Spreading NAFTA's Love Across The Atlantic

Canada and the European Union (EU) are set to begin preliminary discussions on deeper economic integration a mere three days after the election. It has been reported that the proposed trade deal will far exceed NAFTA. Some see this as an opportunity to possibly update the 15 year-old accord. Stephen Harper is busy telling Canadians that only a Conservative majority government will be able to bring confidence back and stabilize the economy. That is why I find it a little strange that this has not become a pillar of the Conservatives economic platform. Harper has decided not to release the full text of the draft proposal until after the election on October 14. The reality is that such an agreement with the EU will be no different than NAFTA in the sense that it will be used to further advance corporate interests.

For the past several months, Canadian officials have been hard at work negotiating with EU representatives. They have compiled a detailed study that will be unveiled after the election. Talks could begin as early as October 17 at a summit in Montreal , with formal negotiations set to begin in 2009. Just as the case with the Security and Prosperity Partnership (SPP) labour, citizen groups and the public at large have been excluded from any discussions. Many support this trade initiative because they wish to lessen Canada’s dependency on the American economy. This agreement has a better chance of succeeding if Harper is re-elected Prime Minister. There still remains much secrecy surrounding trade talks with the EU, and up to this point, Harper appears to be reluctant to make this an election issue.
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From the op of the Charts to the Middle of the Desert

Singer/musician Robbie Williams is the most successful British solo artist in history, with 70 million records sold. However in 2006 he disappeared from the public eye after playing 59 stadium shows in a row. What has he done since then? Well, in his own words, he spent "so much time at home on the internet on sites like AboveTopSecret," and decided to dedicate his life to the search for aliens. With the help of filmmaker/journalist Jon Ronson, Robbie has traveled across the American Southwest talking to UFO abductees about their experiences, and has organized a conference in Laughlin, Nevada, at which their testimony will be heard. A radio documentary of the trip, Robbie Williams And Jon Ronson Journey To The Other Side,' will be on UK's Radio 4 on May 6.

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[Source: Disinfo

Holes in the Wall

The Department of Homeland Security is currently marching down the Texas-Mexico border, serving condemnation lawsuits to frightened landowners whose homes will be destroyed to make way for a border wall. However certain properties seem immune from the plans; the wall will come to an end, for no apparent reason, when it intersects locations such as the luxurious River Bend Resort and vast swathes of land owned by billionaire oil magnate Ray L. Hunt.

Along the border, preliminary plans for fencing seem to target landowners of modest means, who will have no say as the government bulldozes their property, while land owned by the rich and Bush-connected remains untouched, leaving gaping holes in the border fence (and rendering it pointless).

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