[Tektalkdiscussion] Accessibleworld Presents A World View of history on may 20

[Bob Acosta]

        News Wire

 

The book selection for our next meeting on May 20this   The Last Apocalypse: Europe at the Year 1000 A.D. by James Reston Jr. See below for details.

Summary of last meeting on April 15th

 

The session began with the playing of part of an interview from C-Span's BOOKNOTES series by Alan Lamb and the author, Bernard        A. Weisberger regarding the Book, "America Afire: Jefferson, Adams and the Revolutionary Election of 1800". Everyone said they liked the book.  Don Queen began the discussion by quoting a reviewer, James Kirschke from H-net (see below)who although he thought the book "outstanding" felt the title "America Afire" was a case of hyperbole in view of the fact that four presidents were  elected without winning the popular vote. They were John Q. Adams, Rutherford B. Hayes, Benjamin Harrison (?) and George W. Bush. It was generally agreed that the 1800 election, with the possible exception of the Hayes, Tilden election of 1876 was America's most critical contested election. The character of Hamilton and Burr and the duel was discussed at length. The XYZ incident was also discussed, SEE BELOW. The peccadilloes of Hamilton and Jefferson were mentioned and it was agreed that a reading of history shows that what seems new and different, even outrageous has inevitably happened before.  It was finally concluded that it was the integrity and commitment of some of the major players such as Jay and John Marshall along with the checks and balances which saved the Union.  

 

Below is the link to the entire BOOKNOTES INTERVIEW.

http://www.booknotes.org/Program/?ProgramID=1602

 

Review of America Afire from H-net by James Kirschke. 

http://www2.h-net.msu.edu/reviews/showrev.php?id=5680

 

 

Our next book is: The Last Apocalypse: Europe at the Year 1000 A.D. 

Reston, James Jr. Read by Gary Telles. Reading time 12 hours 40 minutes. 
NLS eligible patrons: RC46386  

Download the Last Apocalypse: Europe at the Year 1000 A.D., DB46386 

Note: it is marked up for chapters.

 

FROM THE BOOK JACKET

Enter the world of 1000 A.D., when Vikings, Moors, and barbarians battled kings and           popes for the fate of Europe. As the millennium approached, Europeans feared the world would end.  The old order was crumbling, and terrifying and confusing new ideas were gaining hold in the populace.  Random and horrific violence seemed to sprout everywhere without warning, and without apparent remedy.  And, in fact, when the millennium arrived the apocalypse did take place; a world did end, and a new world arose from the ruins. In 950, Ireland, England, and France were helpless against the ravages of the seagoing Vikings; the fierce and strange Hungarian Magyars laid waste to Germany and Italy; the legions of the Moors ruled Spain and threatened the remnants of Charlemagne's vast domain.  The papacy was corrupt and decadent, overshadowed by glorious Byzantium.  Yet a mere fifty years later, the gods of the Vikings were dethroned, the shamans of the Magyars were massacred, the magnificent Moorish caliphate disintegrated: The sign of the cross held sway from Spain in the West to Russia in the East. James Reston, Jr.'s enthralling saga of how the Christian kingdoms converted, conquered, and slaughtered their way to dominance brings to life unforgettable historical characters who embodied the struggle for the soul of Europe.  From the righteous fury of the Viking queen Sigrid the Strong-Minded, who burned unwanted suitors alive; to the brilliant but too-cunning Moor Al-Mansor the Illustrious Victor; to the aptly named English king Ethelred the Unready; to the abiding genius of the age, Pope Sylvester II--warrior-kings and concubine empresses, maniacal warriors and religious zealots, bring this stirring period to life. The Last Apocalypse is a book rich in personal historical detail, flavored with the nearly magical sensibility of an apocalyptic age. James Reston, Jr., is the author of ten previous books, including Galileo: A Life and Sherman's March and Vietnam.  He has written for The New Yorker, Esquire, Vanity Fair, Time, Rolling Stone, and many other publications.  His television work includes three "Frontline" documentaries, including "Eighty-Eight Seconds in Greensboro." The Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars provided him with a Visiting Fellowship during the course of his work on this book.  Reston lives in Chevy Chase, Maryland. 

  

 

The group will meet at the same time the third Wednesday of every month and will be facilitated by Don Queen,  (Email:  queens at pacbell.net

 

Date: Wednesday, May 20th

 

Time:  6:00 p.m. PDT, 7:00 p.m. MDT, 8:00 p.m. CDT, 9:00 p.m. EDT

          and elsewhere in the world thursday 1:00 GMT.


Where:  A World View of History Room:

 

Approximately 20 minutes prior to the event start time; go to A World View of History at: 

  

Historyhttp://conference321.com/masteradmin/room.asp?id=rsf0c95f474b43 

  

Or, alternatively,

 

Select A World View of History Room at: http://www.accessibleworld.org. Enter your first and last names on the sign-in screen.

 

All online interactive programs require no password, are free of charge, and open to anyone worldwide having an Internet connection, a computer, speakers, and a sound card. Those with microphones can interact audibly with the presenters and others in the virtual audience or text chat with the attendees.


If you are a first-time user of the Talking Communities online conferencing software, there is a small, safe software program that you need to download and then run. A link to the software is available on every entry screen to the Accessible World online rooms.

 

Sign up information for all Accessible World News Wires and discussion lists are also available at our website http://www.accessibleworld.org.

 

Accessible World Contacts:

 

Robert Acosta, Chair

Accessible World

818-998-0044

Email: boacosta at pacbell.net

Web: http://www.helpinghands4theblind.org

  

Joann Becker, Events Coordinator

Accessible World

617-969-1213

Email: joannbecker at pcomcast.net

 

George Buys, CEO

Talking Communities

Email: buys at talkingcommunities.com

 

The Accessible World, a division of Helping Hands For The Blind, a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization, seeks to educate the general public, the disabled community and the professionals who serve them by providing highly relevant information about new products, services, and training opportunities designed specifically to eliminate geographic and access barriers that adversely affect them.




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