AW: [ RadSafe ] Unidentified Helicopters Nearly Fired UponOverNuclearPower ...

[Franz Schönhofer]

> -----Ursprüngliche Nachricht-----
> Von: radsafe-bounces at radlab.nl [mailto:radsafe-bounces at radlab.nl] Im
> Auftrag von Gerry Blackwood
> Gesendet: Sonntag, 13. März 2005 18:31
> An: Jaro; grantjoh at pacbell.net; radsafe at radlab.nl
> Betreff: RE: [ RadSafe ] Unidentified Helicopters Nearly Fired
> UponOverNuclearPower ...
> 
> I realize that we Americans are behind the curve with foreign
languages
> but why is it that folk in Quebec only speak French?

Gerry,

I am convinced that many of them speak also other languages, especially
English. 

Why they speak French? 

- Historically, because this part of Canada was settled by Frenchmen.
There enough people in Louisiana who still speak French because of the
same reason. Even in countries with small minorities there exist areas,
where people do not understand the language of the majority. Look at
elderly Chinese people in San Francisco, at the Swedish speaking
minority in Finland etc. etc.

- Legally, because French is the official language there. As far as I
know even the government officials in the English speaking part of
Canada have to pass a test in French and the learning of the other
language in school is compulsory. Minorities have the right to use their
mother language in court and in any official context. I have seen
Spanish informations posted in US airports. 

- Practically, why should they not do it? Everybody does it in their
environment, mass media use it, everything is written in French on
shops, streets etc........ 

As for (US)Americans being behind with foreign languages this is in my
opinion an extreme drawback of the US educational system. Even in France
(!) most young people speak at least a little English. In all other
countries, maybe except Great Britain, it is compulsory to learn a
foreign language, in higher education for 10 to 19 years old pupils at
least two languages are compulsory and the trend is towards a third one.
My three children all speak fluently German of course, English, French
and Finnish (because of their mother). I myself have some problems with
English right now, because I spoke the whole day Swedish with two
Finnish friends. I think that speaking foreign languages enhances ones
views considerably, gives the opportunity to realize that the world is
complex and that not the opinion and politics of ones own government is
the only correct one.

Back to the information of Jaro. I have a bad command of French, but I
can read and understand enough to agree with him that the two pages he
mentioned were clearly understandable for an English speaking person.

Sandy, these two pages were the only ones referring to air attacks in
the report and there was nothing else in this context. The "rest" would
of course also be of interest for you though not referring to the
subject, because it mentioned various aspects of nuclear power, not only
of interest locally in Quebec, but also for instance comparison of costs
for various forms of electricity production and similar. If you cannot
find somebody to read it to you in English, bring it to Vienna!

Jaro, do there exist similar reports on the English speaking part of
Canada (in English)?

Best regards 

Franz



Franz Schoenhofer
PhD, MR iR
Habicherg. 31/7
A-1160 Vienna
AUSTRIA
phone -43-0699-1168-1319


> 
> Jaro <jaro-10kbq at sympatico.ca> wrote: Tell this to the people who died
in
> the Penatgon on 911......
> 
> <><><><><><>
> 
> .....you mean that building with walls full of holes (for windows) and
a
> flat (i.e. non-convex) surface ?
> 
> In our presentation to the Quebec parliamentary commission on energy
last
> Tuesday, we included a couple of relevant slides with graphics
> illustrating
> some of the issues discussed in this thread -- they are near the end,
on
> pages 34 & 35 of the pdf document (1.35 MB) posted at
> http://www.cns-snc.ca/branches/quebec/CNS-Quebec_ppt_8_mars_2005.pdf
> 
> Jaro Franta, P.Eng.
> Tel.: (514) 875-3444
> Montréal, Québec
> frantaj at aecl.ca
> web master, CNS Québec branch:
> http://www.cns-snc.ca/branches/quebec/quebec.html
> 
> <><><><><><><><><><><>
> 
> 
> --
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> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> "Dante once said that the hottest places in hell are reserved for
those
> who in a period of moral crisis maintain their neutrality."
> 
> 
> 
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