King of Zembla: Mercs and DVD's

The disaster in New Orleans is Topic A on every political blog, but if you are not yet afflicted with Katrina fatigue you should know that the bard of New Crobuzon, our eminent colleague China Mieville, is performing miraculous spadework at Lenin's Tomb, unearthing stories of startling puissance on what seems like an hourly basis. Two examples, both posted since our last visit yesterday morning:

1.) "In the unsentimental world of business there’s no cataclysm that’s not also an opportunity," writes Mieville, in noting an eerie similarity between Baghdad and New Orleans that Tom Engelhardt missed. The two ravaged cities are both swarming with mercenaries: It was the media who started it. Terrified for the safety of their correspondents among angry poor, NBC, CNN, CBS, ABC and others paid for ‘security services’ to escort them. In point of fact, rather than attacking the media, the 'bad people' of New Orleans, as Michael Brown, the head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency has vociferously complained, have instead had the disgraceful impertinence to complain to the journalists about being left to die, have sought out cameras and begged for help down the lenses. You could argue that separating yourself from your story with armed men might not be the best journalism, but whatever – NBC et al wanted some muscle on their side.