Ursus

Hail, Moonlapse!

From a Humanist perspective, no. But from a Realist perspective, to secure critical geopolitical ends ...? My problem with post-Cold War American foreign policy is not that we impose ourselves on sovereign powers, but that we do so for seemingly arbitrary reasons, and that the costs of intervention usually far outweigh the gains. There should be tangible benefits to imperialism but lately all I see are military quaigmires and diplomatic fiascos.

Oh, just plow right in. That a topic has been discussed to death before has never stopped anyone on this forum from resurrecting it solely to molest its corpse. I am intrigued by your area of interest. Have you read Roman Women by Eve D'Ambra?

Or compelling evidence that the stress of learning Latin drives one to abuse mind altering substances.

Thank you for the update. I might read Goldsworthy, but it would depend on 2 things: 1) Is he less verbose than he was in his Caesar book? 2) Does he improve upon Peter Heather's views? As for Holland, I'll read his book just for the prose.

Oh, I disagree. I think a great many people are wonderfully two dimensional, especially in my company. The over-achievers probably regard the skeptics as slackers. ;-)

I attended one of my frequent business trips this week. One of the key speakers spoke on inter-personal dynamics. He divided people broadly into four management styles. 1) The Executive. Goal driven. Makes check lists and sees that they are complete. Over achiever. Very demanding of self and usually of others. Usually works long hours. Concerned with completing projects and the bottom line. Can alienate others with sole focus on completing a task. 2) The Salesman. Adventurous people person. Boisterous and dynamic. Passionate. Leads through force of personality by making friends and radiating charisma. Not above bending rules and manipulating people. Can inspire others and make them feel motivated, but not always well organized or conversant with details. 3) The Caregiver. Is concerned about people and how they feel. Makes relations based on feelings and subjective values. Can nurture people and let them feel appreciated, but sometimes cannot make objective decisions if they hurt people. 4) The Analyst. Detailed, precise, reliable. Often withdrawn from other people. Focuses on policies and data. Is always conversant with the details of an available project, but can alienate people with focus on adhering rigidly to guidelines and numbers. Dynamics: Executive - Salesmen. Minimal friction. The main conflict is that the Executive wants to complete a project regardless of the personal issues and feelings of their subordinates, whereas a Salesmen will try to convince a subordinate that completing a project is in their best interests. Executive - Caregiver. Major friction. Hard-nosed Executives see Caregivers as ineffective and touchy-feely, whereas Caregivers see Executives as harsh and unfeeling. Executive - Analyst. Moderate friction. An Executive's main concern is to get the job done on time, and is willing to cut corners if need be. An Analyst's main concern is the that job is done right according to policies and data, and does not like cutting corners to do it. Salesmen - Caregiver. Moderate friction. The Caregiver assesses personalities to nurture them; the Salesmen assesses personalities to influence them. This usually clashes when the Salesmen try to manipulate the Caregiver by taking advantage of their good nature. Salesmen - Analyst. Major friction. The adventurous Salesman bends rules; the Analyst enforces rules. The personable Salesman finds it hard to influence the impersonal Analyst; the impersonal Analyst finds it hard to appreciate the people-seeking Salesman. Caregiver - Analyst. Moderate friction. The Caregiver's concern for personal feelings often does not mesh well with the Analysts concern for rules and objective data. After taking a rather unscientific test, and reading over the descriptions, I came out an Executive/Analyst hybrid. What is yours?

Congratulations, Doctor. I look forward to reading it.

It's the fastest hunk of junk in the imperium.

Happy day!

Congrats to Maty who seems to have another book out. As to the rest, I can't get too interested, especially when they go for $100 or more.

http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/06221a.htm The very animals found in Francis a tender friend and protector; thus we find him pleading with the people of Gubbio to feed the fierce wolf that had ravished their flocks, because through hunger "Brother Wolf" had done this wrong. And the early legends have left us many an idyllic picture of how beasts and birds alike susceptible to the charm of Francis's gentle ways, entered into loving companionship with him; how the hunted leveret sought to attract his notice; how the half-frozen bees crawled towards him in the winter to be fed; how the wild falcon fluttered around him; how the nightingale sang with him in sweetest content in the ilex grove at the Carceri, and how his "little brethren the birds" listened so devoutly to his sermon by the roadside near Bevagna that Francis chided himself for not having thought of preaching to them before. Francis's love of nature also stands out in bold relief in the world he moved in. He delighted to commune with the wild flowers, the crystal spring, and the friendly fire, and to greet the sun as it rose upon the fair Umbrian vale. In this respect, indeed, St. Francis's "gift of sympathy" seems to have been wider even than St. Paul's, for we find no evidence in the great Apostle of a love for nature or for animals.

I always wondered what became of Roman Wargamer after we banned him. Now I know. He was that Dallas guy talking about Satanic cults.

He used to be a Democrat, actually, until changing sides to get a job in the Reagan administration. He was indeed moderate on some issues like gay marriage and such, but I don't think you can be a socially conservative Republican and get elected in a major city in the Mid Atlantic. Guiliani was a law and order Republican. That is the wing of the party I used to belong to as well. While not living in NYC, from outward appearances it appears crime dropped dramatically simply because it wasn't tolerated. Personally I would have voted for G. At least I think he would have made an excellent VP ... popular inside the country and out, and a symbol of American resolve in the face of Jihadist attack.

Everyone knows the world was created when the Egyptian god Atum got lonely and masturbated on himself. This is what we should be teaching to our kids, it would lead to better morals.

Interesting, thanks for the article.

A love-struck Roman male was once construed an oxymoron. The Latin mos maiorum placed duty to the state above all other considerations, including romance. Had not Aeneas sacrificed his love for Dido in siring the Roman race? And yet it was Rome that developed the love elegy, the poet's exaltation of a man's amorous servitude. Sextus Propertius was one of the leading voices of those who, in so many words, placed Cupid's arrows before Rome's majesty. While Augustus' regime tried to co-opt Propertius for their moralizing mission, they were never entirely successful. Despite that, or perhaps because of that, Propertius' poetry resounds throughout the ages, to be appreciated readily ..... http://www.unrv.com/culture/propertius.php

Does it come with a child safety lock?

Not at all. It's about energizing the Religious Right footsoldiers and making sure they turn out to the polls in November. And it's worked because I haven't seen them so fired up since the gay marriage ballot initiatives of '04. The only Constitutional duty of the Vice President is to preside over the Senate and break a tie vote , which only happens every so often. No one picks a Vice President based on qualifications, they pick it to gain votes in whatever sector of American society they feel they need.

http://www.comcast.net/data/fan/html/popup...fan/default.xml

Caldrail, let's not over analyze this too much, shall we? On the points of Language and Law, British colonies owe more to Anglo-Saxon legacy than to Rome. I think that is pretty self-evident and requires no great posturing theories.

Leonardo Dicaprio as the emperor Claudius? http://www.reuters.com/article/entertainme...627709720070906

The Latin alphabet and the solar calendar are undoubtedly two of the lasting and useful legacies of Rome. I'll also second someone's mention of concrete, as well as Roman architecture in general which made great use of the arch and vault. Can't imagine Western architecture without it. Ovid and Virgil were major influences on later Western literature. If I lived in Continental Europe I might also mention Latin and Roman Law, but living in a former British colony one feels their influences somewhat less.

How about a double shot every time someone says: "Juno's Cunt!"

Well, it certainly wasn't in the bald Caesar's case, if Caesar means hairy. :-)