Segacs’s World I Know

Here’s an explanation for the unusually cold weather in parts of North America and Europe lately:

The folks who run the National Center for Atmospheric Research have a great rundown of the details of the AO Oscillation. In short, high pressure in the Arctic forces the jet stream south, and it drags cold air with it, chilling North American and northern Eurasia. In its opposite mode, those same regions tend to be much warmer. Right now, we’re in such an extreme high-pressure event that the readings have run off the scale of NOAA’s AO index. Fortunately for those hoping to warm up a bit, the AO is a weather event—it often changes states multiple times within a single season, and there’s no clear evidence linking its behavior to climate trends.

(Hat tip: Sera).

Here’s Jane Taber in the Globe and Mail, on Harper and prorogation of Parliament:

In an interview on BNN yesterday, the Prime Minister suggested that prorogation gives him the opportunity to do the serious business of the nation without the distractions of democracy – Commons committees and having to answer those pesky questions from opposition MPs in Question Period.

Yeah, that annoying democracy. Makes it so gosh darn hard to govern when you have to actually, y’know, answer to people.

Israel to North America on airport security: You’re doing it wrong:

“I once put this question to Jacques Duchesneau (the former head of the Canadian Air Transport Security Authority): say there is a bag with Play-Doh in it and two pens stuck in the Play-Doh. That is `Bombs 101′ to a screener. I asked Duchesneau, `What would you do?’ And he said, `Evacuate the terminal.’ And I said, `Oh. My. God.’

“Take (Toronto’s) Pearson (airport). Do you know how many people are in the terminal at all times? Many thousands. Let’s say I’m (doing an evacuation) without panic – which will never happen. But let’s say this is the case. How long will it take? Nobody thought about it. I said, `Two days.'”

A screener at Ben Gurion has a pair of better options.

In light of all the controversy in the news this holiday season about full-body scanners, a near-total ban on carry-on luggage to the US, and security lineups lasting several hours (except for celebrities), this seems even more timely.

On my flight to Tel Aviv last winter, an American passenger, going through the second layer of security at the gate specifically for flights to Israel, started to take off her shoes. The Israeli security officer just laughed at her. Israel also doesn’t give a rat’s ass about liquids on-board; my Ahava product purchases and my bottles of Yarden wine were just fine out of Ben-Gurion, but I had to transfer them back into my checked luggage in Toronto for the one-hour flight back to Montreal. No, instead, I get asked questions like, what were you doing in Israel? Where did you learn to speak Hebrew? What was the name of your first-grade teacher? It doesn’t take more than a few seconds for them to ascertain that I am exactly who and what I say I am, and after that, lots of time to shop duty-free.

Or, to put it another way, it’s nicely hassle-free to travel to and from Israel… as long as your flight doesn’t go through the United States.

The trouble is, implementing Israeli-style airport security in the US would mean that security personnel would actually need to be highly specialised and trained. Rights groups would get up in arms about profiling (done openly by Israel, disavowed publicly by the US), and the unions would scream bloody murder about their staff being replaced by people who are actually competent.

And hey, it’s so much more fun to lock down entire terminals, right?

Islamist group Islam4UK, expressing outrage over their recent ban by the British government:

Bakri said that the ban was ”the gravest mistake,” describing his group was peaceful think-tank whose younger members would be pushed toward violence if it were driven underground.

[ . . . ]

”We (were) never involved with any violence, yet,” he said.

Yet, eh? Sounds awfully close to a threat, there.

Now, normally I would be inclined to agree that banning any group for holding views, however offensive or despicable, is a violation of freedom of speech as long as no other laws are being transgressed. But in this case, we’re not just talking about pissing people off by marching:

Bakri’s group argues that, as Muslims, they’re not bound by British law and has expressed support for bin Laden and al-Qaida. In its previous incarnation as al-Muhajiroun, the group was linked to several terror suspects and was accused of recruiting British Muslims to fight in Afghanistan and Chechnya. Bakri has acknowledged that some of al-Muhajiroun members have engaged in militant attacks but says the group can’t be held responsible for their actions.

Bakri, who was deported from Britain in 2005, added that, whatever happened, his followers could regroup under a different name.

”Tomorrow we can call ourselves whatever we think is suitable for us,” he said.

He’s right, of course. Banning the groups won’t erase the sentiment. But allowing them to openly collect funds and organise isn’t the answer either. The British government might have reacted to the wrong thing – moral outrage at the group’s planned (and cancelled) protest march through Wootton Bassett – when they implemented the ban. But it’s clear that we’re not just talking about distasteful speech here, but illegal actions. And that’s where the line gets drawn.

And they can always ban whatever the group decides to call itself tomorrow, too.

An Iranian nuclear physics professor who backed the opposition has been assassinated:

A nuclear physics professor who publicly backed Iranian opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi in the disputed June presidential election was killed Tuesday when a remote-controlled bomb rigged to a motorcycle blew up outside his home.

State media identified the victim as Masoud Ali Mohammadi, 50, a professor at Tehran University, which has been at the center of recent protests by student opposition supporters. Before the election, pro-reform Web sites published Ali Mohammadi’s name among a list of 240 Tehran University teachers who supported Mousavi.

And of course, despite the public call for the assassination of opposition voices by the Iranian leadership, three guesses who they’re blaming for this one. Don’t need three? Got it in one? Yeah, I thought so:

The government blamed the rare assassination on an armed Iranian opposition group that it said operated under the direction of Israel and the U.S.

Cause, like, sure, that makes sense. Then again, when has logic ever been a factor in cases like these?

Air Canada has been directed to offer nut-free zones on its flights by the CTA, in response to a complaint filed by a passenger with severe nut allergies.

As much as I sympathize with people with nut and peanut allergies – and yes, you know who you are – I have to wonder, isn’t this a little bit like offering non-smoking areas on flights? I mean, everyone’s breathing the same recycled air everywhere on the plane, right?

I also have to wonder, does “nut-free” refer only to the food, or will slightly-crazy passengers and crew have to change seats, too?

Some good news, for a change:

Gaza’s Hamas rulers have suffered back-to-back setbacks with Israel’s successful test of a rocket shield and Egypt’s push to block smuggling tunnels.

The Iron Dome rocket defence system, reportedly to be deployed near Gaza in May, would deprive Hamas of its main leverage against Israel – the threat of rocket salvos. Egypt’s underground anti-tunnel barrier of steel beams, now under construction, could eventually cut Hamas’ supply of cash and weapons.

The looming double squeeze is poised to limit Hamas’ options and change the rules of engagement on Gaza’s volatile, blockaded borders.

I don’t tend to make New Year’s resolutions, and when I do, they’re usually simple and basic, like these ones. Last year I made mine at Rosh Hashanah, there were only five of them, and I didn’t keep three. Not a great track record.

But, inspired by Andrea’s gargantuan list, I have decided that, new decade, new attitude. This year, I will actually set out some lofty goals for myself, and hopefully even achieve them. So, without further adieu, here’s my list of 120 things to do in 2010:

1. Go to Morocco.
2. Go camping at least twice next summer.
3. Find my dream apartment and move into it.
4. Get my own washer/dryer and finally stop dragging my laundry around like a friggin’ nomad.
5. Get a dishwasher.
6. Replace my 12-year-old car with something newer and zippier.
7. …or else get rid of it and join CommunAuto.
8. Successfully fight that unfair, BS speeding ticket.
9. Complete and edit my NaNoWriMo 2009 project.
10. Participate in NaNoWriMo 2010.
11. …and win.
12. Buy those new dishes I was eyeing at the Ottawa kitchen store.
13. Buy a spice rack.
14. Paint my kitchen yellow. (I’ve always wanted a yellow kitchen, for some reason.)
15. Go skiing at least three times.
16. Go snowshoeing.
17. Visit Cathy.
18. Visit Andrea and Jim.
19. Convince Andrea and Jim to come visit more often.
20. Host Etrek Montreal-fest 2010.
21. Eat breakfast (other than coffee) more days than not.
22. Buy a vegetable steamer.
23. Find a new volunteer project.
24. Celebrate Canada Day someplace where people are actually happy to be Canadian.
25. …with fireworks.
26. …and some typically Canadian music like Blue Rodeo or Great Big Sea.
27. Buy new socks and throw out the ones with holes in them.
28. Reprise Buy Nothing Week.
29. Roast marshmellows over a fireplace.
30. Have a board game brunch.
31. Eat crepes at CDL.
32. Host a wine and cheese.
33. Host a fondue party.
34. Make homemade sushi.
35. Play poker.
36. …and win.
37. Finish reading Don Quixote.
38. …in time for the January book club meet-up.
39. Watch the rest of the UK version of Life On Mars.
40. Attend the St. Patrick’s Day Parade
41. …and fail to remember much about it later.
42. Turn 30.
43. …with minimal freaking out.
44. Go to New York City. (I heart NY).
45. Go to Quebec City.
46. Get through the winter without succumbing to the winter blahs.
47. …and weighing less than I do now.
48. Win tickets to something on the radio.
49. Get a letter to the editor published in the newspaper.
50. Attend the Salon Passion Chocolat.
51. …and the Jazz Fest.
52. …and the Comedy Fest.
53. …and Bluesfest Ottawa.
54. …and Nuit Blanche.
55. …and the FrancoFolies.
56. …and FantasiaFest.
57. …and a bunch of other festivals.
58. Keep walking to work every day, as long as I live within walking distance.
59. Pack lunches and avoid the takeout trap.
60. Pay someone an undeserved compliment.
61. Learn to sew well enough to hem my own pant legs and sleeves.
62. Don’t get the flu.
63. Call my grandfather.
64. Learn CSS.
65. …and update the look and feel of this blog so it’s not so ugly.
66. Blog more often.
67. Read the Israeli news headlines more regularly.
68. …in Hebrew, to keep my language skills from going completely rusty.
69. …and listen to online radio or watch online TV broadcasts in Hebrew, too, for the same reason.
70. Update my online (Flickr) photo albums.
71. Update my offline (printed) photo albums.
72. Buy fruits and veggies from the farmers’ markets instead of the supermarket.
73. Vote.
74. …in an election where my vote actually makes a difference.
75. Visit the Contemporary Arts Museum on freebie Wednesday.
76. Go to at least one rock concert.
77. …by a band that has been around for less than 15 years.
78. Watch the Cannes Lions winning ads.
79. Carry on an entire conversation with a francophone without letting on that I’m anglo.
80. Try 10 new restaurants in Montreal.
81. Find a good answer to the inevitable questions about my name that doesn’t involve exasperation, or a long backstory.
82. Clean the oven.
83. …using baking soda (?)
84. Organize my DVD collection.
85. Set out to buy clothes and actually end up with clothes.
86. …and no shoes.
87. Master the art of the experience brief.
88. Get more (consumer) insightful.
89. Retrieve my old electric keyboard and actually remind myself how to play it.
90. Reduce the procrastination to a manageable level.
91. Pay my taxes.
92. …and put the refund towards travel.
93. Win my 2009-10 fantasy hockey pool.
94. Draft Ovi in the 2010-11 fantasy hockey pool.
95. Go to at least one Habs’ playoff game – contingent on them actually making the playoffs, of course.
96. Keep kosher(ish) for Passover.
97. Couchsurf.
98. Host couchsurfers.
99. Help at least three friends plan trips.
100. Invent a new smoothie recipe.
101. Watch the Olympics on TV.
102. …and see the Canadian team win the hockey gold. (Hey, I can hope, right?)
103. Improve my Spanish from a 20-word vocabulary to at least a 50-word one.
104. Watch Mad Men Season 4.
105. Upgrade from Windows XP to Windows 7.
106. …preferably without losing my mind in the process.
107. Go apple picking in the fall.
108. Sell my old backpacks.
109. Clear out my closets and drawers.
110. …and participate in a clothing swap.
111. …and donate whatever I cannot swap to charity.
112. Drink more green tea instead of coffee.
113. Finish the pile of books that are sitting on my “to read” shelf.
114. Get my grandmother’s chicken soup recipe from my mom.
115. …and learn to make it.
116. Convince my mom that the world isn’t going to end in 2012, regardless of what the Mayans said.
117. Go karaoking.
118. Go kayaking.
119. Laugh a lot.
120. Spend less time in front of the computer making these lists, and more time actually doing the things on them.

Yes, I know the original post had 201 things and this one only has 120. But it was all I could think of. Besides, if I manage to do even half of these things this year, it will be a very productive year.

Ireland’s anti-blasphemy laws came into effect on January 1st, setting a shining example of hypocrisy that should make the EU proud:

The new law defines blasphemy as:

 “publishing or uttering matter that is grossly abusive or insulting in relation to matters sacred by any religion, thereby intentionally causing outrage among a substantial number of adherents of that religion, with some defences permitted.”

In other words, a complete trampling of the notion of freedom of speech. In fact, this blog post probably violates that law. Good thing this site isn’t hosted in Ireland.

The best response to this that I’ve seen so far? Atheist Ireland published 25 blasphemous quotes by everyone from Salman Rushdie to Richard Dawkins to Christopher Hitchens to Jesus Christ to the Pope, and even Muhammed. My favourite is this one:

Micheal Martin, Irish Minister for Foreign Affairs, opposing attempts by Islamic States to make defamation of religion a crime at UN level, 2009: “We believe that the concept of defamation of religion is not consistent with the promotion and protection of human rights. It can be used to justify arbitrary limitations on, or the denial of, freedom of expression. Indeed, Ireland considers that freedom of expression is a key and inherent element in the manifestation of freedom of thought and conscience and as such is complementary to freedom of religion or belief.” Just months after Minister Martin made this comment, his colleague Dermot Ahern introduced Ireland’s new blasphemy law.

If they’re looking to prosecute people under the new law, I suggest they start in their own backyard.