Okay, let's get back on track here. I think I owe it to, um, well...I guess I owe it to nobody, but I want to comment on the two major stories of the last few weeks: The death of the pope and Gomery.

On the death of the pope, I can only say that so much heat and light has been thrown off on the subject that you can find nothing but commentary on him. I don't know which of John Paul II's several legacies to history, both within and without the Catholic Church, will ultimately be seen as most important, but if I had to guess, I'd probably guess his "culture of life" pronouncements.

As for papabile, almost everything you have heard is probably crap. There's a fair chance that the next pope will be a man that none of the recent coverage has mentioned. The worst story I've read so far was a half-assed bit of gossip published in the April 5 Vancouver Sun, which suggested the Pope might actually have died on Friday, not Saturday, but that "conservative" forces within the hierarchy witheld this information in order to allow more time for mourners and pilgrims to flock to the Vatican, apparently in hopes of influencing the conclave to elect the pope. Say what?

On the Gomery inquiry, the revelations have been remarkable. The big ramification is not going to be the possible (probable?) downfall of the current Liberal government. In my opinion, it's the huge opportunity the Liberals handed to Quebec separatists by basically proving to be detestably corrupt.

On the specifics of what is being revealed in the Gomery inquiry, oh dear. I think that about covers it.

Now, on to stuff I've seen recently:

Early Superman cartoons

Mom's Cancer, the must-read true comic-strip story of the author's mom's cancer. Yes, I know. Go read it anyway.

Submitted without comment: Douglas College is geting a substantial new building.

Personal life is about the same. Need to work on focus. Next bike race is a 16 km TT next weekend. Time trials: the choice of connoisseurs of suffering.