Unstoppable!

The Windsor Spitfires beat the Kingston Frontenacs 9 to 2 in Sunday afternoon hockey action today. This is the eleventh win in a row for the Spitfires who are also unbeaten in regulation in their last twenty. Defenceman Ryan Ellis contributed a hat trick in the win, his first in the Ontario Hockey League.

*Above, Ryan Ellis flies to the net to score one of his three for the night.

The Cathedral of Finance

The Guardian building sits at the top of Detroit's finest historic buildings, as it's vibrant brick exterior stands out among the other great skyscrapers of downtown Detroit, while its visually impressive lobby represents a testament to the wonderful Art Deco style in 1920's architecture. Built in 1928, it was originally named the Union Trust building, as it was the founders of the Union Trust, Col. Frank Hecker and Michigan Senator James McMillan who built the building. It was designed by Michigan native Wirt C. Rowland, who also designed Detroit's Buhl and Penobscot Buildings. During the Second World War the building was used as the US Army command Center for war time production and in 1989 the Guardian Building was designated a National Historic Landmark.

Bonne Fete!!

Keaton Johnston Seal turned three years old last week and celebrated the day with family and friends, and a big piece of delicious chocolate cake. Presents included lots of big yellow construction trucks, a couple of books to read, and a big ole' red and white Canadian tuque.

Keaton makes a wish and blows out the candles on his firetruck birthday cake.

Keaton tries to impress the crowd with his new popping sound trick, while his cousin Noah looks on.

Trying to get a glimpse of himself in the mirror wearing his new winter tuque.

Keaton reacts to the awesome and impressive power of the CAT toys.

Displaying that birthdays are not all about receiving, Keaton looks to share his Gummie bears with the photographer.

A Pleasant Place

Phil Tremblay was out mulching his lawn in a short sleeve golf shirt today, as temperatures in the area reached a pleasant high of 17 degrees. With a warm sun and bright blue skies, people were outside in droves taking advantage of the unusually warm temperatures for mid-November.

Windsor Grove Cemetery

Located in the core of Windsor Ontario on the corner of Giles Blvd. East and Howard Avenue, Windsor Grove Cemetery was built in 1866 and its notable inhabitants include the first mayor of Windsor, Samuel Smith Macdonell (1823 -1907), and Gordon McGregor who helped establish Ford Canada in Windsor in 1904. In 1930 a mausoleum was built on the premises which is now designated as a heritage landmark by the city of Windsor, and in 1975/76 two Veterans memorials were built, honoring the dead of both World Wars.

The Farm

Other men saw to the welfare of their dogs from a sense of duty and business expediency; he saw to the welfare of his as if they were his own children, because he could not help it. And he saw further. He never forgot a kindly greeting or a cheering word, and to sit down for a long talk with them--"gas" he called it--was as much his delight as theirs. He had a way of taking Buck's head roughly between his hands, and resting his own head upon Buck's, of shaking him back and forth, the while calling him ill names that to Buck were love names. Buck knew no greater joy than that rough embrace and the sound of murmured oaths, and at each jerk back and forth it seemed that his heart would be shaken out of his body, so great was its ecstasy. And when, released, he sprang to his feet, his mouth laughing, his eyes eloquent, his throat vibrant with unuttered sound, and in that fashion remained without movement, John Thornton would reverently exclaim, "God! You can all but speak!"

Buck had a trick of love expression that was akin to hurt. He would often seize Thornton's hand in his mouth and close so fiercely that the flesh bore the impress of his teeth for some time afterward. And as Buck understood the oaths to be love words, so the man understood this feigned bite for a caress.

Jack London, The Call of the Wild

It is true that dog meat is eaten in many parts of Asia and in South Korea, where many people own dogs as pets, it is no exception. Bosintang (dog soup) is often consumed in the hot summer months as it's generally believed to replenish the energy one loses during the hot and humid weather. Raised in small, dilapidated farms on the outskirts of many cities throughout the country, their pens are deplorably filthy, while a strong unbearable stench penetrates the surrounding air. It is common to find five to six dogs crammed into a very small cage, while others sit alone in a cage no larger than the size of itself. But what's the hardest to imagine is the cruelty the dogs may face just before death. It is widely believed that if a dog suffers from pain immediately before it dies the meat will then taste better. Being set on fire or severely beaten with a stick are methods commonly employed. It is, however, reported in some research that these practices are no longer in use. Yet on the other hand, selling dog meat has been illegal since 1984 but is still widely done with no real sign of abating.

* All photos were taken using a Canon EOS1V with a 17-40mm lens, on 35mm film.

A Reminder

In September 1996, a North Korean submarine, in the midst of a James Bond like espionage mission, got stuck in some rocks off South Korea's East coast. The eleven crew members and fifteen agents on board made the decision to abandon the submarine and attempt to make it back across the border on land. However, a suspicious taxi driver alerted the police, mobilizing over 60,000 South Korean soldiers in what would amount to a massive 53 day manhunt. In the end, 24 out of the 26 North Koreans were dead, one was captured, and the last one has yet to be found. It is believed that he somehow safely made it back to North Korea. Thirteen South Korean soldiers as well as four civilians also died. The incident paints a painful reminder, forty-three years after the North/South ceasefire, of the constant threat of war on the peninsula and of the Cold War espionage that still continues till this day.

These are photos of a beach fortification in Gangneung, Gangwon province, a few kilometers north of where the North Korean submarine ran ashore. Again, a stark reminder of what lurks beyond.

For a full account of the Gangneung Submarine Incident, click here.

*All photos were shot with a Canon 5D and a 17-40mm lens.

A Tale of Two (South) Koreas

The political tension in South Korea is heating up and for a second straight summer the area surrounding City Hall and Seoul Plaza has become the central battleground between the police and an angry public. Citizens are mostly angry with Lee Myung-bak over the death of the former president Roh Moo-hyun, a declining economic situation with increasing job loss, the unfortunate death of protesting squatters in Yongsan, and a deteriorating relationship with North Korea which raises the spectrum of war over the peninsula. But in much broader terms many are upset with the direction the country is heading and the Presidents conservative, some say undemocratic, style of governing. Yet, the memory of last summer's Mad Cow protests has this conservative administration on edge as they are nervous that any type of mass rally might snowball into a scenario similar to last year (see Mad Cow essay below). The tensions arising from both sides may reach a breaking point in the weeks ahead as summer temperatures increase, and the tit for tat cycle spirals out of control.

Above is a series of photos showing protesting union workers attempting to free a fellow worker who was being detained in the back of a police cruiser after he'd been arrested. It all began when one union worker simply walked up to the cruiser on the drivers side and opened the door.

A series of derogatory stickers with the presidents picture underneath the word 'WANTED' are found plastered around the City Hall area.

A platoon of riot police stand guard at the City Hall subway exit in Seoul, in order to prevent protesters from exiting.

A police unit march in unison past Seoul Plaza.


Riot Police detain a Union worker who was protesting against the government. A group of protesters was marching towards Seoul Plaza before the police halted and then broke up their march.

A candle light vigil, which the police claim to be illegal, is held in front of Deoksu Palace to commemorate the late Roh Moo-hyun, honour the anniversary of the two little girls killed by an American Army Humvee in 2002, and more generally, protest against the government of Lee Myung-bak.


A protester exchanges words with a police officer in front of Deoksu Palace, near City Hall. The sign reads "Lee Myung-bak Out!"


Police officers position themselves in front of a protest banner in front of Deoksu Palace in Downtown Seoul. The police were preventing the protesters, who they say are holding an illegal rally, from entering Seoul Plaza across the street.


Police officers position themselves to guard against protesters that may want to use Seoul plaza as a stage for their rallies.

* All photos were shot with a Canon EOS 1V and 35mm film.

An Airbag Saved My Life

Have we really got away from the assumption that private profit-making enterprise is always a better, because more efficient, way of doing things? That business organisation and accountancy should be the model even for public service, education and research? That the growing chasm between the super-rich and the rest doesn't matter that much, so long as everybody else (except the minority of the poor) is getting a bit better off? That what a country needs is under all circumstances maximum economic growth and commercial competitiveness? I don't think so.

Eric Hobsbawm, The Guardian

The "Eyes and Ears"

There was an interesting article in the Los Angeles Times regarding vigilante paparazzi in South Korea. According to the article, in recent years the South Korean government has enacted over sixty civilian reporting programs that can potentially earn someone up to $3000 a month if pursued full time. One such program, which is now outlawed due to an excessive amount of reporting, was for traffic infractions. Citizens would take pictures of drivers committing common traffic violations. They would then send the photos to the police for a reward. This is what this 'civilian' (below) believed I was in the process of doing when I was taking pictures of cars from atop the overpass. As I mentioned, traffic reporting, or traffic paparazzi, is now outlawed so he believed I was violating the law and so he naturally called the police for his reward. However, when the police arrived they quickly told him to be on his way and he ended up apologizing profusely. He did not, however, apologize for the stench of soju on his breath.



The title "Eyes and Ears" refers to Hukou ermu - "The Eyes and Ears of the Household Register" - an old Chinese security system that relied upon neighbourhood informants for criminal information. It dates back to the city of Yan'an in 1938 when the police force relied upon locals, referred to as Lianluoyuan, or Liaison Personnel, for grass roots information. Once the communists came to power in 1949 the system was expanded and institutionalized and the term "Eyes and Ears" was created. The task of the informants was to "carry out covert surveillance of these people (local citizens) and report anything untoward to the police." The system disappeared during the Cultural Revolution but was then recreated in the post-Mao era of economic growth under the new term Zhian ermu, or "The Eyes and Ears of Public Order". However, at this stage the suspected were now merely common criminals. whereas previously, under Hukuo ermu, the informants were party loyalists spying on political criminals. But what is interesting is that under the new Zhian ermu, most of the informants are themselves common criminals and apparently many of them are being paid by the local police as incentive for more information.* This system is not much different from what the above article is describing in South Korea, where people in economic need end up turning to informing as a means to earn money.

As cameras and surveillance equipment become more popular among the public, and economic incentives become stronger, the prospect of informing on someone, or god forbid even framing someone on a slow day, will increase. The long battle between security and crime prevention on the one hand and an individuals right to privacy on the other is only intensifying. The victim will likely be the healthy spirit that a community should engender. A healthy sense of altruism may be the solution.

* Toward a Government of the Contract: Policing in the Age of Reform, Michael Dutton in Crime, Punishment and Policing in China.

* Photos taken using a Canon EOS 1V and AFGA APX 100 film.