LATENIGHT - HALIFAX

Sunday, November 11, 2007

Lest We Forget

For anyone who missed the ceremony this morning, I've got a few photos that I took while attending. Turnout was quite good, despite the weather. It was cold, with specks of snow here and there. All in all it looked slightly reminiscent of yesterday before the storm struck, so I could understand some trepidation. The sun alternated with cloud during the service however, so the lighting was a bit more neutral. Last year, you may remember, the sun glared tremendously on the cenotaph.

All branches of the service were represented, as well as the Mounties, cadets, Masons, Knights of Columbus, etc. They assembled in Halifax's Grand Parade just before 11 o'clock.

Spectators also came from varied walks of life. This little guy opted to wear his combats, rather than dress uniform. Perhaps he was on duty.

The band played the national anthem, "God Save the Queen", and a beautiful rendition of "Abide With Me" (Note: link includes sound).

Looking across the Grand Parade, you can get an idea of how many participants were there. The poppy banners date to the 2005 Year of the Veteran.

The parade's Colour Guard was provided by the Legion. A flypast was also performed by a CH-124 Sea King.

This year especially marks the 90th anniversary of the Battle of Passchendaele, also sometimes known as the Third Battle of Ypres.

Crowds lines both side of the Grand Parade. Seen here, are people lined up along Argyle Street.

The parade departed via Barrington Street.

Following the service, all were invited to lay their remaining wreathes and poppies upon the cenotaph.

Please let me, once again, take a moment to express my admiration and thanks for those who went before and sacrificed themselves in the desire to maintain our nation's freedom. We remember.

Labels: Halifax, military, photo gallery

Tuesday, April 24, 2007

A Big Visitor

The Tonnerre, L9014

There's a big visitor in port that hails from Toulon, France. The Tonnerre, a French helicarrier is in port right now in Halifax. This time, I played it smart and took the picture from the Dartmouth side as I was on my way to another assignment.

The ship has a 69-bed hospital on board, and can carry a lot of gear.

She is capable of deploying 16 NH90 or Tigre helicopters, or 35 Aérospatiale Gazelle. and has reinforced forward pod, as to be able to accommodate 30-tonne helicopters such as the CH-53E Super Stallion; four landing barges or two LCAC; and 70 vehicles, including 13-tank Leclerc battalion, with up to 450 soldiers (900 for a short period).

And she's pretty new, too, having been just launched in 2005. That's almost fresh off the lot.

Bienvenue to the crew.

Labels: France, military

Sunday, March 04, 2007

Chinese military still rising...

CNN has run a story that Chinese military spending is going up another 17.8% this year, and that's just the figure they've declared officially.

I bet they got one helluva fortune cookie ready for us to receive a few short years down the road.

It's for reasons like this that I've added a new site, 1913 Intel, to my side bar. I'm thinking that I might surf out a few more. That site works as a news aggregator for reports of military build ups and growing tensions.

I almost took a wade into their forums but there's still a lot of "Yankee-Doodle/The-World-Hates-America-because-everyone-else-is-dumb", but the links should be valuable for those of us more concerned with legitimate future threats (that we will need to face alongside America) and less with chest-pumping defences of a superpower's failed global policy in the present.

The last four years have been the equivalent of starting a very long chess match by sacrificing your knights for pawns... but enough of that.

Labels: China, military, war

Wednesday, February 14, 2007

War and Peace, in Arabia and Asia

I'd be amiss if I didn't mention the biggest development of the week which has been the drafting of a North Korean nuclear disarmament resolution after the wrap of the six-party talks this week in Beijing.

I have little faith that this agreement will be kept but it serves enough people's purposes to hold for a while. It's very similar to the deal Clinton struck in '94 and that resulted in 10 years of relative calm. Kim Il Jong needs an enemy like the U.S. to encourage his people to tow the line and forget about revolutions. However, war weariness must be a factor by now and the chance to claim a diplomatic victory, with spoils to boot, will make for much happier birthday celebrations for him on Friday. Nonetheless, according to the Chosun Ilbo, the news hasn't filtered through yet, and their human rights will now have to wait.

The deal makes China look good since they were largely the middleman here, however Japan will not be satisfied yet, since the issue of abductees has not been adressed.

Russia? They're playing their own game with forgiving North Korean debt.

Other than John Bolton, the U.S. is largely happy as Bush is now free of the crisis, allowing him to green light an attack on Iran. Long accused of focusing on Iran's nuclear ambition over North Korea's nuclear admission, his stubborness was overcoming the perceived reality of threats. I expect that airstrikes on Iran will happen by month's end, when the second carrier task force arrives on station in the Persian Gulf. I just hope they're not planning for it to rest with just airstrikes. Iran has the world's eighth largest army, and over a half-million soldiers who could easily flood into Iraq and storm the fragile U.S. positions there. After that...

Labels: China, Iran, Japan, Korea, military, Russia, United States, war

Sunday, January 21, 2007

Oh, for one more time, I would take the Eastern Passage

Sunset off Eastern Passage.
I swore I wasn't going to do this so soon again, but my folks had seen some houses on the internet, sent the info to me over email, and since we had to do a bit of running around anyway, we made it into another touring day of neighbourhoods. A lot of places have really changed since I spent any considerable time there. There are also places that I have never seen, neither now or when I lived in Halifax as a child. I'm also seeing them through Yeji's eyes for the first time and she has some very distinct impressions of the various areas that are not always in line with what I value in a neighbourhood. (She doesn't care about being able to plant potatoes, raise chickens, and go fishing in our backyard for example.)

We started out by making a beeline to an open house on the Waverley Road but changed our mind when we got there. It looked like the oldest house on the street and since we're not rushing this, we can afford to be fickle. We were also determined to hit the Beaverbank Road so we sped out the 101 and checked out the lay of the land there.

Beaverbank really surprised me. There are some nice lots out there that are quiet and peaceful in some beautiful surroundings. Barrett's Lake, for example, though frozen over looked nice enough now and I could really envision casting a line in there someday come spring. Nonetheless, it's not on a bus route. The Link is only ten minutes away by car but a lot longer to walk so it's not going to work. However, we did see a sample of the bungalow design modular home that we were looking at. Yeji found it a bit dull. I think that surrounding it with the proper landscaping would turn it into a sweet little place. We certainly shouldn't write it off, especially at the price which is about $20k cheaper than other designs we looked at.

There are also lots available toward Eastern Passage, I believe, and although it's further from a Link, it is on regular bus routes. Mostly, I'd still drop Yeji off at the Link in Dartmouth, but it'd be good to know she could still get home if something happened to delay or prevent me from picking her up. After leaving Beaverbank, we stopped for gas (and lotto tickets - I won a free Super 7) and then winded our way through Dartmouth, past Penhorn Mall and to Pleasant Street, following it until it became Shore Road.

We stopped to tour the PMQs at CFB Shearwater along the way. I spent four years there as a child and pointed out my house, my friends' houses at the time, and my elementary school, Hampton Gray Memorial. (Lt. Gray was Canada's last Victoria Cross winner, honoured for a courageous, but fatal attack on a Japanese destroyer in Onagawa Bay, Japan. He pushed through nearly impenetrable flack and defensive fire, to within 50 feet of the destroyer where he let loose his bombs and sunk the ship.)

Driving a bit farther, I was again surprised by how much Eastern Passage has grown up. I guess I never stopped to look at the houses before. My eyes would normally be on the ocean view to the other side of the road. The houses there are very closely packed but they are really nice and the view is tremendous. It didn't hurt that we arrived there around sunset too. Everything seemed bigger and closer than I remembered it. Back when I was kid, Eastern Passage was a bit of a scruffy-looking place. There are many new houses there and you can tell the price has gone up, though not as terribly as elsewhere in the city. There are more stores on Cow Bay Road as well, and the Fisherman's Cove development is right there. It's a beautiful, picture-postcard kind of place where the boardwalk is always being expanded and you have great views of McNabb's Island, Lawlor's Island, and Devil's Island further down. I was reminded of how much we loved the view from the window in my parents' room of our house in Shearwater. We used to sit there with binoculars and watch all the ships come in to the Harbour.

We crept along a number of side streets looking for real estate signs and seeing if there were any streets we'd like to bypass. We liked pretty much all of it. There are a lot of duplexes which we're not so keen on, but they are fairly new and well-kept so it's never-say-never.

Wondering about the drive to the Link, we returned by following Caldwell Road. After a little bit of bush, it was shocking to see how many houses have been built throughout Colby Village. They also have a bus route there too, to it's a lot higher on the list than we'd put it before. Again, new houses that have lovely designs. Many back on to Bissett Lake and the water of Cole Harbour isn't too far off either.

That was our trip today. I guess Beaverbank is out due to transportation but Eastern Passage and Colby Village just jumped up a substantial notch. As spring comes upon us, we'll have to keep our eyes open.

Labels: Beaverbank, Dartmouth, Eastern Passage, history, military, personal, real estate, Shearwater

Saturday, January 20, 2007

FLQ: The Next Generation

The RCMP and CSIS are looking closely into a letter, dated January 15th, that claims to be coming from a cell of the Le Front de Libération du Québec (FLQ) and threatening a new round of terror attacks between February 15th and March 15th of this year. The attacks would target the western parts of Montreal, which is largely English-speaking. Furthermore, the group claims they already have vehicles, bombs and devices in place. The FLQ was violent separatist organization that committed acts of terrorism in the sixties and seventies, to further their goal of Quebec seceding from Confederation. In one instance, Prime Minister Trudeau declared martial law and sent in the military.

Labels: Canada, military, Quebec, separatism, terrorism

A funny thing happened on the way to the moon...

China's space program is showing some versatility. It was released this week that China had successfully tested an anti-satellite rocket on January 11th.

With so much of Western fighting strategy based on satellite coordination, from guided missiles, to jet fighters, to the average grunt on the ground, it opens the possibility that China could heavily even the odds technologically in the event of a conflict.

And despite their claim that they do not support an arms race in space, they obviously do. It will be inevitable that the weaponization of space will be front and centre in conflicts that may loom on the horizon. True, the West has had this technology for a couple of decades, but it's moot since the Chinese haven't yet come to rely so much on space-based systems.

Labels: China, military, science, space, war, weaponization of space

Tuesday, January 16, 2007

Tomcat creep

Well, this can't be good. There are indications that Iran has purchased surplus spare parts for F-14 Tomcats.

It's clearly an oversight by the U.S. The only other air force in the world that uses the aircraft is Iran, which is now on the impending target list and a member of the Axis of Evil Redux. The Americans sold the fighters to Iran back when the Shah was in power, when he fell in love with the Phoenix missile (which only Tomcats carry.) Times change and when the government changed in Iran, so did their permission to buy sensitive military equipment, including spare parts for their fleet of Tomcats. They've been pretty much sitting on the ground since then.

So that is what's troubling. Now that the U.S. is retiring their F-14s, there are lots of spare parts coming available but there's really only one country in the world with a vested interest in buying them. There's no telling how many Iran was able to stockpile before this oversight was noticed.

Labels: Iran, Middle East, military, United States, war

Friday, January 12, 2007

Sub contract deep sixed.

RCN Submarines docked in Halifax.
Bad news today for the Halifax Shipyards. The navy has opted to award a $1.5-billion contract to repair Canada's Victoria-class submarines to Esquimalt, B.C., the country's other naval base. That means that shipyards, owned by the Irvings, will miss out on what could have been 75 more jobs working on submarines which, from past media reports, need an awful lot of work. I suppose it's a bit poetic though. Esquimalt, near Victoria, gets to work on the Victoria-class subs while Halifax continues to handle the Halifax-class frigates.

Labels: Halifax, military

China's Bachelorhood Timebomb

More than simply the rising power of the Chinese military, it's stories like the one on ABC News today that frighten me most. According to ABC, China will have 30 million more men than women within 15 years. Without a hope of starting a family and settling down, as far as I can predict, every one of them is a contender to put on a uniform, grab a gun, and march through Asia.

Perhaps that's why the U.S. had been working on the Sunshine Project (not to be confused with South Korea's Sunshine Policy.)

Labels: Asia, China, demographics, Futurism, military, war

Tuesday, January 09, 2007

Currency Crisis

I got this off a joke on the Rick Mercer Report and can't seem to find a link; it seems that the TD bank has released a report advocating a common U.S.-Canadian currency. If anyone can find a link, I'd appreciate it. I'm certain that it will become a major issue this year. I guess this is just the beginning of the buzz.

While searching however, I came upon an interesting story that says Canadian one-dollar coins are being implanted with tiny transmitters, believed to be used by spies to track the whereabouts of defence contractors and other top secret folks. Either that, or the loons are wearing radio collars and reporting to conservationalists. Weird stuff.

Labels: Canada, military, North American Union, United States

Sunday, January 07, 2007

Iran, You ran, We all ran...

The TimesOnline is reporting that plans have been leaked regarding a nuclear strike by Israel on Iran. (Hat Tip to Sean O'shaughnessy's Saint John blog.)

The story claims that pilots are in the process of training for an airstrike on Iran's nuclear facility at Natanz, first using laser-guided bombs to open up a path for tactical nukes to penetrate and destroy the site, thereby removing Iran's capability to produce nuclear weapons. The Mossad is said to believe Iran is capable of producing weapons-grade uranium within two years.

The Israel Foreign Ministry is denying the existence of such a plan.

Labels: Iran, Israel, military, war

Sunday, December 17, 2006

Better than a three-way

The Six-Party Talks should be gearing up in Beijing right about now. That's going to keep at least a part of my surfing attention tonight and tomorrow. There's a lot of speculation that little will come of it, which historically is what happens. Once everybody finally manages to get together, the North Korean delegates seize on something like the colour of the table settings or number of cracks in the linoleum, and then storm off in a burst of anger claiming insult and victimization.

I wouldn't be surprised if the ice finally cracked and something happened though. This time, there are a few more pressures which may result in a significant outcome. The U.S. is talking about a "fork in the road" while meanwhile some folks are suggesting that China may be getting ready to hold a heavier stick after North Korean uppityness has caused them to lose face. Russia has changed its envoy but their presence is really just a formality, having not had major interaction with Pyongyang since cutting back funding more than a decade ago. Some other serious factors that might make the Norks take things seriously include the coming of a long, hungry winter and the reports that there are widespread epidemics raging in several provinces.

The real cards in play right now, however, are South Korea and Japan which have both made some key decisions in the last week or so that will affect everything. South Korea has been drifting away from U.S. hegemony since President Roh took office. His approval rating might be approaching single digits but he's still in charge for another year (unless he resigns) and his policy (the continuation of Kim Dae Jung's Sunshine Policy) is engagement and appeasement of the North, not just to avoid war but to also avoid the catastrophic collapse of the Kim Il Jong regime. There is now a move afoot to have the Korean military take over wartime command, which is currently held by USFK generals should peace be broken. The U.S. has said 2009 while Korea is hoping for 2013 (in spite of Roh's own bravado about how they should be in charge.) There is also a planned relocation of U.S. forces in Korea from Yongsan in Seoul to Pyongtaek, which is outside of Seoul in the countryside. The plan was to enact the move by 2009 but the Korean government unilaterally announced it wouldn't have the facilities ready until 2013. The Americans can really only shoulder so many daggers in their back from a "long time ally" before looking to other options. (Let's not even bring up the implications of the Ilshimhoe scandal.)

So in steps Japan, who's new prime minister, Shinzo Abe, is also looking to bolster some sagging poll numbers (though no where near U.S. President Bush's approval ratings and not even in the same galaxy as President Roh.) Nonetheless, while Seoul is once again pulling the carpet out from the U.S.'s negotiating position, Japan just put its money where its mouth is and gave fruition to some of the threats that were sparked when North Korea went nuclear. Japan is changing its constitution. Defence is now being upgraded from an agency to a full ministry once again and "Patriotism" classes will now be taught in schools. The last one could get scary if you were to see what happens with South Korean schoolkids in the name of patriotism and nationalist education.

I have a feeling that even if unsuccessful at resolving anything, these talks will determine policy for the next year. South Korea is getting ready for an election at the end of 2007 and the U.S. will start preparing for theirs in 2008. With administrations winding down, tangible results are needed. It might even be easier, in the end, to resolve the Korean situation than it will be to stabilize Iraq. Even Kim Jong Il is rumoured to be in ill health and his heir is up in the air. Military coups are not to be counted out either. The clock could be ticking.

Speaking of China, this is indeed frightening too: they're talking about dumping their U.S. dollar holdings. Damn if there isn't a lot of political threads being woven this weekend. All in time for Christmas. (Hat tip to the Western Confucian.)

Labels: China, Korea, military, United States, war

Monday, November 20, 2006

Just APEC on the cheek

HMCS Halifax (FFH-330)
There have got to hoards of better pundits than me out there who have been better able to wrap their heads around the events of this past weekend's APEC summit in Vietnam and all of the other associated southeast Asian whistle stops that coincided with it. I'm not entirely ignorant of politics, but I just can't keep up with the implied changes in global alliances that are sparking around the world. I've been accused of still being stuck in a Cold War mindset a few times, but I'm thinking that if I stay patient, things will work their way back into the Old World Order and the implied comfort level it gives me. After the recent spy incident, maybe we're only a couple press conferences away from being matched against the Russians again. Like corduroy, these kinds of international relations always seem to come back into style.

Most of my confusion is U.S./George Bush-related though. In one speech he said that they're wonderful friends now, but in nearly the same breath announced that the lesson America learned from the war in Vietnam was, basically, that one should never pull out until the job was done. I didn't quite catch the Vietnamese government's response but I can easily guess what it might have been.

And then, after refusing Tony Blair's mindblowing request for Iranian and Syrian help in Iraq, Bush was set to look for help from the world's major non-arab Muslim state, Indonesia. Yeah, right. I hope he wasn't expecting them to offer peacekeepers. I didn't quite catch the Australian or East Timorese governments' responses but I can easily guess what they might have been.

Some of the most noteworthy events of APEC for Canadians revolved around a surprising show of backbone by Prime Minister Harper. No one seems certain about exactly how it went down, but it seems Chinese President Hu Jintao's people advanced the idea of meeting with Prime Minister Harper who in turn said, "Sure, I've got some great ideas to discuss on human rights." That set off the red lights in Beijing and the meeting was off. Some scrambling and face-saving pleas on Canada's part got the meeting reestablished, but it was a limited one that lasted only fifteen minutes prior to an official dinner. Nonetheless, Harper scored the points he needed. He put human rights ahead of economic matters.

That's why it's odd that he poured cold water on the idea of joining in the naval blockade of North Korea, a nation which may be one of the world's most heinous regimes, and who make the Chinese look like Care Bears. He's saying he was never asked (no matter what the damn media say.). I'm guessing it's based on a shortage of resources but he didn't admit that. The navy already said that such an action would require the transfer of RCN ships from current duties in the Persian Gulf.

Getting more press however, was that although Harper has found a new cause in Human Rights, he's still not so keen on Freedom of the Press. Canadian news outlets actually found out about the meeting first from Communist Chinese sources, before hearing about it from tight-lipped Tory flacks. Similarily, Canada's sending of a senior diplomat to North Korea wasn't known until that diplomat had been in Pyongyang for three days already, when South Korean sources broke the news.

Certainly, the navy doesn't seem to be doing so well. One thing I've noticed is that the stock footage being used on television lately, whenever this subject comes up, has been showing coastal defence vessels more than destroyers and frigates. Is this some veiled message, that the only naval assets we could commit are Naval Reserve ships? Frighteningly, our ships might not even be combat-ready should the government send its policies full speed astern and send them. Scuttlebutt around the docks (well, the Ottawa Citizen actually) says that our ships may be in danger of being stripped of their defensive systems, to send them to support ground troops in Afghanistan. Meanwhile, some Sea King helicopters have been stripped of anti-submarine systems and outfitted with seats suitable for transporting combat troops in what many expect is preparation for their deployment.

Labels: Afghanistan, Canada, China, Indonesia, media, military, United States, war

Tuesday, November 14, 2006

Sure... New World Order, alright.

City Hall
I'm starting to worry a bit more about the shape of the world. War is one thing. Confusing allies and enemies is clearly another. What looking glass did we fall through in regard to the war in Iraq today? The US and Britain have spent three years threatening Syrian and Iranian insurgents who would enter Iraq to ~~destabilize~~ further destabilize the country but today, Tony Blair is threatening them that they should pony up and lend a hand? All this on a day when upwards of 150 academics are kidnapped in one fell swoop. We're not talking about a couple people snatched off the streets here.

All this only a few days after we learn about French troops being seconds away from shooting down Israeli warplanes. Apparently the Germans have also had a problem with Israeli warplanes doing mock attack runs on them, but I really fear what would happen if they shot down one of the planes. I guess they don't want to end up like past UN observers.

Also sending a chill up my spine is the revelation that a Chinese sub managed to sneak into firing distance of the USS Kittyhawk. It's getting obvious that this is not your daddy's Chinese navy we're dealing with anymore. The announcement of an intended purchase of SU-33 jet fighters from Russia for probable use on a refurbished Russian aircraft carrier is still fresh in mind.

Labels: China, Great Britain, Iran, Israel, military, Russia, Syria, United States, war

Saturday, November 11, 2006

Remembrance Day in Halifax

Ceremony at Grand Parade
I took in the ceremony for Remembrance Day this morning. The sun was warm and bright and I think that really contributed to the turn out. I don't remember a Remembrance Day where I saw so many people paying their respects. The Grand Parade was full and people were crowded along the wall above, on Argyle Street.

Especially since we have troops that are serving overseas, not just as peacekeepers but in active combat zones like Afghanistan, it's important that so many people have kept the significance of our veterans' sacrifices in their hearts. We carry a larger burden here in the Maritimes. Whether it's the local fighting spirit or whether the economy pushes people towards jobs like the military, a lot of our troops have always come from this region. It's just as true today when you hear of so many Maritimers when the casualty lists come in from Afghanistan. Even those that are attached to other units in other provinces quite often have a hometown listed here on the East Coast.

Thank you to all who have offered themselves to the service of our country.

Labels: Afghanistan, Halifax, holidays, military, war

Thursday, November 09, 2006

Post Script

Warships in port at Halifax.
[HMCS Athabascan (DDH 282), HMCS Fredericton (FFH 337), and HMCS Toronto (FFH 333)]
The writing took a bit longer than I planned. I spent most of last night transcribing interviews and actually did the piece tonight. It's done now but I'm not in the mood for a second treatise to be conceived here. I'll do my best to keep tonight's post short.

As a bit of a news round up, the violence summit was held today, resulting in a commitment by the province for more police. They expect to be able add 20 more cops by next spring from an earlier promise of 250 provincewide over the next four years. Mark that on your calendars as the streets won't be safe until then, I guess. There was also a push to reduce the hours of bars, which has been opposed by bar owners and as Daily Snooze columnist David Rodenhiser points out, it doesn't address the fact that violence is occuring everywhere in the city, not just downtown. The stabbings in North Dartmouth from this week are a good illustration of this, as one more victim clings to life.

The cause of this past weekend's brawl is also better known now too. The US marine didn't die because of a catfight. He died over a gold chain that Cory Wright allegedly was attempting to steal from his friend. This is the exact same reason given for the stabbings in Dartmouth- theft of a gold chain. It seems that gold jewelry, fashionable in the hip hop community, is the accepted currency now in the local drug trade.

In slightly related news, the crews of the USS Gunston Hall and USS Doyle joined with the Royal Canadian Navy, as they were originally in port to do prior to last weekend's tragic incident. They are undertaking a $17-million exercise designed to train Canadian troops for amphibious assaults. Word has it that this may be the precursor to us getting our own amphibious assault craft. I remember once upon a time, that Stephen Harper promised us a helicarrier but that disappeared sometime prior to them being elected to the Hill. Maybe Santa Harper will leave a little something under the tree this year?

Worth a note and a nod, the HMCS Athabaskan, shown above, was also on the way to do some joint U.S.-Canada training but were called to a pair of rescues during the recent storms that have been blowing yesterday and today. After picking up three sailors adrift hundreds of miles north of Bermuda, they then picked up a family of three and a family friend in a second rescue.

Oh yeah... and down south the Democrats won the midterm elections on Tuesday. They picked up both the House and the Senate. That gives them two high-profile years to screw up their presidential election chances. *sigh* Donald Rumsfeld was also removed from his position of Defence Secretary in the wake of the Republican loss. He was replaced by former spook Bob Gates. Looking briefly into Gates' resume suggests that he's just the man they need to raise the hackles of newly-elected president Ortega in Nicaragua and put pressure on Iran. I guess North Korea will continue to be a back-burner for now.

Labels: crime, Halifax, military, police, United States, war

Sunday, November 05, 2006

Rain checked - US sailor stabbed outside Halifax nightclub

Bars on Argyle Street
Last night, at about 4AM, a riot broke out in or outside the Rain nightclub on Argyle near Sackville Street. About 20-30 people were involved and at the end, an American sailor was stabbed to death.

It seems the sailor was from the USS Doyle which is in town along with the USS Gunston Hall for training exercises with the Canadian Navy. Six people have been arrested but charges have yet to be laid.

An incident like this was bound to happen, especially after all of the increasing violence downtown and especially considering the events of last week, the H.R.M. police force will have to be put under the microscope for how they respond to this. This time the lawlessness of our downtown will be under international attention.

I first heard about this case when I woke up this morning on CNN Headline News. I usually follow CNN online since my cable company doesn't include it in the basic package; but one of the other channels (CNBC?) runs CNN Headline News at different hours of the day. So on this rare occasion, I was shocked that the first story I heard was about Halifax.

I've been following some of the message boards as well as the online stories showing up now. There's lots of speculation. Rain is a trendy kind of nightclub with a sharp dress code and high-priced cocktails. The Daily News suggested the fight may have been over a woman. These are just blips showing up and nobody yet knows what the cause was.

Reports said that the crowd had gathered outside the bar and were quite drunk and getting rowdy. A couple of local businesses open at the time closed down, locked the doors, and turned off the lights. The Daily News said that police arrived within a minute of being called but a Chronicle Herald story (that I am only aware of second-hand at this point) was claiming the response time was 20 minutes and that seems to be corroborated by the few witnesses I've seen posting online.

More will be coming in on this soon, I suspect. It's premature to even suggest who started the fight but the fact remains that our downtown is not being made any safer. There is a lack of policing and there is an increase in overall savagery among the local bar-goers that leaves me wondering: just what has happened to my city?

UPDATE: From the Chronicle Herald, Mayor Peter Kelly will be holding a summit on downtown violence sometime this week. Meanwhile, the first suspects have been charged. They include 23-year old Cory Wright of Halifax, and two others from Dartmouth (24- and 22-year olds charged with Assault and Obstruction, resp.) The victim's name has been released as Damon Crooks of Jacksonville, Florida.

UPDATE 2: CBC reported that the US sailors involved were stepping in to break up a a fight. Seems they're made of stronger stock than our local "protectors".

UPDATE 3: The man charged with the stabbing was jailed for a knife attack in 2004. Initially sentenced to 67 months, his sentence had been reduced to 41 months with "double credit" time for time served in custody. Somehow this all worked out to less than two years for this guy. Why was this guy on the street?

Labels: crime, Halifax, military, nightlife, police, United States

Thursday, October 19, 2006

Sheared-water

HMCS Preserver (AOR 510).
Today's post is coming early, fast on the heels of yesterday's, but I figured I'd blog a monumentally stupid piece of news today. The ATV news has reported that the sale of CFB Shearwater's long runway has been finalized. It's not showing up on internet news yet but I'll try to add a link later if one shows up. Shearwater will now be strictly for helicopter operations.

Why is it stupid? Considering that it's the easternmost airfield on the mainland, you'd think that it would be useful to have the capacity to launch transport aircraft from here. Who knows? What if some trouble broke out in the Middle East? Unthinkinkable, you say?

Naturally, I have to throw in my obligatory long-memory grumble about how the Maritimes have been left out of so much strategic planning over the last couple of decades. Some of us still resent that the CF-18 squadron we deserved was sent to CFB Bagotville instead of CFB Chatham (now closed) or CFB Greenwood. Neither our facilities (Chatham had a 10,000-foot hard-surface runway and a never-used jet engine test cell, while Greenwood had a huge multi-million dollar hangar being constructed at the time) or our proximity to Europe and the Middle East seemed to factor into the decision. I suppose they are more concerned about using CF-18s to intercept bush pilots skimming down the Rideau Canal, or using transport aircraft to ferry snow shovels to Toronto.

It's also a slap in the face to the commitment that the Maritimes have had to the Armed Forces. We tend to generate more members from our region than most others, and in times like these when we are at war in Afghanistan, it's sometimes only a week or so that passes before another Maritimer sacrifices his life while in the uniform of our military. (The most recent was two days ago.)

I have no reason to love Bagotville. I won't hate it either, but I have personal history at the three Maritime bases I listed above. As an air cadet, I did my private pilot's license at CFB Greenwood. I never joined the military but I did come from a military family. Most of my elementary years were at CFB Shearwater. I was born and eventually returned to a home just outside of CFB Chatham. It was partly due to the closing of that base and the cutbacks the military was going through then, that I turned down my acceptance to military college. Bagotville was a politically-motivated decision, as this was also the time of resurging separatism in Quebec. So much of the operational capacity of our military was being reduced until only patronage and political concerns were left. For Canada, it often seems the world ends at the Saint Lawrence.

Labels: history, military, Miramichi, Quebec, Shearwater

Tuesday, October 17, 2006

Hit me baby one more time

Dalhousie University at night.
Time just dragged today. Not much was going on and the office was quiet. I've just been keeping an eye on the news, waiting for the other shoe/bomb to drop in North Korea and also keeping an eye on the USS Eisenhower strike force to pass through the Straits of Hormuz on their way to ~~bomb~~ leverage Iran.

So... added on to Afghanistan and Iraq, does that make a four-front War on Terror or do Afghanistan, Iran, and Iraq only count as one since they are connected?

I've said it before, but I'll say it again, this month has been and will continue to be insanely intense as far as global events go, at least up until the November elections in the U.S.

One other thing I watched this evening, completely unrelated, was the hit counter on Mysteries. A number of UFO websites linked to my short commentary on Saturday's symposium. I've gone from an average of 4 hits a day to 80 hits so far today, with a couple more hours to go. Wow.

Labels: Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Korea, Middle East, military, personal, war

Monday, October 09, 2006

Korean Peninsula rattled - Norks go Nuclear

Image: Busan, South Korea, from archives.

It's 4am and I'm still up. The news has washed over the internet that North Korea has announced the successful testing of a nuclear device and it's been confirmed by outside governments through seismic detection. I've got the TV on and am monitoring a number of web sources. I'm not going to bother linking since updates are constant and news stories are out of date moments after they're filed.

The South Korean Won and stock market are already dropping and the plunge will no doubt pick up pace in a few hours when Western markets open.

Earlier on Sunday, China and Japan released a joint statement against North Korea conducting the test. Now China is left with Egg Foo Young on its face and Japan is alluding to initiating their own nuclear program. South Korean president Roh Moo Hyun is meeting with his security advisors (probably onboard a plane that's rapidly departing Incheon airport for parts unknown.) The United States is getting ready to wake up to a morning where Iran and Iraq are no longer the lead story. All this falls on a day when South Korean Ban Ki Moon is expected to take over the reins of the United Nations.

I wonder if this is what the Cuban Missile Crisis was like, but in reality, we may be entering a denouement. North Korea can't really be invaded. Economic sanctions will only result in an increased chance of collapse and nobody wants to deal with the refugees, least of all China or South Korea. Kim Jong Il has nothing more he can do beyond this. He's accomlished the extreme provocation. What can he do for an encore?

Really, there's only one nation whose priorities will take a fundamental shift, and that's Japan. They get the next move. Will they begin a period of official rearmament -- even nuclearization? Unquestionably, Japan could develop nuclear missiles before North Korea could translate the technology tested today into something that could be capable of being launched in a medium-range missile. Perhaps the only thing that could prevent that would be a Chinese invasion of North Korea. It's been floated before as a means to install a more submissive puppet government. After all, they already have troops on the border and have been laying foundations for such a campaign.

All I know is that Kim Jong Il is like a runaway train but he's probably reached the end of the track. It's going to be a very, very cold winter for North Korea.

There are a lot of people better qualified to comment on this than me. You'll find several linked to on the sidebar of this blog. I'm going to pack it in for the night shortly and see how the dust has settled when I wake up. More than likely I'll be reducing the number of tongue-in-cheek references to moving back to Korea until I see which way this goes.

Labels: China, Japan, Korea, military, war

Wednesday, September 06, 2006

Clear the skies

Red sky at night - clouds over Bayers Lake.
I've have been looking forward to the upcoming ~~Shearwater~~ Nova Scotia International Air Show which will be taking place this weekend. After years of going to air shows since I was a kid, I have a need to make up for so much wasted film of blue skies and tiny specks of aircraft that always seemed a lot bigger when they were flying overhead in real life. I'm hoping the zoom on my new camera will make up for it, provided I can maneuver it into place quickly enough.

I'm not positively sure I will get out to it though, since this year they're having it at the Halifax International Airport instead of at CFB Shearwater. That means a farther drive outside of the city, probably less parking, and acts will have to be scheduled around the pre-existing traffic, which I am sure will have to carry on as normal during the performance.

Stars of the show this year include the U.S.A.F. Heritage Flight's F-86 Sabre and a flyover of a B-2 Spirit Bomber. One cancellation, just announced today, is that of the perrenial A-10 Thunderbolt II. After a similar aircraft was involved in a friendly fire incident that killed a Canadian soldier in Afghanistan on Monday, organizers have respectfully decided not to feature the display. It will be replaced, instead, by a demonstration of a U.S.A.F. F-15 Eagle.

On another point of interest -- one that worries me a bit -- there will be a "Twilight Teaser" show on Friday evening, over the harbour. It's nice to build interest in the air show but they're holding it between 5pm and 7pm. I predict a lot of traffic accidents for this Friday's rush hour, as motorists strain to catch a glimpse. Maybe it'd be best to leave the office a bit early.

Labels: military, Nova Scotia International Air Show, Shearwater

Saturday, July 22, 2006

Changing of the Guard, Part 2

Preparing for the coming assault.

The crowning display was the mock battle. the Victorian-Era Battle Demonstration. As the announcer said, it didn't really represent any specific battle but was symbolic of the kind of friendly war games that used to be held on the Garrison Grounds. If you want, I suppose you could think of it as a "What if Culloden happened 150 years later?" Since it was basically the Highland units against the regular army. Albeit, the Highlanders were on the offensive, it lasted more than 15 minutes, and no one got slaughtered, so I guess that's not a perfect comparison.

78th Frasier Highlanders form up.

On the attacking side there were the 78th Highland Regiment, from Halifax (the Citadel's own) and the Gordon Highlanders, Bydand Forever, from San Diego, California, with their fearsome Gatling gun.

The defenders, dug in.

Defending from the hillside fortifications were the Diehard Company, 1st Battalion Middlesex Regiment and the 3rd Brigade of the Royal Artillery.

The Gordon Highlanders form up and open fire.

Both sides were eager to trade shots. The Gordon Highlanders were the first to form up but the first to advance were skirmishers from the 78th Highland only to be repelled by the firepower of the defenders.

The boys of the 3rd Brigade welcome the Highlanders.

After that, it was an open assault. The 78th moved up to provide covering fire while the Gordon Highlanders took to the hill itself, in an effort to flank the Diehards.

The 78th Highland Regiment on the advance.

With the main push underway, it was time to even the odds and wheel out a hailstorm of shots from the Gordon's gatling.

Full assault. The Bydand gatling gun opens up.

Pressed from the side and front, losing their height advantage, and convinced by the superiority of firepower, the defenders give in. They surrender their ground.

Taking in the lessons of war.

The soldiers of the mock battle. Click for full-sized version.

After that, it was all over but for the beer, and the packing away. That was when I think I got my favourite photo of the whole afternoon.

Nothing runs like a Deere...
...unless it's running FROM a Deere.

The day then finished off with a friendly cricket match. I was lucky to attend when I did. The rainy weather on Friday, and possibly the weather today, apparently led the organizers to cancel a lot of the outdoor demonstrations. As a reminder, there are only 359 shoppings days left until my next birthday and it may take that long to find me just what I want. However, if I see a gatling gun for sale, I'll be sure to tip you off.

Labels: Halifax, Halifax Citadel, history, military, photo gallery

Friday, July 21, 2006

Changing of the Guard, Part 1

At the Changing of the Guard, Halifax Citadel, 1906-2006.

I finally made it out today to take in the wondrous militaria gathered to commemorate the Changing of the Guard at the Halifax Citadel. As I posted before, this year marks the 100th anniversary of the changeover from British to Canadian command and the evnt has attracted countless visitors and reenactors to the fort. Displays run most of the day and include military parades, battle renactments and fire displays. They even held a cricket match on the Garrison Grounds. It was amazing. I took over 150 photos but have cut my offerings here down to about 20 which I will post in multiple parts.

Parade grounds inside the Citadel.

Stilla bit exhausted from the hot and humid weather we've had this week, I was admittedly a bit slow to get going this morning. I think I arrived at the Citadel at around 1:30 p.m. which was in time to catch the major portion of the parade. They broke into "God Save the Queen" around the time I made it across the grounds and started to watch.

Visitors return to the square after fall out.

After the parade, I scaled the steps to the ramparts, checked out he cannons and the familiar view, then made my way down to the trench where the reenactors were encamped.

Reenactor makes himself at home in the trench.

Circling the fort from there, I passed the tents, cookstoves, and supply tents that had been set up by all the various groups that represented three centuries of military units.

Reenactors of all shapes and sizes took part.

The firing exercises were already getting under way so I made my way along the top of the hill and, taking advantage of my zoom, managed to get a few shots of some of the first displays.

The soldiers of His Majesty's Royal Newfoundland Regiment of Foot as viewed in action from the top of Citadel Hill.

Meanwhile, other groups were inside preparing for their engagements and I decided to risk missing a bit of the action in favour of taking a few more photos inside the Citadel. Afterall, I wasn't going to feel like climbing back up the hill once I made it down to the Garrison Grounds and as it turned out, neither did most of the reenactors.

Chimneys and top floor of the Citadel barracks building.

Men of the 3rd Brigade of the Royal Artillery wheeling out their cannon for the upcoming mock battle.

The action was definitely shifting to outside the fort however, so I hurried to see what I was missing. It wasn't long before I could hear more cracks from muskets and see more puffs of gunsmoke from the base of the hill.

Bydand Forever, the Gordon Highlanders give a demonstration of Victorian diplomacy.

Arriving to see a flurry of rifles and pith helmets made me smile, but what I didn't know is that the Bydands have a bit more to their arsenal than I could have imagined.

Gatling gun, circa 1874
I believe I overheard them say that it belongs to their colour-sergeant: A refurbished but otherwise REAL .45/70-calibre Gatling gun. It was manufactured in 1874 by Colt in the USA. I think they said Hartford, Connecticut. The brass on it gleamed in the afternoon sun and the barrels cranked out thinder and lightning in devlish majesty. I only got to see it in action for a moment before smoke from it's firing obscured it completely from view. However, they let us get up close after they left the field, prior to the pipes and drums of the 78th Frasier Highlanders who were up next. It would return however, as a key element of the mock battle about to be staged.

To be continued...

Labels: Halifax, Halifax Citadel, history, military, photo gallery