Heads-up for 11 September 2010

Omega Tau Podcast
/43/ Flying the Space Shuttle
In this episode we talk with Duane “Digger” Carey about flying the US Space Shuttle. We cover all the major phases of a shuttle flight (countdown, launch, orbit insertion, on orbit, breaking, reentry and landing) and discuss the activities of the pilot and commander. We also cover briefly some of the Shuttle’s systems. We conclude the episode with a brief look at Shuttle pilot and commander training.
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New Books In History
Kip Kosek, “Acts of Conscience: Christian Nonviolence and Modern American Democracy”
There’s a quip that goes “Christianity is probably a great religion. Someone should really try it.” The implication, of course, is that most people who call themselves Christians aren’t very Christian at all.
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Big Ideas (TVO)
Gerard t'Hooft on Science Fiction and Reality
Gerard t'Hooft, a Nobel Laureate from Utrecht University, delivers a lecture on Science Fiction and Reality at the Perimeter Institute in Waterloo, Ontario on May 7, 2008
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Philosophy Bites
Cynthia Freeland on Portraits
What is a portrait? What can it reveal? Cynthia Freeland explores the nature of portraits in this interview with Nigel Warburton for the Philosophy Bites podcast. Philosophy Bites is made in association with the Institute of Philosophy. A book, Philosophy Bites, based on 25 interviews, is now available from Oxford University Press.
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Veertien Achttien
Annie Besant en de unie van harten
Met een geschiedenis als stakingsleidster en een overtuiging als theosofe stort de Britse Annie Besant zich in de Grote Oorlog op het India's nationalisme. Het imperiale gezag van de Raj gaat Besant interneren, maar moet haar na demonstraties al snel weer vrijlaten. In de jaren daarna mist ze de aansluiting met Gandhi.
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Schlaflos in München
Salat, Gedanken und nochmal Salat
Heute mal live aus der Küche - ganz ohne Kochshow. Also lauter aufdrehen!
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Armenian History - Nina G. Garsoian

As I wrote before I am tremendously enjoying Professor Richard Bulliet's 2008 course on the history of Iran at Columbia university. While at it, I was motivated though, to make a side step and search the realms of podcast in search for some of the names and places he brings up that I would love to find out more about.

For example about the Armenians. I could not find any podcast dedicated to Armenian History and I know of very few general podcasts that have given ample attention. One interesting lecture I found in a vodcast from the Metropolitan Museum of Art - Medieval Art. The museum acquired an Armenian stone cross (Armenian Khatchkar) on loan and for the occasion invited historian Nina G. Garsoïan to speak about Armenian Medieval History. (iTunesU feed) In spite of the fact that this is video, there is absolutely nothing you miss out if you merely listen to it.

Garsoïan takes on the lecture with a very ambitious goal. She sets out to do something other than outline the bloom period of Armenia in the Middle Ages, but rather embark on an analysis of the various rises and falls of Armenia and try to explain why it is that the Armenian culture has survived when most of history there was no geographic or political integrity that could be called Armenia. In her words: how could the Armenians survive as a people without a land? And this reaches to the heart of Armenian History, the culture and an explanation for its resilience. The paradoxical thing is that the Armenians rather by division than by unity seem to stand.

More:
History of the Parthians,
History of Iran,
A tip from Baxter Wood,
Iran today,
Iran in 2009.