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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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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6:27 PM
Habs' tracker

Kovalev is sidelined with a knee injury, Habs win anyway... again by the skin of their teeth. And we still have yet to figure out how to play a good game for 60 minutes. *Sigh*.

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6:27 PM
Iran plays chicken with the U.N.

Iran has resumed its nuclear activity because it knows full well that the U.N. will always swerve first:

Iran has begun processing a new batch of uranium despite Western pressure on it to halt sensitive atomic work, possibly harming attempts to defuse a standoff over its nuclear aims, a diplomat said on Wednesday.

[ . . . ]

Western countries suspect Iran of seeking nuclear weapons under the cover of a civilian atomic program, which Tehran vehemently denies, saying it only wants to generate electricity.

Yeah, right. And hell is just a sauna.

Somehow I don't think Iran is planning to wipe Israel off the map using mere electricity.

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5:24 PM
Question for Stephen Harper

Does he actually think he can win a federal election??? Or is he just bringing down the Liberal government because he can?

Canada's opposition is set to bring down the minority Liberal government on November 28 and force a January election, Conservative leader Stephen Harper said on Wednesday.

Harper said he would prefer to move earlier but would stick to a timetable agreed on Sunday with the two smaller opposition parties.

I can understand why the Bloc is doing it. They expect to gain seats in Quebec in a federal election, and the momentum will be useful for an upcoming provincial election and sovereignty campaign. Sovereignty is of course the primary goal of the BQ so it makes sense.

I can even understand why the NDP is joining in. Their arrangement to prop up the Liberals was contingent on them being able to blackmail the Liberals to get policy concessions. Martin finally stood up to Layton, and this is his payback. Besides, the NDP never had the goal of actually getting elected; they just wanted to broaden their base and get their message out there. An election will help those goals.

But Harper? Is he seriously delusional enough to think that he can win this election? Even with the sponsorship scandal, the Liberals' numbers are ahead of the Tories'. And Harper's election goal is nothing short of a win; another loss should essentially finish his political career.

So, as they say in police work, cui bono? Who benefits from bringing down the Liberal government and forcing an early election, when all indications point towards a re-election of another Liberal minority government? Unless Harper has some as-yet-unseen tricks up his sleeve (highly doubtful, or else he would've used them in the last election), I just don't get what he possibly hopes to gain from this?

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11:07 PM
Boisclair wins PQ leadership

Our likely next Premier of Quebec is 39-year-old Andre Boisclair, who beat out rivals including Pauline Marois for the leadership of the Parti Quebecois, despite the media attention given to his past cocaine use:

Boisclair faces high expectations. Charest has been stuck at staggering levels of unpopularity since shortly after coming to power in 2003. The PQ expects to beat the Liberals and snap Quebec's 35-year tradition of electing governments to two terms.

Considered a relatively soft sovereigntist and a right-winger in a party of progressives, Boisclair must unite a party whose hawkish elements have taken down Bernard Landry, Bouchard and even Rene Levesque for showing hesitation on independence.

This isn't good news for federalists. Boisclair, despite his battle to get elected, is just the kind of young, charismatic leader that can recruite "soft nationalists" and increase support for sovereignty. It will remain to be seen what changes he brings to the PQ platform, but one thing's for sure: he has an excellent chance of steamrolling to victory in the next provincial election.

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10:18 AM
The S-Word... for real this time

This time the snow is real. It's falling and sticking to stuff. We're expected to accumulate about 5 centimeters when it's all over.

Of course, that'll all wash away this afternoon when the temperature climbs and it changes to rain... but that's a good thing, cause this procrastinator hasn't yet changed her tires. (Yeah, I know, spare me the lecture).

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