The taurine aficionados amongst you will be interested to know that the table of the top 30 bullfighters for last season was published today. The winner was one César Jimenez, who amassed 106 Festejos, 162 Ears and 6 Tails. Although my dictionary defines festejo as celebration, my suspicion is that it must here mean something closer to a crowd going wild in admiration. I wonder if he has a trophy room.

As one ages, the conviction that the world has gone mad grows in intensity. But when you read that David Beckham has attended a party wearing 3 sets of oversized rosary beads around his neck and that Nicole Kidman is being paid 7 million dollars for a 2 minute perfume ad, what other conclusion can be drawn?