Raise the Hammer

A very interesting take on current affairs Michael!

Here is another take on the same topic from two years ago:

Let the games begin!

Does anyone know why the Coliseum was built? No, not the Copps, but the 'Flavian Amphitheatre' - "The Colosseum" or the 'Roman Coliseum'.

Was it one of the earlier examples of an Urban Rejuvenation Project to generate economic spin-offs? Or was it built from a much deeper political reasoning of the Flavian dynasty in times of great natural and man-made disasters?

The real intent behind building this massive structure for hosting -contests and public spectacles- in times of deep trouble may be buried deep amidst the ruins of the Flavian Palace at Palatine Hill in Rome.

The majestic ruins of these grand edifices leave us spellbound and wanting. We search for answers but can only speculate the intent of these grand gestures. Did the Flavians manage to leave behind for the coming generations a 'sustainable legacy'? Where there measurable 'economic spinoffs' for the near term? Or were the Flavians merely consuming themselves with the exercise of 'Will' and 'Power'? And are these majestic ruins - just the remnants of the proverbial 'shrinking skin'?

Closer to our times, while Andrew Stevens from London attempts to find answers to the big 'Stadium question' in the UK for the upcoming London Olympics in his article "2012 London Olympics to regenerate one of the poorest areas of the capital" -- a 2006 study by the European Tour Operators' Association (ETOA) leaves us puzzled with its scathing critique of the massive projected economic benefits and tourism revenues from hosting contests and public spectacles.

One can only wonder as to what kind of strategy did the Flavians develop to win over their scrappy East Enders to bring their vision for a 'sustainable legacy' to fruition, -- or what the nature of these ruins would have been -- had the Roman West Enders prevailed in channelizing the Flavian's investments into developing contemporary industries; nonpolluting urban factories; permanent sports villages; urban living solutions for rapidly changing demographics; and crippling student debt solutions in a jobless recovery... all relevant to the deep troubles they were really facing.

Posted by: Mahesh P. Butani | February 12, 2009