|
Korean Job Discussion Forums
"The Internet's Meeting Place for ESL/EFL Teachers from Around the World!"
|
| View previous topic :: View next topic |
| Author |
Message |
keane
Joined: 09 Jul 2007
|
 Posted: Tue Aug 21, 2007 9:26 am Post subject: SPP and Canadian Sovereignty |
 |
|
I'm not Canadian, but thought some of you who are might find this of interest.
SPP is built around secrecy and US military command - law expert
| Quote: |
Sovereignty rhetoric contradicted by turnover of controls on military and immigration
Michael Byers says SPP is part of a larger process that threatens Canadian sovereignty and autonomy.OTTAWA, August 20, 2007: The agreement's title is classic framing: "Security and Prosperity Partnership" (SPP) conjures up comfortable images. Michael Byers says the agreement under discussion this week by Canadian, US and Mexican leaders Harper, Bush and Calderon should more properly be framed as a secret agreement to hand sweeping military, immigration and border control of all three countries over to the US. On Sunday, Byers, the Canada Research Chair in Global Politics and International Law at the University of British Columbia told a standing-room-only forum in Ottawa about the politics and persuasion connected with the agreement under discussion behind the barricades this week at Montebello, Quebec.
I want to begin by welcoming the civil servants who have been sent to keep track of what's going on here. Like you, we love our country; unlike the people who are gathering in Montebello this week, we have nothing to hide.
The Security and Prosperity Partnership did not begin as a phenomenon after September 11, 2001. It was part of a trend that predates that time. But the proponents of North American integration seized upon 9/11 as an opportunity to advance their cause. And some of those proponents in Canada were very overt about their aspirations in the weeks and months after the terrorist atrocities in New York City and Washington, DC.
David O'Brien, the CEO of Canadian Pacific ..He said that we have to make North Americans secure from the outside. 'We're going to lose increasingly our sovereignty but it's necessarily so.'
...Then there was Nancy Hughes Anthony, the President of the Canadian Chambers of Commerce who said that we're not going to get anywhere with our American friends unless we can show we have good strong anti-terrorist legislation and we intend to enforce it. The result was the 2001 Anti- terrorism Act, which, of course was modelled on the [US] Patriot Act.
And then there was Patrick E. Daniels, the President of Enbridge, the big energy company based in Calgary, who complained that Canada pushed its sovereignty 'a little too far.' He said it would be realistic for Canada to either get onside with US foreign policy or 'accept some change in our relationship.'
I was asked to speak about one aspect of the Security and Prosperity Partnership, namely security, or more specifically, the military. In the immediate aftermath of September 2001, plans were devised within the American and Canadian governments to put the entire Canadian Forces under the umbrella of the US Northern Command. To put all our soldiers, sailors and pilots and all their equipment under the operational control of the United States, in a much- expanded version of the North American Aerospace Defence Command (NORAD). Fortunately some sunshine was let in upon that thinking before it could be taken too far. Some serious credit needs to be given here to a former Canadian foreign minister Lloyd Axworthy, who took advantage of being out of Cabinet to let the rest of us know what his former colleagues were up to.
So those who wanted to pursue the efforts of further integration of the Canadian and US military decided to take their efforts underground in arrangements that bear striking similarity to the SPP. And the SPP is part of a larger process. The Bi-National Planning Group was the military sister or brother of the SPP... The military officers worked away quietly in Colorado Springs, Colorado, headquarters of NORAD, as well as the US space command...
...Imagine how you might actually explain that closer military cooperation enhances sovereignty because giving up sovereignty is an exercise in sovereignty! You actually affirm your sovereignty by giving some of it away..
The report was very very clear that its preferred option was full integration, the option that had been floated internally in 2002, the assignment of Canadian Forces to what looked like an expanded NORAD, to an umbrella command where operational control would ultimately rest with the US military.
Some steps have been taken in that direction...
When the report actually came out and was put up on the website of the Bi-National Planning Group, some smart people, including possibly the Prime Minister of Canada, decided that you were not yet ready for this... it disappeared off the website, and the Bi-National Planning Group was shut down, and who knows what they're talking about in Montebello.
But something did happen, and I'm talking about Afghanistan.... We are seeing the implementation in theatre of precisely the kind of planning that was going into the Bi-National Planning Group. We are seeing the Canadian Forces being given more and more equipment. We're even buying new tanks. We're seeing the integration of attitudes and rules of engagement with respect to issues like the treatment of detainees. Why did we not adopt the Western European approach to detainee transfer rights, following models that were provided to us by the British, the Dutch and the Danish? Because Washington wanted to do it another way. And why should we volunteer for the most dangerous mission in Afghanistan, a forward-leaning, war- fighting search and kill mission supported by US airstrikes and working in tandem with a US-led and -commanded mission that is not part of the NATO command?
Why have 67 Canadian soldiers died in Afghanistan?...
The integration of the Canadian and US military is not officially part of the SPP, but the SPP and the integration of the Canadian and US military are part of a larger project, and we need to address that larger project, and understand that what we're up against here does not involve the existence of an independent Canada... |
|
|
| Back to top |
|
 |
Pligganease
Joined: 14 Sep 2004
Location: The deep south...
|
| Posted: Tue Aug 21, 2007 9:46 am Post subject: |
|
|
Dean slams Mexico
Thousands in Cancun, Belize flee the growing Category 5 monster
TULUM, Mexico -- After leaving the coast of Jamaica in tatters, Hurricane Dean strengthened into a monstrous Category 5 storm and began slamming Mexico and Belize last night.
Thousands of tourists fled the beaches of the Mayan Riviera as it roared toward the ancient ruins and modern oil installations of the Yucatan Peninsula.
Mexico's state oil company, Petroleos de Mexico, said it was evacuating all of its more than 18,000 offshore workers in the southern Gulf of Mexico. Dozens of historically significant Mayan sites also were emptied.
Dean -- which has killed at least 12 people across the Caribbean -- quickly picked up strength after brushing Jamaica and the Cayman Islands.
By last night it had sustained winds of 260 km/h and was centered about 338 km south-southeast of Tulum, according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center. Category 5 storms -- capable of catastrophic damage -- are rare with only three having hit the U.S. since record-keeping began.
The eye was expected to make landfall early this morning near Chetumal, about 120 km south of Tulum.
Cancun seemed likely to be spared a direct hit, but visitors abandoned its swank hotels to swarm outbound flights. Officials evacuated more rustic lodgings farther south, where Dean -- which has killed at least 12 people across the Caribbean -- was expected to smash ashore early today.
Eric Morovich of Orange County, Calif., waited outside Cancun's airport after trying unsuccessfully to book a ferry, rent a boat and charter an airplane. "The next option is swimming, I guess," he joked.
A hurricane warning was in affect from Cancun all the way south through Belize. All hospitals were closed in Belize City, the country's biggest, and authorities urged residents to leave, saying Dean is too strong for their shelters.
The storm was expected to slash across the Yucatan and emerge in the Gulf of Campeche, where Petroleos de Mexico decided Monday to shut down production on the offshore rigs that extract most of the nation's oil.
President Felipe Calderon cut short a trip to Canada where he is meeting with President Bush and Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper.
"Given (the hurricane's) progression and dangerousness, I have decided to return to Mexico soon," Calderon said in Ottawa. "I'll personally oversee the aid effort in case of a disaster."
Shutting the 407 oil wells in the Campeche Sound will result in a production loss of 2.7 million barrels of oil a day, Pemex said. Central Mexico was next on the storm's path, though the outer bands were likely to bring rain, flooding and gusty winds to south Texas, already saturated after an unusually rainy summer.
At the southern tip of Texas, officials urged residents to evacuate ahead of the storm. "Our mission is very simple. It's to get people out of the kill zone, to get people out of the danger area, which is the coastline of Texas," said Johnny Cavazos, Cameron County's chief emergency director.
Officials in the resort town of South Padre Island distributed sandbags after a state of emergency was declared.
In Mexico, the Quintana Roo state government said about two-thirds of the 60,000 tourists in the Cancun area had left. Some camped overnight at the city's airport to ensure a flight out. Many others were turned away.
Workers hammered plywood over the windows of hotels along the tourist strip, where the skyline is still marked with cranes used to repair the damage of Hurricane Wilma. That storm caused $3 billion in losses in 2005. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Joo Rip Gwa Rhhee
Joined: 25 May 2003
|
| Posted: Tue Aug 21, 2007 10:22 am Post subject: |
|
|
I hope the Hurricane doesn't cause much damage.
Isn't it true that Hurricanes' are more powerful than Typhoons? |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Pligganease
Joined: 14 Sep 2004
Location: The deep south...
|
| Posted: Tue Aug 21, 2007 10:28 am Post subject: |
|
|
They aren't measured on the same scale, but with the warm waters in the equatorial Atlantic, the storms usually are more powerful as they form. I think I heard that, anyway.
I'm from Hurricane Alley, so maybe I heard that sometime throughout my life...  |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Gopher
Joined: 04 Jun 2005
|
| Posted: Tue Aug 21, 2007 2:11 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| Quote: |
| Dozens of historically significant Mayan sites also were emptied. |
I sincerely hope Dean does not damage any of these sites. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Pligganease
Joined: 14 Sep 2004
Location: The deep south...
|
| Posted: Tue Aug 21, 2007 2:52 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| Gopher wrote: |
| Quote: |
| Dozens of historically significant Mayan sites also were emptied. |
I sincerely hope Dean does not damage any of these sites. |
There's a report on CNN right now about that. I think that the overall level of damage was fairly light for a Cat 5 storm. Most of the stuff down in that neck of the woods has been ravaged by horrible storms enough times that what's there now is going to be there forever. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
mindmetoo
Joined: 02 Feb 2004
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Gopher
Joined: 04 Jun 2005
|
| Posted: Tue Aug 21, 2007 4:37 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| mindmetoo wrote: |
| ...that old Atari 2600 computer game? |
Old-timer. What is an "Atari 2600 computer game," by the way? Was it before or after Pong? And was it in black-and-white or color?
In any case, I hope Dean does not damage any Atari 2600s, either... |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
mindmetoo
Joined: 02 Feb 2004
|
| Posted: Tue Aug 21, 2007 5:00 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| Gopher wrote: |
| mindmetoo wrote: |
| ...that old Atari 2600 computer game? |
Old-timer. What is an "Atari 2600 computer game," by the way? Was it before or after Pong? And was it in black-and-white or color?
In any case, I hope Dean does not damage any Atari 2600s, either... |
It was brilliant. It was the first commercially successful home video game. There are a couple that predate it. The machine had 4K of RAM. That's about a page of text. Someone eventually figured out a technique called "bank switching" that let you swap data in and out of the 4K RAM and effectively double it. The Atari adaptation of Pac Man one can see the result of this bank switching. The ghosts kind of appear and disappear as they got swapped in and out of memory.
The joysticks were top notch and I've simply never been able to play PS2/Xbox with these new pad controllers. Just give me a stick and one big red fire button. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
stevemcgarrett
Joined: 24 Mar 2006
|
| Posted: Tue Aug 21, 2007 6:02 pm Post subject: |
|
|
I never played Pong. I did enjoy playing Donkey Kong, but that's the extent of my video game prowess.
Do you suppose the video games were damaged during the hurricane? Gosh, I sure hope not as it would leave the fat children of many of those tourists would little to do after the resorts reopen. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
enns
Joined: 02 May 2006
|
| Posted: Tue Aug 21, 2007 6:29 pm Post subject: |
|
|
GREAT NEWS!!!!!!!!!!!
| Quote: |
Atari Brings Classics Back Into Your Hands
PR Newswire
Atari Announces Development Of Atari Classics Evolved For The PSP(R) System -
August 21, 2007: 09:00 AM EST
NEW YORK, Aug. 21 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Atari, Inc. , one of the world's most recognized brands and a third-party video game publisher, today announced that Atari Classics Evolved, an homage to Atari's landmark catalogue, is in development on the PSP(R) (PlayStation(R)Portable) system. Developed by Stainless Games Ltd., Atari Classics Evolved is schedule for a Fall 2007 release.
Atari Classics Evolved will feature such timeless games as Asteroids(TM), Asteroids(TM) Deluxe, Battlezone(R), Centipede(TM), Lunar Lander(R), Millipede(R), Missile Command(R), Super Breakout(TM), Tempest(TM), Warlords(TM) and Pong(R). These titles, presented in both an original and an evolved version, will maintain the original gameplay while adding beautifully rendered up-to-date graphics.
"We are looking forward to providing gamers with the experience of the iconic Atari catalog on a handheld platform," said Matt Rush, Producer, Atari, Inc. "Offering these Atari classics in both their elemental and contemporary forms should excite both old-school and next-generation gamers alike."
In addition to the 11 evolved classics, more than 60 original Atari 2600 titles will be available for gameplay such as the memorable Yar's Revenge(TM), Night Driver(TM), Canyon Bomber(TM) and Crystal Castles(TM) to name a few. Atari Classics will feature online Leaderboards for the original 11 coin-op games, allowing players around the world to compare scores, and will also feature peer-to-peer wireless compatibility for titles that have multiplayer capabilities.
For more information on Atari Classics, Atari and its entire product line- up please visit www.atari.com.
About Atari
New York-based Atari, Inc. develops interactive games for all platforms and is a third-party publisher of interactive entertainment software in the U.S. The Company's 1,000+ titles include hard-core, genre- defining franchises such as Test Drive(R); and mass-market and children's franchises such as Dragon Ball Z(R). Atari, Inc. is a majority-owned subsidiary of France-based Infogrames Entertainment SA , the largest interactive games publisher in Europe. For more information, visit www.atari.com. |
This should give hope through the hurricane. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Pligganease
Joined: 14 Sep 2004
Location: The deep south...
|
| Posted: Tue Aug 21, 2007 7:15 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Sweet! Yar's Revenge, baby!
 |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
stevemcgarrett
Joined: 24 Mar 2006
|
| Posted: Tue Aug 21, 2007 7:51 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| Oh, I forgot: I developed my Donkey Kong skills playing hours of Pac-Man for free as a campus desk receptionist when I was an undergrad. I say this in the interests of full public disclosure, of course. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
mindmetoo
Joined: 02 Feb 2004
|
| Posted: Tue Aug 21, 2007 9:03 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| stevemcgarrett wrote: |
| Oh, I forgot: I developed my Donkey Kong skills playing hours of Pac-Man for free as a campus desk receptionist when I was an undergrad. I say this in the interests of full public disclosure, of course. |
I have discussed Donkey Kong in another thread. If you keep insisting on entering such discussions without educating yourself beforehand, then I will be forced to ... to... what is EFL's threat in these cases? |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Mosley
Joined: 15 Jan 2003
|
| Posted: Tue Aug 21, 2007 9:25 pm Post subject: |
|
|
I'm old. And old-fashioned. I like board games. Do you like board games?
I like RISK, MONOPOLY and TRIVIAL PURSUIT. Do you like those games?
I'm good at those games. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
|
You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum
|
|
FAQ
Search
Memberlist
Usergroups
Register
Profile
Log in to check your private messages
Log in
