Failing nations, they spotted me and a dramatic low pass

I just finished reading 'Why nations fail'. A bit of a struggle I must admit.
If you are into history: read it. Bear in mind however that history is being told from a very Anglo-Saxon world-view. If that bothers you (like it did with me), still read it but try not to be too irritated by it. There is some good food for thought in the thesis they propose as to why nations fail. Summarised in one sentence it would be something line: extractive economic institutions that are structured to extract resources from the many by the few and are synergistically linked to extractive political institutions which concentrate power in the hands of few.
A bit of a mouthful isn't it (now you know why the read was such a struggle). But it does make some sense. Even though the authors say several times that prosperity is not eternal in a given nation, they do give the impression that in our western world we will prosper on for the next century. And that's what worries me. The authors seem not to have grasped the idea that established democracies with inclusive political and economic institutions can fail too (when they become too top-down heavy). If you want to understand really why nations fail and ignore the sort of colonial Anglo-Saxon speak of this book, I can recommend the very intelligent book 'The collapse of complex societies' by Tainter. I'm not going to spoil it for you by explaining here what it says, but if, no when!, you read it, you will better understand what is happening in our world today.










Since this Summer, the Belgian Airforce seems to have put a low level flying route above my village. It coincides with me starting this blog. Is the Belgian military keeping, NSA-wise, an eye on me ;-)? It is fun though, I used to watch Starfighters, Mirage V's and F-16's on low level flying above my parents place when I was a kid, and now they seem to have found me again! Well the F-16's at least... Just for fun a picture of an F-16 at the 20102 airshow in Beauvechain. Whenever I catch one above my house I'll post it as well.

Talking about low level flying... I came across some fascinating video's of low passes. I know what you are thinking: we've all seen it, all of us who fly have done it (admit it, it is fun). But these are just mind boggling. You remember that TAP A300 routine from a couple of years ago (see http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=26H-WzIe858)? That was impressive. Here is another one unknown to me before. This time a 747-300 from Aerosur, and honestly, when it banks away, it would have scared the living daylights out of me : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B6s0pBqIriw