Friday, December 3, 2010

Heads-up for 3 December 2010

Geography C110 (Berkeley)
World without End - Rape of the Planet
Interdisciplinary Studies lectures by Richard A. Walker. Geography, economics, politics and history.
(review, feed)

Witness
Kindertransports
In early December 1938 the first Kindertransport left Berlin, carrying jewish children out of Nazi Germany. They were taken to live in Britain - where thousands of children escaped the Holocaust.
(review, feed)

KQED Forum
Salman Rushdie
Salman Rushdie's new novel "Luka and the Fire of Life" chronicles the story of a son on a journey to save his father. Rushdie joins us to discuss the new book, aimed at children and adults, as well as other issues.
(review, feed)

Europe from its origins - A history of Europe

The history vodcast Europe from its Origins just came out with a new chapter. This podcast delivers the history of Europe from the early middle ages, from the break down of the Roman empire and it describes how the modern Europe slowly evolves from this eclipse. (feed)

In the new chapter the years 1276 - 1347 are being discussed. It is the time when the Crusades are more or less over. However, the competition between Christian Europe and the Muslim powers continue. Much of this struggle is about the last spoils of the Byzantine empire, but this also implies a question of the Christian unity and where its focal point lies.

Not only do the eastern and western Christianities not succeed in uniting, the western Christian Res Publica, the European world, although in some ways standing as a unity towards the Muslim world in the east, is thoroughly divided. The podcast then expands on this division and where it ends, more problems are awaiting Europe.

This podcast is a great multimedia experience. One could do without the visuals, however the way they are incorporated are absolutely exquisite and I'd say you would not want to miss out on them.

More Europe from its origins:
Europe from its origins - Cultural shift in the High Middle Ages,
Europe from its origins - A history of Europe,
Podcast with pictures - Europe from its origins,
A history of Europe.