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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11:48 PM
Habs tracker

Theo signed a 3-year deal with the Habs today, quelling rumours about trades and setting up his future with the team.

I feel much better now. As soon as we ink Ryder, I'll be feeling pretty good.

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9:36 AM
More ways to help

We're seeing blogbursts, celebrity fundraising drives and desperate appeals for help for Hurricane Katrina relief. Plenty of organizations are collecting funds, including Federation CJA, who is collecting on behalf of UJC.

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11:46 AM
"Red Ken" Livingstone taken to task

London's mayor will face a disciplinary hearing for his comments comparing a Jewish reporter to a Nazi concentration camp guard:

Mayor of London Ken Livingstone could be banned from office for up to five years for likening an Evening Standard reporter to a Nazi concentration camp guard if he is found guilty by an independent panel.

Livingstone will have to attend a disciplinary hearing, which will decide whether he is guilty of failing to treat others with respect, or bringing his office into disrepute.

The decision to refer the dispute for adjudication was announced by local government watchdog the Standards Board for England, which said yesterday that it had "concluded that the issue should now be considered at a hearing held by the independent Adjudication Panel for England".

The panel, whose members are appointed by the lord chancellor Lord Falconer, has the power to ban people from office and to instruct those brought before it to make an apology. A public hearing is expected to take place this December, during which Livingstone has the right to bring in his own legal team.

(Via Lynn).

Update: I should probably mention that I'm generally uncomfortable with hate speech laws even where there is clear evidence of real antisemitism (see my postings on David Ahenakew, for example), and that arguably Livingstone's comments were just idiotic, not necessarily evidence of the kind of virulent antisemitism that someone like Ahenakew displays. Furthermore, I don't really agree with the idea of forcibly removing someone from office for making hateful comments. Theoretically, if someone holds and spews such views openly, and the people vote for him anyway, then those people are getting exactly the leadership that they deserve. Such is democracy.

Anyway, I'm fairly sure that all the panel will do is possibly censure him or force an apology. But I'm concerned of what message about freedom of speech it will send if they impose harsher penalties - and about what message about antisemitism it will send if they find him not guilty.

It's not entirely a lose-lose situation, though; the panel is evidence that the British government is taking antisemitism seriously, and holding elected officials to a higher standard. And, in the publicity this is sure to generate, at least more people will see Ken Livingstone's true colours. Maybe it will affect their behaviour next time they go to the polls, and they'll kick him out on his arse and vote in someone more worthy.

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6:39 PM
In the news / news you'd never see

In the news:

A Jewish settler in the West Bank has been indicted by an Israeli court in the shooting deaths of four Palestinians in northern Israel earlier this month.

News you'd never see:

A Palestinian terrorist in the West Bank has been indicted by a Palestinian court in the shooting deaths of four Israelis in northern Israel earlier this month.

What is it that Meryl always calls situations like these? Oh yeah, IDST: Israel Double-Standard Time.

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6:31 PM
Why does this sound like a really bad idea?

Israel will be entrusting the Egyptians with the task of ensuring border security in Gaza:

The Israeli parliament on Wednesday approved a deal to hand control of a buffer zone along the Gaza-Egypt border to Egyptian security forces after Israel completes its pullout from the territory.

The agreement, sanctioning the deployment of 750 Egyptian border police on the Egyptian side of the Gaza frontier to replace Israeli troops stationed in the volatile "Philadelphi Corridor," passed by a vote of 53-28, the Knesset said.

This deal has been in place for about a month, and you can bet that the Islamic Jihad and Hamas have been busily recruiting, threatening or bribing Egyptian officials in preparation for the opening of the floodgates.

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6:27 PM
And closer to home

Here in Montreal, the chief effects of Hurricane Katrina have been a bit of rain and higher gas prices. Not much of a price to pay, considering.

It's times like this when I'm grateful to live in Montreal; we may get cold weather and ice storms, but at least we avoid the more disastrous weather phenomena such as earthquakes, tsunamis or hurricanes.

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1:43 PM
Katrina relief efforts

To make a donation to the relief efforts for Hurricane Katrina, the Canadian Red Cross is accepting donations.

Update: Most official estimates say hundreds of people have likely been killed as a result of Katrina. The mayor of New Orleans fears that the death toll may run into the thousands as the city prepares to evacuate tens of thousands of residents to Houston. Estimates are that most of New Orleans will be uninhabitable for months.

Update #2: At least two radio stations have decided to pull the song I've been ironically humming for days off the air for the moment:

Ottawa's rock radio stations The Bear 106.9 and CHEZ 106.1 have both decided to pull The Tragically Hip classic New Orleans is Sinking from their playlists at least until Hurricane Katrina abates and the Louisiana city gets back on its feet.

Am I the only one who finds the song suddenly more appropriate?

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1:41 PM
The blog meme to make you shudder

This blog meme is floating around asking people to go here, find the top 100 songs from the year they graduated high school, and list them crossing out those you hated and underlining the ones you really liked.

Most of mine, not too surprisingly, are cross-outs; songs that do well on the charts rarely appeal to me. Especially by 1997, when all the early-to-mid 90s good music was over. But here goes:

1. Candle In The Wind 1997, Elton John - I liked the original but the remake in the wake of Princess Diana's death was cheap and exploitive.
2. Foolish Games / You Were Meant For Me, Jewel
3. I'll Be Missing You, Puff Daddy and Faith Evans - this was when he was still called "Puff Daddy" and was just discovering how filthy-rich you can make it in the music biz by ripping off someone else's work. At least Elton John (see #1) was only plagiarizing himself.
4. Un-Break My Heart, Toni Braxton
5. Can't Nobody Hold Me Down, Puff Daddy
6. I Believe I Can Fly, R. Kelly
7. Don't Let Go (Love), En Vogue
8. Return Of The Mack, Mark Morrison
9. How Do I Live, LeAnn Rimes
10. Wannabe, Spice Girls - I actually had a whole website at the time dedicated to my hatred of the Spice Girls... and of the Backstreet Boys (see #11).
11. Quit Playing Games (With My Heart), Backstreet Boys
12. MMMBop, Hanson - a classic SNL skit defined "torture" as being forced to listen to this repeatedly.
13. For You I Will, Monica
14. You Make Me Wanna..., Usher
15. Bitch, Meredith Brooks - Yep, that's me
16. Nobody Keith Sweat
17. Semi-Charmed Life, Third Eye Blind
18. Barely Breathing, Duncan Sheik
19. Hard To Say I'm Sorry, Az Yet Featuring Peter Cetera
20. Mo Money Mo Problems, Notorious B.I.G.
21. The Freshmen, Verve Pipe
22. I Want You, Savage Garden
23. No Diggity, BLACKstreet Featuring Dr. Dre
24. I Belong To You (Every Time I See Your Face), Rome
25. Hypnotize, Notorious B.I.G.
26. Every Time I Close My Eyes, Babyface
27. In My Bed, Dru Hill
28. Say You'll Be There, Spice Girls
29. Do You Know (What It Takes), Robyn
30. 4 Seasons Of Loneliness, Boyz II Men
31. G.H.E.T.T.O.U.T., Changing Faces
32. Honey, Mariah Carey
33. I Believe In You And Me, Whitney Houston
34. Da' Dip, Freaknasty
35. 2 Become 1, Spice Girls
36. All For You, Sister Hazel
37. Cupid, 112
38. Where Have All The Cowboys Gone?, Paula Cole
39. Sunny Came Home, Shawn Colvin - this won the Grammy that year if I recall correctly; I still can't figure out why, cause it's fairly mediocre
40. It's Your Love, Tim McGraw and Faith Hill
41. Ooh Aah... Just A Little Bit, Gina G
42. Mouth, Merril Bainbridge
43. All Cried Out, Allure Featuring 112
44. I'm Still In Love With You, New Edition
45. Invisible Man, 98 Degrees
46. Not Tonight, Lil' Kim
47. Look Into My Eyes, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony
48. Get It Together, 702
49. All By Myself, Celine Dion
50. It's All Coming Back To Me Now, Celine Dion - it's all coming back to me just how much I can't stand Celine Dion
51. My Love Is The Shhh!, Somethin' For The People
52. Where Do You Go, No Mercy
53. I Finally Found Someone, Barbra Streisand and Bryan Adams - normally I like Bryan Adams but come on
54. I'll Be, Foxy Brown Featuring Jay-Z
55. If It Makes You Happy, Sheryl Crow
56. Never Make A Promise, Dru Hill
57. When You Love A Woman, Journey
58. Up Jumps Da Boogie, Magoo And Timbaland
59. I Don't Want To / I Love Me Some Him, Toni Braxton
60. Everyday Is A Winding Road, Sheryl Crow
61. Cold Rock A Party, Mc Lyte
62. Pony, Ginuwine
63. Building A Mystery, Sarah McLachlan - I'm a fan but this isn't one of my fave songs
64. I Love You Always Forever, Donna Lewis
65. Your Woman, White Town
66. C U When U Get There, Coolio
67. Change The World, Eric Clapton
68. My Baby Daddy, B-Rock and The Bizz
69. Tubthumping, Chumbawamba - gave Hanson a run for their money for most annoyingly awful song of the year.
70. Gotham City, R. Kelly
71. Last Night, Az Yet
72. ESPN Presents The Jock Jam, Various Artists
73. Big Daddy, Heavy D
74. What About Us, Total
75. Smile, Scarface
76. What's On Tonight, Montell Jordan
77. Secret Garden, Bruce Springsteen
78. The One I Gave My Heart, w Aaliyah
79. Fly Like An Eagle, Seal
80. No Time, Lil' Kim
81. Naked Eye, Luscious Jackson
82. Macarena (Bayside Boys Mix), Los Del Rio - was this the remake? I remember the Macarena being earlier than 1997.
83. On and On, Erykah Badu
84. Don't Wanna Be A Player, Joe
85. I Shot The Sheriff, Warren G
86. You Should Be Mine (Don't Waste Your Time), Brian McKnight Featuring Mase
87. Don't Cry For Me Argentina, Madonna
88. Someone, SWV
89. Go The Distance, Michael Bolton
90. One More Time, Real McCoy
91. Butta Love, Next
92. Coco Jamboo, Mr. President
93. Twisted, Keith Sweat
94. Barbie Girl, Aqua
95. When You're Gone / Free To Decide, Cranberries
96. Let Me Clear My Throat, DJ Kool
97. I Like It, Blackout Allstars
98. You're Makin' Me High / Let It Flow, Toni Braxton
99. You Must Love Me, Madonna
100. Let It Go, Ray J

As I suspected, that's 85 strikeouts on a list of 100 songs. Of those I didn't strike, I was generously indifferent in several cases and only found two I could tentatively underline; even those were a stretch.

I move that 1997 be nominated the worst year in music history.

Update: On second thought, there was plenty of excellent music in 1997. None of it made the charts, though. But I was having a very good music year in my personal history then. I attended my first three Collective Soul concerts that year, for example. The problem wasn't with the music, it was with the charts. That's my theory.

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9:31 PM
"New Orleans is sinking and I don't want to swim"

Residents of New Orleans are evacuating ahead of the expected devastation of Hurricane Katrina:

A statement from the National Weather Service in Slidell, near New Orleans, Louisiana, warned that much of the affected area "will be uninhabitable for weeks, perhaps longer."

With highways out of the city jammed and people seeking refuge in the Superdome, things are certain to be a mess there for a while. I guess that's what happens when you build a city below sea level. Here's hoping that everyone stays safe.

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9:27 PM
And again

A Palestinian suicide bomber struck today at a bus station in Beersheva:

An Israeli police spokesman said nearly 50 people wounded in the bombing in the city of Beersheba were treated at hospital, most of them for shock. The two guards, who chased the bomber, were critically hurt, the spokesman said.

[ . . . ]

Palestinian militant factions say a "period of calm" they announced in March at Abbas's urging will expire at year's end.

What period of calm?

To echo Lynn, is it peace yet?

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