ROMAN ARCH BRIDGE

Three years ago I chose this image of the Roman Arch Bridge at Alcantara, Spain as a symbol for my business. This bridge was constructed between 104 and 106 AD by order of the Roman Emperor Trajan. On the archway over the central pier there is an inscription:


PONTEM PERPETUI MANSURUM IN SAECULA

I have built a bridge which will last forever.


The Alcántara Bridge is a combat veteran; it has in fact taken more damage from war than from the elements. The Moors destroyed the smallest arch on the left side in 1214. This was rebuilt in 1543 with stone from the original quarries. The second arch on the right side was destroyed by the Spanish to stop the Portuguese, and was repaired in 1762 by Charles III, only to be blown up again in 1809 to stop the French. Temporary repairs made in 1819 were replaced in 1860 with mortared masonry

A stylized version of the Alcántara Bridge appears on my letterheads and business paperwork, along with the Latin motto:

Vires Quod Veneratio

"Strength and Honor"



Why the Arch? To me the Arch symbolizes strength, teamwork and cooperation, and a concept of the services I provide - security consulting and technical solutions to challenges faced in military combat.

• The arch is a very strong structure that spans a space while supporting weigh, and yet no single spot holds all the weight.

• The Romans did not invent the arch, but exploited the concept in their prolific architecture, together with a construction material they did invent; cement. 

•  An arch requires all of its elements to hold it together.

The Roman Arch also symbolizes inspiration from the Ancients of the Classical Era, whom I frequently consult for wisdom and guidance.


SEAN LINNANE SENDS



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RUSSIA HOLDS US HUMVEEs AS WAR TROPHIES

Russia Holds US Humvees as Trophies - Associated Press - 05 August 2009

MOSCOW -- A top Russian general says Russia has no intention of returning U.S. HumVees that Russian soldiers seized during the brief war with Georgia a year ago.
Deputy chief of the General Staff Anatoly Nogovitsyn says Russia considers the four Humvees to be war trophies and thus has no obligation to give them back.
Nogovitsyn told reporters Wednesday that Russia considered the subject closed.
The U.S. vehicles were seized in western Georgia. They had been used in joint military exercises in which U.S. trainers were preparing Georgian troops for deployment in Iraq.

This is par for the course; during the Cold War Russia stole military technology - and everything else - from us like it was going out of style, then they'd make such low-end Socialist copies it was pathetic. The Lada is Fiat rip-off and the Ural motorcycle is a WWII-era BMW.

Nowadays the Russian mafia steals whatever they want in the US and other countries - cars, trucks and even motorcycles - then they load it all in shipping containers and ship them to Russia via St. Petersburg and Finland where the Politburo gives them new titles: viola, legal property. I've seen cars from the US that still have American dealership stickers tooling down the road in Eastern Europe.

As so often happens with Russian technology, we will soon see this latest advancement of their military weaponry - a Russian Tactical Vehicle identical to the HumVee - appear in the next big May Day parade and other any photo ops they can conjure up.