12. oktober 2003

SPQR on every continent Anybody interested in world history will sometimes wonder how events would have unveiled if there was a slight change, if one battle had ended differently, if an important person had died prematurely. Some people take the alternative reality very far, writing novels or alternative history books of what could have been. One episode of Neil Gaiman's Sandman epic, August from Fables and Reflections, had me wondering how the Roman empire could have lasted for quite a bit longer than it actually did. As he points out, when Augustus (picture) was succeeded by Tiberius ("our divine rulers have, since then, been successively evil, mad, foolish, and - now - all three."), that was a start of a slow downwards spiral that only could end in collapse. The succession of inept and crazy rulers (occasionally, I believe by accident, punctuated for a time by able emperors like Trajan) is a good demonstration that bloodline succession is a recipe for disaster for lasting empire building. The later de facto rulership of the elite praetorian guard, who appointed and deposed emperors at whim, sometimes literally for payment, was even worse. Yet, the Roman empire did last for four centuries. Now, what if the Republic had been restored, reasonably successfully, in the Roman empire in the first century? Could anything have matched the Roman empire's power or hinder its continued expansion? Is there a possibility that eventually, the Roman empire could encompass the entire planet? One could also speculate that in the intellectual climate inspired by Greek philosophy, coupled with near-universal literacy, the development of capitalism and the industrial revolution would have happened much earlier, leading from archaic republic to real democracy. Maybe the massive technological progress in the 19th and 20th centuries would have happened a millennium earlier, but under a reasonably stable Pax Romana. The again, without aggressive competition between nations, maybe the explosive technological progress brought about by the industrial revoltion could not have happened at all. 11:32:39 PM    comment []  trackback []

Career opportunities in Iraq The security situation in Iraq may scare away foreign investors and workers, but it provides many work opportunities for former special forces operatives. This article reveals that a number of former British servicemen, including veterans of the world's best special forces the SAS, have been taking well-paid jobs of protecting key personell in Iraq. I know the British armed forces take a very grim view of their people turning up as mercenaries in trouble spots (in fact, the British army has a clear, if unstated, policy of executing captured mercenaries on the spot), but obviously legitimate security work is acceptable. James Blount, 45, the country manager for Control Risks, has been in Iraq for three months and set up the company's office in Baghdad. "Iraq today is a high-risk environment but that doesn't mean that it is a place where you can't operate. If you manage the risks, businessmen can function. "Our aim is to enable our clients to get safely from A to B and to keep them secure in their working and sleeping environments. Our aim is to be discreet and low key: not to have 140 guys patrolling the streets of Baghdad as though they were auditioning for Terminator 4. If there is a problem, we seek to avoid any confrontation and to get the client away from danger as quickly as possible." According to the article, as many as one hundred former SAS men are currently in Iraq working for private security providers. In addition comes former soldiers from the navy equavalent the SDS, former police officers, and one can only imagine how many former special forces servicemen from the US and other countries are involved. Security is a veritable growth industry in Iraq. 9:12:50 PM    comment []  trackback []

Voter revolt Some better perspectives on the California recall election beyond the usual patronising "Californians are crazy" we can read all around the world. Should politicians elsewhere take the warning? You bet. And the reference to "star power," while certainly relevant to Schwarzenegger winning, is really a red herring to the larger issues. 8:14:34 PM    comment []  trackback []

Laser-powered plane It's not an original idea to contemplate shooting down planes with a laser, but NASA has just tested a prototype plane that is powered with a laser from the ground, in theory keeping a plane in the air indefinately. An invisible laser gives the plane the power it needs to stay in the air, and also powers instruments on board, making the laser-powered plane very useful for both suervaiilance and communications. Such planes could, for example, be airborne cells for mobile phones or other communication systems, for cable TV or Internet. I am sure the military could think up some applications too. 4:17:54 PM    comment []  trackback []

Arafat's health Yasser Arafat's health has been discussed a lot lately. Earlier, the Guardian said he had suffered a mild heart attack, which was denied by the Palestinian Authority. Time says he has a stomach cancer, again denied. What is pretty obvious is that the 74 year old leader has not been in good health lately, and not many people are that convinced he just suffered from a flu (though that too can be serious enough for an old man). So, without starting to dig his grave just yet, what follows after Arafat? His death would surely provide a new chance in getting a Palestinian leadership untainted by past and present terror. Then again, it may result in a total disintegration of the Palestinian pseudo-state, possible civil war. Then again,  a new leader may emerge that is not that different from Arafat. 12:38:59 PM    comment []  trackback []

More than half of British Anglicans back gay vicars A poll released by the Sunday Telegraph revealed that a majority of British churchgoers backed gay priests. An ICM survey of 500 regular churchgoers, commissioned by The Telegraph, found that 52 per cent of those questioned supported the idea that active homosexuals should be ordained. An even greater number - 69 per cent - supported the admission of non-practising homosexuals into the clergy. However, the study also showed that of the minority who were opposed, many were violently so. A fourth of the polled said they would not attend services by a gay vicar, some of them even saying they would leave the Anglican church altogether. It would be interesting to see how the respondents break down by age. 11:09:03 AM    comment []  trackback []

$87,000,000,000 It is hard to imagine how much $87bn, the amount Bush has requested from Congress for the war on terror and restoration of Iraq for next year, really is. Now, how large a stack of $1 bills would it be? Try to visualise it, and then look at the answer here. 12:40:51 AM    comment []  trackback []

© Copyright 2003 Jan Haugland. Last update: 01.11.2003; 03:19:19.