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ON December 5 George Osborne unveiled the government's latest plans for spending and taxes. Of course, there's been endless analyses of his speech's content, but how will affect your pocket?
I'm going to focus on the key areas that are most likely to directly impact you – namely pensions, savings and general taxation.
When it comes to your pension, there's good news and bad news. First, the good news. If you have retired and have taken an income in the form of drawdown from your pension, you've probably been affected by the reduction in GAD rates, which went down from a maximum of 120 per cent to 100 per cent. This has been disastrous for most people who are in full income drawdown. What this now means is that anyone who receives their pension income (in this way) could well be in for an increase in the amount that can be drawn down.
I recommend that you take the time to contact your financial adviser and ask for an update on your future options. This type of retirement planning requires regular review meetings, so you should ensure that this is on the agenda for your next meeting with your adviser.
And now for the bad news: you need to check that you are not going to be affected by the alteration of the LTA (Lifetime Allowance). From the 2014-2015 tax year, this level drops from £1.5m to £1.25m. This seems like a vast amount to have in your pension, but it is likely to hit a lot more people than it seems on face value. This is because many people who are in final salary pension schemes might also be affected. If you consider that your retirement income from this type of pension may be above, say £50,000, you should take steps now to ensure that you are aware of the tax consequences that may result in this change. This is something that can be affected by early planning. It will affect more and more people as the affect will bite over time. Indeed, those with money purchase pension pots approaching, say £750,000, should also take advice now to see if this will affect them. And also to see what steps can be taken to legally mitigate a future tax problem.
Furthermore, if you're planning on making large pension contributions you should get them made now, before you lose the opportunity. Once again, the Chancellor considers that the reduction to the maximum of £40,000 per annum from the 2014/2015 tax year will not affect many people, apparently the average annual pension contribution (according to the Chancellor's speech) is just under£6,000.
Let's move on to ISAs. There's some good news here in that the overall level is going up to £11,520 from next April. In addition (depending upon consultation), it could be that your ISA will also be able to invest in much smaller companies than is currently allowed. George Osborne's Autumn Statement also contained some good news for retired people, in that the state pension will continue to rise. This is helpful as retired folk have faced a nasty headwind of falling returns on their cash savings and increases to necessary spending such as fuel bills and petrol costs. On this final note there is more good news as the planned increase in fuel duty for January will not now go ahead. In addition, the nil rate band at which tax becomes payable will reach £9,440 next April. The coalition aim is to get this to the magic £10,000 by the end of their term in government. A key planning opportunity is that if you have savings in your own name and are paying tax, whilst your spouse does not pay tax, these savings should be shifted to the non tax paying spouse to ensure that you maximise the returns. This seems on the face of it a simple tip, but you'd be surprised by how many people do not do this. If you fall in to this category, make the change now, if not you are literally throwing your money away in unnecessary tax.
Those receiving child benefit will continue to feel a squeeze, some people will effectively lose this by an extra tax that bites soon, and for those who continue to receive it, it will not keep pace with inflation, rising only by one percent (from April 2014), from its currently frozen level.
Similarly, higher rate tax payers continue to suffer, as the effective rate for higher rate tax will not keep pace with inflation. This will mean that those currently on the margin of this tax will gradually see more of their income leak into the higher rate. So, the key message here is ensure that you plan to make use of all of your available allowances to keep your income below this level.
Most people can achieve this by making a sacrifice of their bonus or some of their salaries and asking their employer to make the payment for them in to their pension. By doing this, most people will benefit not only from the tax relief but also from the extra savings that their employer might add in to their pension too. Again, if you have this option available to you, you really should ensure that you use it.
And finally, inheritance tax. This has been pretty much left alone, except the nil rate band will increase slightly rising to £329,000 in 2015/2016 (it is currently at £325,000).
- Mitch Hopkinson is a managing partner of deVere United Kingdom, part of the deVere Group, the world's largest independent financial advisory firm.


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General Dynamics is so impressed with the way Fred Harris has revived the NASSCO shipyard in San Diego that it has expanded his duties, making him president of the historic shipyard Bath Iron Works in Maine as well.
The decision is meant to make Harris, 68, responsible for the two yards where General Dynamics builds surface ships for the Navy. Bath is the larger of the two, employing 5,500 people, most of whom build Arleigh Burke-class destroyers. It also is completing the first Zumwalt-class ship, the largest destroy in the Navy's history.
In recent years, NASSCO has primarily built large cargo ships for the Navy. But it also is constructing the Navy's first three Mobile Landing Platform ships; the vessels will be used as at-sea staging areas for the Navy and Marine Corps.
NASSO also repairs Navy ships, and it builds commercial tankers and container ships.
Harris became president of NASSCO in 2006, when the shipyard was in financial trouble. He quickly turned things around, successfully managing the construction of 14 dry-cargo ships for the Navy while also building commercial tankers.
Then the cargo-ship line came to an end and commercial work nosedived during the Great Recession. NASSCO's workforce fell from about 3,800 to 3,000 employees.
Things are now on an upswing. In less than a year, Harris has negotiated three contracts to build at least eight tankers and container ships. Those contracts are expected to generate 1,200 to 1,300 new jobs.
In addition, NASSCO was recently given seed money to develop ideas for a new Navy oiler ship. The company will compete for the right to build up to 17 oilers at a cost likely to exceed $7.5 billion.
In Maine, Bath Iron Works recently won a contract to build four Burke destroyers, with an option for a fifth. It's also building three Zumwalt destroyers.
John P. Casey, executive vice president of Marine Systems for General Dynamics, said in a statement: "Fred Harris, as president of NASSCO over the past seven years, has led his team in identifying and implementing creative ways to cost-effectively deliver state-of-the-art surface vessels."
Harris also drew praise from Rear Adm. Thomas Rowden, Director of Surface Warfare, OPNAV N96: "We have appreciated Fred's leadership and commitment to working closely with the Navy. As we continue to build the future fleet, a strong relationship with our industry partners will remain vital."

subset: commoncrawl


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Detailed Information The City Bank is where players can safely store money and gain interest on their funds.
Interest gains
Currently you can invest for different time periods netting different gains, when you invest for a certain period you can NOT remove funds until that time has expired, but can chose to leave your money sitting there safely until you are ready to remove it.
These time periods currently include:
- 1 week
- 2 weeks
- 1 month
- 2 months
- 3 months
The interest rate for each is listed when banking your money, these rates fluctuate over time but are also shown beforehand when investing.
Banking Merits
- The bank gives the possibility of gaining 2 merits via Honors, these include:
- Pocket Money: Invest any amount in the Bank
- Green Green Grass: Invest $1,005,000,000 in the Bank
- You may also spend merits on Bank Interest, which increases bank interest by a small amount.
Banking limit
There is a limit to how much you can invest in the bank at any given time, the current limit is set to $2,000,000,000 (2 billion)
You used to be able to invest any amount in the bank, this led to people exploiting the system by pooling their money and investing it as a whole for insane returns. This was removed from the game and the 2 billion banking limit was put into place for obvious reasons.


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Home » Keepers Clubs » Achievement Awards Order Form » 1 Peter, Bible Reading, Silver Disk
1 Peter, Bible Reading, Silver Disk
Code: 005691DS
Price: $2.75
This is a one-inch diameter, gold-plated metal disk with a full color design. It can be attached to a lanyard, bracelet, or necklace.
CHOKING HAZARD -- Small parts.
Not for children under 3 yrs.
Your Comments!
So much of my homeschooling curriculum is from here! Thank you, Keepers of the Faith, for all the work you put into finding all these gems!!


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From the Founders
Many parents are convinced of the validity of dietary intervention for autistic individuals, but do not have the resources to try it themselves, especially those with picky eaters and skeptical spouses.
ANDI was established by parent researchers, Lisa Lewis and Karyn Seroussi, to help families around the world get started on, and maintain an appropriate diet. The ANDI mission is simple:


text: +-------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | TPWD News Releases Dated 2009-11-04 | +-------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | This page contains only plain text, no HTML formatting codes. | | It is not designed for display in a browser but for copying | | and editing in whatever software you use to lay out pages. | | To copy the text into an editing program: | | --Display this page in your browser. | | --Select all. | | --Copy. | | --Paste in a document in your editing program. | | If you have any suggestions for improving these pages, send | | an e-mail to email@example.com and mention Plain Text Pages. | +-------------------------------------------------------------------------+ [ Note: This item is more than seven years old. Please take the publication date into consideration for any date references. ] [ Media Contact: TPWD News, email@example.com, 512-389-8030 ] [SL] Nov. 4, 2009 TPWD Begins Annual Hunting and Fishing Regulatory Process AUSTIN, Texas -- Texas Parks and Wildlife Department staff briefed the Regulations Committee of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission Nov. 4 on possible changes designed to increase recreational opportunity and further enhance the state's fish and wildlife resources. Unlike last year's regulatory cycle, where wildlife officials made sweeping changes to white-tailed deer seasons and bag limits, the current slate of potential changes is fairly slim. Additional proposals could arise in the next couple of months and a complete suite of staff recommendations will be presented during the Jan. 27, 2010 Commission Regulations Committee meeting. According to TPWD big game program director Clayton Wolf, following last year's extensive changes hunters shouldn't anticipate substantive alterations to deer season for at least a couple of years. The Wildlife Division is considering a recommendation to implement an open general season for mule deer in Dawson and Wheeler counties. Under current rule, there is no open season for mule deer in Dawson or Wheeler counties. Implementing a nine-day, buck-only season in Dawson County and a 16-day, buck-only season in Wheeler County would offer increased hunter opportunity without adversely impacting mule deer reproduction or distribution. The literature suggests that the implementation of a buck-only season will not have any measurable impact on herd productivity or expansion; however, a measurable change in the age structure of bucks is anticipated as a result of harvest pressure on a previously unhunted population. On the fishing side, last year saw landmark changes in regulations for harvesting alligator gar and flounder. The Inland and Coastal Fisheries Divisions in collaboration with Law Enforcement are considering changes to regulations on reporting requirements for commercial fishing and on the clarification of language on possession of harvested fish. The department is also exploring removing regulations governing commercial fishing that are currently interspersed within regulations regarding recreational fishing. The commercial fishing regulations would be placed within a separate document. The Coastal Fisheries Division will also be obtaining public input regarding a potential regulation change to lower the minimum size limit for snook. The annual regulatory review process begins each year after resource assessments are made by biologists. In addition, the divisions work with law enforcement to ensure enforceability for the game laws each year, as well as considering independent recommendations received from various stakeholder groups throughout the year. During this scoping portion of the process, TPWD gathers public input and weighs the biological implications of each issue before presenting the commission with a set of proposed regulation changes on Jan. 27, 2010. Additional discourse is sought during special public meetings in the spring, and the commission at its April 1, 2010 meeting determines the final regulation changes. -30-


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Last set of moves brings roster to 25
WASHINGTON -- The Tigers made a few moves on Saturday before their exhibition game against the Nationals was cancelled by inclement weather.
Detroit purchased the contract of outfielder Tyler Collins from Double-A Erie, and placed outfielder Andy Dirks (back) on the 15-day disabled list.
Shortstop Jose Iglesias (shin) and pitcher Bruce Rondon (elbow) were put on the 60-day DL, thus finalizing the 25-man roster before Monday's season opener with Kansas City.
This season is going to be different from the American League Central-winning campaign of 2013. Brad Ausmus took over as manager in the offseason, and the Tigers made a bunch of moves.
"I think when you look around the locker room, you see the same core group of guys, and you also see some fresh new faces," said outfielder Austin Jackson. "The lineup got a little more athletic, [and] we added some speed. Just adding some key parts to the team, in general, I think gets guys motivated and wanting to get the season started."
Jeff Seidel is a contributor to MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.


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The Amazing Race - Let's Join
Dear my eLithuanian Friends,
This article is based on this newspaper.
I'm going to tell you, and also inviting you, to join the most creative games called Amazing Race 2 - Goes International. It's a game about finding the correct channel on IRC, to gather more clue, so that you can find the last channel. If you ever watch Amazing Race on RL, maybe you'll ask "Will it be like that too? Finding some place to get some prizes?"And i'll answer it with YES.
Well maybe i have to explain the whole game. Let me give you the first thing that you have to do if you want to register as the participants of this game :
1. Make sure that you have eRepublik account;
2. Have IRC nick which has been registered and identified;
3. Fill this form. The registration will be open until day 1836;
4. Will obey all the rules that Amazing Race Crew made;
5. You are not one of MoFA of eIndonesia Team (MoFA, vMoFA, or Ambassadors);
6. You representative yourself as the participants, no multies allowed;
7. No matter what citizenship you have, you still can be the participants.
If you have fulfill all the requirements, so you can be the participant of Amazing Race 2 - Goes International. Well after all the requirements, i'll explain about how to play Amazing Race 2 - Goes International.
1. There will be 15 channels (Level 1 - Level 15) that you have passed to be the winner;
2. Each Level will have one clue. You have to find the correct answer, so that you can go to another Level;
3. To get the clue, you have to PM (Private Message) the committee. They will have "AR" on their nick. Example : LarasDea|AR. And if you want to get the clue, you have to say this words :
"Hello. I'm (your name) from (your citizenship) had passed Level (your previous level) at channel #(mention the channel) and wanted to get next clue for Level (your next level)"
For example : "Hello. I'm LarasDea from Indonesia had passed Level 3 at channel #three and wanted to get next clue for Level 4"
4. After PM the Channel Guard and get the clue, you can find the answer through anything, like googling;
5. When you finally get the answer, you can go to next level, by entering the channel.
For example :
Question : How many fingers that we have on our right hand?
Answer : Five
Next level will be on : #five
If your answer is more than one word, so the second word is the password of the channel. For example :
Question : Who was the first person who came to the moon?
Answer : Neil Armstrong
Next level will be on : #neil
Password : armstrong
You got the whole point of the game? That's easy right?
The rules are :
1. No cheating;
2. No multies allowed;
3. If you come late, it's your own risk. There will be no extra time;
4. If you disobey point number 1 and 2, you will disqualified from game;
When will the game held?
eRep day : 1837
Time : 4.30 - 7.30 AM eRep Time
Place : IRC Server Rizon
And what about the prizes?
First Champion : 10.000 CC
Second Champion : 7.500 CC
Third Champion : 4.500 CC
Participants : 200 CC each
Further information about this game, please contact:
LarasDea, Crow Ford, rhiannon28
Om, baca di koran si bib brengsek, om dipaksa pensi jadinya? Ane daftar deh jadi penerima eWarisan kalo itu terjadi, hehe...
eAnaknya Dendi Umuzaki, hihi..
Makasih Om udah dibikinin artikel duluan. Ane barusan bikin lagi yang resmi dari MoFA (baru sempat bikin sekarang).
Thank you.. Thank you... 🙂
@Kotak Amal: urusin aja deh kalo mw...
@Pengemis Utara: semoga sukses acara-nya
Was ist das?Dieser Artikel wurde von einem Bürger von eRepublik, einem interaktiven Mehrspieler-Strategiespiel auf Basis real existierender Länder, geschrieben. Erstelle einen eigenen Charakter und verhilf deinem Land als Kriegsheld, anerkannter Zeitungsherausgeber oder einflussreicher Finanzmann zu Glanz und Gloria.


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Keep chamomile and carry on.
Rose petals swept away by a whiff of peppermint wind graze lemongrass lawns and lemon balm buttresses. Landing gently on a carpet of chamomile, they weightlessly wait to be steeped into your cup of serenity.
Herbal Tea
Herbal teas are not actually true teas as they contain none of the Camellia sinensis leaf. Instead, herbal teas often include leaves, flowers, roots, peels, berries and spices.
Did You Know?
Chamomile is one of the classic herbal infusions. The Tazo® version is particularly rich in flavour and colour. The list of ingredients provides insight into the complexity of flavour. Taste and see how many different flavours you can identify.
For Best Brewing
- Bring fresh, filtered water to a boil at 212F (100c).
- Pour 8 fl oz (236 ml) of water over the filterbag in your cup.
- Let it steep for 5 minutes. Wait patiently for perfection.
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Moderator: Mahavihara moderator
pererin wrote:I was unable to download the lessons in http://www.bodhimonastery.net/courses/P ... _Pali.html - do I need to get a special font in order to do so?
Chris wrote:Hello TheDhamma,
The Rosetta Stone is an Ancient Egyptian artifact which was instrumental in advancing modern understanding of hieroglyphic writing. The stone is a Ptolemaic era stele with carved text made up of three translations of a single passage: two in Egyptian language scripts (hieroglyphic and Demotic) and one in classical Greek. It was created in 196 BC.
pink_trike wrote:Hi Chris, I think TheDhamma is referring to is http://www.rosettastone.com/
Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 12 guests


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NetWellness is a global, community service providing quality, unbiased health information from our partner university faculty. NetWellness is commercial-free and does not accept advertising.
Sunday, September 24, 2017
MRI Brain - Further Query
I am thankful and highly obliged for prompet answer as well proper education about my problem which was like this :I am 47 years and had sever postural vertigo and was given Dimenhydrinate 16 mg thrice a day. MRI Brai done and it revealed RIGHT HIGH PARIETAL LACUNAR INFARCTION WITH MILD CEREBRAL ATROPHY. My doctor increased the dose of aspirin from Aspirin 75 to Aspirin 162.5 mg Whether this is serious. Now I am fully cured but what the MRI finding convey. Sir, you were right in pointing out that postural vertigo had nothing to do with the lacunar infarction since stroke lasts for more than 24 hours whereas I was relieved of symptoms very quickly. Your goodself had mentioned about the Aspirin-162.5. But sir, while I take this dose I have several side effcefts of aspirin like burning irritation on the anal skin etc.It sounds my tolerance to the dose of aspirin-162.5 is poor. Erstwhile I was taking Aspirin 75 as prophylaxis since I am hypertensive aged 47 years. Would you kindly sir, suggest alternative to aspirin to eliminate its side effects so that I will discuss with my internist. When I telked to him about your previous answer, he was thinking about clopidogril-75 alone or with aspirin-75. I am not sure about this.If you can assist me, I shall discuss with my internist. Further, do you think that lacunar infarct can cause problem in future since I am hypertensive and on medicines?
The important thing is that you carefully work with your internist to keep your blood pressure under good control, since it is the single biggest risk factor for stroke. If your blood pressure is well treated and you are taking a medicine like aspirin or plavix to prevent stroke, then this is all you can do. You could also speak with your internist about other risk factors and how you can lessen your risk for heart attacks and strokes.
Regarding aspirin, make sure that you are taking an enteric coated form. This has a special lining that prevents irritation of the stomach lining and might ease some of your side effects. The common doses used by stroke neurologists are 81 mg vs. 325 mg, and both seem to work exactly the same (in terms of stroke prevention). The 325 generally does not have more side effects and is half the price, so this is what I recommend. If you can't tolerate the aspirin, then plavix is an excellent choice, but be sure to speak with your doctor about the rare (but important) complications with platelet counts.
I hope this helps.
Brett Kissela, MD
Assistant Professor of Neurology
Director, Neurology Residency Program
College of Medicine
University of Cincinnati


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Battle of Arras 10
The Film
Pour la vitesse
Chaque film de ce site est disponible pour visionnage en basse vitesse et en haute vitesse.
- Basse vitesse : recommandée si votre accès Internet se fait avec un modem de 56 kbps ou moins. Le visionnage en basse vitesse fournit une moins bonne qualité d'image et de son.
- Haute vitesse : recommandée avec service Internet haute vitesse (ADSL, modem câble) ou avec ordinateur d'institution. Le visionnage en haute vitesse fournit la meilleure qualité d'image et de son. Le visionnage en haute vitesse peut produire des images saccadées et des interruptions occasionnelles de son si la vitesse de votre connexion est insuffisante.
En cas d'hésitation, essayez d'abord de visionner en haute vitesse. Si cela ne fonctionne pas, essayez la basse vitesse.
Pour le format
Les films peuvent être disponibles pour visionnage en format Macromedia Flash et QuickTime. Tous offrent une qualité égale d'image et de son.
- Format Flash : permet de visionner le film directement dans la page Web, sans avoir à ouvrir une application externe. Nécessite le plugiciel Flash (offert gratuitement ici Macromedia Flash Player).
- Format QuickTime : nécessite l'application QuickTime, soit la version 7 ou plus récent (offert gratuitement ici QuickTime).
Sous-titrage pour malentendants (CC)
Consiste à inscrire à l'écran sous forme de sous-titres, la partie sonore d'un film, par exemple les dialogues, la narration, incluant rires, bruits, etc. Ainsi, les personnes vivant avec un handicap auditif peuvent lire ce qu'ils ne peuvent pas entendre. Le sous-titrage est offert pour quelques films. Pour y avoir accès, vous devez sélectionner QuickTime (sous Format) et Avec sous-titrage pour malentendants (sous Accessibilité).
Vidéodescription (DV)
Consiste à offrir une description orale des éléments visuels clés d'un film, de telle sorte que les personnes vivant avec un handicap visuel peuvent concevoir une imagerie mentale en rapport avec le déroulement des images à l'écran. La vidéodescription est offerte pour quelques films. Pour y avoir accès, vous devez sélectionner QuickTime (sous Format) et Avec vidéodescription (sous Accessibilité).
Running Time
11 min 18 s
British Topical Committee for War Films
British forces, chiefly 7th and 29th Divisions, on the first day of the Somme offensive, Western Front, 1 July 1916. The film shows the British and German wounded being treated at the Minden Post dressing station in 7th Division sector and the consolidation of. captured German positions at Fricourt and Mametz. The British soldiers come out of the line to rest, and they and their German prisoners retire to the rear. The film also shows plans of dead bodies of German and English soldiers killed in the battle.
The classic First World War film in every sense, widely used for stockshots even today. The only British official film to have a major impact on the perception of the war, both at the time and in historical terms. Also the only official film of the war with a claim to be regarded as great art in its own right. The unprecedented and unexpected public success of this film established cinema as a remainder of the war.
Pieces of History
Army Nurses
Denyse Baillargeon
Associate Professor, History Department, Université de Montréal
A total of 3,141 nurses worked in the Canadian army, 2,504 of them overseas—over a third of all Canadian registered nurses. Some were posted to British or Canadian hospitals in England, but at least a thousand served in France and Belgium; some were even sent to the Mediterranean or Russia. Unlike nurses from the other allied countries, who were in auxiliary corps, Canadian nurses were full members of the Canadian Army Medical Corps and thus held military rank. Margaret Macdonald, appointed matron-in-chief at the start of the war, was also the first woman of the British Empire to hold the rank of major.
From the outset, the military authorities had planned to keep the nurses in stationary hospitals, 250-bed units with 16 nurses, and in the general hospitals farther from the front, which had between 500 and 1,000 beds served by a team of 72 nurses. In practice, however, it soon became apparent that these medical professionals were also needed in the most advanced posts, called casualty clearing stations, because the wounded soldiers taken there often required emergency surgery impossible to do without the help of nurses. Many nurses thus found themselves very close to the front lines, working in tents or huts with minimal hygiene.
Although farther from the theatre of operations, the stationary hospitals and general hospitals still did not have all the facilities that nurses were accustomed to. Established in big houses, ruined monasteries, unused schools or hastily built shelters, these hospitals were far from an ideal environment. The nurses had to tend patients while slogging through mud, surrounded by rats or, on the Mediterranean front, flies, while being careful to use as little water as possible.
The nurses' work followed the rhythm of the battles, each bringing a massive influx of wounded. Working around the stretchers lined up on the ground, the nurses had to take care of hundreds of soldiers brought in by train or ambulance. Bullets, bayonets, shells and shrapnel caused extremely serious wounds that bled profusely and often necessitated amputation, the only way to get rid of gangrene. Amputation was also the fate of men who suffered frostbite from their time in the muddy trenches, while on the Mediterranean front, dysentery laid many low. Gas, first used extensively in the First World War, attacked the eyes and lungs. The nurse placed the lung patient in an oxygen tent, but that did not always work as hoped. Nurses were just as powerless to help those suffering from psychological problems, termed shell shock, whose numbers grew as the war intensified. On the other hand, they were perfectly capable of taking care of soldiers with tuberculosis or other common ailments, like the flu. Due to the high mortality rate of the wounded, such cases actually made up the bulk of their work. Towards the end of the hostilities, when the Spanish flu started to spread, they were called upon to tend to soldiers with influenza.
Life at the front had its quieter moments, though, and nurses took advantage of them. Between two deliveries of casualties, they could do their jobs more calmly, befriending the soldiers they tended often over long weeks. They also gave themselves small treats. When not on duty, they could go to dances, receptions and concerts also attended by soldiers, officers or even civilians. They also took part in sports or games and went cycling near their hospitals. Nurses stationed in England took tea with members of the British and Canadian army or with nurses from other hospitals, and played golf and tennis. On leave, some even travelled to Scotland or the south of France.
Army nurses were the only women to go to the front during the First World War. Thirty-nine lost their lives, twenty-one in battles on the continent or at sea, and eighteen as a result of illness. Seven others died in Canada while serving in army hospitals. Over 500 of them were decorated, including matron Ethel Ridley, named Commander of the Order of the British Empire, and Vivien Tremaine, who was awarded the Royal Victorian Order for caring for King George V, who was hurt when he fell off his horse while reviewing Canadian troops. These military honours acknowledged their courage and the esteem in which they were held. This acknowledgment also extended beyond the military sphere, however, for the involvement of nurses in the war greatly contributed to making medical and hospital authorities more aware of the importance of their role. By the end of the First World War, nurses had gained a professional status that could never again be questioned.
Selected Bibliography
Allard, Genevičve, «Des anges blancs sur le front : l'expérience de guerre des infirmičres militaires canadiennes pendant la Premičre guerre mondiale», Bulletin d'histoire politique, 8, nos 2-3 (hivers-printemps 2000): 119-132.
---, «Les anges blancs sur le front. Les infirmičres militaires canadiennes durant la Premičre Guerre mondiale», [MA (Histoire), Université Laval], 1997.
Allemang, Margaret M. Canadian Nursing Sisters of World War 1, Oral History Program. Toronto: Faculty of Nursing, University of Toronto, 1977-1980.
Nicholson, G.W. L. Canada's Nursing Sisters. Toronto: A.M. Hakkert, 1975.
Strong-Boag, Veronica. "Making a Difference : The History of Canada's Nurses." Canadian Bulletin of Medical History/Bulletin canadien d'histoire de la médecine, 8, 2 (1991) : 231-248.
The Horror of the Trenches
J.L. Granatstein
Historian and Author
Fraser found the front line trenches squalid. The dugouts, cut into the trench walls, "were small, damp and cold and overrun with rats." Men slept in their clothes for the entire tour in the trenches, and sentries changed every two hours "so the chances are you get wakened up between the shifts…." Then there was a "stand-to…which means you have to hold yourself in readiness for eventualities, in other words you have to be wide awake with equipment on…." Add to this the cold and wet, the dirt and vermin, the constant enemy rifle and artillery fire, the patrols, and the possibility of major fighting, and the soldier's life in the trenches was misery compounded by fear.
For almost four years, trench life was the Canadian infantrymen's lot. Units took their turn in the line and fended off attacks or launched their own, almost always very costly. It was an unwavering routine of horror and filth, compounded by the ever-present fear of death or, perhaps even more terrible, of being trapped, unready, in a gas attack or of grievous, disfiguring wounds. No one could get accustomed to the trenches but, short of desertion or a "blighty"— an uncomplicated wound that led to some easy recovery time in a British military hospital—there was no escape. The Allies lived in perpetual mud, presumably because some generals believed that if the soldiers were too comfortable, they would not want to fight.
Most Canadian commanders, however, wanted to fight. If a sector was quiet, they tried to stir it up. The favoured tactic was the trench raid, a technique developed by the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry, a battalion initially attached to a British division. The PPCLI had invented trench raiding in February 1915, and their fellow Canadians soon raised it to an art form. Raids sought to establish dominance over no man's land, keep enemy soldiers on edge, take prisoners, secure intelligence and do damage. Above all, raiding aimed to oblige the enemy to move more men to the front so a carefully planned artillery bombardment could inflict heavy casualties. Usually, a platoon or a company might be involved in a raid, though some could use a complete battalion. Raiders rehearsed their roles, carried wire-cutters, bombs and rifles and all worked together in a carefully orchestrated manner. Such raids could be useful.
But there was a price to pay for raids. The attackers usually suffered casualties, and by poking a stick into what had hitherto been a quiet sector, the Canadians stirred up the enemy, guaranteeing that heavy shelling would fall on their lines, as well as increasing sniper activity and more casualties. Those soldiers who preferred a "live and let live" policy at the front were not amused.
Still, raids seemed better than utter boredom. Life at the front featured brief stretches of intense activity followed by endless waiting or make-work projects devised by officers and sergeants. When troops went out of the line, it was to training courses, parades and "chickenshit"—polishing brass and painting rocks. When they were in the trenches, even in quiet sectors, there was a steady drain of casualties from enemy artillery and sniper fire. Between January and April 1916, a time in which the Canadian Corps was not engaged in any major actions, its divisions suffered more than 2700 casualties from all causes, including self-inflicted wounds. Still, most casualties occurred in attacks—10,000 at Vimy Ridge, almost 16,000 at Passchendaele, and, horrifyingly, when the troops finally left their trenches to engage the enemy in open warfare, 46,000 in the last hundred days of the war. The battles from August 8 to November 11, 1918 cost Canada's army twenty percent of its casualties in the Great War.
Just surviving in the trenches was difficult enough, even without the presence of the enemy. Standing in mud and sleeping on a groundsheet or on the dirt were not good for one's health. The cold and wet permeated boots and socks, causing trench foot. This disease was not fatal, but it incapacitated a soldier as much as a battle wound, and officers conducted daily foot inspections, whenever conditions permitted, to ensure their soldiers kept their feet in good condition.
Other diseases, usually lumped together as trench fever, sprang from poor drainage, human waste and the ever-present lice. Soldiers were prone to rheumatism from wearing wet clothes for long periods; others contracted tuberculosis, meningitis, influenza or a host of other ailments. The real terror for front-line troops, nonetheless, was of their trench being hit by artillery fire. Then, the trenches could be smashed and men buried under the mud of collapsed dugouts. They knew their comrades would dig them out—if they could.
The wounded, as these film clips amply demonstrate, received prompt, effective treatment. First aid came at the Regimental Aid Post set up in the support trenches. Stretcher bearers brought in those who could not walk, and a system of triage let the medical officer treat first those who might live. Then casualties began a rearward journey to an Advanced Dressing Station where morphine might be administered and then by train or ambulance to a Casualty Clearing Station where surgeons operated. The final stage came when the wounded went to general hospitals in France or England, where further surgery might take place. There were specialized convalescent hospitals in England and, for those with terrible wounds, in Canada. The standard of care was impressive, and nine of ten wounded survived, a high figure considering the mud and septic filth in which soldiers lived and fought.
But always for the survivors and the new men, there were the trenches. A trench ideally was wide enough to allow two or three men to pass by and deep enough so that none need stoop to avoid falling prey to enemy snipers. Sometimes corrugated iron provided overhead shelter in dugouts or for revetments on the trench sides, essential to stop the walls from collapsing in the wet of Flanders. Firing steps, carved into the front of the trench, let men shoot at the enemy. Officers' dugouts were frequently furnished with beds and desks and sometimes verged on the comfortable; unless they were lucky enough to take over a captured and well-built enemy position, the men's dugouts were always crude and foul-smelling with the combination of body odour, tobacco, cooking smells, damp, and excrement creating a memorable reek.
To the front of the trench line were belts of barbed wire. Concertina wire, curling in rolls, was favoured, and every unit kept its protective wire in good shape, sending work parties out each night to ensure that the enemy had not cut paths through it. The day was full for the Canadian soldier, first because there was always work to be done, but primarily because the army instinctively believed that idleness was bad.
Soldiers wanted to live, but many lost their fear of death as they saw it all around them. One officer wrote his father to say that death "has no horrors for anyone here, at least for those who have been here a few weeks or more." In the horror of the Great War, this was a widespread view. Men had no choice but to carry on.
Selected Bibliography
Granatstein, J.L. Hell's Corner: An Illustrated History of Canada's Great War, 1914-1918. Toronto: Douglas and McIntyre, 2004.
Morton, Desmond and J.L. Granatstein. Marching to Armageddon: Canadians and the Great War, 1914- 1919. Toronto: Lester & Orpen, Dennys, 1989.
German Prisoners of War
Jonathan F. Vance
Professor and Canada Research Chair in Conflict and Culture, Department of History, University of Western Ontario
The emotion of fear probably came first since the moment of capture was the most dangerous time for a prisoner. It was a reality of the First World War that the protection given to prisoners under the 1907 Hague Convention was not always observed in the front lines. Throwing aside one's rifle and yelling "Kamarad" was no guarantee that the plea for mercy would be heeded, particularly if the approaching soldier had seen his unit decimated by enemy fire. By the same token, a platoon that was weakened by casualties and struggling to hold a hard-won position sometimes could not spare a couple of infantrymen to escort prisoners to the rear areas. In such cases, soldiers implicitly understood that the safest option for their unit was to shoot the prisoners and keep it to themselves.
And then there were the rumours that circulated through both sides of no man's land about a particular battalion that never took prisoners, or about captives who were killed rather than being sent to the safety of a prison camp. A soldier who had been fired up by such stories might well wave aside his enemy's pleas and pull the trigger instead. The faces you see in these films, then, represent the lucky ones, the soldiers who actually survived to become prisoners.
We should also be aware that there did exist a degree of sympathy between soldiers. Atrocities were committed on both sides, but often the sight of a cowering enemy soldier elicited a feeling of pity in the attacking soldier. This is not the demonic Hun depicted by the propagandists, he might think; this is a man like me, with a family, perhaps a wife and children. We are both caught in a war that is not our doing; I will treat him as I hope he would treat me, with kindness and consideration.
The exhausted Canadian sharing coffee and hardtack with a captured German became a stock propaganda image, as a way to demonstrate the kindness of our Canadian boys overseas. But just because they were propagandized does not mean such situations did not take place. On the contrary, many a soldier would share with his prisoner a water bottle, a packet of rations or a cigarette, because the fact that he was a fellow soldier was now more important than the fact that he was an enemy. There is genuine good humour in the image of the captor clowning with the captive by putting on his cap and pulling a face.
Once the new prisoner made it through the moment of capture and reached relative safety, his experiences in captivity became more typical. The First World War was a very labour-intensive conflict. It was the first truly mechanized war, but much of the heavy work was still done the old-fashioned way – by tens of thousands of men digging, carrying, lifting and moving. Neither side had any scruples about using prisoners as forced labour in or directly behind the front lines. We know that German units used their POWs to dig trenches, move ammunition and carry supplies – all tasks forbidden under international law – and Canadians may well have done the same. But such scenes would never have made it onto film. Instead, a much more common image is of German soldiers acting as stretcher bearers, bringing the wounded, Canadian and German alike, to safety. For the captors, this had the advantage of freeing up infantrymen who had been temporarily co-opted as stretcher bearers – every German prisoner who could carry a stretcher meant that one Canadian could go back to the firing line. But it also had value for the prisoners themselves. Many contemporary accounts tell of new prisoners who were almost pathetically keen to prove themselves useful by helping with the wounded. Carrying a stretcher, after all, was much better than being shot.
Prisoners were also a valuable source of information. They were searched for maps, papers or anything else that could have intelligence value (or even monetary value – Canadian soldiers were known as tireless souvenir hunters, and quickly stripped any item that could be sold to non-combatant troops in the rear areas. Rifles, canteens and other military equipment were confiscated and sent to salvage dumps. Then, German-speaking officers questioned the men about their unit and the defences on their side of the line. Probably, few POWs were as helpful as some of those who were filmed (including the one who is evidently hard of hearing, likely from artillery bombardment), but the evidence suggests that prisoners were actually forthcoming with information about what was going on in their own trenches.
Finally, the symbolic significance of prisoners should not be underestimated. It was important to depict German prisoners on film because they were very visible signs of success on the battlefield. In the bloodbaths of 1916 and 1917, when success was measured in yards of pulverized earth, scenes of a few bedraggled German soldiers proved that something concrete had been achieved. The Battle of the Somme, for example, was a notorious example of horrific casualties sustained for very little territorial gain, but footage of prisoners being marched away from the battlefield in this clip at least proved that there were a few enemy infantrymen who would never again fire on Canadian soldiers.
In the open campaigns that began in the summer of 1918, prisoners became even more dramatic evidence of success. Now, it was possible to show to Canadians images of long lines of Germans soldiers captured in battle as the Canadian Expeditionary Force swept across northern France. Scenes of POWs being marched away from the battle for Bourlon Wood in 1918, often combined with pictures of rows of captured artillery pieces, confirmed to people at home that the tide had finally turned. The Allies had the Germans on the run, and such images seemed to prove that they were just as happy to surrender as fight.
Statistics on German POWs captured by Canadian troops are far from complete. We know that over 4000 were captured at Vimy Ridge in April 1917; over 5000 on August 8, 1918, the first day of the Battle of Amiens; and roughly 6000 in the three-day battle for the Drocourt-Quéant line in September 1918. But these are only three of dozens of engagements fought by the Canadian divisions, and the total number of prisoners taken may never be known. In any case, the cold statistics tell us less about the experience of captivity than these moving images. The men we see remain nameless, but their faces speak volumes about the impact of war on the individual.
Selective bibliography :
Cochet, François. "Le traitement des prisonniers de guerre en 1914-1918 : le rčgne de la réciprocité ?", in 14-18, le Magazine de la Grande Guerre, n° 23, Décembre 2003 - Janvier 2004.
Jackson, Robert. The Prisoners, 1914-18. New York: Routledge, 1989.
Morton, Desmond. Silent battle : Canadian prisoners of war in Germany, 1914-1919. Toronto : Lester Pub., 1992.
Moynihan, Michael, ed. Black Bread and Barbed Wire: Prisoners in the First World War. London: Leo Cooper, 1978.
Speed, Richard. Prisoners, Diplomats and the Great War: A Study in the Diplomacy of Captivity. New York: Greenwood Press, 1990.
Vance, Jonathan F., ed. Encyclopedia of Prisoners of War and Internment. Denver, CO: ABC-Clio, 2000.
Vance, Jonathan F. Objects of Concern: Canadian Prisoners of War Through the Twentieth Century. Vancouver: University of British Columbia Press, 1994.
Williamson, Samuel R. and Peter Pastor, eds. Essays on World War I: Origins and Prisoners of War. NY: Brooklyn Coll, 1983.
Life in the Trenches
Tim Cook
Historian, Canadian War Museum
From Switzerland to the North Sea, some 500 kilometres long, soldiers on both sides carved out ditches in the ground that, over time, were expanded in complexity and depth. By 1915, vast underground cities housed the soldiers, as the opposing armies faced off against each other across no man's land. Along this continuous line of trenches, offensive operations degenerated into frontal assaults, which were usually stopped dead by concentrated fire.
The Western Front, as it was called, consisted of a series of trench systems in depth. The front lines were held in strength, but behind them, joined by a series of communication trenches that ran perpendicular to the front, were support and rear trenches. Deep protective dugouts were situated along the front and rear trenches to provide some degree of safety against all but direct hits from artillery fire. Saps and listening posts were pushed into no man's land, where soldiers were positioned to provide advance warnings of enemy attacks.
Despite the unsanitary nature of front line trenches, they were areas of safety. The trenches protected against small arms fire, shrapnel bursts and high explosive bombardments. Every day and night soldiers shored up the crumbling walls, filled sandbags, and rebuilt sections that had been damaged by artillery fire. It was not only a war of the machine gun and rifle, but also of the shovel.
Life in the trenches was filled with long periods of boredom interspersed with terror. Much of the time was spent in routine duty. At half an hour before dawn, the infantry was roused from their dugouts or funk holes (small spaces carved into the trench walls) and ordered to 'Stand-To.' At the alert, they waited for a possible attack with bayonet fixed. If nothing occurred, and it rarely did, since the infantry of both sides were always at their most prepared at this time, officers inspected the men. Rifles were examined for rust; feet were prodded to ensure that dry socks had been worn to protect against trench foot. The latter being a type of frostbite that occurred from prolonged standing in cold, slushy water, and could, in severe cases, require the amputation of toes or feet. After inspection, soldiers were often rewarded with a small dose of rum, which was much appreciated by the men, who saw it as a form of medicine to help withstand the daily deprivations.
Breakfast, like most meals, usually consisted of canned beef, jam and biscuits. It was a monotonous diet, but soldiers rarely went hungry. For lunch or dinner, soup or stew was brought up from rear areas to offer some variety and warmth. Care packages from home, filled with cheese, bread and sweets, augmented the bland food. During the day, though, the goal of most privates was to avoid the sergeant who assigned trench chores. Most were unsuccessful, with soldiers spending much of their time rebuilding the trenches or standing sentry.
Despite these duties, soldiers had much free time, during which they dreamed of home and of loved ones left behind; worried about children who were growing up without a father; of ailing parents with no caregivers; or of a wife who was trying to feed a family with insufficient funds. Literate soldiers might spend a few hours scribbling letters. Return mail from home was a welcomed treat, with letters read and reread. These exchanges back and forth remained an important life-line to Canada from the trenches. And while they were usually subject to two levels of censorship, by officers at the front and officials in England, soldiers nonetheless tried to share their thoughts with those at home. Civilians could not understand everything, nor could soldiers often capture the full range of their strange experiences in words, but letters remained an important avenue of expression.
Boredom could be kept at bay through gambling, and there was always some rake with dice or cards to fleece his mates. If a soldier had no money, he at least had cigarettes. Soldiers smoked all day long, and cigarettes, which were issued by the army, bought in rear areas, and begged from those at home, were a useful distraction. They helped to calm the nerves, or so soldiers said, and they certainly helped to mask the stench of unwashed bodies.
There were no baths in the front lines and, most soldiers went at least a week, usually longer, without changing their clothes. Dirt and mud were a part of life and, during the winter, helped to insulate soldiers. Far more trying was the infestation of parasitic body lice. The lice lived in the seams of clothing where they feasted on human blood. Soldiers scratched themselves raw to get at their infernal enemies. They learned to defeat their insect adversaries, at least for a time, by taking off their shirts and running a candle over the seams. This drew out the lice that were then squashed satisfactorily between finger and thumb. While soldiers did this, they would sit around, talk, complain and gossip. It was known as 'chatting,' and it is just one of many wartime phrases that would enter the English lexicon. But the lice always came back, tormenting the soldiers day and night.
Rats, too, were a constant plague, and because they lived off corpses, they could grow as big as cats. They bit soldiers and scurried over their faces while they slept. The rats were hunted by soldiers and their trench pets, usually fierce terrier dogs, but the rodents lived in and outside of the trenches and were always multiplying. Their squealing movement could be heard throughout the battlefield.
Amidst the mud and slush in the winter, or heat and flies in the summer, soldiers developed their own trench culture. New words sprang up, slang like 'napoo' for being killed, or 'blighty' that referred to England or home. Artistic soldiers could take spent ammunition and shape it into art. Some soldiers tried their hand at poetry. While most were not as skilled as John McCrae, Wilfrid Owen or Siegfried Sassoon, to name the best-known war poets, the trench poetry or doggerel provided much insight into the soldiers' front-line experiences. At the group level, some battalions printed trench newspapers. Drawing from their own soldiers in the ranks—men who in civilian life had been editors, journalists and cartoonists—these crude newspapers contained rough humour and wry commentary on the strange, subterranean world of the trenches.
But just as a soldier might be penning a letter or staring at the blue sky above, the crash of an artillery shell could bring sudden death. The enemy was always there to kill or maim. Snipers skulked into no man's land, camouflaged and ready to put a bullet through a man's head should it rise, even for a second, above the safety of the trench parapet. Poison gas was released in the form of gas clouds and artillery shells, and soldiers who could not put on their respirator quickly faced a lingering death as chemicals corrupted and ravaged lungs.
Machine-gun bullets raked the front lines day and night. Yet artillery shells were the greatest killer in the war, accounting for more than half of all deaths. High explosive shells blew deep holes in the ground or wrecked trenches; soldiers were atomized by direct hits. Equally deadly, shrapnel artillery shells rained hundreds of metal balls and jagged steel down on soldiers, shredding through flesh and bone. Steel helmets, introduced in early 1916, helped to reduce casualties, but a unit's tour in the front lines almost always resulted in a steady hemorrhage of casualties. It was clinically called wastage, and impersonal charts showed that each month the infantry would lose approximately 10% of its strength, even in quiet areas where no operations were carried out. While the snipers and artillerymen did their dirty work, the soldiers could look around and see their best friends killed and maimed.
Yet the soldiers struck back in the form of nighttime raids. Changing into dark clothes, equipping themselves with revolvers, grenades, daggers and clubs, small groups of men snuck past their wire and into no man's land. Raids were a form of organized mugging, and the goal was to gather intelligence, kill the enemy and grab a prisoner. Enemy sentries were usually the target, but sometimes large groups of raiders slipped into the opposite trenches to wreck mayhem. While Canadian troops acquired a reputation as fierce raiders, these operations were dangerous affairs, and in the confusion of night fighting, casualties were often heavy.
To help relieve the unending pressure on soldiers, they were rotated in and out of the front line. On roughly four- to six-day tours, filthy, verminous, exhausted soldiers passed from front to secondary lines and finally to the reserves. This rotation helped to relieve the strain, but soldiers always knew they would return to the trenches in this maddening cycle.
Endurance was the key to survival and soldiers learned to cope with the inhuman conditions. Some developed fatalistic attitudes, believing they would be killed 'when their number was up'; others lived in terror all the time; a few hoped for a blighty wound, a bullet through the hand or leg that would take them away from the horror and back to a clean hospital in England. Thousands suffered mental breakdowns, known as shell shock, but hundreds of thousands more of the 'poor bloody infantry,' as the soldiers liked to call themselves, learned to withstand the strain of the trenches. And it was these survivors who, after four years of bitter fighting, would finally break the static warfare on the Western Front and defeat the German forces.
Selected Bibliography
Bird, Will R. Ghosts Have Warm Hands: A Memoir of the Great War, 1916-1919. Ottawa: CEF Books, 1997 (1968).
Black, Ernest Garson. I Want One Volunteer. Toronto: Ryerson, 1965.
Canadian Bank of Commerce. Letters from the Front : Being a Partial Record of the Part Played by Officers of the Bank in the Great European War. 11 v. Toronto: Canadian Bank of Commerce, 1915-1919.
Cook, Tim. "`More a Medicine than a Beverage': 'Demon Rum' and the Canadian Trench Soldier of the First World War." Canadian Military History 9, 1 (Winter 2000) : 6-22.
Fraser, Donald. The Journal of Private Fraser, 1914-1918, Canadian Expeditionary Force. Reginald H. Roy, ed. Nepean, ON: CEF Books, 1998 (1985).
Granatstein, J.L. Hell's Corner: An Illustrated History of Canada's Great War, 1914-1918. Toronto: Douglas and McIntyre, 2004.
Litalien, Michel et Stéphane Thibault, Tranchées : le quotidien de la guerre 1914-1918, Outremont, Québec, Athena éditions, 2004.
Morrison, J. Clinton. Hell upon Earth: A Personal Account of Prince Edward Island Soldiers in the Great War, 1914-1918. Summerside, PEI.: J.C. Morrison, 1995.
Morton, Desmond. "A Canadian Soldier in the Great War: The Experience of Frank Maheux." Canadian Military History 1, nos 1 & 2 (1992) : 79-89.
---. When Your Number's Up: The Canadian Soldier in the First World War. Toronto: Random House, 1993.
Morton, Desmond and J.L. Granatstein. Marching to Armageddon: Canadians and the Great War, 1914- 1919. Toronto: Lester & Orpen, Dennys, 1989.
Winter, Denis. Death's Men: Soldiers of the Great War. Markam, ON: Penguin Books, 1985.
Battlefield Medicine
Bill Rawling
Historian, Department of National Defence
On the battlefield, stretcher bearers, who were selected from the infantry or detached from a Field Ambulance unit, determined if the soldier needed to be treated, required immediate evacuation, or a combination of the two. The same process was repeated at the Regimental Aid Post (which was part of an infantry battalion at the front), at the Advanced Dressing Station (a section of a Field Ambulance), the Main Dressing Station (another section of the Field Ambulance), the Casualty Clearing Station, and the various forms of hospital near the front or well behind it, in England or even Canada.
The need for triage was not limited to times when the Canadian Corps was fighting battles—far from it—for disease had caused more casualties than combat since time immemorial. Even after such developments as vaccination in the 18th century and the studies of germs in the 19th, the sick were still plentiful among Canadian soldiers. Many conditions still forced tens of thousands to seek treatment. Among them were influenza, with some 65,000 ill in 1918-19; gonorrhea with over 45,000 ill in the course of the war; tonsillitis and sore throat with about 20,000 ill; syphilis with approximately 18,000; trench fever (caused by a bacterium transmitted by fleas), though non fatal, struck 18,000; myalgia (muscle pain) made some 15,000 sick, as did intestinal disease.
The Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF), however, was free of the kinds of epidemic diseases that had caused such ravages in the Crimea, the Spanish-American War and South Africa.
Near the end of the conflict the medical corps did find itself in the midst of one of the great pandemics of human history, the influenza scourge of 1918–19. Killing millions, it can be compared to the plague of Justinian in the 6th century or the Black Death in the 14th. Though 30–50,000 Canadians would succumb to the disease, the great majority were on the home front and not members of the expeditionary force. According to official history, 3825 of those who went overseas died of disease, 776 of influenza.
The CEF still had a problem on its hands, as the illness "flooded the rest station and camps with sick" in the summer of 1918, and "The ailment was peculiar in that, while exhibiting the symptoms of influenza, it ran its course in a week or eight days. It spread rapidly and necessitated the promulgation of extensive and stringent precautionary orders to prevent its spread. All public places such as Unit Entertainments, YMCA Cinema Shows, Estaminets [small French cafés serving alcohol] &c were closed for a time. In the latter places it was permitted to serve drinks at tables outside the buildings."1
Treating Wounds
Such illness was in addition to the medical challenges posed by the weapons of war and by the very ground being fought over. The conflict on the Western Front took place mainly on farmland that had been well-fertilized with manure, and its accompanying bacteria, for decades or centuries. The result, according to Canada's official medical historian of the conflict, was that nearly all wounds were infected. Sulpha drugs would not become available until the 1930s, and antibiotics would have to await another world war before coming into use, so infection was a serious challenge that could only be met by irrigating wounds with available chemicals and convalescence that could last months.
Another danger of wounds on the battlefield was shock due to blood loss, which could be fatal. The simple solution, first attempted in 1916, was to replace the patient's blood with blood drawn from a donor; chemical preservatives and refrigeration allowed for the life-giving fluid to be stored for a period of time, and such blood was being transfused by the end of 1917. One practitioner was Norman Guiou, who recalled in April 1918:
We had our first opportunity to do several transfusions. The dressing station was set up in a Nissen hut, the stretchers were supported on trestles. There were a number of seriously wounded... One lad was brought in on a blood-soaked stretcher, with a shattered humerus - his upper arm swathed in copious blood-soaked dressings. A flicker of pulse was present. He was pale, "starey-eyed", and tossed about and pulled his wound tag off... We bled a donor about 750cc while the chaplain talked to him. If there is a dramatic procedure in medicine it is the blood transfusion. Color came into that lad's cheeks. He raised himself on his good elbow, drank tea, and ate some YMCA fancy biscuits, then was on to the casualty clearing station.2
Psychological Injuries
One final challenge is worthy of mention here, that of psychological injury. According to medical historian Tom Brown, the condition was "the storm centre of military medicine" at that time. Symptoms could include uncontrollable weeping, trembling, paralysis, deafness and other manifestations without known physical causes. At first it was called shell shock, as it was thought that it resulted from the shock wave of an exploding shell damaging the brain, but by the middle part of the war the condition was thought to be purely psychological in nature. The patient could be diagnosed as suffering from hysteria or neurasthenia and could receive shock
treatment, talk therapy or simple rest in a hospital out of earshot of artillery. Most of the Canadian soldiers who suffered from such injuries were sent to No 3 Canadian Stationary Hospital in France, which specialized in such care.
Hospitals serve as examples of just how complex the treatment of sick and wounded soldiers had become by the First World War. Institutions specialized in ear and eye conditions, rheumatism, psychological injury, tuberculosis, orthopaedics, and venereal disease, in addition to general, stationary and convalescent hospitals. In an industrialized war, hospitals could become battlefield targets. Many nursing sisters and patients were killed when a hospital was bombed in 1918. They were among the 504 medical practitioners killed on the battlefield serving with Canadian units; another 127 succumbed to disease.
1Library and Archives Canada, RG 9, III, v.4715, 107-20, Passchendaele to Gouy-en-Artois, June 1918
2Norman Guiou, Transfusion: A Canadian Surgeon's Story in War and Peace (Yarmouth, 1985), 34-35.
Selected Bibliography
McPhail, Andrew. Official History of the Canadian Forces in the Great War 1914-19: The Medical Services. Ottawa: Department of National Defense, 1925.
Nicholson, G.W.L. Canada's Nursing Sisters. Toronto: S. Stevens, 1975.
---. Seventy Years of Service: A History of the Royal Canadian Army Medical Corps. Ottawa: Borealis Press, 1977.
Rawling, Bill. Death their Enemy : Canadian Medical Practitioners and War. Ottawa: B. Rawling, 2001.
Other Materials
Canadians at the Somme
It was General Sir Douglas Haig's wish that the Canadians should have a chance to settle in before taking part in an offensive. A G.H.Q. directive on August 19 had announced the Commander-in-Chief's intention to deliver a strong attack about the middle of September using "fresh forces and all available resources". This was the role to which the Canadian Corps had been summoned. While the 2nd and 3rd Canadian Divisions prepared for the battle, the 1st Division held the whole of the Corps front - three thousand yards of battered trenches running westward along the Pozičres ridge from the boundary with the Fourth Army (just east of Pozičres) to a point 700 yards west of Mouquet Farm, a stronghold in the German Second Position based on a nest of deep dug-outs which six bitter Australian assaults had failed to capture. As we shall see, the Division's tour of duty was not as uneventful as Sir Douglas Haig had intended it should be.
The Australians' final attempt to capture Mouquet Farm was made on September 3 by their 13th Brigade, which had the 13th Battalion, of the relieving 3rd Canadian Brigade, temporarily under command. The attack, while failing to secure the farm, gained 300 yards of Fabeck Graben, a German trench running north-eastward towards Courcelette. In attempting to extend this holding two companies of the Canadian battalion suffered 322 casualties. The relief of the Australians was completed on the morning of the 5th, and for three more days the 3rd Canadian Brigade continued to hold under heavy fire and frequent counter- attack more than two thousand yards of line, including the captured portion of Fabeck Graben. The brigade's 970 casualties in this period gave it good reason to remember its first tour of duty at the Somme. Early on September 8, during a relief by the 2nd Brigade, the Germans regained the now almost obliterated section of Fabeck Graben.
Next day the Canadians slightly improved their positions, when the 2nd Canadian Battalion captured a portion of a German trench about 500 yards long south of the Cambrai road. In gaining and retaining its objective (and thereby earning the congratulations of the Commander-in-Chief) the battalion owed much to the valour of one of its junior N.C.Os.-Corporal Leo Clarke. While clearing a continuation of the newly-captured trench during the construction of a permanent block on the battalion flank, most of the members of his small bombing party were killed or wounded and their supply of grenades was exhausted. Clarke was building a temporary barricade when an enemy party of twenty, led by two officers, counter-attacked down the trench. Coolly the corporal fought them off. Twice he emptied into the Germans his own revolver, and then two abandoned enemy rifles. He shot and killed an officer who had bayoneted him in the legs and he is credited with having killed or wounded at least sixteen enemy before the rest turned in flight. Then he shot down four more of the fleeing Germans, and captured a fifth - the sole enemy survivor. His courageous action brought Corporal Clarke the first of two Victoria Crosses to be won by his battalion. He was killed five weeks later, before the award was announced.
Adapted and used with permission from Nicholson, G. W. L., Canadian Expeditionary Force 1914-1919. Ottawa: Queen's Printer, 1964, p.148-149.


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NECA Keeps the Borderlands Bot Alive...
Due to retailer demand, NECA will be releasing an all-new version of everyone's favorite Borderlands 'bot, CLAPTRAP. Following the blue paint variant, appropriately called Claptrap Blu14, comes this all-new Jakob's Claptrap. For those unfamilar with the game, Jakob's is one of the many weapon manufacturers in Borderlands, their aesthetic being very "steampunk" - with lots of wood paneling and brass details. The Jakob's Claptrap first appeared in the Borderlands' DLC The Zombie Island of Dr. Ned. The figure will feature all the bells and whistles of the original release (read our review HERE) including poseable arms, rolling wheel, retractable antenna, and a base that resemble Pandora's rocky/sandy grounds. Jakob'e Claptrap is scheduled for release this June with retailer pre-orders starting next week.
For fans wondering about NECA's other proposed Borderlands figures - including player characters Zer0 and the Gunzerker (see HERE) - well, the news isn't too good. Claptrap has proven extremely popular at retail (rightfully so), while the other figure release, Psycho Bandit, was a bit of a disappoint in terms of sales. Because of this, retailers are being very hesitant about selling other Borderlands character figures. As such, NECA continues to appease Borderlands fans with Claptrap variants, but their other planned figures are currently on hold. Hey, something is better than nothing, right?
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To buy action figures, take a look at BigBadToyStore.com, PlasmaInfusion.com, Toynk.com, BriansToys.com, ToyWiz.com, and MonkeyDepot.com.


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Mail: Southern statues symbolize suppession
Mail: Thanks for helping Aiden
More opinion
Fall: Good time to spray musk thistle in rosette stage
Robertson and Delsing re-elected chair, vice chair of NWB
More Ag News
The North Platte Community Playhouse announced Wednesday that audition dates are set for the upcoming production of Lionel Barts epic musical Oliver!
Auditions will be held over the course of three nights.
Dec. 11 will be open auditions for all interested children ages 6-12. Dec. 12 will be open auditions for all children ages 12-18 and Dec. 13 will be open auditions for adults, Playhouse Manager Scott Carlson said.
Auditions will start at 6:30 p.m. each night and run until approximately 9:30 p.m. The NPCP encourages all interested parties to audition. No preparation is required and those auditioning should expect to sing songs selected by the directors, in front of the production team, in large and small groups as well as solo.
Oliver! is the timeless tale of young Oliver and his journeys from a workhouse to roaming the streets of London picking pockets with the Artful Dodger and the rest of Fagans hoodlums, all while hoping and praying to find someone to love him unconditionally.
Oliver! was first presented in London, where it played for 2,618 performances at the New Theatre. It played for 774 performances on Broadway at the Imperial and Shubert Theatres, starring Georgia Brown and Clive Revill as Nancy and Fagin. It has been revived on Broadway several times, as in 1984 at the Mark Hellinger Theatre, and in London in 1994 at the Palladium starring Jonathan Pryce as Fagin. Oliver! was performed at the NPCP in 1995.
Performance dates are Feb. 8, 9, 10, 15, 16 and 17.
The production will be directed by Scott Carlson and John Hales, with musical director Lori Swanson.
In addition to actors, musicians are needed to play in the orchestra. Those interested in playing should contact Lori Swanson at (308) 520-2984. For questions about auditions or other items, please contact Scott Carlson at (308) 532-8559. This production is made possible, in part, by the support of the Nebraska Arts Council and the Nebraska Cultural Endowment of the Arts.
Flatrock Publishing, Inc.
1300 E 4th St., Suite F
North Platte, NE 69101


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A Baked TreatRiddles are little poems or phrases that pose a question that needs answering. Riddles frequently rhyme, but this is not a requirement.
(Thing 1)
I, at the start, am old
Many centuries I've been told
Used by the Greeks
For counting techniques
After things were bought and sold
Later is when I became known
As an infinite figure, when shown
You've counted my spaces
Over two billion places
And still, my amount is unknown
(Thing 2)
I, too, am not young
I'm almost as old as Thing 1
I'm just a frog
On the natural log
But I can make counting fun
(Thing 1 and Thing 2)
When you combine us two
In the order of Thing 1 and Thing 2
We'll be a baked treat
That's painful to beat
Whether cherry, peach, or aloo
AnswerThing 1 is "Pi."
Thing 2 is "e," the base of the natural logarithm.
Thing 1 and 2 are, together, "Pie."
(an aloo pie is a potato pie)
What Next?
See another brain teaser just like this one...
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The U.S. Food and Drug Administration does not strictly regulate herbs and supplements. There is no guarantee of strength, purity or safety of products, and effects may vary. You should always read product labels. If you have a medical condition, or are taking other drugs, herbs, or supplements, you should speak with a qualified healthcare provider before starting a new therapy. Consult a healthcare provider immediately if you experience side effects.
Few allergic symptoms have been reported with saw palmetto. A study of people taking the combination product PC-SPES® (no longer commercially available), which includes saw palmetto and seven other herbs, reports that three out of 70 people developed allergic reactions. In one case, the reaction included throat swelling and difficulty breathing.
Avoid in people who are allergic or sensitive to saw palmetto, any of its parts, or other members of the Arecaceae or Palmae family.
Few severe side effects of saw palmetto are noted in the published scientific literature. A study found that there may be a lack of herb-drug interactions associated with saw palmetto. Overall, there appear to be few safety concerns with short-term use of saw palmetto. Saw palmetto appears to be well tolerated by most people for up to 3-5 years. LSESR, a particular extract of Serenoa repens, may be better tolerated, although this claim has not been confirmed.
The most common complaints involve the stomach and intestines, and include stomach pain, nausea, vomiting, bad breath, constipation, diarrhea, gas, heartburn, and indigestion. Stomach upset caused by saw palmetto may be reduced by taking it with food.
Some reports describe ulcers, liver damage, liver inflammation, and jaundice (yellowing of the skin), but the role of saw palmetto is not clear in these cases. Similarly, reports of headache, dizziness, insomnia, depression, chest pain, abnormal heart rhythm, heart attack, heart disease, heart failure, high or low blood pressure, respiratory tract problems (including breathing difficulties), and muscle pain have been reported but may not be clearly caused by saw palmetto.
Saw palmetto may also cause or induce bloody urine, breast tenderness or enlargement, changes in blood chemistry, eye problems, flu-like symptoms, genital or urinary problems, hot flashes, inflammation of the pancreas, low energy, menstruation, mouth or teeth problems, physical injury, sexual dysfunction (such as ejaculation problems, erectile dysfunction, impotence, or low sex drive), skeletal muscle breakdown, skin reactions, and testicular pain.
Use cautiously in people scheduled to undergo some surgeries or dental work, who have bleeding disorders, or who are taking drugs that may increase the risk of bleeding. Dosing adjustments may be necessary.
Use cautiously in people who have high blood pressure, or those taking drugs or herbs and supplements that may affect blood pressure.
Use cautiously in people who have liver disorders or those taking drugs for liver disorders.
Use cautiously in patients with hormone-sensitive conditions or in those taking hormonal agents, due to possible hormonal effects of saw palmetto.
Use cautiously in people who have stomach disorders.
Use cautiously in combination with agents that may affect hemoglobin levels. Saw palmetto may reduce levels of hemoglobin, hematocrit, red blood cells, and platelets.
Avoid saw palmetto in women who are or may potentially be pregnant, due to the risk of developmental problems in the baby and hormonal effects.
Avoid saw palmetto when breastfeeding, due to a lack of available information.
Avoid saw palmetto in children, due to a lack of available information.
In theory, prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels may be artificially lowered by saw palmetto, based on a proposed mechanism of action of saw palmetto (inhibition of 5-alpha-reductase). Therefore, there may be a delay in diagnosis of prostate cancer or interference with following PSA levels during treatment or monitoring in men with known prostate cancer.
The combination product PC-SPES®, which contains saw palmetto and seven other herbs, has been found to contain prescription drugs including warfarin, a blood thinner. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a warning not to use PC-SPES® for this reason, and it is no longer commercially available.
Due to limited safety data, possible hormonal activity, and the risk of developmental problems in the baby, saw palmetto extract is not recommended for women who are or may potentially be pregnant, or women who are breastfeeding. Many tinctures contain high levels of alcohol and should be avoided during pregnancy.
Portions of this document last updated: Nov. 01, 2013
This evidence-based monograph was prepared by The Natural Standard Research Collaboration
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The rescue of Nine Entertainment remains on track with the Federal Court ruling today that opponents of a crucial scheme of arrangement cannot stop the deal going ahead.
Nine owes its creditors almost $3.4 billion, and $2.24 billion of that debt will expire on February 7.
A submission tendered in the Federal Court on Monday said: "The company will almost certainly not be able to repay the total sum which falls due on that date."
The Federal Court ruled today that the scheme of arrangement - which would convert all this debt into ownership of Nine - could go ahead despite opposition from some senior lenders.
The group have opposed the scheme on the grounds that they were not involved in negotiating it and will be disadvantaged if it is implemented.
The opposing lenders include GE Capital Finance, National Australia Bank and Royal Bank of Scotland which said ''they have no desire to become minority shareholders'' in an unlisted Nine.
After the restructure Nine will be controlled by another group of senior lenders lead by hedge funds, Apollo and Oaktree, which will have additional legal rights to "board representation and corporate control" of Nine Holdings, the opposing group said in documents lodged with the court.
''In short, the scheme will bestow immediate control of Nine Holdings upon Oaktree and Apollo,'' the opposing lenders said.
Under the new constitution the new Nine board will ''use commercially reasonable efforts to effect a listing within 18 months'' of the scheme being implemented but is not obliged to pursue the listing.
The scheme will see senior lenders receive 95.5 per cent of the equity in Nine and share $573 million in proceeds from $700 million worth of fresh debt that will be raised.
This will effectively allow these lenders to receive cash for 25 per cent of the $2.28 billion worth of debt they hold.
The remainder of the cash from the debt raising will remain with Nine as working capital.
Apollo and Oaktree will end up with 37.4 per cent of Nine under the deal.
The mezzanine debt holders lead by Goldman Sachs - which are currently owed more than $1 billion - will end up with 3.75 per cent of Nine and a $20 million cash payment. The current owners, CVC, will end up with one per cent of the media group having lost close to $2 billion on its original investment.
The scheme needs the separate approval of the senior lenders, mezzanine lenders, and current owners.
The opposing lenders were hoping to be classed as a separate class of stakeholder from the other senior lenders which meant the scheme would require their separate approval.
The scheme meetings are scheduled to be held January 21 next year at Macquarie Group's head office in Sydney. If approved by the three classes of stakeholders, the schemes will then go back to the federal court for final approval on January 29.


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The Crow and the Pitcher
This lesson printed from:
This lesson will teach you about the concept of scarcity, how scarcity causes us to make choices, and how entrepreneurs help manage scarcity problems. Scarcity is when a person (or in this case, an animal) wants more of something than is available. Because of scarcity, people have to make choices. They must give up some things in order to have others. Scarcity exists all around us--money can be scarce if you don't have enough to buy lunch, natural resources can be scarce, such as oil used to make petroleum. Before making a decision, everyone should balance the additional benefits against additional costs of each alternative. When someone uses specialization, they focus on producing the things they do best at the lowest cost. They then trade those things with others to get what they want. Trade only happens when everyone's benefits exceed their costs.
Listen to the story, "The Crow and the Pitcher." In the story the Crow is faced with a scarcity of water. You will participate in an activity with your classmates, and help each other by trading to obtain different colored crayons.
In a spell of dry weather, when the birds could find very little to drink, a thirsty Crow found a pitcher with a little water in it. But the pitcher was high and had a narrow neck, and no matter how it tried, the Crow could not reach the water. The poor thing felt it must die of thirst.
Then an idea came to the crow. Picking up some small pebbles, it dropped them into the pitcher one by one. With each pebble the water rose a little higher until at last it was near enough so it could drink.
In a pinch a good use of our wits may help us out.
taken from www.gutenberg.org/
After reading the story, your teacher will give each of you five crayons of the same color. The color you have may not be scarce for you, but the other colors that are available are. By trading with other students, you can exchange the crayons that you value less with the color crayons that you value more. There may be more than five colors in the classroom, so you must make a choice of which colors you want the most. After you are done trading, you will color a picture of the crow and the pitcher.
The crow had an entrepreneurial idea of how to get the water level to rise high enough for it to drink from the pitcher. The crow took a risk by choosing to stay at the pitcher instead of looking elsewhere for another water source.
The crow demonstrated traits of an entrepreneur. An entrepreneur is someone who discovers new ways of doing things, invents new products using productive resources, or finds a way to reduce costs of getting something. They take risks by starting new businesses. By using the resources at hand, the crow succeeded at getting water. The crow can now specialize in a business based on its ideas and trade with others.
Go over the trading activity and explain how you addressed your own scarcity problem. Think about other things in your life that are scarce and different choices you must make.
One example is the scarcity of space. You have a limited amount of space in your bedroom, so you must decide how to use the space for your bed, toys, play space, a dresser, a desk or other things you may own. Money is also scarce. Because they can't own all the clothes in a store, students, parents, teachers and others must select outfits they like the most, and their clothes are washed and worn again. You can't wear all their clothes at the same time, so they must choose one outfit to wear at a time. You can't have all of the toys you want, so you must choose which ones you want the most. If you are given money for your birthday, you can choose to spend it, save it, give to others, or a little of each. Since time is scarce, a person can't play basketball and soccer at the same time. They must decide which sport they would rather play at that particular time. Can you think of some things that you want more of but can't have?
Answer the following questions:
Activity 1
Put your geography knowledge to the test by answering these questions about the story, "The Crow and the Pitcher."
Activity 2
One bright day in late autumn a family of Ants were bustling about in the warm sunshine, drying out the grain they had stored up during the summer, when a starving Grasshopper, his fiddle under his arm, came up and humbly begged for a bite to eat.
"What!" cried the Ants in surprise, "haven't you stored anything away for the winter? What in the world were you doing all last summer?"
"I didn't have time to store up any food," whined the Grasshopper; "I was so busy making music that before I knew it the summer was gone."
The Ants shrugged their shoulders in disgust.
"Making music, were you?" they cried. "Very well; now dance!" And they turned their backs on the Grasshopper and went on with their work.
There's a time for work and a time for play.
Read the fable "The Ants and the Grasshopper" from Aesop's Fables (page 34) in class and apply the same economic concepts to this story. In this case it is time in the summer and fall, and food supplies in the winter that are scarce. Both the ants and the grasshopper had two choices: work and play. Decisions we make today have consequence that lie in the future. Answer how the ants managed their scarcity problem, and what the consequence was for the grasshopper who didn't prepare during the warmer months. Explain how saving now helps us in the future. A secondary lesson in this fable is how the grasshopper can become an entrepreneur and use his specialization (music), as a means for trade. Answer the following questions:
1. Why didn't the ants give the grasshopper any food?
2. The grasshopper's best ability seems to be playing music, while the ants are good at hauling heavy loads of food. What is this term called?
3. What could the grasshopper offer in return for food to make a trade possible?


text:
The Hybrid Surge and the Nikon 1
Former Crutchfield staff writer Woody Sherman spent years working as an editor and manager in the video industry at the national level.
More from Woody Sherman
Heads up!Welcome to this article from the Crutchfield archives. Have fun reading it, but be aware that the information may be outdated and links may be broken.
Nikon 1 V1 hybrid camera
Smoke, but no mirrors
Nikon set the digital imaging world abuzz recently with their first "mirrorless" interchangeable-lens cameras, the Nikon 1 V1 and Nikon 1 J1. These are some of the latest additions to what has become a very active segment of the digital imaging market.
If you've been following this world for longer than a day or two, you've probably become aware of a class of products often referred to as "hybrids."
These are cameras with a small body form factor and interchangeable lenses, which offer the convenience of a point-and-shoot, and many of the speedy, responsive features of DSLRs.
Nikon discourages the mirrorless label, saying mirrorless means a DSLR with the mirror removed. They prefer the term "Advanced-Camera with Interchangeable Lens (A-CIL)." That may be an apt description for the entire class.
I want my SUV
Here in North America, we've been a little slower to adopt this evolution of camera technology. We like our DSLRs. They're the SUVs of the camera world. Rugged and dependable, with all the features we demand on the road of life.
But face it, DSLRs can be inconvenient. They generally come with their own dedicated baggage. They have lots of fiddly knobs and menus that demand real, um, focus. They can weigh you down when you're fast on the move. And until you know your gear and have it "under your fingers", it's tough to be spontaneous and quick on the draw.
Hybrid vigor
Enter the hybrid. Panasonic, Olympus and Sony have been at the forefront of this mobility-friendly market, and have widely acclaimed models that have seen upgrades and revisions since their initial introductions. The product lines are now fragmenting, pursuing two different types of user:
- The compact, point-and-shoot fan, who's ready for the creative step-up that multiple lens choices can give. They don't want a lot of manual control, they're fine with an LCD display for photo composition, and they'd like some nice creative-filter and HD video shooting options. Essentially, they want a few creative steroids, but the same lightweight physical characteristics and simple controls they enjoy from compact cameras.
- The developing hobbyist / experienced enthusiast. They may already own a DSLR they love. But even they can't deny the allure of something as compact and nimble as a hybrid. They want a high image-quality camera that they can have at the ready for any opportunity, the so-called "street camera." So they demand a few things that the point-and-shoot graduates don't: Proper viewfinders (optical or electronic). Compatibility with a decent and versatile line of good lenses. Outboard flash compatibility. Manual control options. A bigger variety of video shooting formats. And, very often, larger image sensors.
Does size matter?
Popular sensor sizes compared
Well, unsurprisingly, the answer is: sometimes. Large sensor sizes make it easier to collect light, and they can make the most of a wide-aperture lens' short depth-of-field — that ability to isolate focus on a subject while making the foreground and background soft (bokeh).
Plus, if they're at the widely used Micro Four Thirds or APS-C sizes, the chances are increased that many lenses could either be compatible, or be adapted to be compatible.
But large sensors are not a guarantee of better picture quality. There are many factors that influence the fundamental physics that governs image acquisition. For the purposes of this article, we'll leave that statement as a given, and explore the fact that the manufacturers in this sector have made considered decisions about the type of sensors they have. Often, they've done their best to maximize image quality and not succumbed to the push for desirable numbers. After all, isn't it the final shot that counts? Everything else is just a tool. Wrench or pliers? Tell me what job you want to do first.
The current crop
Sony NEX-5N
Sony's NEX series of cameras is currently winning the "pure numbers" race among the hybrid clan, with large APS-C image sensors throughout the product line and a whopping 24.3 megapixels from the top-end model, the NEX-7. Early returns for the latest releases have been largely good, and there's some evidence that these cameras might have some appeal for the aspiring videographer that would have formerly bought a DSLR.
Interestingly, the NEX-5N, at 16 megapixels, might be a more intriguing video device than its NEX-7 cousin, as it has larger pixels on the same-size sensor, implying better low light performance and less information-processing load for the BIONZ™ processor (although the NEX-7's processor has been tweaked to compensate for the extra workload). Time and experience will tell whether this is true or not.
Large sensors often mean larger lenses, though, so some of the hybrid's portability appeal is blunted when these are used.
Panasonic DMC-GH2K
Panasonic and Olympus have committed their hybrid lines to the Micro Four Thirds sensor format. Four Thirds sensors, while smaller than APS, are still pretty beefy compared to the new Nikon and Pentax mirror-less sensors, and are very well supported in the optical arena. An impressive variety of lenses are compatible with these cameras, which draw their sensor/lens design inspiration from the video cameras of the past generation.
Pentax has released their new Q. It's playing the other end of the street from Sony. It features a compact size sensor (1/2.3", about one eighth the size of the M43 sensor) and of all the hybrids, it's the one that most legitimately can call itself a "pocket" camera, as it's seriously small for something with interchangeable lenses. Beyond the small size, a big hint about the market they wish to exploit is the announcement of two sub-$100 "toy camera" lenses for this model.
The build quality is solid, and though the sensor is small, everything about the design has been designed to get the maximum benefit from its size. While this really doesn't pretend to co-opt the DSLR market space, it does have its place as a camera that hearkens back to the elegant miniature cameras of the film era.
Fuji X-100
Fuji does not have an interchangeable lens hybrid, but it has two cameras that play in the same functional space, the X-10 and the X-100. These rangefinder-type cameras have generated a ton of buzz and favorable impressions. Now it is widely reported that Fuji will be introducing an interchangeable lens model soon, informed by their experience with the X-100 and the X-10.
The misunderstood Nikon 1 Series
Within 3 hours of the release of the V1 and J1 on the world stage, many enthusiasts had written this camera off, as it has a small sensor by comparison to the many hybrids, and makes a modest (by recent standards) 10 megapixels at its highest resolution. Why was Nikon, one of the world's most respected manufacturers, releasing something widely regarded by the enthusiast community as "underspec-ed" and "underpowered?" Why was the reaction so visceral? Was it because of the many reported colors that will become available for the J1? Is it the slightly surreal "Motion Snapshot" feature, that gives you a two-second HD slo-mo clip with music? Is it just the cute fluffy bunny of cameras, designed to give the casual Facebook picture poster some extra "oomph?"
Nikon J1 in red
I'm not sure I think so. It's got some unexpected talents. First of all, the image quality has held up well to initial testing. It'll do 10 fps with continuous auto-focus, equivalent to the Sony NEX-7 (although, to be fair, Sony's doing it with a big APS sensor at 24 megapixels — a lot more data). It has two sophisticated forms of autofocus that engage together (contrast detection and phase detection), and its release time is world-class. And while the idea of buying a camera in a color to match your old iPod® is pure Japan in a nutshell, I think there's a class of young, enthusiastic people world-wide, curious about extending their photographic vocabulary, for whom this camera might be a good fit.
Executives at Nikon have admitted publicly that their primary aims were for responsiveness, compactness, and ease of use in the service of image quality. They feel that this combination of megapixels and sensor will deliver the best consumer experience with regard to those aims. The key words here are "consumer experience." Nikon is casting a wider net for customers, keeping a compact form factor while promising image quality that rivals DSLRs. People would be advised to remember they have a decent track record delivering said quality. Time will tell whether they deliver what the public will buy. But it's definitely worth a good look. We'll be there with a review the moment we've had a chance to get one in our hands.