Well, I've finally got around to reading a three-week Observer Magazine which has a special focus on ethical issues, primarily the environment. And it is depressing, probably mostly so because there are no less than five car adverts scattered throughout, with numerous other adverts that encourage you to gorge yourself on planetarily-bad consumer goods. There is only one pedal-powered bike advert. The contents represent a Sisyphusian-struggle against all the odds to save our fragile Earth, with the solutions presented (possibly unintentionally) as no more than sticking one's finger in a Dutch dyke (don't be smutty). There is so much even in our basic households that is inexorably destroying the world, not to mention that the only way to save the orang-utan is mass tourism turning the species into an asset. Far from convincing to make a greater effort in saving the environment, it induces one to throw our arms up, Sepp Blatter-style with regard to diving, that ultimately there's nothing we can do to stop our violating ways. When you start worrying about the off-gassing of an artificial carpet that a natural carpet does do, then you are shortening your life far more through anxiety than any noxious gas emanating from the rug. I would, however, like a wormery which would save many trips to the paper bank. Sadly, my parents' kitchen is so full of obsolete bread-makers, ice cream-makers and so on, that such a device will probably have to wait until I get my own place. I'll keep you updated on that one. Oh and switch as many things off stand-by as is prudent.

There's a very important match on tomorrow. It's when Newcastle will discover the identity of their Intertoto opponents. There's also a World Cup match-something on.

The time below is correct.