From: John Conover <john@email.johncon.com>
Subject: forwarded message from John Conover
Date: Tue, 15 Apr 1997 01:35:53 -0700
Interestingly, the attached is similar to "the shot heard around the
world," when the Arch Duke Ferdinand was shot starting WWI, (a
strictly fractal scenario.) In the original drama, the shooting of
Ferdinand was a comedy of errors, (except to Ferdinand,) that
escalated, in a cumulative sum agenda to WWI, changing the course of
history.
After WWI, Albania resumed its normal disposition of nobody knowing
where it was, (it is next to Yugoslavia-or at least that is where it
used to be, until no one knew where Yugoslavia is,) at least until the
opening of WWII, where the drama continues.
Albania, was invaded by the Italians on 7 April, 1939, (then, on 3
August, 1940, the Italians invade British Somaliland, but no one knows
why,) and on 9 December, 1940, Greek forces counterattack, forcing the
Italians out of Greece, and into Albania, (but no one knows why.)
However, on 27 March, 1941, a coup by Servian officers replaces the
pro-German Yugoslav government with a neutral one, (with apparently
good reason-which has been lost to history,) and Germany decides to
invade, (presumably for strategic reasons, which no one can figure
out.)
After the WWII conflict is resolved, (well, sort of, but everyone
thought it was at the time,) Tito in Yugoslavia was installed as a
problem child, (infant terrible,) for Stalin, and so was a communist
government for Albania, which survived until communism didn't.
Just to put the attached into historical perspective for you ...
John
BTW, the above is a "play" on things fractal. (Actually, Albania is
making a comeback, after being preempted by things in the Middle
Eastern fractal scenario.) My favorite political fractal example is
G. Washington. It seems that he was a young officer in charge of
French troops doing some surveying stuff-making roads, or something,
through the then French held tobacco plantations in the New World-the
British were, at that time, well ... poachers in the French held
section of the New World. Washington, et al, ran upon some Indians,
which they took prisoner. Do to Washington's lack of
leadership-depending on who is telling the story-one of the Frenchman
shot an Indian, (no one knows why.) Naturally, the Indians addressed
the situation with disdain, and organized-creating the Indian wars-to
make a long story short. The British, showing concern for the tobacco
and cotton annuity revenue stream sent the army in to address the
Indian situation, militarily. But this was expensive, (and the Crown
was engaged in an ego trip with the Spanish at the time, don't
forget,) so a tax was levied in the American colonies to amortize the
cost of the military escapade to the Crown-which, not surprisingly,
didn't sit well with the colonies, who promptly rebelled. After a
short drama, (relative to the scheme of wars in those days,) the
Americans won, (how, nobody knows, but it made lots of nice stuff for
history texts.) Then, since it was such a good idea, the rebellion was
exported to France, (via, one B. Franklin, printer and rebellion
exporter extraordinare,) ending in, to make a long story short, the
collapse of France, (not to mention M. Antoinette.)
So, the current context of world affairs was determined by the
shooting of an Indian, bottom line, (not to mention the lack of
control and leadership of one G. Washington, in his early career, for
which he is notorious,) which, ultimately, led to the transformation
of the US from a rural society to a world power, during the time from
1932 to 1945.
(For more details, check any modern text in political science, where
the above is "boiler plate," usually in the first chapter. Also, it is
described in the PBS series, "Chaos," which was aired last year. Is it
satire? Astonishingly, most political satire pokes fun at the fractal
nature of things. True? You be the judge ...)
------- start of forwarded message (RFC 934 encapsulation) -------
Message-ID: <"8q5Il1.0.uX4.KEoKp"@netcom20>
From: John Conover <conover@netcom.netcom.com>
To: John Conover <john@email.johncon.com>
Subject: Italian-Led Force Steams Toward Albania
Date: Mon, 14 Apr 1997 19:01:07 PDT
TIRANA (Reuter) - More than 1,000 Italian, French and
Spanish troops were on their way to Albania Tuesday, preparing
to land from sea and air in a nation racked by armed anarchy.
The main landing force of foreign soldiers was due to begin
arriving at dawn in the port city of Durres, where 450 French
troops were set to disembark at 6 a.m. (0400 GMT) followed by
another 350 Italian and 250 Spanish soldiers.
A group of 150 Italian paratroopers was expected to land at
Tirana airport on six military aircraft. A total of about 6,000
troops from eight nations will arrive during the next two weeks
on a mission to safeguard humanitarian aid convoys.
``This operation is not only a test of the European
identity, but it is also an important investment to strengthen
Albania's relations with the family of nations in Europe,'' said
Albania's Foreign Minister Arjan Starova.
The Balkan country's armed insurrection has claimed nearly
300 lives, with tens of thousands of weapons ending up in the
hands of mafias and ordinary Albanians after raids on abandoned
state armouries.
Although a strictly enforced 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfew has
helped Albania restore a semblance of order in recent weeks,
hardly a day passes without incidents of violence.
Heavy exchanges of gunfire rattled Tirana Tuesday evening
and security near government buildings was tighter than usual.
Police killed an escaped convict Monday in a shootout in the
southeastern town of Bilisht. The man had shot and wounded two
police officers and a third person.
In the northern town of Shkoder, a gunman shot dead a
hospital patient during the patient's emergency surgery for
gunshot wounds, the Albanian news agency ATA said.
As the troops on the U.N.-backed mission sailed toward
Albania, U.N. and Red Cross officials in Tirana warned that the
country's poor were desperately in need of food. One in 10
Albanians were in need of humanitarian aid, they said.
The U.N. World Food Program planned to deliver a shipment to
the town of Albasan as soon as it arrived in Durres on Tuesday.
More than 400 tonnes of wheat flour, beans and vegetable oil was
expected at the same time the troops are due.
Admiral Guido Venturoni, Italy's defense chief of staff and
overall commander of the eight-nation force, said in Rome the
troops would use force if necessary to defend themselves.
``Force will be used only when it is indispensable,''
Venturoni said after a final planning meeting in Rome of
diplomats and military experts from the eight nations.
But Venturoni said the soldiers would not stand by and do
nothing if they witnessed violence against individuals, as
United Nations peacekeepers at times had to do in Bosnia.
``They will have the right to use force...to protect people
from serious criminal acts,'' Venturoni said.
Greece, Turkey, Austria, Denmark and Romania are also
contributing soldiers to the mission.
The western port of Durres, 40 km (25 miles) west of Tirana,
and the capital itself are two of the three bridgeheads for the
operation, which has U.N. Security Council approval.
The third is the southern port of Vlore, in rebel hands
since an armed uprising erupted last month following the
collapse of fraudulent savings schemes.
The admiral said plans to deploy troops in Vlore entirely by
sea had been changed because of unfavourable port conditions.
Troops would now secure Vlore by land and sea as the mission
unfolded.
Contingents will gradually be deployed throughout Albania,
with bases in 10 towns from Shkoder in the north to the port of
Sarande in the south from where they will patrol key transport
routes to ensure the distribution of aid.
Herve Gourmelon, spokesman for the French military, told
journalists in Durres Monday evening that the transport ship
Orage would arrive at 6 a.m. (0400 GMT). Some 450 French troops,
six tanks and four helicopters would be unloaded, he said.
``We have to make safe the access road from Durres to
Tirana,'' Gourmelon said. ``This country is safe in some places,
not that safe in others.''
Franz Vranitzky, Europe's mediator of the Organization for
Security and Cooperation (OSCE), was due in Tirana to meet
Albanian Prime Minister Bashkim Fino, President Sali Berisha and
other officials Wednesday, an OSCE spokeswoman in Vienna said.
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John Conover, john@email.johncon.com, http://www.johncon.com/