(Because apparently I have nothing better to do right now)

• Grab the nearest book.
• Open it to page 56.
• Find the fifth sentence.
• Post the text of the sentence in your blog along with these instructions.
• Don't dig for your favorite book, the cool book, or the intellectual one: pick the CLOSEST.

They probably do not even have a common origin beyond their shared ultimate concern with God's establishing of Jesus as Son.

The book is Nolland, J. (1989) Luke 1-9:20 Nashville: Nelson.

Poker history that is.

Last night, Poker got its 2008 World Champion - Peter Eastgate. History was made by virtue of his age. At 22, he became the youngest ever winner of the Main Event - shaving two years of the record set by Phil Helmuth in 1989. Eastgate took home a little over $9m, the second highest first prize in WSOP history and - oh yes - it was the first time that neither of the final two players had been from the USA. Many other records were broken such as the length of the final table and the size of the blinds.

So yes, poker history was made last night and it seems that the people (of whom I was one) who thought the delay of four months until the final table was played would dampen interest were wrong. The Penn & Teller Theatre was packed - all the more incredible when you consider that there were no big names, only really good players, involved. I can't wait to see it (and the rest of this year's WSOP) on TV, I only hope I the wait isn't too long this side of the pond.

Was chatting with a friend earlier when I made the following observation:

Tea is always a step in the right direction, whatever the journey.

She said that that statement ought to be on a coaster - and now it is courtesy of the new James The Vicar CafePress Store. You can also buy mugs, apparel and other pointless items with either my logo (in other words, you can buy mugs with my ugly mug on) or that quote on them. If you do, you probably need help.

Richard Schiff (Toby Ziegler in The West Wing) writes in The Independent today.

The polls - as aggregated and parsed by Electoral-vote.com basically predicted the result state-by-state.

Here's the last set of polls and here's the currently projected result with MT (43% counted), MO (91%), NC (99%) and IN (97%) still yet to announce. If those four states go as they appear to be so far then the only two states whose result will differ will be MT and MO. MT was within the margin and had been flipping with each set of polls released and MO was a dead-heat in the last set of polls.

Well done Votemaster!

338 electoral votes for Obama. He's picked up CO, NV, VA and FL in addition to the Kerry states. NC and IN look likely to go for him too. The electoral map has been redrawn. The Democrats are likely to end up with 58 Senators a huge majority in the House and one new Governor - MO. McCain conceded at 04:20 GMT.

Obama: 207 McCain: 89
270 to win.

A few hours until the polls close in the East and it's looking like the turnout is going to be huge. I'll be updating this post over the course of the night and here's a list of sites/channels I'm monitoring (again updated if I add more):

• BBC News
• Electoral-Vote.com
• CNN
• C-SPAN
• Associated Press (in association with C-SPAN)
• Reuters

I'll do my best as when I link and refer to reports to credit sources although since most of them will be links, it'll be obvious by clicking them.

03:05: Okay, I'm heading to bed. The presidential race is basically decided and I expect to wake up in four hours or so to the news that McCain has conceded. Obama will take WA; OR; CA; HI. He'll probably take FL and possibly at least one of NC, VA and NV too.
03:01: CNN calls IA for Obama and UT and KS for McCain.
02:53: The BBC report that OH Republicans have conceded the state.
02:52: CNN calls NM for Obama. IA is also among the states closing at 03:00.
02:45: I'm going to stay here until the next set of states close - that's just NV, UT and MT I think - to catch if any of those are projected off the bat and then I'll head to bed. I'm confident in an Obama victory now and I still think it could be around 100 electoral votes. Hopefully FL will be called before I head to bed too. If you're reading this and you're in a state where the polls are still open - still go vote!
02:40: With OH going for Obama, he now just needs to hold on to the states that Kerry won that have yet to be called/projected - that's WA; OR; CA; HI. Hard to see McCain winning even in his wildest dreams now.
02:34: CNN and the BBC are reporting OH for Obama.
02:24: CNN are projecting WV for McCain. They're also promising a major projection right after these messages...
02:19: The BBC are reporting that Fox (FOX!) have called Ohio for Obama and Larry Sabato (Uni. Virginia) suggests that that's the end for McCain. Only 5% of precincts have reported so far though.
02:11: Whoops, I'd added 10 electoral votes to Obama's tally. Nevertheless, he needs 95 more now and that means if FL goes for Obama he needs no more red states to flip. Expect more to flip though. GA has been called for McCain by CNN.
02:05: Senate pickups in NH and NM for the Democrats according to CNN.
02:02: CNN calls the following for Obama: RI; MI; MN; NY. They call the following for McCain: WY; ND; AL. CNN are being as cautious as possible in calling states especially after the last two presidential elections.
01:54: CNN are projecting a Senate pickup for the Democrats in NC.
01:52: Less than 10 minutes until NY, MI, WI, TX and MN close, along with ten other states.
01:41: CNN just also called PA for Obama. I've just been doing some quick mental arithmetic. FL looks like it could well go for Obama. Add that to the almost guaranteed NY and CA gives a further 113 votes to Obama making 236. MI's 17 votes are likely to stay blue making 253 which would only need OH then to flip (or all the other blue states from 2004 to go for Obama). CNN have just been talking about how soon it might be that McCain comes out and concedes.
01:34: With Reuters calling PA for Obama, I'm adding it to my tally.
01:30: CNN are calling NH for Obama. C-SPAN calling IL for Obama.
01:28: The BBC are projecting IL for Obama as is the CNN website (although CNN have yet to add it to their tally).
01:24: Seems the PA projection comes from Reuters. Justin Webb suggests that if it's true then the whole thing might be wrapped up early. He could well be right - especially if FL goes for Obama as it seems it might. Expect IL to be called soon.
01:17: The BBC are projecting PA for Obama. No-one else seems to be that I'm tracking although the BBC must get their numbers from somewhere reputable. They are also reporting a Democrat Senate pickup in NH.
01:05: CNN also has Obama ahead in NC but with the reminder that it's very early in the count there. VA still looking good for McCain.
01:04: Electoral-vote.com suggests FL and NC could be going Obama. CNN has Obama 10% ahead in FL.
01:02: CNN calls the following states for Obama: MA; IL; CT; NJ; ME; DE; MD; DC. They call these for McCain: TN; OK.
00:58: 15 states and DC close in 2 minutes.
00:57: CNN also reports SC for McCain.
00:54: BBC reports SC for McCain.
00:44: Electoral-vote.com now has its results map up. At the moment it's predominantly empty but watch it fill up overnight.
00:31: CNN now reporting Obama ahead in FL but the numbers look weird. Also McCain looking ahead in VA.
00:29: CNN: IN very close (as reported earlier) with the Democratic strong areas still yet to report. Could IN go Blue?
00:25: Five minutes to three more states closing their polls.
00:20: Polls still open in FL but CNN reporting it as currently 54/46 for McCain. This is significantly at odds with the latest polling.
00:18: CNN/C-SPAN showing IN as being really close.
00:06: CNN are reporting a Democrat Senate pickup in VA.
00:04: CNN and the BBC reporting VT for Obama.
00:03: C-SPAN is reporting a Democrat Senate pickup in KY.
00:01: CNN and BBC reporting KY for McCain.
23:59: Exit poll data from the BBC says that 69% of people asked in Virginia think McCain unfairly attacked Obama, 46% the other way round.
23:54: Coming up polls closing in six states in the East with McCain leading by 2,200 votes or so based on the handful of counties that have already announced in IN and KY, two states that were massively red four years ago (C-SPAN/AP).
23:04: Within the last five minutes, the first polls closed in some counties of Indiana and Kentucky.
22:52: Within the last hour, "robo-calls" from the McCain-Palin camp have gone to Cuban-Americans in FL aledging that Fidel Castro prefers Obama.
22:41: CNN Exits: 72% of first-time voters voted for Obama.
22:20: CNN: Palin described today's election as "An historical event." Moron. It's an historic event - it didn't happen 200 years ago!
22:17: People concerned with the Iraq war voted 63% for Obama in the US as a whole according to CNN's exit polls.
22:10: BBC: The Dow has closed up 300 points - its biggest ever election day rally.
22:08: CNN: 3 hour queues to vote at the University of Florida. Polls are supposed to close in FL in 2 hours time. You do the math.
22:05: CNN exit polling coming in, the economy is the biggest issue for voters - 62% say it's their top priority. Iraq was second.
22:00: One hour until the first polls close but CNN's exit polls are about to be announced...
21:36: Gerrard just equalised for Liverpool deep into injury time. This has nothing to do with the election but I really couldn't be bothered to post another entry for it.
21:16: Courtesy of Electoral-Vote.com, 2 years ago, a hypothetical McCain-Obama poll gave Obama 28 Electoral College votes. That's IL, HI and DC. IL the state he represents in the Senate, HI his birth state and DC that went 90% for Kerry in 2004.
21:14: CNN - Record turnout reported at polling places

The campaigning is over, the candidates have set out their stalls, made their speeches and criss-crossed the States, now it's time to get the vote out.

I'll be up through the night, monitoring as many media outlets as I can and keeping a running tally of the Electoral College as states are called for the two candidates.

Go vote!

Get the vote out tomorrow.

Vote early, vote Obama.

Return a Democratic Representative and Senator (if you're electing a Senator) to Congress and avoid the Washington gridlock.

Thinking about a playlist for election night on Tuesday:

• The Love of Richard Nixon, Manic Street Preachers
• I'm Afraid of Americans, David Bowie
• American Idiot, Green Day
  One of these is in his last days in the Oval Office.
• New York, U2
• This is Not America, David Bowie
• Last Boat to America, David Gray
• Elvis Presley and America, U2
• Young Americans, David Bowie
  They'll be voting in unprecedented numbers.
• MLK, U2
  Surely if Obama wins, this would be part of Dr King's dream.
• Californication, Red Hot Chili Peppers
• Repeat (Stars and Stripes), Manic Street Preachers
• America, Chris Tomlin
• IfWhiteAmericaToldTheTruthForOneDayIt'sWorldWouldFallApart (sic), Manic Street Preachers
• How the West Was Won and Where It Got Us, R.E.M.
• Say What You Want, Texas
• Your Love is Like Las Vegas, The Thrills
• City of Blinding Lights, U2
  This is the song that accompanies Senator Obama when he approaches the lectern at his rallies.

This is just from my Banshee music library - I'm sure more people can come up with other suggestions.