Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - August 06, 2013, Winnipeg, Manitoba C M Y K PAGE A13 winnipegfreepress. com WORLD Just when you thought you could catch your breath Winnipeg's next city- wide party is upon us. Yes Winnipeg, it's the 44th annual Folklorama, the largest and longest- running celebration of cultural diversity on the planet. When it comes to celebrating, no one does it better than the city on the banks of the Red River. The theme this year, ' Go Anywhere' is well suited with 46 pavilions celebrating Winnipeg's diverse cultural population, from Africa to Asia to South America and all points between, to explore over the two weeks the festival runs. Of course, no festival is possible without the tremendous commitment from all the volunteers and few people have been more committed to Folklorma over the last 30 years than Avrom Charach. Avrom, a certified accountant, devoted Sals regular, and vice- president of a local property management company, shatters the stereotype of ' The Accountant'. Along with sitting on three committees for Folklorma, he also volunteers as a ' step on' bus guide and bicycle guide for festival goers. " I love doing the tours. I get to see the festival each time through fresh eyes. It's so incredible and I get to meet people, make new friends. I had to almost beg to do the bicycle tours," he laughs. Over the past 30 years Avrom has seen the festival grow and evolve. " The quality keeps improving. The entertainment, the food, the displays, and we have gained an international reputation. We have had people come from Australia to observe and get training." " There's also greater diversity which reflects how Winnipeg has changed and this is event is great for communities, to be able to teach about their history, their cultural food and dances. For some people this is the only chance they get to learn about their culture." And, he adds, it is the opportunity for people to shine. " The job someone does is not who that person is," he says, cognizant of the barriers many immigrants face. The performer that gather accolades by night may be cleaning offices by day, he reminds us. " It is important not to judge others" by appearances. Refusing to judge others, a passion for other cultures, and his commitment to volunteering are all integral features of a man, who it seems, is merely moonlighting as an accountant. Perhaps it's not so strange though when he mentions he first studied theatre at university. " It was my first passion, but we all have to make a living," he grins. So now, it would seem he has the best of both worlds. A man once wrote, " All the world's a stage", and for Avrom, as he guides tourists from country to country within our city, it is so. So if he steps onto your bus, or you find yourself following him on your bicycle, say thanks, from all of us, for his commitment to not just an event, but to an ideal, one which celebrates our differences, knowing we are all unique. By Duncan Owen For more information visit our website, www. salisburyhouse. ca **** **** Salisbury House, MFPA 2013 Industry Excellence ' Company Of The Year Award' **** Avrom Charach - accountant by day, global guide by night, full- time local hero. The the most popular beverage in the World. And now we're bringing the World to Winnipeg. Discover Sals fabulous loose- leaf teas. Green teas from Asia, Rooibos herbals from Africa. Organic, Fair Trade and now available at all 7 Salisbury House Family Restaurants. Salisbury House - bringing a world of flavour to you. Tea Choices 24/ 7 * ALL PRICES AND PAYMENTS ARE PLUS FREIGHT AND APPLICABLE TAXES AND FEES. ALL INCENTIVES TO DEALER. PAYMENTS BASED ON 96 MTHS. OAC. SALE ENDS AUGUST 6/ 13. DLR# 0765. 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S. embassies, two officials told The Associated Press on Monday. A U. S. intelligence official and a Mideast diplomat said al- Zawahri's message was picked up several weeks ago and appeared to initially target Yemeni interests. The threat was expanded to include American or other western sites abroad, officials said, indicating the target could be a single embassy, a number of posts or some other site. Lawmakers have said it was a massive plot in the final stages, but they have offered no specifics. The intelligence official said the message was sent to Nasser al- Wahishi, the head of the terror network's organization, based in Yemen, known as al- Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula ( AQAP). Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the sensitive issue publicly. American spies and intelligence analysts on Monday scoured email, phone calls and radio communications between al- Qaida operatives in Yemen and the organization's senior leaders to determine the timing and targets of the planned attack. The call from al- Zawahri, who took over for Osama bin Laden after U. S. Navy SEALs killed the al- Qaida leader in May 2011, led the Obama administration to close diplomatic posts from Mauritania on Africa's west coast through the Middle East to Bangladesh, east of India, and as far south as Madagascar. The U. S. did decide to reopen some posts on Monday, including well- defended embassies in Kabul, Afghanistan and Baghdad. Authorities in Yemen, meanwhile, released the names of 25 wanted al- Qaida suspects and said those people had been planning terrorist attacks targeting " foreign offices and organizations and Yemeni installations" in the capital Sanaa and other cities across the country. The Yemeni government also went on high alert Monday, stepping up security at government facilities and checkpoints. Officials in the U. S. wouldn't say who intercepted the initial suspect communications - the CIA, the National Security Agency, the Defence Intelligence Agency or one of the other intelligence agencies - that kicked off the sweeping pre- emptive closure of U. S. facilities. But an intelligence official said the controversial NSA programs that gather data on American phone calls or track Internet communications with suspected terrorists played no part in detecting the initial tip. That official spoke on condition of anonymity because the official was not authorized to discuss the spying publicly. A U. S. official familiar with the threat information said the decision to close the embassies was based on a broad swath of information, not just the intercept. The official said the U. S. has made clear in the past AQAP makes its own operational decisions - that there are back- and- forth communications between al- Qaida leadership and AQAP, but they operate independently. The official was not authorized to disclose the information to reporters and thus spoke on condition of anonymity. Once the plot was detected, NSA analysts could use the programs leaker Edward Snowden revealed to determine whom the plotters may have contacted around the world. Snowden revealed one program that collected telephone data such as the numbers called and the duration of calls on U. S. telephone networks. Another program searched global Internet usage. Therefore, if a new name was detected in the initial chatter, the name or phone number of that person could be run through the NSA databases to see whom he called or what websites or emails he visited. The surveillance is part of the continuing effort to track the spread of al- Qaida from its birthplace in Afghanistan and Pakistan to countries where governments and security forces are weaker and less welcoming to the U. S. or harder for American counterterrorist forces to penetrate - such as Syria, Iraq, Somalia, Mali and Libya - as well as Yemen, already home to al- Qaida's most dangerous affiliate, al- Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, which is headed by al- Wahishi. AQAP also has been blamed for the foiled Christmas Day 2009 effort to bomb an airliner over Detroit and the explosives- laden parcels intercepted the following year aboard cargo flights. The CIA and Pentagon jointly run drone targeting of al- Qaida in Yemen. The Obama administration announced the embassy closures one day after U. S. President Barack Obama met with Yemeni President Abdo Rabby Mansour Hadi. A person familiar with the meeting said Obama and Hadi did discuss al- Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula but their talks did not directly result in the embassy closures and travel ban. - The Associated Press Secret message led to embassy closures: officials By Lara Jakes and Kimberly Dozier A_ 13_ Aug- 06- 13_ FP_ 01. indd A13 8/ 5/ 13 8: 17: 57 PM ;