Blog about politics (mideast and pro-Israel, Canadian and local Montreal), world events, and random thoughts.

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The World I Know is updated on a semi-regular basis by segacs.

Think I'm the greatest thing since chocolate-covered strawberries? Think I'm certifiably insane? E-mail me at segacs2.at.yahoo.ca.

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Comments are open and unmoderated, although obscene or abusive remarks may be deleted. Opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of segacs's world i know.

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1:26 PM
Something's gotta be wrong with the world when the highest-paid male and female actors in Hollywood are, respectively, Adam Sandler and Cameron Diaz.

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12:26 PM
It's nice and comfortable riding this bandwagon.

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12:24 PM
A mosque bombing in Iraq left 75 dead and dozens more wounded:

A massive car bomb exploded at the Imam Ali mosque during Friday prayers in this holy city, killing 75 people, including one of Iraq's most important Shiite clerics.

Dozens were injured in the blast, which dug a crater more than one metre deep in the street in front of the mosque and destroyed nearby shops, where people pulled the dead and injured from the rubble.

Among the dead was Ayatollah Mohammed Baqir al-Hakim, who had just delivered a sermon calling for Iraqi unity at the shrine, the holiest in Iraq.

And besides al-Hakim, how many of the victims of the bombing will ever be named by an international media more concerned with analyzing the political implications than with the fact that there are 75 people dead?

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11:07 AM
There's been another attack in Israel. Shalom Hamelech was shot and his wife Limor, 7 months pregnant, was wounded and taken to hospital for an emergency C-section, after Al Aqsa Martyrs' Brigade gunmen opened fire on them.

I don't know him, or his family. I have no connection to them whatsoever. But reading about his death, it struck me that far too many victims of terror become nameless and faceless to us. Shalom Hamelech was 25 years old. He had a young family, including a 14-month baby and a new baby on the way. He had parents, friends, loved ones, and hopes and dreams. And he was killed because he was hated simply for being Jewish.

The media splashes the bus bombings on front pages, but attacks where only one or two people are killed go largely unnoticed. This leads to a dangerous devaluation of human life, whereupon one dead Jew isn't enough of a big deal for the large headlines - there've got to be ten, or twenty, or a hundred. People react emotionally when there are babies or children killed. The North American press makes a big stink if Americans are killed. Everyone knows the name Marla Bennett. We all remember Shalhevet Pass. But in a month, who - outside his friends and family - will remember the name of Shalom Hamelech?

I've posted this link before but I think it bears a repeat post: How quickly the names and lives and faces of the victims of terrorism are forgotten. How easily we relegate them to the status of a number or a statistic.

The Palestinian groups name schools and summer camps after their suicide bombers, and hold parades in their honour. Palestinian parents name their children after terrorists, hoping that they, too, will grow up to aspire to the "lofty" achievement of murdering Jews.

We, on the other hand, know that the victims of terrorism - innocent though they may be - are not martyrs. Some were heroes, like the security guards who wrestled with bombers to prevent them from entering crowded establishments. Others were just in the wrong place at the wrong time. They were ordinary people, living ordinary lives. And that's exactly the point. To pretend otherwise would be to diminish their memories.

Once in a while, it's important to see the faces of those lost, to remember what the whole point is in the first place.

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3:05 PM
From the absurd to the ridiculous:

A group of Egyptians is launching a lawsuit against the Jews, alleging that in the biblical exodus from ancient Egypt, the Jews stole gold and property (via Eric, Adam):

Dr. Nabil Hilmi, a dean at the University of Al-Zaqaziq, said Egyptian expatriates in Switzerland are mounting a massive lawsuit against "all Jews around the world" that seeks compensation for "tons" of gold they claim was stolen during the Jews' exodus out of the country.

Hilmi described the suit in an interview with the Egyptian weekly Al-Ahram Al-Arabi.

"Since the Jews make various demands of the Arabs and the world, and claim rights that they base on historical and religious sources, a group of Egyptians in Switzerland has opened the case of the so-called 'great exodus of the Jews from Pharaonic Egypt.' At that time, they stole from the Pharaonic Egyptians gold, jewelry, cooking utensils, silver ornaments, clothing, and more, leaving Egypt in the middle of the night with all this wealth, which today is priceless," Hilmi told the paper, according to a translation by the Middle East Media Research Institute.

[ . . . ]

Hilmi estimates the nominal value of the 300 tons of gold purportedly stolen 5,758 years ago would be astronomically large. He figures the value doubled every 20 years and conservatively tacks on 5 percent interest.

Okay, never mind that the ancient Egyptians aren't the same people as the modern ones . . . or that the bible isn't exaclty admissable evidence in a modern court of law. But what I really want to know is, can the Jews counter-sue Egypt for 210 (or 400, depending on the interpretation) years of slavery?

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11:22 AM
Hamas is upping the ante by launching rockets into the Israeli city of Ashkelon:

The Qassam rocket slammed into an industrial zone in the coastal city of Ashkelon, 5.5 miles from the Gaza Strip, the army said. It was the furthest a Qassam had been fired into Israel since a Palestinian uprising for statehood began in 2000.

The rocket attack on the city of 116,000 could mark the crossing of a red line for Israel, which fears similar strikes from the West Bank against the nearby densely populated center of the country.

In the meantime, the Palestinian Authority is making a show of their so-called attempt to rein in the terrorists:

A Palestinian security official in Gaza said Palestinian forces had rushed to the area where a Hamas squad had fired the rocket at Ashkelon, preventing it from launching more rockets.

"There was a chase and a shootout," the official told Reuters. "Our forces are still searching the area in the northern Gaza Strip."

[ . . . ]

In an apparent clampdown on Hamas affecting thousands of needy Palestinians, the Palestinian Monetary Authority said it had frozen 39 bank accounts held by 12 Islamic charities, most of which are widely believed to be Hamas-sponsored.

By the straight way that Reuters reported this claim, it's clear that the media is buying the PA's act - hook, line, and sinker. It should be obvious to anyone who knows anything about the Middle East that this supposed "clampdown" is just for show, and should be taken about as seriously as Yasser Arafat's "condemnations" of terror attacks that he bankrolled and ordered in the first place.

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12:06 AM
Just got back from the Live show at Metropolis. Wow that was a great concert!

I've seen Live four times now, and each time just keeps getting better.

They played most of their hits and a lot from the new album. Definate highlights were Selling the Drama, Lightning Crashes, and The Dolphin's Cry. The band played two encores, and even that wasn't enough for the crowd, who had been lining up around the block for hours before the show.

Even Emm Gryner wasn't half bad as an opening act. Obviously, none of the fans knew or cared who she was, but at least she put on a decent effort. (Although her slow piano cover of Ozzy's "Crazy Train" was just plain wrong.)

After it was over, I waited by the tour bus and got autographs and photos from Ed and Adam. Chad, Patrick, and Chad went straight into the van and didn't stop to chat, but I guess they were tired, and they're heading to Holland next. But Ed was very gracious, chatting with all the fans and signing autographs.

A good concert can make you forget the real world and just live in the moment for a couple of hours. By those standards, this show was absolutely amazing!

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12:02 PM
No disrespect intended here, but isn't idol worship prohibited by Christianity?

A Ten Commandments monument at the center of a bitter dispute over the constitutional separation of church and state was removed from public view on Wednesday in Alabama's state judicial building.

[ . . . ]

Some protesters were distraught over the removal of the monument. One protester screamed "Put it back, put it back" as others in front of the judicial building tried to calm him down.

I mean, it's a monument. It's a piece of granite. And while I believe that separation of church and state means that it has no place in a judicial building, normally I can see the other side of the argument too. But in this case, it's people worshipping a big rock. That's their right, of course, but I was under the (perhaps mistaken) impression that it went against their religion too.

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12:13 AM
Big comeback win for the Expos tonight. And I like to think it's all because of my presence :)

Actually, I've always been more of a hockey fan, and I tend to roll my eyes at the Expos' woes and just figure that it's time for the team to move on already. But this season I've been to two games, and I actually had a great time watching the Expos pummel the Phillies each time.

Maybe it's because the fans seem more grassroots, as opposed to the Habs' fans who need a big screen to tell them when to start the wave or make noise. Maybe it's because both games were close, exciting winners. Or maybe I'm just a baseball fan in denial.

Either way, Go Expos!

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1:00 PM
The latest from the Pierre Bourque twisted logic file: stall tactics on the demerger issue:

Bourque announced his Vision Montreal party is asking the provincial Liberal government to delay demerger votes until the next Montreal municipal election, scheduled for November 2005, because it would be "anti-democratic" to start the demerger process before the city council can complete its term.

"It would invalidate the 2001 election. ... It's against our tradition to not respect the vote," said Bourque, the opposition leader at city hall, as he unveiled a brief he will present at National Assembly hearings next month.

More like it would "invalidate" Bourque's attempt to get back into power before the demerger would go through. Funny how he's suddenly all up in arms about something being "anti-democratic", isn't it?

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12:50 PM
If only the student union at Concordia spent more time focusing on issues like this and less on petty squabbles about the mideast . . .

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10:14 AM
Martin Wasserman writes that Israel has been in denial about the nature of this war (via Israpundit). He claims that:

Israel's goal must not be peace, but victory, because without victory there can never be peace.

So far, so good. But then he goes on to say that:

The Palestinians and their supporters seek a war of annihilation against us. We must deal with them as they deal with us. We must stop trying to differentiate between good and bad Palestinians, just as they don't make that distinction among Jews.

I couldn't disagree more.

Because you see, that's letting them win. That's letting those who preach hatred and intolerance and racism vanquish those who would seek peace.

There's no way out of this mess by simply trying to destroy the terrorist evil. Destoy it, yes. By all means. But the effort must be two-pronged. There needs to be a simultaneous development of a new movement on the Palestinian side - a peace movement. You simply can't trap three and a half million people in a lousy situation and not present them with a way out - your way out. Because they'll simply gravitate towards the way out that is the worst possible way for you.

Wasserman claims that we must stop saying that the Arabs want to live in peace, because each terrorist bombing proves that they don't. And I agree with him that the current Palestinian leadership is corrupt and supporting terrorism, the terrorist groups are gaining popularity, and Israel's in for a big mess. The percentages of Palestinians who support suicide bombings, who think the intifada should continue, and who don't see an option of ever living in peace with Israel are far too high. They hate us. They hate not just Israelis, but Jews. And there is no excuse for terror, and the world is in serious denial about the so-called "root causes" of Palestinian terrorism. Israel is fighting a war and the ultimate aim of war must be victory. On these points, no disagreement from me.

But the aim of victory must be peace. It may not be right or fair that Israel has to concern itself with the aftermath of smashing the infrastructures of Hamas or the Islamic Jihad. But it's certainly in Israel's best interest to be concerned. We must continue to make individual distinctions, even if they won't. We must continue to reach out our hands to anyone brave enough to speak out for peace, in hopes that these tiny seedling movements will grow. We have to encourage the emergence of another way out for the Palestinians. We mustn't become like them - those who would kill all hope - because that lets them win.

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12:14 AM
More on the so-called "right of return" from Efraim Karsh, who calls it a euphamism for annihilation:

While for most Western observers the term "occupation" describes Israel's control of the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, areas that it conquered during the Six-Day war of June 1967, for Palestinians and Arabs the Israeli presence in these territories represents only the latest chapter in an uninterrupted story of "occupations," dating back to the very creation of Israel on "stolen" land. Hence the "right of return" is meant to reverse the effects of the "1948 occupation" - that is, the establishment of the State of Israel itself.

There has been no objective more transparent than the Palestinian leadership's goal of erradicating Israel. Whether through wars, terrorism, the "right of return", or any other ploy, this objective has been stated loudly and clearly for everyone to hear.

So then why is the world so stubbornly blind to it? Maybe because we want to believe that a peaceful two-state solution is not only possible, but imminent? Maybe because from our perspective, we would give up territory for peace, so we expect their side to do the same?

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12:06 AM
Mark Steyn on the UN bombing in Baghdad:

At the moment, there's only one hyperpower (the United States), one great power (the United Kingdom) and one regional power (Australia) that are serious about the threat of Islamist terrorism. There's also Israel, of course, but Israel's disinclination to have its bus passengers blown to smithereens is seen as evidence of its ''obstinacy'' and unwillingness to get the ''peace process'' back ''on track.'' What a difference it would make if one or two other G-7 nations were to get serious about the battle and be a reliable vote in international councils. But who? France? It's all business to them, unless al-Qaida are careless enough to blow up the Eiffel Tower. Canada? Canadians get blown up in Bali, murdered in Iran, tortured in Saudi Arabia, die in the rubble of the UN building in Baghdad--and their government shrugs. Belgium? They'd rather issue a warrant for Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld than Chemical Ali.

Yeah, read the whole thing.

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9:59 AM
The latest idiocy from France: "No proof" that Hamas and Islamic Jihad are terror groups:

France voices objections to placing Hamas and Islamic Jihad on the European Union's list of terror organizations, ynet reported Monday.

Diplomatic advisor to President Chirac, Maurice Gourdault-Montagne, is quoted to have said to the Israeli ambassador in France, Nissim Zvilli, that there is no proof that these two organizations are terror groups. "If we find that Hamas and Islamic Jihad are indeed terror groups opposed to peace, we may have to change the EU's stand," said Gourdault-Montagne. "However, we mustn't limit ourselves to one, clear cut, position."

Let's recap, shall we? Hundreds of suicide attacks launched by these groups. Thousands of innocent civilians murdered by them in cold blood. The first line of their charters stating an unequivocal opposition to peace.

"No proof"??? What on earth more could France possibly need?

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9:56 AM
There have been two bombings in Mumbay, India. At least 46 are dead and over 100 injured:

One of the blasts occurred near the colonial-era Gateway to India monument -- a famous landmark and popular tourist attraction -- during lunch-hour.

Another blast struck in or close to one of the city's main Hindu temples.

The explosive devices were inside the trunks of two taxis, police said.

No group has yet claimed responsibility for the blasts, which occurred during the busy lunch time period, but police say they suspect militant Islamic groups who have been blamed in the past for several bomb attacks in Mumbai.

The reaction of the news media seems to be less shock than tiredness, with the whole religious conflict that has cost far too many lives already and threatens to cost many more. The latest flare-up seems to be the release of an archeological report about a Muslim mosque site that Hindus claim used to hold a Hindu temple. But this is yet another chapter in the seemingly endless saga.

And of course, if it's not the Middle East, then it doesn't get front page attention. Maybe it takes an incident like this for the world to notice. Cold comfort to the families of the killed and injured.

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11:58 PM
Segacs sells out!

That's right, you heard correctly. I don't accept any money or donations for this site - not even to pay for the hosting - but I've decided that if you really insist on showing me some appreciation, I won't object too much.

To that end, I've posted a link to my Amazon Wish List. I promise to be eternally grateful if you should decide to send me a gift. And if you don't want to send me anything off that list, I'm also a chocoholic . . .

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9:18 PM
Hey check it out: Israpundit has featured me as their "site of the week"! I'm honoured.

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9:15 PM
It struck me yesterday how much I absolutely love this city in the summertime. Everyone emerges from hibernation, and it becomes a city of festivals, sidewalk cafes, street performances, and a general spirit of "joie de vive" that belies our underground winter gloom. Just walking around downtown, seeing everyone outside enjoying the night, keeps reminding me of just how good we've got it here, even despite all the shtick.

But with the first drop in temperature yesterday, and it hit me that summer is winding down. Labour day weekend is in a week, and while for me it means little, because work continues as usual, other people are heading back to the classroom or even leaving Montreal. The "lazy hazy crazy days of summer" are drawing to a close . . . and soon enough, winter will be upon us and we'll be wistfully remembering the nice weather and warm temperatures.

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