Blog Smith

Blog Smith is inspired by the myth of Hephaestus in the creation of blacksmith-like, forged materials: ideas. This blog analyzes topics that interest me: IT, politics, technology, history, education, music, and the history of religions.

Saturday, March 23, 2019

New Books in Religion and Society: Hinduism, Pariah Problem

The so called “Pariah Problem” emerged in public consciousness in the 1890s in India as state officials, missionaries and “upper”caste landlords, among others, struggled to understood the situation of Dalits (those subordinated populations once called untouchables). In The Pariah Problem: …
November 2, 2016 at 6:00 AM
15.1 MB (Audio)

Friday, March 22, 2019

Religions of the Ancient Middle East: Paul

This inaugural episode in series 1 (Paul and his communities) uses incidental autobiographical references in Paul’s letters as an avenue into the study of Paul, his letters, and early Christian groups (approx. 27 minutes).
Podcast 1.1: Paul in his own words (mp3; archive.org page with various downloading options here).
Download audio file (podcast1Paulinhisownwords.mp3)
You may subscribe to this and subsequent episodes through iTunes or another podcatcher.
October 5, 2007 at 3:56 PM
30.3 MB (Audio)

Thursday, March 21, 2019

Emperors of Rome: Episode I Early Years of Julius Caesar

How do Caesar’s formative years shape his decisions in years to come and impact on the Roman Empire?

Dr Rhiannon Evans (Ancient Mediterranean Studies, La Trobe University) and host Matt Smith discuss what we know about Caesar’s early life, his entry into the military and his encounter with pirates.
March 28, 2014 at 12:15 AM
12.1 MB (Audio)

Wednesday, March 20, 2019

Emperors of Rome: Q&A

We put out a call to the audience for questions and you responded! Here are our answers.
March 12, 2015 at 1:59 AM
17.1 MB (Audio)

Monday, March 18, 2019

Emperors of Rome: Episode XX Aggripina the Younger

Agrippina the Younger was well connected in Rome - the sister of emperor Caligula, the wife of Claudius and the mother of Nero, she was at the centre of power for many years - and some say she held it herself.
March 8, 2015 at 8:06 PM
21.8 MB (Audio)

Christchurch Jihadi Islamist Mosque

christchurch-mosque-jihad-terror

Philadelphia Mosque Child Marriages

child-marriags-philly-mosque.html

Sunday, March 17, 2019

Democratic Socialism

Crowder

Saturday, March 16, 2019

Learning Methodology Wars: ADDIE vs. SAM vs. AGILE

Learning Methodologies

https://www.td.org/Publications/Blogs/L-and-D-Blog/2015/04/Methodology-Wars

Thursday, March 14, 2019

BBC4 In Our Time, Religion: The Salem Witch Trials

Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the outbreak of witch trials in Massachusetts in 1692-3, centred on Salem, which led to the execution of twenty people, with more dying in prison before or after trial. Some were men, including Giles Corey who died after being pressed with heavy rocks, but the majority were women. At its peak, around 150 people were suspected of witchcraft, including the wife of the governor who had established the trials. Many of the claims of witchcraft arose from personal rivalries in an area known for unrest, but were examined and upheld by the courts at a time of mass hysteria, belief in the devil, fear of attack by Native Americans and religious divisions.

With

Susan Castillo-Street
Harriet Beecher Stowe Professor Emerita of American Studies at King's College London

Simon Middleton
Senior Lecturer in American History at the University of Sheffield

And

Marion Gibson
Professor of Renaissance and Magical Literatures at Exeter University, Penryn Campus.

Producer: Simon Tillotson.
November 26, 2015 at 6:35 AM
41.7 MB (Audio)

Wednesday, March 13, 2019

Tuesday, March 12, 2019

Obama Collusion with Clinton

In newly released transcripts, FBI witnesses assert that Obama’s Department of Justice deliberately refused to prosecute any crime against Hillary Clinton. The Washington Examiner reports:
Former FBI lawyer Lisa Page testified last year that officials in the bureau, including then-FBI Director James Comey, discussed Espionage Act charges against Hillary Clinton, citing “gross negligence,” but the Justice Department shut them down.
Newly released transcripts from Page’s private testimony in front of a joint task force of the House Judiciary and Oversight committees in July 2018 sheds new light on the internal discussions about an investigation into Clinton’s emails. This goes back to the FBI’s “Midyear Exam” investigation, which looked into whether Clinton committed crimes when she sent and received classified information on her unauthorized private email server while serving as secretary of state.
Comey cleared Clinton of all charges in a press conference on July 5, 2016.
Page told the committee that the FBI “did not blow over gross negligence.” Responding to a question from Rep. John Ratcliffe, R-Texas, Page testified the FBI, including Comey, believed Clinton may have committed gross negligence. “We, in fact — and, in fact, the Director — because, on its face, it did seem like, well, maybe there’s a potential here for this to be the charge. And we had multiple conversations, multiple conversations with the Justice Department about charging gross negligence,” she said.
Beyond instigating the Russian collusion falsehood, Obama’s DOJ is now implicated in deliberate corruption to protect one of their own. Will justice be served?

Recycling

You may know that recycling is a widespread practice in Germany, but how exactly does it work? Mechthild Stein tells us what type of garbage goes in which bin, and also explains how different types of garbage are dealt with in Heidelberg.
April 24, 2016 at 12:00 AM
28 MB (Video)

Monday, March 11, 2019

Prepositions

Yabla's own Diane reviews which prepositions are used when, and what case they require of the noun that follows.
April 19, 2016 at 12:00 AM
52.5 MB (Video)

Sunday, March 10, 2019

Fire Equipment Part 2

Volunteer firefighter Michael Morano shows us the equipment the fire department in Heidelberg uses to save car crash victims trapped in their vehicles.
April 3, 2016 at 12:00 AM
35.9 MB (Video)

Saturday, March 9, 2019

Fire Equipment

Volunteer firefighter Michael Morano describes the structure of the fire department in the city of Heidelberg and shows us the equipment on board a fire engine. He then discusses the advancements in technology that help put out fires quickly and efficiently.
March 21, 2016 at 12:00 AM
41.8 MB (Video)

Friday, March 8, 2019

Apple Pancakes

Alina and Sabine show us how to make apple pancakes — German style!
March 13, 2016 at 12:00 AM
18.5 MB (Video)

Thursday, March 7, 2019

Emperors of Rome: Episode XIX - Nero the Youngest Emperor

At the age of 17, Nero is the youngest Emperor yet. Through influence and guidance he takes Rome through what is called ‘five good years’, but it isn’t going to last.
March 1, 2015 at 8:30 PM
13.4 MB (Audio)

Wednesday, March 6, 2019

Emperors of Rome: Episode XVIII - The Life of Claudius

Claudius brings his own style to the emperor which makes him enemies in both his family and the senate.
February 16, 2015 at 3:14 AM
17.3 MB (Audio)

Tuesday, March 5, 2019

Emperors of Rome: Episode XVII Claudius Conquers Britainnia

The new emperor Claudius has a strong grounding as a scholar, but little experience as a soldier. He turns his attention to a land that has remained virtually untouched since Caesar's time: Britannia.
February 9, 2015 at 12:07 AM
11 MB (Audio)

Monday, March 4, 2019

Emperors of Rome: Episode XVI Claudius the Unlikely Emperor

With Caligula's brief rule leaving the Julio-Claudians in a sorry state, there isn't much of the imperial family left to become emperor. The title goes to his uncle Claudius mostly be default.
February 2, 2015 at 1:54 AM
12.8 MB (Audio)

Sunday, March 3, 2019

TargetX, NACAC

Brian interviews Jeff Kallay, Co-Founder and Principal of Render Experiences and Derek Luther, Regional Vice President at TargetX on the Exhibit Hall Floor at the 72nd Annual NACAC Conference in Columbus, Ohio.
For more information about Render Experiences, visit http://www.renderexperiences.com.
www.renderexperiences
For Eric Hoover's article "The People Who Deliver Your Students" visit http://www.chronicle.com/article/The-People-Who-Deliver-Your/237819
The-People-Who-Deliver-Your
For more information about Dave Evans, Senior Admissions Representative at Harvard University, visit http://www.thecrimson.com/article/2005/10/17/from-sharecroppers-son-to-colleges-gatekeeper/
And finally, to get Brian's curated higher education news every day, visit http://www.targetx.com/industry
September 28, 2016 at 12:00 PM
16.8 MB (Audio)

Saturday, March 2, 2019

TargetX, Chegg

Brian talks with Gil Rogers, the Director of Enrollment Marketing at Chegg. We talk about admissions technology, the Social Admissions Report co-developed by Chegg and TargetX, and how colleges who may not have a household name can break out and become recognized and considered for enrollment.
To download the Chegg/TargetX Social Admissions Report, go to http://edu.chegg.com/downloads
September 21, 2016 at 12:00 PM
30.1 MB (Audio) of

Friday, March 1, 2019

TargetX, Embry Riddle

Brian talks with Bryan Dougherty, the Dean of Enrollment Management at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. We focus on the importance of student engagement from acceptance through to enrollment - or "yield" as it's called in higher ed.  Bryan shares how Embry-Riddle utilizes the SchoolsApp mobile platform to give these students the means of connecting with each other and with the institution.
To read more client success stories, visit http://www.targetx.com/casestudies
September 14, 2016 at 12:00 PM
29.2 MB (Audio)

Thursday, February 28, 2019

TargetX, University of Texas, San Antonio

Brian talks with Oscar Ferreiro about how he’s been able to automate various processes to help make the recruiting and admissions effort at UTSA more efficient. Brian also discusses the need to review business processes now that colleges have access to new, innovative technologies.
To learn more about TargetX's new Enrollment Process Consulting services, contact TargetX at sales@targetx.com. If you need assistance in assessing, redesigning and even coaching through all of the changes needed to be successful today, TargetX can help.  With new enrollment business process consulting services by TargetX, we can help you align your goals with your people and process with your technology more effectively than ever before.
If you’d like to learn more about the exciting change happening at other colleges across the country, you can download a variety of case studies, on the TargetX website at targetx.com/casestudies.
September 7, 2016 at 12:00 PM
13.9 MB (Audio)

Wednesday, February 27, 2019

Conservatives, Republican Party, and Trump

opinion/conservatives-republicans-trump

TargetX, Community College

Brian interviews two experts in the community college market, Fran Cubberley, Vice President of Enrollment Management at Delaware County Community College and Mickey Baines from Fourth Dimension Partners, specialist in adult-focused programs.
To register for an upcoming webinar provided by TargetX, visit targetx.com/webinars where you can also view previously recorded online events as well.
For more information on the 4 Disciplines of Execution mentioned in this podcast, visit the4disciplinesofexecution.com
the4disciplinesofexecution
October 26, 2016 at 6:09 PM
28.1 MB (Audio)

www.fourthdimensionpartners

Tuesday, February 26, 2019

Brian Niles, TargetX

Brian interviews long-time higher education administrator, Jim Hundrieser, the Associate Managing Principal at the Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges. Jim's association helps colleges build stronger and more diversified business models, identify revenue opportunities, review current practices to streamline operations and embed these opportunities into institutional strategic plans. Jim also gives us the motivation to track our gratitude daily with an added twist.
If you’d like to learn more about the exciting change happening at other colleges across the country, you can download a variety of case studies, on the TargetX website at targetx.com/casestudies.
Also register for an upcoming webinar at targetx.com/webinars.
And make sure you like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter and Instagram. Just search for TargetX on your favorite social network. Thank you again for joining us this week on the Add Drop podcast.
October 19, 2016 at 12:00 PM
26.8 MB (Audio)

Monday, February 25, 2019

Doctorate Business Administration

http://www.gradschools.com/programs/business-administration-management

http://www.gradschoolhub.com/best/doctoral-programs-in-business/

http://www.topmanagementdegrees.com/rankings/best-doctorate-in-business-management-2016/

http://bestbizschools.aacsb.edu/doctorate/programs/dba

UCLA Students Sign Petition to Put Conservatives in Concentration Camps

UCLA

Is Harvard Racist?

harvard-racist/

Harvard University’s admissions policy is proof that one can remember negative history, write about it in great and vivid detail, and still be doomed to repeat it. In the name of “affirmative action” and “diversity,” Harvard is doing to Asian-American applicants exactly what it once did to Jewish applicants: discriminate. Lee Cheng explains.

Can you imagine, in this day and age, an educational institution discriminating against a racial minority? Can you imagine what the outcry would be?

"You mean, you're preventing these qualified students from attending your college because of the color of their skin?!"

Well, you don't have to imagine it. It's happening. And at arguably the most prestigious college in America--my alma mater, Harvard.

The ethnic minority isn't blacks or Jews, as it was in years past. The target this time is Asian Americans.

And it's just as wrong.

After millions of dollars in legal fees, millions of records examined, and hundreds of hours of depositions and testimony, Harvard's once purposely opaque admissions policies have been laid bare.

It's not a pretty picture.

Here's what we now know:

Harvard Admissions rates student applicants in three main ways: 1) Academic performance; 2) Extra-curricular achievements; 3) "Personal qualities." That's fine, as far as it goes, if the criteria were applied fairly. But they're not.

Asian American applicants consistently score higher in the first two criteria--academics and extra-curricular activities, which can be objectively assessed--than white students, Latinos and African Americans.

So how does Harvard justify its Asian American quota? With the help of category three--"personal qualities," which include vague and largely subjective factors like "likability," "maturity," "integrity," and "effervescence."

According to Harvard's own internal reports, Asian American applicants are routinely and systematically marked much lower on this personality scale by Harvard admissions officers who almost never meet or interview applicants. But here's the kicker: the personality ratings given to Asian students by admissions officers are vastly different than the personality ratings Harvard gets from its own alumni interviewers, who actually meet the applicants in person. Alumni interviewers score Asian applicants as high as whites.

In other words, Harvard artificially and fraudulently downgrades Asians on "personality" to get the results it wants. And what Harvard wants is to suppress the number of Asian Americans admitted.
Based on the data that Harvard was forced to turn over, economist Peter Arcidiacono of Duke University concluded that with the same application profile in terms of test scores, extracurricular activities and personality factors, an Asian American male applicant would only have a 25% chance of admission--versus 32% if white, 77% if Hispanic, and 95% if black.

What's the real-life result of all this?

In 2013, Asian Americans made up 19% of the incoming freshmen class. According to Harvard's own Office of Institutional Research, if the personality factors had not been rigged, that percentage would have been 43%.

Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 guarantees that "No person in the United States shall, on the ground of race, color or national origin, be excluded from participation in, or be denied benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving federal financial assistance."
Each year, Harvard takes hundreds of millions of dollars from the federal government.

In Grutter v. Bollinger, the Supreme Court upheld the University of Michigan Law School's affirmative action policies, deciding that race could be used as a "plus factor" to achieve diversity, but never as a quota. Yet, by placing strict limits on the percentage of Asian American applicants it will admit, racial quotas are exactly what Harvard is using.

One strongly suspects this quota system isn't limited to Harvard. In the last ten years, Asian American students have been limited to an 18-22% presence across the Ivy League. Or maybe that's just a coincidence.

Writing for the majority in Grutter v. Bollinger in 2003, Justice Sandra Day O'Connor wrote that the Court "expects that 25 years from now, the use of racial preferences will no longer be necessary to further the interest approved today."

With less than a decade to go, the Ivy League shows no indication that it's giving up on those racial preferences. Instead, these colleges have doubled down. Objective standards regarding admissions continue to be increasingly disfavored as the illegal goal of racial balancing is advanced. This racial balancing is justified by the left's desire to achieve "racial diversity"--its insistence on seeing every person only through the prism of race, as if the most important thing any of us has to offer is the color of our skin.

Not long ago, that was called "racism." It's still called racism.

It needs to end, once and for all--for the sake of deserving Asian American students, for the sake of Harvard's own integrity, and for the sake of the American principle that the rules must be the same for everyone.

Chief Justice of the Supreme Court John Roberts said it best: "The way to stop discrimination on the basis of race is to stop discriminating on the basis of race."

It's time we did just that. I'm Lee Cheng, of the Asian American Legal Foundation, for Prager University.

 Which of the following areas are Asian American applicants to Harvard routinely marked down on?

Academic performance
  1. Extra-curricular achievements
    Personal qualities
  2. Family wealth
  3. Asian American students have been limited to a ______ presence across the Ivy League.

  4. 5%-9%
    12%-16%
    18%-22%
  5. 30%-34%
  6. Harvard admissions officers almost always meet and interview applicants in person.

  7. True
  8. False
  9. Objective standards regarding admissions continue to be __________________.

  10. increasingly disfavored
    increasingly favored
    raised
  11. lowered
  12. “The way to stop discrimination on the basis of race is to _____________________.”

  13. love everyone
    create racial quotas for businesses and schools
    level the playing field
    stop discriminating on the basis of race



Sunday, February 24, 2019

History 101

Gaming Pedagogy 

References
  • Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2000). Self-determination theory and the facilitation of intrinsic motivation, social development, and well-being. American Psychologist, 55, 68–78. Retrieved from http://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.55.1.68

Learning Objectives

Thursday, February 21, 2019

Wednesday, February 20, 2019

Emperors of Rome: Interlude, Reading List 1

We’ve had requests for books to compliment this podcast series, so here’s a few suggestions. There’ll be a complete reading list available on our Facebook page.
January 26, 2015 at 4:43 PM
7.5 MB (Audio)

Tuesday, February 19, 2019

Emperors of Rome, Episode XV: The Assassination of Caligula

Caligula's erratic rule has led to a fast erosion in popularity and support, and rumours of assassination come to head just four short years after he becomes emperor.

Dr Rhiannon Evans (Mediterranean Studies, La Trobe University) and host Matt Smith look at downfall of this hated ruler of Rome.
January 18, 2015 at 11:43 PM
13.1 MB (Audio)

Monday, February 18, 2019

Emperors of Rome: Episode XIV: The Madness of Caligula

Caligula is best known for his erratic and tyrannical behaviour, but were his reactions a result of deviance or madness?

Dr Rhiannon Evans (Mediterranean Studies, La Trobe University) and host Matt Smith look at the literary sources on Caligula and the wrongs that they accuse him of.
January 11, 2015 at 5:06 PM
12.1 MB (Audio)

Valentine Date MAGA Hat

can-will-witt-get-date-maga-hat

Sunday, February 17, 2019

Die Nutellamaus: German as a Second Language

David hat eine schreckliche Entdeckung gemacht... In der Küche ist eine Maus! Eine Nutellamaus! Marie kann das kaum glauben, aber es gibt Beweise. Nur - Beweise wofür? In unserer fünfzigsten Episode gibt es wieder eine besonders einfach zu verstehende Geschichte für Anfänger der Stufe A. Viel Spaß beim Lernen!


Episodentext
Der Dialog
David: Eine Maus! Wir haben eine Maus!
Marie: Eine Maus? Wie? Wo?
David: In der Küche! Die Maus ist in der Küche!
Marie: Wo ist sie? Hast du sie gesehen? Hast du die Maus gesehen - mit eigenen Augen?
David: Nicht direkt gesehen. Aber ich weiß, da ist eine Maus. Ich bin sicher, da ist eine Maus!
Marie: Wieso denn? Du hast sie doch gar nicht gesehen!
David: Es ist wegen der Nutella. Das Nutellaglas war neulich noch ganz voll, jetzt ist es leer. Jemand hat die Nutella gegessen. Die ganze Nutella!
Marie: Ich war’s nicht! Ich hab keine Nutella gegessen. Ich esse nie Nutella.
David: Genau. Die Maus hat sie gegessen. Es ist eine Nutellamaus, die unsere ganze Nutella isst!
Marie: Oh je.. wir haben eine Nutellamaus, das ist ja schrecklich...
David: Ja, das find ich auch schrecklich.
Marie: Genau, und es ist eine besonders schreckliche Maus.
David: Du meinst, die Maus ist besonders schrecklich?
Marie: Natürlich! Die Nutellamaus ist gigantisch, sie ist einen Meter achtzig groß und sie wiegt achtzig Kilo! Eine schreckliche, gigantische Riesenmaus!
David: Hä...?
Marie: Du bist nämlich die Nutellamaus!
DaZPod - einfach Deutsch lernen - learn German online
October 17, 2014 at 11:00 AM
8.5 MB (Audio)

Saturday, February 16, 2019

Ancient Rome Refocused: It's Good to be Queen

Zenobia, an original musical written by Bolingbrook’s Lorrisa Julianus and composed by Angela Salvaggione of Joliet.  Rob interviews Lorrisa who played the lead and Craig Engel, the director.

This production premiered at the Bolingbrook Performing Arts Center.

The show, which starred Julianus as the title character, is based on the real life of the warrior Queen of Palmyra (a metropolitan oasis in ancient Syria). In the story, a slave girl, torn between her vigilante master and the prince of Syria, is catapulted to royalty and threatens Rome’s terrifying emperor—her unknowing father.
March 19, 2014 at 11:08 PM
57.8 MB (Audio)

Friday, February 15, 2019

Lock Her Up

/judicial-watch-docs-reveal-fbi-cover-up-of-chart-of-potential-violations-of-law-by-hillary-clinton

The History of English, Episode 8, Where Have All the Inflexions Gone?

The grammar of the original Indo-European language is compared to Modern English. We explore the word endings called ‘inflexions’ which were a prominent feature of the original Indo-European language.
August 5, 2013 at 9:45 AM
14.3 MB (Audio)

Thursday, February 14, 2019

The History of English: Episode 6, Indo-Europeans

A look at words used by the original Indo-Europeans and the clues such words provide to the identity of the first Indo-Europeans.  The etymology of modern English words is explored in relation to the original Indo-European words.
August 4, 2013 at 8:17 PM
35.1 MB (Audio)

Wednesday, February 13, 2019

Harvard Discrimination Against Asians

U.S. District Judge Allison Burroughs has set February 13, 2019 as the date for closing arguments in the closely-watched Students for Fair Admissions (SFFA) v. Harvard lawsuit.

New Books in Religion: Global Islam

The historical convergence of European imperialism and technological innovation in communication and travel made multiple social sites of intersection between the local and global possible. Nile Green, Professor of South Asian and Islamic history at UCLA, examines how these terrains of exchange transformed Islam during the modern period from roughly 1800-1940 in his book, Terrains of Exchange: Religious Economies of Global Islam (Oxford University Press, 2015). Green sees religion as a tool for social power and explores various religious economies to determine how interpretations of Islam are negotiated and deployed. What he shows is that modern iterations of the tradition are often shaped not only by Muslims, but also Christians and Hindus. In these sites of exchange religious actors and institutions can be analyzed as entrepreneurs and firms, which effectively compete for their clientele. Religious entrepreneurial competition and innovation fostered by Muslim/Christian interactions in imperial contexts contributed to the Muslims’ adaptation of Christian missionary methods for their own proselytization purposes.
Overall, Green presents a world history of Islam that disrupts assertions of the unifying power of globalization on Muslims and illustrates the generative process within these terrains of exchange. In our conversation we discussed evangelical orientalism at England’s universities, Bibles and printing in Muslim societies, language-exchange, religious entrepreneurs in Hyderabad, traditions of Hindu-Sufism, and the construction of the first mosques in Detroit and Japan.

Kristian Petersen is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Religious Studies at the University of Nebraska Omaha. His research and teaching interests include Theory and Methodology in the Study of Religion, Islamic Studies, Chinese Religions, Human Rights, and Media Studies. You can find out more about his work on his website, follow him on Twitter @BabaKristian, or email him at kjpetersen@unomaha.edu.
To download this interview file directly, right click here and select “Save Link (or ‘Target’) As…”
October 17, 2016 at 5:44 PM
28.7 MB (Audio)

Tuesday, February 12, 2019

Recycling

You may know that recycling is a widespread practice in Germany, but how exactly does it work? Mechthild Stein tells us what type of garbage goes in which bin, and also explains how different types of garbage are dealt with in Heidelberg.
April 24, 2016 at 12:00 AM
28 MB (Video)

Elgar, Du Pre, Barenboim

Elgar

Jacqueline Du Pré’s recording of Elgar’s Cello Concerto in E minor is iconic. Clearly Du Pré had a special affinity for Elgar’s concerto.
She loved every note. No one played like her. There is something about the way she plays….between despair and joy.
Here she plays with her husband, conductor and pianist David Barenboim. Mr. Barenboim was once asked what it was like to accompany his wife. ”Difficult,” he replied. ”It doesn’t dawn on her sometimes that we mortals have difficulties in following her.” In the next few years, they performed throughout the world, both separately and as a duo.

Monday, February 11, 2019

New Books in Religion: Muller and the Sacred Books of the East

Arie L. Molendijk is Professor of the History of Christianity and Philosophy in the Faculty of Theology and Religious Studies at the University of Groningen, the Netherlands. He has written Friedrich Max Muller and the Sacred Books of the East (Oxford University Press, 2016) to study how this seminal series of translations had started a novel way of understanding religions through a comparative study of texts and how it led to the shaping of the Western understanding of Eastern faith-traditions. Molendijk critically analyzes this rise of “big science” and also discusses the problems inherent in this approach of “textualisation of religion.” He revisits the limitations of translation and questions the assumptions behind them. He also looks into the person of Max Muller, specifically his scholarly aspect.
To download this interview file directly, right click here and select “Save Link (or ‘Target’) As…”
October 18, 2016 at 5:04 PM
23 MB (Audio)

Sunday, February 10, 2019

New Books in Religion: Irenaeus, Joseph Smith

At first glance, second-century bishop Irenaeus of Lyon and Joseph Smith, the founder of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints don’t seem to have much in common. After all, Irenaeus saw himself as defending orthodoxy against innovation, that is, the historical continuity of the church, while Joseph Smith understood himself as restoring that which had been lost. However, as Dr. Adam Powell shows in his fascinating study, Irenaeus, Joseph Smith God-Making Heresy (Fairleigh Dickinson UP, 2015), they and their communities shared a great deal. Deftly combining theology and the social sciences, particularly ideas about heresy and the sociology of knowledge, Powell shows how Irenaeus and Smith managed the existential and physical threats to their communities by developing ideas of deification, which while different in that Irenaeus saw God as ontologically different from human beings and Smith did not, held out a similar present and future hope for their beleaguered communities.
January 22, 2016 at 2:15 AM
30.9 MB (Audio)

Saturday, February 9, 2019

Ritual Happiness

Ritual

Friday, February 8, 2019

Child Marriage

Child

Thursday, February 7, 2019

Wednesday, February 6, 2019

Podcast: US Special Operations Command

US Special Operations Command, or SOCOM, is divided up into the following. I will talk about each individual unit listed.
Army: 75th Ranger Regiment, Special Forces (Green Berets), 160th SOAR (Night Stalkers)

Navy: SEALs, and SWCCs (Special Warfare Combatant-craft Crewmen)
Air Force: Pararescuemen (PJs), Combat Controllers (CCTs)
Marine Corps: Marine Force Recon
Joint: Delta Force, DEVGRU, 24th Special Tactics Squadron, Intelligence Support Activity
For more information, read:
US Special Forces by Samuel Southworth
Chosen Soldier by Dick Couch
That Others May Live by Jack Brehm
Lone Survivor by Marcus Luttrell
Black Hawk Down by Mark Bowden

Military History Podcast is sponsored by Audible (visit audiblepodcast.com/militaryhistory for a free audiobook download)
May 4, 2009 at 2:29 AM
5.9 MB (Audio)

Tuesday, February 5, 2019

Chinese New Year

A reunion dinner is held on New Year's Eve to New Year's day where members of the family, near and far, get together for celebration. The New Year's dinner is very large and traditionally includes Chicken and Dumpling. Fish is included, but not eaten up completely (and the remaining stored overnight), as the Chinese phrase "Nian Nian you yu", or "Every year there is fish/leftover", is a homophone for phrases which could mean "be blessed every year" or "have profit every year", since "yu" is also the pronunciation for "profit".

Podcast: TCU Anthropology, Imperial Rome

Imperial Rome
October 2, 2008 at 11:18 AM
92.7 MB (Audio)

Monday, February 4, 2019

Podcast: Introducing Religion for iPad, Initiation into a strict Sikh sect

Initiation into a strict Sikh sect
May 27, 2008 at 7:27 PM
12.2 MB (Video)

Sunday, February 3, 2019

Islamists Convert to Jesus

life-under-isis-led-these-muslims-christ

Podcast: TCU, Jennifer Lockett, Mythical Foundations of Rome

Mythical Foundations of Rome
September 4, 2008 at 1:11 PM
57.8 MB (Audio)

Saturday, February 2, 2019

New Books Podcast: Buddhism Enlightenment

The words “Buddhism” and “enlightenment” are, at least in the West, tightly connected. “Everyone” knows that the goal–or at least one of the goals–of Buddhist practice is “enlightenment.” But what the heck is “enlightenment,” exactly? It’s a tough question, but Dale S. Wright takes it on in his aptly named book What is Buddhist Enlightenment? (Oxford University Press, 2016). Using a kind of Zen approach (my characterization, not his), Wright doesn’t slice and dice the concept in order to come up with some Platonic ideal of “enlightenment.” You won’t find any pithy definition of the idea in the pages of this book. Rather, you’ll discover a wide-ranging exploration of “Buddhist enlightenment”–what it has meant, what it now means, and what it might and even should mean in the future. Buddhists teach that everything is changing all the time, like it or not. So it is, Wright argues, with “Buddhist enlightenment.”
October 4, 2016 at 1:45 PM
27.7 MB (Audio)

Friday, February 1, 2019

Third Century Christianity

www.bmcreview

Thursday, January 31, 2019

Roman Religion Book Review

://wwwbmcrevi

Wednesday, January 30, 2019

Podcast: Scotus, History of Philosophy Without Any Gaps

Scotus argues that morality is a matter of freely choosing to follow God’s freely issued commands.

Tuesday, January 29, 2019

Podcast: Catholic, Christian, Presence

Beginning with the Catholic doctrine of the literal, embodied presence of Christ, scholar of religion Robert Orsi imagines an alternative to the future of religion that early moderns proclaimed was inevitable. The gods really present, in the Catholic sense, were translated into metaphors and symptoms, and into functions of the social and political. Presence became evidence of superstition, of the infantile and irrational. History and Presence (Harvard University Press, 2016) confronts this intellectual heritage, proposing instead a model for the study of religion that begins with humans and gods present to each other in everyday life. These intersubjective encounters are always, Robert Orsi writes, an engagement with oneself and ones world in all modalities of being. Along the way, History and Presence examines Marian apparitions, the cult of the saints, relations with the dead, clerical sexual abuse, and a host of other events and encounters.

Robert Orsi holds the Grace Craddock Nagle Chair in Catholic Studies at Northwestern University in Chicago.

October 14, 2016 at 3:15 PM
22.7 MB (Audio)

Monday, January 28, 2019

Flight Night Samoa

Samoa

Flight night is a local production of live interviews at the airport. There are two flights weekly to and from Honolulu and mainland. The airport is the place to hang out. It's where you see who's leaving island and who's returning from a trip.

Sunday, January 27, 2019

Ian Hunter, Oldest Son, Steve, October 2016, Horses Mouth

Alistair Talbot: Yup. My eldest, Steve, was born in 13 Fife Street; the rent was 3 quid a week.

Friday, January 25, 2019

Thursday, January 24, 2019

Religious Habit Mistakes

Habit

Wednesday, January 23, 2019

Tuesday, January 22, 2019

Saturday, January 19, 2019

Ian Hunter - Baby's Got A Gun

 Scottish band (Babys got A Gun) supported David Bowie years ago (Tin Machine) and they had a song with some Mott the Hoople references in it.

https://youtu.be/ZWbhNct9a8o

Friday, January 18, 2019

Thursday, January 17, 2019

Introduction to the Ancient Greeks

Bryn Mawr Classical Review

BMCR 2016.10.02 on the BMCR blog

Bryn Mawr Classical Review 2016.10.02

Edith HallIntroducing the Ancient Greeks: From Bronze Age Seafarers to Navigators of the Western Mind.   New York; London:  W. W. Norton & Company2014.  Pp. xxviii, 305.  ISBN 9780393351163.  $16.95 (pb).   


Reviewed by Christopher Gribbin, University of Melbourne (cgribbin@unimelb.edu.au)
Preview
Introducing the ancient Greeks undertakes the ambitious task of describing ancient Greek society in the 2,000 years between the Mycenaeans and the triumph of Christianity (roughly 1600 BC to AD 400). Although Hall does not state her purpose within the book, it is clearly intended for a popular rather than a specialised audience. A number of reviews in the general media indicate that she has successfully catered to that market and it is easy to see why.
Hall’s writing style is clear and accessible. She adopts an almost conversational flow, with the discussion moving from one topic to another in a naturalistic, story-telling manner. She makes sense of the vast mass of people, places, events and social change within the 2,000-year ambit of the book by providing snapshots of 10 different points in time. For each period, she provides an overview of key developments and discusses a number of different events, people or texts. Hall makes regular use of primary sources, usually paraphrasing or quoting them in short bursts. She also makes reference to several objects which illuminate particular points, though unfortunately few of them are illustrated within the book.
The book focuses on the nature of Greek society in each period rather than the details of history. Key historic events are noted, but usually at a high level (the Persian Wars, for example, are covered in six paragraphs split across three chapters —pp.117f., 133f., 159). Literature is the predominant focus in most chapters, with Hall providing a number of outlines of ancient texts. These outlines have been done very skilfully, with each outline providing a flavour of the text, while illustrating the period under discussion and enticing readers to go and discover the text for themselves.
Hall’s approach makes for an interesting and engaging work which is readily accessible by someone with no background in the subject matter. She manages to convey a great deal of information in a gentle way. The division into ten periods communicates the key changes across the period and gives the reader enough insight into each period to make it tangible. The examples used to illustrate each period are apposite and demonstrate the breadth of Greek culture and what remains of it.
Of course, there is much left unsaid. A project of this type is necessarily an act of construction almost as much as description—such a project requires decisions about which people and times to include as Greek and which parts of their culture to explore. Inevitably, there are things that are included which other people would leave out and things left out which others would include. Hall rarely gets into an explicit discussion of such matters. Similarly, she shies away from getting into the details of academic debate about issues. Sometimes she gently notes the existence of academic debate on a point, simply stating that we are not certain about a topic (without bogging the reader down in the details). At other times, she glosses over debated issues without comment and provides a best guess (see, for example, the discussion of hoplite warfare on pp.174-5, which makes no mention of debates about the othismos or casualty rates).
Of course, the book is only intended to be an introduction. One can hardly expect a 275-page discussion of 2,000 years to be a comprehensive analysis of all aspects of Greek society and all the debates associated with them. Indeed, detailed methodological discussion or complex philological debates would get in the way of engaging the general reader. Endnotes might have been used to note some debates and point the interested reader in the direction of further reading. This appears to have been eschewed in favour of a large bibliography (pp.279-87), though the works included in the bibliography are quite varied in terms of accessibility—highly academic works sit next to more introductory works without any differentiation. This mixed nature may make it a bit unhelpful for laypeople wanting to start their exploration of Greek culture and I think that this is something of a missed opportunity.
Hall starts the book by setting out what she sees as the essence of Greek culture. She identifies ten characteristics of the Greeks that she contends can be seen throughout the period covered by her book. In her view, the Greeks were seagoing; suspicious of authority; individualistic; inquiring; open to new ideas; witty; competitive; admired excellence in talented people; were wildly articulate; and were addicted to pleasure (p.1).
As she points out in the preface (p. xv), none of these characteristics is unique to the Greeks, nor are they universally shared throughout all of the different Greek communities across the 2,000-year focus of the book. Nonetheless, Hall contends that, “most of the ancient Greeks, however scattered across time and space, shared most of these qualities most of the time” (p. xv).
The list of characteristics and associated discussion are a real strength of the book. The characteristics provide an overall theme that runs through the whole book. They pop up regularly in the following chapters and act as a framework on which readers can build their understanding.
Of course, the list is not exhaustive of all characteristics which one might attribute to the Greeks. There is certainly scope for debate about whether they are necessarily the ten most salient characteristics for understanding Greek society. I would, for example, have wanted to include “exploitative” in the list, given the dependence on slavery, unpaid female labour and the forcible acquisition of land and resources from non-Greeks, not to mention the Athenian Empire. Similarly, it is surprising to me that nothing about religiosity made the list, given its prevalence in so many aspects of Greek life (and its regular discussion in this book).
The list may also suffer from a degree of Athenocentrism (though the book as a whole does not). The world of Classical Athens seems to have a privileged position, with Hall describing it as “perhaps” the only period and place to demonstrate “ample endowment with every one of the ten characteristics” (p.127). The Spartans, in contrast, are characterised by Hall as “very strange Greeks” who fail to embody several of the ten characteristics (p.178). These assessments may tell us more about the selection of characteristics than about the nature of Athenian or Spartan society.
There is ample room for debate about the ten characteristics. But the characteristics that Hall has selected reflect the focus of her book and the aspects of Greek culture than she wants to share. For example, the fact that there is very limited discussion of the Greek economy may be one reason why “exploitative” did not make the list. It is a virtue of the book that, by including the list of characteristics up front, Hall explicitly identifies the sort of topics that she will focus on. The fact that the list is contestable highlights another great advantage of it—it can be used as a starting point for further discussion. I can certainly see the list being useful in that way as a teaching tool.
Following this introduction to Greek culture as a whole, the remaining 10 chapters of the book discuss the development of Greek society over the period of focus.
Chapter 1 (“Seafaring Mycenaeans”) seeks to understand Mycenaean culture. Hall starts with the world depicted by Homer, which she sees as representing the historic Mycenaean world, albeit “imaginatively re-created” by Greeks in the eighth century BC (pp.31-2). She then moves on to the evidence about the Mycenaeans from Linear B and archaeology. She concludes the chapter with the Dark Age, though mostly discusses those communities that were relatively thriving during that period, rather than focusing on decline.
Chapter 2 (“The Creation of Greece”) explores the eighth century BC, primarily by looking at the poems of Homer and Hesiod. Hall provides an overview of the poems and explores how they not only reflect various aspects of life in the eighth century but also shape the identity of the Greeks going forward.
Chapter 3 (“Frogs and Dolphins Round the Pond”) looks at the seventh and sixth centuries. The discussion includes colonisation, tyrants and the poets of the era, along with the symposium and the role of the dolphin in Greek society.
Chapter 4 (“Inquiring Ionians”) looks at Greek philosophy, science and medicine. The chapter provides a brief overview of each of the major early thinkers, including the Hippocratics. Hall seeks to explain the Ionian intellectual revolution, with a particular interest in contacts with other cultures. She finishes with a discussion of Herodotus, focusing on the form of his work and its relation to earlier literature and thinkers, rather than the content.
Chapter 5 (“The Open Society of Athens”) looks at Athens in fifth and fourth centuries BC, which Hall sees as Greek civilisation’s “apex of creativity” (p.127). The chapter focuses on Athenian democracy and the Peloponnesian War, while also touching on other aspects of Athenian society, including the figures of Socrates and Plato.
In Chapter 6 (“Spartan Inscrutability”), Hall tries to reconstruct Spartan society. She looks not only at the military culture, but at other aspects of Spartan society, such as religion and the lives of women, helots and the perioikoi. She is very careful in this chapter to note the limitations of our sources.
Chapter 7 (“The Rivalrous Macedonians”) looks at the Macedonians, primarily considering Alexander’s conquests and the Wars of the Successors. Hall discusses some of the ancient controversy about how Greek the Macedonians were, ultimately concluding that they were Greeks. The chapter is also an opportunity to look at Aristotle and make some points about Greek religion.
Chapter 8 (“God-Kings and Libraries”) explores the Hellenistic kingdoms, with a particular focus on Ptolemaic Egypt. Hall sees this era as characterised by monarchs competing “for the status of rulers of the most impressive empire” (p.205) and she discusses examples of this, such as Ptolemaic spectacle, the Great Altar of Pergamon and the Library of Alexandria. Much of the chapter is taken up with a discussion of Hellenistic literature, especially poetry.
Chapter 9 (“Greek Minds and Roman Power”) looks at the Greek-speaking intellectuals of the Roman Empire. For Hall, “Greek culture offered expressive ways to talk about the superpower that now ran the world” (p.250). A wide range of Greek authors and their works is considered, from Polybius to Galen to Epictetus. Hall also considers non-Greeks who wrote in Greek, such as Josephus and Lucian of Samosata. In each case, Hall provides an outline of the author’s work and consequently builds a picture of the great diversity of intellectual endeavour during the Roman period.
Chapter 10 (“Pagan Greeks and Christians”) looks at the rise and dominance of Christianity in the Greek-speaking world. The focus is on the Greeks’ reactions to Christianity, from the first to fourth centuries AD. Neoplatonism is also featured along the way. For Hall, Christianity (and not Roman imperialism) “put an end to the ancient Greeks, with their caustic wit, sculpted gods, inquiring, independent minds, philosophy, and love of sensual pleasures” (p.253). On this basis, the book ends with the fourth century AD.
Overall, this book sets out to be an introduction to the ancient Greeks and it achieves that aim admirably. There’s no paradigm-shifting new interpretation of Greek culture or history that will change academic perspectives. But the book presents an accessible, entertaining and thoughtful analysis of Greek society. It paints a lively picture of a culture and I would have no hesitation recommending it to somebody wanting an entry point to understanding ancient Greece. 
Read comments on this review or add a comment on the BMCR blog

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Wednesday, January 16, 2019

How to Find Unadvertised Jobs

Unadvertised

Tuesday, January 15, 2019

How to Grow Your Network

Networking

Monday, January 14, 2019

Sunday, January 13, 2019

Emile Zola

Paradise

Saturday, January 12, 2019

Public Speaking Presentation Tips

Presentation

5 Minutes: Tools and Tips for Leveraging Those Critical 300 Seconds!

—By Jim Smith, President and CEO of Jim Smith Jr. International

5 Minutes: Tools and Tips for Leveraging Those Critical 300 Seconds!
—By Jim Smith, President and CEO of Jim Smith Jr. International

1. Maintain or lift self-esteem.
2. Prepare audience for an informational and transformational session.
3. Create an empowering environment.





5-minutes:-tools-and-tips-for-leveraging-those-critical-300-seconds

Friday, January 11, 2019

Pearson International Education

For

Thursday, January 10, 2019

Lemma General Education



Slide 1

What will I teach, and why is it interesting or relevant? How will people use what they learn?

Transcript

    Why are all students required to take courses in the humanities, history, philosophy, or religion?
    A college degree means something and it informs a potential employer that as an individual you have more to offer an organization.
    Holding a college degree is much more than just job training. You have a broad range of knowledge to draw from in order to make statements about areas outside your professional competence.
    Another reason is that studying fields outside of your professional competence enriches your personal life.
    Finally, the 21st century workplace is diverse and global. A person who is prepared for globalism is much more likely to be successful. 

Slide 2

Describe the concept taught.

Transcript

    Unfortunately, for most advanced K-12 students and lower-division undergraduates, the design of most courses do not match the user's experience. I propose the Lemma way.  

Slide 3

This is an example that the audience can relate to.

Transcript

    In a typical course the design of the class content will introduce the student to the Code of Hammurabi. For example, they might be asked why did humans adopt a written law code? Could there be any upside if the laws were harsh and sometimes unfair? 

Slide 4

Connect the example to the idea and explain how it applies.

Transcript

    A Lemma solution takes the standard Code of Hammurabi example but allows the student's experience to be paramount in a non-linear technology development. A technology tree permits options for a student to choose their own path to development. Technology trees are evolutionary tree diagrams that simulate the progress of technology in a Lemma course but in a less deterministic manner than traditional courses. 

Slide 5

Here is a scenario problem to let the audience apply what they have learned.

Transcript

    Let us say for example that a student thought building materials was a higher priority to develop as opposed to a law code that arose from writing, and before that a priesthood, which itself was preceded by myths. For this learner, mining led to bronze working, which led to iron working, and culminated in a compass.
   
Slide 6

Summary

Summarize the key questions as a takeaway to remember.

Transcript

    Which is the better technology tree to follow? Is starting from mining to result in a compass better than a myth which led to the Law Code of Hammurabi?    
    In any case, the student has options to decide from in order to more clearly understand the contingency of choice and technology development.
    Which would you choose? Which is better? The learner decides.

A learner should grasp both the contingency of choice and the complexity of civilizations.





Here are two options for a technology tree decision:


Option A


A student might think that building materials was a high priority for a civilization to develop.


Mining


Bronze working


Iron working


Compass


Option B


On the other hand, a learner might think that myths to explain the origins of a cultural practice or natural phenomenon is significant.


Myths


Priesthood


Writing


Code of Hammurabi


Option A
Prehistoric mining



Since the beginning of civilization, some people might have noticed the elements around them: stone, ceramics, and, later, metals found close to the Earth's surface. These elements were used to make early tools and weapons which appear crucial for any early civilization.


Do you think this is a priority and would you choose this path of development?

Tzines
Good choice!

Consequence:

Bronze working

Mining allows your workers to increase the production of elements from the earth, chop forests to reach those elements, and encourages the construction of other improvements.

Mining leads to bronze working and the Bronze Age which is characterized by smelting copper and alloying with tin, arsenic, or other metals, or by trading for bronze from production areas elsewhere. Bronze Age cultures differed in their development of the first writing. According to archaeological evidence, cultures in Mesopotamia (cuneiform) and Egypt (hieroglyphs) developed the earliest viable writing systems.


Europe late bronze age
Consequence:

Iron Working

Your choice reveals the importance of iron and allows your workers to chop jungle, clearing the geography of your region so other improvements can be constructed. It also allows you to build the spearman which is a military unit strong against mounted enemies.


Since you chose bronze working this led to iron working. Ferrous metallurgy involves processes and alloys based on iron. It began far back in prehistory. The earliest surviving iron artifacts, from the 4th millennium BC in Egypt, were made from meteoritic iron-nickel. It is not known when or where the smelting of iron from ores began, but by the end of the 2nd millennium BC iron was being produced from iron ores from China to Africa south of the Sahara. The use of wrought iron (worked iron) was known by the 1st millennium BC. Steel (with a carbon content between pig iron and wrought iron) was first produced in antiquity as an alloy. Its process of production, Wootz, was exported before the 4th century BC to ancient China, Africa, the Middle East and Europe. Archaeological evidence of cast iron appears in 5th century BC China. Iron working allows you to build the swordsman which is an extremely powerful melee unit.


Woman and her two daughters prepared meat iron age
Consequence:

Compass

Your development of iron working led to the important discovery of the compass. A compass is an instrument used for navigation and orientation that shows direction relative to the geographic "cardinal directions", or "points". The magnetic compass was first invented as a device for divination as early as the Chinese Han Dynasty (since about 206 BC). The compass allows you to build the Galleass, the first ranged naval unit, though still dependent on a sail-oar combination and the Galleass can't enter deep ocean; however, it possesses an on-board projectile launcher, which allows it to attack with impunity from a distance, both in the sea and on land.


Stanley compass 1

Option B
Myths
A myth is any traditional story consisting of events that are ostensibly historical, though often supernatural, explaining the origins of a cultural practice or natural phenomenon. A myth also can be a story to explain why something exists. Myths also contribute to and express a culture's systems of thought and values.

Do you think this is a priority and would you choose this path of development?


Roman - Sarcophagus Depicting the Birth of Dionysus - Walters 2333
Good choice!

Consequence:

Priesthood

Myths led to a priesthood and in historical polytheism, a priest administers the sacrifice to a deity, often in highly elaborate ritual. In the Ancient Near East, the priesthood also acted on behalf of the deities in managing their property. In Ancient Greece, some priestesses such as Pythia, priestess at Delphi, acted as oracles. Your people are united by a common story and destiny. Rituals need to be remembered and passed on and you are in harmony with the gods and nature.


Roman priest w axe
Consequence:

Writing

The priesthood led to the need to record and remember important information through writing. Writing is not a language but a form of technology that developed as tools developed with human society. The motivations for writing include publication, storytelling, correspondence, and diaries. Writing allows you to develop science and public knowledge in a library, helping your civilization research new technologies more quickly. Around the 4th millennium BCE, the complexity of trade and administration in Mesopotamia outgrew human memory, and writing became a more dependable method of recording and presenting transactions in a permanent form. In both ancient Egypt and Mesoamerica writing may have evolved through calendrics and a political necessity for recording historical and environmental events. Writing has been instrumental in keeping history, maintaining culture, dissemination of knowledge through the media and the formation of legal systems.


NAMA Linear B tablet of Pylos
Consequence:

Code of Hammurabi

Writing led to the declaration of a public and universal law code. The Code of Hammurabi is a well-preserved Babylonian law code of ancient Mesopotamia, dating back to about 1754 BC. It is one of the oldest deciphered writings of significant length in the world. The code consists of 282 laws, with scaled punishments, adjusting "an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth" (lex talionis) as graded depending on social status, of slave versus free man. Nearly one-half of the code deals with matters of contract, establishing, for example, the wages to be paid to an ox driver or a surgeon. Other provisions set the terms of a transaction, establishing the liability of a builder for a house that collapses, for example, or property that is damaged while left in the care of another. A third of the code addresses issues concerning household and family relationships such as inheritance, divorce, paternity, and sexual behavior. Only one provision appears to impose obligations on an official; this provision establishes that a judge who reaches an incorrect decision is to be fined and removed from the bench permanently.



Code of Hammurabi IMG 1937

Summary


Which is the better technology tree to follow? Is starting from mining to result in a compass better than a myth which led to the Law Code of Hammurabi?

In any case, the student has options to decide from in order to more clearly understand the contingency of choice during technology development.

Which would you choose? Which is better? The learner decides.

SAMPLE TABLE OF CONTENTS

PART ONE THE ANCIENT WORLD AND THE CLASSICAL PAST PREHISTORY TO 200 CE

1 The Rise of Culture: From Forest to Farm

2 The Ancient Near East: Power and Social Order

3 The Stability of Ancient Egypt: Flood and Sun

4 The Aegean World and the Rise of Greece: Trade, War, and Victory

5 Golden Age Athens and the Hellenic World: The School of Hellas

6 Rome: Urban Life and Imperial Majesty

7 Emerging Empires in the East: Urban Life and Imperial Majesty in China and India

PART TWO THE MEDIEVAL WORLD AND THE SHAPING OF CULTURE 200 CE–1400

8 The Flowering of Christianity: Faith and the Power of Belief in the Early First Millennium

9 The Rise and Spread of Islam: A New Religion

10 Fiefdom and Monastery, Pilgrimage and Crusade: The Early Medieval World in Europe

11 Centers of Culture: Court and City in the Larger World

12 The Gothic Style: Faith and Knowledge in an Age of Inquiry

13 Siena and Florence in the Fourteenth Century: Toward a New Humanism

PART THREE THE RENAISSANCE AND THE AGE OF ENCOUNTER 1400–1600

14 Florence and the Early Renaissance: Humanism in Italy

15 The High Renaissance in Rome and Venice: Papal Patronage and Civic Pride

16 The Renaissance in the North: Between Wealth and Want

17 The Reformation: A New Church and the Arts

18 Encounter and Confrontation: The Impact of Increasing Global Interaction

19 England in the Tudor Age: “This Other Eden”

20 The Early Counter-Reformation and Mannerism: Restraint and Invention







































Wednesday, January 9, 2019

Mercantilism

Mercantilism

Tuesday, January 8, 2019

Tech Tree Civilization IV

_Tech_Tree_CivIV

Monday, January 7, 2019

Sunday, January 6, 2019

Technology Trees in Gaming

://gamestudies

Saturday, January 5, 2019

Watch the Debates

.watchthedebates

Friday, January 4, 2019

Inscriptions


.eagle-network

Thursday, January 3, 2019

Ancient Lives


.ancientlives

Wednesday, January 2, 2019

Treebanking


/perseids

Tuesday, January 1, 2019

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