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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5:52 PM
Laval overpass collapses

A viaduct on de la Concorde collapsed this afternoon, and at least five people are dead as a result.

This is the second overpass in Laval to collapse in less than a decade. Usually, the poor conditions of the roads here in Quebec are a bit of a running joke, but this isn't funny anymore. In fact, it's downright scary. The government has to start investing into proper road construction and repair, rather than cutting corners at every opportunity. Chronic potholes are one thing, collapsing overpasses quite another.

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12:23 PM
Latendresse signed

Bienvenue, Gui.

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11:06 AM
Growing respect for Harper

Here's Stephen Harper's latest move at the Francophonie:

Harper angered Lebanon and an assortment of other Arab, Muslim and French-speaking states in a meeting to draft a political declaration on this summer’s war between Israel and Hezbollah.

Canada’s rookie prime minister vetoed an amendment to a statement that said the 53-member organization "deplored" the effect of the month-long conflict on the Lebanese civilians it endangered. The amendment was brought forward by the Egyptian delegation and backed by "a majority" of countries at the table, according to French President Jacques Chirac.

"The amendment wants to recognize and deplore the war and recognize the victims of Lebanon. We are able to deplore the war, we are able to recognize the victims, but on both sides," Harper
said at what was supposed to be a closing news conference.

"The Francophonie cannot recognize victims according to their nationality. Recognize the victims of Lebanon and the victims of Israel."

Once again, Harper is standing up for what's right, no matter what it costs him politically. I don't always agree with him or his party, but I'm finding this incredibly refreshing.

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9:55 PM
Crying wolf, union-style

I feel really bad for any blue collar workers out there with legitimate grievances, which are surely getting lost in the shuffle. (Hat tip: Jonathan).

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9:27 PM
Hockey's back, baby!

Tuesday night, I went to see my Habs beat the Bolts 4-3 in overtime in preseason action.

It was the first time I've ever been to an exhibition game, and I wasn't expecting it to have quite the same excitement level as a season or playoff game. Luckily, I was wrong. Even despite Latendresse's ejection from the game in the first two minutes, and the fact that we spent half the night killing penalties, it was easily some of the most exciting hockey I've ever seen.

Can't wait for the real season to begin next week.

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9:27 PM
Borat: The Movie

Looks like some people are taking it a bit too seriously.

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5:50 PM
Aseret yemei teshuvah

These ten days between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are traditionally the days when Jews ask forgiveness from people and from G-d for any wrongs we might have done throughout the year.

I'm not religious by most definitions, but I've always liked the concept, and particularly the notion that we need to be forgiven by people before we can be forgiven by G-d. The latter part is personal, but the former is, I believe, a prerequisite for all people of any religion or background who live in a society. See, a sin against G-d, such as failure to keep Shabat or eating pork, could only potentially affect the person committing it, so it's up to each of us to decide for ourselves what we choose to observe. However, sins against our fellow human beings cause real harm to people. It's the so-called "victimless crime" argument; a crime becomes more serious due to the consequence of committing harm to someone else.

So, in that spirit, I ask forgiveness from anyone reading this who I may have wronged in the past.

And, if you're in the process of doing the same, and one of the people you happen to have wronged last year is Stephen Colbert, here's how to make amends:

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