I've been trying to think of a movie that best illustrates the current Major Economic Spasm (MES) gripping the more affluent parts of the world, but the problem I have had over the past few weeks is that the plot keeps evolving. But finally I have decided.

Firstly, I was going for the obvious and superficial, and chose "Wall Street". But it soon became clear that a better pick would be "Enron - The Smartest Guys In The Room".

How could it be that Iceland, the home of Bjork (and indeed the entire Sugarcubes), Lazy Town, and the Olympic silver medal-winning men's handball team, could suddenly become the Nauru of the North Atlantic?

Now that Flash Gordon has invoked anti-terrorism laws against the subversive Icelanders, could we be heading towards Cod War II?

Or could Iceland become another geopolitical service of Gazprom?

Oh dear. Bangladesh cricket was supposed to have been gutted when their best players were poached to play for the Dhaka Warriors in the new ICL season, which starts tomorrow. Though not quite a second XI, only one player making his ODI debut, Bangladesh's first-ever limited-over win against New Zealand today is one heckuva triumph.

And the World's Best ODI Bowler went for 9-0-48-0.

Belford Parrott told his radio audience on September 23 that US Congress had approved a $700 billion bailout package, before the draft legislation was prepared (and a week before it was rejected the first time).

And you're worried about The Prospect Of A Recession?

Reuters reports today that Zimbabwe's annual inflation rate reached 231,000,000 percent in July.

Maybe if the central banks of the world print enough money to bail out the cowboys and their creditors, then we can all have an inflation rate that large...

Oh dear. Christmas must be coming. Wired.com has a review.

Full-time: Manly Sea Eagles 40, Melbourne Storm 0. Never mind analysis of the game, analysis of the Storm press conferences when available.

Item One - Newtown 8 Wentworthville 12. After a record 24 minutes of sudden-death extra-time and nineteen missed attempts at golden point field goals by both sides, the Maggies ended it with a try. For the second time in three years, the Bluebags have lost the NSWRL Cup GF in extra time after falling for a kick-a-field-goal-from-anywhere-on-the-ground strategy. Credit where it's due - Wenty dominated the second half and the bulk of the extra time.

The only game that matters today kicks off at 12.15pm. Newtown will face Wentworthville in the NSWRL Cup (Reserve Grade in a past life) Final. It's revenge time for the Jets, having lost a golden-point Grand Final to Parramatta in 2006. The Wenty Magpies are the Eels' proxy in this year's reserve grade comp.

My pick: Newtown by 14.