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Try this thought experiment: Mentally chart the main phases of European history to 1500. If you're like most of us, you probably hopscotched from classical Greece through Alexander the Great, from the Rome of the Caesars to the Renaissance, with a detour into the long post-Roman hiatus known as the Dark and Middle Ages.
But this storyline is woefully incomplete, even misleading.
Why? It leaves out Byzantium.
And you're not alone. The mental charts drawn by most educated people would show the same gap.
As Professor Kenneth Harl notes:
"Far from being merely the eastern rump of the old Roman Empire, Byzantium was without a doubt the greatest state in Christendom through much of the Middle Ages.
"This story is far more important than any number of tales of palace intrigue, and is not as well known as it deserves to be.
"These lectures are a small attempt to help redress the balance."
Curious and Even Unsettling Civilization
The civilization of East Rome, or Byzantium, is seldom studied on its own merits because this seemingly remote world is a curious, even unsettling, mix of the classical and medieval.
Byzantine arts and letters, deeply steeped in traditional orthodoxy, seldom appeal to the modern Westerner, a product of the Enlightenment and the changes wrought by modernization. And the same can be said for Muslims, as well, whose own civilization owes much to Byzantium.
These lectures by Professor Kenneth W. Harl are designed to fill that gap. You come away with a widened perspective on everything from the decline of imperial Rome to the rise of the Renaissance.
Professor Harl's tellingly detailed lectures show how the Greek-speaking empire of Byzantium, or East Rome, occupied a crucial place in both time and space that began with Constantine the Great and endured for more than a millennium.
A Crux of Civilizations
You can take the word "crucial" literally.
Centered on its magnificent fortified capital at the lucrative crossroads of Europe and Asia, Byzantium was a crux of civilizations.
It was a colossus that bestrode two continents: a crucible where peoples, cultures, and ideas met and melded to create a world at once Eastern and Western, Greek and Latin, classical and Christian.
It was truly a fulcrum of world history.
A Grandeur That Still Awes
Byzantium's spiritual grandeur and mystical vision of humanity, God, and the cosmos can still be glimpsed. You can see them in:
the awesome, soaring dome of the Hagia Sophia, 100 feet across and tall enough to hold a 17-story building, still the greatest domed building in Istanbul and the model for the great domed churches of the empire
the luminous mosaics of San Vitale at Ravenna, Italy
countless Orthodox churches on several continents.
For century after century, the Byzantines kept alive Hellenic arts and letters and Roman legal-political achievements over a vast arena of space and time.
The influence of this grand Orthodox Christian state was felt in Russia and southeastern Europe and throughout the Islamic world. And it influenced the Italian Renaissance, as well.
Renaissance scholars would name this powerful and brilliant civilization "Byzantium" after the ancient town that occupied the strategic spot where Constantine built his new capital.
The Byzantines called themselves simply hoi Romaioi—Greek for "the Romans."
An Empire of Accomplishment
A list of the achievements of Byzantium's emperors, patriarchs, priests, monks, artists, architects, scholars, soldiers, and officials would have to include:
actively preserving and extending the literary, intellectual, and aesthetic legacy of Classical and Hellenistic Greece (the Byzantine patriarch Photius was doing serious Platonic scholarship at a time when only three of Plato's dialogues were even known in the Latin West)
carrying forward pathbreaking Roman accomplishments not only in law and politics but in engineering, architecture, urban design, and military affairs—at a time when these had mostly been forgotten in the West
deepening and articulating Christian thought and belief through church councils and the work of brilliant theologians such as St. Basil the Great, St. John Chrysostom, and St. Gregory of Nazienzus while spreading the faith to Russia and the rest of what would become the Orthodox world
developing the Christian monastic institutions whose eventual diffusion from the deserts of Egypt to the shores of the Irish Sea would help to sustain faith and learning through centuries of hardship and peril
shielding the comparatively weak and politically fragmented lands of western Europe from the full force of eastern nomadic and Islamic invasions
fusing classical, Christian, and eastern influences to create an art and culture of stunning beauty and splendor
helping to shape the course of the humanist revival and the Renaissance in Western Europe through the writings of the Greek Fathers of the church, the preservation of classical texts, and the example of church mosaics and the work of El Greco.
Three Chapters of the Byzantine Story
To tell this pivotal story, Professor Harl has divided his lectures into three conceptual phases.
Lectures 1 to 12 provide you with essential background as they explain how the Roman world slowly gave way to distinct new blended cultures in the Latin, Celtic, and Germanic north and west, the Greek-speaking east (Byzantium), and later the Islamic south and east from Morocco to India.
You learn how the later Roman Empire under the forceful soldier-emperor Diocletian (r. 284-305) responded to political and military crises, setting the stage for Constantine (r. 306-337), whose conversion to Christianity would point the Roman world in new directions.
You also meet the amazing emperor Justinian (r. 527-565).
This brilliant visionary built the Hagia Sophia, sponsored the magnificent codification of Roman law that bears his name, and sought to restore the entire Mediterranean world to his vision of a Christian and Constantinian empire.
But even the brilliant generalship of Belisarius and Narses could not make Justinian's policies a success. In the end came fresh crises that ended the classical world forever.
Lectures 13 to 21 deal with the achievements of medieval Byzantium, familiar to poets and novelists.
Its emperors warded off new invaders, checked the power of Islam, and directed a transformation of government, society, and culture.
The Byzantine State went through downs and ups of crisis and recovery, the latter sometimes directed by remarkable emperors like Alexius I Comnenus and the dynasty he sired (r. 1081-1185).
But the pressures from the Seljuk Turks and others were relentless and eventually triggered the Byzantine cry for help that led to the First Crusade (1095-99).
Lectures 22 to 24 run from the Fourth Crusade's horrifying sack of Constantinople (1204) to the Ottoman triumph of 1453. They tell a tale of political decline but enduring cultural and spiritual achievement.
Each in its own way, the Italian quattrocento and the Orthodox realm of Russia and Eastern Europe emerged as a legatee of Byzantium's mind and spirit.
Indeed, even the Ottoman sultans, creators of the last great Islamic empire, owed a huge debt to their vanquished foes.
Imperial Crisis and Reform
A century of crisis between A.D. 193 and 305 propelled the Roman world out of the classical into the early medieval age. After A.D. 235, a series of civil wars and invasions shattered the peace of the 60-million-subject Empire, profoundly changed all aspects of life, and set the stage for the rise of the civilization that would be known as Byzantium. x
Convinced that the Christian God had given him a signal victory, Constantine (r. 306–337) embraced the new faith and pointed the Empire in new directions. His sponsorship of the First Ecumenical Council of Nicaea (325) and his decision to build a "New Rome" on the strategic Bosporus laid the foundations of Byzantium. x
State and Society Under the Dominate
Abandoning republican fictions, emperors after the 3rd century A.D. ruled as autocrats. Imperial demands eroded civic life and put classical religion and civilization in jeopardy. As the 5th century dawned, the bonds that had tied local elites to Rome had loosened, and in the West the outlines of medieval localism were emerging. x
Imperial Rome and the Barbarians
Citizen legions had long guarded Rome's frontiers. But after 235, emperors increasingly recruited barbarian tribal fighters under native leaders, thereby creating the very forces that would topple imperial power in the West. x
The Rise of Christianity
Until the conversion of Constantine, Christians remained relatively few in number, mostly in Mediterranean cities. But Christian self-definition was well-honed by 312, putting Christian emperors and bishops into a position to reshape a classical world whose people mostly remained pagans into the 5th century. x
Imperial Church and Christian Dogma
The Council of Nicaea in 325 endorsed the Trinitarian theology of Athanasius but did not settle all debate. Later councils at Ephesus (431) and Chalcedon (451) condemned Nestorians and Monophyistes, respectively. Emperors would continue striving to reconcile the latter, who commanded loyalty in the crucial provinces of Egypt, Syria, and eastern Anatolia. x
The Friends of God—Ascetics and Monks
Solitary anchorites of the Egyptian desert inspired the 4th-century ascetic movement that led to medieval monasticism. St. Basil of Caesarea (330–379) penned rules regulating monastic life. His Latin counterpart, St. Benedict of Nursia (480–543), followed suit four generations later. Monasteries would play a decisive role in civilizing and converting Europe. x
The Fall of the Western Empire
By 425, the western portion of the Roman Empire had shrunk to its Mediterranean core. The eastern court, secure behind Constantinople's Theodosian Walls, defied barbarian invaders, paid off Attila, and reformed its army. But it was too late to save the West, whose fall is usually dated to the deposition of Emperor Romulus Augustus by Odoacer in 476. x
The Age of Justinian
Justinian (r. 527–565) was a cultured visionary, tireless public servant, and the last of the great Roman emperors. His supporting cast, headed by his wife Theodora (a former courtesan) and his superb general Belisarius, was similarly brilliant. x
The Reconquest of the West
Justinian knew he could not afford long wars, but felt he had to fight the Arian German kingdoms in Italy, the Vandals in Africa, and the Persians to his east. Commanding small, often-outnumbered armies, both Belisarius and Narses (the eunuch general) worked military wonders, though the former was driven from command by the emperor's distrust. x
The Search for Religious Unity
Well schooled in theology, Justinian believed that a common creed could unite Chalcedonians and Monophysites. But he failed to reckon with the depth of the disagreements among Rome, Constantinople, and Alexandria. Despite all his efforts, the imperial church at the end of his reign was even more bitterly divided than before. x
The Birth of Christian Aesthetics and Letters
Justinian presided over the synthesis of Jewish, classical, and provincial arts into a Christian art and architecture that shaped medieval aesthetics and created such glories as the church mosaics of Ravenna and the magnificent dome of the Hagia Sophia. This lecture also contains a fascinating discussion of the origins and design features of basilicas and other Christian church buildings in the Eastern Empire. x
The Emperor Heraclius
Heraclius (r. 610–641), the next great emperor after Justinian, managed to tame the Persian threat and restore the empire's fortunes on other fronts as well. But as Heraclius lay dying, his achievement was being nullified by the might of Arab horsemen and their powerful new faith, Islam. x
The Christian Citadel
For more than two centuries, the heirs of Heraclius battled Lombards in Italy, Slavs and Bulgars in the Balkans, and Arabs in Anatolia. At the Battle of Poson (863), imperial forces won a victory that made it possible to carry Christianity and the civilized arts to the peoples of Eastern Europe. In the crucible of these wars was born the Byzantine Empire: Roman in government, Orthodox in faith, and Hellenic in language. x
Life in the Byzantine Dark Age
Emperors of the "Dark Age" cracked down on corruption, and Constantinople fueled economic recovery by offering ready markets, but war and plague led to a demographic collapse by 700. Desperate imperial officials settled Slavs, Armenians, and Christian sectarians as soldiers or peasants, sponsored trade, and regulated prices. In response to crisis, emperors and subjects heroically reformed their world. x
The Iconoclastic Controversy
Many Byzantines became convinced that icons meant idolatry, and hence divine punishment. Iconoclasm ("the breaking of images") began under Leo III (r. 717–741) and was finally settled by a moderate compromise in 843. The dispute defined orthodox ritual and widened the divide between the Catholic and Orthodox churches. Henceforth, Rome looked west and Constantinople became the "queen of cities" for Eastern Europe. x
Recovery Under the Macedonian Emperors
The illiterate usurper Basil the Macedonian (867–886) and his heirs sought legitimacy via military victory and patronage of the arts. They could not have acted more opportunely. The 10th century was an era of battles won and peoples baptized, including the Varangians of Russia and the South Slavs. By 1025, Eastern Europe had taken on its early shape as a Byzantine Orthodox commonwealth—Slavic in speech, Byzantine in aesthetics, and imperial in institutions. x
Imperial Zenith—Basil II
Basil II—nicknamed "The Bulgar-Slayer"—was the greatest warrior of his age. Scorning imperial ceremony and ruling in splendid isolation with Varangian mercenary guards, he crushed rebellions and annexed Armenia, Georgia, and Bulgaria. But Basil left no heir, and his very success had created a false sense of security among his inept successors. Once again, the Byzantine Empire was headed for crisis. x
Imperial Collapse
How did the Byzantine state, which Basil II had left in perhaps its strongest position since the days of Justinian, so quickly become enfeebled and exposed to new invaders both east and west? In 1071, on the distant Armenian battlefield of Manzikert, Byzantine forces facing the Seljuk Turks suffered a staggering defeat that changed world history. x
Alexius I and the First Crusade
Alexius, committed to reversing the verdict of Manzikert by reconquering Anatolia, asked Western princes to send him knights. Pope Urban II took this appeal for mercenaries as a summons to liberate the Holy Land, unleashing the Crusades and the eventual ruin of Byzantium. x
Comnenian Emperors and Crusaders
When the Crusades of the 12th century ended in failure, Westerners blamed Byzantine treachery rather than their own poor logistics and strategy. Distracted by the Crusades, meanwhile, Constantinople neglected the Seljuk threat and lost to the Turks again at Myriocephalon (1176). The fecklessness of a new and weak dynasty, the Angelans, left Byzantium's great capital vulnerable to Crusader assault. x
Imperial Exile and Restoration
In April 1204, members of the Fourth Crusade sacked Constantinople. Crusader barons and Byzantine generals carved out pieces of the faltering Empire. Michael VIII Palaeologus (1258–1282) eventually retook Constantinople, but neither he nor his less-than-brilliant heirs could reverse Byzantium's loss of even regional power or status. x
Byzantine Letters and Aesthetics
Guardians of the classical heritage, Byzantine scholars saved many priceless Greek texts. From the 10th century on, emperors endowed schools and promoted intellectual life. Byzantine authors wrote in the tradition of Thucydides and Plutarch, and Photius revived the study of Plato. The mannerist church frescoes of the Byzantine 14th century compare with the best of contemporary Italian art, and exercised considerable influence on the Italian Renaissance. x
The Fall of Constantinople
The Palaeologan emperors hoped to preserve their shrunken realm with Western aid but could not stop the Ottomans. The last emperor, Constantine XI, and his 7,000 gallant comrades went down fighting as the historic capital of the Christian East fell to the guns and bigger battalions of Sultan Mehmet II in May 1453. From the ashes of Constantinople, Mehmet built Istanbul, seat of a new Islamic empire that would last through World War I. x
184-printed course guidebook
Kenneth W. Harl, Ph.D.
Dr. Kenneth W. Harl is Professor of Classical and Byzantine History at Tulane University in New Orleans, where he teaches courses in Greek, Roman, Byzantine, and Crusader history. He earned his B.A. from Trinity College and his M.A. and Ph.D. from Yale University. Recognized as an outstanding lecturer, Professor Harl has received numerous teaching awards at Tulane, including the coveted Sheldon H. Hackney Award. He has...
The Era of the Crusades
Origins of Great Ancient Civilizations
Rome and the Barbarians
Fall of the Pagans and the Origins of Medieval Christianity
The Barbarian Empires of the Steppes
Special Collection - The Joy of Ancient History
36 Revolutionary Figures of History
(Set) The Ottoman Empire & Turning Points in Middle Eastern History
(Set) Ancient Greek Civilization; Alexander the Great and the Hellenistic Age; History of Ancient Rome; & World of Byzantium
(Set) Medieval World & Vikings
(Set) The Ottoman Empire & Great Tours: Greece and Turkey, from Athens to Istanbul
(Set) Late Antiquity: Crisis and Transformation & World of Byzantium
(Set) The Fall of the Pagans & The Medieval World
(Set) The Ottoman Empire & A History of Eastern Europe
(Set) Great Ancient Civilizations of Asia Minor & History of Ancient Egypt
(Set) Story of Medieval England: From King Arthur to the Tudor Conquest & Vikings
(Set) The Ottoman Empire & Great Ancient Civilizations of Asia Minor
(Set) Great Pharoahs of Ancient Egypt & Great Ancient Civilizations of Asia Minor
(Set) Become an Educated Traveler
Renaissance & The Ottoman Empire
(Set) Great Ancient Civilizations of Asia Minor & World of Byzantium
(Set) Experiencing the Middle Ages
(Set) Understanding Russia & The Ottoman Empire
(Set) Great Ancient Civilizations of Asia Minor/History of Ancient Rome: In Bundle
(Set) Turning Points in Ancient History
The World of Byzantium is rated 4.5 out of 5 by 91.
Rated 5 out of 5 by Dragonspirit from Fascinating historical review The information was interesting and informative. The lecture material covered cultural and historical points that are not always presented in survey courses, thus this was an exceptionally fine educational experience.
Rated 5 out of 5 by Al1973 from Another great series by Kenneth Harl Kenneth Harl provides another great series that is informative and fascinating. I already have another series by him, Rome and the Barbarians, and these lectures are just as interesting.
Rated 5 out of 5 by Hamlet94 from Excellent Professor Harl does not disappoint. I enjoyed pretty much everything about this series. Good info, good delivery, and I loved the professor's humor. I came to the course with a basic understanding of Byzantine history and came away much enriched.
Rated 5 out of 5 by Optimist from An engaging overview of the World of Byzantium Had an enjoyable time learning about this amazing time in world history - the transition from the western to eastern Roman Empire was fascinating. The presentation was engaging and led me to additional research and education.
Rated 3 out of 5 by tommyd555 from Hoped for More Professor Harl is always a mixed bag for me. I absolutely love the topics he lectures on and they always rope me in. He is also an encyclopedia of knowledge and offers ample opportunities to learn something new in each of his lectures. The problem has always been him conveying this information/knowledge in a format/style that makes the listening experience enjoyable. While I can overlook the massive number of filler words ("umm", "uhh", etc.), it is hard to get used to a style in which he throws so much at you, so fast and hopping around from topic to topic, geographic area to geographic area that your head is left spinning trying to remember the main point. The good:	The professor provides some good political/military historical narrative on the late Roman Empire and its successor in the East: the Byzantine Empire from aprx. 200 AD to aprx. 1453 AD. The bad: •	A good number of the lectures were just not that interesting and did not kept my attention (especially those on Christianity which to me are usually fascinating discussions; In this case he just couldn't pull it all together in a consumable manner to make his points) •	The professor covered important topics or events in a very quick/rapid-fire style leading to a lot of rewinding and re-listening to ensure I got the point; Would've liked it if he slowed down and focused on just one topic or event at a time and maybe provided more analysis on it; He loves to connect areas of the map and events with other events but does so in way too fast a fashion leaving you disoriented If you have taken his other courses such as "The Ottoman Empire" or "The Era of the Crusades" you will find alot of the same material in this course. The reaosn why I bought this course was because I was so intrigued with his lectures on the Byzantine Empire in "The Era of the Crusades" that I thought this course would really whett my appetite on more Byzantine history. Unfortunately, it just did not deliver in that respect.
Rated 2 out of 5 by xster from Kenneth Harl needs to exercise more caution I was cautious to start with since his other lecture "The Barbarian Empires of the Steppes" was definitely the messiest lecture out of the 10 or so lectures I've listened to. Not sure if he even writes up his course material before the lecture or proofreads anything but seems to unconfidently make up things as he goes and dishes out blatantly inaccurate statements at astonishing rates. I figured I'd give him another chance since he did preface the other lecture by saying he's not an actual expert on half of the topics of "The Barbarian Empires of the Steppes" such as China and Central Asia etc and he actually primarily focuses on the Byzantine Empire so he ought to be good here. But he's the same old self again making wild sub high school level factual mistakes that are highly disappointing.
Rated 4 out of 5 by debijo from Very interesting course, well presented. This is an area of history that seems to have been overlooked in my school education, so I was glad to fill in the blanks. Professor Harl was knowledgeable and a good speaker.
Rated 1 out of 5 by wordbird from Lost the Thread This is the only Great Course I've returned for a refund. Most lectures consist of names, dates and anecdotes; but unlike other courses, there isn't an overarching storyline to give the data a meaningful context. I lost patience half-way through when I found myself asking "so what?" at every new name, date and anecdote. There might be a good reason Byzantine history isn't well known: it lacks the story and characters that make other periods (e.g. 5th century Athens) so easy to get excited about.
Rated 5 out of 5 by RoyT from Fascinating Beginning to End AUDIO DOWNLOAD After Professor Harl's TC course 'Rome and the Barbarians', I knew I had to follow up with this course. He had whetted my appetite to know more about Byzantium. Professor Harl expertly filled the gaps in my knowledge and understanding of the period, making the case that the "…Byzantine Empire played a pivotal role in defining the geographic and cultural boundaries of the civilizations that emerged out of the late Roman world, and the history of the Byzantine world is an essential part of how the modern world emerged in Europe and the Middle East (Course Guidebook, Page 1). Like his other TC courses, 'The World of Byzantium' is replete with Professor Harl's good humor and explanations for his occasional differences with prevailing scholarship. Listening to his lectures is a real treat for me. Just as this course logically follows from 'Rome and the Barbarians', so this one introduces the Crusades, which Professor Harl treats in greater detail in his TC course, 'The Era of the Crusades'. I am now looking forward to another great listening experience! While this 2001 course comes with a fine 177-page course guidebook, it does not include any maps. All-in all, however, this is one of the best TC courses for me, as it so well addresses a subject for which I had little understanding and appreciation.
Rated 4 out of 5 by Aggie82 from Byzantine history made clear. I have long felt that the history of the Byzantine empire was a gaping hole in my knowledge of history. Professor Harl does yeoman's work in making this complex subject understandable, and placing it in the larger context of the region. I always enjoy Prof. Harl. His knowledge of the subject is obviously encyclopedic, but he never makes assumptions that might lose a student new to the subject. It seems odd to say, but he is obviously passionate about the subject, and that passion translates into an animated and highly engaging lecture style. I highly recommend this course.
Rated 5 out of 5 by JeremyB from Excellent! A wish fulfilled. If I could have asked The Great Courses to cover just one topic, it would have been that of the Byzantine Empire. (I'd still love to see the Holy Roman Empire covered, and can hope!) I was absolutely thrilled to find this and bought it straightaway. I was not disappointed. I think I have probably read every book on this subject, not including specialist papers or books, of course. This is an excellent course on the subject, given the constraints of presenting it in a reasonable amount of time, and the areas that he chose to explore in more detail are the ones I myself would have chosen with few exceptions. I couldn't be more happy! I was surprised not to find John Julius Norwich represented in the bibliography, however. It was a couple of decades ago that I first picked up Norwich's first book of his superb Byzantine history in three volumes. I quickly read them all, have read them through twice and have revisited them in part many more times. I liked it so much I sought out and bought the Folio edition to grace my main 'presentation' bookcase. It was these books that kindled the fire of my interest in things Byzantine and, ultimately, led me to this GREAT Great Course!
Rated 5 out of 5 by Dr Sam from Although I had heard of Byzantium, my actual knowledge had been quite limited. After doing Professor Harl's course "Rome and the Barbarians", my interest was stimulated to learn more. First of all, it is emphasized that the Byzantium Empire properly was the Eastern Roman Empire, which did not fall to the Barbarians as Rome itself did. It really was the creation of Constantine, who founded the city of Byzantium. I had read a short history of Byzantium before watching this course; Professor Harl did a much better job of presenting the history, culture, and the impact of Byzantium to the world of Europe, western Asia, the Middle East, and northern Africa. The visuals were a little rough, probably reflecting this as an earlier course. However, for the most part helped one to understand better the various expansions, contractions, and changes in major player states. Overall a course not to be missed, both for itself, as well as the importance upon the rise of Western Europe later on.
Rated 5 out of 5 by PacificNW from Another Winning Course from Professor Harl The World of Byzantium is the 10th course from Professor Harl offered by The Great Courses that I have completed and reviewed. This course also is one of the first courses from Professor Harl and was developed in 2001. This course uses a good amount of graphics and maps to support and illustrate the points being raised by Professor Harl. These graphics and maps were the state-of-the-art for 2001 and are very good at the time they were developed. However, if the student compares the maps and graphics of this course with courses which were developed in 2015, there will be a remarkable difference. The state-of-the-art for video productions including graphics, animations, and maps has made great strides in one and a half decades. A student who has taken recently developed courses should not expect the same level of video quality as was created almost 15 years ago. As I mentioned above, this is one of Professor Harl's first courses for The Great Courses. It is very well organized and Professor Harl provides some entertainment side comments during the presentation of this material. Professor Harl's side comments and occasional short anecdotes is what makes his course both informative and entertaining and it is one of his trademarks for his lectures. I am a bit saddened that I have now completed all of Professor Harl's courses offered by The Great Courses. Hopefully, The Great Courses will be offering an 11th course from Professor Harl in 2016. I highly recommend all of Professor Harl's lectures including his early ones like this one.
Rated 5 out of 5 by Shawzie from The Civilization of Byzantium Profesor Kenneth W. Harl is a delight to learn from as his presentation is truly interesting due to his knowledge, humor and passion for his field of learning.
Rated 3 out of 5 by Marcie from World of Byzantium While it was a fine coverage of an area of history with which I am unfamiliar I was disapointed because it was about history instead of a visual tour of the area.
Rated 5 out of 5 by Habiscus from Byzantium well told Audio CD review. I began this course to fill the vast void in my knowledge regarding all things Byzantine. It delivered on that goal in fine fashion. Not only does the course provide the facts, but Dr. Harl also intersperses his well-considered and well-expressed ideas and interpretations throughout. The classes are enjoyable and easy to follow as Dr. Harl is an exceptional lecturer and storyteller. Moreover, the individual classes and the course overall are very logically structured and explained. My only lament is that there were many occasions when I wanted to know more about certain topics, but I understand that is the nature of an overview course of just 24 lectures.
Rated 3 out of 5 by standingwolf from needs more byzantium this course should actually be called "late antiquity and the world of byzantium," because we spend literally the whole first half of the course not on byzantium proper but on how the roman empire turned into byzantium. for me this was a bit of a shock, because while this material is indeed interesting and can sustain the extended treatment that it gets, in what other history would you spend fully half the course simply describing how the nation in question came to be? byzantium is notorious for getting short shrift in the west, and even though i was already of the opinion that 24 lectures constituted a pretty brief treatment for an empire that lasted a thousand years, in fact you only get 12—possibly as few as 11 if you consider that the last lecture is mostly about the ottomans. that's basically a century per lecture, and at that rate you can barely skim the surface. it almost felt to me like the byzantines were little more than a sidebar in their own course. given the heavy focus here on the late roman empire you'll probably want to have a general understanding of roman history before you do this course. if you don't have at least the lay of the land then the detailed and surprisingly technical discussions of imperial reorganization, provincial government, and the structure of the army might easily go over your head. i was surprised to hear the professor frequently mispronounce names, most often by routinely omitting a letter. thus alexius becomes alexis and comnenos becomes comenos. i recognize that not everyone is a linguist, and i suppose it's possible that there's a standard of pronunciation in byzantine studies that i'm unfamiliar with, but nonetheless i found it a bit distracting. the guidebook has an unsettlingly loose connection to the actual lectures. it regularly contains material that was not in the lectures themselves, suggesting that the final version of the course was modified considerably from the original outline. despite all these criticisms this isn't a bad course. if you accept its particular parameters it does what it does quite well, and the professor packs as much as he can into each lecture. the problem for me is that i took this course because i wanted a more thorough and intimate treatment of a story i already knew in broad outline, and now having finished it i feel like i need another course to do just that.
Rated 5 out of 5 by NicC from Byzantium: Constantinople, Crusades, & Islam The WORLD OF BYZANTIUM by Professor Kenneth W. Harl is an extremely detailed EMPIRICAL analysis and a penetrating INTERPRETATIVE history of three major periods stretching from Rome's 3rd century imperial crisis to the fall of Constantinople in 1453. Its implications for today's conceptualization of the West and the Islamic world are profound. The professor's chronology is as follows: Late Antiquity & Early Byzantium 200 – 700, Dark Age & Middle Byzantium 610 – 1204, and Late Byzantium 1204 – 1453. Evolving from Late Antiquity / Late Roman world are THREE EMERGING CIVILIZATIONS that are the macro-sociological characters in this historical drama: Western Europe / LATIN Christianity, Eastern Europe / ORTHODOX Christianity, and the Muslim world / ISLAM. It was the world of BYZANTIUM that filtered the political, cultural, religious, and philosophical boundaries of yesterday's geographies and today's worldviews. Understanding that role is essential for a fuller understanding of the Renaissance (cultural / classical tradition), Reformation (religious / theological beliefs), Enlightenment (philosophical / historiography), and Modernity (political / worldviews). These historical and intellectual disciplines are presented, analyzed, and explained in depth throughout the lectures. The professor's presentation is excellent. He is at home with historical details (conquerors, emperors, generals, sultans, battles, jihad, etc. of Greece, Rome, Byzantium, Middle-East), aware of current CONTROVERSY and issues affecting the discipline (methodology, sources, and archaeology), knowledgeable in RELIGIOUS and CULTURAL matters of the periods (paganism, theologians, Trinity, Christology, Iconoclasm), and has the uncanny ability to draw substantive IMPLICATIONS to wider historical movements and periods (Europe and Islam yesterday and today). These areas of social research are all scholarly presented in the classical sense of the term. Finally, the only historical point not addressed concerns the Belgian scholar Henri Pirenne whose work MOHAMMED AND CHARLEMAGNE deals with this area and periodization of history. To quote from the book cover: "the cause of the break with the tradition of antiquity was the rapid and unexpected advance of Islam…an event of historical proportions…causing the axis of life to shift northwards from the Mediterranean for the first time in history". To hear the professor discuss, critique, and interpret Pirenne's thesis in light of the world of Byzantium would be very enlightening indeed. I originally planned to go forward from my study of antiquity and research the Middle-Ages on my historical journey but based on the professor's comments on The Great Courses web-site, I took a one step sideways towards Byzantium and one back to Great Ancient Civilizations of Asia Minor for my next encounter to round out my historical knowledge! *** VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED / AN HISTORICAL NECESSITY ***
Rated 5 out of 5 by Ron12 from World of Byzantium Was a good background for the mid east and understanding the bigger picture.
Rated 5 out of 5 by Challenger from Great overview of the Byzantine Empire Professor Harl is a master at taking on history courses that are off the beaten track, and bringing focus to the histories of actors that seem to be on the fringe of Western culture. He did this with a course dedicated to the Vikings, with a course on the full history of Asia Minor until the invasion of the Ottoman Turks, and with a course focusing on the Barbarian empires of the Eurasian Steppes. Most courses on the medieval era focus on Western European kingdoms. However, there were three major powers that affected the Western culture in that era: the Western kingdoms such as France, England and Germany; the Muslim Empire; and the Byzantine Empire. The Muslim Empire, strangely enough, has not received a course dedicated to its history so far in the TGC, and it is in my opinion unfortunate. The Byzantine Empire, however, does go into the spotlight in this course. Professor Harl begins the survey from the rise of Constantine and the establishment of Constantinople as the capital of the Eastern Roman Empire. Eventually the Western Roman Empire ceases to exist, and the Eastern one – that which will become the Byzantine Empire -continues on much as before. The Byzantine Empire never considered itself to be anything other than the Roman Empire, with the only major change being that the language eventually used was Greek instead of Latin. From there on, Professor Harl describes the narrative history of the Byzantine Empire, devoting some time to Emperor Justinian of the early 6th Century who would be the last Byzantine Emperor to try to reconquer the Western Empire. Professor Harl tells us, that one has to consider that the Eastern half of the Roman Empire had always been the richest, especially North Africa and Egypt. There are quite a few analytical lectures on the particular Eastern Christianity that was to develop in Byzantium. This different development of Christianity as related to the Western Catholic Christian faith was to have a huge role in the evolution of the Byzantine Empire in the future, and it would eventually take the form of the Orthodox Christian faith that we are familiar with to this day. One particularly important point is the Iconoclasm controversy. The Eastern Church came eventually to consider in the 8th Century that depiction of humans as holy works of art, such as portraits and statues of Jesus, are not really in sync with Monotheism, and as such they began to be frowned upon. This, along with other ritual issues created tension with the Catholic Church that caused what is today called the Iconoclasm Controversy and would lead to the eventual open conflict between the Catholic and Orthodox Church in the Great Schism of the 11th century. Next Professor Harl described the huge successes of Emperor Heraclius of the 7th century in his military conquests, unparalleled since Justinian, only to have the regained territories recaptured within his lifetime by the new, fantastically successful Muslim Empire. Professor Harl describes an Empire in the era of the middle ages that developed a political system very different than the feudal system that was finally adopted in the West. In Byzantium, the central imperial system managed to maintain its power through a well-organized bureaucratic administration and army, much as was the case in the classic era. Since the power could be thus maintained, there was no need for distributing vassalage for defense purposes and the whole messy deal was pretty much avoided. So overall Byzantium experienced the middle ages in a totally different way than Western Europe. The middle ages also saw a succession of highly competent Macedonian Emperors, Basil and Basil II who achieved large military conquests in Eastern Europe. The next important chapter has to do with the Seljuk Turks gaining control over Byzantine territory in Asia Minor. Alexius the first, desperate to stop the Turkish onslaught, sought aid from Western Europe – hinting to pope Urban II that this could help patch things between the two churches. Professor Harl emphasizes how much has changed since the time of Justinian: now the East is certainly not the overwhelmingly strong and dominant force compared to the Western Empire. In any case, what Alexius got was the first Crusade. Eventually the Crusades would not help Byzantium with the Turks, but instead create still more tension between East and West until the Fourth Crusade ended up being turned against Byzantium and Constantinople was sacked and conquered. This course, my tenth given by Professor Harl, has been fascinating, but I have come to expect nothing less. It put the spotlight on a key player in medieval history that did not receive the focus it required in all other medieval courses that I have heard, and it certainly helped in getting a much more comprehensive view of the history of that era.
Rated 5 out of 5 by geoperky from Rome lives on in Russia? Audio Download For those considering listening to this set of lectures about what is generally considered an obscure part of world history, better be prepared for an excellent learning experience. Professor Harl dives into the complex history of the (eastern) Roman Empire...Byzantium...explaining how that empire is responsible not only for the preservation of Classical Greek culture, but the fostering of the Christian religion. Names like Constantine and Justinian may be familiar (to some), but who the heck is Basil II, the Bulgar-slayer and how did he help shape the current situation in the Middle East? And what actually happened to the legacy of Byzantium (Rome) after the Ottoman conquest in 1453? To Russia with love? Is that why those pesky Russians are so, well, Byzantine? These are a fascinating collection of lectures that are both detailed and superficial that require a scorecard to keep up with. Take the time...they are worth it. Harl is, again, well-organized, clearly spoken and at times quite witty...he is one of my favorite lecturers. Recommended when on sale with a coupon.
Rated 4 out of 5 by Belltower from The World of Byzantium Professor Harl takes an often obscure subject and brings it to life. The underrated status of Byzantium in the larger context of world history, excuse the term, becomes a distant memory.
Rated 5 out of 5 by manuel556 from Excellent overview of the Byzantine Empire This is a fantastic series of lectures. Dr. Harl presents it in a both effective and entertaining manner. I only wish there were more than 24 lectures!
Rated 5 out of 5 by Kleggett from Byzantium, the Other Rome I truly enjoyed listening to Professor Harl's presentation of this fascinating civilization. If I had any quibble at all, it would be that 24 lectures are simply not enough. 48 would be a minimum.
Rated 5 out of 5 by ABC123 from I did not expect it to be so good I was afraid that Byzantium would be boring, but it was not! And at the same time the course was packed with information.
Rated 1 out of 5 by Manitou from I can read No question that professor Harl knows his stuff, but in this course he simply reads his stuff. The maps he occasionally shows to illustrate his points are so badly done that they're almost useless. I can find better maps on Google, and I can read. I don't need to have somebody read to me. Hate to have to say this because prof. Harl seems like a nice guy -- someone who would be interesting to know.
Rated 5 out of 5 by suppresst from Broad and Deep with One Flaw I owe a debt of gratitude to professor Harl for introducing me to the subject of the Byzantine Empire. He destroyed a great many negative stereotypes I held and replaced them with a new-found keen interest. Keeping in mind that he covered over 1000 years of history (broad) Harl managed to penetrate fairly deep as well. This course was simply excellent and Harl is clearly a master of his material. The one complaint I have is that Harl discusses with tongue-in-cheek Constantine's conversion to Christianity by means of a dream, as if he expects the audience to understand, along with him, that - Of course Constantine either made the story up or hallucinated. I find it fascinating that a scholar, who has not altered world history in profound ways, finds it so easy to dismiss the conversion account of a man who did. Is there any justification of conversion to Christianity that any skeptic will accept? If one converts through the reading of the Bible, the convert is ridiculed for naivety for believing myths; if one converts as a function of an example set by a good man, the convert is ridiculed for not paying enough heed to the good man's faults, and if Christ appears in a dream, well then it was a hallucination. If all that were not enough, Christ did appear in person for 33 years but that was not supposed to have been sufficient proof either, nor the Resurrection. Enjoy this course and feel free to appreciate the genuine faith and Christian example of many of the Byzantine greats untempered by cynicism.
Rated 2 out of 5 by thomas144 from Not one of the better Teaching Company courses I am only about half-way through, so if the second half is really much better than the first, I'll revise this review. :-) I borrowed this from the library and was curious to see if the Teaching Company still sells it. I'm surprised by all the positive reviews. Lots of information about early Christian theological disputes but not much of anything about how people lived in this time-period.
Rated 5 out of 5 by kingshimon from An excellent overview course This course provides an excellent overview of an important but much neglected subject. I was most impressed by how Professor Harl managed to cover over 1000 years of Roman history in just 24 lectures.
Rated 5 out of 5 by Sandysk from a much overlooked period in history I have enjoyed every one of Dr. Harl's courses that I have taken, but this particular one is not only up to his usual standard, but touches a period in history which seems to be much under-reported.
The World of Byzantium Reviews - page 3
The Persian Empire
John W. Lee
History of Ancient Rome
Garrett G. Fagan
Ancient Empires before Alexander
Robert L. Dise Jr.
Living the French Revolution and the Age of Napoleon
Suzanne M. Desan
Victorian Britain
History of Russia: From Peter the Great to Gorbachev
Mark Steinberg
History of Christianity in the Reformation Era
Brad S. Gregory
Understanding Imperial China: Dynasties, Life, and Culture
Andrew R. Wilson
From Yao to Mao: 5000 Years of Chinese History
Kenneth J. Hammond
The World of Byzantium
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text:
More Music To Hear When You Listen ANYWHERE
by Altrok Radio
We just added a bunch of great new tracks (which new tracks? That would be telling. Actually, the list's on the computer at home; hope to get it posted tonight.)
We've also updated our Daily Retro playlists, which should be starting up any second now (Monday-Friday, 11:30am-1:30pm Eastern...)
...and if you have an iPhone and haven't gone to the iTunes App Store for the Live365 app, go do that. Now. Because with it, you can listen to Altrok Radio ANYWHERE. (As long as you've got a 3G connection, anyway...and iPod Touch owners can listen as long as they're inside a WiFi cloud. Certain Blackberries can get it to; check live365.com/mobile for details.)
Altrok Radio: Now Available Everywhere.
...if you have an iPhone, or an iPod Touch with a WiFi connection. The free Live365 application, now available through the iTunes App Store, will let you drill right through to Altrok Radio, and tune in.
This, right here, is a HUGE thing. With an iPhone, you can tune to Altrok on your commute...anywhere you can get a 3G signal or a WiFi connection.
Now all you have to do...is listen. Don't be shy.
Dogs Die In Hot Cars, Make New Noises
I suppose the title is a bit "eats shoots and leaves" but you get the picture.
The far above-average band Dogs Die In Hot Cars, after apparently calling it quits in 2007, have been quietly working on a new project, and it's about to bear fruit.
The project, "Dogs Die In Hot Cars is making Pop Nonsense", invites all comers to listen to their song demos, download isolated tracks and mix them up any way you'd please, adding whatever you'd like (if you're so inclined.) Perhaps it wasn't all that quiet an effort in general, but from my cloistered perspective it was; I've only just found out about it, and the project will close May 1, with submissions due by then. The band will then go back into the studio and integrate whatever ideas stuck with them. 50% of the royalties will be shared with chosen contributors.
The thing is, most of the demos are already genius; I'll be playing one of them, "Pop Nonsense" (a title track of sorts I suppose) on tonight's show (10pm Eastern at 90.5 The Night), alongside other pretty great new and classic tracks. You can click through that link above to get a copy of the demo, or just catch the show tonight and let it wash over you involuntarily. Or do both, I'd be fine with that, too...
There Are Six Hosts (Kovacs On The Tonight Show)
Over the past few years, The Tonight Show has become a better way to get exposure for your up-and-coming indie band than radio play - somehow, in the time between the "everyone gets backed up by Doc Severinsen" days (Morrissey notwithstanding) and the present day, radio became far more conservative than NBC's 50-plus year old institution. (Steve Allen would not approve, of course - he thought anything more populist than Jazz was an aberration.)
With Conan O'Brien taking over the reins from Jay Leno in a bloodless coup, they've seen fit to put up a "Tonight Show Experience" site celebrating the lineage of hosts for the show over the past fifty-plus years. The site's been up for a while (since it still says it's celebrating fifty years) but with its recent update to include O'Brien, the all-seeing eye of Internet fandom has noticed something missing. Mark Evanier goes into some detail over at his blog, but the gist of the matter is that there's one person - fully given control over the show for two nights a week while Steverino prepped his prime-time show - who's been completely forgotten.
Which, if we were talking about someone who failed utterly in making a mark on history, would be reasonable, but it turns out the host in question is Ernie Kovacs, who is pretty much legendary in our eyes here at Altrok. (And for a more direct link, Kovacs did routines set to the music of Esquivel!, who has worked with Combustible Edison, who we play here at Altrok...and they also like a nice cocktail. Bonus!)
Well, a little controversy never hurt from a publicity standpoint, we suppose, so we echo The Ernie Kovacs Blog's clarion call to go and add your voice to the Tonight Show Experience message board at NBC.com and let 'em know they should put all the hosts up (even if they just photoshop in Kovacs looking over Steve's shoulder.) If anything, it'd get their kiester in gear trying to find some clips of that permutation of the show; so far, they've only been able to locate about a half-hour of Kovacs' Tonight Show stint, but perhaps if we turn the volume up, it'll be more likely to reach the ears of some itinerant kinescope collector who hasn't had a reason to YouTube his collection...'till now.
And, if you've read this far, you've probably got the time to tune into Altrok Radio today...we might even be playing some Combustible Edison.
New Playlist Today. New Retro Today.
We go Retro at 11:30am Eastern for two hours, and we play the best in challenging new music and Alternative classics the rest of the day.
This is but a humble reminder.
A News-Related Tangent, Triggered...
Every time I stumble across a sidelong mention, somewhere on these here internet connection-type thingies, of Linda Ellerbee or Lloyd Dobyns, (two people who, it's safe to say, rarely get mentioned on Indie/Alternative music blogs) I think of NBC News Overnight...which inevitably brings me to this appreciation of said show. There's a decent Wikipedia article on the subject as well - which, inevitably, links to the aforementioned appreciation, as well as a YouTube video of parts of its final broadcast.
It wasn't representative of how good news broadcasting was then, or how bad it is now. It was representative of how good news reporting could always have been and can still be, but generally wasn't (and isn't.)
(Though I suspect Countdown and Maddow may owe it a little something. Then again, for irreverent news, one can go way back to 1975, and the 17 Update Early In The Morning with Bill Tush. Tina Seldin and Rex the Wonder Dog.)
Let's Talk About You. What Have You Done For Us Lately?
Alternative Radio is dying. It died a while ago, but had a zombie resurrection of sorts a few years back, but the moment its cheeks started achieving some semblance of "rosy", the economy drove a stake through its heart.
So why is that? You're an alternative rock fan (we suppose - either that, or you like reading blogs that have no earthly connection to the life you lead...which is a possibility, we suppose, but we really do suspect you like alternative radio.) You've seen station after station slip away, and might even have mustered up some concern when the lamest and most watered-down of "alternative" stations finally (that's New York's K-Rock) went Top-40.
But the question is this:
What are you doing to keep it alive? Actively? Right now?
The scanario that keeps playing out is:
Listeners like station.
Station goes away.
Listeners powerlessly rail against the powers that be for robbing them of their favorite station, but sooner or later get on with their lives.
Lather, rinse, repeat.
But wouldn't it be better, dear listener, if you took the time - while the station was still alive - to do all the things that you can to help the station stay alive? There's still some alternative stations struggling to make their way in the universe...
I'll give you an example, and a recent disappointment: Altrok Radio. Thousands of people checked out this site during the run-up to the Melody Bar Reunion, which is reasonable - it's likely that tens of thousands made The Melody Bar their erstwhile home during its long run from 1982 to 2000, and hundreds actually got out and went to the reunion itself. (By the way, we're pretty sure Matt's still on his way.)
But afterwards? Pfft. Everyone went away.
Apparently, people who went to the Melody to fill a gap in their lives, musically speaking, got that gap filled already and don't need it filled anymore. Which is all well and good - that's what the Melody did for me, but I might be in the minority, and a lack of listeners doesn't make it any easier to keep Altrok Radio afloat.
Let me explain how Altrok Radio stays afloat: it stays afloat when I can be cajoled into thinking there's enough people out there that think it's worth a damn.
Unfortunately, with very few exceptions, the only people who I stumble over in significant numbers these days are the people who have bands to promote - and they really don't care what I'm playing, as long as I start playing them (and even then I don't ever see my numbers go up because of it. Here's a handy tip for promoters: I can generally tell when you're posing as a fan of a band I never heard of. And when you do that sort of thing using the shout-out box on our station page at Live365, it makes me really want to not ever bother finding anything more about you. I've got links for that - don't use the shout-out box, m'kay? I'm seriously considering starting a Top 40 station just to verify that you're not paying attention to the music I'm playing. Anyway, I have to deal with that a lot, and it clogs up the flow of goodwill that actually serves as the station's life blood.
If listenership numbers went through the roof? That would probably amplify that aforementioned flow of goodwill...but it's not happening.
I've got some money, and some time, to devote to doing this stuff, partly because I'm geeky enough to put this much work into programming my own listening, so why not make it available to other people? But that's something I'd do for myself only for a certain amount of time, until some other shiny object caught my attention. To keep it going for as long as I have - and to keep it going further - requires a level of focus and dedication that occasionally gives way to other things that may require some attention (you know, family, home, job, stuff like that.)
But then I notice things about my listenership that confuse me. There's some folks down in Texas, for instance, that really like the station - more than there are in New Jersey, in fact. That's weird (though not unwelcome) but I wonder what I'm doing that's so right for Texas, but so wrong for anywhere else.
I guess what it comes down to is that I know there's so much more I could do to make the station better than it is now, but every time I've tried to do anything to push the station more, it doesn't grow...so why bother? Why not just keep doing the same thing all the time? (It seems to work for Top-40...) Does anyone in the US, in numbers big enough to justify the outlay, care about finding alternative rock that's new and exciting?
I'm running out of options, but one that comes to mind is you. I hope you're somewhere where there's other folks who like what you like - for the sake of your sanity, at any rate. If not that, hopefully you've found other kindred souls online whose taste in music parallels yours.
What I want you to do is tell people we're here - because, basically, I've run out of ideas on how best to do that, and I'm hoping that, maybe, you have some.
Let me know. And tune in, please. There's a new playlist today. There's one every day, generally speaking.
Do what you can.
Altrok Radio Music Update #229
Firstly, the important stuff:
Altrok Radio is at http://www.altrokradio.com
Please remember to tune in whenever you can - every hour you listen turns into more visibility for the station; we show up higher in search listings, and such like that. And if you'd like to help us keep the stream running, check out the advertisers if they appeal to you; your interest actually helps fund us.
And in the interest of keeping you interested...well, you *do* know about our daily retro feature, right? No? Well...
ALTROK'S DAILY RETRO
WEEKDAYS, 11:30a-1:30p EASTERN
Now then, we've got songs to let you know about.
This week, our Grinders (the stuff we play heavily) include music from:
- Depeche Mode
- We Have Band
- White Lies
- Passion Pit
- Morrissey
- The Wombats
Plus we've got newly-added music:
- Brakes - Hey Hey
- Doves - Kingdom Of Rust
- Gaslight Anthem - Great Expectations
- Glad Hearts - West Fast Enough
- Handsome Furs - I'm Confused
- Hockey - Too Fake
- Kid British - She Will Leave
- Lowline - Gun In My Side
- The National - So Far Around The Bend
- Noisettes - Don't Upset The Rhythm
- The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart - Young Adult Friction
- The Rifles - Romeo And Julie
- St. Vincent - The Strangers
- The Ting Tings - We Walk
- Voxtrot - Trepanation Party
- The Wrens - Pulled Fences (Live)
Our Newly-Added Classics:
- Bjork - Isobel
- The Church - Almost With You
- Elvis Costello - Radio Radio
- Heaven 17 - Temptation
- The Pressure Boys - Tina Goes To The Supermarket
- The Replacements - Color Me Impressed
- The Stranglers - No More Heroes
- Matthew Sweet - Girlfriend
- Ultravox - Sleepwalk
And don't forget the R/SYN Underground night, every Saturday at the Corner Tavern in New Brunswick, where Drew and IronMike keep you dancing with the most advanced playlist this side of the Atlantic (and where, occasionally, yours truly might show up and spin a coupla tracks...ya never know.)
For those who didn't forget about the Melody Bar Reunion (or even if you did) we'll air all the music that played on Satruday, March 21, all day long. Do I really need to say more about that, hm?
- Sean Carolan
On your computer now at http://www.altrokradio.com
On the radio Fridays at 10pm, at 90.5 The Night
All Points West 2009 - The Lineup
Sure, this is being posted all over the place, but for completeness' sake:

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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filed: July 17, 2019 • New York
Critics say wind farm rates constitute price gouging
Credit: By Rick Murphy | The Independent | July 16, 2019 | indyeastend.com ~~
There are a lot of ways to deflect the criticism, but really none to refute it: The South Fork Wind Farm will charge higher rates for the power it generates – three to five times more than its parent company, Ørsted/Deepwater, will charge in nearby markets.
Despite complaints from all sides, freedom of information requests, and now a lawsuit, neither the Long Island Power Authority nor Ørsted have shed any light on the matter. East Hampton Town doesn't even know the cost per kilowatt-hour ratepayers will be charged. In fact, though, every ratepayer in the PSEG/LIPA system will pay for the wind power generated, and the power will not be earmarked for East Hampton, as many at first believed, but for the entire grid.
In January 2018 , the LIPA board, at the insistence of Governor Andrew Cuomo, entered into a 20-year agreement to purchase all the power generated by the South Fork Wind Farm. The price per KW hour was redacted.
The cat-and-mouse game to uncover the exact cost has been played ever since, though the 23¢/KwH has been bandied about and never refuted by either side.
When requests for disclosure first poured in officials of Deepwater Wind, which has since been bought by the Danish firm Ørsted, said LIPA requested the confidentiality agreement.
LIPA's special counsel for ethics, risk, and compliance, James Miskiewicz, wrote on August 31, 2017 in response to a query from a citizens' group that "Deepwater Wind explicitly asked that the redacted information be treated as confidential, as defined by New York's FOIL law."
Miskiewicz said the price being paid constituted a "trade secret" that was a shield from public information requests, a decision backed by the U.S. Supreme Court.
Tom Falcone, the CEO of LIPA, told East Hampton Town when queried that price confidentiality is a normal occurrence: "Confidentiality provisions, which are standard for all our power purchase agreements, are for the benefit all of our customers," he said.
But Wainscott resident Simon Kinsella, who is suing to force the state to disclose the rate, said Deepwater and LIPA wanted the price to be confidential because they knew other agreements being negotiated would indeed be public.
The discrepancies are jarring. The 400-watt Ørsted Wind Farm in Rhode Island charges 7.4¢/kWh, one-third the rate to be charged for the South Fork power. The Avangrid farm in Massachusetts is coming in at 6.5 ¢/kWh, and the Ørsted 1100-watt wind farm in New Jersey at 4.6 ¢/kWh, four times lower than New York ratepayers will pay. In addition, rates charged can rise over the years according to the terms of the contract.
While Ørsted will mine a rich vein in New York, long-term prices in the rest of the clean energy market are expected to drop to two and 1.3 cents, respectively, according to an analysis by Jeff McMahon in Forbes (July 1, 2019) titled, "New Solar + Battery Price Crushes Fossil Fuels, Buries Nuclear."
LIPA and Ørsted/Deepwater have methodically recycled the same basic statement when queried about the cost of the wind power:
"LIPA has estimated that the South Fork Wind Farm, including the upgrade, will cost the average ratepayer between $1.39 and $1.54 per month when it starts operating in 2022," said Meaghan Wims, a spokeswoman. "LIPA determined through a competitive process that this was the least-costly way to meet the need for new power supply on the South Fork, and that constructing other alternatives, including a new fossil- red plant, solar installations and upgrades to the existing transmission system, would have cost ratepayers more."
Not true, Kinsella and other critics contend. "They simply deferred some of the costs," he said. "You can't just kick them down the road. Their numbers don't add up."
Ørsted recently reached out to the Citizens for the Preservation of Wainscott, a well-funded opposition group that wants to keep the power line from the offshore wind generators from landing in Wainscott. Instead, Ørsted is renewing the possibility that it can come ashore in Hither Hills (see accompanying story). Neither outcome addresses the issue of cost. "Ørsted is asking not to criticize it for price gouging and for its countless material misrepresentations," Kinsella said.
Source: By Rick Murphy | The Independent | July 16, 2019 | indyeastend.com


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La Symphonie  a été écrite par Walter Piston en 1950.

Historique
Piston a composé sa quatrième symphonie sur commande de l'Université du Minnesota pour marquer le centenaire de la fondation de l'université l'année suivante. La symphonie a été créée par le Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra sous la direction d'Antal Doráti le .

Orchestration

Structure
L'œuvre est en quatre mouvements:
Piacevole (la blanche à 84)
Ballando (la noire à 132)
Contemplativo (la croche à 92)
Energico (la noire pointée à 120)

L'œuvre dure environ 25 minutes.

Le premier mouvement commence par une mélodie de deux octaves très fluide aux violons, s'opposant à un thème chromatique à la clarinette. Le deuxième mouvement est un mouvement de « danse » sous forme rondo, avec des mesures irrégulières (3/4, 7/8, 5/8, 2/4, etc), en alternance avec une valse 6/8 et un thème dynamique qui « rappelle des violoneux du pays ». Le contemplativo se développe à partir d'un thème d'ouverture presque entièrement atonal dans un climax explosif. Le final est de forme sonate, avec le premier thème fortement rythmique, et le second (au hautbois) plus cantabile. Le développement est court, et conduit par un retour du deuxième thème donné par les violons à une fin exubérante construite sur le premier thème.

Bibliographie
Austin, William, Piston's Fourth Symphony: An Analysis, Music Review 16:120–37 (1955).
Ferguson, Donald Nivison, Piston". In his Masterworks of the Orchestral Repertoire: A Guide for Listeners, (1954), p. 418–21, Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press.

Références

Liens externes

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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
Baltimore takes on rival looking for first win
Week 4 picks: Previewing Baltimore Ravens vs. Pittsburgh Steelers on TNF
Who will prevail between the Michael Vick-led Steelers and the winless Ravens? Don Banks makes his pick for Week 4 Thursday Night Football.
Don Banks
Who will prevail between the Michael Vick-led Steelers and the winless Ravens? Don Banks makes his pick for Week 4 Thursday Night Football below.
• Last week: 11–5; Season: 29–19 (.604).
• Best pick in Week 3: Carolina 26, New Orleans 21 (actual score Panthers 27–22).
• Worst pick in Week 3: Miami 27, Buffalo 24 (actual score: Bills 41–14).
• Join this FREE money 1-week fantasy football league. Top half of teams win cash on Sunday! Sponsored by FanDuel
Here's the NFL for you: Precisely 37 days ago, no team deemed Michael Vick worthy of even competing for its backup quarterback job, which is why he remained unsigned during training camp until late August, when Pittsburgh's Bruce Gradkowski went down with dislocated finger on his non-throwing hand. Now the 35-year-old Vick has just been tossed the keys to the Steelers' high-octane offense and told not to gun the engine too much, just keep it running until Ben Roethlisberger returns from his left knee injury.
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Easier said than done. At this point in his eventful career, Vick has tended to look worse the more he plays, and the defending AFC North champion needing him to take over for four to six weeks is a big ask. Especially since the Steelers in the coming six games play some pretty formidable defenses, even if you don't include the current version of the Ravens on that list: at San Diego in Week 5 on Monday night, then home against Arizona, at Kansas City, home against Cincinnati and Oakland. The Steelers' playoff hopes could die a grisly early death in that span if Vick can't produce and at least keep Pittsburgh in games on the strength of its defense and rushing attack.
The Ravens have been an enigma in September, and it's not hyperbole to say their season is essentially on the line tonight at Heinz Field, because there's probably no path to the playoffs at 0–4 in a conference where I foresee New England, Buffalo, Cincinnati, Denver, and someone from the AFC South as likely to reach the postseason. Still, if Baltimore can get out of Pittsburgh with a win, John Harbaugh's team is very much alive, and could be back to .500 within a blink of an eye with a home game against Cleveland and a trip to San Francisco coming in Weeks 5 and 6.
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For all the Ravens' issues, they have held a second-half lead in all three of their losses, and in two of those games they were up with less than three minutes to play. Baltimore has lost to Denver, Oakland and Cincinnati, and those clubs are a combined 8–1, with only the Raiders' Week 1 home loss to the now 3–0 Bengals marring that record. The Ravens have been consistently close to victory, but can't quite seal the deal.
So I'm saying there's a chance. And with Vick in the lineup instead of Big Ben, that chance has increased rather dramatically. Roethlisberger has sat out games against Baltimore six times in his career, and Pittsburgh is a ugly 1-5 against its most bitter rival in that situation. But I still think the Steelers find a way to get it done at home, running the ball effectively and getting just enough play-making from Vick to keep Baltimore reeling.
Retirement and Possible Last Home Game Not on Minds of Eagles' Veterans


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Leamington Chamber Orchestra
Update May 2020: It will come as little surprise to most of our audience to learn that we have also had to cancel our 5th July concert. We are hugely looking forward to getting together to play again, when it is safe to do so, and to bringing music to Leamington again. Our sympathy goes to those professional musicians who are suffering from loss of livelihood during this crisis.
Latest news 14th March 2020: very sadly we have had to cancel our forthcoming concert, due to take place on 29th March, as the church where we rehearse is closing to everything except services. We wish the best possible health to players and audience alike, and hope to see you again soon (next concert is planned for 5th July).
Leamington Chamber Orchestra celebrated its 40th anniversary in 2017, having been formed in 1977 by Warwick schoolboy Andrew Mogrelia who conducted the orchestra until 1993. Since 2002 the orchestra has been conducted by Richard Laing, a relationship which has seen the orchestra mature into the exceptional chamber orchestra that it is today.
We perform three concerts a year in the Town Hall, Leamington and since the start have had a policy of innovative programming, combining great classical pieces with wonderful new works from the 20th and 21st centuries. This culminated in our 40th anniversary season, for which we commissioned three new works. We also accompany local choirs and have worked with Cambridgeshire Choral society on a number of occasions.
Reviews of some of our past concerts
The concerts in our regular series are friendly affairs as well as musically rewarding, starting at 3pm and with tea and cake served in the interval! We look forward to seeing you there.
The orchestra has received a gift of pen-and-ink drawings – can you help to identify who is in them, or give one of them a home?
Join the orchestra
We are always on the look out for new players to join us. If you would like to join the orchestra, please contact lcoorchestra@gmail.com.
Conductor: Richard Laing
Leamington Chamber Orchestra on Contact Us
Tamarind Lucas on Contact Us
© Leamington Chamber Orchestra 2018


This copy shows the entry on 22-Apr-2019 at 03:03:30.
Chest tomb, C18. Ham stone. Sunk flat base; one simple recessed panel each end, two each flank with plain pilasters; heavy moulded hipped top. Commemorates John Patten, died 1707, and descendents.


Actually, this is more of a review than something new. I already learned about messing with the command line/terminal when I got my first exposure into Git and GitHub. In fact, the terminal is more of a reminiscent of that old MS-DOS screen that we old fogies used to mess with back in the days 2 and it was the very first thing that we see before we can even get into the software that we want to use during that time, whether if it was productivity software or playing video games. Ah, nostalgia.
You've already seen me post up screenshots on what I can do with the command line on the CBLW LBP because of Hugo. I will keep on going with the LBP, but as you know, because I have taken this huge leap to take on Skillcrush's Ruby on Rails Blueprint program, which will end a week before my birthday. 3 Yes, it's that long. Skillcrush is aiming for us Ruby on Rails noobs to learn other Ruby-based frameworks like Sinatra 4 and RSpec 5, as well as Active Record 6and Postgres, 7 before we jump into Rails.
Earlier today at work, I was actually thinking about opening up another tutorial here on The NINPOJineous about Ruby basics, as well as Ruby on Rails basics, and I was going to do it in a magical girl shoujo manga-style format. In Skillcrush, the instructors actually thought of Ruby (the programming language) as The magical girl of computer programming, and after how they portrayed Ruby as that type of magical girl, I could sort of see why. 8 Then again, I would probably be working in my dream job, spending time building stuff I wanted to build, that I probably won't have any more time to write tutorials in this crazy idea, so never mind.
A thought came to my mind just now. Would I even go straight to learning PHP after I've learned Ruby on Rails? Probably, mainly because of WordPress. But then again, a friend of mine even gave me an idea that I could probably build a blogging/CMS platform using Ruby on Rails that could give WordPress a run for their money. It's a tempting thought, but I'm not gonna delve into that thought just yet.
And that's it for Day 02! I'll be working longer hours these next three days, but it's a good thing that these scheduled lessons are short. 9 I don't know what it is, but somehow, just my exposure to Ruby suddenly has made me become happy.