Infrastructure provides the basic needs for society, and sustainable infrastructure systems are essential for the survival, health and well-being of a society. For developing countries, the civil and environmental engineer are at the epicenter in seeking means to enhance human life through modernization of infrastructure as evidenced by provision of shelter, water, and transport, amongst others.

The current rate of urbanization and industrialization has caused a rise in environmental issues, involving environmental mismanagement which has been associated with unforeseen global catastrophes. The problems are further aggravated with environmental degradation such as soil erosion, depletion of water resources, etc.

In order to meet these multifaceted challenges, proper planning, implementation and verification exercises are required, via an integrated, multidisciplinary and holistic approach. The global momentum for sustainable development must now lead to practical applications of the engineering and science of sustainability.

"Je fais souvent un travail qui me plaît, parfois mieux payé qu'un travail qui serait dit 'alimentaire'. Quand le travail qui me plaît est mal payé, j'ai tout de même du plaisir à le faire. Il faudrait que les boulots qui ne plaisent à personne soient très bien payés. Ou alors, pour que les choses soient justes, il faudrait que chacun ait une activité qui lui plaise, plus quelques heures de service civil. On me dira, il serait dommage d'obliger des savants comme Einstein à travailler quelques heures dans un champ de betteraves, mais enfin on perdrait quoi ? Je vais peut-être me présenter aux élections pour être ministre du Travail." (Jackie Berroyer)

sigh!

The 5th Montreal Citizen Summit is a social forum open to all and is based on the concept “The City We Want”. This event will take place from June 5-7, 2009 at the Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM) and will be an opportunity for citizens and civil society practitioners to strengthen their ties in order to collectively organise social action initiatives. The Summit will also be the opportunity for citizens to learn and exchange on urban issues related to this year's themes: 1) Economy 2) Urban planning 3) Social justice, inclusion and citizenship 4) Environment 5) Democracy 6) Culture.

This year will see the implementation of a new piece of American legislation developed by the Department of Homeland Security called the Secure Flight Program (SFP). The bill contains at least one measure that has raised the ire of many Canadian civil liberties organisations; airlines must provide the United States’ Transportation Security Administration with such personal information as a passenger’s passport and travel itinerary three days before any flight goes through American airspace. All information gathered is subsequently cross-referenced against lists of suspected terrorists and criminals.

Social critic Neil Postman contrasts the worlds of 1984 and Brave New World in the foreword of his 1985 book Amusing Ourselves to Death. He writes:

What Orwell feared were those who would ban books. What Huxley feared was that there would be no reason to ban a book, for there would be no one who wanted to read one. Orwell feared those who would deprive us of information. Huxley feared those who would give us so much that we would be reduced to passivity and egoism. Orwell feared that the truth would be concealed from us. Huxley feared the truth would be drowned in a sea of irrelevance. Orwell feared we would become a captive culture. Huxley feared we would become a trivial culture, preoccupied with some equivalent of the feelies, the orgy porgy, and the centrifugal bumblepuppy. As Huxley remarked in Brave New World Revisited, the civil libertarians and rationalists who are ever on the alert to oppose tyranny "failed to take into account man's almost infinite appetite for distractions." In 1984, Orwell added, people are controlled by inflicting pain. In Brave New World, they are controlled by inflicting pleasure. In short, Orwell feared that what we fear will ruin us. Huxley feared that what we desire will ruin us.

The new Obama administration circulated a draft executive order Wednesday calling for the closure of the Guantánamo Bay detention camp within a year and halting all military commission trials in the meantime.

Y a-t-il un avoué ou un parquetier du service civil dans le blog qui pourrait m'éclairer sur les probabilités de voir en appel le triste spectacle des deux époux réconciliés dans le malheur supplier les Conseillers de confirmer ce qui n'avait pas chagriné le parquet du tribunal avant que la catin de Moro-Giafferi ne s'intéresse à leur bonheur quitte à le faire contre leur gré ?

Reuters/Policia National Civil Packages of cocaine are lined up before they are loaded onto an airplane in San Andre, Guatemala, on April 13, 2008. Guatemalan anti-narcotics police seized 1.2 tons of the drug on its way to Mexico.

Je passe sur le reste du billet qui selon Pierre Chappaz, fondateur de Wikio, « fait honneur au web », où on apprend entre autres que son auteur « n'ose même plus aller pisser sans consulter d'abord le Code civil. Des fois que ça porterait atteinte à quelqu'un sans [qu'il ne] le sache'' ». Des fois, quand on lit ça, on se dit qu'expliquer le droit, c'est mixtion impossible.