The invasions of Korea launched by the dictator Toyotomi Hideyoshi are unique in Japanese history for being the only time that the samurai assaulted a foreign country. Hideyoshi planned to invade and conquer China, ruled at the time by the Ming dynasty, and when the Korean court refused to allow his troops to cross their country, Korea became the first step in this ambitious plan of conquest. In 1592 a huge invasion force of 150,000 men landed at the ports of Busan and Tadaejin under the commanders Konishi Yukinaga and Kato Kiyomasa. These two Japanese divisions rapidly overran their Korean counterparts, taking the principal cities of Seoul and then Pyongyang and driving the remnants of the Korean Army into China. The Japanese division under Kato Kiyomasa even started to advance into Manchuria. However, the Korean strength was in their navy and the vital Korean naval victory of Hansando disrupted the flow of supplies to the invasion forces, forcing them to hold their positions around Pyongyang. In 1593, the Chinese invaded capturing Pyongyang from the Japanese and driving them southwards. This phase of the war ended in a truce, with the Japanese forces withdrawing into enclaves around the southern port of Busan while the Ming armies largely withdrew to China. In 1597, following the breakdown in negotiations, the Japanese invaded again with a force of 140,000 men. However, the Chinese and Koreans were now better prepared and the advance came to a halt south of Seoul, and then forced the Japanese southwards. In November 1598 Hideyoshi died, and with him the enthusiasm for the military adventure. The Japanese council of regents ordered the withdrawal of the remaining forces, and the naval battle of Noryang, which saw the Japanese fleet annihilated by the Korean admiral Yi-Sunshin, proved to be the last significant act of the conflict.
Added by: Maria | Karma: 3098.81 | Multimedia » Audio | 15 July 2008
3
Neville Watchurst's 'The Angel Of Rome'
Directed by Sue Wilson
Broadcast December 4, 1992
Coded from tape at 128/44.1
The heart of the Catholic Church in the Vatican City used to be an all
male preserve. Rich enough to afford custom music from the great
composers, the music often required sopranos; an unnatural pitch for
adult male voices. Boys were too troublesome, & their voices broke.
The Sistine Chapel Choir resolved this matter by employing males who had been castrated before their voices broke.
As far as we know, Alessandro Moreschi, was the last of these. Born in
1858. He died in 1924. This is his story. It is both bitter &
joyous.
The play includes recordings Alessandro made in 1902 & 1904.
Product Description Raising Multilingual Children: Foreign Language Acquisition and Children elucidates how children learn foreign languages and when they can do so with the best results. The most recent studies in linguistics, neurology, education, and psychology are evaluated and the findings are presented in a "recipe" format. Parents and teachers are encouraged to "bake their own" and evaluate the multilingual children in their lives with the use of tools which include a family language profile and family language goals worksheet. Beginning with the Ingredients of Timing, (or the Windows of Opportunity,) and Aptitude, the book goes on to include the Baking Instructions of Motivation, Strategy, and Consistency. This is followed by Kitchen Design, or the role of the language learning environment. Plumbing and Electricity round out the ten key factors in raising multilingual children by discussing the possible role of Gender and Hand-Use, and our understanding of the multilingual brain at present.
Added by: Maria | Karma: 3098.81 | Periodicals | 11 July 2008
24
* Rewriting Darwin: The new non-genetic inheritance
The idea that children can inherit characteristics that their parents acquired during their lifetime is coming in from the cold
* The moonbots have landed
What will it take to persuade the moon to give up its secrets? Maybe a global space mission would do it, says Dana Mackenzie
* Can formula milk be made more like mum's?
Infant formula is a poor substitute for breast milk, but researchers want to add some of the missing ingredients that make a mother's milk so special
At Thermopylae, a rocky mountain pass in northern Greece, the feared
and admired Spartan soldiers stood three hundred strong. Theirs was a
suicide mission, to hold the pass against the invading millions of the
mighty Persian army.
Day after bloody day they withstood the
terrible onslaught, buying time for the Greeks to rally their forces.
Born into a cult of spiritual courage, physical endurance, and
unmatched battle skill, the Spartans would be remembered for the
greatest military stand in history--one that would not end until the
rocks were awash with blood, leaving only one gravely injured Spartan
squire to tell the tale....
Pressfield's descriptions of war are breathtaking in their immediacy.
They are also meticulously assembled out of physical detail and crisp,
uncluttered metaphor.
