A Blog by the Editor of The Middle East Journal

Putting Middle Eastern Events in Cultural and Historical Context

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Random Thoughts on Vulcanism, Terrorism, and Pliny the Elder

We have said we got three major al-Qa‘ida figures in Iraq — the two top leaders of Al-Qa‘ida in the Land of the Two Rivers, and another senior honcho — but all our efforts in Iraq, however costly in irreplaceable human lives, have not cost the West financially as much as a bunch of Icelandic magma has.

Radical groups can kill people, but volcanoes, however few fatalities they may cause, can do a hell of a lot more destruction.

Oh, and while I'm erupting a little here, did you know that volcanologists or whatever they're called have a term "Plinian" derived from the fact that Pliny the Elder died in that Pompeii unpleasantness a while back? Neither did I, but since I doubt that many non-Latin-students read The Natural History today, I thought I'd mention it.

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