"Coming out: I went to work expecting the worst day of my life"

From the BBC:

A table of the most gay-friendly employers is being published later by campaign group Stonewall. But what reaction can people in traditionally gay-friendly industries expect from colleagues after they come out as straight?

On paper it was a perfect afternoon. Wales were minutes away from a rare Six Nations win over England.

Watching in a London pub, James Wharton - an 18-year-old fashion magazine sub-editor from Shoreditch - should have been revelling in watching thirty grown men in tight shorts engaging in 80 minutes of gratuitous mud-wrestling with his four friends, who all work in fashion, interior design or advertising.

"I should have pretended to be jubilant," he remembers. "I'm normally quite a loud character with my mates but I was in my box, I was depressed."

One-by-one they asked him what was wrong: "Is it debt? Problems back home?"

Then, as at least one of them already suspected, "Are you straight?"

"I wouldn't have minded so much, but I had to miss the women's beach volleyball finals on the other channel."

"Australia ban nine players for not drinking before Ireland game"

From the BBC:

Australia have suspended nine players for one match for not drinking in midweek before Saturday's win over Ireland.

Wallabies coach Ewan McKenzie acted after "a group of players made the decision to go to bed early instead of consuming inappropriate levels of alcohol".

He said Australia's "manly conduct" standards had been compromised.

A further six players were given a verbal warning for downing a few swift pints and being back at the hotel before midnight.

UPDATE: Newsthump did much the same article the next day

"Photographer and rugby player tumble through window to their deaths in slurry pit"

From The Daily Mail and The Daily Mail:

A photographer and a professional rugby player fell through an open third-floor window to their deaths at a glamorous party celebrating London Fashion Week.

Guests were horrified when Peter Alexander, 28, and Martin Spence, 22, both stumbled through the window, which was covered by a blind. They fell into a slurry pit on Martin's father's farm in Co. Down, Northern Ireland. Spence's sister Emma, who also tried to help, got into difficulty herself and was taken to be cleaned up...

The pair were said to be ‘messing around’ at Thursday night’s party, which was hosted by fashion PR company Blow to showcase designers and stylists. It was attended by drag queens in glitter and high heels, models and artists. The Northern Ireland Ambulance Service (NIAS) said it responded to a 999 call at about 12.15am following reports that up to three people had fallen into a slurry tank.

"Northampton to Rugby rail services hit as cow derails train"

Spotted by RH at the BBC, adding "Now it's sabotage!":

Rail services through Northamptonshire and Warwickshire were suspended after an engineering train derailed as it hit a cow.

Buses are replacing London Midland trains between Northampton and Rugby after the engineering train hit the animal early on Friday at Long Buckby. Services are not likely to return to normal until Friday afternoon.

The train remained upright after the crash. The incident has not affected Virgin services. A Network Rail spokeswoman said: "An engineering train struck an animal in the early hours causing two sets of wheels to come off the tracks. Engineers are working to get the train back on the rails so the line can be reopened."

Union or League? I can never remember...

Rugby, football, motor racing

I cheerfully admit that I might have a gene missing or something, but I just could not care less about 'sport', as defined. I am vaguely pleased when an English team wins something, but that's about it.

That means I am just as cheerful (or at least no more miserable) today as I was a week-and-a-bit ago. Sure, Russian football fans, South African rugby fans and Finnish Formula 1 fans might be a lot happier than they otherwise would have been, but how does this compare to the total disappointment of fans all the other countries, teams and drivers who didn't win?

Sport is a negative sum game, and reduces the sum total of human happiness, is all.