This is the very first day of fasting in Greece. So, I found Manolis in a good mood. The following quiz is probably one of the easiest he ever came up with. Aristophanes wrote about him: “…he was a cheat, a braggart, a calumniator, when alive…” Thucydides wrote about him: “…of all the citizens the most violent…” Who was he? »
‘To give an accurate and exhaustive account of the period would need a far less brilliant pen than mine’ Max Beerbohm (Yellow Book 1895) »
Today’s quiz should not be too difficult, as I decided to drop one small hint. Manolis insists that the this level of questions is appropriate for the intelligent people who follow the blog. And I agree! I cannot believe all of the questions, so far, have been answered so succesfully. So… Name a Hellenistic king whose father-in-law was a tyrant. »
A friend recently asked me what gift would I give to a PhD student. That was an odd question, I thought. But then I realised the awkwardness of the situation and the dilemma in which my friend was. PhD students are different and effectively they have different needs. So, here is a list of what I think is suitable. • Chocolates. There is nothing better than the pleasure a piece of chocolate can giv... »
Admittedly, this is a complicated relationship, which develops along the same lines as a dysfunctional love story. It starts with the excited anticipation of a blissful future together. The student will be the eager learner and the supervisor will become the wise teacher and guide and protector. The student would look up to the (godlike?) supervisor with pure admiration and the supervisor will loo... »
The one duty we own to history is to rewrite it. (Oscar Wilde. Intentions 1891 ‘The critic as an artist’) »