People are so easily offended

Whatever about me wondering if it was still August (After the Deluge, below), now I'm starting to wonder if it's even 2008..

It's been a great news day for insults, racism and all-round bad behaviour.

1. The Spanish basketball team, currently world champions, posed for a promotional photograph advertising their Olympic sponsor. In it they have all pulled their eyes back in a hilarious slit-eyed manner. And this from a country whose reputation on race matters is hardly at an all-time high. Nice one, Spain.

2. Meanwhile, closer to home, an English pipe fitter earns a payout of €20,000 at an Equality Tribunal after they heard how he was abused by his Irish colleagues after starting work on a building site in 2006. Rebel songs, negative comments and general insulting.. Good work - lets put the filthy Tan in his place. 800 years of oppression and all that.. Although I'm sure there's lots of Irish men who've worked building sites in London and Manchester and Birmingham who could tell similar tales. But of course that's the past. And the past is another country. Still, fortunately, the days of No Blacks, No Irish and No Dogs are a thing of the past, right?

3. A house is listed for renting in Belfast with a sign that says "This property is not available for any foreigners." Ah. You're not allowed do that anymore are you? Unless he just meant that he didn't want anybody from 80s rock legend Foreigner to rent his house. Which would be fine. Still at least most foreigners have soap which brings us back again to the Olympics.

4. The head of Australia's Olympic Committee, John Coates responds to Rebecca Adlington's 400m freestyle gold for Britain by saying "It's not bad for a country that has no swimming pools and very little soap."Actually I'm not sure if that's offensive or just funny. Although perhaps by saying that I'm just showing myself to be no better than anyone else.

5. And finally there's the story of that lovely cute Chinese girl who sang at the Olympics opening ceremony on Friday. Turns out that the cute girl, Lin Miaoke, wasn't actually singing but was, in fact, miming to a song which was originally sung by the very talented but not quite so cute, Yang Peiyi. She was replaced by the organisers because her teeth are crooked and therefore didn't fit the required profile. I'm surprised anyone really noticed. I thought all Chinese people were supposed to look the same.*

So that's a good day's work. Let's see who's been insulted: The Spanish insulted the Chinese, the Irish insulted the English, The Northern Irish insulted the rest of the world, the Australians insulted the British and the Chinese insulted 9-year olds everywhere with crooked teeth.

It's political incorrectness gone mad!

*Obviously that's a joke, China.