This particular saxophone had sentimental as well as musical value: in 1965, some of his colleagues at the Tulane medical centre in New Orleans had a whip-round and told him to buy whatever he most needed to replace what hurricane Betsy had destroyed earlier that year. Doc was a lab technician by day and a jazz saxophonist by night, bringing in a much-needed second income for his growing family. So he bought himself the Selmer Mark VI.

The Senate's decision on Tuesday to criminalise young women who go to another state to have an abortion without their parents' consent marks not only another legislative victory for anti-choice advocates but also illustrates their strategic aim. The new law could land those who seek to help them find an abortion without their parents' consent- say a pastor or grandparent - with up to a year in prison.

In ethics as in life there are often no easy choices. In Portugal the "modernising" socialist premier says he draws inspiration from Blair; in France the centre-right president draws Blair's ire. You say reformer, I say reactionary; you say Gaullist, I say Blairite - let's call the whole thing off. Given such marginal ethical differences, the French deserve the benefit of the doubt. A win for Zidane and co will bring the French out into the streets. And when the French take to the streets, anything can happen.

The orgy of flag-waving patriotism spawned by Germany's success is creepy. True, Germany has done a better job of reckoning with its recent history than the Italians - who had Mussolini's heirs in government until recently - or most other European nations, including Britain. But brandishing your flag when your nation is winning is opportunism; keeping it hoisted when they lose is patriotism. Frankly, both 'isms suck. Meanwhile Germany's centre-right chancellor, Angela Merkel, is trying to exploit the euphoria, claiming the victories created a "new opportunity" for the country. If Germany wins we won't see the end of her. If Italy wins we may never see Berlusconi again.