NBN Book of the Day - James Lacey, “Rome: Strategy of Empire” (Oxford UP, 2022)

From Octavian's victory at Actium (31 B.C.) to its traditional endpoint in the West (476), the Roman Empire lasted a solid 500 years -- an impressive number by any standard, and fully one-fifth of all recorded history. In fact, the decline and final collapse of the Roman Empire took longer than most other empires even existed. Any historian trying to unearth the grand strategy of the Roman Empire must, therefore, always remain cognizant of the time scale, in which she is dealing. Although the pace of change in the Roman era never approached that of the modern era, it was not an empire in stasis. While the visible trappings may have changed little, the challenges Rome faced at its end were vastly different than those faced by Augustus and the Julio-Claudians. Over the centuries, the Empire's underlying economy, political arrangements, military affairs, and, most importantly, the myriad of external threats it faced were in constant flux, making adaptability to changing circumstances as important to Roman strategists as it is to strategists of the modern era.

Yet the very idea of Rome having a grand strategy, or what it might be, did not concern historians until Edward Luttwak wrote The Grand Strategy of the Roman Empire: From the First Century A.D. to the Third forty years ago. Although the work generated much debate, it failed to win over many ancient historians, in part because of its heavy emphasis on military force. By mostly neglecting any considerations of diplomacy, economics, politics, culture, or even the changing nature of the threats Rome faced, Luttwak tells only a portion of what should have been a much more wide-ranging narrative.

For this and other reasons, such as its often dull presentation, it left an opportunity for another account of the rise and fall of Rome from a strategy perspective. Through a more encompassing definition of strategy and by focusing much of the narrative on crucial historical moments and the personalities involved, Rome: Strategy of Empire (Oxford UP, 2022) promises to provide a more persuasive and engaging history than Luttwak's. It aims not only to correct Luttwak's flaws and omissions, but will also employ the most recent work of current classical historians and archeologists to present a more complete and nuanced narrative of Roman strategic thinking and execution than is currently available.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/book-of-the-day

Land of the Giants - Facebook’s Plan To Be Cool Again

Facebook defined an era of social media built on our connections, our social lives. We’re watching that era come to a close. Now, your main feeds of both Facebook and Instagram will use AI to start increasingly recommending content from people you don't follow. Kind of like another major app you may have heard of – TikTok.

  • Hosted by Shirin Ghaffary (@shiringhaffary) and Alex Heath (@alexeheath)
  • Subscribe for free. Be the first to hear next week's episode by hitting the plus sign in your favorite podcast app
  • Follow @recode and @verge for more coverage of Meta and Big Tech

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In the Bubble with Andy Slavitt - The White House’s Plan to Contain Monkeypox

President Biden has tapped two new federal monkeypox responders -- the CDC’s Dr. Demetre Daskalakis and FEMA’s Robert Fenton -- and we hear from them today on the latest inside plans to combat this growing epidemic. Andy asks Robert when the U.S. will have enough vaccines to protect the entire high-risk group and gets advice from Demetre on whether sexually active teens and college students should get the shot. Plus, Andy addresses Alex Berenson’s return to Twitter.

Keep up with Andy on Twitter @ASlavitt.

Follow Dr. Demetre Daskalakis and Robert Fenton on Twitter @dr_demetre and @BobatFEMA.

Joining Lemonada Premium is a great way to support our show and get bonus content. Subscribe today at bit.ly/lemonadapremium

 

Support the show by checking out our sponsors!

 

Check out these resources from today’s episode: 

Stay up to date with us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram at @LemonadaMedia. 

For additional resources, information, and a transcript of the episode, visit lemonadamedia.com/show/inthebubble.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

array(3) { [0]=> string(150) "https://www.omnycontent.com/d/programs/796469f9-ea34-46a2-8776-ad0f015d6beb/202f895c-880d-413b-94ba-ad11012c73e7/image.jpg?t=1651590667&size=Large" [1]=> string(10) "image/jpeg" [2]=> int(0) }

The NewsWorthy - Cheney’s Defeat, OTC Hearing Aids & Pumpkin Spice Season- Wednesday, August 17th, 2022

The news to know for Wednesday, August 17th, 2022!

We'll tell you about what could be the end of an American political dynasty: how one Republican's election loss represents former President Trump's influence over the GOP.

Also, some of President Biden's promises just became law: what the new law covers and why some people are against it.

Plus, if you have trouble hearing, you could soon get help without a prescription.

American Airlines flights could one day take half the time they do now.

And the first sign of fall comes early: it's officially pumpkin spice season.

Those stories and more in around 10 minutes!

Head to www.theNewsWorthy.com/shownotes for sources and to read more about any of the stories mentioned today.

​​​This episode is brought to you by Rothys.com/newsworthy and Indeed.com/newsworthy 

Thanks to The NewsWorthy INSIDERS for your support! Become one here: www.theNewsWorthy.com/insider 

 

What A Day - A Gay Doctor Talks Monkeypox

The CDC recently reported that new monkeypox cases in New York City appear to be slowing down, though new cases are slowly rising nationwide. Dr. Carlton Thomas, an advocate for queer health and sex positivity, joins us to talk about the stigma surrounding the disease, and safer sex practices for people who are at higher risk for exposure.

And in headlines: President Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act into law, former Trump White House lawyers were interviewed by the FBI over sensitive documents recovered from Mar-a-Lago, and millions of Americans can soon buy a hearing aid without a prescription.

Show Notes:

Crooked Coffee is officially here. Our first blend, What A Morning, is available in medium and dark roasts. Wake up with your own bag at crooked.com/coffee

Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/whataday/

For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday 

The Daily Signal - ‘I Was Totally Dying’: Afghan Interpreter Recalls Chaotic US Withdrawal

Monday, Aug. 15, marked one year since the Taliban reclaimed Afghanistan after 20 years of war and bloodshed. The New York Times reported that upward of 300,000 Afghans helped U.S. efforts in Afghanistan over those years. 

On this episode of "The Daily Signal Podcast," Aziz, an Afghan interpreter whose full name is being withheld by The Daily Signal, shares his story of escaping the Taliban and the fallout after the botched U.S. withdrawal.

"To be honest with you, it was a really dark day and very bad time," Aziz recalls of the days leading up to the fall of the capital city of Kabul. "There was fear. There was disappointments as the provinces were collapsing and the Taliban were reaching to the capital. I was totally dying, like a battery will lose its charge. I was seeing my body from inside; it was dying."

Aziz served as interpreter for Chad Robichaux during his eight deployments from 2003 to 2007 as a staff sergeant in the Marines' Force Reconnaissance special operations unit or as a Defense Department contractor. The Aghan fought side-by-side with the Americans. 

Robichaux, author of the forthcoming book "Saving Aziz: How the Mission to Help One Became a Calling to Rescue Thousands From the Taliban," also joins the podcast to describe helping to evacuate Aziz, his family, and thousands of others as chaos unfolded in Afghanistan.

Aziz says that he didn't expect his country to fall so quickly to the Taliban.

"We were thinking it will probably at least take them a few years before the regime collapsed," Aziz says. "We were not expecting it, that the regime will collapse all of a sudden within the matters of hours. Like within 24 hours, the whole system collapsed. That was totally unpredictable," 

Now residents of The Woodlands, Texas, Aziz, 39, and Robichaux, 46, share their journey out of Afghanistan, their message to the Biden administration, and what the future holds for the terrorist-run country. 


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Slate Books - Outward: The Viral Underclass, by Steven W. Thrasher

This month, host Christina Cauterucci, Jules Gill-Peterson, and Bryan Lowder start the show with a Thots & Queries segment in which a listener asks about orgy etiquette. In a completely different party setting, they try to figure out what on earth is going on in the U.S. Congress, where legislators are debating marriage equality in the form of the Respect for Marriage Act. Then Northwestern University professor and journalist Steven Thrasher joins them to discuss his new book The Viral Underclass: The Human Toll When Inequality and Disease Collide. Finally, they add some new items to the gay agenda.


Items discussed in the show:

Taylor Blake and her emu friend Emmanuel

Beyoncé’s Renaissance

A shocking tweet from the official Log Cabin Republicans account

The June 29 episode of Outward in which Mark Joseph Stern considered how the Dobbs decision might affect LGBTQ rights

Why Is There More Republican Support for Gay Marriage Than for Abortion Rights?” by Moira Donegan, in the Nation

The Viral Underclass,, by Steven Thrasher

Let the Record Show, by Sarah Schulman

An Uprising Comes From the Viral Underclass,” by Steven Thrasher in Slate, June 12, 2020

 

Gay Agenda

Jules: X, by Davey Davis

Bryan: The Sandman, on Netflix

Christina: “We Failed,” by Eric Neugeboren, in the Texas Tribune

 

This podcast was produced by June Thomas.

Please send feedback, topic ideas, and advice questions to outwardpodcast@slate.com.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Money Girl - 9 Retirement Account Rules Everyone Should Know

Laura answers listener questions and helps you get familiar with 9 critical retirement account rules so you can use them whether you’re employed, self-employed, unemployed, or retired.

Money Girl is hosted by Laura Adams. A transcript is available at Simplecast.

Have a money question? Send an email to money@quickanddirtytips.com or leave a voicemail at 302-365-0308.

Find Money Girl on Facebook and Twitter, or subscribe to the newsletter for more personal finance tips.

Money Girl is a part of Quick and Dirty Tips.

Links:
https://www.quickanddirtytips.com/ 
https://www.quickanddirtytips.com/money-girl-newsletter 
https://www.facebook.com/MoneyGirlQDT 
https://twitter.com/LauraAdams
https://lauradadams.com/

What Next | Daily News and Analysis - Will Kentucky Fail Breonna Taylor Again?

When Kentucky attorney general Daniel Cameron investigated the night Breonna Taylor was killed, his office concluded that the two officers who shot Taylor acted in good faith while executing the warrant provided. The Department of Justice’s investigation, however, suggests the warrant itself had false information, without which officers would never have been at Taylor’s home in the first place. Now a candidate for governor, will Cameron pay for his inattention in this high-profile case?


Guest: Tessa Duvall, Frankfort bureau chief for the Lexington Herald-Leader.


If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices