Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - August 15, 2006, Winnipeg, Manitoba Comment editor Gerald flood 697-7269 a11 Winnipeg free press tuesday August 15, 2006 and beyond Israel admits weakness in military Campaign t Al Aviv ? there is no better summing up of the 34 Days of fighting Between Israel and Hezbollah than the two speeches delivered yesterday by israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert and opposition Leader Benjamin Netanyahu. Addressing a special session of the Knesset in the aftermath of the ceasefire that went into effect yesterday Nei ther Olmert nor Netanyahu claimed Victory for Israel. Instead both admitted that there were deficiencies in the conduct of the War. This has to be rectified quickly because both men predicted another round in the fighting against Hezbollah. As of yesterday the War in Lebanon claimed the lives of 158 israelis 40 of them civil ians. Lebanon says 1,071 civilians were killed. Hezbollah is still hiding its casualty numbers but Israel said it had the identity cards of 247 Hezbollah dead and it estimates that the total number is More than 500. It will take several weeks before the full Impact of the israeli Hezbollah confrontation becomes known. That a partly because of the Uncertain situation on the ground and the Gap Between the language of the in ceasefire Resolution and the National interests of All parties. When Israel launched its operation against Hezbollah on july 12, its objectives were As follows. Unconditional release of the two kidnapped soldiers. Destruction of Hezbollah a infrastructure in South Lebanon. Disarming of Hezbollah according to in Security Council Resolution 1559. These objectives were Only partially achieved. The ceasefire went into effect with the two kidnapped sol Diers still in Hezbollah a hands. Olmert appointed a special official to Deal with the subject presumably As part of prisoner Exchange. Israel holds 10 Hezbollah prisoners of War and 13 bodies of Hezbollah dead. They will certainly be exchanged for the kidnapped soldiers. Hezbollah a infrastructure in South Lebanon was seriously damaged but not totally destroyed. Furthermore some Hezbollah fighters in several lebanese villages which were supposedly occupied by Israel emerged from their bunkers and were even interviewed by the Al Nazeera to network. As far As iranian and syrian arms supplies to Hezbollah their full extent Only became known Dur ing the fighting. Hezbollah terrorists were trained to use weapons that no terrorist group has Ever received. Israel knew that Hezbollah had Large quantities of soviet made rpg-7 anti tank missiles that were very ineffective against the american Abrams tanks in Iraq but it was very surprised when some of its tanks were destroyed by the newer version rpg-29 Hornet soviet made missile that Russia sold recently to Syria which shipped them to Hezbollah. Israel sent a special envoy to Moscow yesterday to present evidence of the arms Transfer. Hezbollah also fired two chinese designed iranian built silkworm missiles at an israeli vessel. The biggest Surprise however was the vast net work of deep fortified bunkers that Iran had built in South Lebanon. In Maroun Al Ras for example Israel found a Bunker so deep that Hezbollah was using an elevator to store heavy equipment in the Bunker. Not to mention of course the thousands of Long medium and Short Range missiles. It is now ascertained that in the first three Days of the War the israeli air Force destroyed most of the Long Range Zalzal and Many of the medium Range Khaizar missiles. Hezbollah launched close to 4,000 Short Range missiles but still has a sizable number of missiles in its Possession. Sheikh Hassan Nussrallah declared last night that Hezbollah will not agree to disarm according to in Resolution 1559. Iran and Syria were Quick to support Hezbollah a position. Nevertheless it would be erroneous to conclude that Israel emerged from this War with no meaningful achievements. As Olmert said yesterday in the Knes set the ceasefire Resolution ? if fully implemented ? could change the strategic situation in the Region. The most important change could be the distancing of Lebanon from Iran and Syria. French Gen. Allain Pelligrini will command the new in Force of about 15,000 soldiers. The first 4,000 sol Diers ? half of them French ? will come to Lebanon in the next few Days. Italy Greece Canada Australia Indonesia and Malaysia Are among the countries that have expressed readiness to take part in the new Force. In order to prevent a vacuum in South Lebanon the israeli withdrawal will be gradual and parallel to the deployment of the in forces. Finally and due to Israel a insistence the Issue of Sheba farms was separated from the immediate Cri Sis. A change in the status of Sheba would necessitate a syrian agreement but so far Syria has refused to co operate. As one could expect israeli and american interests Are close but not identical. Israel could be satisfied if Hezbollah withdrew beyond the Litany River and if Lebanon agreed to prevent the smuggling of iranian and syrian arms to Hezbollah. Such an outcome Falls Short of . Strategic goals. Even More than Israel the . Wants to see Hezbollah routed. The . Is reported to be very concerned about the duplication of Hezbollah a Model in other countries and other parts of the world. The . Is also worried that the Hezbollah Model could be duplicated in latin America. In this respect the Surprise Mideast visit of Venezuela a president Hugo Chavez and his anti israeli declarations were followed closely in Washington. A scenario of a Venezuela supported movement undermining the regimes of Colombia Peru and Ecuador is quite disturbing. The Bush administration is determined to prevent such a duplication. Hence like Israel the . Is determined to bring about the full implementation of the ceasefire Resolution for disarming Hezbollah As soon As possible. Sam Segev is the free press Middle East correspondent based in Tel Aviv. A Titbit nation Tim Horton has come to define Canadas National identity Rudyard Griffiths t ambit nation say it aint so he. Surely Canada can come up with a better Moniker than the leftover part of the donuts not sold to someone else. I be become obsessed with Tim Hor tons. Its not their strangely satisfying Coffee or the sugar Rush you get after biting into a double glazed chocolate donuts that a triggered my Timmy a Fixa Tion. What has me enthralled and More than a Little perturbed is the rapid and seemingly unquestioned Rise of Tim Hor tons As a defining Canadian cultural icon. Forget our aging and kindly Sovereign the venerable Castor Canadensis or the country a Bear claw cum National Flag. These Are nation Al symbols of the pre Timmy a Era. Whether its the Media explaining the conservatives Federal election Victory the military orchestrating a Public relations coup by bringing Timmy a to Kandahar or academics using the Titbit As a metaphor to describe our social values Tim Horton and its Many products have become the Rosetta Stone for interpreting All things Canadian. On the sur face the coun try a largest fast food Chain embodies Many of the aspirations of Canadian nationhood. There is the link to the hockey legend of the same name and his Small town beginnings storied nil career and tragic end. Indeed Tim Horton a has been masterful at playing up its everyman origins in the marketing of its restau rants. For a country that prides itself on its common sense and egalitarian Outlook Timmy a is the byword for in pretend Tiou Ness a truly democratic culinary and social Experiment. The phrase Titbit nation is the title of a Book by journalist John stack House who mused the country was loosing its sense of purpose and identity my beef in to with Tim Horton and its american Parent company Wendy a. The purveyors of the Titbit provide jobs for thou Sands of people and Are great Community boosters through their philanthropic work. The speedy ascension however of a Coffee and donuts Chain to the status of defining Cul Tural icon is a worrying sign for Canadian nationalism. Doubly so when one considers the less than Stellar aspects of our National charac Ter that Tim Horton As a National Symbol can just As easily represent. Viewed As a dyspeptic metaphor for Canada Tim Horton represents a backlash against what canadians indicate in poll after poll is the country a Best attribute its diversity. From the standardized menu to the layout of each restaurant right Down to the bathroom fix Tures every Timmy a is pretty much identical. The uniformity of the Tim Horton experience is evocative of the Darker Side of our egalitarian worldview the Canadian tendency to embrace conformity blandness and studied mediocrity. Lets remember also that Tim Horton is a Chain restaurant. The Titbit nation in to a place where Marc Gallant Winnipeg free press oddball family businesses thrive. Instead the franchise Model ? where the franchisee does town the land or the building ? harkens Back to the colonial company store and its Semi monopolistic practices designed to stifle Competition and curtail Choice. With the Hudson Bay company now owned by an american and the country on the verge of losing Inco and its Canadian held natural resources to Phelps Dodge the .-controlled Tim Horton is alas an increasingly Apt Symbol for the country a dwindling control Over its own economic future. National symbols matter. They Are representations of not Only the positive and affirming values that a people share in common but also the direction of the culture of the nation itself. The emergence of Tim Horton As an important Canadian cultural Touchstone is As much an expression of what we aspire to be egalitarian unpretentious Etc As it is a reflection of what we risk becoming . A conformist corporatist and less Independent nation. I would argue that our narcissistic Celebration of the Tim Horton everyman the i am Canadian to ads and Chest thumping about olympic Gold medals Are All part and parcel of the Ascendancy of a vapid feel Good nationalism a dangerous Dis traction from the hard work of nation building. The reality is that our knowledge and appreciation of what we share in common ? our history political traditions and civic values voting volunteering Etc ? Are in steady decline. Whether its an ambitious vision for Canada a role in the world or saving our natural environment for future generations we need Seri Ous National symbols and goals that speak to the reality of Canada and Chal Lenge us to join together in common cause. Surely Canada can come up with a better Moniker than the Titbit nation ? the leftover part of the donuts not sold to someone else. Or maybe not Rudyard Griffiths is the director of the Dominion Institute. its raining cats and dogs in China h Ong Kong ? i looked out my office win Dow the other Day just in time to see a Large chunk of the building opposite blow off and plunge 25 stories to the streets below. The metre wide piece of Wood and Metal Tum bled through the air and slammed into the ground with a crash that sounded like two train cars Cou pling. Fortunately the Stormy weather that Tore Loose the piece of building also kept people indoors and no one was flattened. At least not this time. Whether its debris from crumbling buildings a construction workers lost wrench or mysterious liquids dripping from balconies there is much to fear from above in this City. Anyone who has spent time in Hong Kong knows to watch for unpleasant surprises from the sky. The new plague to descend from the heavens is rubbish tossed from building windows. Under nor Mal circumstances throwing your trash in the Street is just Plain rude. But in a City of sky scrap ing towers it can be deadly. In the latest Case of air litter to make headlines a 78-year-old woman was hit in the head by a pair of scissors dropped from a High Rise residential Tower. The Blades impaled several centimetres deep pinning her hat to her Skull. The Story made front Page news Complete with lurid photos of a Large pair of Blue scissors poking out of the woman a cranium As ambulance Crews rushed her off to Hospital. That same Day a 28-year-old Man in another part of the City was struck in the forehead by falling scissors. He escaped with some Nasty cuts. In yet another incident the next Day a 15-year-old boy survived being hit by three 70-cm-Long Iron bars that were tossed from a building. The torrent of trash has been going on since the first big buildings went up in the 1960s, but has taken on deadlier tone in recent months. It used to be that building managers would chastise tenants for tossing smouldering cigarette Butts and used feminine Hygiene products out their windows. But air litter now commonly includes flaming newspapers Beer cans soiled cat litter broken televisions refrigerators sofas mattresses and bed frames. A kilogram bag of freshly used Kitty litter dropped from 40 floors apparently lands with quite the splat. In some of the massive Public housing estates where most of Hong Kong a seven million Resi dents live people Are so fearful of the rain of rub Bish they Only walk under overhangs or oddly take shelter under umbrellas. Using an umbrella to defend against a falling refrigerator is Akin to car Toon character Wile e. Coyote vainly trying to fend off boulders with a parasol but even the smallest bit of Protection seems to reassure people. Many housing estates Are known to have serial offenders who for years have battered their Neighbours with a Shower of empty soy sauce bottles and dirty dishes. And lets face it who has to been tempted to throw a sink full of yesterdays baking pans out the window those who study such things say the falling rub Bish Falls into two categories ? malicious pranksters and people who think that once some thing goes out the window it is no longer their problem. A retired police officer who leads one of several teams trying to catch the trash tossers told a local newspaper that most of the culprits were housewives with no sense of civic but he said some were people obsessed by the Rush of excitement they got from endanger ing other Peoples lives. It is like a drug Addic Tion he said. The most common time for people to be struck by falling objects is Between 3 . And 5 . Although no one has been Able to determine exactly Why this is the Case. The suspects Are usually adults. Under pressure to do something Hong Kong police have installed dozens of video cameras to try and catch the guilty parties in the act. The surveillance appears to have had Little effect with More than 550 complaints filed in the first six months of this year up almost 20 per cent Over the same period last year. Only around one in five cases Are solved and last year 14 people suffered serious injuries from falling objects. In one recent Case where an arrest was made a 45-year-old Man was charged for throwing two 30?cm-Long extinguishers and a 50-cm-Long rubbish bin out a window after arguing with his Girlfriend. In a separate Case a 42-year-old suspect was nabbed after he threw a porcelain Rice bowl and a Glass bottle out of the window. Those convicted face a maximum penalty of a $1,430 Fine and six months jail. Unfortunately Hong Kong is not the Only Chi Nese City where out of window is out of mind. Dur ing the outbreak of the sars respiratory disease in 2003, inaccurate rumours that pets transmitted the virus resulted in dozens of dogs and cats being pitched from buildings in Beijing and Shanghai. Doug Nairne is a former free press reporter who works for a corporate investigations firm in Hong Kong ;