Israel may have won the battle to stop an international flotilla of protesters from reaching the Gaza Strip, but the killing of at least nine of those activists, and the international reaction that followed it, has meant Israel may well lose the diplomatic war.
About 15 Israeli commandos dropped from helicopters onto the deck of the Turkish-flagged ship Mavi Marmara about 4:30 a.m. Monday as the ship steamed from Cyprus, bound for Gaza. Activists on the boat alleged that the commandos fired directly on passengers, but Israeli officials say they used force only after being attacked with knives, clubs and even live fire.
Regardless of what happened on the deck of the ship, the longer-term consequences for Israel could be dire. The very blockade against Gaza that Israel sought to uphold could now be undone by its own heavy-handed action. And a national policy of relentlessly confronting Hamas, the Islamic rulers of the Gaza Strip, may lose its credibility. At the very least, Israel has become more isolated than at any time in recent history, an isolation that may undermine global efforts to bring its arch-foe, Iran, to heel over its nuclear ambitions.
The speed and intensity with which governments around the world condemned the Israeli behaviour appear unprecedented. The condemnation came from traditional enemies of the Jewish state, and from its closest friends. No matter that Israeli spokesman after spokesman argued that some of the activists were lying in wait to ambush the commandos, and attempted to lay the blame for the deadly violence at the feet of the flotilla organizers. “No one is buying it,” said Ezzedine Choukri Fishere, a former Egyptian diplomat who spent several years in Israel.
The fallout from the episode “is going to be pretty bad for Israel,” Mr. Fishere predicted. “It couldn’t be much worse.”
Israel got a taste of things to come as the United Nations Security Council went into an emergency session Monday afternoon and speaker after speaker blasted the Israelis over the incident. The raid will feed tensions with Israel’s most critical ally, the United States, and complicate efforts by President Barack Obama to kick-start the languishing peace process with the Palestinians.
More telling still was the visceral reaction from Turkey, a long-time ally and critical bridge to the Muslim world. Turkey’s Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu called it “an act of barbarism,” bringing to mind the image of pirates on the Barbary Coast 200 years ago. Israel, he said, “has lost its legitimacy” as a member of the United Nations.
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Resolution to Oil spill
PORT FOURCHON, La. -- BP reported progress on Friday in its struggle to shut off its gushing Gulf of Mexico oil well as President Barack Mr. Obama sought to show leadership in tackling the biggest spill in U.S. history.
Mr. Obama visited the Louisiana coast, where sticky oil has permeated wetlands, closed down the lucrative fishing trade and angered locals whose communities are still recovering from Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
BP Chief Executive Tony Hayward said the so-called top kill procedure, in which heavy drilling "mud" is pumped into the seabed well shaft, was showing some signs of success in choking off the leak that has already spewed millions of litres of oil into the Gulf.
But the success of the operation, never attempted at such depths, was still uncertain and it could be another 48 hours before it would be known whether it was successful, he said.
"We don't know whether we will be able to overcome the well," Hayward told NBC's Today show. The British-based energy giant was maintaining its assessment that the "top kill" plugging operation had a 60 to 70% chance of success.
The spill is a major challenge for Mr. Obama.
Opinion polls show many Americans are dissatisfied with Mr. Obama's handling of the five-week-old crisis. He was on the defensive at a news conference on Thursday, rebutting criticism that his administration had been too slow to act and too quick to believe what it was being told by BP.
On his visit to the Gulf coast, Mr. Obama inspected oil-trapping booms at a beach in Port Fourchon, the hub of the Gulf oil industry and one of the areas worst affected by crude coming ashore from the spreading spill.
"Obviously, the concern is that until we stop the flow, we've got problems," said Mr. Obama, picking up several tar balls from the beach. An array of oil rigs could be seen off-shore.
Mr. Hayward said BP engineers had injected a "junk shot" of heavier blocking materials -- such as pieces of rubber -- into the failed blowout preventer of the ruptured wellhead.
Later on Friday, they were to pump in more heavy fluids -- all part of the top kill procedure.
"We have some indications of partial bridging which is good news," he told CNN. "I think it's probably 48 hours before we have a conclusive view," he added.
Thad Allen, a Coast Guard admiral who is leading the oil spill response, told ABC: "We're very encouraged by the fact that they're able to push the mud down. The real question is can we sustain it, and that will be the critical issue going through the next 12 to 18 hours."
BP shares were down around 5 percent in London amid uncertainty over the success of the effort to plug the well. BP said on Friday the cost of the disaster so far was US$930-million. The cost is sure to multiply with cleanup of the oily mess, which is now larger than the spill from the Exxon Valdez disaster off the Alaskan coast in 1989.
"This is clearly an environmental catastrophe. There are no two ways about it," Mr. Hayward told CNN, reversing previous comments in which he had minimized the spill's ecological impact. Read more: http://www.nationalpost.com/news/story.html?id=3081738#ixzz0pFFlWb9h
Friday, May 21, 2010
Depression common in seniors’ facilities, study finds
A startling 44 per cent of the quarter-million seniors living in residential-care facilities are suffering from clinical depression, a new study shows.
Researchers found that 26 per cent of residents of nursing homes, personal care homes and long-term care facilities have been diagnosed with depression and another 18 per cent have clear symptoms but no documented diagnosis of depression.
“This study sheds light on the size of this problem,” Nancy White, manager of home and continuing care development at the Canadian Institute for Health Information. “But I think the larger message is that we shouldn’t accept depression as normal in residential care. It is an illness that can be treated.”
In fact, the data show that two-thirds of seniors who had a diagnosis of depression showed few symptoms, suggesting that they were being treated effectively.
On the other hand, those who had symptoms of depression and were not being treated were three times more likely to suffer from a bevy of problems, including poor sleep, isolation, loss of appetite and difficulty communicating.
“In seniors, depression tends to manifest itself with a lot of physical symptoms like this, not necessarily with tears and sadness,” said Marie-France Tourigny-Rivard, an Ottawa psychiatrist who chairs the seniors’ advisory committee of the Mental Health Commission of Canada.
She said the new data point to a need to take the issue of depression – and mental health generally – more seriously in seniors, especially those in institutional care. She cautioned, however, against jumping to the conclusion that large numbers of residents are depressed because of their living conditions. “You can’t assume that living in a nursing home causes depression,” she said.
“Rather, we need to understand that the factors that lead people to live in a residential care setting – physical illness, dementia, loss of a spouse, reduced mobility, etc. – are the same ones that can trigger depression,” Dr. Tourigny-Rivard said.
She said there are two common misperceptions that result in seniors being grossly under-diagnosed and under-treated for depression: 1) the belief that aging is, in itself, depressing and; 2) the notion that that older adults with mental-health problems – whether they have long-term issues or are newly diagnosed – cannot recover.
Dr. Tourigny-Rivard stressed, however, that depression is treatable regardless of a person’s age, with medication, psychotherapy and peer support.
The study, which involved 50,000 seniors in Nova Scotia, Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Yukon, is one of the largest and most detailed ever conducted in the residential care setting. All the participants underwent the same standard test for depression, using an assessment tool called RAI-MDS 2.0. The approach has already been adopted by eight provinces and territories.
“This is going to make it a lot easier to collect information, to compare it and to determine if interventions work,” Ms. White said.
Ultimately, data will be available right down to the individual nursing home level and, theoretically, it could be published for public consumption if the provinces so choose.
Nationwide, there are an estimated 250,000 seniors living in institutional-care settings. The data suggest that more than 100,000 of them are suffering from clinical depression.
The number of people living in nursing homes and similar institutions is expected to soar as Baby Boomers hit their senior years. People over the age of 65 currently make up 12 per cent of the population; that number is projected to grow to 20 per cent by the year 2020
Researchers found that 26 per cent of residents of nursing homes, personal care homes and long-term care facilities have been diagnosed with depression and another 18 per cent have clear symptoms but no documented diagnosis of depression.
“This study sheds light on the size of this problem,” Nancy White, manager of home and continuing care development at the Canadian Institute for Health Information. “But I think the larger message is that we shouldn’t accept depression as normal in residential care. It is an illness that can be treated.”
In fact, the data show that two-thirds of seniors who had a diagnosis of depression showed few symptoms, suggesting that they were being treated effectively.
On the other hand, those who had symptoms of depression and were not being treated were three times more likely to suffer from a bevy of problems, including poor sleep, isolation, loss of appetite and difficulty communicating.
“In seniors, depression tends to manifest itself with a lot of physical symptoms like this, not necessarily with tears and sadness,” said Marie-France Tourigny-Rivard, an Ottawa psychiatrist who chairs the seniors’ advisory committee of the Mental Health Commission of Canada.
She said the new data point to a need to take the issue of depression – and mental health generally – more seriously in seniors, especially those in institutional care. She cautioned, however, against jumping to the conclusion that large numbers of residents are depressed because of their living conditions. “You can’t assume that living in a nursing home causes depression,” she said.
“Rather, we need to understand that the factors that lead people to live in a residential care setting – physical illness, dementia, loss of a spouse, reduced mobility, etc. – are the same ones that can trigger depression,” Dr. Tourigny-Rivard said.
She said there are two common misperceptions that result in seniors being grossly under-diagnosed and under-treated for depression: 1) the belief that aging is, in itself, depressing and; 2) the notion that that older adults with mental-health problems – whether they have long-term issues or are newly diagnosed – cannot recover.
Dr. Tourigny-Rivard stressed, however, that depression is treatable regardless of a person’s age, with medication, psychotherapy and peer support.
The study, which involved 50,000 seniors in Nova Scotia, Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Yukon, is one of the largest and most detailed ever conducted in the residential care setting. All the participants underwent the same standard test for depression, using an assessment tool called RAI-MDS 2.0. The approach has already been adopted by eight provinces and territories.
“This is going to make it a lot easier to collect information, to compare it and to determine if interventions work,” Ms. White said.
Ultimately, data will be available right down to the individual nursing home level and, theoretically, it could be published for public consumption if the provinces so choose.
Nationwide, there are an estimated 250,000 seniors living in institutional-care settings. The data suggest that more than 100,000 of them are suffering from clinical depression.
The number of people living in nursing homes and similar institutions is expected to soar as Baby Boomers hit their senior years. People over the age of 65 currently make up 12 per cent of the population; that number is projected to grow to 20 per cent by the year 2020
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Teen fatally shot in west end
Homicide detectives are investigating the death of a 15-year-old boy who was shot in the Keele Street and Eglinton Avenue West area early Monday.
The teen was shot in the face at a low-rise apartment building at 2508 Eglinton Ave. W. near Kane Avenue at around 2 a.m., police said.
He was answering a knock at a door at a second-floor unit above the D.J. Records and Clothing store when he was shot, police said.
The boy, who has not been identified, was rushed to Sunnybrook hospital, where he was pronounced dead on arrival.
Police have cordoned off a stretch of about eight stores along Eglinton as they investigate.
Forensic teams are combing through the apartment where the teen was shot and officers are canvassing people in the area. No arrests have been made.
Police have not said if they have identified any suspects.
Albert Moore, who lives in the neighbourhood, said he doesn't know much about the people in the apartment building.
"Sometimes there are problems around here which I don't, you know, [get] involved in or participate in because it's none of my business," Moore told CBC News.
Residents living in the Eglinton Avenue West and Keele Street area have seen much violence and crime unfold in the past. Police raided D.J. Records and Clothing in 2008 and found a loaded handgun and 29 kilograms of marijuana with a street value of $600,000.
Later that year, Stephen Barton, 18, was gunned down a few blocks away from the store while he was waiting for the bus. In the past two years, there have been six unsolved killings in the neighbourhood, all of them involving youg men who were shot to death.
The teen was shot in the face at a low-rise apartment building at 2508 Eglinton Ave. W. near Kane Avenue at around 2 a.m., police said.
He was answering a knock at a door at a second-floor unit above the D.J. Records and Clothing store when he was shot, police said.
The boy, who has not been identified, was rushed to Sunnybrook hospital, where he was pronounced dead on arrival.
Police have cordoned off a stretch of about eight stores along Eglinton as they investigate.
Forensic teams are combing through the apartment where the teen was shot and officers are canvassing people in the area. No arrests have been made.
Police have not said if they have identified any suspects.
Albert Moore, who lives in the neighbourhood, said he doesn't know much about the people in the apartment building.
"Sometimes there are problems around here which I don't, you know, [get] involved in or participate in because it's none of my business," Moore told CBC News.
Residents living in the Eglinton Avenue West and Keele Street area have seen much violence and crime unfold in the past. Police raided D.J. Records and Clothing in 2008 and found a loaded handgun and 29 kilograms of marijuana with a street value of $600,000.
Later that year, Stephen Barton, 18, was gunned down a few blocks away from the store while he was waiting for the bus. In the past two years, there have been six unsolved killings in the neighbourhood, all of them involving youg men who were shot to death.
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Another loss for Canada
Canadian Forces solider was among the victims of a massive morning suicide attack in the Afghan capital, army officials have confirmed.
“A Canadian Forces member was killed in today’s incident in Kabul,” said Maj. Daryl Morrell, Task Force Kandahar spokesman.
The powerful blast occurred on a major Kabul thoroughfare that runs by the ruins of a one-time royal palace and government ministries. It wrecked nearly 20 vehicles, including five SUVs in the NATO convoy, and scattered debris and body parts across the wide boulevard.
Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid told The Associated Press in a phone call from an undisclosed location that the bomber was a man from Kabul and his car was packed with 750 kilograms of explosives. The target of the attack was the foreign convoy, he said.
“A Canadian Forces member was killed in today’s incident in Kabul,” said Maj. Daryl Morrell, Task Force Kandahar spokesman.
The powerful blast occurred on a major Kabul thoroughfare that runs by the ruins of a one-time royal palace and government ministries. It wrecked nearly 20 vehicles, including five SUVs in the NATO convoy, and scattered debris and body parts across the wide boulevard.
Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid told The Associated Press in a phone call from an undisclosed location that the bomber was a man from Kabul and his car was packed with 750 kilograms of explosives. The target of the attack was the foreign convoy, he said.
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