I've launched a Newsletter. Here's the first issue:
Newsletter announcement
Subject NEWS
A lot of interesting things come my way. I’ve been sharing them on my blog (https://www.wrobertconnor.com/blog ). but a newsletter may be a better vehicle. Here’s the first edition. If you like it, pass it on; if
at any point you’d like to be removed from the mailing list, just let me know at [email protected].
-
A Stop on the Invasion Route Putin Shares with Xerxes:
Anacharsis, his murderous relatives, and a Greek town called “Prosperity” (a.k.a. Olbia Pontica):are all discussed in “Prosperity” in Ukraine, “ a blog post of April 20th 2022. ?
Speaking of Anacharsis, What about Maxims?
The legend of Anacharsis, the Scythian prince who became one of the Greek Seven Sages, got me thinking about maxims. It turns out that they are perhaps the most prolific literary form among the Greeks. They were not just throw-away lines but the distillation of thought and experience, or so I argue in the Arion article “Unmasking the Maxim.“ . . The article is available via JSTOR and through my site at academia.edu: https://www.academia.edu/76149434/Unmasking_the_Maxim
Report on the Princeton Classics Experiment:
A year ago the Classics department at Princeton undertook a much criticized experiment: the study of ancient Greek or Latin would no longer be required for a Classics major. Now the figures are in for the class of 1924. Josh Billings reports that the number of majors has almost doubled from the average of the preceding three years and all of the aspiring concentrators in the field plan to either start or continue the study of the ancient languages. There’s now reason to hope that the added flexibility will actually increase the study of those languages and provide a challenging and intellectually rewarding experience. So far, so good..
-
Cerberus and Friends: For Dog-Loving Travelers:
Ninety years of excavations in the Athenian Agora have told us a lot about the ancient Greeks and their dogs, including the animals’’ names, affectionate burials. and sometimes their sacrifice to the gods of the underworld. Now the American School has produced a booklet, Dogs in the Athenian Agora, for all of us dog lovers.
Quotable From the Tight-Rope Walker
Only in America? Philippe Petit, the high wire artist who was arrested in 1974 after walking eight times between the roofs of the two original World Trade Center buildings:
“Only in America! I do something astounding and magnificent, and they ask me why?”
The film Man on Wire. has been around for a while but is worth seeing again. and again, and … ,
Why Were We Surprised – Again?
When the Soviet Union collapsed, the experts were all surprised. When Putin’s invasion failed to succeed in a few days or weeks, the experts were surprised again. In ”Why Were We Surprised?” I suggested an explanation that may still apply..
(The article is available via JSTOR: https://www.jstor.org/stable/41211891
and on my site at academia.edu: https://www.academia.edu/76148668/Why_Were_We_Surprised_Word_version
Spin-off: The Big Issue Is Not Democracy vs. Autocracy:
In the American Scholar article just mentioned I came to the conclusion that the underlying issue for decades to come would be posed by the multi-ethnic state, or more precisely, by the fear that idea generates. Autocrats know how to exploit that fear, but democratic processes are not immune to it. We’ve seen the power of such fears in China, Myanmar, and American immigration policy. Let’s see what happens in France this Sunday. .
The Enragement of Judgment:
Covid isn’t over and neither are its psychological and societal effects. Take a look at “Reading Thucydides in a Time of Pandemic”
It’s available at https://theamericanscholar.org/reading-thucydides-in-a-time-of-pandemic/
Time’s Progeny, is the blog entry for March 25th. It’s at
https://www.wrobertconnor.com/blog
--
Thanks for reading! I depend on interesting leads and links that friends send me. Keep it up!
The next Newsletter will appear in May. Meantime, keep an eye on the blog https://www.wrobertconnor.com/blog
Bob Connor
revised April 27 2022
Newsletter announcement
Subject NEWS
A lot of interesting things come my way. I’ve been sharing them on my blog (https://www.wrobertconnor.com/blog ). but a newsletter may be a better vehicle. Here’s the first edition. If you like it, pass it on; if
at any point you’d like to be removed from the mailing list, just let me know at [email protected].
-
A Stop on the Invasion Route Putin Shares with Xerxes:
Anacharsis, his murderous relatives, and a Greek town called “Prosperity” (a.k.a. Olbia Pontica):are all discussed in “Prosperity” in Ukraine, “ a blog post of April 20th 2022. ?
Speaking of Anacharsis, What about Maxims?
The legend of Anacharsis, the Scythian prince who became one of the Greek Seven Sages, got me thinking about maxims. It turns out that they are perhaps the most prolific literary form among the Greeks. They were not just throw-away lines but the distillation of thought and experience, or so I argue in the Arion article “Unmasking the Maxim.“ . . The article is available via JSTOR and through my site at academia.edu: https://www.academia.edu/76149434/Unmasking_the_Maxim
Report on the Princeton Classics Experiment:
A year ago the Classics department at Princeton undertook a much criticized experiment: the study of ancient Greek or Latin would no longer be required for a Classics major. Now the figures are in for the class of 1924. Josh Billings reports that the number of majors has almost doubled from the average of the preceding three years and all of the aspiring concentrators in the field plan to either start or continue the study of the ancient languages. There’s now reason to hope that the added flexibility will actually increase the study of those languages and provide a challenging and intellectually rewarding experience. So far, so good..
-
Cerberus and Friends: For Dog-Loving Travelers:
Ninety years of excavations in the Athenian Agora have told us a lot about the ancient Greeks and their dogs, including the animals’’ names, affectionate burials. and sometimes their sacrifice to the gods of the underworld. Now the American School has produced a booklet, Dogs in the Athenian Agora, for all of us dog lovers.
Quotable From the Tight-Rope Walker
Only in America? Philippe Petit, the high wire artist who was arrested in 1974 after walking eight times between the roofs of the two original World Trade Center buildings:
“Only in America! I do something astounding and magnificent, and they ask me why?”
The film Man on Wire. has been around for a while but is worth seeing again. and again, and … ,
Why Were We Surprised – Again?
When the Soviet Union collapsed, the experts were all surprised. When Putin’s invasion failed to succeed in a few days or weeks, the experts were surprised again. In ”Why Were We Surprised?” I suggested an explanation that may still apply..
(The article is available via JSTOR: https://www.jstor.org/stable/41211891
and on my site at academia.edu: https://www.academia.edu/76148668/Why_Were_We_Surprised_Word_version
Spin-off: The Big Issue Is Not Democracy vs. Autocracy:
In the American Scholar article just mentioned I came to the conclusion that the underlying issue for decades to come would be posed by the multi-ethnic state, or more precisely, by the fear that idea generates. Autocrats know how to exploit that fear, but democratic processes are not immune to it. We’ve seen the power of such fears in China, Myanmar, and American immigration policy. Let’s see what happens in France this Sunday. .
The Enragement of Judgment:
Covid isn’t over and neither are its psychological and societal effects. Take a look at “Reading Thucydides in a Time of Pandemic”
It’s available at https://theamericanscholar.org/reading-thucydides-in-a-time-of-pandemic/
Time’s Progeny, is the blog entry for March 25th. It’s at
https://www.wrobertconnor.com/blog
--
Thanks for reading! I depend on interesting leads and links that friends send me. Keep it up!
The next Newsletter will appear in May. Meantime, keep an eye on the blog https://www.wrobertconnor.com/blog
Bob Connor
revised April 27 2022