For centuries, the inlet called the Golden Horn and the city on the hills overlooking it were situated in the middle of the known world. To the south, through the Dardanelles and the Aegean Sea, lay the Mediterranean, around which the Greek, Roman, Persian, and Arab worlds revolved. To the north, through the Bosporus, lay the Black Sea, with its Russian and eastern European coastline. And across the narrow Bosporus was Asia Minor, bridge to the Orient. Because of its strategic location, the city on the Golden Horn was coveted by a succession of different peoples. But even though it frequently was under siege, even though control of it often changed hands, and even though, indeed, it was conquered and leveled more than once, the city proved to be virtually immortal.
Founded nearly twenty-seven centuries ago as the Greek colony of Byzantium, the city was harassed by the barbaric Thracians, attacked by the Persians, vied for by the Athenians and Spartans. Weakened and dispirited, its citizens finally were forced to seek the protection of Rome, and the city became little more than a Roman outpost. Then, in the fourth century, the Roman Emperor Constantine I decided to build his capital on the site. It was in the new city of Constantinople that ancient Greco-Roman culture was married to Eastern Orthodox Christianity and that Western civilization became Christian civilization. As the center of the vast Byzantine Empire, the city was one of the richest and most important on earth. But because of its wealth, it was sacked by the Crusaders in 1204. And because of its strategic location, it was conquered by the Ottoman Turks in 1453.
Since then, as the city of Istanbul, it has remained an international metropolis, a city of East and West, a city whose great paintings, mosaics, statuary, and architecture reflect the many cultures that have been centered there and the many ages the city has survived. Here is its story. Views: 573
Costa Eustakihos is rich, powerful, and fiercely protective of his younger brother. When he mistakes Tallia Maitland for a gold digging tart, he knows it is his duty to run her off. Unfortunately, the ruthless tycoon only realizes his mistake when it is too late. Will the beautiful Tallia forgive him for his appalling behavior, and what will her kindness and innocence do to the jaded millionaire?Costa Eustakihos is rich, powerful, and fiercely protective of his younger brother. When he mistakes Tallia Maitland for a gold digging tart, he knows it is his duty to run her off before she can sink her claws into his brother. Unfortunately, the ruthless tycoon only realizes his mistake when it is too late. Will the beautiful Tallia forgive him for his appalling behavior, and what will her kindness and innocence do to the jaded millionaire, when he discovers the truth? Views: 573
Imagine you are reaching to take that amazing catch, you know you can't quite reach the ball, until you see the ball slowing down in the air. Time is slowing down just for you and now you can reach the ball and win the game for your team. What if time wasn't just slowing down every time you played but it was at school too. What would you with this ability and could you control it?Along the starway of infinity there are millions of planets just like Earth. We need not be concerned with them. There are however many billions more that are not like Earth – these represent the biggest threat to humankind.A slow moving, fragile rudimentary craft from the United States pierced the murky atmosphere of Jupiter on July 4, 2016. Strange cries, shouts and howls were captured by the ships aural detectors. The voices, if indeed they were voices, were not made by carbon based lifeforms. The Space Agency quickly issued reports that derided the cries as nothing more than some sort of interference or radio static.The collective mind of Earthlings however, is beginning to grasp the concept of intelligent life that is not carbon based. Such lifeforms may not even appear to be lifeforms to the primitive brains of the homo-sapiens. Views: 573
"In the depth of Guthema's words, one indeed finds oneself coming home, to a place of solace, a place of peace, and a place of constant bliss. There is no better alchemy to what ails all of us in this modern world, then to return to the whispers of The Beloved found in Guthema Roba's divine poetry." —Paul Goldman, author of Journey into Oneness, Wild Joy: Ruminations and the spoken word CD Wild Joy: The Ecstatic Poetry of Paul Goldman Views: 573
Go behind the scenes at Amner Hall. Take a glimpse into the everyday lives of William and Kate, The Duke and Duchess of Chambridge.美雨は猫であり、ボーンチャイナの陶芸家でもある。美しい磁器を作るために、美雨はいかがわしい仕業で怪しげな素材を仕入れる。チュラはたまたま来日した難民キャンプのNPOボランティアであり、蛙でもある。美雨が錯乱状態を克服する手助けができるのはチュラだけだ。一方、ネズミの大群はよからぬことを企んでいて、相反する利害関係の争いは直に始まる。ネズミ団の親分は美雨の心を解く鍵を握っているが、戦うことなくそれを譲るつもりはないだろう。Mew is a cat and a bone china artisan. She makes beautiful china with suspicious materials using questionable methods. Chura is an NPO volunteer and a frog of a refugee camp who happened to come to Japan. He is the only one who can help Mew overcome her psychotic illness. Meanwhile, hordes of rats are plotting shady things, and a battle of conflicting interests ensues. The leader of the rats holds the key to Mew's sanity but won't give it up without a fight. Views: 573
Fern Michaels' Christmas novels are pure holiday magic—uplifting stories of love, family, and friendship in irresistible settings. And when she brings her bestselling Sisterhood series into the mix, the results are sure to kindle endless seasons of joy. The Sisterhood: a group of women from all walks of life bound by friendship and years of adventure. Armed with vast resources, top-notch expertise, and a loyal network of allies around the globe, the Sisterhood will not rest until every wrong is made right. Throughout the years, the ladies of the Sisterhood have delivered their own style of vigilante justice to those who most deserve it. But this Christmas, instead of finding and punishing bad guys, all Maggie Spritzer wants is to bring a little more joy to the world—and especially to a beloved teacher from her past. And as the Sisters unite to find Miss Roland, who seems to have mysteriously dropped off the face of the earth, they learn that... Views: 573
A six-pack sampler of short fiction by Alan Annand: humor, crime and WW2 adventure.A six-pack sampler of short fiction by Alan Annand: humor, crime and WW2 adventure.Bananarama: Reformed meat-eater embarks on a 15-day bananas-and-orange-juice diet, with surprising side effects. The Date Square Killer: Mild-mannered hit man finds love, social justice and the meaning of life in non-random acts of murder.River Girl: Middle-aged bureaucrat takes a detour on his morning jog that leads him to an unexpected rendezvous with Fate.Specimen: A wealthy butterfly collector visits his twin brother, warden of a penal colony, who is building his own unique collection.The Bassman Cometh: My night with Margaret Atwood: Hapless university graduate student in 1975 ruins famous Canadian author's poetry reading.The Naskapi & the U-Boat: A German U-Boat in WW2 visits northern Quebec to install a weather station, but a native family compromises their secret mission. Views: 573
David’s new school-teacher Mrs Wigglit, begins each day with a fascinating fact about the Possum Road residents. Her stories are so incredible that David tries to visit each one of his neighbours after school, often with disastrous results. During David’s visits, the Nutty Neighbour’s various vehicles always seem to end up being bashed, smashed or even trashed.Fortunately, all damaged cars qualify for the BOTTOMHAMSTED VILLAGE MAIN EVENT. Views: 572
"These were boys we knew, boys we trusted. 'They wouldn't do that to you,' she insisted. I wanted to believe her. But I couldn't..."On July 6, 2002, sixteen-year-old Alisa Kaplan woke, sick and disoriented, in the passenger seat of her car. She'd been at a party the night before, but there was a big blank hole where her own memories of the night should have been. So what happened at that party? Why couldn't she remember anything about the night before? As the appalling, terrifying details of that night began to surface, it ignited a media frenzy and a storm of controversy with Alisa trapped at the center: A straight-laced, straight-A student, sexually assaulted by three male friends-all caught on videotape.Her fight for justice pitted her against some of Southern California's most powerful families, and made her the target of a devastating smear campaign. Despite the evidence, the corruption and humiliation of her first... Views: 572
This anthology contains volumes 36-40 of my zine of book, audio, and other reviews.Commentary by Sri Srimad Bhaktivedanta Narayana MaharajaEdited by Vicitri dasiSri Gita-govinda is the zenith of all literatures; the poet himself confidently tells his audience this fact at the beginning as well as at the end of his divine masterpiece. This great classic is an immaculate presentation of sacred amorous love, manifested in this world by a genuine Vrajavasi, a resident of the topmost spiritual realm. It was by the desire of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu that this intimate vision of madhura-rasa was revealed in this world, providing a means for Him to relish the moods of Sri Radha. It furthermore affords a view of the unimaginable, confidential reality of Goloka Vraja for the conditioned souls of Kali-yuga. This Gita-govinda and other Gosvami literatures, with their pristine descriptions of the erotic mellow, are indeed the very medicine to alleviate our had-roga, the disease of lust contaminating our hearts. Throughout his epic masterpiece, in the eighth verse of many of the anoapadis, Sri Jayadeva assures us that his words are just the remedy to counteract the foulness of Kali. Sri Gita-govinda is celebrated in the educated society as an exquisite poetic composition that exemplifies the amorous mellow, saigara-rasa. Its author, the revered Sri Jayadeva Gosvami, is also widely accepted as an exceptionally talented poet. However, Sri Gita-govinda is not merely a world-famous poem full of emotive literary ornaments arranged in proper meter. Furthermore, Jayadeva Gosvami is not merely a poet adept in tasteful expressions through the development of his innate abilities. Sri Gita-govinda is the very essence of all the Vedas and Sri Jayadeva Gosvami is the highest class of devotional practitioner and perfected spiritualist, with complete mastery of all Vedic wisdom. Views: 572
Three times. Three tales. Three tails. Journey back in time to the days of pirates to watch a colony attempt to take root on an island ruled by mermaids. Then, travel to the present for the comedic romance of a mermaid who wants to dance. Finally, jump into the future and see what happens when two Marine Biology majors, one of them in search of a mermaid, end up on an environmental pirate ship.In "The Red Siren," travel back in time to the island of Mystycetii in the days when mermaids ate oysters and were ruled by a mer-king. Follow the journey of the naturalist Dove as he attempts to fall in love with his betrothed, Rowynne, and comes crashing down hard for a local mermaid. Then, fast-forward to the present for "Ocean Girl," the story of a mermaid named Luna who wants to win a human dance contest - will she get up after her fall from the spotlight? Finally, jump into the near future with "People with Fishtails," the tale of two landlubbers who find themselves on an environmental pirate ship. Gayle is searching for her mother, whom she believes to be a mermaid ,while Sander is on the lookout for unusual marine specimens. Neither of the two knows they're also looking for love...Enjoy a journey through the ages with these three tales of mermaids! Views: 572
