The Emperor Justinian reunified Rome's fractured empire by defeating the Goths and Vandals who had separated Italy, Spain, and North Africa from imperial rule. At his capital in Constantinople, he built the world's most beautiful building, married its most powerful empress, and wrote its most enduring legal code, seemingly restoring Rome's fortunes for the next five hundred years. Then, in the summer of 542, he encountered a flea. The ensuing outbreak of bubonic plague killed five thousand people a day in Constantinople and nearly killed Justinian himself.
Monday, December 31, 2007
JUSTINIAN'S FLEA
Sunday, December 30, 2007
Light in the Dark Ages: The Friendship of Francis and Clare of Assisi
Discover how Francis was first found by God and then joined by Clare despite the violent objections of her family. Explore a variety of issues that they faced, including the treatment of lepers in medieval society, corruption in the Church, and attitudes toward the created world. You will also learn how Clare's spirituality influenced that of other prominent women, how St. Francis lost control of his own movement, and why Francis's body was secretly buried upon his death.
The examples of early Franciscan spirituality challenge any of us who would follow Christ today. How would we view a young person today who rejected family for spiritual reasons? Is it possible for men and women to have deep friendship and remain true to a call to chastity? Is intentional poverty of any value? Have we sentimentalized family to the point of ignoring"
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
The Secret Life of Lobsters - How Fishermen and Scientists Are Unraveling the Mysteries of Our Favorite Crustacean
Thursday, November 29, 2007
Rethinking Thin
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Welcome to the Providence Department of Art, Culture & Tourism - Phone: 421-7740
Friday, November 02, 2007
Naked (book) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Barrel Fever - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Monday, October 22, 2007
Understanding the Fundamentals of Music
In this course, Professor Greenberg offers a spirited introduction to this magnificent language—nimbly avoiding what for many of us has long been the principle roadblock, the need to read music.
For anyone wanting to master music's language, being able to read musical notation is a necessity. But this course, as Professor Greenberg notes, is a basic course, designed to introduce you to music's language in a way that is similar to the way you learned your own native language, by "discovering and exploring musical syntax through our ears—by learning what the parts of musical speech sound like—rather than what they look like on paper."
Course Lecture Titles
1. | The Language of Music |
2. | Timbre, Continued |
3. | Timbre, Part 3 |
4. | Beat and Tempo |
5. | Meter, Part 1 |
6. | Meter, Part 2 |
7. | Pitch and Mode, Part 1 |
8. | Pitch and Mode, Part 2 |
9. | Intervals and Tunings |
10. | Tonality, Key Signature, and the Circle of Fifths |
11. | Intervals Revisited and Expanded |
12. | Melody |
13. | Melody, Continued |
14. | Texture and Harmony, Part 1 |
15. | Harmony, Part 2—Function, Tendency, and Dominance |
16. | Harmony, Part 3—Progression, Cadence, and Modulation |
American Spartans by James Warren read by Dick Hill
American SpartansI finished listening to this audiobook last night, just before the Red Sox's American League Championship series game. There are sport heroes and there are HEROES.
The US Marines in Combat, From Iwo Jima to Iraq
by James Warren
read by Dick Hill
UnabridgedFrom their heroic performance in the Pacific War, against Japanese troops on godforsaken islands, to their “tip-of-the-lance” leadership in key operations in the two Gulf Wars, the Marines have proven again and again that elite men with elite training are worth entire armies. James Warren’s battle-driven history shows how this elite culture has produced the best warriors in the country, through six decades, several open wars, and many smaller interventions.
When Things Fall Apart: Heart Advice for Difficult Times by Pema Chödrön
The beautiful practicality of her teaching has made Pema one of the most beloved of contemporary American spiritual authors among Buddhists and non-Buddhists alike. A collection of talks she gave between 1987 and 1994, the book is a treasury of wisdom for going on living when we are overcome by pain and difficulties. Chödrön discusses:I read this book this slowly, pausing to absorb each chapter. I'm on the waiting list for the audio cassette version and will comment further after hearing it.
- Using painful emotions to cultivate wisdom, compassion, and courage
- Communicating so as to encourage others to open up rather than shut down
- Practices for reversing habitual patterns
- Methods for working with chaotic situations
- Ways for creating effective social action