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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6:07 PM
Montreal flight diverted

A plane flying from Montreal to Washington, D.C. was diverted to Baltimore. Details are sketchy. There's no word yet on whether there was any connection between this and the foiled British terror plot.

Update: Seems it was a false alarm. But nobody was taking any chances yesterday.

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10:51 AM
British claim to have foiled bomb plot

British authorities claim that they have foiled a terrorist plot to blow up major transatlatic airlines:

The threat level to the UK has been raised by MI5 to critical after the arrests in London, High Wycombe and Birmingham.

Critical threat level - the highest - means "an attack is expected imminently and indicates an extremely high level of threat to the UK".

Three US airlines are believed to have been targeted.

Mr Reid said had the attack gone ahead it would have caused a loss of life of "unprecedented scale".

Scary stuff.

We're going to be hearing a lot of skepticism and moonbat conspiracy theories in the next few days. But I'd much prefer to deal with those than with the innocent loss of life that could have resulted here. In six months, probably nobody will remember this - but better that than a repeat of 9/11.

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11:26 PM
Another shameless blog plug

Looking to read about something other than the Israel-Lebanon war? Visit New-at-This in Healthcare, a brand-new blog by a good friend of mine who is a medical student here in Montreal. Let's give her a nice warm welcome to the blogosphere, shall we?

Update: More friends getting into the spirit of things. Here's another from the nursing student perspective.

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3:34 PM
Terrorist asshole wants Arabs out of Haifa

I guess Nasrallah is catching onto the fact that rockets landing on Arab-Israelis in Haifa isn't exactly boosting his popularity in the Arab world. Now, he wants to get them out of the way, presumably to make it easier for him to kill Jews (but of course, it's the Zionists who are the racists here... riiiiightttt...):

"I have a special message to the Arabs of Haifa, to your martyrs and to your wounded. I call on you to leave this city. I hope you do this. ... Please leave so we don't shed your blood, which is our blood," Nasrallah said.

As usual, Meryl says exactly what I would've said, only better:

You know, the last time Arabs in Israeli territory were told by outside “leaders” to pull up stakes and split for a few weeks, they wound up as permanent refugees, pathetic puppets of the Arab League, and terrorist recruiting fodder for 58 year-

Ahhhhh… now it’s starting to make sense.

And in 50 years, there will be human rights groups around the world demonstrating againt the "Jews who forced the Arabs out" of Haifa.

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1:35 AM
A fight for survival

Imshin is fed up, and writes why:

I started this blog in 2002 because I was so upset about the lies being told about Israel all the time. Lies being told and being believed.

I don’t care any more. It doesn’t matter. We’ve always had to look out for ourselves. Today is no different.

[ . . . ]

Brave kids are fighting for us in Lebanon, getting wounded, getting killed. Whole families have been sitting underground for weeks, many others are refugees. People are being killed and wounded in their homes, thousands of homes have been destroyed. By an organization described by some foreign media as a ‘resistance movement’. Resistance against what exactly?

Against Israel’s existence. They are quite clear about that.

The situation is that Lebanon has to burn right now if Israel is to survive. I’m sorry for the people on the other side, but that is the way it is. Us or them. In that respect we are not doing nearly enough for the enemy to get the picture. No, for the enemy to cease to be.

So I’m supposed to be bothered about the usual lies being told about us by our enemies, those who wish us to cease to be? Excuse me if I don’t give a $%^&!

Read the whole thing.

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12:43 PM
Fiji: Israelis not welcome

It's one of the most popular beach, sand and sun destinations for Australians, New Zealanders, and backpackers in general. But Fiji, where I spent a few hours on layover just a few months ago, is sending out a message: Israelis not welcome (via Meryl):

Three Israeli backpackers were evicted from Fiji after a Muslim immigration officer ruled that they had humiliated Palestinians during their military service in the territories.

The three – Amit Ronen, Eldar Avracohen, and Nimrod Lahav – left Israel in February for a tour in Australia.

In July they decided to spend a week in Fiji. On July 13 they arrived at Fiji airport where a surprise awaited them.

"We gave our passports to the officer, and when she saw we are Israelis she asked for ID cards. We told her we don't understand why we need ID cards and she responded shouting: 'You know very well how to ask Palestinians for IDs and humiliate them for three years."

That's what Avracohen wrote in a complaint letter he sent to Israel's Ambassador to Australia Nati Tamir.

The three were held at Fiji airport for six hours and officials rebuked their pleas to be allowed to make a phone call.

Armed policemen took them to a cell at the airport where they spent the night before being sent back to Australia.

Catch that? A night in jail with no phone call, for having done absolutely nothing besides present a passport that happened to be from Israel.

There are a zillion Israeli backpackers in Australia right now. I ran into them in just about every hostel, on every bus, and in every tourist site imaginable. A fair number probably travel to Fiji on a regular basis. Fiji's economy is largely tourism-based, and they depend on this business. I hope this story reaches the backpacker community far and wide, and that travellers of all stripes band together to refuse to go to Fiji until a suitable apology is issued. (Judging by the antisemitism too prevailant in the backpacker community, though, I wouldn't hold my breath).

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2:03 AM
Bye bye Jacques

Looks like it's finally the end of the road for Jacques Villeneuve, the guy who somehow managed to become a Quebecois hero in the process making underachievement into a veritable art form. It's about time.

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1:15 AM
Shameless nepotism

I'd urge you to read Leslie's blog even if he wasn't my cousin. But since he is, and I haven't linked to him yet, my horrible familial guilt is kicking in.

Here's an excerpt from today, on the Israeli Arabs who have been killed by Nasrallah's rockets:

So what is that? Taking one for the team? Or are Israeli-Arabs considered traders? Inconvenient obstacles? Target practice?

I urge you to make Les one of your regular reads.

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10:31 PM
Universities open doors

Two Montreal universities, Concordia and Université de Montréal, have announced that they will take in students who were supposed to be studying in Lebanon this fall:

With the largest population of Lebanese-Canadians on their doorstep, Concordia University in Montreal and the University of Montreal have reopened closed application processes to students stranded by the war in the Middle East.

The two Quebec universities say they are fast-tracking applications from students who had planned to attend institutions in Lebanon this fall.

"It's important that the current generation still have access to education," said Guy Berthiaume, vice-rector of development and alumni relations at the University of Montreal.

[ . . . ]

Since Friday, Berthiaume said they've received more than 100 calls, mostly from local Lebanese-Canadians and many who were recently evacuated from the war-torn region.

The university is waiving tuition for the exchange students and is also raising funds for them.

"They will need money to live, pay rent and buy food," said Berthiaume.

Meanwhile, an Israeli-Canadian friend of mine is having trouble getting her student loan and bursary application sorted out, because her parents live in Haifa and they can't send in a bunch of the related paperwork because they're, you know, living in bomb shelters.

Don't expect any special treatment or fast-tracking there, though.

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6:03 PM
Process stories

Interesting interview transcript from FoxNews on the media coverage from Arab news outlets of the Israel-Lebanon war.

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2:04 AM
In Brief

• The London Times reports that Iran is trying to mine Uranium in Africa, with the goal of importing it to make, well, I'll give you three guesses. (Via IrisBlog).
  
  
• Related to the above, Mark C. at Daimnation links to this excellent editorial in the New York Times by a French writer explaining the existential threat to Israel that made the Lebanon war necessary. (Link requires registration).
  
  
• The big story making the rounds online, of course, is about the doctored Qana photos, a story that LGF has been all over for a couple of days now. Allison links to Reuters' (belated) response to this fiasco.
  
  [My personal opinion? While I'm sure Reuters will end up with some egg on their face over this one, it won't be nearly enough, and in fifty years people will still be quoting some of the exaggerations from Qana as fact, just as they're still quoting the exaggerations from Deir Yassin today. And you know what else? I can't even bring myself to get worked up about it, because symbols last longer than facts in any case, and innocent civilians were killed in Qana, and even though Hezbollah is deliberately doing much, much worse on a daily basis, the focusing on the conspiracies and exaggerations is going to ring hollow no matter what. But I've ranted about this already, so I'll leave it at that for now.]
  
  
• And while the attention of the world is focused on Israel and Lebanon, things in Sri Lanka are getting worse. But is anyone noticing? When will 15,000 people will turn up in downtown Montreal to protest this war? (Oh, right, that's just reserved for wars they can blame on the J-E-W-S).

On that note, time for bed.

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1:27 AM
Leadership battle in Britain

Pieter at Peaktalk links to the latest news from the UK, where Tony Blair is fending off the leadership challenge from Gordon Brown as long as he can manage it.

Pieter's not impressed and, as he rightly points out, the situation mirrors that of the Canadian Liberals a little too closely:

Many have pointed to the analogy with Canada where a defiant and successful ten-year stint in office was not sufficient for Jean Chrétien to ward off the coup by his former finance minister, Paul Martin. What is telling is that Martin's successful attempt to dislodge Chrétien – who like Blair had long outlived his popularity – was not based on any justifiable policy difference or other quantifiable ideological rift, but on the simple logic that it was Martin's turn. Not the greatest rationale for seeking the highest office in the land, and we have all witnessed the incredible mess that ensued as it became painfully clear that the absence of any sound content turned Martin's tenure at Sussex Drive into an utterly forgettable one. It was a power grab for power’s sake, nothing more and nothing less.

It is too early to tell whether Brown's move into Downing Street will yield the same sorry spectacle, but given the relatively late stage of Labour's tenure and the strength of a resurgent conservative opposition, it may not be a very pretty one.

What is it with these finance ministers and their sense of entitlement, anyway?

Since I've never missed an opportunity to quote the West Wing, why start now? Here's a quote from season four, shortly after Bartlet is re-elected for his second term, when Josh finds out that Vice-President Hoynes is already lining up precinct captains for the next election:

Josh: We got [Hoynes] on the ticket by convincing him it's not his turn. We kept him out of the center ring 'cause it wasn't his turn, and now...

Toby: There aren't any turns.

When did Canada, the US or the UK turn into Cuba or North Korea? We've got politicians getting elected because of who their fathers were (*ahem* Dubya), politicans assuming it's their "turn", and power being handed over as though it was someone's to hand.

Memo to the British Labour Party: Pieter's right. The Canadian Liberals haven't recovered from the Chrétien-Martin fiasco, and surely there's a warning in there somewhere for you as well.

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6:01 PM
"Finish off Nasrallah"

Today was one of the deadliest for Israel so far in this war. Two rockets that crashed into buildings in Haifa, killing three and injuring dozens, have prompted this response from Shadi Mzawin, an Israeli Arab whose sister and grandparents was injured by the attacks:

"I hope Nasrallah gets a rocket between the legs for what he is doing to me here, for harming grandma and grandpa."

Meanwhile in downtown Montreal, fifteen thousand people turned out to protest and spew the usual rhetoric:

A demonstration billed as a protest for peace assumed a distinctly anti-Israeli flavour Sunday as protesters denounced the Jewish state for killing hundreds of Lebanese.

[ . . . ]

While many participants claimed they weren't singling out either side in the bloody conflict, some carried placards that linked Israel to Nazi atrocities during the Second World War.

"Israel learned from Hitler and the student has surpassed the master," read one sign.

If those fifteen thousand people truly desired peace, they'd be out there echoing Shadi Mzawin's calls to put an end to Nasrallah, once and for all.

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1:32 AM
Not lost in translation

Went to see Bon Cop, Bad Cop this afternoon. And I must say: absolutely brilliant!

This much-touted bilingual cop caper is an over-the-top parody of every shopworn Two Solitudes cliché in the book, with a whole lot of Québécois swearing thrown in for good measure. Anyone who takes this movie too seriously, and goes looking for minor things such as plot, suspense, logic or insight into human nature will probably be disappointed. But if you want to see some equal-opportunity bashing in two languages, then it's highly worth the price of admission.

I hope some of you reading this in the ROC will go see this little gem when it's released in theatres across the nation. Patrick Huard has perfect comic timing and one of those rubber faces and I hope this is the film to finally give him some much-deserved crossover success. Colm Feore is good at comedy - who knew? And Louis-Jose Houde steals every scene he's in. The hockey plot as a backdrop is ludicrous, of course, but that's kind of the point. It's self-aware parody, and should be viewed as such.

Oh, and Rick Mercer's imitation of Don Cherry is priceless.

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1:26 AM
Shutdown

The lack of posts about the Lebanon war in the past few days has nothing to do with there being nothing to blog about. On the contrary.

But I've had to shut down for a few days, to block out that whooshing noise that goes to my head every time I turn on CNN or read too many of the headlines in the papers. I get too angry, too depressed, too weary of the downwards spiral and the feeling that somehow we've been here before and we'll be here again, far too many times.

I'm lucky enough to have the luxury of taking a breather here. A luxury not afforded to people currently in Haifa or Beirut. In the meantime, there's certainly no lack of options for people looking to get some opinion, editorial or perspective on the events of the past few days. I won't even post a reading list; there are far, far too many to list.

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