Which European leader today would not relish the wonder-working powers of a Moses? Budget deficit? Unpopular cuts? How about just a little miracle an overnight increase in gold reserves a new oil field or the next world-changing communications technology? Surely that's not too much to ask.

Adele Adkins' retro-soul debut '19' was striking less for her songs than for that voice: a voluptuous slightly parched alto that swooped and fluttered like a Dusty Springfield student trying to upstage her teacher or at least update the rules.

Success is the person who year after year reaches the highest limits in his field.

You've achieved success in your field when you don't know whether what you're doing is work or play.

I get curious about new things. My real strength is going into a field that has not been investigated before and finding new approaches to it.

The strength that I have comes from irrigating the citrus plantation ploughing in the vineyard guarding the melon fields at night. I believe that's what gave me the strength.

My strength never came from political echelons it came from the family. And from the fields and the lands and the flowers and everything I see there. My strength came from there.

In the field of sports you are more or less accepted for what you do rather than what you are.

One reason outfielders don't have stronger arms might be they don't practice as much as we did. Most teams today don't take outfield practice. Another reason is baseball has to compete with other sports now - basketball football soccer - for the better athletes that might have more skills and stronger arms.

In America we have three major sports - baseball football and basketball. They get the most coverage. Then there's things like golf which mop up most of what is left. But track and field? We are way at the bottom of the totem pole.