"A serious misunderstanding"

Diplomatic initiative

The United Kingdom’s involvement in what is now becoming a civil war took an embarrassing turn this week. A “Diplomatic initiative” to make contact with the Libyan opposition went spectacularly wrong when the diplomatic team was ambushed and detained. To make matters worse for the British government, the team was being escorted by a squadron of SAS Special Forces troops. The soldiers were also detained, allegedly by a group of farmhands.

The SAS soldiers and diplomats, who were carrying weapons, explosives and fake passports were first suspected as spies. It was later revealed that the diplomat was actually a high ranking member of the Secret Intelligence Service, known as MI6.

William Hague - (Free image, Wiki commons)

Foreign secretary William Hague took to the floor of the House of Commons for questions and accepted full responsibility for the teams’ deployment to Libya. He also announced that all eight members had been released and repatriated by the warship HMS Cumberland.

Hague has now been at the head of two blunders involving Libya and faced calls of “Resign!” from the back benches of the house. The first was earlier in the crisis when he announced and confirmed Colonel Gaddafi has fled Libya. This second incident has left the UK government red faced, the SAS are held in esteem as the country’s finest soldiers and amongst the best in the world.

Military options

While the British government cringes in embarrassment, President Obama is exploring all options. Speaking in Brussels at a NATO meeting the President was quoted as saying,

“We are consulting around a wide range of potential options, including potential military options, in response to the violence that continues to take place inside of Libya.”

Earlier this week the nuclear powered aircraft carrier USS Enterprise transited the Suez Canal to take station close to Libya. Along with her battle group, Enterprise and land based aircraft from France, the UK and Italy is quite capable of establishing air superiority over Libya, a vital prelude to a no fly zone.

USS Enterprise (Free image wiki commons)

Libya possesses a moderate air defence network, most of their equipment is obsolete 1970’s Soviet technology, but these weapons and their support systems, such as radar and command and communications installations would have to neutralise before fighters could patrol.

An attack on these targets could prove politically costly. Colonel Gaddafi would probably move all of his mobile equipment into population centres, thus risking collateral damage and civilian casualties. It could also have the effect of rallying the people against the common “Western enemy."

Exit Strategy?

Whilst military options are being planned there is a chance they will never have to be implemented. On March 8 reports began to emerge in the press that Colonel Gaddafi would be willing to stand down.

Rebel forces fight on

The stipulations for him to make the move would be that he and his family are made immune from prosecution and safe passage out of the country. It is understood that this idea has been rejected by the Libyan opposition.

With Gaddafi seemingly in the corner, the military action has continued with forces loyal to him striking back at the rebels. With fighting now in its third week, the UN reports more than 1,000 people have died and 200,000 have fled the country.

Japan Earthquake coverage

The burning tide (Image published courtesy of STR/AFP/Getty Images)

Japan has been hit by a massive earthquake registering 9.1 on the Richter scale. The earthquake produced a ten metre high Tsunami wave which swept inland causing devastation on a massive scale. Five of Japan’s nuclear facilities have declared an emergency.

The earthquake struck 80 miles off the coast of Sendai, a major city on the Japanese island of Honshu.

Japan is regarded as the best country in the world for earthquake preparation. From a young age children practice regular drills, and there are strict building codes enforced that mean most modern buildings are 'Quake proof.'

TSUNAMI

No amount of preparation can prepare a country for a Tsunami wave. The wave, which registered over ten metres high, crashed inland devastating everything in its path. As the sea water moved further in land engulfing agricultural areas it turned to a type of thick sludge.

The Tsunami was caused when the Pacific tectonic plate pushed underneath the Okhotsk plate, a geological process known as subduction. The impact was so powerful that it caused the ocean floor to bounce, thus creating a Tsunami.

Much of Northern Honshiu’s infrastructure has been severely damaged. Four of Japan’s iconic bullet trains remain unaccounted for, many highways, power lines and communication hubs have all been destroyed or critically damaged. Most disturbingly, 9’500 residents of Minamisanriku, a coastal town are unaccounted for.

Earthquake damage near Tokyo (Free Image Wiki commons)

NUCLEAR INCIDENTS

Five nuclear plants along the coast were shut down as a precaution following earthquake warnings. The usual procedure for emergency shutdown is that a reactor uses external power generation to achieve cooling and power control systems. The diesel generators at Fukushima Dai-ichi, one of the effected power plants were affected by the tsunami failed.

Pressure inside the Fukushima I reactor was reported to be 2.1 times the design limit by midnight (JST) on March 12. Because of this, workers at the plant decided to vent steam from the reactor, which caused a swift and minor radioactive release.

Unfortunately by half past three that day pressure had built up again, causing a major steam explosion which vented more radioactive material, and destroyed much of the reactor housing. The Japanese government reports that the actual reactor core is still intact.

Two hundred thousand residents have now been evacuated and there is a 20Km total exclusion zone in operation around Fukushima.

RELIEF EFFORT

Japan’s government has put out a general request for humanitarian aid and relief. Forty five countries have offered rescue teams and equipment. The United Kingdom’s contribution at the time of writing includes 70 specially trained rescue workers, two rescue dogs, a medical support team and over ten tonnes of equipment.

The British Red Cross, in collaboration with the Japanese Red Cross, International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement have started an emergency appeal for the Japanese Tsunami. The website for donations can be found below.

http://www.redcross.org.uk/japantsunami/?approachcode=68816_googleAD_japantsunami&gclid=CLj50ZK8y6cCFchO4QodEHJYDw

(Please note this page will continue to be updated)

UPDATE: 07:21, 14/03/11

Another explosion has been reported at the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant. Japanese state TV have broadcast images of smoke rising from the number 3 reactor. Japanese officials have reported the explosion was caused by a build up of hydrogen gas.

Operations continue to cool down the nuclear reactors on site with seawater.

UPDATE: 18:55, 14/03/11

Relief operations continue into the fifth day as dawn breaks in Japan. Technicians at the Fukushima nuclear plant are still battling to bring reactors under control. Further aftershocks continue to be felt sparking Tsunami warnings in the North East of Japan.

UPDATE 22:41, 15/03/11

The situation at the stricken Fukushima Dai-ichi plant has continued to deteriorate in the last 24 hours with further explosions and a fire. The total exclusion zone in the vicinity has been expanded to 30km.

Final Tribute – Changing the guard at St Austell brewery

St Austell Brewery. (Photo by M. Muldowney)

There are not many places you can find equipment 100 years old and still being used on a daily basis, but there are a few. One of them is the St Austell Brewery.

I had initially contacted the Brewery for a photo project and I was invited down to meet head brewer Roger Ryman.

“You’ve contacted us at an exciting time, the brewery is about to undertake a major project. We’ll be decommissioning a lot of old equipment and replacing it with brand new kit.” Roger explained.

I was lucky enough to be given a tour of the brewery complex where I was shown the ‘Grist case’ – a beautifully designed and constructed piece of equipment made from copper. The function of this piece is that the crushed malt - the grist, is stored in a tank and then mixed with water. It is then poured out into one of the ‘Mash tuns’, both of which are several meters wide and constructed with cast Iron.

The malt is then boiled and mixed to extract the goodness, thus converting starches to fermentable sugars before the liquor (liquid) is drained and sent to the next stage of the brewing process. One of the mash tuns was actually constructed in 1893, and has been in continuous operation ever since. The other one was slightly younger, but close to 100 years old.

It shouldn’t be surprising that this equipment is still functioning despite being designed and constructed in the Victorian era. They made things to last. Because they did not have the modern computer technology that we take for granted it meant that designers and engineers could only make a best guess when planning a project, and thus when it came to design they tended to overestimate to be on the safe side.

I returned to the brewery at half past 5 in the morning a couple of days later to witness the last operation of the 1893 mash tun and grist case. It was quite a sombre moment, brewing is as much an art as it is science, and a lot of emotion clearly goes into the process. After it was fully loaded the process of boiling and separating began and lasted for about two hours before the cycle ended

Roger Ryman keeps a close eye on the malt. (Photo by M. Muldowney)

With the final mash finished and drained the enormous mash tun had to be cleared out. Husk is left over, several tonnes of it, and it must all be removed by hand. The head brewer himself decided he would 'shovel out' alone. There was quite a lot of emotion in the room, retiring a piece of equipment that had seen so much history.

I asked St Austell’s engineering and maintenance manager Clive Nichols his thoughts on the decommissioning. “Obviously these are remarkable pieces of equipment to have lasted so long and they could go on in operation for another ten years, but on the other hand, they could break down tomorrow, we just don’t know. If they went down and we were not prepared we could lose a month or more in down time and as a modern 21^st century business that is just not an option, which is why we have decided to retire the kit and replace it now.”

Equipment in operation since the Victorian era. (Photo by M. Muldowney)

The new equipment is purpose built to the brewery’s specifications, looks remarkably similar to the old kit (at request of the brewery), and it was constructed in the UK, in Burton on Trent.

While the technology advances, the process remains the same and the natural instincts of the people who do the brewing will still be the most important asset to the company.

As the shut down on the decommissioned equipment is completed, head brewer Roger Ryman makes a request to his team. “Make sure you give it a good polish before it’s taken out. It’s important we treat this old kit with respect.”

I’d like to say a note of thanks to Mr Roger Ryman and everyone at the St Austell brewery for allowing access to their brewery for coverage of this piece. For more information please visit http://www.staustellbrewery.co.uk/

The Urban Infiltrators

Urban exploration is not a new concept. The first Infiltrations were performed by MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) students in the 1950’s who performed tunnelling explorations into the catacombs running underneath their campus.

Today Urban Exploration, often abbreviated to 'Urbex' and 'UE' has made the transition from cult hobby to mainstream movement thanks to a drop in the price of digital camera technology and blogging.

The website www.28dayslater.co.uk, named after Danny Boyles’ 2002 post-apocalyptic movie is a main hub for UK urban exploration, and boasts over 7000 active users posting reviews and pictures as well as conversation and networking. Arguably this takes the movement away from its guerrilla roots.

People call modern society a ‘Nanny state' because there are less opportunities to do something truly dangerous, something that really gives people a rush. Urban Exploration is also a chance for people to regress to childhood once again, something that professional photographer and digital artist Ed Brandon was keen to point out when he spoke to Navigator.

“Urbex is a way to regain the childlike wonder that’s missing from so much of adult life. Being somewhere you’re not supposed to be, creeping around in an immense old building, never knowing what you’re going to find."

Ed's website devotes a lot of its space to Urban Exploration and his facebook page has reached over 2000 subscribers since it went live six months ago.

Published courtesy of Ed Brandon (Click to enlarge)

Ed Broke into Urbex in 2007 after coming across it online. “After seeing shots of Cane Hill Asylum on the web I just had to explore something like that for myself, I couldn’t believe that something so mysterious, so immense was hidden just behind a tree line in suburban Britain.”

Buildings such as the Cane Hill Asylum exist all over the UK, Post industrialism and several economic downturns in the 20^th Century led to buildings being abandoned intact and many remain furnished.

A few months later and 200 miles from Cane Hill, Ed found himself on business in Lincoln and decided to take his interest further and mount his first exploration. Finding an abandoned mansion online was the easy part, the next thing was to actually find the location.

“I asked the driver of a cab I was in if he knew the place, he said he’d never heard of it in the 20 years he had been working in the area. In the end we found the gates and I climbed out, jumped the fence and made my way up the over grown pathway towards the hall passing an old lodge which itself was interesting with its intact stove, peeling floral wallpaper and crumbling staircase. A little further on I found the hall, and while there was not much left of it what remained was captivating overgrown with vines, trees growing up through once grand hallways, fireplaces protruding out over non-existent floors, beautiful and amazing.” From that point on Ed was hooked.

There are of course dangers to Urban Exploration, many of the buildings contain chemicals, dust, vermin, and on top of that, many of these buildings are close to collapse.

There is also the question of legality. Trespass is a somewhat minor offence and prosecutions for it are usually rare but a minority of people have, on occasion decided to cause damage to a building, or take something from a site. This has led to the golden rule of UE: - ‘Take only photographs, leave only footprints’.

Published courtesy of Ed Brandon (Click to enlarge)

Documenting what is left is a task Ed is taking on professionally with two upcoming projects. “The golden age for Urban Exploration is already beginning to come to a close” he says. “But I am looking get my first book published (entitled ‘Behind the High Walls’) as well as a history of the old county Asylums, these asylums will be sorely missed. They’re just immense playgrounds of possibility.”

Ed Brandon is based in Peterborough UK and uses a Nikon D700 camera with a Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8 Sigma 12-24mm f/3.5 lens. For more information please check his website out at www.anotherstateofmind.zenfolio.com and on Facebook by searching for 'Another state of mind Urban Exploration.'

The Libyan Spring

Disturbing reports of violence are emerging from Libya, the latest in a string of Arab states to see a popular rising of the population. Libya has been ruled by Muammar al-Gaddafi, known commonly in the west as Colonel Gaddafi since he led an overthrow of the Libyan monarchy in 1969.

Gadaffi - Fighting back (Free Image)

The Libyan people's rise against Gaddafi’s 42 year rule comes on the back of popular revolutions in Tunisia and Egypt - revolutions which have led to the ending of the regimes in both of those countries.

Much of Libya is reported to now be outside the control of the regime, rioting and protests have been reported in the capital.

The protests began on February 15 with a small demonstration in Libya’s second city of Benghazi. The government cracked down severely on the demonstrators. Two days later the Libyan opposition called for a “Day of rage” across the country.

The Day of rage turned into a day of carnage when the regime deployed helicopter gunships, elite troops, sniper teams and allegedly foreign mercenaries against its own people. The use of live ammunition including rocket attacks caused an estimated 150 deaths, a figure reported to be “conservative” by Benghazi residents interviewed by Al Jazeera.

In the following days protests have escalated spreading across the entire country and into the capital, Tripoli. Despite reporting restrictions by the Libyan regime, which are far more excessive than those during the recent Egyptian revolution, reports state that the violence being displayed by the regime have intensified and those loyalists to Gaddafi are essentially waging a war against their own people.

Libya's day of rage (From Dailymail.co.uk)

While The United Kingdom has been swift to condemn the Libyan regime for its use of violence, there is the matter of weapons and equipment supplied by this country possibly being used by Gadaffi's troops.

After Libya accepted responsibility for the 1988 Lockerbie bombing, an atrocity which claimed the lives of 270 people, former Prime Minister Tony Blair flew to Libya to “reset” relations with the country. In return for a normalisation of diplomatic and trade ties with the West, Gaddafi formally gave up the pursuit of weapons of mass destruction.

Dirty money, Blair and Gaddafi(Image from mypetgoat.co.uk)

The economic packages between the UK and Libya, which gave BP oil exploration rights in the country, also included the sale of water cannon, crowd control equipment, helicopter parts, sniper rifles and military computers. In addition to the millions in military sales at least 150 British companies, including British Airways, HSBC and Marks & Spencer, now do business in Libya.

With his country in uproar and the world united in condemnation, Gaddafi appeared on state television on February 21 to quash the rumours that he had fled the country for Venezuela. With his regime seemingly now doomed Gadaffi was quoted as aiming to “fight to the last bullet” and as a result the Libyan revolution looks set to be far bloodier than anything yet seen.

News article February 9th 2011: English Defence League homecoming ends peacefully

English Defence League - "The homecoming"

The English Defence League made their long awaited return to Luton town this weekend for their biggest rally to date. The Bedfordshire town, 35 miles north of the capital has one of the largest Muslim populations in the UK.

The EDL claimed they were bringing “Tens of thousands” of their supporters to the rally, which they called their “Homecoming”. Counter groups such as Unite against fascism (UAF) and Hope not hate suggested they would also bring “several thousand” supporters.

As the day approached rumours flew across the internet. “Every Antifacist in Europe will be there mark my words” claimed one internet forum. Local residents feared a repeat of the Bradford riots ten years ago, riots which were sparked by a confrontation between the Anti-Nazi league and the BNP.

The local authorities took the possibility seriously enough to contact the Home office and ask Theresa May, the Home Secretary to ban the EDL from Luton, but rather than ban the organisation from the town entirely the EDL were banned from marching through. The democratic right to stage a static protest meant the authorities were now powerless.

An alleged “assassination attempt” on EDL number 2, Kevin Carroll stoked the fires further. Carroll claiming he had been coerced out of his home by a “Asian in his mid 20′s wielding a shotgun” the town went into a state of lockdown with police helicopters flying overhead through the night. Luton was a town gripped by a state of high tension.

The day before the protest EDL leader Stephen Yaxley, who goes by the name “Tommy Robinson” appeared on Sky News brandishing an Osman warning from the police. (An Osman warning is an official warning issued to an individual by the police advising them that they are at serious risk of being killed by someone who appears to have the capability to make good their threat). He claimed that his life was in danger, and that he had been advised to leave Luton for duration.

Dawn broke on what should have been a busy day for Luton’s shopping area with armed police already patrolling the streets. Luton resident James told the Navigator, “I came back through the town centre at 6:30 on my way home from work. There were C019 (armed police) everywhere, a lot of the shops and buildings including the library and the blood bank have been boarded up”

An Esso garage in Luton boarded up before the EDL event

2000 police officers from 14 forces were on hand later that morning to deal with the demonstrators, and the counter demonstrators. UAF members broke off from the main crowd and blocked the main train station in an attempt to stop EDL members from reaching their muster point at Charlie Brown’s night club.

In the end the demonstration perhaps thankfully did not live up to the hype. EDL numbers were nowhere near the estimates that their leadership predicted. The EDL official facebook page claimed 6500 of their members were present, but the police dispute that number putting it closer to 2000. The counter demonstration numbered at less than 1000, most of whom left early.

Perhaps the most important absence of the day was that of the Muslim youth. Who, to their credit did not march in their own counter demonstration, staying away from the town centre.

While Luton will breath a sigh of relief the residents of the town will count the cost of the days events economically. The cost of policing will run to £800’000, and the entire town will have lost a Saturday’s trade. Every bar and pub in the town was also shut, meaning that hard pressed publicans have also lost a days takings.

The EDL and the UAF have left, and Luton has paid the cost for their right to free speech. February 5th was a good day because the feared spark in community relations did not happen, there were sporadic skirmishes with the UAF and the police, but nothing that couldn’t be contained.

The EDL is growing larger with every protest and shows no signs of slowing down. Taking that trend into perspective with a lot of unemployed young men, and a resurgence in Muslim fundamentalism in the middle east that threatens to spread, a government that today decided to take a harder ine on immigration and Islam and what we have is a tinderbox on our streets that could well explode one day if cool heads and common sense do not prevail.

News article February 2nd 2011 - Enter the dragon - China's super fighter

ENTER THE DRAGON – China’s super fighter.

The United States is still regarded as the world’s sole military superpower, but the People’s Republic of China narrowed the gap slightly this month with a test flight of its own home grown stealth fighter.

While there is not a great deal of official information, observations of the test flight conclude that the Chengdu J-20, which has a Chinese name that translates as “Annihilator” is a single seat, twin engine fighter. It is larger than its opposite number, the American F-22 Raptor, and as a consequence it is believed it will have a heavier fuel and armaments load out.

The arrival of the J-20 onto the world stage might have come as a surprise the United States. It was recently suggested by the US Defence department that it would be at least the 2020’s before China was able to field a true ‘fifth generation’ fighter.

If the J-20 fits the billing as fifth generation it must have certain characteristics. It must include stealth technology that allows it to evade enemy defence systems and penetrate hostile airspace during a combat mission. Integrated networking with command and control systems, the ability to ‘supercruise’ - allow supersonic flight without engaging afterburners, and thrust vectoring engines – engines that have moving nozzles to enhance turning and pitch ability.

The pictures of the J-20 do not show thrust vectoring engines but it should be noted the airframe pictured is a prototype and not a production model.

Ironically as its intended adversary is probably American some of the J-20’s technology might in fact derive from an American aircraft.

During the NATO bombing campaign of Serbia in 1998, Serbian forces were able to shoot down a F-117 Nighthawk. The wreckage was seized and presented to Russian technicians to inspect; it is thought that the Russians shared their data with China at a later date.

(The wreckage of the F-117 shot down in Serbia in March 1999 displayed the Museum of Aviation in Belgrade.)

While it is possible, it should be noted that the Nighthawk was designed in the 1970’s and was not considered advanced technology at the time of the shoot down, but the acquisition of the data from an early American stealth fighter could have helped in the initial stages of the Chinese stealth programme.

While the J-20 is not combat operational, nor is it even in production but its arrival marks a true step up not only in Chinese capability, but intent.

The Chinese military has also recently tested the ‘Dong-Feng 21’ missile, a weapon system that was designed with the sole purpose of striking at the heart of heavily escorted aircraft carrier battle groups.

There is no doubt that the People’s Republic is a rising power but with its military capability at least a generation behind the western world it is hard to see how they will catch up. But China does have some advantages. They have a massive industrial base, and they are able to mass produce at a far higher and cheaper rate than the west.

News article January 26th 2011 - Flashpoint Luton

On February 5th the English Defence League have announced they will stage their largest ever protest in Luton, which has a Muslim community in the tens of thousands. Counter organisations have also announced they will be there.

English Defence League in Luton, May 2009.

Serious civil disorder between both parties is a real possibility, and as a consequence Bedfordshire police have issued a blanket ban on alcohol sales in Luton from 12pm on the day of the protest.

Both left and right wing organisations have decided to use Luton as their battle ground, and while democratic protest is a right we all share, common sense should have prevailed in this case from the home office who have decided to allow a full march.

Of course there are problems in Luton, but these are issues for the local community to address and resolve. When the football 'causals' and the anti-fascists have all returned home it will be the people of Luton who are left to pick up the pieces, mend fences and clean up what is left of their already broken town.

The town of Luton is mostly known for three things. It’s former hosting of the Vauxhall factory, its hat industry, and its airport.

Today in the early 21st century two of its former important industries have declined and disappeared from the towns economic profile, it’s football team Luton Town FC, the ‘Hatters’ have shared much the same fate as their namesake industry dropping from the top flight to the non-league system in just 20 short years.

Its airport remains the only truly growth area of this once important town.

But something sinister has now given Luton national and international media recognition. In 2005 the 7/7 bombers set chose Luton as their staging point for a one way mission to attack London’s transport network causing 55 deaths.

The 7/7 bombers embark on their mission from Luton station

This was not the first time the words ‘Luton’ and ‘Islamic Terrorism’ were joined in the same article, nor was it the last. A small minority of the town’s very large Muslim population had been preaching extremist doctrines for some time, but were usually kept under control by the wider moderate community.

A major point of contention came 18 months ago when the Anglian regiment of the British Army, known as the 'poachers' exercised their freedom of the town and parade their colours; during the parade a small group of extremists mounted a protest with an anti-war theme calling the soldiers “Baby killers” and “Butchers of Basra”.

In response to the protest, a peaceful counter protest organisation was set up called the “United people of Luton” which decided to mount a march in the town centre on St George’s day.

The UPL organisation marched, and there were disturbances including attacks on an Indian man who was simply walking the street unaware of any protest, and a takeaway shop was also attacked. The march was widely condemned by all sections of the Luton community.

The Luton march was the genesis of something more dangerous than a counter protest. Gangs of seasoned and veteran football hooligans, known as firms seized on the opportunity to come together and form a united front, which became known as the EDL.

The English Defence League are led by a former Cardiff city firm leader who was convicted of stabbing a Manchester United supporter, and a Luton town youth crew leader called Steven Yaxley, who goes by the pseudo name ‘Tommy Robinson’, the EDL have marched in towns and cities across the UK for over a year.

Most of these marches end up in confrontation with local Muslim communities and ‘anti-fascist’ organisations such as the government backed UAF, the Socialist alliance and the more militant 'ANTIFA' movement.

Because of these so called ‘peaceful’ protests in the past, entire city centres have had to be shut down, and the economic cost to local business and the tax payer is enormous.