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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3:30 PM
Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence

I'm not absent. I'm just tied up with stuff in my work and personal life. Blogging will hopefully get back to a regular schedule shortly.

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11:07 PM
Players cave, but still no deal

The NHLPA swerved first in the salary cap game of chicken that the two sides have been playing for months. But there's still no deal.

I'd initially been annoyed with the players for refusing to acknowledge that they couldn't keep earning NBA salaries with NHL revenues. But their willingness - albeit last-minute - to remove their opposition on principle to a salary cap showed clearly that they are willing to compromse. In theory, all that's left now is haggling over the numbers.

However, the owners' stubbornness is only an indication that they have no real interest in reviving hockey. This season is a wash no matter what, but next season and beyond will suffer too. The hockey strike has possibly killed - and certainly severely crippled - the NHL. The players today showed for the first time that they are willing to talk seriously about a deal. The owners, on the other hand, seem unwilling to accept any responsibility for the league's dire financial straits.

What gets me is how unnecessary this whole thing was. Nobody will win with this strike - not the owners, not the players, and certainly not the fans. Everyone loses.

The hockey season is taking longer to be declared dead than Yasser Arafat. It's enough already. It's February 15th. Just bury the season and move on. Please.

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12:20 PM
Bloody Monday

Three bombings in the Philippines have killed 11 people so far and wounded at least 130:

Security forces quickly blamed Abu Sayyaf, a small Muslim rebel group associated with al Qaeda, for the improvised bomb in General Santos and a grenade attack at a bus terminal in Davao that killed a young boy.

In Manila, six people were killed in an explosion on a bus at a commuter terminal near the crowded Glorietta mall, major hotels and the nation's financial and diplomatic core.

"There's a strong possibility the attacks could all be linked," said Norberto Gonzales, the national security adviser.

"They have admitted two. We will know more later."

Also, a car bomb in Lebanon killed at least 13 people, including former Lebanese Prime Minister (and presumptive target) Rafik al-Hariri:

A previously unknown Islamist group said in a videotape aired by Al Jazeera television that it carried out the attack because of Hariri's support for the Saudi government. The claim could not be confirmed.

Hariri had remained politically influential since his resignation and recently joined opposition calls for Syrian troops to quit Lebanon in the run-up to a May general election.

Widespread speculation that the Syrians are involved cannot yet be confirmed, but I wouldn't be too surprised. There's a long tradition among terrorist governments to dissociate themselves with the bands of terrorists that they directly fund and control.

And I will never stop wondering why there aren't massive international "end the occupation" rallies against Syria's occupation of Lebanon.

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10:53 AM
"Red Ken" does it again

Ken Livingstone, London's mayor, seems to have an incurable case of foot-in-mouth disease. This time, he is refusing to apologize after calling a Jewish journalist a German concentration camp guard (via Damian Penny):

Ken Livingstone today refused to apologise for his "German war criminal" jibe delivered to a Jewish Evening Standard reporter.

His refusal came as he was referred to an official standards watchdog for comparing reporter Oliver Finegold to a "concentration camp guard".

It also came despite a unanimous call by the London Assembly for him to back down and withdraw his remarks.

The fact that a politician could make those kinds of remarks on the record, in a friggin' microphone, baffles me. And his unabashed attitude reminds me that these things don't happen in a vacuum. With heightened levels of antisemitism in the UK, Livingstone's remarks are that much worse. He may have just been seeking an insult against a reporter he didn't like, but that doesn't excuse or justify what he said.

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10:27 AM
Happy Hallmark Holiday

Once again, it's the holiday for people who seem to require a "day" in order to express romance.

And once again, I will roll my eyes and go back to my daily life.

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9:47 AM
Wal-Mart evil union buster?

The news all weekend has been about the Wal-Mart's decision to close its first unionized store in North America.

The decision was immediately decried as union-busting by an evil US corporate giant. The union is filing suit against the company for "bad faith bargaining and unfair labour practices". Bernard Landry called for a boycott of non-unionized Wal-Marts. Two Wal-Mart stores even received bomb threats.

Amidst all the hoopla, one fact is being lost in the shuffle: Wal-Mart tried to negotiate with the union for 4 months before making the decision to close:

Wal-Mart Canada spokesman Andrew Pelletier said that anyone who assumes the decision was made as an attempt to bust the union "doesn't understand what went on over the past few months. "This store could easily have closed months ago and we didn't do that. We made a determination we were going to bargain in good faith."

[ . . . ]

Pelletier said the company and the union had been trying since last October to reach a collective agreement that would allow the store to continue operating.

If Wal-Mart was simply trying to bust unions, they would have closed in October, instead of spending months trying to negotiate. In all that time, however, the union didn't budge an inch, making it patently obvious that the union's negotiaters weren't looking for a workable settlement; instead, they were trying to make a political point.

Unfortunately, this is the situation with far too many union negotiations. Workers in unionized environments may want to collaborate with management for the good of everyone, but are barred from doing so by politically-motivated union leaders who love media attention more than they care about their members.

But of course, this is lost on Sue Montgomery, who wants to start a campaign to kick all of Wal-Mart out of Canada:

I propose a movement to run all Wal-Marts out of the province and, eventually, out of the country. They're a blight on our communities, squeezing out local business, bullying workers, and globally, pulling wages down to the lowest common denominator.

Here's a thought: people like paying less for stuff. Why do you think Wal-Mart has grown by leaps and bounds? I wonder if Sue Montgomery really thinks that her column will stir the masses to abandon Wal-Mart and instead buy inferior products at higher prices to show solidarity with the unions? Yeah right.

To quote Terry and Ted on CHOM this morning, "I wonder what colour her sky is"?

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