Recent content by Staff Weenie

One would think that getting rid of their subs would be a high priority, for the potential damage they could do in the shallow/confined waters.

Any word on Iranian subs? They had a small number before all this started. Not sure how many were functional before the weekend, or how many have been destroyed already.

I wonder what level of readiness the Mercy & Comfort are kept at? Can they sail at the drop of a hat? Where are they in terms of refits/repairs/etc? Do they have a full load-out of equipment, food, and fuel? What about medical supplies that have a shorter shelf-life?

If the Americans had ground assets in number in the area, I would be very worried. Most of the medical staff on the hospital ships are actually Reservists - and extremely expensive to maintain, and they don't like being away from their private practice. That means the hospital ship is usually...

Still one of my absolute favourite SNL skits

The base was flared, but just not enough....

While any Reserve Field Ambulance would be happy to have another trained Paramedic, do what you want to do. Years ago there was a Family Physician who was a truck driver in a Reserve Service Battalion. He wanted something different, with less responsibility, and mostly "I always wanted to drive...

I work at CAF TG HQ, and I've seen thousands of medical release files over the years and the system is getting faster. The processes at DMEDPOL and DMCA are reducing the backlog, so the average timeline for a release is coming down from 3+ years. There are actually benefits to that - there are...

Two thoughts: a. Do you want to get treatment and recover, or do you just want a future bucket of cash? If you want to recover, then get into the clinic now - the longer you go untreated, the harder it is to ever fully recover. A future bucket of cash is pointless if your life is forever...

You still need to show proof of vaccination for entry into some countries - primarily Yellow Fever vaccination is required for entry to countries in Africa and Central/South America.

Amateurs - some time in 2006 or 2007, somebody who was retiring in Dec just before the break sent an email out to everyone in the address book noting their enjoyable career and wishing everyone the best. And of course, in full silly season festive mood, everyone hit reply all. Apparently that...

True, but the level of scrutiny is (in theory) much higher on serving personnel. Somebody who released over 20 years ago? We have no way of checking on their background. If they want to use the Trusted Traveler line, get a NEXUS card. If they want 15% off at MEC, use a VSC or CF1 card.

The VSC (NDI 75) is not official government ID - it does not meet Treasury Board Secretariat guidelines. CBSA no longer recognizes it for use in the Trusted Traveler Line - nor should they. The NEXUS card involves a background check, and the NDI 20 implies you have an Enhanced Reliability...

Replacement is coming - an app for smartphones will allow Cl A troops to sign in electronically (and supervisors verify electronically). I don't have much of any details, but it is coming.

So, open source media indicates that ~69 ostriches had already died of avian influenza on this farm (I'm guessing some sort of A(H5N1) clade variant is involved). This is a highly contagious virus. That is bad enough on its own merits, especially if you're a bird. However, A(H5N1) can jump to...