The Costs of War: A response to the recent Canadian Forces press release re: "Canadian warplanes drop 240 smart bombs on Libya"

This is my response to the CP article found here.


The article recaps the Armed Forces press briefing in which it is revealed that "Canadian warplanes have dropped 240 laser-guided bombs on Libyan targets since March 31". The article goes on to say that "Military officials won't discuss how much those smart bombs cost taxpayers, or how much the entire mission has cost to date."


So naturally I started wondering about this, and began to speculate. So I began looking into it.


The "227-kilogram, laser-guided bombs" to which the article refers are most likely none other than the Enhanced Paveway II 500-pound GBU-49, which the Canadian Forces began using in 2009. Refer to this Raytheon press release.


Now, I had trouble finding a price tag for these things... I'm not exactly experienced in seeking out the prices for weapons... but I was eager to get some idea of just how much those 240 bombs have cost us over the past 26 days.


I couldn't find an official press release stating the exact price, but with the little time I've set aside for this, I was able to find this Danish article, which states: "The Tactical Air Command reports that around half of the ammunition used so far is 500-pound bombs of the GBU-49 type, which cost 300,000 kroner each."


I went to www.xe.com to see what that equates to in CAD. According to Mid-market rates as of 2011-05-25 21:01 UTC, 300,000.00 DKK = 55,388.22 CAD.


So, to put an approximate price tag on these 240 bombs dropped in the past 26 days:

240 x 55,388.22 CAD = 13,293,172.80 CAD



I admit that I don't have an authoritative source on the exact price of these bombs, but I hope that nonetheless this little note will give you an idea of just how much money is spent "behind the curtain" of war.

Sublime - New Realization (Cover by JB)

I can't stop playing this song over the past few days... so I decided to upload it. I wish I could get better quality from my laptop microphone, but this is the best it could offer. Nonetheless... enjoy!

The Prague Blog: Part 1, The Experience

How can I begin this blog, except by exclaiming, PRAGUE ROCKS!!!

Now that that's out of the way, let me tell you about my week long Prague experience. First of all, let me note that I chose to stay a week, instead of just a few days like many of the travellers I met there. There are many things you can see and taste in 3 days. If you were to search out some list of the top 10 spots in Prague, you could probably get pictures of all of them in 3 days. But...

If you really want to experience Prague, then you need to give it time to reveal itself to you. My experience became real for me on day 4 of the trip, which was one day after the dreaded Prague pub crawl, an essential part of any young tourist's visit. If that was the farthest one can get from the essence of Prague, my experience the next day was probably about the closest. I started the day off on facebook, where I began talking to a girl I met at the pub crawl. We decided we would meet for Czech food at lunch time. We found a beautiful restaurant in an old brewery building.

Drinking Pilsner Urquell, we order beef goulash with plain dumplings and bacon dumplings. Amazing food, completely cured any side affects of the previous absinthe-soaked evening. For the rest of the day, the heartiness of this meal spread to all of my impressions of Prague.

Afterwards we visited the Spanish Synagogue. The interior was beautifuly decorated with geometric designs and 'arabesques', but unfortunately we were asked not to take photos. You will have to visit for yourself. :)

After parting ways with my new friend, I went to an old church from the Twelfth Century. It is actually several chambers and a courtyard, which is near the Narodni Gallery. NOBODY was there, except for an employee at a gift shop at the end of a separating hall. I had the entire place to myself.

So I walked slowly through the halls and chambers, trying to feel the residual memories of almost a thousand years of human activity that has taken place within these walls. I set my jacket and camera aside, and sat down for meditation in the grandest chamber. Any small rustle of clothing would produce a loud and long echo, so I stayed silent. All alone, just me and this Bohemian princess from the 1200's. What a world.

After the peaceful repreive to my otherwise quick-paced and social experience of Prague, I went slowly walking until I reached the old city centre. I arrived just in time to hear the great astrological clock announce a new hour. It was already the fourth time I had seen the show. Beautiful, but I wonder how many of those crowded-in tourists noticed anything past the cameras they held over their eyes.

Here is a 500 year old clock that is in perfect working condition, and can tell you the position of the sun, the moon, the stars, and the day of the month. As a nearby guide pointed out... let me see your IPod function 500 years from now!

I ended the evening by spontaneously buying a ticket to see members of the Prague Symphony Orchestra perform a selection. The performance was a wonderful way to cap off a great day, and to really do the city justice. Here is a great cultural centre of the European world. It came as no surprise, therefore, that I found a comic-book bar to be my favorite evening hangout! The bar is called Batalion, and is covered in the comic artworks of Kaja Saudek. If you get a chance check it out. www.batalion.cz

What can I say after such a day but jsem šťastný (I am happy)! :)