Pas de Post aujourd'hui...

Parce que...

If I open my computer Sunday morning, no doubt the NY Times will have a helpful update telling me that either Federer or Nadal has won the Wimbledon Men's Final.

Probably Nadal, he ventured timorously from behind the rose bush.

And I don't want to know that because I am taping the thing and I won't watch it until the early evening.

Which means I will spend the entire day doing everything I can to stay away from radios, sports bars, newspaper boxes and idle coffee chatter, so that I can completely torture myself with the exquisite requisite ignorance required for this exercise in delayed pleasure.

Note how almost anything in life, including watching sports, can easily be converted to sex. Don't even get me started about all the guys I know who have never hot a tennis ball who are watching Sharapova matches every chance they get.

See you Monday.

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Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Alex Loves the Carbuncle Tax... NOT!":

Another Bravo! for Alex...and, talking of Michael vis a vis the possibility of Premier Carole James...

One of Michael's oft-repeated axioms is that, "In good times, people should pay off their debts so that they can better weather the downturns."

So what do the Campbell Liberals do? After falsely claiming that the NDP had not balanced its final budget (BC's Auditor-General said otherwise), after figuratively giving the Trudeau finger to the 2-member Official Opposition, and after pocketing the $800-million in transfer payments left behind by the NDP, they promptly slapped more than $1 billion on the tab, in the name of "giving" us a tax rebate.

Since then, the provincial debt has been upped on a regular basis -easier to balance their cheque-book when you buy your stuff on credit.

Were it not for the wisely-departing Carole Taylor, and were it not for the fact that, until recently, the economic outlook was generally positive (without any help from BC's newly-minted paper economy), it's unlikely Gordon C. would have, or could have, made a payment on the outstanding bills.

Now we come to Premier Carole... does she really want the job for her Party - want it, that is, just at the point that the Canadian economy is moving naturally toward a cyclical downturn - aided and abetted by Bush-land South of the 49th?

Can you hear El Gordo's rant from the Opposition benches already?...

"We created Heaven, the Heartland and the Best Place on Earth and the NDP are destroying it all!" No word of BC Rail; no word about the pile-on debt; no word about bankrupting small businesses on Cambie, or organic blueberry farms in Pitt Meadows. No word about ignoring the Pine Beetle and 25,000lost forestry jobs. No word about Families and Children; no word about closing mental health and long-term care beds; no word about giving away BC Hydro/BC Gas; no word about taking land out of the ALR, or turning forest tenures into real estate developments; no word about email-shredding lobbyists; no word about... your turn, Alex - I'm tired...

The BC Liberals appear never to have heard the adage: "The true measure of a community can be taken by the way in which it treats its most vulnerable citizens."

By that measure, history may well judge the 2001-2009 regime to be the very worst British Columbia has ever endured.

Years ago, Michael Campbell was asked to stand for office - more than once. His reply? Something to the effect: "Never. I detest politics."

Liz J.

Picture Me

Always the studied self-portraitist, Sam Sullivan is now presented himself as a stoic believer in Christianity and materialism.

Or so Douglas Todd would have us believe.

Of course, Douglas Todd is very big on belief and would have us believe many things, especially Christianity.

But, I'm a Jew, Doug. Is that OK?

For a much more accurate picture of the defeated mayor, read Allan Garr's column in yesterday's Courier.

GAY ARCHES

As soon as I hear a group spouting "family values," I put on my flak jacket.

I learned long ago to translate "family values" into gay-hating.

One rarely hears from such enlightened souls a word about having dinner every night with your children or modelling behaviour that is righteous or any other helpful guidance about maintaining a healthy family.

No.

What such groups head swiftly towards is their trashing of gays and lesbians. This is an ancient technique called "bait and switch."

The American Family Association (AFA) has begun a boycott against McDonald's because the burger giant had the gall and temerity to join the National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce.

This action is so rife with ironies and comedy potential one scarcely knows where to begin.

A McDonald's spokesman says, "Hatred has no place in our culture. That includes McDonald's and we stand by and support our people to live and work in a society free of discrimination and harassment."

Bravo!

Recently, the AFA ended its 2-year boycott of Ford after Ford stopped advertising Volvo, Jag and Land Rover in gay media.

That's attractive.

Of course, the AFA and all the other gay-bashing "Family" associations and groups have a right to their noxious opinions. As do I. As do you.

The AFA as been fighting Walt Disney Co. for its "embrace of the homosexual lifestyle."

Hahahaha...

Maybe I missed this. Has Mickey been trying on Minnie's red shoes when she's out shopping?

I await the day these tiny minds actually begin promoting families and stop their relentless campaigns of hatred towards people who just happen to not be like them.

Remember, folks. The people who hate you because you are gay, will hate you because you are red-headed or Oriental or monkfish.

Billy Strayhorn

Billy Strayhorn (November 29, 1915 – May 31, 1967) was a musical genius. A composer, pianist and arranger, he wrote "Take the A-Train" when he was about 18 years old and had just arrived in New York City.

His relationship with Duke Ellington was complex. Ellington clearly loved this man as a brother and a son and a collaborator, but very often gave Strayhorn little or no credit for his work.

Strayhorn was gay, black and alcoholic. Tough combination. He was also loved by pretty much anyone who ever met him. Lena Horne insists that Strayhorn taught her how to sing.

I strongly recommend the Strayhorn Biography by David Hajdu. It is a terrific read.

No doubt the family values folk would have had him swinging from a tree.

Billy Strayhorn

David Oïstrahk, Mstislav Rostropovitch / double de Brahms