WHY NOT THE OFFICIAL BOWLING BALL?

The Americans are mad, quite mad.

They love their guns. They believe in their guns. They worship their guns.

It matters not what mayhem contorts the streets, what horrors are brought to neighbourhoods, how many suicides and murders are added to the rolls, Americans believe in their right to bear arms...at the shopping mall, at the cinema, at the bar, at the school and playground and the beach.

And if your nutty next door neighbour or your corner dope dealer is packing, I guess it's only right that you pack too.

And nobody, nobody from President Obama on down, dare speak of this elephant in the room, because this belief system is so deeply entrenched that one risks not only one's political career, but one's very life to say otherwise.

Well, now it's official.

The sovereign great state of Utah has its state flower and it has its state bird.

Not enough, kids.

Now it is poised to adopt its official state gun.

That would be your Browning M1911 semi-automatic pistol.

It doesn't matter to the legislators in Utah that the sick bastard who shot up Tuscon, Arizona a few weeks ago was using a similar weapon - the Glock version of the semi-automatic pistol.

It doesn't matter to theses august souls that anyone can walk into a store in Georgia and buy 23 pistols and walk out the door, or that you or I can Google "AK-47" and in seconds be put in touch with hundreds of shops in America that will sell us a repeating automatic weapon of destruction for a very reasonable price and even ship it to us.

"Guns don't kill people. People kill people." is the mantra of the NRA.

Yes.

Yet, it's odd how often those people who kill people happen to have smoking guns in their hands when the killing happens.

Canada is not immune to this disease. But to date we are so far less a gun nation than the USA that one can only give thanks.

DIM BULBS

Confession.

I have taken to buying, hoarding and stockpiling incandescent light bulbs.

If I'm in Safeway or London Drugs and I'm basically buying food or computer toys, I now also throw in a few 40, 60 or 100 watters. Soon, I'll have to park on the street to make room for them all in the garage.

I think the new provincial and federal laws, which will soon see these efficient, little beauties disappear in the name of environmentalism, is wrong. Dead wrong.

Check out Craig McInnes' column in today's Sun, in which he presents cogent arguments that the politicians have even managed to get the SCIENCE WRONG.

HISTORY ON THE COURTS

Li Na broke new ground for China on Thursday, fighting back to topple world No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki 3-6 7-5 6-3 and become her country’s first grand slam finalist at the Australian Open.

Everybody had picked the entirely dull Dane to win the title.

Which made watching Li Na come back from match points down even more delicious than usual.

With the largest population in the world, China has yet to produce many serious tennis contenders. Peng Shai did very well on the women's side in Melbourne these past two weeks, but I can't think of a male tennis player who has broken through to the top ranks.

It happened in golf and it will no doubt happen soon enough in tennis.

It's hard to bet against the delightful, charming and down-to-earth Kim Clijsters (so many tennis players are certifiable flakes and nut cases, that Clijsters stands out not only for her superior play, but also for her grounded personality), but Li Na is a gutsy and talented player and she has an honest shot at this Slam title on Saturday night.