Interesting Eurovision Hopeful (also, I am not dead!)

From the Telegraph

Held this year in Vienna, Austria, the singing competition sees dozens of European countries battle it out for the coveted crown.   

San Marino's Eurovision host John Kennedy O'Connor thinks Italy, Sweden and Australia are in with the best chance.

*Update* Actually it appears the joke is on me and Australia actually are in the Eurovision! I thought this was a play on all those souvenirs you get in Austria gift shops that say "no kangaroos in Austria".

Eurovision Voting

From the BBC

The latest Eurovision figures have revealed the differences between the public phone vote and the jury vote at Saturday night's competition.

The UK phone vote gave Poland's Donatan and Cleo top marks but the jury thought they were the worst act of the night.

Their combined score meant Poland ended up with nil points from the British.

I'm thinking here that the public may not have been voting for the song

Eurovision Gearchange Contest 2013

The telly was on in the background while I was doing the washing up, and I liked this one best.

A full tone up after 2 mins 59 seconds just after the "quiet bit". Textbook.

Readers' Letters Of The Day

Both from The Metro:

Wendy Keelan suggests Britain might as well leave the Eurovision Song Context because we haven't done well lately. Why are we such poor losers? France hasn't one since 1977 and Spain hasn't won since 1969. Stalwarts such as Malta, Iceland and Portugal have never won.

Do people think England should quite the World Cup simply because we haven't won since 1966?

Hazel Ford, Kent.

and

If the NHS was [sic] privatised, then Tax Freedom Day would come much earlier. However, would we really be free if, instead of working to pay taxes, we were working to pay vast private medical bills?

I feel more free knowing that, whatever happens, there is a health service free of charge.

M Huntbach, London.

Andrew Lloyd Webber