1. "It turns out that one of the women Congressman Anthony Weiner was communicating with was a porn star. When asked how it was possible to get involved with someone in such a sleazy business, the porn star said, 'I don't know.'" "51 per cent of New York voters think Congressman Weiner should keep his seat in office. The other 49 per cent think that he should disinfect it."

3. 2010/11 2011/12 Sears (NASDAQ:SHLD), Sony Pictures (NYSE:SNE), American Apparel (NYSE:APP), Nokia (NYSE:NOK), Saab, A&W All-American Foods Restaurants, Soap Opera Digest, Sony Ericsson, MySpace (NYSE:NWS.A) Kellogg’s Corn Pops. (NYSE:K). Readers Digest, Kia Motors, Dollar Thrifty (NYSE: DTG), Zale (NYSE: ZLC), Blockbuster (NYSE: BBI), T-Mobile, BP (NYSE: BP), RadioShack (NYSE: RSH), Merrill Lynch Moody’s (NYSE: MCO).

5. What next, wondered les Echos? Asterix and Obelix as lovers? “That’s perhaps the next subject for a column by Matthew Parris.”

7. ?