Super Raf Banana

Liverpool has a Super Lamb Banana. It's had one for ten years now. The much-loved sculpture (far left) moves around the city so you never know quite where you'll bump into it. But your chances of doing so increase this summer when, as part of the European Capital of Culture year, 100 replicas dolled up in the style of Mersey landmarks and icons go on display. The Liverpool Echo reports that the very ace one on the right is a homage to Liverpool FC's Rafa the Gaffer. It's all reminiscent of the excellent Berlin bears, and the Liverpool event takes place over ten weeks beginning in June.

Obama who?!

It's dragging on, they haven't even settled on the candidates yet and still the US election process manages to maintain its mesmerisingly odd momentum. Check out this opinion piece in the New York Daily News which outlines why Obama's middle name has now become an issue. Astonishing.

Now where did I leave Manchester? Oh yes, in Leeds.

Simple mistake

Aren't the rock stars of my youth getting older? More pertinently, aren't news subs getting younger? And terrible things happen when those two phenomena crash.

Unfortunately this is the best picture I could find to illustrate the cruel slap in the face dealt to '80s Scot-rockers Simple Minds earlier today (it's a real pity Sky News tidied it up for their video web service). The channel's exclusive report on the new Mandela concert featured an interview with Jim Kerr and captioned him as being of Scottish Minds.

Any way, you'll just have to imagine it now.