Defense Articles

Niagara on the Lake is very old. Established by British Loyalists in 1778, this quaint little town at the mouth of the Niagara River is one of oldest settlements in the nation. Use this handy guide to find bargains in Niagara on the Lake.

First you must understand the History of Niagara.

The entire Niagara peninsula is steeped in Canadian history because:

1) The settlement is really old

2) It contains a cool waterfall

3) Its right on the border with the United States and they haven’t always been so friendly.

The place was entirely settled and collecting dust before the Dominion of Canada was born in 1867. Thirty years later the Niagara Historical Society & Museum was founded (in 1895) to encourage the study of Canadian History and Literature, and to collect and preserve Canadian historical records and relics. The Niagara Peninsula has at least nine other museums, and more historical reenactments per square mile than anywhere else in Canada.

Etienne Brûlé was the first European to see Niagara Falls in the summer of 1633. The first eyewitness account of the falls in written text was by Father Louis Hennepin in 1683 wherein he described it as, ‘the most beautiful and altogether the most terrifying waterfall in the universe’.

John Butler The first European settlers were primarily British Loyalists fleeing America in 1778. At the end of the American Revolution, these Loyalists were given land grants, and the town of Niagara was laid out on the west bank of the Niagara River. As the first farms were cut from the wilderness, the first orchards were planted with apples from Quebec and the Maritimes, and red cherries from the east coast of the United States. The whole settlement prospered under the leadership of John Butler, who had led a regiment of rangers during the revolution.

In 1792 the first lieutenant-governor of Upper Canada, John Graves Simcoe, chose Niagara as the temporary capital of the province. He held parliament here until 1796. Unfortunately the town was just too close to the United States for comfort. Indeed, this fertile region was the principle theater of operations for both the War of 1812, and the Fenian Raids of 1867. Between these years are wonderful stories about Laura Secord, the Mackenzie printing press, and the last stop on the Underground Railroad where so many African American men and women finally found freedom.

Where to shop for antiques? The old towns of Niagara on the Lake, Virgil and Jordan are terrific places to shop for antique furniture, vintage kitchenware, stain glass windows and lamps. Although military collectibles are surprisingly scarce, there exists an extraordinary amount of sheet music, lace, dolls and of course doll houses, vintage bar supplies and nostalgia pieces from the 1920s and 30s. The area is also rich in antique toys, primitive iron tools, and collectible fruit sealer jars.

Look for handcrafted wood furniture Known for gorgeous homemade ‘primitives’, the entire Niagara region is rich with homegrown wood furniture sometimes made of fruitwoods. Inside Europa Antiques, shoppers will no doubt admire handmade wooden chests, side tables and wardrobes, pine dressers and bookshelf units all being sold for less than $350. The proprietors of this business, located at 1523 Niagara Stone Road, inside a ‘dear old red brick church’, have an interesting attitude toward recycling furniture as part of their contribution to reducing climate change. Can you see the green Reduce, Reuse, Recycle triangle on their hemp shopping bags? This business is here to sell good furniture cheap, and keep the inventory moving by offering very low prices. And BEST OF ALL, if you buy over four hundred dollars worth of furniture they will deliver it for free as far away as Toronto!

Bakelite is a good buy in Niagara The area is becoming known for unusual Bakelite items like radios and picnic vessels, tableware and all manner of period Art Deco objects. These gorgeous early wood plastic luxury items were imported by retailers to accommodate Niagara Falls tourists in the booming 1950’s. Today vintage Bakelite is very sheik, and these antiques are cool to collect and relatively inexpensive here because of their availability.

Pottery, porcelain and fine china Lakeshore Antiques and Treasures is located at 855 Lakeshore Road in the center of Niagara on the Lake. This is a well stocked 7000 square foot building wherein 15 separate merchants offer up their wares. Overall there are good prices here on painted pine furniture and English china. The shop is filled with tables and chairs and early Canadian pottery, porcelain, and English fine china and American kitchenware from the 1940s and 50s. Antique chandeliers hang from the rafters over many merchant holdings.

Georgian, Victorian and Edwardian antiques Creighton House Antiques is a family business located on the main street of Jordan since 1982, but Joe and Pauline Creighton have been in the area, selling antiques for thirty years. Their large shop is located in the carriage house next to their 1850s Georgian home. They have lots of Canadiana, Victorian, and Edwardian furniture pieces, turn-of-the-century oak wardrobes, and quality mahogany and walnut furniture of the 1920s. The antiques are in “as found condition”, and range from fair to good condition. Joe does the buying and prides himself of the selection ý” there’s something for everyone here.

Jordan Antiques is found at 3836 Main Street in the village of Jordan and boasts 6000 square feet of shopping; there are a lot of antiques here and it’s not crowded. The prices are good on pine furniture, fine china and figurines. There’s an abundance of Art Deco ashtrays, cranberry coloured carnival glass, vintage Christmas decorations, antique fishing lures, wooden tackle boxes, and handmade quilts. This is the perfect place to outfit a cottage with classic furnishings.

The Shaw Festival Theatre is a world class performing arts company that brings the best plays of George Bernard Shaw and his contemporaries to life on three stages. This entertainment spectacle nicely compliments every antique collector’s annual pilgrimage to Virgil and Jordan and the shops along Stone Rd in the old town of Niagara on the Lake. Shaw Festival plays punctuate the excitement of this historic destination. Look around this old town and you can see, touch and breathe in the history; the scenery includes thundering black powder cannons in the walls of Fort George, and quaint horse and buggy tours that parade under tree canopied streets. And as most buildings have historic plaques chronicling their construction and importance, it’s fun to simply wander around town for an afternoon.

Did you know that the Barbie dolls launched way back in 1959? Since then they have sold over three billion dolls to date. That’s a lot of Barbie in the world - one between two for every single man, woman and child living on planet Earth at this moment. Every single person in the UK could have fifty of them if they wanted. In fact, if we took every Barbie doll that had rolled out of the factory since their inception, they would stretch right around the globe not once, not twice, but a full three and a half times. They seem to be popular.

Quite why this particular doll should have proved so popular is hard to say - perhaps it’s the absurdly idealistic glamour, the accessories, or simply the fact that you aren’t deemed to be a proper girl if you didn’t at least have one Barbie doll during your formative years.

Interestingly, the Ken dolls, Barbie’s partner, have proved just as popular, and yet still only with girls. Boys are still keen on the Action Man figurines, but Ken seems to have been left on the shelf as far as boys are concerned. Is this an image problem that Ken seems to have?

What exactly is it that makes Action Man a popular boys’ toy, and Ken a definite no go area. Giving a boy a Ken doll would not be received with grateful thanks. Maybe it’s the fact that Ken doesn’t come with a range of gadgets designed to obliterate the enemy. Instead, he comes with a smart sports jacket. Possibly it is because Ken doesn’t come with an all terrain land vehicle with side cannons and laser rifles. He comes with a neat little sports car with a roll down top.

Or could it be something far more deep seated and dark? Action Man comes with a range of related figurines - all male, and built with muscles so big one wonders how they ever manage to bend their arm to scratch their head with all that flesh in the way. Ken, on the other hand, comes with Barbie. An allegedly cute girl with an impossible figure, a range of accessories and posable arms and legs. Someone worked out a while back that if Barbie was real, she’d actually have a job walking and would probably need a wheel chair. So, this image problem we have with Ken, could it simply be that, dare I suggest it, he has a girlfriend?

What right-minded boy would spare a second glance to someone who has time for a girl? There’s a world out there to save. A world of muscle and blood, spaceships and evil warlords with guns that fire sponge darts at least three feet. To own a Ken is to accept that girls are almost equal to boys, and what young boy would ever wish to be associated with such a concept?

Gender stereotyping? Nothing changes that much, does it? Of course, the question about where these gender concepts and assumptions come from is another matter. Possibly they are encouraged by family, or by their friends. Books, television and even the style of toys advertised, and the way they are advertised, can all play a part. At least we know one thing. All boys will eventually learn a hard lesson. Defeating an evil warlord, conquering the empire and saving the planet is easy. Understanding girls? Now the challenge begins!

NELSON’S TRAFALGAR: THE BATTLE THAT CHANGED THE WORLD By Roy Adkins 416 Pages, Illustrated, Hardcover. ISBN: 0-670-03448-7 - $27.95. Viking Books, New York, NY; 212-366-2338; Web: www.penguin.com

It’s difficult to make a choice between Seize The Fire and Nelson’s Trafalgar for each is expertly written, astutely researched and most comprehensive in its presentation. While Adkin’s Nelson’s Trafalgar is 64-pages longer, Nicolson’s Seize The Fire boasts an outstanding gallery of period illustrations in full color. The final judgement therefore rests on the author’s style and approach to his topic. Both writers are most descriptive in their handling of the action sequences, the blood, fury and gore of brutal 19th century sea battles.
As seen through the smoke-hazed gun ports of the fighting ships, Adkins illustrates the clashing of Britain’s Royal Navy under the leadership of Lord Horatio Nelson with Napoleon’s Navy. In an atmosphere of choking fumes from cannon and musket fire, amid noise so intense it was almost tangible, the crews of the British, French, and Spanish ships did their best to carry out their allotted tasks. For over five hours they were in constant danger from a terrifying array of iron and lead missiles fired from enemy guns, as well as the deadly wooden splinter smashed from the ships’ hulls by the cannonballs. While the men fired cannons and operated the ships, the women helped the surgeons tend the injured or ill and often took on the hazardous task of carrying gunpowder cartridges from the central magazine to the gun decks.
Though it cost them their brilliant commander Nelson, the British prevailed and not only prevented Napoleon from invading Britain, but enabled Britain and its Continental allies to mount the campaign that would eventually defeat the French Emperor: Without Trafalgar there would be no Waterloo. Trafalgar set the seal on British Naval supremacy, the mainspring of the Empire’s spectacular expansion.

Drawing on a broad range of primary source material, Adkins has written an unforgettably vivid account of Trafalgar, and of early 19th century warfare. Capturing as never before the harsh conditions in which sailors lived, the mechanics of warfare, and the relentless violence of combat.

The very word elicits horrifying visions of Iraqi children lying dead in the street, blood on Tel Aviv streets, burning vehicles, death and destruction–all done to strengthen the political advantage of one group over another. Terrorism has been around for centuries. Its aim has always been to control large populations through fear.

Some terrorists have endeavored to destroy whole societies. Others have tried to cripple another country’s economy. In 1990, Sadaam Hussein ordered over 700 wells ignited in an attempt to bankrupt Kuwait. It didn’t work. It won’t ever work long-term.
That’s the common thread: terrorism always fails. No civilized society will tolerate terrorists for long. The recent rash of terrorism by Islamic fundamentalists will also fail. As always, the members of the terrorists’ home culture will ultimately put it down. It is incumbent on the Muslim community to do the job this time. Nobody else has the influence, culturally, politically or economically, to pull it off.

So what does all this have to do with the drilling rig? The drilling industry has not been the target of terrorists … yet. Well, there have been a few takeovers of drilling rigs offshore Nigeria, but those hijackings were for economics, i.e. ransom, not for political reasons. One almost hesitates to write about terrorism and drilling to avoid giving the bad guys ideas about blowing up a rig. Recall, however, that these people were clever enough to use airliners as weapons on September 11, 2001. Were it not for their sinister motives and methods, one could almost admire their inventiveness. So, writing about terrorism probably won’t give the terrorists any new ideas.
Why has the drilling industry not been a target? We could all speculate, but several facts are clear. First, rigs are highly mobile. It takes time and a semi-fixed target to plan a terrorist operation.

Second, it’s difficult to approach a rig unseen, whether onshore or offshore. Terrorists like to surprise their target. Most rigs work in remote areas where access to the rig is over long lease roads or open water. Sneaking up on a drilling rig undetected is a difficult task. Drillers, particularly derrickmen, are vigilant. Any suspicious vehicle, boat or individual coming toward a rig will be noticed early. Terrorists often pose as part of the general population and mix with crowds before setting off their bombs. It’s hard to do that with a closely knit drilling crew.

Third, it’s tough to hurt a rig. A terrorist can blow up personnel, but can they really destroy a rig short of using a large mobile bomb, like the one that damaged the USS Cole? Even that seaborne suicide attack didn’t sink the ship. Drillships and semis have overlapping, redundant systems for flotation, even during a violent well control event. The legs on jackups are pretty tough, too. The bad guys would probably have to use a large ship to ram and sink a floater, or topple a jackup. Even then, what do they accomplish?

Many people believe that all offshore rigs are seascape blights; likewise, onshore rigs are a nuisance. They don’t recognize the contribution that the rig and its task make to the world’s economy.

Sadly, these folks would be delighted if all rigs were sunk or blown to pieces. How, then, can the terrorist get any political mileage out of ridding the world of a drilling rig? What is the incentive?

Perhaps that’s the answer to the drilling industry’s immunity from terrorism so far–there’s just not enough political reward to justify the effort, the expense and the loss of a “martyr.” It is better in their view to blow up a few dozen innocent children in Iraq to demonstrate their hatred and make headlines.

If rigs do become targets of future terrorist attacks, what protection do we have on the rig? One seldom sees an armed drillship with 5-in. cannons amidship and quad-50s (a large gun) on the bow. Most rigs are defenseless. Carrying arms aboard a vessel or onto a mineral lease usually results in expulsion or jail time. There are far too many rigs to have armed guards on each one.

Like most other targets, there really is no terrorism protection for a rig. Mitigation in the event of an attack is possible, however. Identifying vulnerabilities, maintaining vigilance, and knowing what to do in the event of an attack are key components of a terrorism contingency plan.

Experts in terrorism mitigation have a great way of preparing a plan to thwart attacks. They ask that the rig crews and supervisors play the role of terrorists to identify points of vulnerability. The crews are the ones who know where to place charges to cause the most damage. They are also the ones who can identify how a bomber could kill the most people. Their shared ideas then become the basis for the contingency plan:

* What to watch for

* How to minimize damage

* How to save lives

* How to evacuate safely

* Whom to summon for help.

This plan should be incorporated into the rig’s overall contingency planning effort. Like a spill plan, a well control plan or any other emergency plan, the terrorism contingency plan must be taught, learned and practiced for it to be effective.

Situated in northeastern Florida on the Atlantic coast, Jacksonville bills itself as “where Florida begins.” The entire world saw this sprawling metropolis on the St. Johns River when the city hosted the Super Bowl last February.

This was the smallest market to ever host a Super Bowl, and despite early naysayers, the event drew huge accolades. Cruise ships played a big role in the celebration–providing plush accommodations for many visitors. The ships actually clinched the deal that brought the Super Bowl to Jacksonville by providing the requisite number of rooms required by the National Football League.
Now that the port is experienced with a number of cruise ships at one time–five were docked here for Super Bowl week–the city is pushing ahead with plans for a new and expanded terminal to accommodate expected increases in passengers as more ships homeport in Jacksonville. Currently, two Carnival Cruise Lines’ ships sail four- and five-day itineraries from the port–the Celebration and the Ecstasy.

The city has much to recommend it–68 miles of Atlantic Ocean coastline, 300 miles of rivers, more than 100 golf courses, the largest urban park system in the U.S., and a growing and vibrant downtown. Spanning more than 840 square miles, Jacksonville, the most populous city in the state, comprises the largest landmass of any city in the continental U.S. It is also the most historic area in all of Florida.
Jacksonville is justifiably proud of its NFL team, the Jaguars. Fittingly, the newest exhibit at the Jacksonville Zoo is the “Range of the Jaguar,” featuring the largest collection of jaguars in North America. The tropical-forest attraction is set in a Spanish-colonial themed village and temple ruin. There is even a restaurant with a glass wall providing a bird’s-eye view of the giant cats prowling through lush vegetation and climbing fallen trees. Animal lovers can view nearly 100 other species, including golden lion tamarins, howler monkeys, sloths, and bird-eating tarantulas. Everyone enjoys watching the monkey business in the Great Apes of the World exhibit. Behind The Scenes Tours offer visitors a chance for a personal one-hour walk with an animal keeper to see how elephants, Cape buffalo, and rhinos are cared for.

Nearby is Kingsley Plantation, the oldest remaining plantation house in Florida and once the home of Zephaniah Kingsley, a successful merchant and planter. The National Park Service operates the house and grounds on the shore of the Fort George River. The house dates to 1798 and was built for comfort. Built in the pre-air-conditioning era, it was designed so that rooms would allow breezes to cross-ventilate. The slave quarters on the grounds housed 60 to 80 men, women, and children. Each slave quarter had a fireplace and kitchen plus a sleeping room. Kingsley was married to a slave from Senegal; he freed her and their children in 1811.

Walk through formal gardens–both English and Italian–on the riverfront at the Cummer Museum of Art & Gardens. The boutique museum displays 8,000 years of art history arranged chronologically. Visit the Museum of Science & History, in a prime downtown setting, and learn the background of the area from the early days of the Timcuuan Indians to Juan Ponce de Leon and his Spanish explorers. A family favorite for its wealth of hands-on exhibits, the museum also explores astronomy and natural sciences.

Amelia Island, known as Florida’s Golden Isle, is 32 miles northeast of downtown Jacksonville. Its biggest claim to fame is that it is the only U.S. location to have been under eight different flags including Spain, France, Mexico, England, Confederate, and U.S. The 13-mile long island boasts 40-foot sand dunes, 90 holes of golf, and miles of broad white-sand beaches. The streets of historic Fernandina Beach pay tribute to Amelia’s golden era when the wealthy built opulent Victorian dwellings. Walk down to the marina where the modern shrimping industry was born.

South of Amelia Island and Jacksonville is St. Augustine, the oldest continuously occupied European settlement in the continental United States. It is truly a time capsule that showcases nearly 500 years of American history. St. Augustine was founded in 1565-42 years before the English colonized Jamestown and 55 years before the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock. Near the end of the 19th century, oil magnate Henry Flagler envisioned St. Augustine as “America’s Riviera” and transformed the slumbering town into one of Florida’s earliest resorts.

During this period, in 1893, the St. Augustine Alligator Farm opened. It remains one of the area’s most popular attractions and is the only facility in the world housing every species of crocodilian. Be sure to visit Maximo, a 1,250-pound monster gator. Across the street is the picturesque black-and-white-striped St. Augustine Lighthouse; visitors are welcome to climb to the top for a panoramic view of the city, bay, and ocean beyond.

For years, the residents of Lawrence, Kan., spent summer days by a large, rectangular swimming pool. Children splashed in smaller, shallower rectangles playing Marco Polo, while adults swam laps until it was time to go home.

In 1994, the town’s leisure pool underwent a major makeover. The Lawrence Parks & Recreation Department received a significant sum of money from the city, thanks to a tax increase. With the funds, the city gave its pool a face-lift and the ability to net a wider audience.

“We learned you could attract different markets by adding simple things like a zero depth,” says Jimmy Gibbs, aquatics supervisor of the parks & recreation department. “You add a whole new age group with infants and toddlers and their parents, and make your facility handicapped-accessible.”
A year later, the city was introduced to a $3.2 million, state-of-the-art facility. Nowadays children, and adventurous adults, zip down two water slides or splash in the kid’s area, complete with interactive play features. The main pool still contains a 50-meter competition area and diving well.

When the facility reopened, attendance shot up from an average of 400 to as many as 2,500 patrons per day. In fact, adding waterpark features to leisure pools attracts more participation year ’round, experts say. While traditional lap runs are still alive and well, the enhanced recreational facilities have found a way to bring more people to the water.
In the mid-1980s, the rectangular community pool began to take on new configurations. At the same time, the waterpark industry was growing at an incredible rate. It was the thrilling action of the waterpark that municipalities tried to mimic in their community pools, says Treadwell Jones, director of Larkin Aquatics in Kansas City, Mo.

For years, there was a clear distinction between waterparks and the typical box of water, but now that’s changing, aquatics experts say. “Everyone is starting to do a smaller scale waterpark at the community pool,” says Lee Yarger, coordinator of aquatics at Ball State University in Muncie, Ind. “They realized that the draw is the waterpark, and they are losing market share by not catering to that crowd.”

Child’s play

Once upon a time, jumping off the high dive was good enough for most children. Today, they can choose from a selection of attractions: wave pools, water slides and other thrill-type activities. Shooting water cannons and sprouting rain showers also provide high entertainment value to small children.

“You’re serving different populations,” says Mindi Epstein Brooks, director of communications at the Arthur M. Glick Jewish Community Center in Indianapolis. “The younger kids enjoy the splash and play area because it’s safe, and parents can watch them with ease.”

The JCC, which underwent a $4.5 million makeover and reopened in 2003, opted for a wading pool with interactive sprays and a beach-entry. It also added two slides (a 125-foot-long tube and 150-foot-long flume slide) and a lazy river, winding around 300 feet in length.

But pool designs needn’t be complex to please a crowd. For kids, sometimes the simplest things are the most popular, such as splashing in a zero-depth waterfeature. “You constantly find tots sticking their hands in [a fountain] when there’s a $20,000 play feature behind them,” Jones says.

To swim or not to swim

While leisure pools often are equipped with sprays, fountains, beach entries and the like, many operators still find there’s no substitute for the traditional lap pool.

“[Lap pools] have their need, too, for competitive activities and training, along with the health aspects of doing laps with aerobics and therapy,” says Duane Wepking, aquatic project manager at Ramaker & Associates in Sauk City, Wis.

“Unless the business planner is focused on competitive swimming and training, it would be limiting to open a pool and expect it to succeed,” he adds.

Most leisure facilities offer traditional swim teams and water aerobics, but also are incorporating therapy into their programs. For example, the JCC has a competition pool and team, and offers lap swimming and lessons. Its therapy pool features a hydraulic floor that adjusts from 0 to 6 feet deep for people with injuries or health problems.

Experts say that basic lap runs lead to other aquatic activities, such as water polo and synchronized swimming, which require a traditional pool. Swim lessons and lifeguard training remain popular choices in aquatic activity.

Still, in the midst of all the slides and rushing water, aquatics professionals say it’s important to remember the aging population. Yesterday’s lap swimmers are becoming today’s resistance walkers as the baby boom generation reaches retirement age, says Steve Blackburn, principal and vice president of Barker Rinker Seacat Architecture in Denver.

“There are 76 million baby boomers in the United States, and every 17 seconds we get another person who is 50 years and older,” Blackburn says. “It’s going to have an enormous impact on the way we design pools.”

And with the simple click of an option box, the fighting is over: Westwood has finally—and posthumously—lost the War to Do Things Its Own Way, Come Hell or High Water. After eight years, the Zero Hour expansion finally brings to Command & Conquer the option to use the right-click interface that’s standard to almost every other RTS. This is just one sign that the series is becoming a mature, sleek, and refined game that tries to please its fans rather than force them to adapt.
Developed internally by Electronic Arts, Zero Hour is one of those expansions that doesn’t add new stuff so much as meticulously rework old stuff. In a way, it’s what Generals should have been. But in addition to new twists on old tricks, there’s a lot of new content—enough that it doesn’t play like a mod-in-a-box. After Zero Hour, there’s no going back to vanilla Generals.

The three sides are still the only sides: the flexible United States; the devious Arabs, err, GLA; and the muscular Chinese. All of them have new toys, some subtle (the United States can research chemical suits to counter GLA toxins; the GLAs can build fake buildings) and some dramatic (those GLA motorcycles are hell on wheels, and that Chinese Helix helicopter floats like a butterfly and stings like a friggin’ bear).
What’s more, each side now has three “sub-sides,” if you will, represented by generals. Each general exaggerates a particular advantage, using unique units and bonuses to highlight themes like aircraft, chemical weapons, infantry, or stealth. They do a great job of stretching the gameplay just past the point of fairness and balance, capturing that heady sense of “Who cares if it’s even, let’s just blow some stuff up!” You might be frustrated when the Chinese infantry general bum-rushes your USA superweapons general before you can get your particle cannons online. But you can bet that Chinese infantry general is going to be just as frustrated in the next game when your GLA toxin general is spraying down his human wave with the new gamma anthrax. These are perfect for fast and intense games that you might win or lose in the first 15 minutes, but what’s really needed is an option for blindside selection in multiplayer games. Get ready to endure all kinds of new cheese tactics online. Then go forth and do likewise.

There are three heavily scripted mini-campaigns, as well as a challenge mode that’s essentially a series of puzzles in which you have to beat each general. But now the A.I. will use the game’s gimmicks and even react to what you’re doing, which finally makes Generals a viable skirmish game. Even the friendly A.I. does a much better job of fighting and surviving. There are still some interface problems, but Command & Conquer is better than it’s ever been.

I can think of more than a few adjectives to describe Call of Duty: Linear, predictable, and short all come to mind. However, one description, more than any, characterizes the game perfectly: a total blast.

An army of more than one

The main idea behind Call of Duty is that World War II wasn’t fought by one man from one nation, it was fought by groups of men from many nations. In Call of Duty you fight against the Axis from the perspective of American, British and Russian soldiers in 24 missions covering several historical campaigns. You’ll parachute behind enemy lines during D-Day, participate in the Battle of Bulge, and fight the Germans on the Eastern Front during the siege of Stalingrad. Keeping with its “many men” focus, you’ll see right away that you’re not alone. And the game is designed such that “going it alone” will be nearly impossible in some, if not most, scenarios.
Some gamers are bound to criticize the linearity of its levels. But once the game gets going, you won’t really care about linearity because you’ll be too busy having fun. This is especially true of the game’s car ride levels, where you ride with some of your squadmates while shooting Germans and blowing stuff up. The first ride takes you through some quaint French countryside that’s been rendered “not-so-quaint” by the Germans that are shooting at you. My first thought during the ride was that this is just silly. My second thought was, this is fun in a Mister Toad’s Wild Ride meets Vice City sort of way.

This article reviews the performance of U.S. Army, U.S. Marine Corps, and British armored forces during Operation Iraqi Freedom. Although much speculation on the future of warfare tends to downplay heavy forces, this operation shows that close combat remains inevitable and that tanks and mechanized infantry still dominate close combat. Although the focus is on major combat operations in Iraq from March 19 to May 1, 2003, the conclusions have remained valid during the ensuing counterinsurgency–for example, during combat in Fallujah.
Depending on how the Marine regimental combat teams (RCTs) are counted, heavy forces accounted for either 4 or 8 of the 16 ground maneuver brigades/regiments committed to Iraq before the fall of Baghdad in mid-April. There were four classic heavy brigades (three in the U.S. Army’s 3d Infantry Division [Mechanized] plus the British 7th Armored Brigade). The Marine RCTs could also be considered heavy forces since they included roughly 130 tanks and over 450 amphibious assault vehicles (AAV-7s) serving as armored personnel carriers. Of the infantry the Marines initially deployed, all but three battalions rode in AAVs, with the remainder riding in trucks. Three of the Marine RCTs were organic to 1st Marine Division, while the fourth formed the basis of Task Force Tarawa, a brigade-sized force from 2d Marine Division that was under direct control of 1st Marine Expeditionary Force.
Total coalition tank strength was roughly 450 vehicles at the start of the operation. The 3d Infantry Division included over 200 M1A1s in its tank battalions and cavalry squadron. The 1st Marine Expeditionary Force had two tank battalions (virtually all the tanks in the active Marine Corps), with some tanks being provided to each of the three RCTs of 1st Marine Division. Additionally, one company of Marine Corps Reserve tanks was activated to support Task Force Tarawa. The British Army deployed two tank battalions in 7th Armored Brigade with a total of 116 Challenger 2 tanks. (1)

The British had about 120 Warrior infantry fighting vehicles in Iraq, comparable to the U.S. Army’s Bradley. The Warrior has a 30 millimeter (mm) automatic cannon but does not mount an anti-tank guided missile as the Bradley does. The 3d Infantry Division had approximately 250 Bradleys in Iraq including the M-2 infantry and M-3 cavalry versions of the vehicle. The AAV-7s of the Marine Corps carry more dismountable infantry than either the Warrior or Bradley (20 troops can be carried in the passenger compartment of the AAV), but the Marine vehicle’s armor is closer to that of an M-113. Most of the AAVs mount a side-by-side 50-caliber machinegun and 40mm grenade launcher in the turret. Unlike the U.S. and British armies, where the infantry fighting vehicles are organic to the mechanized infantry battalions, the Marines have a large assault amphibian battalion at division level that attaches its vehicles to infantry regiments based on the mission. Most Marine infantry in Iraq rode in AAVs and were essentially mechanized infantry. The Marines often refer to infantry battalions with attached AAVs as being “mech-ed up,” while the version of the AAV that includes the 50-caliber and 40mm weapons is often called “up gun” because earlier versions of the vehicle had only a machinegun. (2)

High praise for heavy forces appears throughout the written reports and interviews on Iraqi Freedom. The 3d Infantry Division After Action Report states:

This war was won in large measure because the enemy could not achieve decisive effects against our armored fighting vehicles. While many contributing factors helped shape the battlespace (air interdiction, close air support, artillery), ultimately war demands closure with the enemy force within the minimum safe distance of artillery. Our armored systems enabled us to close with and destroy the heavily armed and fanatically determined enemy force often within urban terrain with impunity. No other ground combat system currently in our arsenal could have delivered similar mission success without accepting enormous casualties, particularly in urban terrain…. Decisive combat power is essential, and only heavily armored forces provide this capability. (3)

Tanks

The authors interviewed personnel from the U.S. Army, U.S. Marine Corps, and British army about main battle tanks in Iraq. Without exception or qualification, they praised the performance of tanks, describing them as vital to the quick victory.

The United Kingdom Minister of Defence, Procurement, stated, “Operation Telic [the British designation for Iraqi Freedom] underscored the value of heavy armor in a balanced force.” He also stated that Iraqi Freedom confirmed “protection is still vital” and reemphasized “the effect of heavy armor in shattering the enemy’s will to fight.” (4)

Tanks were further esteemed during Iraqi Freedom for several reasons.

* Tanks were highly resistant to fire. The most common Iraqi antiarmor weapon was the rocket-propelled grenade (RPG), especially the Soviet designed RPG-7. This weapon has both high explosive and shaped charge warheads. The antiarmor shaped charge can penetrate up to 300 millimeters (nearly 12 inches) of solid, rolled homogenous armor plate under optimal conditions, but still failed to penetrate the advanced armor of the Abrams and Challenger 2 in most locations. British army sources stated that one of their Challengers operating near Basra absorbed 15 hits by RPGs with no penetration. The only British Challenger knocked out during the war was accidentally hit by another British tank. (5) A tank battalion commander in the 3d Infantry Division stated that one of his Abrams took 45 hits from various weapons, including heavy machineguns, anti-aircraft guns, mortar rounds, and rocket-propelled grenades, with no penetration. (6) A few Abrams were penetrated by cannons and RPGs, usually in the rear flank or rear of the vehicle. In a few instances, enemy fire broke open the fuel cells of the external auxiliary power unit, allowing fuel to seep into the engine, causing a fire. (7) No Army or Marine crewman died in an Abrams tank due to enemy fire penetrating the vehicle during major combat operations.

Beyond the baroque Handel and the English Chapel Royal Donald Burrows Oxford Studies in British Church Music Oxford University Press (Oxford, 2005); xxiv, 651pp; £85. ISBN O 19 816228 6.

The Italian solo concerto, 1700-1760: rhetorical strategies and style history Simon McVeigh & Jehoash Hirshberg The Boydell Press (Woodbridge, 2004); viii, 372pp; £55, $99. ISBN I 84383 092 2.
THESE TWO BOOKS covering important repertories of the 18th century stand for two very different ways of writing about music, the first a readable narrative history of one particular man in one particular and fascinating connection, the other a dense account with dozens of tables and examples concerning the shape and form of 800 movements by some 30 composers. The differences are clear in any two statements taken at random. From the first: One reason for the irregular manner of Handel’s appointment may have been the provision in the Act of Settlement […] “that no person born out of the kingdome […] shall enjoy any office of trust”.’ From the second, ‘A relatively large group of forty movements (22%) not only avoids the dominant as the first target key, but eschews the dominant as a stable key area altogether.’ Both have their uses.Handel and the English Chapel Royal is a large book covering in great detail a subject full of intriguing topics - royalty in often fraught times, court practices, dodgy dynasties, Household institutions, personnel, finances, protocol, national events, musical customs, and of course one of the most dazzling (and in many ways, puzzling) composers of the period. It is therefore bound to be of lasting value coming from so thorough and reliable an author as Burrows. This is a major contribution to the study of English church music in the broadest sense, even if neither the term ‘English’ nor ‘church’ has quite its regular implication. The many facts, associations, connections, names, events, musical details, all spilling out in their dozens on every page, do indeed make a fascinating story. Quite what is left to be said on the subject I don’t know: future scholars will not be able to do much more than (maybe) correct a detail here or re-interpret a summary there. Burrows Chapel Royal will surely remain the canonical text.

Handel’s 20 or so works include the different versions taken by some of them, plus the various forms of Handelian self-borrowings (to use the old term). The Coronation anthems for Westminster Abbey and celebration music for St Paul’s are included, thus marking ‘Chapel Royal’ as an institution rather than merely a building, and there also is consideration of Handel’s anthems and canticle for Cannons. The peculiar nature of the StuartHanoverian cappella and its arrangements with musicians is clearly drawn, not only offering some interesting comparisons (only partly explored) to current practice in Protestant Germany but conveying a sense of irony that we got one branch of James I’s progeny while Prussia got another. (Ironic because of how much more hand-to-mouth the arts became and have remained in the former than in the latter.) Burrows’s summary of the political and royal history behind this corpus of music is not the least interesting part of the book, and many a nonspecialist would find the coverage as absorbing as will music historians.

An Introduction includes remarks on Handel in his German and Italian contexts, if only in a preliminary way, and more useful are the following chapters, first on the Chapel Royal before the composer’s return to London in 1712 and then on the influence of the verse anthem (as it had become under Croft’s hands) such as can be discerned in his earliest work for the Chapel. Burrows’s technique is to trace the known background to a work, then go through it in an informal analytical way, pointing out important characteristics, summarising the ‘circumstances of performance’ and describing the source (composer’s MS). So for the Utrecht Te deum and Jubilate (1713) we learn what the celebrations were about, who attended and where, how the music relates to Purcell’s and Croft’s Te deums, what its shape is, what use was made of it later, how things would have been managed for the performance in St Paul’s, and how the Ode for Queen Anne fits in. Such a procedure is then followed piece by piece, with a substantial ‘Interlude’ for the music written for Cannons (Duke of Chandos). The detail is thorough and fully documented, as only longsustained, alert and conscientiously pursued scholarly studies can make it.