Platypus of Truth

You ever get this sort of feeling at the end of the skool year?

When it became known that Utnapishtim had taken up his place at the crossroads, all the princes of the people were greatly concerned. “He will send our people into a frenzy,” they said. “And then Og will come and destroy us all!” So they sent unto Utnapishtim Bera the priest; for he was cunning in all the ways of the city. “Surely Bera will make him see reason,” they said. “Surely Bera will turn the people's hearts toward us once more!” So Bera took up his robes and his staff, and went up from the city to the crossroads where Utnapishtim stood. There he found the people gathered about Utnapishtim, though they did not understand his words, for he was a new thing to them. Then Bera opened his mouth and spoke: “Hail Utnapishtim, friend, colleague, wisest of men! What is this that you are doing? Why are you throwing these good people into confusion? Let us draw aside and talk a while, you and I!” “You snake!” Utnapishtim cried. “You have walked forty days and forty nigh...

The people gathered around Utnapishtim as he stood by the crossroads and they called out to him: "Teach us a new thing!" But Utnapishtim replied: "What new thing shall I teach you? Already, you know all that Utnapishtim has to say: do not lie, do not steal, do not murder! That which you do not wish to be done unto you, do not do to another! But these teachings you do not keep. How then shall Utnapishtim teach you a new thing? Behold, even if Wisdom should become a man and speak with you in the flesh you would not marvel." When the crowds heard these words, they scoffed at him. "Og shows us new things," they said. "Each day he brings forth new marvels." But Utnapishtim replied: "Yet you still crave more. Seven marvels cannot not satisfy you, and seventy times seven marvels lose their splendor like the grass. Paltry indeed must be the marvels of Og, King of Bashan, if he must bring new ones forth each day to please you. If you seek m...

Right about now, I feel like a Romanov in 1916.... At least each time I approach the lectern and begin to teach...

The seniors decided to stage a murder mystery for the prom. Who'd they get to put it on? The teachers, of course! So I spent six hours this Saturday speaking in a Belgian accent. The beard had to go too...

One of my favorite contemporary historians of ancient Greece is Paul Cartledge . I had the misfortune to disagree with him on some points about Homer in my thesis; benighted fool that I am! That's beside the point. I also happened to site Frank Miller's "300" in my footnotes a year before the movie was released; and I must say I'm quite pleased to see that my predictions regarding it have come true. So I was fascinated to find that Paul Cartledge had written a review of the movie that can be found here . Check out Wikipedia for quite a few more. Sooner or later I'll try and commit my own thoughts to the web, but they're proving remarkably elusive.

A tale of two professors and two reviews: http://www.payvand.com/news/07/mar/1251.html http://www.scriptoriumdaily.com/2007/03/14/the -300-must-we-celebrate-war-to-fight