Segacs’s World I Know

According to the Health Minister, a provincial smoking ban in all public places may be implemented sooner than we might think:

“The writing’s on the wall,” Couillard said. “We’re going toward smoke-free restaurants, bars and other types of institutions.

[ . . . ]

Couillard plans to table legislation in the National Assembly this spring after hearing from the various interested parties. He said the plan is to have the new law ready for implementation by fall 2005 or January 2006 at the latest.

As a non-smoker, I look forward to the days when I can breathe freely. And my usual arguments against nanny-state interference don’t really apply here, because smokers aren’t only hurting themselves, they’re hurting those around them.

But I’m not sure how well this is going to go over here in Quebec, traditionally known as Canada’s ashtray. The bar owners are sure to mount a protest, rather than risk losing their beer-and-cigarette crowd. It’ll be interesting to see how this plays out.

Noisy neighbour at 2:30am + loud snow-clearing machinery at 4:30am + asshole revving his motorcycle continuously at 6:00am = really lousy night’s sleep. I’m starting to wonder why I ever took peace and quiet for granted.

Blogging will resume when I finally get a good night’s sleep.

The founders of the Canadian retail chain Music World have donated five million dollars to the Canadian Red Cross for Tsunami disaster relief:

The gift, by Kroum and Eva Pindoff, who made their fortune by founding the record retailer Music World, is the largest-ever gift to the Canadian Red Cross during a disaster appeal, the organisation said.

The couple pledged 100,000 Canadian dollars (82,000 dollars US) for tsunami relief on Friday, but after reflecting on the disaster, decided to do much more.

“After seeing more stark images of this tremendous tragedy and misery, my wife and I were up most of the night, grief-stricken,” Kroum Pindoff said.

“We wanted to help alleviate the suffering, and decided we had to make a more substantial gift.”

That’s the kind of staggering generosity that somehow helps to restore a bit of faith in humanity.

Of course, people will start saying that they did it through the business for the tax deduction, or as a publicity stunt, or a number of cynical reasons that I’d probably usually be the first to list. But for the moment, I’m choosing to believe that they made the donation simply because they felt it was the right thing to do, and wanted to help. Sometimes it’s good to set cynicism aside for a moment and give people credit for their generosity.

Allison links to this great Israeli McDonald’s commercial that spoofs Pulp Fiction. View it and laugh.

According to exit polls, Abbas won the Palestinian election with something like 66-70% of the vote. Now, backed with the legitimacy of a vote, Abbas can get serious about the buisness of funding and protecting terrorists and seeking to destroy Israel.

Of course, the day was marked by gunfire… shots into the air in celebration by Fatah gunmen. I admit I’ve never quite understood that one. Is it like firecrackers? Or is it done in order to be able to blame Israel for anyone killed accidentally by the stray bullets? Or both?

Sure, winter sometimes sucks. But hey, one of the things you learn as a Montrealer is that when life hands you a snowstorm… go skiing.

We headed to Tremblant today. It was my first ski day of the season, which means that tomorrow I will probably experience my first ski-related leg muscle pains of the season. In fact, practically every time I go skiing, I wonder what masochistic impulse leads a usually rational human being to wake up at 7am, dress in layers of high-tech uncomfortable clothing, spend ninety minutes in a car driving to a ski hill, putting on still more gear including big clunky ski boots, and spending a day in the cold skiing down a mountain at breakneck speeds. That sentiment tends to linger right up until the moment I get off the chair lift and start skiing down the first run. Then it disappears.

Overall it was a fun day. A bit icy, a bit foggy, but the temperature was perfect and, while there was precious little sunshine, at least there was no wind. The big dump of snow led to some great conditions early on. And despite failing to take a warning sign about ice seriously, no major injuries were sustained. I even managed to roll my eyes in a typically Montreal fashion at a billboard ad for Caribbean beach vacations that we passed in the car on the way home. What, give up skiing for sunshine and warm weather? Me? Perish the thought!

Some may disagree. But winter rules.

A Jerusalem Post editorial expresses cautious optimism that tomorrow’s Palestinian election will help bring the Palestinian Authority closer to democratization.

However, optimism and Mideast politics tend to go together about as well as oil and water. The telling part of that editorial is the following paragraph:

It’s unfortunate that Abbas chose the low road on the campaign trail, and so far has not prepared his people for the painful compromises that they, too, will have to make on the road to a peaceful resolution of the conflict.

That’s quite an understatement, to say the least. For anyone still harbouring the delusion that Mahmoud Abbas is a “moderate”, see here and here, for starters.

I hate to rain on everyone’s parade, but Abbas is just a weaker Arafat. This campaign isn’t about who will finally show some real leadership and help the Palestinians achieve statehood and independence. It’s about who will work hardest to destroy Israel.

I’m glad Arafat’s gone. But my hopes for true Palestinian democracy and a real peace process are very slim.

One of the consequences of the Asian Tsuanami disaster has been the somewhat unexpected spotlight that the media has placed on charitable giving – in Canada and around the world. The Globe and Mail reports that 37% of Canadians have contributed in some shape or form to the relief efforts. Between comparing contributions of various governments and highlighting individual, corporate and even celebrity giving, there have been a number of stories analysing how the money is being used and rating the politics of NGOs, the world seems to be paying more attention to the relief effort than to the disaster itself.

I try not to let my professional life intrude on my blog too much, but I feel the need to make an exception, because this situation is exceptional in a lot of ways. For those of us who work in the nonprofit sector, it’s a bit like suddenly being placed under a microscope. Sure, our clients are raising money for worthy causes all the time… but suddenly, here’s one that’s important. It’s enough to turn any of us into a cynic – especially me, who was cynical to begin with.

But in a strange way, it has had the opposite effect on most of the people I work with. Everyone is working longer hours, making the extra effort, trying to do whatever we can to pitch in and help out. It’s one of those times when we’re reminded that the work we do isn’t just about production schedules and copy and artwork deadlines, but about real people and real emergencies. Yes, we’re aware of that every day, but sometimes we lose sight of the forest amidst the day-to-day stress of taking care of the trees.

For those of us who want to pitch in and contribute, the possibilities seem endless. The Globe and Mail’s listing contains 34 different charities that are collecting funds.

I ultimately decided to donate through Federation CJA, who is collecting donations locally to be distributed through the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee. Yes, I know that at times like this it’s probably better to put politics aside. But unfortunately, that’s a bit of a pipe dream, and the initial rejection of Israeli aid by Sri Lanka, as well as the Arab world’s inevitable blaming of the Joooooos for the disaster itself only serves to remind us of the world’s pettiness. So I figure that when the dust settles and someone thinks to ask what North American Jews contributed, that my donation will be counted this way.

Yes, in a perfect world, everyone would rush to the aid of everyone else without regard for religion, race or politics. But we live in a very imperfect world. So maybe my solution to the problem of how to help is an imperfect one. But that’s something I can live with.

It’s gold for Canada in the world junior hockey championship tournament.

Canada snapped some bad history to beat Russia 6-1 for the title. This is our first junior gold since 1997, capping off a great hockey year for Canada that includes a World Cup. Earlier today, the Czechs beat defending champs USA in overtime for the Bronze.

With the NHL showing no signs of resolving the labour dispute anytime soon, it’s even more obvious that the junior teams are playing incredibly exciting hockey. And the international elements of the game add even more flavour. Who else thinks we should just scrap the NHL and start a new league with the junior players?