James Ham

Saying “no” to the Mongols could be a death sentence. The Mongol conqueror Hulegu wanted the Romans, the Byzantine “Empire of Nicaea,” to submit to the Mongols. In 1257 he sent the Romans an embassy requesting they bow to their rightful Mongol masters

Roman diplomatic genius was brought straight to work. In the words of Nicholas Morton: “Emperor Theodore II (Laskaris) responded to this deputation’s arrival with a shrewd piece of statecraft. When Hulegu’s representatives reached the border, rather than taking them straight to his court, Theodore ordered that they be brought to him by a long and meandering route in order to give a false impression of the size of the Empire of Nicaea. He also arranged for well-armed squadrons of soldiers to be stations along the road to give the impression that his empire could deploy huge numbers of troops.” Brilliant, I must say.

The Emperor thus found an amicable solution to the Mongol issue, they were basically a nominal Mongol client-state, though the Byzantines probably presented this more as an alliance of equals in their telling of it. They were treated better than some other than some other client states. In 1260, a treaty was finally ratified which secured the Roman lands from any Mongol threat. Theodore Laskaris, followed by Michael Palaiologos, were able to secure from this alliance the restoration of a Roman/“Greek” Patriarch in Antioch. Already the Crusader-state had submitted to Mongol overlordship.

That demonstrated that the Mongols valued and respected their Byzantines allies more than Antioch - imposing Roman demands on them. The Byzantines were using this alliance and nominal submission to great effect. Securing some concessions like that likely allowed them to feel like it was more of an alliance than submission, regardless of how the Mongols may have interpreted it. Both sides could take what they needed from it and present it favorably to their people.

The Empire of Nicaea had truly impressive leadership and statecraft - I can only imagine what those Emperors could have done in earlier eras with a greater Empire to work with! They punched above their weight.

Source: The Mongol Storm: Making and Breaking in the Medieval Near East by - It is a really cool book, I highly recommend it!

By on Twitter

Norway’s most terrifying road 😱

Brilliant idea

SHOCKS! NAKASAKAY KA NA BA SA GRABTAXI? TRENDING ANG NANGYARING ITO! ATING BASAHIN.....

"Fan ako ng Grab app. Like many people today, I find it extremely convenient and a lot safer than regular metered taxis. Their drivers in general are accommodating, respectful, and very easy to talk to.

Last night, I used Grab again from Gateway Cubao to Moriones, Tondo. After we dropped off my friend, at Quirino, we turned left to Pedro Gil so we could take the Roxas Blvd. route. Medyo madilim na yung kalyeng dinaanan namin, maliban sa mangilan-ngilang establisimyentong bukas pa ng hating-gabi. I was alone with the driver

I was pretending to look at my phone, but all my "danger sensors" were on high-alert because the Grab driver suddenly slowed down and said something that I wasn’t able to catch entirely. Basta ang naintindihan ko na lang, bababa raw siya.

`Di na ako nakapag-react kasi huminto na siya sa tabi ng isang bangketa. He took off his seatbelt and pulled something from his feet. It was a medium-sized brown bag.

At dahil nga nag-a-assume ako, napa-tawag ako bigla sa isang kaibigan. I was waiting for my friend to pick up but my gaze was fixed on the Grab driver as he got out of the car and strolled to the dark sidewalk. I was looking for something that would convince me that I was in trouble and that I needed to get out of there fast.

I was starting to get worried because My friend wasn’t picking up the call. Tumingin ako sa gawi ng windshield, nag-iisip na kung saan ako pwedeng tumakbo. When I turned my gaze back to the driver, I was confused by what I saw.

He was bending over a dark figure lying on the cold, slightly-wet pavement. I was wondering what on earth he was doing when the figure suddenly rose. It was an elderly woman sleeping on the sidewalk, I realized.

The old woman looked a little dazed from suddenly waking up from her sleep. The Grab Driver was telling her something as he pointed to the brown bag that I noticed was now placed in front of her. I was watching this interaction from inside the car, and the Grab driver had his back turned to me so I don’t really know what was being said. But I saw the old woman point at herself, probably asking, “Para sa akin?” And the Grab Driver replying to whatever she said with a nod. The sidewalk was dark and lonely, but the look on her face after that lit up the whole street. She smiled at the Grab driver and said something to him again. He said something too, waved goodbye to her, and quickly returned to the car.

By this time, all thoughts of gory news headlines and horrible viral Facebook stories in my head were gone. They were replaced with a bit of relief, and a lot of shock and embarrassment for the way I acted.

As he continued driving to our destination, I was silent for about a minute or two because I felt guilty that I had been so quick to judge. Though, I couldn’t help but probe a little about what he did. I asked him if he knew the old woman, and he answered no, it was the first time he saw her. I also asked what was inside the brown bag. He told me it was food.

“Ah…tirang pagkain mo, Kuya?”

“Ay, hindi po, Ma’am. Nagluluto po talaga kami minsan tapos ibinibigay po namin,” he replied.

“Kami? Sinong ‘kami’?”

“Yung mga tropa ko po at saka girlfriend ko.”

“Ginagawa n’yo talaga `to regularly?”

“Opo, madalas po. Hindi naman po laging-lagi, pero medyo madalas rin po. Nung birthday ko rin po nung January 30, nag-ganito rin po kami.”

He went on telling me how he and his friends would chip in money to buy and cook meals they would give out to homeless people on the streets. They also give used clothes and blankets, because as he said, that’s what they need especially now that it’s getting chilly at night. Sometimes, the whole group would ride with him and conduct the simple act of kindness when he wasn’t on driving-duty. Sometimes, it was just him.

I was sitting at the back so I couldn’t see his face, but as he told me about this one time they gave clothes to a homeless child along Roxas Blvd., I couldn't help but notice how his voice was filled with…joy.

“Alam n`yo po ba yung Ang Probinsiyano ni Coco Martin Ma’am ? Kilala nyo po si karakter ni Onyok? Naku, parang ganun yung isa dun sa grupo ng mga batang binigyan namin. Nakabusangot tapos pakamot-kamot pa ng ulo kasi wala daw kasya sa kanya dahil maliit siya,” he narrated, laughing heartily as he finished the story.

I looked at him thru the rearview mirror. He was young, maybe just a few years older than me (I’m 21). His friends and girlfriend, I assumed, were all about his age, too. Not many people, especially young people, would think about doing something like that without a reason or at least a story behind it. So I asked him who initiated the idea and what inspired them to do it.

“Ako po at saka yung girlfriend ko. Araw-araw kasi, magda-drive ka, makikita mo sila lalo na sa gabi na nakahiga sa bangketa. Madalas mga gutom, pero itinutulog na lang yung gutom nila. Kaya naisip naming gawin `to. Para at least, makatulong kaming malamnan yung mga tiyan nila kahit isang gabi lang," he said.

My heart swelled and I smiled to myself, silently thanking God for using them as instruments of His love. My respect for them went sky high. And just when I thought I couldn’t get any more impressed, he went on to say something that completely blew me away.

“Sabi ng marami, dapat yung mga ganun daw tinutulungan ng gobyerno,” he said while slightly shaking his head as if he find that thought a bit bizarre. “Naisip namin, bakit mo naman hihintayin pa ang gobyerno kung pwedeng ikaw mismo ang gumawa?”

After that, I wanted to give him and his group of friends a standing ovation. Sinong magsasabi ngayon na hindi na natin pwedeng asahan ang “pag-asa ng bayan”? These people belong to the current generation of Filipino youth, and look at what they’re doing: making a quiet change one meal and one piece of used clothing at a time.

So, a huge THANK YOU and a big SALUTE to you and your friends, Kuya CARLO SANTIAGO DIAZ! Special props to you for using your job as a Grab driver to perform these acts of kindness. People like you restore my faith in the goodness of humankind, so continue doing what you’re doing. Salamat at mabuhay ang mga tulad ninyong may malasakit sa kapwa at sa bayan!

I shared this experience because this is the kind of story I want people on social media to read. Because these stories make you realize that, yes, the world like that street we went to, may be filled with darkness. But there are always these little specks of light that breaks through....and they make all the difference." -Gelica M. Tulauan

HD Hyundai Delivers Bulker Designed to Operate "Without Engineer"

PUBLISHED AUG 25, 2023 1:03 AM BY THE MARITIME EXECUTIVE

HD Hyundai has delivered what it believes to be the first merchant ship with AI-enabled machinery monitoring and safety systems, which are designed to let the ship sail for extended voyages "without the help of a navigator, engineer, or deckhand."

The vessel is a newly-built 180,000 dwt bulker powered by LNG, and it is owned by H-Line Shipping. It is the first ship to be fitted with HD Hyundai's Integrated Condition Diagnosis Solution (HiCBM) and Integrated Safety Control Solution (HiCAMS). These systems are designed to diagnose equipment faults in real time and "automatically recognize emergencies," like shipboard fires.

HiCBM monitors and manages large, core equipment like main engines, auxiliaries, compressors and pumps. It uses artificial intelligence to detect signs of failures in advance. HiCAMS uses onboard CCTV video feeds and artificial intelligence to watch for safety-related events in real time.

The two systems address a less-discussed challenge of autonomous, unmanned shipping. Navigation automation systems have been created and trialed by many competing technology companies, including HD Hyundai, and have proven a high degree of functionality. With the right autonomous-navigation technology, the vessel can drive itself, and the bridge team can be relocated to a remote monitoring center.

However, for longer over-the-horizon voyages, the equipment-maintenance and emergency-response functions of a human crew have yet to be automated. Monitoring systems that "play the role of an AI crew member" are a step in that direction.

"With the commercialization of this engine automation solution, we are one step closer to the era of the world's first 'unmanned ship' in the field of large merchant ships," said HD Hyundai in a statement.

"The advent of the era of autonomous ships based on artificial intelligence and digital technology is inevitable," added HD Korea Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering Executive Director Kwon Byeong-hun.
compman
source : The Maritime Executive

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