***ANNOUNCEMENT***

The Bloggist (blogger, blog person) will be outta commish for the next few days, back full strength Friday morning.

Enjoy a good and healthy and productive week, filled especially with love, sex, food, reading, walking and more love.

We Must Never Lose, Even if We're Losing

Two years ago, a BC Human Rights Tribunal ordered schools in the province to identify and support all children with severe learning disabilities.

Today the Ministry of Education and the North Vancouver school board are fighting this decision in court.

The original case occurred because a man pulled his son from his Grade 3 class because the school had not yet taught the boy to read. The child then went to an independent school and is now in college.

It is niggardly (Are we still allowed to use such a word?) and cheap and self-destructive of the governments to waste tax dollars contesting this decision in court.

Money for The Big Party ($2Billion) is available, but the pennies to teach kids with dyslexia is not. You are what you pay for, Mr. Campbell.

Stubborn and Stupid

Roger Federer is widely acknowledged to be one of the greatest tennis players in the history of the sport - maybe the greatest.

But yesterday, in committing 59 errors and losing the French Open once again to a gritty, determined and great Rafael Nadal, Federer proved that even the great can be stubborn and stupid.

Everyone, inlcuding Roger, knew what he had to do to win. Serve and volley, chip and charge, hit short, slice and spin, change up and surprise. Basically do what Arthur Ashe did to a heavily favored and totally flustered Jimmy Conners at Wimbledon some years back.

Now, there is no taking away from Nadal's refusal to let Federer do any of those things. BUT!

10 break chances in the first set alone missed. Over and over again, Federer came over the ball on his backhand and over and over again he simply fed the Nadal machine.

Finally, in the second set - the one he won - he started doing what he had to do. And oh look, it worked. But his forehand -one of the best shots in all of tennis - then deserted him and he hit down and into the net repeatedly.

It was not only disappointing to watch, it was maddening.

OK. He's only 25, he is great, and maybe he'll get it together next year at Paris. Meanwhile don't be amazed if Nadal takes Wimbledon.

Paul Simon - GRACELAND!!!

He says he begins the discovery of all songs with a rhythm. He's one of the great writers of our era.