Cdn-Firearms Digest Thursday, February 21 2008 Volume 11 : Number 233 In this issue: Fw: [BVMS] Re: The Sudan - 1881-1898 Re: $5 monthly levy on Internet bill proposed- Canwest News Al Gore's Global Warming... Dog's throat slit; Strathcona RCMP investigating- The Journal Uncut diamonds, raw gold seized at airport- The Edmonton Journal Privacy watchdog orders pawnshop database destroyed- The Journal Officer steps away from misconduct hearing- The Edmonton Journal City council has no power over grocery store restrictions: study Fugitive described as armed, dangerous- The Edmonton Journal Re: Uncut diamonds, raw gold seized at airport- The Journal Calgary club owner ordered to stop scanning patrons'driverslicence Court hears final arguments in C-Train murder trial-Calgary Herald Drumheller prison intercepts major drug shipment- Calgary Herald ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 20 Feb 2008 18:00:19 -0800 From: "Todd Birch" Subject: Fw: [BVMS] Re: The Sudan - 1881-1898 Gleaned from a British Victorian site - an interesting comment on the fighting in Afghanistan and Iraq Subject: [BVMS] Re: The Sudan - 1881-1898 Gentlemen-- While the Afghan and Sudan wars of the 19th Century should remind us of the difficulty of finding peace in these persistent trouble spots of the world, the lessons of the military campaigns for the current world are not so clear. Omdurman illustrates the fundamental problem for the Mahdists: to expel Kitchener's well-armed and well-supplied army, the Khalifa and his general adopted mass assault tactics. These are (partially) successful against the Square, but resulted only in appalling casualties against well-defended (by machine guns)positions. Churchill in "The River War" describes how the British gunners became bored with the carnage. He reports over 60,000 dead and wounded in less than half a day of battle, with minimal effects on the British. The situation in Iraq and Afghanistan today is completely different -- an insurgency war which requires a very different strategy. An excellent book on the topic is by Nagl: "Learning to Eat Soup with a Knife." That is a quotation from Lawrence's "Seven Pillars of Wisdom," which he used to describe the task of Turks in fighting the Arab Revolt. The book covers the British in the Malay Emergency of the 1950s and compares the British Army's strategy vs. the U.S. Army in Vietnam. His bottom line is that the British Army -- essentially a colonial police force when not fighting in the World Wars -- was ideally suited to doing the work of winning the hearts and minds of the local population, and thereby robbing the insurgents of their safe havens. The U.S. army tradition is blue-on-red force major conflict -- WW III -- and not well suited to counter-insurgency warfare. I teach a freshman seminar course on technology in 20th Century warfare, and we start with the Sudan and Boer wars up to where we are today. I also cover Caldwell's "Small Wars" as well as the emerging literature on "The Savage Wars of Peace": http://bnrg.cs.berkeley.edu/~randy/Courses/CS39K.S08/ Randy ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 20 Feb 2008 21:19:09 -0800 (PST) From: Vladyslav Strashko Subject: Re: $5 monthly levy on Internet bill proposed- Canwest News I don't use internet to get music, why should I pay? "David R.G. Jordan" wrote: $5 monthly levy on Internet bill proposed http://www.canada.com/calgaryherald/news/story.html?id=eabaeca1-ff1a-4ba5-a883-4beecc040456&k=26931 Vito Pilieci, Canwest News Service Published: Wednesday, February 20, 2008 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ My point exactly, Vlad. Neither do I. If I like a piece of music, or an artist, I buy the CD. The reason being, that then I've paid the artist and music company for a hard copy of their work and then "I" own the rights to do with that music as I please, as long as I don't use it to make a profit. I can make, modify, and transfer that music anyways that I see fit to any device a I see fit. And that artist and company has been properly compensated for their product. All that this is, is another money grab from an already pathetically whining bunch of people who cannot for all of the world actually produce a viable commercial product that people actually will want to spend their hard earned cash on a product that's already highly over inflated. Another perfect example of creeping socialism- or "money for nothing..." - -DRGJ ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 20 Feb 2008 22:27:56 -0700 From: Jaded One Subject: Al Gore's Global Warming... If Al Gore would just keep his mouth shut - 75% of Global warming 'effects' would be eliminated !!! Way too much HOT air escaping - just like his "energy" in-inefficient home & life style.If this guy was not such a FLAKE - he'd be driving a Focus instead of several Hummers & 737s (or bigger?). People - Please wise up on this global warming crap - it's just another political SCAM to get you used to being Ripped-Off! ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 21 Feb 2008 00:28:42 -0600 From: News@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca Subject: Dog's throat slit; Strathcona RCMP investigating- The Journal Dog's throat slit; Strathcona RCMP investigating http://www.canada.com/edmontonjournal/news/story.html?id=a750da09-1d88-4b72-944e-bbc2ed31ba5b&k=46322 Image & Caption Part of a small memorial left at a gate post in the subdivision south of Sherwood Park for a dog named Sammy. - -John Lucas/Edmonton Journal 'Slaughter' south of Sherwood Park Trish Audette, edmontonjournal.com Published: 4:14 pm SHERWOOD PARK - Strathcona County RCMP are investigating after a white dog was found with its throat slit behind its owner's shed Saturday night. Cpl. Darren Anderson said today that the dog was running loose in the Camelot Square subdivision, near Range Road 233 and Township Road 520 south of Sherwood Park, on Saturday afternoon when it ran onto another property and got into a fight with another dog. The fight was broken up, and children playing nearby were not injured. Hours later, at about 6:30 p.m., a man came after the white dog, police were told. The man, saying he was tired of the dog coming onto his property, tied a rope around the animal. The neighbour who was caring for the dog followed the man until she heard a loud cry of an animal in distress, Anderson said. "It sounded like the dog was being slaughtered, (in) her words." The dog was found dead soon after. "Obviously somebody thought they were taking matters into their own hands, and made a bad choice," Anderson said. No charges have been laid, but the investigation continues. The RCMP has the power to charge the man under both the Animal Protection Act of Alberta and the Criminal Code. "That is pretty shocking," said Edmonton SPCA spokeswoman Diane Shannon. "The fact that the RCMP are involved is really positive." The Alberta SPCA is not involved in the investigation. taudette@thejournal.canwest.com © Edmonton Journal 2008 ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 21 Feb 2008 00:31:42 -0600 From: News@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca Subject: Uncut diamonds, raw gold seized at airport- The Edmonton Journal Uncut diamonds, raw gold seized at airport http://www.canada.com/edmontonjournal/news/story.html?id=e6b4ae4d-ac2d-438c-be8a-512f299f49ad&k=33343 edmontonjournal.com Published: 1:55 pm EDMONTON - A stash of uncut diamonds and other rough gemstones was seized Monday at Edmonton International Airport from a foreign traveller trying to enter the country. The man, believed to have come from central Africa, was allegedly carrying the stones in his clothes. Border security officers recovered about 180 carats of rough diamonds, 43 grams of raw gold, and several hundred carats of rough gemstones, including ruby, sapphire, garnet and tourmaline. The items' value has not yet been determined, although RCMP describe the find as "significant." "The single parcel of diamonds has a tremendous amount of criminality to it," Const. Kelly Ross, co-ordinator of the RCMP's K-Division Diamond Program, said in a statement. "In Africa, the stones are smuggled between countries, used to facilitate criminal activity. They are further smuggled into Canada to be laundered into the legitimate jewellery business." RCMP spokesman Cpl. Wayne Oakes could not say what the gems looked like, but suggested they were rough material rather than "a nice big bag of highly polished diamonds." Although RCMP believe the traveller originally came from Africa, Oakes could not say if he had been elsewhere before arriving in Edmonton. The RCMP and Canada Border Services Agency are investigating the case under the Export and Import of Rough Diamonds Act and the Customs Act. © Edmonton Journal 2008 ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 21 Feb 2008 00:35:27 -0600 From: News@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca Subject: Privacy watchdog orders pawnshop database destroyed- The Journal Privacy watchdog orders pawnshop database destroyed http://www.canada.com/edmontonjournal/news/story.html?id=f2974f23-f259-4963-8ca1-0da37350e9bb&k=15746 Susan Ruttan, edmontonjournal.com Published: 4:31 pm EDMONTON - Alberta's privacy commissioner has ordered the city of Edmonton and city police to stop collecting personal information from pawn shops and second-hand stores. Information and Privacy Commissioner Frank Work has also ordered that a database established to store the information be destroyed. The city has long required pawn shops to keep detailed records of the people who sell and buy merchandise from their stores, and to make the data available to police on request. In 2005, the city required pawnshops and second-hand stores to upload information collected by clients to a database maintained by a private company under contract with the City of Edmonton. A complaint was filed in 2006 by someone who had been asked for his personal data, questioning the authority of pawnshops to upload information to the database. Work said in a published report today that the city of Edmonton did not have authority to require second-hand stores and pawnshops to upload the information to the database. He also found that the city had not taken reasonable steps to safeguard the complainant's personal information, or that of other clients, from unauthorized access, collection, use, disclosure or destruction of the information. To read the full decision, click here; http://www.oipc.ab.ca/home/DetailsPage.cfm?ID=3514 sruttan@thejournal.canwest.com © Edmonton Journal 2008 ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 21 Feb 2008 00:52:52 -0600 From: News@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca Subject: Officer steps away from misconduct hearing- The Edmonton Journal Officer steps away from misconduct hearing http://www.canada.com/edmontonjournal/news/story.html?id=14e7164a-fdc2-47eb-8a41-8b23a22c0449&k=23355 Image Det. James Elkow in 2006 - -Marc Bence/Edmonton Journal Trish Audette, edmontonjournal.com Published: 10:45 am EDMONTON - A 55-second phone call that took place four years ago - and was mostly forgotten until this morning - was reason enough for Supt. Mark Logar to step down as judge of a police disciplinary hearing. "For the sake of the integrity of the process, I need to step away," Logar said at a misconduct hearing for Det. James Elkow. "You simply cannot be a witness and preside at the same time. ... The issue itself is clear. We need to be concerned about the integrity and credibility of the process." Elkow faces one internal charge of unlawful or unnecessary exercise of authority in connection to a March 1, 2004 incident. It is alleged he entered the north Edmonton home of Robert Cormier and Sarah Henderson without a warrant or other legal justification. Cormier pepper-sprayed four officers, fled the home, was shot at, and had 12 of 13 charges laid against him dropped. No evidence has been entered at Elkow's hearing. However, it was revealed this morning that, minutes before officers went into Cormier's home, Elkow called Logar. Neither man remembers what was discussed during the phone call. Logar was head of south division operations at the time, but he has also been legal adviser to Edmonton police. "It is reasonable to assume that the detective would have phoned me before the course of action, and presumably I gave him some advice that he relied upon," Logar said. "I really need to step away from this hearing. I do so with the greatest reluctance." Since taking on the job of presiding officer - the role of judge - for most internal disciplinary hearings in July 2006, this is only the second hearing Logar has had to quit. Elkow still faces the single charge of misconduct. Future hearing dates will be set once a new presiding officer is appointed. taudette@thejournal.canwest.com © Edmonton Journal 2008 ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 21 Feb 2008 00:42:08 -0600 From: News@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca Subject: City council has no power over grocery store restrictions: study City council has no power over grocery store restrictions: study http://www.canada.com/edmontonjournal/news/story.html?id=9bab8ff9-e03e-4394-86d2-7b2d33039904&k=14303 Susan Ruttan, edmontonjournal.com Published: 1:01 pm EDMONTON - Edmonton has 14 former supermarket sites where no other grocery store can be built, city councillors were told today. And council has no legal power to change that fact. A new study by Nairne Cameron, an adjunct professor at the University of Alberta, looked at 60 closed supermarkets in the city since 1970. In 18 cases, the supermarket company sold the land and made the buyer commit to restricting its future use - often, restricting another supermarket from going in. At least 14 of the restrictive covenants are still in effect, says the study. The most notorious case of restrictive covenants is the former Safeway site on 118th Avenue in Highlands, which is bound by a covenant not to be used by another large supermarket. The restriction has upset many in the Highlands neighbourhood. Councillors Linda Sloan and Amarjeet Sohi are concerned about these covenants. Sloan told council's executive committee they "basically sterilize the land for food". "At the very least, we should be putting an expiry date on these restrictive covenants," she said. Charles Richmond, spokesman for the Sierra Club, said the covenants create "food deserts", neighbourhoods where the one available site for a supermarket can't be used for that, because a covenant prevents it. However, a city lawyer cautioned that there have been seven or eight court challenges to such covenants, and all have failed. The covenant is agreed to by the seller and buyer of the land, so it's not really the city's business, said Jamie Johnson. Mayor Stephen Mandel echoed the caution. Restrictive covenants on land sales are used in all sorts of ways, he said, including by the city of Edmonton. Coun. Tony Caterina scoffed at the idea that because a supermarket site can't be used for another supermarket, a neighbourhood is deprived of food. "Has anybody come forward and said, 'I'm starving because I can't buy food?'" he asked. The committee voted to reject a motion by Sohi asking city staff to investigate ways to prevent future restrictive covenants. Of the 18 covenants in Cameron's report, 12 were placed by Canada Safeway when it sold a site. sruttan@thejournal.canwest.com © Edmonton Journal 2008 ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 21 Feb 2008 00:45:38 -0600 From: News@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca Subject: Fugitive described as armed, dangerous- The Edmonton Journal Fugitive described as armed, dangerous http://www.canada.com/edmontonjournal/news/story.html?id=8f76da70-d50c-45e9-a627-a1361727c4cd&k=78422 Image Mark Nelson McFetridge. Supplied Jeff Holubitsky, edmontonjournal.com Published: 12:35 pm EDMONTON - Police are searching for a 37-year-old fugitive serving time for robbery, weapons and other offences after he failed to return to an Edmonton correctional facility while on an unescorted day pass. Mark Nelson McFetridge is considered armed and dangerous and should not be approached, Edmonton police said today. He was last seen driving a 2004 gold Chevrolet Trailblazer with licence plate JFE 885, police said. McFetridge, who is serving a seven-year, seven-month sentence, also goes by the alias of Marko. He is five-foot-nine, 160 pounds and has blue eyes and brown hair. He also has several tattoos, including a ribbon on his left forearm, the letters MM and a knife on his left bicep, and a cross on his right bicep. He was on the day pass Feb. 1, when he failed to return to the correctional facility the next day. Police are asking anyone with information to call 423-4567 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS. © Edmonton Journal 2008 ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 20 Feb 2008 23:12:11 -0800 (PST) From: Vladyslav Strashko Subject: Re: Uncut diamonds, raw gold seized at airport- The Journal Never heard about Export and Import of Rough Diamonds Act , but it could be interesting read.... News@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca wrote: Uncut diamonds, raw gold seized at airport http://www.canada.com/edmontonjournal/news/story.html?id=e6b4ae4d-ac2d-438c-be8a-512f299f49ad&k=33343 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ This is one of the ideas to cut down on the import/export of "conflict", or blood diamonds out of Africa. All of the gemstone mines and dealers in Canada, apparently now laser-cut a serial number right in Girdle of the diamond it's self to prove that it's not a conflict or blood diamond. FYI Blood Diamonds; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blood_diamond Also Conflict-free diamonds; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conflict-free_diamond - -DRGJ ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 21 Feb 2008 00:58:46 -0600 From: News@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca Subject: Calgary club owner ordered to stop scanning patrons'driverslicence Calgary club owner ordered to stop scanning patrons' driver's licences http://www.canada.com/calgaryherald/news/story.html?id=c5af251f-d74f-4128-888f-833a7f3dc9b3&k=70709 Sean Myers, Calgary Herald Published: Wednesday, February 20, 2008 CALGARY - A Calgary night club owner is vowing to appeal a decision to stop the practice of scanning the driver's licences of patrons as they walk in the door. Alberta privacy commissioner Frank Work ordered Tantra Nightclub and its parent company Penny Lane Entertainment to stop scanning licences and to destroy any information that has been collected. Penny Lane owner Paul Vickers said he has spent millions of dollars installing the scanning equipment in his Calgary and Edmonton venues and they've proven to reduce criminal activity in his clubs. "This is one of the things that keeps the bad guys out," said Vickers. "Our sole purpose in scanning is the protection of our staff, patrons and property. "I'm not going to sit idly by on this." In his order, Work wrote that at best, Penny Lane "offers conjecture that collecting driver's license information of patrons may act as a deterrent to violent behaviour." He said Penny Lane failed to offer any evidence to back up its claims that Tantra was made safer by the scanning practice. The original complaint was made in 2005 by a University of Calgary law student. After Penny Lane chose not to comply with a voluntary request to stop scanning, the matter went before the privacy commissioner for a binding decision. The ruling is binding only on Penny Lane and Vickers has 50 days to appeal. © Calgary Herald 2008 ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 21 Feb 2008 01:44:55 -0600 From: News@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca Subject: Court hears final arguments in C-Train murder trial-Calgary Herald Court hears final arguments in C-Train murder trial http://www.canada.com/calgaryherald/news/story.html?id=485e381b-807e-4682-9514-2b10198952fd&k=58869 Image & Caption A courtroom sketch of Natalie Pasqua who is accused in the death of Gage Prevost. - -Kathryn Molcak/Calgary Herald Daryl Slade, Calgary Herald Published: Wednesday, February 20, 2008 CALGARY - The lawyer for a city woman accused of pushing a teen to his death between two cars of a C-Train as it entered the 8th St. S.W. station last summer urged a jury on Wednesday to acquit his client. Andre Ouellette said in his final argument they should find the tragic death of Gage Provost, 17, was an accident in the context of a Consensual fight with his client, Natalie Rochelle Pasqua. "It's a natural human need to find something or someone responsible for a violent death," Ouellette told the eight-man, four-woman jury. "It's difficult for us to accept this young man lost his life over $10. That's the bottom line. In life, we all want reasons and causes for death. But in this case it was two people in a stupid, dangerous fight." Court heard Pasqua, 27, and Prevost had a dispute over a $10 crack cocaine deal, prompting Prevost to push her off the platform on to the LRT tracks about 4:40 p.m. on Aug. 1. She then returned to the platform and engaged in a shoving match, in which one or both of them - depending on which witnesses are believed - were pushed into side of the just-arriving train before Prevost was pushed to his death between two cars. The incident was partially captured on a surveillance video at the platform, but did not show the five seconds leading up to when Prevost was thrust between the two cars of the train. Pasqua has pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder. She testified on Tuesday that she did not intend to kill the victim. Crown prosecutor Harold Hagglund did not specify on what charge he urged the jury to convict Pasqua, but he asked them to "impose criminal responsibility." There are three potential verdicts: guilty of either second-degree murder, guilty of manslaughter or not guilty. Hagglund said the incident began with Prevost regrettably throwing Pasqua on to the tracks, for which he has "no excuse," but it is a series of the accused's actions afterward that are criminal. "To say this is an accident is to ignore common sense," said Hagglund. "This is a case about getting even, about revenge. This is not a case about cosmic coincidence when Gage meets his death in a manner similar to what happened to Pasqua two minutes earlier." Court of Queen's Bench Justice John Rooke turned the case over to the jury on Wednesday night after giving them lengthy final instructions on the law. He told the jury they must decide if the accused caused the victim's death or contributed to it through an unlawful act, in order to convict her of manslaughter. If they also determined she had intent to kill, she should be convicted of murder. If there is no unlawful act and they deem it was an accident, he added, they should acquit. Pasqua testified on Tuesday she did not know the C-Train had just arrived at the west end of the 8th St. S.W. station moments before the struggle in which Prevost was crushed between the platform and train and was killed virtually instantly. She also told the jury she didn't believe that Prevost was aware the slow-moving train was there either, as they were too busy fighting. Hagglund also pointed to a comment Pasqua allegedly made either before or after she was tossed off the platform, "do you want to get hit by a train?" as proof of her intentions as she angrily returned to gain her revenge. Three witnesses, all the deceased's friends, testified that Pasqua made the statement, but the accused denied making it. Court previously heard the victim had an alcohol reading of .261 - more than three times the legal driving limit - and cocaine in his liver at the time of his death. Pasqua claimed that, even though she was a cocaine addict, she had not consumed any drugs for more than nine hours and was sober at the time of the fatal incident. dslade@theherald.canwest.com © Calgary Herald 2008 ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 21 Feb 2008 01:29:27 -0600 From: News@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca Subject: Drumheller prison intercepts major drug shipment- Calgary Herald Drumheller prison intercepts major drug shipment http://www.canada.com/calgaryherald/news/story.html?id=9c10c312-27f0-4828-a93f-c7d2cf55b0a1&k=8181 Sherri Zickefoose, Calgary Herald Published: Wednesday, February 20, 2008 DRUMHELLER - A $65,000 bag of drugs destined for inmates inside Drumheller Institution has been intercepted by prison guards. A plastic Wal-Mart bag filled with hashish oil and crystal methamphetamine - worth $65,000 inside prison walls - was found thrown in the snow near an administration building Feb. 12. "If those drugs would have gotten into the institution, it would have been a huge set back," said Drumheller Institution warden Mike Hanly. "We're under constant strain for drugs being brought in. We've got about 600 inmates in here and there's a lot of inmates with substance abuse problems. We watch them very closely." The prison's drug dog Storm and his handler were searching the grounds when they discovered unusual tracks near the minimum security annex. "They only walked it in 20 feet but you could see where they had pulled off the road," said Hanly. Already this year, the prison has made a dozen seizures of illegal drugs smuggled inside despite its zero tolerance policy on illegal drugs. The troubling presence of crystal meth is unusual for the prison, which typically sees hash oil and cocaine smuggled in. "The inmates have a very low tolerance for it. It disrupts the population," said Hanly, adding half the prison's population is under 30. It is not uncommon to find drugs thrown onto prison property, he said. "In the same area about a year ago, they found a MacDonalds cup filled with drugs shoved down a gopher hole," said Hanly. To discourage drug smuggling, prison visitors are screened with an ion scan machine at the main entrance that detects drugs that are on or have been in contact with visitors. The drug dog is also on hand. The federal penitentiary is 140 km northeast of Calgary, currently accommodating 527 medium security and 72 minimum security inmates. szickefoose@theherald.canwest.com © Calgary Herald 2008 ------------------------------ End of Cdn-Firearms Digest V11 #233 *********************************** Submissions: mailto:cdn-firearms-digest@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca Mailing List Commands: mailto:majordomo@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca Moderator's e-mail address: mailto:d.jordan@sasktel.net List owner: mailto:owner-cdn-firearms@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca FAQ list: http://www.magma.ca/~asd/cfd-faq1.html and http://teapot.usask.ca/cdn-firearms/Faq/cfd-faq1.html Web Site: http://teapot.usask.ca/cdn-firearms/homepage.html FTP Site: ftp://teapot.usask.ca/pub/cdn-firearms/ CFDigest Archives: http://www.sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca/~ab133/ or put the next command in an e-mail message and mailto:majordomo@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca get cdn-firearms-digest v04.n192 end (192 is the digest issue number and 04 is the volume) To unsubscribe from _all_ the lists, put the next five lines in a message and mailto:majordomo@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca unsubscribe cdn-firearms-digest unsubscribe cdn-firearms-alert unsubscribe cdn-firearms-chat unsubscribe cdn-firearms end (To subscribe, use "subscribe" instead of "unsubscribe".) 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