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.

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4:09 PM
A few months ago, the blogosphere was abuzz with the Onion's satire "Mom finds out about blog". The ultimate embarassing nightmare.

But this cool Mom not only knows about her 14-year-old daughter's blog, she supports it fully... and in fact, considers her daughter better educated and informed thanks to blogging (via Imshin):

So even if she hadn't received such an outpouring of support, I think Cecile's regular stops in the blogosphere would have served as an antidote to what happened at school this past Friday. Certainly if a teacher implies a student is a racist idiot one day, and by the next some 200 smart and articulate adults have said she's not and here's why, that rather counteracts the original lesson plan. Now that so many teens have blogs, concerns about doctrinaire teachers may be passé. Our sons and our daughters are beyond their control.

I think she's absolutely right. Kids are constantly warned about the dangers of the Internet and all the bad stuff that they can have access to. But what about the kids and teenagers who benefit from the Internet by having access to a multitude of viewpoints and perspectives on world events, political issues, and society? I happen to think that, all else being equal, the more access to information that students have, the better - at any age.

Now if only I could teach my mom how to program the VCR...

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11:00 AM
So if Don Cherry gets in trouble for making fun of Quebec, what will happen to Conan O'Brien?

"So you're French and Canadian, yes? So you're obnoxious and dumb," a satirical sock puppet told one passerby in a taped segment on Mr. O'Brien's show last night.

"You're in North America; learn the language," Triumph, the cigar-smoking dog, hollered at another Quebecker at the carnival.

Yep, that's gonna spell some big trouble for "let's pay him a million dollars to acknowledge Canada exists" Conan.

I'm more interested in another aspect of this whole thing: despite Conan's denials, Triumph is nothing but a ripoff of Ed the Sock.

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10:54 AM
I find myself having to link to Meryl yet again, this time on her views on the proposed constitutional amendment on gay marriage:

I don't think the Massachusetts court is an example of judicial activism. I think it's an example of the inevitability of the rights of American citizens being granted to all Americans.

It doesn't matter if some religions think it's a sin. The Constitution doesn't take religion into account when granting Americans equal protection under the law.

Read the rest.

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10:33 AM
So, on a scale of 1 to 10, just how credible is PM Paul Martin when he says he didn't know about the Chretien corruption scandal?

The prime minister said he will leave it to the judicial inquiry he announced this week to find out which crown corporation officials were complicit in the scam cited in auditor-general Sheila Fraser's report. But he left no doubt he intends to make those people pay.

[ . . . ]

Martin said any cabinet ministers who knew about the scandal but did not act should resign. He demanded anyone with information come forward.

Yep, and I bet he's going to offer a reward to find the "real killer" too.

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10:22 AM
Today is Friday the 13th, and some of you superstitious people are probably out there watching out for black cats or broken mirrors.

I'm not too worried, personally. After all, everyone knows that if my horoscope says it will be a good day, then there's nothing to fear.

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10:13 AM
NHL Hockey: Enjoy it while you can

That's the prevailant theme these days among hockey fans, as we watch this season with the knowledge that next season might not happen. A lockout is looking likely, cause the players and the owners can't seem to even sit down at the table together to talk, let alone come to an agreement.

The key issue is the players' union's absolute refusal to tolerate even mention of the words "salary cap", and the owners' insistance that some sort of salary regulation is necessary, as the situation is getting out of control. A strategically-timed report released today suggests that 76% of revenues were used to pay player salaries last season, and that most of the teams lost money - a total loss of $273 million.

If the owners lock out the players, they'll be the bad guys. And the players really do hold most of the cards here, because they can play elsewhere - Europe for example - while the owners spin their heels. But that doesn't make the Players' Association right.

A salary cap won't put any players in the poorhouse. Far from it. All it will do is keep salaries at a semi-reasonable level for those superstars that are making obscene amounts of dough. Talent is talent, but the game would be much more exciting if the small-market teams could afford to sign the top talent as well. (Mind you, recruiting big-name stars at high salaries hasn't exactly paid off for the Rangers...) But paying what the market will bear is one thing. Engaging in bidding wars that end up awarding guys like Jaromir Jagr $11 million a year. $11 million??? What can you buy with 11 that you can't buy with 10? A salary cap would allow all teams to have a fair shot at obtaining top talent, making the league more competitive and the seasons more exciting.

Sure, maybe this report was released a bit too conveniently to sway public opinion. But frankly, I think the players are going to have to face facts sooner or later. I hope they come to their senses before a lockout costs us fans the 2004-05 season.

In the meantime... Go Habs Go!

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2:36 PM
Meryl has the scoop on the only threatened Unilateral Declaration of Independance with less chance of being taken seriously than Quebec's.

Meryl wonders if the PA will also declare that unicorns exist. Personally, I'm much more curious as to whether they'd go after unicorns with suicide bombs because they're living on "Arab land".

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1:16 PM
Mon dieu la stupide France

Yep, good ol' France, as expected, overwhelmingly backed the ban of religious symbols from the classroom, thus endorsing what is arguably one of the best candidates for prominence on dumblaws.com:

France's National Assembly voted overwhelmingly Tuesday to banish religious emblems from state schools, a measure meant to keep tensions between Muslim and Jewish minorities out of public classrooms.

Deputies voted 494 to 36 to ban Muslim headscarves, Jewish skullcaps and large Christian crosses and to expel pupils who insisted on wearing them. It will not apply to private schools.

[ . . . ]

"What is at issue here is the clear affirmation that public school is a place for learning and not for militant activity or proselytism," Assembly Speaker Jean-Louis Debre said.

Er, no, what is at issue here is whether the public school system will actually deal with racism and militant activity, or whether it will just sweep it under the carpet. All this law will do is force Muslim girls out of the public system and into private Madrassas, where they will lose the opportunity to have a secular education. All this will do is force the militant wing of Islam underground in France, and insult all the mainstream Muslims by telling them that their symbol of faith is really a symbol of "militant activity".

France is attempting to solve a serious problem by pretending it doesn't exist, and we all know how well that works.

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6:22 PM
Unjustly overlooked:

Seems the people giving out the Brit Press Awards have overlooked the one person who clearly ought to be the rightful winner of the Young Journalist of the Year prize.

Tom, they may be a bunch of wankers. But I'll give you an honourary nomination right here. Maybe you'll garner votes as a write-in.

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10:13 PM
I saw the movie Girl with a Pearl Earring today. It was good. A bit slow, but great acting. Recommended.

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