In restul lumii, 1 Iunie inseamna ziua copilului. Aici in Toronto, anul acesta 1 Iunie marcheaza niste evenimente mai importante decat in alti ani, cum ar fi noi reguli pentru trecerea frontierei in USA si deschidera adoptiilor.
Inainte sa-ti zic de chestii serioase, sa-ti zic de chestii personale, cum ar fi uichendu’ mieu. Care-a inceput cu cadoul unui cetatean de culoare, venit in vizita la un vecin. Cadou depozitat in fata casei mele, pe red mulch-ul cu care am inlocuit iarba. Parea sa fie un pachet de Taco Bell luat la un cinema dupa vizionarea A Night at the Museum 2. Iubitorii de Ben Stiller nu ma iubesc si pe mine, ceea ce este de asteptat, dat fiind ca nu-l suport pe omul ala. In fine, am colectat obektu’ si-am batut in usa vecinului, intrebandu-l daca nu cumva si l-a uitat el acolo. El mi-a spus ca nu, asa ca am purces de l-am aruncat, spearand mancarea in green bin si hartia in blue bin, la recyclables. In prima parte, am trecut prin Downsview pe langa scena unei injunghieri. Imi venea metroul, asa ca n-am apucat sa fac o poza buna. Este, desigur, vorba despre acelasi Downsview unde I once got busy in the subway washroom (dwnsvw-stab).
In drum spre intalnirea cu prietena si un concert simfonic, am trecut pe langa o cladire guvernamentala, in fata careia cateva zeci de Tamil-i cereau implicarea guvernului canadian in lupta guvernului din Sri Lanka cu o grupare declarata deja ca fiind terorista – Tamil Tigers. Desi de data asta traficul nu a fost oprit, mi se pare interesant ca in timp ce tamilii au ocupat autostrazi timp de cateva zile, blocand traficul, atunci cand riveranii din Bd Tei din Bucuresti s-au decis sa protesteze traversand regulamentar bulevardul pe o trecere de pietoni, primarul sectorului 2 a chemat atat politia comunitara cat si jandarmeria - Ontanu, al 4-lea clip din lista(cbc-fewer, otcit-tamils, ts-expres).
Pasapoarte pentru USA
Incepand de azi, nu mai poti calatori in State fara pasaport. Pana acum puteai merge cu autobuzul, trenul, sau masina proprie folosind numai un certificat de nastere sau un document guvernamental cu poza, cum ar fi un permis de conducere simplu. Aceasta conditie exista deja pentru calatoriile cu avionul. Pentru inceput, vei putea sa calatoresti totusi, dar va trebui sa te milogesti de vamesi. Cu timpul, milogeala va deveni oficial interzisa (psprt-ts).
As of June 1, all Canadians and Americans seeking to enter the U.S. are supposed to have a passport, an enhanced driver's licence or a trusted traveller card, instead of the birth certificate and government-issued photo identification that had been accepted up to today. Indian and Northern Affairs Canada cards and U.S. passport cards can also be used. While more than 54 per cent of Canadians have passports, only about 30 per cent of Americans do.
Iata si cateva date din psprt-gm:
As of this morning, the Canada-United States border becomes more difficult to cross, as border agents now accept just five types of ID. The new rule is part of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative, intended to filter out terrorists and other criminals before they set foot in the U.S. First introduced five years ago as part of the 9/11 Commission recommendations, the restrictions have been delayed several times by politicians in both the U.S. and Canada.
WHAT ID YOU CAN USE
PASSPORTS:
Over half of Canadians already have one. Adult passports cost $87. Applications take two to four weeks to process.
FAST CARDS:
Commercial drivers can apply to the Free and Secure Trade program, designed to expedite trade of low-risk goods.
U.S. PASSPORT CARDS:
Designed for American residents of border communities, the passport card is cheaper than a full passport.
SECURE CERTIFICATE OF INDIAN STATUS:
A heavy Canadian lobby effort convinced U.S. officials to add status cards to the list of acceptable border documents.
NEXUS CARDS:
They are available to citizens and permanent residents of Canada or the U.S. who have lived continuously in one of these countries for the past three years. The cards allow access to special lanes at road crossings.
****
BORDER FACTS
Total length of Canada-U.S. border:
8,892 kilometres
Total official border crossings: 119
Number of U.S. trips to Canada last year: 22.6million
Number of U.S. trips to Canada in 2000: 44 million
Number of Canadian trips to the U.S.
last year: 42.5 million
Percentage of all Canadian exports that go to the U.S.: 85 %
Percentage of all American exports that go to Canada: 23 %
U.S. Customs and Border Protection guards stationed on Canadian border: 1,600
U.S. Customs and Border Protection guards stationed along Canadian border
in 2000: 340
****
BUSIEST CROSSINGS
1.
WINDSOR, ONT., TO DETROIT
Combination of the Ambassador Bridge and the Detroit-Windsor tunnel
2.
BLUE WATER BRIDGE
Connecting Sarnia, Ont., and
Port Huron, Mich.
3.
RAINBOW BRIDGE
Connecting Niagara Falls, Ont.,
and Niagara Falls, N.Y.
4.
PEACE BRIDGE
Connecting Fort Erie, Ont.,
and Buffalo, N.Y.
5.
PEACE ARCH
Connecting Surrey, B.C.,
and Blaine, Wash.
****
WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING
Not everyone predicts chaos today as the new ID rules go into effect, The Canadian Press reports. Although only 20 per cent of U.S. residents are said to have passports, a recent survey of border crossers suggested 80 per cent have the needed documentation under the new rules.
"The chaos is a bit overblown. Yes, it's a new requirement, but it's requirement that has some practical value ... better identification was inevitable."
Chris Sands, a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute in Washington
"I don't expect any major delays or traffic jams as a result of this program. There will be no story on June 1."
Jayson P. Ahern, acting commissioner of the Customs and Border Protection
Este interesant ca atat Bush cat si Clinton habar n-au avut de aceste noi reguli atunci cand au fost intrebati.
Adoptii open-source
Multa vreme, dosarele de adoptie au fost secrete in Ontario. In urma unei legi recent adoptate, cei interesati vor avea acces la aceste dosare, cu exceptia cazurilor in care vreo parte si-a exersat dreptul de veto, in sensul ca a cerut in scris ca datele sale sa ramana in continuare secrete. Conform Canadian Press (adptn-cp):
Sub vechiul sistem exista o baza de data bazata pe voluntary disclosure. Acum, asumptia este ca nimic nu-i secret, cu exceptia cazului in care o parte cere asta in scris.
Surse / More info:psprt-cno, psprt-gm, psprt-ts, adptn-ts, adptn-gm, adptn-cp, dwnsvw-stab, cbc-fewer, ts-expres, otcit-tamils
Aici vei găsi ştiri inedite, articole hazoase, perspective originale in politică, societate, economie şi relaţii interumane. QUESTIONS (Intrebări)? We got Answers (Răspunsuri există)!