Bad Losers

As a supporter of Manchester United since the age of seven, I was in seventh heaven at their Champions League victory the other night. However, a word for Chelsea, John Terry and those dejected Blues fans who rioted after the game. Just before the penalty shoot-out began, ITV ran a trailer for the delayed News at Ten which was to follow the match's completion. Their lead story was about a seven-year-old girl who had allegedly been starved to death. As John Terry was preparing to take his ill-fated penalty, and I was preparing to cope with bitter disappointment, I kept thinking about how that news story put a mere football match into perspective.

Bad Poetry

This week the so-called world's worst poet, William McGonagall, had several of his poems sell for many thousands of pounds at auction, a little late for him as he died in poverty.
One thing that marked McGonagall out was his bravura and his choice of epic subjects. He would write about national events such as royal jubilees or disasters such as at the Tay Bridge. So, as a dedication to McGonagall, I've spent 15 minutes wondering what he would have written about today's tragedies. So....

"Oh the poor people of the lowlands of Burma,
How they are longing to be on terra firma,
While their government won't allow the outside world to help,
Leaving them to cry and yelp.

Meanwhile the people of Sichuan have suffered a mighty earthquake,
Leaving their houses like a flattened layer cake.
But at least their President arrived to give support and succour,
So where was the Burmese leader, the filthy f***er?

Well, maybe not.