caesar novus

World Archeology magazine reports amusingly on the halted (out of money) but nice partial renovation of this enigmatic villa at http://www.world-archaeology.com/travel/richard-hodges-travels-to-villa-del-casale-at-piazza-armerina/#.UpfDcrB6fm4 Hmmm, is that a worthwhile mag to subscribe to just for the occasional Roman coverage like http://www.world-archaeology.com/travel/ostia/#.UpffpLB6fm4 ? .

The Chronicle of Higher Education opined: http://chronicle.com/article/Against-Environmental-Panic/139733/ . http://chronicle.com/article/The-Gallic-Gadfly/139731/

. Oh, too bad it looks like he died last fall. I guess I'm listening to his "Books That Have Made History: Books That Can Change Your Life" and the order got scrambled so I don't know what book I was on among the jam packed digressions upon Rome and Greece. Additionally, maybe in the St Mark Gospel he riffed about how Christianity was so much shaped by the Greek/Roman culture... more than just St. Paul making it a bit more Rome friendly, but the whole trinity crises was because Aristotle taught there must be hierarchy rather than joint rule. Graven images had to be allowed due to the Roman and Greek heritage of art. Stuff I never heard before, so wondered if his appealing ideas are accepted or eccentric. What a relief to load his lectures on my mp3 player for long walks... I just endured 24 lectures on that kook Richard Wagner, and then bailed out of a series that demonized St. Paul. How can I learn about St. Paul from a lecturer that hates him him as practically a Franco type reactionary vs Christ as revolutionary Che Guevara role model...

I'm trying to test the veracity of prof. Rufus Fears, a frequent and enjoyable lecturer on Roman history in the Teaching Company series http://www.thegreatcourses.com/tgc/professors/professor_detail.aspx?pid=165 . He gave an implausible sounding method of how Nero had his rival Britannicus murdered (the natural son of Claudius.. how different and better the empire might have become under B.) that is at odds with what some googling brings up, such as from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Britannicus . The conventional sources say B. was poisoned, although maybe actually died by an unrelated epileptic fit. He had survived poison before, but this time his food taster was subverted by serving too hot wine (safe), which was sent back for cooling water containing the poison. Some say Nero raped young B. beforehand to avoid the superstition against murder of virgins. Anyway I wonder if we know the type of poison and whether it would stand up to heat. But I wonder most where Fears got the theory that the poison came from a split apple. The knife contained poison on one side, so the safe side of the apple passed muster with the food taster. This sounds made up, because it seems hard to avoid slimeing both sides of the apple. Even if the two halves don't clap together immediately following the knife, some poison would be pushed back on the trailing edge of knife and slime the other side unless you angled it carefully. It would be an interesting experiment to put molasses on one side of a knife, and play food taster by trying the supposedly safe side.

. I saw a long sentence about that recently. I think in an external article, but possibly linked to from here (maybe even by me). Anyway it listed a number of things not invented by Rome, like togas, and who originated them, like Etruscans. Maybe roman numerals... weren't they originated elsewhere? Anyway, I wasn't terribly impressed by that theme, somewhat like how guns originate from China. Those early guns were highly ineffective except for making the best out of soldiers too clumsy to shoot arrows, and had to be reinvented in the west. Or take the example of the C-47 cargo airplane... it borrowed all it's innovations, but using them in combination and appropriate balance made it a revolutionary item in itself and perhaps the most long used aircraft.

. His wikipedia link loses it's final ) when parsed in this forum: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Jones_(classicist) From that, I highlight in bold his mission as I see it... addressing the relevance of Rome to today's everyman rather than his old works that address Rome to the scholars. . I have read his journalism for years, but that was before my interest in the Romans. I guess I can restart at http://www.spectator.co.uk/author/peter-jones/ for instance, although that said I hit my monthly quota after reading about Quaddafi as Caligula. That was a great magazine years ago when edited by today's mayor of London, but now perhaps not worth the subscription. I thought their review was poor and almost didn't post it, but thought the book itself might be good anyway.

From Trieste you could also take a summer ferry or probably a train to quaint nearby Pula Croatia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pula#Sights . . I haven't been there, but this picture shows how the arena ring dominates the town which is probably not much touristed vs other parts of Croatia. You can take summer ferries back to Venice, which would be a shame to not visit. To avoid crowds, just avoid the crush along the mindlessly obvious spine route from train station to Piazza San Marco along the canal or Rialto bridge. Walk the more serene pathways that locals use like thru Campo Santa Margherita and Academia bridge. A bit further down the coast is Split with it's magnificent Diocletian's Palace. Not well appreciated by tourists because it is entwined with the regular fabric of city shops and apartments, but I arrived on a quiet dawn and it was stunning. You can also visit the basements in near original state to get the gist of original floorplan.

Well, this is a stretch from the topic, but hard to know where it belongs. Just hitting the news recently is a billion euro art stash find in Munich, although it was found somewhat earlier. Various news sources call it Nazi loot, but it may be a category buster... in a way it seems to have been looted from Nazi museums by http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hildebrand_Gurlitt who was hired by them to sell it ("degenerate art"). His son has been found in possession of the art, which his (part jewish) father had claimed was burned in the Dresden raid. http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2013/11/05/243221372/nazi-art-trove-includes-previously-unknown-matisse-chagall-works

Tiberius took power 1999 years ago, and has a terrible reputation of depravity. But a restoral of a sculpture of him http://blogs.getty.edu/iris/rediscovering-tiberius/ has some rethinking whether he was unfairly maligned http://blogs.getty.edu/iris/has-history-got-roman-emperor-tiberius-all-wrong/ . For my part, I see in his face a tightness in the mouth that suggests a guarded shell attempting to look prim and respectable vs a clever and possibly ruthless core. His bone structure there is concave, which would lead mouthparts relaxing more outward unless tightened into a contrived pose. Why would a powerful person pose as nonthreatening... I guess he was afraid of Sejanus? But you can't read too much into Roman sculpture, which has been altered thru the ages. In this case the right arm and a few other spots are fake as you can see at bottom of http://www.getty.edu/art/exhibitions/tiberius/ . That arm looks way too expressive, undignified, and casual anyway. I saw an exhibit in Rome pointing out modifications to many ancient Roman sculptures during the Renaissance, just for the reason of changing fashions. P.S. I read the memoirs by Axel Munthe who a century ago lived on Capri where Tiberius ruled from. He reported that local residents systematically destroyed artifacts of Tiberius for religious reasons as they dug them up to install foundations, etc. I guess some artifacts were quite lurid. Here is a picture from Axel's villa looking toward palace of T. on the distant prominentory (actually I hear there were multiple palaces around the island).

I went to a cool lecture by Dr. Nicholas Hudson on Roman feasting styles. By a clever statistical analysis of physical dishes in dining rooms of various dates, he comes up with 2 social (festive) dining styles, neither of which equates to the hollywood version or even the versions on their frescos. He says the popular conception depicted was the exception. In early Rome, they engaged in what I believe he called status dining. There were a mix of patron, clients, and folks of various ranks paying tribute to each other and firming up relationships with symbiotic deals. They used dishware very much like today where everyone had their own plateware (theirs a bit smaller than ours). This way you didn't have to share or compete with others with common plates. You all recline, with heads toward the center of a circle and feet outwards like spokes of a wheel. In late Rome, the upper class still did the above a bit (using silver rather than pottery dishes), but most folks got more egalitarian with shared bigger dishes. "Convivial dining" was more of a communal thing, possibly with a christian influence. This isn't as great as it might sound, since there was no longer much striving for excellence, but rather a leveled "chain of contamination". Seated people paired up to eat from main dishes, then different pairings shared smaller dishes. So A and B shared, C and D shared... but then B and C shared another dish, so you were in a chain of spit potentially linking all together. I asked him if Mary Beard was right in saying the snack shops labeled in Pompeii couldn't be so because their food serving pots were unglazed and thus unsanitary for repeated wet use. He agreed and said they may have been spice shops.

Here is a great author presentation video about ultra productive but rude personality types in history, where Steve Jobs is called a cookie cutter example http://c-spanvideo.org/program/Obsessi . They have OCPD (compulsive obsessive personality disorder) he says, which differs from OCD in how the latter belongs in a mental ward, but the former drive family and co-workers to a mental ward! "America

. Hanson's book didn't claim Sherman was better than Grant, just that Sherman fit his maverick category best. BTW, A new book from US Naval War College prof. claims Vicksburg was a waste, and that the despised McClellan towered above Grant and Lee in terms of good strategy: http://c-spanvideo.org/program/Strategyandt He agrees that McClellan was horrible at operational and tactical levels, but if he was simply kicked upstairs rather than fired, his multipronged strategy might have taken transportation hub Chattanooga and ended the war 18 months earlier. Grant and Lee had poor strategic awareness; only Bragg and Lincoln came close to McClellan. The way the author characterizes these generals seems in line with a new brain theory that distinguishes top vs bottom brain thinkers (they reject the left/right brain theory) http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304410204579139423079198270 . I like their "adaptor" category, which doesn't use either top or bottom brain effectively (fun-to-be-with slacker!). Anyway McClellan would appear to be the stimulator type, whose top brain makes ingenious plans, but bottom brain is oblivious to see them thru. I guess Grant and Lee would be more perceiver bottom brain types who are said mainly good at reading the minds of their opponents, although not without some top brain (superb operational but not strategic thinkers).

Oh, I guess these codes are only good for the courses in that particular catalog mailer. I will post one last code from what must be the 100th physical catalog they wastefully have mailed to me... AXVE which should give 80% off some courses, but maybe none of the above.

Hmm, the above version of quiet storm is longer and overproduced compared to the softer version on my tablet. I guess I want to substitute this ethereal raga, with the warning that you have to wait a long time for the payoff climax. Either put it on a hidden tab to listen in background, or listen to the end, then the beginning. There ought to be a tool to play raga music files backwards for those of us wanting instant gratification. Also I couldn't find a worthy music clip of this god of jazz piano, but found a very wise interview session (with a dufus interviewer).

I took those great courses, which by the way should be available 75% off plus $10 off your first $50 with a coupon code PW4W which they sent to me with expiration oct 24. You also might find a better or a free shipping coupon on the web... they sometimes go 85% or maybe 90% off a pretty high starting price. I bought some of their physical media used too. Well the classical archeology course made no great impression on me for some reason... I may have gotten numb from the many non roman lectures preceding the roman ones, and maybe should revisit. I have paused in the middle of the structures course because it has a sort of dull presentation style. They hit columns and lintels, and arches, and should hit domes from the romans if I persevere. Look at the lecture headings, listener comments, and sometimes even trailers on those web links. I have their "Experiencing Rome: A Visual Exploration of Antiquity's Greatest Empire" which shows a lot of 3d views of structures and such, but I wasn't impressed by much depth of content: http://www.thegreatcourses.com/tgc/courses/course_detail.aspx?cid=3430 I also have their "Pompeii: Daily Life in an Ancient Roman City", but haven't looked at it yet (see the trailer at http://www.thegreatcourses.com/tgc/courses/course_detail.aspx?cid=3742 ). I heard an audio only version of "Greece and Rome: An Integrated History of the Ancient Mediterranean" which only touches on architecture, but is VERY wise and listenable: http://www.thegreatcourses.com/tgc/courses/course_detail.aspx?cid=3300 Back on the free Yale course I posted about, be aware they didn't compress the video or audio files so it adds up to something giant like 16 or 25 gig for the download versions where you can halfway see the slides. They point to a youtube version and there is another 3rd party streaming source I posted a year or so ago which may be compressed nice enough to see details.

http://oyc.yale.edu/history-art/hsar-252 which is mostly about the aesthetic elements of roman architecture... the physical science alone would be pretty simple. It annoyed me on it's emphasis on memorizing defunct terminology for every little decorative element, and also the way she would go off topic to revel in the election of current leftist politicians... but those are the ways of ivy league US universities these days. Also I believe there is a lengthy translated Roman tract available free on the web about how to build an aquaduct.

An easy stroll from Appia Antica is the Ardeatine Cave WW2 massacre site turned into a memorial... "one of the most touching places in Rome" says http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g187791-d240660-Reviews-Fosse_Ardeatine-Rome_Lazio.html . It was especially chilling to visit knowing that the man in charge, Erich Priebke, was still living practically walking distance away under house arrest. Well, today he died at age 100 http://news.yahoo.com/erich-priebke-ex-nazi-officer-never-repented-180705952.html . About half of that century wasn't spent locked up, but living well and openly in Argentina after he escaped from a British POW camp. You'd think this would be a dreary reminder of one of umpteen reprisals against civilians (335 in this case), but the story is amazing enough to inspire 2 movies. A lot of contradictory info exists on the web about it... was it really originally a Christian catacomb site? There are colorful web sites on it like http://www.zchor.org/italy/caves.htm or more careful narratives like http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ardeatine_massacre . The triggering event was partisan killing of at least 28 SS soldiers on parade, and unsurprisingly a lot of civilian reprisals were ordered. The story of the scramble to find enough "worthy" victims (finally too many), and then getting soldiers drunk enough to bear the killing is almost surreal. It seems clear that many were reluctantly following orders, although Erich wasn't reluctant enough for the courts... sort of fatalistic. On my visit I misinterpreted the exhibits labelled in Italian to focus on the explosives part (visit the crater above the roof of the caves), and almost wanted to visit and punch Erich. Anyway if you are ever crazy enough to walk to or from the Appian way from Rome, it is best to go via this memorial which offers the only pedestrian friendly approach. Otherwise the Appian way necks down to having no sidewalks on the edge of Rome and cars will scrape you against the walls even on a Sunday.

The grandeur that was Rome : a survey of Roman culture and civilization (1912) Stobart, John Clarke Available free from http://archive.org/details/grandeurthatwasr00stobuoft or http://archive.org/search.php?query=grandeur%20that%20was%20rome (I like the epub version on the first link, but other suggestions welcome) I was drawn to this book not just because it's expired copyright allows free download, but because Robert Garland (perhaps the world's best lecturer on Rome and Greece) named it as his childhood inspiration for his career. It is of course dated in facts and style, but that age allowed the author to write with frank enthusiasm and gripping narrative that would have to be inhibited and tediously nuanced today. So it is an entertaining big-picture book (follow-on to his "Glory that was Greece") that can set the stage to more mundane but correct works of today. Read a few samples (past the lengthy intros). Hitler and the power of Aesthetics This book is the perfect way to explore the dramatic WW2 period minus most of the gore. It's simply amazing how much that dictator focused on micromanaging public display, ritual, and art in order to gain power and seek legacy. A very unusual and rewarding book about a bohemian artist wannabe playing warlord (or the reverse? echos of Nero anyway). The Hitler Book by Henrik Eberle, Giles MacDonogh, Matthias Uhl This is a terrible book of doubtful veracity and ethics, but with useful elements. As I understand, it's a private report to Stalin about Hitler that was virtually beaten out of reluctant prisoners of war who were once on household staff, etc of Hitler. It includes various interjections by western commentators about wrong facts, which makes you wonder about the other parts that can't be fact checked. Anyway it gives chilling details such as Hitler ordering various killings of civilians for minor things, such as that they had seen construction of his Ukrainian bunker. Usually this view of Hitler has been mainly inferred due to lack of records (leaving open the possibility of overzealous underlings), but here you see him badgering underlings to be more brutal and less sentimental

How demanding is it for hardware? I believe mine is just below the min requirements they publish, but i'm not concerned with speed... only showstoppers.

Worth seeing it on Turner Classic Movie channel although resolution isn't much better and they rarely repeat it. I hope that movie is released in higher def... it is amazing to see their clips of Roman sites from 60 years ago when things were a bit different. With the old vs new views of the same thing I feel I can triangulate to better see the essence of Roman things. The ancient architecture has a different look then with less built up areas and less ant-like mobs of tourists. Of course it is better now that the opera theater is gone from Caracalla's baths; you can see it made a mess of it in the helicopter clip. Such a movie made me wonder why there wasn't more followup with similar ones, or more exposure of those stars. You might enjoy another clip in the Pz Novanna (that somehow looks more like its Roman racetrack origin) where Lanza sings a charming duet with a child busker. A glance to the internet tells that that was a real street urchin that Mario insisted was written in (where is she now?). Anyway Mario Lanza WAS preparing for a followup of that film, but was killed by a Rome fat farm! He apparently was a binge eater/drinker who submitted to a radical local program where they gave almost coma inducing drugs to stop the eating. The female star also seemed like lost potential. Although in this movie she was somewhat subdued, you can see her sizzling in earlier Italian movies and poised to challenge the other international bombshells of the day. But soon after this movie she retired into a royal wedding, and her children perhaps are first in line if Italy's monarchy was revived.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vSk6pc8ZouQ

There is a reason those diagrams have different orientations... the runway is at the top. See the click-here picture for description in words of how it is far more than an orientation issue. My point is overwhelmingly documented, and I have cited but the tip of the iceburg... you have shown no such documentation, but mainly rude bluster. Pilots are on the whole unreflective and overly satisfied with their own provincial modus operandi... they kind of need to be because the priority is for decisive quick actions even if they are suboptimal. To rise above the mass produced student herd, try a dozen no-flap, no-power landings on a short field. You will be embarrassed that your went on this anti-intellectual jihad for something that is a lifesaver. It would be a lesser evil if the pilot community accepted the maneuver of forward slip, but left it under a confusing ambiguous name of sideslip. That is, they employ it with NO crosswind and are looking directly down the runway thru their SIDE rather than front window due to massive rudder input. But I don't see evidence of that, just denial and ignorance abounds. And of course it is a larger issue of needless pilot assumptions that their engine or flaps will get them out of landing troubles. An informed and open minded sector of the pilot community knows and practices ways around those dependancies.

There is an annual free museum day in US around the last saturday of september sponsered by smithsonian. Here is a list of participating venues and the means of printing free tix (digital image tix only accepted where noted) http://www.smithsonianmag.com/museumday/venues/ It seems a shorter list than in the past, and why did their cabletv channel disappear on me (just when I decided not to drop it to save money). I guess these are harder times... used to be you could go to any number sites without tix iirc.