Bud Talkinghorn: Weird Stories, Lebanon at the Abyss, Mike Weir

Weird stories

A woman who has amassed 125 parking tickets that she has refused to pay, was arrested. Her lawyer, according to that beacon of judicial wisdom, the CBC, thinks that she should not be jailed, but rather that the judge should apologize to her for any inconvenience she might have suffered.

Some kindly American girls offer free cookies to a woman, who later won a lawsuit agianst them for causing her an anxiety attack.

Twice today, the CBC has refused to use the "M***** " word when reporting terrorist bombing in Lebanon and the Philippines. They are unidentified "extremists". Maybe it was those nefarious cookie girls up to no good again.

A dead man, Ray Charles, is able to win the majority of the Grammy awards. What does that say about the morbidity rate of most modern music?

Another woman has tried to become a surrogate mother by excising a baby from a pregnant woman's womb. Fortunately, this one was excised from existence by the real mommy. Surely this is an issue for "the reluctant mother brigade" to consider championing. Why even go through that dreary bloated nine month period? Let somebody else do that drudge work; then exercise your rights. [ -- to choose? NJC insert here].

That's all, Folks -- © Bud Talkinghorn




Lebanon standing at the abyss

The assassination of ex-Prime Minister Hariri, could easily rekindle the bloodbath of Lebanon's 1974-1984 civil war period. All the former players in that conflict still sit behind their mountain redoubts, seething about past injustices and nursing revenge fantasies. The Sunnis hate the Shi'ites, who have usurped their power. Both sects hate the Druze, whom they consider apostates. And of course, the Maronite Christians hate all of them. [Hariri was mentioned in an article on CIDA grants; SNC Lavallin was involved and got out of what turned out to be a bad deal involving Hariri and a Lebanese post office scam. NJC]

Just when it looked as though Beirut was about to shake off its "The Sewer of the Middle East" designation and get back to its old reputation as "The Paris of the Middle East", this bombing scuttled that transformation. Some unknown nut job Islamic group has taken responsibility, claiming to oppose the "infidels and Saudis". Since Hariri had resigned his position over the continuing occupation of Lebanon by Syria, there is a widespread belief that Syria, or one of its proxies, was responsible. If there is to be violence stemming from this murder, let it be the entire Lebanese population rising as a united front and throwing out their Syrian invaders. Then they can stamp out that serpent in their midst, the Hezbollah. Here's hoping that something good comes out of this atrocity. Thoughts of Beirut and Lebanon before the civil war broke out generate warm feelings--now, the old Alcazar Hotel gone, the nearby St. George's, where the bomb was detonated, probably demolished too. Very sad.

© Bud Talkinghorn




Mike Weir has his eye on the ball again

It was a pleasure to watch Mike at the Pebble Beach Pro-Am. With the exception of a poor putting third round, he showed that he still has the right stuff. He might have tied Mickelson, had his superb birdie putts made that one extra roll. There was always the fear that Weir might have been a two year wonder--that the dreaded "Duval choke" disease had settled in. However, if he can take his last game's performance to the Nissen this week, he may become the only three-peat winner of that tournament in golf history. As they say in the theatre, "Break a leg, Phil." Only this time literally.

© Bud Talkinghorn