Phligm Phlagm

"We can all put aside our partisan differences for a moment and agree that this Trump-Clinton “Dirty Dancing” duet is the best thing to come out of the debate."

Don't trust "factcheckers". Maybe it’s just my innate cynicism and a background as a professional sceptic that always makes me doubt someone who claims to be “unbiased” when giving you “the facts”.

Why Truman fired MacArthur. Fascinating account.

Weaker Sterling is (on balance) somewhere between good and very good for the UK economy.

...and another article making a similar argument.

Tolkien might not have been too impressed by the current trend to concentrate on the ethnicity of science fiction and fantasy authors rather than the quality of their work.

There is no such thing as trickle-down economics.

This is the best explanation of why so many people will vote for Donald Trump that I've seen.

Ched Evans is Not Guilty. Here's ten myths about the case that need to be busted.

Who is winning in Labour and the Liberal Democrats' race to be the most anti-semitic party?

Dennis Byrd didn't deserve to die in a car crash.

Dolly Parton's 'Jolene' slowed down is amazingly good. (Thanks beckyc)

18 Game of Thrones moments improved by quotes from Monty Python and the Holy Grail.

Given the dearth of available options, who should American conservatives vote for in the presidential election?

Are we seeing the beginning of a political realignment in the UK? Interesting lecture.

Here's a particularly unsubtle example of simple corruption from the Secretary-General of the Commonwealth.

Political map of Europe, year-by-year from 3650BC to 2016AD.

70-year-olds play D&D for the first time.

The third most likely person to become the next President of the United States, and how he would do it. OK, it’s beyond unlikely, but not impossible…

Park, Park, Wherever He May Be...

Not that long ago, Manchester United had a wonderful South Korean midfielder called either Park Ji-Sung or Ji-Sung Park. (There seemed to be some confusion over which way round his name was.) He wasn't a superstar (although he's probably Asia's most successful footballer), but Sir Alex Ferguson would often play him in big games to do specific tactical duties. Ferguson said that leaving Park out of the squad for the 2008 Champions League Final was one of the hardest managerial decisions he ever had to make.

Park was the subject of perhaps my favourite football song, sung to the tune of the hymn "Lord of the Dance":

Park, Park, wherever he may be
He eats dogs in his home country
It could be worse
He could be scouse
Eating rats in a council house.

Anyway, I was amused to read this week that Park is now studying for a Masters Degree at De Montfort University. That's not the amusing thing. The amusing thing is that when not studying, he plays for the university's football team. It must be something of a shock for opponents who suddenly realise who the foreign mature student playing for the other team is.