Since we have been mapping for a while now, I thought I would post a portion out of a mapping book called MAP published by the INsitute of International Visual Arts (inlVA).
The PDF document contains two articles, one story called"Free Art Agreement-El Tratado de Libre Cultura' b Guillermo, Gomez-Pena from the book The Submersive Imagination and a series of quick antidotes about the use of maps in a place that is unfamiliar.
The article can be found here and it is pretty cool and will only take you a couple of minutes to read through them!
Wednesday, January 31, 2007
Monday, January 29, 2007
oh canada- new border security plan
"The bulk of the money, $337 million, is for the electronic-Manifest program, which allows for computer-automated risk assessments of cargo shipments before they reach Canada... 'There's still going to be that human element at the border, to look at material and talk to the driver, but the amount of time that's going to be saved is going to be significant,' he said of the requirement to file electronic manifests in advance of cargo shipments." Washington Post, Jan. 13, 2007
Sunday, January 28, 2007
BOLIVIA - CHILE BORDER
Top: map of the 860 km border between Chile and Bolivia
Top Middle: border between Bolivia and Chile border
Bottom middle: imigration office at the border
Bottom: Bolivia and Chile border along the rail line.
Illegal, but delicious immigrant salmon
A slightly old article about a different US-Canada border: the one between Canada and Alaska. It's relatively autonomous for people... but totally free for salmon. And it's causing this US official to freak out. After all, they should still be kept separate...
Friday, January 26, 2007
Border Sports?
Perhaps you are considering a sports facility as a program. Here are some images of volleyball being played across the US-Mexico border. Link to the LA Times article to read all about it.
Thursday, January 25, 2007
This is an audio file of the radio program "Worldview" from January 23rd. The whole program is devoted to border crossings and it specifically deals with the Canadian-American situation. There are MANY intresting facts and bits of history. Like, did you know there was another time in history when passports were required to travel between Canada and the US? And the best part is, you can listen to it as you work...
Wednesday, January 24, 2007
Blogger Blocked at US Border!
Check this articale out from eweek. A man was turned away from re-entering the US because of his blog.
Blogger Blocked at U.S. Border
Blogger Blocked at U.S. Border
Border crossing problem
Conflict Analysis of the Schwartz Report, a study of the Windsor-Detroit border crossing conducted by researchers from the University of Windsor.
http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/iel5/10498/33255/01571298.pdf?arnumber=1571298
http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/iel5/10498/33255/01571298.pdf?arnumber=1571298
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
Monday, January 22, 2007
French-Belgian Border
Although there is no stops required at this border subtle hints of a crossing are still seen. The Yellow lights are French while the clear are Belgian.
How much do you need for a border?
Ukraine-Poland borderhttp://personalpages.manchester.ac.uk/staff/chris.tan/Gallery/2002/Bieszczardy/1447-34.JPG
Ukraine is on the left (yellow and blue)
http://www.ji-magazine.lviv.ua/HBSconf-may2001/foto/kordon.jpg
Thought this fit in with our conversation today about the desire to bring in educated and highly-qualified immigrants...
Mon, January 22, 2007
Lengthy wait 'unfair'
Province asks feds to clear books on immigration backlog
By TOM GODFREY, SUN MEDIA
TORONTO -- The federal government is being asked to increase from 250,000 to 350,000 the number of immigrants being accepted in Canada this year to help clear a lengthy backlog.
The province has joined immigration lawyers in seeking more newcomers to clear a backlog of 800,000 cases, many who are parents who've been waiting for years to reunite with their families in Canada.
"It is unfair to have 800,000 people waiting in line for so long," said Ontario Citizenship and Immigration Minister Mike Colle. "It is frustrating for these people and they're going elsewhere."
He said the European Union, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa are competing for the educated and highly-qualified immigrants.
"There is global competition for these highly-skilled immigrants," Colle said. "People will choose to go elsewhere where they can be processed faster."
He said Ontario accepts about 140,000 newcomers yearly, or about 60% of all new immigrants.
"We would like to do our part to handle more immigrants as long as there's federal funding," Colle said. "We have a flat population growth and our workforce is getting older."
He called for a five-year plan by the federal Conservatives to clear the backlog.
"Canada is an extremely popular place and many people want to come here," Colle said. "We have to get rid of the backlog and clear the books."
Philip Mailhod, a spokesman for recently appointed federal Immigration Minister Diane Finley, said he couldn't comment on the issue.
Toronto immigration lawyer Mendel Green said there are millions of dollars in an immigration account from applicants who have paid $1,100 each to sponsor their parents and have been waiting for years.
"There is a huge backlog in the system," he said last week. "About 25% of our clients had their cases started more than four years ago."
He said about 40,000 parents are sponsored to Canada yearly, leaving 300,000 others waiting abroad for processing.
Lengthy wait 'unfair'
Province asks feds to clear books on immigration backlog
By TOM GODFREY, SUN MEDIA
TORONTO -- The federal government is being asked to increase from 250,000 to 350,000 the number of immigrants being accepted in Canada this year to help clear a lengthy backlog.
The province has joined immigration lawyers in seeking more newcomers to clear a backlog of 800,000 cases, many who are parents who've been waiting for years to reunite with their families in Canada.
"It is unfair to have 800,000 people waiting in line for so long," said Ontario Citizenship and Immigration Minister Mike Colle. "It is frustrating for these people and they're going elsewhere."
He said the European Union, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa are competing for the educated and highly-qualified immigrants.
"There is global competition for these highly-skilled immigrants," Colle said. "People will choose to go elsewhere where they can be processed faster."
He said Ontario accepts about 140,000 newcomers yearly, or about 60% of all new immigrants.
"We would like to do our part to handle more immigrants as long as there's federal funding," Colle said. "We have a flat population growth and our workforce is getting older."
He called for a five-year plan by the federal Conservatives to clear the backlog.
"Canada is an extremely popular place and many people want to come here," Colle said. "We have to get rid of the backlog and clear the books."
Philip Mailhod, a spokesman for recently appointed federal Immigration Minister Diane Finley, said he couldn't comment on the issue.
Toronto immigration lawyer Mendel Green said there are millions of dollars in an immigration account from applicants who have paid $1,100 each to sponsor their parents and have been waiting for years.
"There is a huge backlog in the system," he said last week. "About 25% of our clients had their cases started more than four years ago."
He said about 40,000 parents are sponsored to Canada yearly, leaving 300,000 others waiting abroad for processing.
Border between N. Korea and S. Korea
A study on the many types of borders found between South Korea and North Korea.
Tijuana Border Crossing Photographs
I found this site of Tijuana Border Crossing Images from a link featured on picture from google image. (The actual picture I found from google image is featured on this webpage)
http://www.ontheroadin.com/baja/crossingborder.htm
http://www.ontheroadin.com/baja/crossingborder.htm
Mending Wall - Robert Frost
Something there is that doesn't love a wall,
That sends the frozen-ground-swell under it,
And spills the upper boulders in the sun,
And makes gaps even two can pass abreast.
The work of hunters is another thing:
I have come after them and made repair
Where they have left not one stone on a stone,
But they would have the rabbit out of hiding,
To please the yelping dogs. The gaps I mean,
No one has seen them made or heard them made,
But at spring mending-time we find them there.
I let my neighbor know beyond the hill;
And on a day we meet to walk the line
And set the wall between us once again.
We keep the wall between us as we go.
To each the boulders that have fallen to each.
And some are loaves and some so nearly balls
We have to use a spell to make them balance:
'Stay where you are until our backs are turned!'
We wear our fingers rough with handling them.
Oh, just another kind of out-door game,
One on a side. It comes to little more:
There where it is we do not need the wall:
He is all pine and I am apple orchard.
My apple trees will never get across
And eat the cones under his pines, I tell him.
He only says, 'Good fences make good neighbors'.
Spring is the mischief in me, and I wonder
If I could put a notion in his head:
'Why do they make good neighbors? Isn't it
Where there are cows?
But here there are no cows.
Before I built a wall I'd ask to know
What I was walling in or walling out,
And to whom I was like to give offence.
Something there is that doesn't love a wall,
That wants it down.' I could say 'Elves' to him,
But it's not elves exactly, and I'd rather
He said it for himself. I see him there
Bringing a stone grasped firmly by the top
In each hand, like an old-stone savage armed.
He moves in darkness as it seems to me~
Not of woods only and the shade of trees.
He will not go behind his father's saying,
And he likes having thought of it so well
He says again, "Good fences make good neighbors."
That sends the frozen-ground-swell under it,
And spills the upper boulders in the sun,
And makes gaps even two can pass abreast.
The work of hunters is another thing:
I have come after them and made repair
Where they have left not one stone on a stone,
But they would have the rabbit out of hiding,
To please the yelping dogs. The gaps I mean,
No one has seen them made or heard them made,
But at spring mending-time we find them there.
I let my neighbor know beyond the hill;
And on a day we meet to walk the line
And set the wall between us once again.
We keep the wall between us as we go.
To each the boulders that have fallen to each.
And some are loaves and some so nearly balls
We have to use a spell to make them balance:
'Stay where you are until our backs are turned!'
We wear our fingers rough with handling them.
Oh, just another kind of out-door game,
One on a side. It comes to little more:
There where it is we do not need the wall:
He is all pine and I am apple orchard.
My apple trees will never get across
And eat the cones under his pines, I tell him.
He only says, 'Good fences make good neighbors'.
Spring is the mischief in me, and I wonder
If I could put a notion in his head:
'Why do they make good neighbors? Isn't it
Where there are cows?
But here there are no cows.
Before I built a wall I'd ask to know
What I was walling in or walling out,
And to whom I was like to give offence.
Something there is that doesn't love a wall,
That wants it down.' I could say 'Elves' to him,
But it's not elves exactly, and I'd rather
He said it for himself. I see him there
Bringing a stone grasped firmly by the top
In each hand, like an old-stone savage armed.
He moves in darkness as it seems to me~
Not of woods only and the shade of trees.
He will not go behind his father's saying,
And he likes having thought of it so well
He says again, "Good fences make good neighbors."
The Extreme Sport of Border Crossing
In Ixmiquilpan, Mexico a group of community members provide a unusual service to tourists. For a fee they will provide a mock illegal border crossing to anyone that might like to experience the "sport" of illegal border crossing. The organizers of this event say, " they are trying to build empathy for migrants by putting people in thier shoes". Check this one out!
http://www.16beavergroup.org/mtarchive/archives/001965.php
http://www.16beavergroup.org/mtarchive/archives/001965.php
Illegal Toilets!
As I was searching for illegal boarder crossings I came across this articale on the smuggling of illegal toilets into the US. Black Market toilets? Never heard that one before! Enjoy!
Psst! Wanna Buy An Illegal Toilet? -- Monday, Apr. 03, 2000 -- Page 1 -- TIME
Psst! Wanna Buy An Illegal Toilet? -- Monday, Apr. 03, 2000 -- Page 1 -- TIME
Sunday, January 21, 2007
Hilary for president?
As I continue reading the likely hood of the next president of the United States being a female and specifically with the popularity of Hilary Clinton as a strong prospect I can only begin to imagine the possible impacts this nomination or even possible presidency could make on the state of the borders within and at distinct points of border. http://www.time.com/time/columnist/klein/article/0,9565,1059000,00.html
http://www.time.com/time/2007/racing_form/0117/democrats/
http://www.time.com/time/2007/racing_form/0117/democrats/
The Unknown Border: Underground Railroad
The ultimate goal of the underground railroad was to usher slaves from the southern states to the north and even into Canada where they most likely could not be extradited. The main points of crossing for slaves were at the Detroit and Niagra Rivers, making the Detroit/Windsor border somewhat transparent in that African Americans could cross the border without any kind of officiality but also a significant milestone in their journey because they were essentially free once in Canada.
I'm on my way to Canada
That cold and distant land
The dire effects of slavery
I can no longer stand -Farewell, old master.
Don't come after me.
I'm on my way to Canada
Where coloured men are free.
I'm on my way to Canada
That cold and distant land
The dire effects of slavery
I can no longer stand -Farewell, old master.
Don't come after me.
I'm on my way to Canada
Where coloured men are free.
By the Numbers
http://www.bts.gov/programs/international/border_crossing_entry_data/us_canada/index.html
Anybody looking for trucking stats on the crossings at borders this site has lots of figures.
-Alex
Anybody looking for trucking stats on the crossings at borders this site has lots of figures.
-Alex
border disputes between canada and US
These are still the current land and border disputes.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_areas_disputed_by_the_United_States_and_Canada
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_areas_disputed_by_the_United_States_and_Canada
Michigan is trashy
http://wasteage.com/mag/waste_great_trash_state/
This article expresses everyones concern about how much trash crosses the borders from Canada to the US daily.
This article expresses everyones concern about how much trash crosses the borders from Canada to the US daily.
U.S. hospitals become a magnet for Canadian Nurses
" It takes about 20 minutes to drive from the LaSalle-Windsor area in Ontario, Canada, to Detroit. As soon as Windsor resident Sylvie Matté, RN, starts her new job at a Detroit hospital this month, she will join almost 3,000 Michigan-licensed nurses who call Canada home
...
'A lot of people feel ashamed that you have to go to the States," Matté said. "But I feel good [about what I’m doing]. I feel like I don’t owe anything to my country.' "
...
'A lot of people feel ashamed that you have to go to the States," Matté said. "But I feel good [about what I’m doing]. I feel like I don’t owe anything to my country.' "
The Tunnel's Webpage
did you know "The Detroit-Windsor Tunnel is the only vehicular international subaqueous border crossing in the world."
site tabs include:
toll rates, traffic, links, customs and immigration, credit application, duty-free shopping, the past and future, tunnel bus, NEXPRESS, tokens by mail, and careers.
site tabs include:
toll rates, traffic, links, customs and immigration, credit application, duty-free shopping, the past and future, tunnel bus, NEXPRESS, tokens by mail, and careers.
Too American?
Is Canada losing it's national identity with the Americanization of it's culture. This is a lecture series investigating the risults of the Free Trade Aggrement among other issues of border relevence.
Borders, prisoners, torture…
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/torture/view/
Why was Guantanamo chosen to house detainees?
Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld
Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said the U.S. Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba was the "least worst place" to send the Al Qaeda and Taliban fighters picked up on the battlefield in Afghanistan. The administration wanted to move the detainees out of the war theater to a secure location for questioning as quickly as possible. Guantanamo had the dual advantage of being controlled by the United States, yet not on domestic soil. The president's advisers believed a facility within the United States could become a terrorist target. They also didn't want the federal courts to interfere with their management of the prison, or take up due-process challenges from the detainees.
The remote island of Guantanamo, called "Gitmo" by the generations of marines who served there, had a long and bizarre history: The oldest American base outside the continental U.S., Gitmo is also the only base to sit on the soil of a country that maintains no diplomatic relations with the United States.
"We thought the fact that Guantanamo was outside the territory of the United States would eliminate an important legal ambiguity," says Bradford Berenson, associate White House counsel from 2001 to 2003. "As it turns out, we were wrong."
In June 2004, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 6-3 in Rasul v. Bush that Guantanamo detainees have the right to challenge their detentions in federal court. To date, 100 habeas corpus petitions have been filed on behalf of 225 detainees.
Building a North American Community
This article covers a wide range of issues facing the North American countries, using the European Union as a reference of measure. Many political issues covered here.
The global elite, through the direct operations of President George Bush and his Administration, are creating a North American Union that will combine Canada, Mexico and the U.S. into a superstate called the North American Union. There is no legislation or Congressional oversight, much less public support, for this massive restructuring of the U.S
The global elite, through the direct operations of President George Bush and his Administration, are creating a North American Union that will combine Canada, Mexico and the U.S. into a superstate called the North American Union. There is no legislation or Congressional oversight, much less public support, for this massive restructuring of the U.S
some facts about windsor
http://www.answers.com/topic/windsor-ontario
This is just an encyclopedia article about windsor, but it breaks up into lots of different catagories.. but the following section on Transportation was pretty interesting... (especially the second & third paragraphs)
A current issue in Windsor is traffic around the Ambassador Bridge. The number of vehicles crossing the bridge has doubled in the past fifteen years and, since the September 11, 2001 attacks, travelling through customs on the U.S. side takes much longer. The only way to access the bridge or tunnel is from two municipal roads: Huron Church Road (Bridge) and Wyandotte Street(Tunnel). A large portion of the traffic is 18-wheeler trucks. There have been at times a wall of trucks up to eight kilometres (five miles) long on Huron Church Road. This road cuts through the west end of the city and the trucks are the source of many complaints about noise, pollution and pedestrian hazards. While in a very good state of repair, it had the distinction of being number 17 on a list of Canada's worst roads.
Windsor paid world famous traffic consultant Sam Schwartz to produce a proposal for a solution to this traffic problem. The city councillors have overwhelmingly endorsed the proposal and it was presented to the federal government as the solution that the city officially approves. Unfortunately, not all of the surrounding residents support the plan the city paid for. The problem with the plan is that the proposed roadway would cut through protected green space such as Ojibway Park. The federal government wasn't expecting the city to be able to agree upon a proposal of any sort and are now pushing for short term, cheaper solutions.
On November 14, 2005, the joint Canadian-American committee studying the options for expanding the border crossing announced that its preferred option was to directly extend Highway 401 westward, using a new bridge or tunnel to cross the Detroit River and interchange with Interstate 75 somewhere between the existing Ambassador Bridge span and Wyandotte. The exact route of this new highway connection has not yet been determined. [3]
Saturday, January 20, 2007
Everything is OK - as long as my economy benefits...
Two articles about arguably the most practical problem at the Detroit-Windsor border: traffic and its hampering of US and Canadian economies.
The Canadian Chamber of Commerce assesses the problems in the existing conditions at the border and basically stresses the need to act and improve deficiencies, from new road connections and infrastructure to security and its efficiency.
The Schwartz Report was an investigation conducted in 2004-2005 to evaluate numerous proposals on a new border crossing that prevents loss of money due to delays, and reactions from residents and government officials. Also includes crazy mathematical analysis of the proposal's potential result... James?
Also... I posted a comment asking why waste disposing goes both ways across the border (i.e. Canada dumps in US, US dumps in Canada). Does anyone know why?
The Canadian Chamber of Commerce assesses the problems in the existing conditions at the border and basically stresses the need to act and improve deficiencies, from new road connections and infrastructure to security and its efficiency.
The Schwartz Report was an investigation conducted in 2004-2005 to evaluate numerous proposals on a new border crossing that prevents loss of money due to delays, and reactions from residents and government officials. Also includes crazy mathematical analysis of the proposal's potential result... James?
Also... I posted a comment asking why waste disposing goes both ways across the border (i.e. Canada dumps in US, US dumps in Canada). Does anyone know why?
Friday, January 19, 2007
Border Crossing studios at Columbia
Hi guys. Check out the Border Crossing architecture studios run by Leslie Gill and Tina Manis at Columbia. They had studios during the Spring 2005, 2004, & 2003. Look under "studio archives".
Recreational Bikers at the Border
From Cyclotour Guide Books:
"Crossing the Detroit River is a problem for both residents of Detroit & Windsor; and touring bicyclists. There are no bike racks or baggage holds on the buses which go through the Tunnel (only folding bikes can be brought inside the buses); the Ambassador Bridge absolutely forbids bicyclists on either the roadway or the walkway; and there sometimes is and sometimes is not a Bridge/Michigan DOT pick up truck to take cyclists across the River.
Our most recent communiqué with the Detroit-Windsor Truck Ferry has made us very sad. The Canada Border Services Agency and the US Customs and Border Protection Agency have prohibited the Truck Ferry from transporting bicyclists & their bicycles.
Now, crossing the Detroit River involves making a sign and using your thumb to hitch a ride. Grab a bit of a discarded box and write in 3 in./7.3 cm to 5 in./12 cm. high letters: To Windsor or To Detroit. Wait at the entrance/on ramp to either the Bridge or the Tunnel with your thumb extended and the sign on your chest. A friendly motorist will stop and help you out. Thumbing your way across the Detroit River can not be considered an adequate way for bicyclists to continue their journey."
"Crossing the Detroit River is a problem for both residents of Detroit & Windsor; and touring bicyclists. There are no bike racks or baggage holds on the buses which go through the Tunnel (only folding bikes can be brought inside the buses); the Ambassador Bridge absolutely forbids bicyclists on either the roadway or the walkway; and there sometimes is and sometimes is not a Bridge/Michigan DOT pick up truck to take cyclists across the River.
Our most recent communiqué with the Detroit-Windsor Truck Ferry has made us very sad. The Canada Border Services Agency and the US Customs and Border Protection Agency have prohibited the Truck Ferry from transporting bicyclists & their bicycles.
Now, crossing the Detroit River involves making a sign and using your thumb to hitch a ride. Grab a bit of a discarded box and write in 3 in./7.3 cm to 5 in./12 cm. high letters: To Windsor or To Detroit. Wait at the entrance/on ramp to either the Bridge or the Tunnel with your thumb extended and the sign on your chest. A friendly motorist will stop and help you out. Thumbing your way across the Detroit River can not be considered an adequate way for bicyclists to continue their journey."
Canadian Waste- Personalized
WASTE KNOT: Too dirty for Canada, Canflow dumps in Detroit sewers. (2-20-2002)"An acrid breeze rustles scattered trash and trees along Greendale Street on Detroit’s north side. It’s a sunny day, July 25, and Willie Bell Gouch relaxes while watching her grandsons play.
And then it comes. Without warning, a putrid stench rushes into Gouch’s home. As the waste-disposal plant down the street dumps thousands of gallons of industrial wastewater trucked from Canada directly into the sewer system, black oily muck and metal-laced water flood Gouch’s basement and gurgle into sinks, bathtubs and toilets throughout the neighborhood..."
read the rest
Canadian Trash Trucked into Michigan
"Cross-border trash to be curbed by 2010; Deadline for PAPS switch kicks-in for waste truckers", 9/1/2006. 350 truckloads enter the U.S. daily from Detroit-Windsor and Port Huron-Sarnia border points, and end up in Michigan landfills. "Many Michigan residents have long complained Michigan-bound trucks carrying Toronto's trash clogs roadways and raises security concerns at border crossings." Shipments are to reduce 20 percent by end of 07, 40 percent by 08, and eliminated by 2010. The catch- the deal does not include industrial and commercial waste that accounts for over half of the 4 million metric tons of Canadian trash that enters Michigan annually.
Canadian trash made up 19% of all trash dumped in state landfills in 2005.
Transboundary Air
The following link is from a Canadian government site on The Environment. This section is devoted to "transboundary air"- which of course ignores political borders. There are links to the official agreements b/w Canada and the US, as well as follow up concerns from Canada. Basically:
"While Canada is a source of some pollution crossing into the United States, prevailing wind direction and large U.S. emissions mean that the U.S. can be a significant source of smog and acid rain in certain regions of Canada ."
http://www.ec.gc.ca/cleanair-airpur/Pollution_Issues/Transboundary_Air-WS587B56F8-1_En.htm
"While Canada is a source of some pollution crossing into the United States, prevailing wind direction and large U.S. emissions mean that the U.S. can be a significant source of smog and acid rain in certain regions of Canada ."
http://www.ec.gc.ca/cleanair-airpur/Pollution_Issues/Transboundary_Air-WS587B56F8-1_En.htm
The International Boundary Commission Website
This site has considerable information regarding the canada/US border. There is a lot of info that everybody can use towards answering questions for our book. Take a look around.
Thursday, January 18, 2007
Passport News Brief
Have your passport?
Just some information on the passport stuff for traveling, pretty much what we heard but a bit more info.
Just some information on the passport stuff for traveling, pretty much what we heard but a bit more info.
Temporary Borders
Palestinians and Israeli's are redrawing and renegotiating the borders.
http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/meast/01/17/rice.mideast.ap/index.html
http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/meast/01/17/rice.mideast.ap/index.html
Passport rules worry Canadians, border states
A worry about the affects of requiring passports for all american citizens and what this will do for commerce, tourism, and the border control.
http://www.cnn.com/2007/TRAVEL/01/17/passport.rules.ap/index.html
Yuliya
http://www.cnn.com/2007/TRAVEL/01/17/passport.rules.ap/index.html
Yuliya
Tuesday, January 16, 2007
Passports?
As many of you already know the government is required citizens to have a passport when going international as of January 23rd. Although the law is primarily directed at airline travel, all forms of travel may soon require a passport, even within the United States...
Canada to Arm Its Border Guards
from NY times, last year, sept. 2006. Until I figure how to link, you get the full text. (apologies for length)
by CHRISTOPHER MASON
by CHRISTOPHER MASON
Published:
Responding to a demand from border guards for weapons to defend themselves and combat criminals, the federal government said Thursday that it would begin arming guards in September 2007.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper said some guards would begin receiving firearms next fall, with about 150 expected to be armed by March 2008. But it will take at least a decade to arm all of the nearly 5,000 guards along
The plan calls for 500 to 600 guards to be armed each year over the course of the program.
Mr. Harper, announcing the plan at a crossing south of
The plan will also add a second guard at crossings that now have only one on duty, an increase of 400 guards at a cost of about $91 million.
Larger crossings, like the one at
The unarmed guards, members of the Canada Border Services Agency, have walked off the job several times in the past year, saying they need guns to defend the border and themselves. The union representing them threatened a strike over the issue in 2005. In January, Canadian guards in
That incident came days after a federal election campaign that pitted the long-ruling Liberal Party against Mr. Harper's Conservatives. The Liberal Party opposed the arming of border guards, offering instead to add armed officers of the mounted police at the busiest crossings. Mr. Harper promised more border guards and firearms for them.
Some experts see the move as an acknowledgment that border security is a growing concern, even if it comes at the expense of smooth-flowing border traffic.
''It's a move away from the border being a place where essentially we collect taxes -- recognition that it has a real security component to it that directly affects the safety and security of Canadians,'' Scott Newark, a security expert, said in a television interview.
Since taking office in February, Mr. Harper has tried to improve relations with the White House through an increased role in
Mr. Harper's decision to arm guards may allay fears in the
The Terminal
I am not quite sure whether we can recommend videos as well for the blog, but I was watching a movie this past week-end and I thought that it would interest some of you guys in some ways, if you haven't watched it yet. The tiltle is "The Terminal" starring Tom Hanks and Catherine Z. Jones.
It's about a visitor (Viktor, played by Tom Hanks) from Eastern Europe who was refused access through the Kennedy airport in NY to enter the US, due to a coup that erupted in his homeland while he was en route for the US. It became a complex situation as he refused to go back home and managed to live in the airport until the coup was over. The interesting part about it was that he was glancing at the city through the airport's gate , but he could not cross the gate. On which territory did he stay while being in the airport? I think it is an interesting take on the notion of border, and its complexity.
Hope some of you watch it!
It's about a visitor (Viktor, played by Tom Hanks) from Eastern Europe who was refused access through the Kennedy airport in NY to enter the US, due to a coup that erupted in his homeland while he was en route for the US. It became a complex situation as he refused to go back home and managed to live in the airport until the coup was over. The interesting part about it was that he was glancing at the city through the airport's gate , but he could not cross the gate. On which territory did he stay while being in the airport? I think it is an interesting take on the notion of border, and its complexity.
Hope some of you watch it!
is Windsor really in America?
There is an article on ctools called "Borderline Blues..." from the September/October 2003 Canadian Geographic about the border crossing between Windsor and Detroit. It primarily discusses the ferry crossing and problems with excessive commercial traffic on the Canadian side. However it also includes some great bits about the history of the border from the personal perspective of the author who lived on there for years growing up. He asks whether Windsor is really more of an American city. Read it to find out why.
Unfortunately, I could only get this electronic version which omits the graphs and photos. I went to Hatcher yesterday to track down the hard copy, but it was missing from their bound journals! UGH! ...am still looking as I think the graphs would have some good info.
Unfortunately, I could only get this electronic version which omits the graphs and photos. I went to Hatcher yesterday to track down the hard copy, but it was missing from their bound journals! UGH! ...am still looking as I think the graphs would have some good info.
Monday, January 15, 2007
Border between Hong Kong and China
I should probably post this to let you see a bit of what Hong Kong faces everyday. It's really interesting how an invisible line established to sustain order has repercussions at various levels such as economic, social, etc... and how one side of the line is privileged while the other faces hardship. Despite the fact that our territory has been ceded by Great Britain over to China (another story), it has been nearly 10 years since the handover and things are still kept fairly separate.
If you read the article you'll see why total and instant assimilation of Hong Kong into China's systems can wreak havoc! Not good...
If you read the article you'll see why total and instant assimilation of Hong Kong into China's systems can wreak havoc! Not good...
Some statistics...
Not so much an article... just some statistics about the numbers of people that cross the border. Imagine how many people will go through the checks that happen at the border, especially now that security is tightening and that people will require passports.
The numbers are in thousands. So the first figure is 30.66 million.
The numbers are in thousands. So the first figure is 30.66 million.
New Border Crossing coming soon?
http://cns.jrn.msu.edu/articles/2004_0319/CROSSING.html
This article discusses about the potential of constructing a new bridge or tunnel to link Detroit with Canada within the next ten years.
This article discusses about the potential of constructing a new bridge or tunnel to link Detroit with Canada within the next ten years.
Sunday, January 14, 2007
Some Consideration of Further Border Issues
This is a Little more information that might be considered in the issues faceing the border between the US and Canada, specifically pertaining to the Great Lakes region. Perhaps helpful.
Virtual Border?
Canada has unveiled plans to spend $370m on an electronic system to improve security and speed up trade across the border with the US.
Article via BBC
Boeing has won a US government contract to develop security equipment for monitoring the 7,500 miles of borders the US has with Mexico and Canada Thursday, 21 September 2006
Article via BBC
Upon further search of legalities between the United States and Canada I found two security cameras for both sides of the tunnel. Located here(Detroit into Canada)and here (Windsor into Detroit).
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)