-22 UEFA Champions League final has been moved from St Petersburg to Paris.

2022 Concacaf Champions League, Round of 16, second leg:

CF Montreal 3 - 1 Santos Laguna (February 23)

Montreal advance.

Cruz Azul 3 - 1 Forge FC (February 24)

Forge are out. Report.

Canadian vs Mexican clubs in Concacaf play:

1975/7/5        CChCup R1    Monterrey 2 - 0 Serbian White Eagles

1975/7/13      CChCup R1    Serbian White Eagles 1 - 1 Monterrey

2008/9/24      CChL GS        Montreal Impact 0 - 0 Atlante

2008/10/28    CChL GS        Atlante 2 - 1 Montreal Impact

2009/2/25      CChL QF        Montreal Impact 2 - 0 Santos Laguna

2009/3/5        CChL QF        Santos Laguna 5 - 2 Montreal Impact

2010/8/17      CChL GS        Toronto FC 2 - 1 Cruz Azul

2010/9/21      CChL GS        Cruz Azul 0 - 0 Toronto FC

2011/9/14      CChL GS        UNAM 4 - 0 Toronto FC

2011/9/27      CChL GS        Toronto FC 1 - 1 UNAM

2012/3/28      CChL SF        Toronto FC 1 - 1 Santos Laguna

2012/4/4        CChL SF        Santos Laguna 6 - 2 Toronto FC

2012/8/28      CChL GS        Toronto FC 1 - 3 Santos Laguna

2012/10/24    CChL GS        Santos Laguna 1 - 0 Toronto FC

2015/2/24      CChL QF        Pachuca 2 - 2 Montreal Impact

2015/3/3        CChL QF        Montreal Impact 1 - 1 Pachuca

2015/4/22      CChL final      América 1 - 1 Montreal Impact

2015/4/29      CChL final      Montreal Impact 2 - 4 América

2017/3/14      CChL SF        UANL 2 - 0 Vancouver Whitecaps

2017/4/5        CChL SF        Vancouver Whitecaps 1 - 2 UANL

2018/3/7        CChL QF        Toronto FC 2 - 1 UANL

2018/3/13      CChL QF        UANL 3 - 2 Toronto FC

2018/4/3        CChL SF        Toronto FC 3 - 1 América

2018/4/10      CChL SF        América 1 - 1 Toronto FC

2018/4/17      CChL final      Toronto FC 1 - 2 Guadalajara

2018/4/25      CChL final      Guadalajara 1 - 2 Toronto FC

2021/4/7        CChL 16         León 1 - 1 Toronto FC

2021/4/14      CChL 16         Toronto FC 2 - 1 León

2021/4/27      CChL QF        Toronto FC 1 - 3 Cruz Azul

2021/5/4        CChL QF        Cruz Azul 1 - 0 Toronto FC

2022/2/15      CChL 16         Santos Laguna 1 - 0 CF Montreal

2022/2/16      CChL 16         Forge FC 0 - 1 Cruz Azul

HFX Wanderers training camp begins Monday. In addition to players already under contract the camp will include trialists Chris Campoli, Colin Gander, Luke Green, Lewis Dye, Orlendis Benitez, Ryley Wishart, Reshon Philip and Samir Mahiddine.

1999-2000

February 26, 2000.    Housemates Morton and Clydebank met at Cappielow, Morton played as the home team and prevailed 1 - 0 on a goal by John Anderson.

Greenock Morton results for 1883-84:

1884/4/26      Renton? 4 - 0 Morton?    [murky and ambiguous scan]

1884/4/19      Port Glasgow 5 - 2 Morton

1884/4/12      Partick Thistle 4 - 1 Morton

1884/3/15      Johnstone 6 - 5? Morton

1884/3/8        St Mirren 3 - 2 Morton

1884/2/9        Morton 5 - 4 Third Lanark?

1884/2/2        Vale of Leven 0 - 1 Morton

1884/1/19      2nd Morton 2 - 1 2nd Cowlairs

1884/1/19      Cowlairs 2 - 2 Morton

1884/1/12      Morton 7 - 3 Southern

1883/12/15    Morton 2 - 1 Port Glasgow

1883/12/8      Cartvale 8 - 3 Morton        Renfrewshire Cup R2 replay

1883/12/1      Morton 2 - 2 Cartvale        Renfrewshire Cup R2

1883/11/24    Morton 1 - 3 Renton

1883/11/17    2nd Morton 6 - 1 2nd Clyde

1883/11/17    Clyde 1 - 3 Morton

1883/11/3      Morton 0 - 4 Kilmarnock Athletic    Scottish Cup R3

1883/10/27    Morton 2 - 0 Johnstone

1883/10/20    Morton 1 - 2 Kilmarnock Athletic (protested)    Scottish Cup R3

1883/10/13    Partick Thistle 2nd XI 0 - 2 Morton 2nd XI

1883/10/13    Morton 5 - 2 Partick Thistle

1883/10/6      Woodland (Paisley) 1 - 4 Morton    Renfrewshire Cup R1

1883/9/29      Sir John Maxwell 1 - 5 Morton    2nd XI Cup

1883/9/29      Morton 5 - 1 Rangers' Swifts

1883/9/29      bye                                    Scottish Cup R2

1883/9/22      Morton 7 - 5 Pollokshields Athletic

1883/9/8        Morton 1 - 0 Renfrew        Scottish Cup R1

1883/9/1        Morton 10 - 2 Airdrieonians

Morton's path through the 2nd XI Cup is not clear, with SFHA and the Glasgow Herald offering different accounts.

The names Morton and Renton can be almost indistinguishable in a blurry newspaper scan.

(Sources: The Beautiful Dribbling Game for the Scottish Cup; SFHA for the Renfrewshire Cup and 2nd XI Cup; the Glasgow Herald for friendlies and 2nd XI Cup.)

What Mars 3 Saw

This is the first image transmitted from the surface of Mars. It was sent by the Mars 3 lander on December 2, 1971, fifty years ago today. It may be a picture of the horizon or just noise. There was a sandstorm going on at the time. Source.

Vostok 1

Today is the sixtieth anniversary of Yuri Gagarin's spaceflight in Vostok 1. Source.

Abakayada

Abakayada Sichyu, a Sakha woman who married the Russian explorer Semyon Dezhnev, is a romantic figure in the story of the 17th-century colonization of Yakutia. Here she is played by Margarita Borisova in the 1983 film Semyon Dezhnev. Source.

Sakha

A young Sakha woman from Yakutia. Portrait by Alexander Khimushin. Source.

Valentina Grizodubova

Statue of Soviet pilot Valentina Grizodubova in Moscow. Source.