Byzantine=Roman

People tend to ask me this question a lot--"What is the difference between the Roman Empire and the Byzantine Empire?"

Answer: aside from the fact one is speaking Latin and the other Greek, and one was polytheistic (mostly) and the other aggressively Greek Orthodox, none.....LOL

Back in 285, Diocletian realized the Roman Empire was too big for one man to run so he made an administrative East-West division with its own emperor though the older one was senior.  Constantine the Great (312-337) did away with this and after the Edict of Milan, legalizing Christianity, moved the capital of the empire to Byzantium.  Then Constantine, ever the modest type, renamed the city Constantinople.

After 337, the Romans went back to the old East-West division and in 476, the Western Empire fell.

September 4, 476 is the fall of the Roman Empire.

But that was only the western half.

The East lived on until 1453.  It was a pretty wild ride lasting nearly a thousand years.

The word "Byzantine" did not even exist until 1557 when a German historian named Wolff coined the term to mark a distinction between the Roman Empire of antiquity and the Byzantine Empire that still carried Roman standards into battle in the Middle Ages.

The Eastern Roman Empire was built around a Greek core rather than the original Latin but it took until the 600s before Greek became the official language of the empire.  Of course the character of it had changed.  Historian argue weather it was Justinian or Heraclius who was the "last" of the Latin emperors but a look at the names should tell you what you need to know. LOL

Western Europe, for some reason, never seemed to recognize Byzantium as the Roman Empire. They always referred to the Emperor as "King of the Greeks."   It got to the point where they crowned an aging Charlemagne as Roman Emperor in 800 and kept up the Holy Roman Empire charade until Napoleon got tired of looking at it.  As Voltaire said, "It was neither Holy, Roman, nor an empire."  Oddly enough, the Turks, Arabs, and Persians had no problem seeing the Byzantine Greeks as Romans, referring to the empire as "Rum". 

It was all fun and games until May 29, 1453 when the Turks finally took the city by storm.  Even the Turks recognized how valiant an adversary the Byzantine Greeks were and the Greeks never forgot, finally winning freedom in 1832.

Of course, they did not call themselves "Byzantines."  They proudly called themselves "Greek".

Stay Classy, LA

After watching the whole Chris Dorner episode unfold, I suddenly understand why Los Angeles is such a weird place----Its populated by insane people!

I don't know who was crazier--Dorner or the cops.  And not just the Los Angeles Police Department. The San Bernadino Sheriff Department seemed to be staffed by people who were not sure what planet they were on.  It might explain why, after nearly twenty years after Rodney King riots and federal supervision, why so much hatred and vitriol came out against the cops in SoCal.

Did they set the cabin on fire or didn't they?

Why were there over fifty (!) individual security details all around LA because of one crazy?  Who was watching South Central? And HOW do you mistake two Asian ladies in a pickup for one large guy in BDUs? They open fire and plant nearly a hundred rounds in the truck and shoot a fleeing old lady in the back?

The LAPD is clearly one of the most corrupt and incompetent organizations on the planet.  All those resources to chase down one guy?  And if he was so crazy, why did the LAPD bring him on board as a cop in the first place?

Did he know something they did not want everyone else to know?

Given the LAPD's reputation, it is kind of hard to shock anyone.

If the "Big One" ever hits Los Angeles and slides off into the Pacific, I don't think anyone is going to miss it.

Donald Driver---Class Act

Don't you wish you could see more stories like this about athletes? I might even forgive him for Super Bowl XLV after this......:-).  Story from Yahoo! Sports

 http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nfl-shutdown-corner/donald-driver-final-stop-green-bay-home-78-201447164--nfl.html

More wild weather!

What is it with January weather?

Last year, it was a couple of snow storms.  This year, it did not snow because it was too bloody cold and then these wind storms with 60 + mph winds came out of no where!  Fortunately no tornadoes but you do wonder!

It was easy to sleep to.  Pelting rain and high wind.  Imagine the rain as icy snow and the wind as the usual wind and  you know what it is like out on the Canadian Prairies at night.

After last year's hail storms, there were a lot of roofers out asking to inspect roofs and then giving quotes,,,,LOL  I bet we see them come out again!

Nothing like a little entrepreneurial initiative.  I bet it is all cash too...especially with our moron government trying to tax everything in existence.  Don't worry...its going to implode because there is not that much money in the world and they are going to find out the hard way!

In the meantime, its back to writing and reading and all that other stuff!

Benghazi Hearing...

"The form was still there, but the animating health and vigor had fled."

I remembered that line from Edward Gibbon's Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire when I watched the oft-delayed hearings on the September 11, 2012 terrorist attack in Libya that cost the life of Amabassdor Christopher Stevens and three other Americans.

After delaying, claiming she was "busy", followed by a stomach virus and a claim of a concussion, SecState Hillary Clinton finally gave her testimony about how much she knew of the deteriorating security situation.

"At this point what difference does it make?" what the answer we received.

What difference does it make?

Four Americans died in a supposedly liberated country and you did not ensure their security before, during or even after the attack!

Senator Paul Rand said it best: "I would have relieved you of your duties."

She needs to go to jail.

First, the administration blamed some Youtube film for a "spontaneous" demonstration that did not happen.  No, even in the Middle East, people do not carry RPGs to demonstrations.  Arresting some guy in California does not prevent this from happening again. Despite promises to "bring the attackers to justice", has anything been done?  Do we even know who committed the attack?

Susan Rice was offered up as a sacrificial lamb and was lambasted.  Hillary tried to dodge the hearings and could not.  When she was brought up finally in front of the Senate, she bangs her fists on the table and says "What difference does it make?"

I would ask Chris Stevens but he is unavailable for comment.

Proud day for America.....

Chapel Hill--Vicious and Nasty?

 I was in Chapel Hill, NC on the University campus.  I saw angry people with sullen faces.  When they were not looking down at their feet while walking, they were shouting at each other and giving hand signals that had nothing to do with traffic.

I, aloof from the drama,  watched from a Starbucks with a hot chocolate.  I looked around and saw people slumped down in their seats, angrily staring at computer screens and it was quiet....eerie quiet.  I wondered what was going on.

Then today I saw a New York Times article ripping Obama over drone strikes at US citizens joining al-Qeida in the Middle East.  What? The New York Times upset at Obama?  What was going on?

Then I made a connection and I realized what I saw in Chapel Hill earlier.

Everyone was getting smaller paychecks due to the increased payroll tax that somehow was not included in the "fiscal cliff" negotiations.  Suddenly, these committed liberals who had fought so hard and campaigned tirelessly for Obama were reaping what they had sown.

And they did not like it.

Can you blame them?

Would Romney have been any different?  Hard to say but he is not the one in the White House so guess what---it's yours, Barrack!  And the people who voted for you don't seem too happy with you.

It is nothing to gloat over but it shows an important lesson--liberal or conservative, Republican or Democrat--we are all in this together.

United States....U.S......US....Let's keep it that way and forget the infighting.

It is time to work together and fix this mess.....

TOGETHER!

Rudy West

The University of Oregon Ducks are known for three things--(A) Horrific uniforms, (B) fielding consistently good teams and (C) teamwork!

With 2:27 left in a 35-17 route of Kansas State in the Fiesta Bowl, Oregon player Keanon Lowe (pic above, courtesy of Sports Illustrated) fake an injury so that his teammate, Dane Ebanez, could come into the game.

Ebanez was a walk on who had played for the last three years on the practice squad.  He was the practice squad player of the year for the last two years but had never been in a game.  Since he was a senior, this Fiesta Bowl would be his last.  Lowe "limped" off the field and waved Ebanez in so that his teammate could at least be in a bowl game before his college career ended.

This is what teamwork is all about.

Dane Ebanez is probably not going to the NFL or CFL but you never do know.  Lowe might and if he does, I hope he does well.  Hopefully it isn't for the Baltimore Ravens.....