If history repeats: 3 perils

.................................................... -1- China Turns Aggressive
The Vikings were neither the first nor last peoples to turn from trading with others to conquering them. Indeed, history indicates it is almost axiomatic that trade partners end up warring with each other: "First we trade, and then we fight."
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Before World War I, the economies of Britain, France and Germany were largely dependent on trade -- somewhere between a third and a half of total gross domestic product for each. Much of that trade was with one another. It led some turn-of-the-century theorists to argue that the nations' growing economic interdependence would make war obsolete.
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They were wrong. - James Carafano: Trade is no substitute for strong defense, January 25, 2010.
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.................................................... -2- U.S. Lawyers Gone Bad
Attorney Scott W. Rothstein ( Nova Southeastern University's Law School – J.D., 1988) this morning pleaded guilty to all five counts against him in what prosecutors have described as South Florida’s largest investment scam totaling $1.2 billion.
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Rothstein agreed to forfeit the entire $1.2 billion, including 24 parcels, luxury cars, boats, jewelry, sports memorabilia, business interests and bank accounts, much of which had been auctioned off on Saturday.
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Since last May, Rothstein is the sixth lawyer to be convicted of/plead guilty to a major financial crime. - Lawyer Kickers pro bono: In the Public's Benefit - Installment 2010-1, January 27, 2010.
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.................................................... -3- Venezuelan Energy Crisis Spreads
History always seems to find a way of repeating itself: The Power of Operation Blackcurrant
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Older past members of the Submarine Service will well remember this period for the discomfort in working in sub-zero temperatures in the strong draught of cold air required by a submarine’s diesel engines, which, connected to the boat’s generators, provided this useful reinforcement to the country’s energy supplies. - Ron Cox: The cold winter of 1946-47 was made worse by the frequent breakdown of the country's power stations, January 8, 2010.
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Submarines are always silent and strange.