Zoned Out

The 2006 Zoners convention (the tenth annual) is over and I’m more than a little sad. For three fun days I played bridge and socialized with a group of wonderful people, many of whom I knew but none I had ever met in person. These were the folks from the MSN Zone bridge site. There were Maurice and Pam from British Columbia, Jim and Peg from North Carolina, Gothichouseman from Wisconsin, Chickadee from Texas, Doc from Newport beach and Glowie from Tampa bay, Richardrls from Kansas, Nancybt (our gracious host) from California and many more. Best of all was meeting Maggie.

Marianne from South Carolina is one of my two regular partners on the Zone (Judy from Texas is the other) and we had a ball. Maggie stayed over a day to see the sights and I showed her Palos Verdes: We hiked down to the beach at Ocean Trails and lunched at “The Donald’s” golf course; toured the Peninsula Center Library and Maggie took my picture in front of my (Trustee) picture; visited the Point Vicente Interpretive Center; dined with Lee at Aimee’s; sweated in the spa, and she left on the red-eye last night. Maggie called it “Pala Verdae” in the style of a Southern belle. Memorable!!

We’re all bummed out because MSN Zone is shutting down and we need to find another site to play bridge at. What’s wrong with that Bill Gates? We’re hoping that the yearly Zoners convention will continue under a new name.

One of the treats of the convention was the ability to zone out the messy world of politics and war. We knew that the Zarqawi guy was bombed (Way to go US and Iraqi military!!) but did not care to know the details.

The Mounties in Toronto had just busted a cell of Muslims planning a bombing three times more powerful than Oklahoma City. The ACLU was fretting about the interception of the bomber’s emails, but that’s just the ACLU.

Al Gore was telling whoppers again, but somehow it didn’t matter. The World Cup was starting and America has a team in it. I heard that Mexico was playing Iran in the first round. Interesting, I guess.

Then I stopped at Starbucks this morning. Davey tells me about the Allan Colmes contention (on Hannity’s show) that the world is worse off with Zarqawi dead. Now the Islamo-fascists are going to get really mad. My blood pressure is rising.

In the LA Rag, I find that questions remain about Zarqawi's final minutes, and the U.S. denies accounts saying that the terrorist was beaten by American troops before he died; three prisoners at Gitmo were found hanging in their cells and human rights advocates are again urging an immediate shut-down.

Also, the U.S. foot-dragging fuels global warming; by the time we get proof of climate change, it will be too late to reverse course. But pollution from Chinese coal casts a Global Shadow. It makes your head hurt.

And Gita, the 48-year-old female elephant (who had become the focus of a controversy over whether the giant animals should stay in zoos), died yesterday. Finally, something I care about.

And Mexico just beat Iran 3-1. Ahmadinewhackjob can stay home with the Ayatollahs.