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Thats intersting, a dissenting opinion to the whole issue of privacy and how it relates to Echelon... You arn't a NSA spook in geek clothing are you? ;)

For a large part I am inclined to agree with you, that chances are the "Spooks" are in fact going to protect me, and you're right, they were set up for protection of the general interest of the country.

However, check out this great article that another slashdotter posted. In particular, the part about the system being used to spy on greenpeace.

Where does it stop? Which environmental orginization is next? Which anti tobacco group is next?

My question (and it is exactly that, a question) Is how much of this system is used to stop terrorists and massive unsanctioned cocaine deals, and how much of it is used to keep the status quo going (causing massive problems tomamrow, for todays profits).

Heres something else. You will probably agree with me that the Amarican Revolution was probably the best thing to happen to that rag-tangle colany. The French Revolution also being a wonderful spark to the system called Democracy. However, these events were NOT sanctioned by the people in power at the time, they WERE bloody, they WERE subversive.

IF something better than democracy were to come along, chances are it would be so subversive, so against the status quo that these entities (NSA, CIA, CSIS, etc.) and their respective governments would fight tooth claw and nail against it, to hold on ot the existing power base they already have. It just seems to be a fact of (human) life.

(now here is the part where I stress that I am not an anarchist, nor do I have any better ideas on how to run a country, run an consumerist economy without the environmental impact, etc.)

My point? Are these entitys and their projects (i.e. Echelon) there to protect us? or the status quo?

It seems to be working now (12:46PMEDT, Oct.18, 1999).

Has anyone noticed that Anonymous Coward posts are not getting moderated? They start at level0, as stated in the FAQ, but they just stay there. This has been happening a lot lately. Some really insightful and interesting AC posts are just being left at level zero. What's up?

Back to the topic...

I heard on Ottawa radio this morning that a lot of possible insider trading has been going unchecked in Ontario. They mentioned that often, just before a friendly merger, the two merging companies' stock prices go up before the merger is publicly announced. The Ontario Securities Commission has, naturally, decided to start cracking down more forcefully.

As for Mr. Cowpland, I'm not sure what his motives really were in selling that stock just before the loss announcement, but his wording casts a bit of suspicion -- even possibly hubris ("I'm convinced there's nothing been done that's wrong"). The Ottawa Citizen (a local newspaper) has probably made up its mind. The stories they've printed that I've seen have shown pictures of Cowpland "driving away in his Porsche911," and generally play up his richness. Ask yourself why someone as rich as him would need to do insider trading to "pay off his debts."

On the other hand, perhaps he did need to pay off his debts-- for his car, his mansion, his wifes' sexy dresses (and dog hair dye) and any other friviolous things he bought.

For any of you that find Marlen Cowpland (Dr. Cowpland's wife) "interesting," there's a picture somewhere of her at a party in one of those dresses with Dr. Cowpland grabbing her butt. I'm not kidding! This is true! The picture is not obscene, just funny.

If anybody is interested in reading more about the Canadian Government's decision to force cable companies to "open up", check out the following URLs:

CRTC orders cable firms to give ISPs access to high-speed service.

CRTC and FCC compare notes on Internet

For a more Beaureaucratic look at things, try :

"Competition and Culture on Canada's Information Highway: Managing the Realities of Transition - 19 May 1995"

Telecom Decision CRTC 98-9

The jist of things is this - The CRTC gave cable carriers 90 days to sell their higher speed Internet services to Internet service providers (ISPs) at a rate 25 per cent lower than their lowest retail prices - forcing competition and across-the-board fair play (hopefully).


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Here's an interesting article on two Canadian students taking on MIT and Sony just to name a few in this competition. (picture of robots included)

http://www.ottawacitizen.co m/hightech/990726/2648889.html

The photo in the online article is the same as the one on page D7 of today's dead-tree Ottawa Citizen article - the one accompanying the interview. I think the one you're refering to is on D1.

The photo in the online article is the same as the one on page D7 of today's dead-tree Ottawa Citizen article - the one accompanying the interview. I think the one you're refering to is on D1.

read this:

Einstein's thought process described by himself:

"Words do not seem to play any role," he said, but there was "an associative play of more or less clear images of a visual and muscular type."

Now add to this words the fact that the parts of his brain that handle visual thinking was larger than average. Then read the books "Mind's Eye" and "The Gift of Dyslexia".

This is in today's paper.

Goes into a bit more detail and background than this thread's linked article.

Check out this Ottawa Citizen article. Both Adobe and Corel say that the takeover rumour is just that -- a rumour. Says Adobe, "there is no absolutely no truth to this whatsoever."

This is indeed an old rumor. Also, as reported by the Ottawa Citizen. However the article does mention some stuff about "a shareholders' rights plan."