Reading Virgil

Virgil Tracy is one of my heroes - rather like OUSA he is adaptable but slow, with a sensitive side that appeals to minorities. I am the lucky owner of a Virgil doll who lives in a box that says 'Try me - I say five phrases!'

Anyway, we have to do Virgil for AA309 this week and so in a celebration of post-modern receptionism, the best thing to do is declaim Virgil in two ways at once - hopefully this will be a good revision aid. Warning - it goes on too long and the main message is drowned out - but that could be said about a lot of things.

Classical stuff

OUSA is talking about triumvirates (nothing to do with Vera Duckworth, I think) and also about how great old courses were.

I agree - A209 - a course on ancient Athens - was great. I also think someone should start up a TV Channel or maybe even a mock university called OU Gold - you could study old courses but not get any credit as the research etc. would be out-of-date. Although that doesn't matter so much in the Arts. You used to be able to get A209 from www.ouw.co.uk but now it's all study packs and increased prices. Even this place http://www.universitybooksearch.co.uk/index.asp doesn't stock it anymore.

This is Cicero (if I remember rightly), lurking in the foyer of the Palais de Justice in Brussels. The picture is mine but this site has a load of Brussels stuff http://www.ordet.it/foto/2008/b/brussel/index_en.htm taken in similar straightforward vein. It makes Brussels look grey and cold, but it's a little known fact that all the statues come to life at night.

Fonko rules OK

Here's the label from the wine we had last night at our local Serbian restaurant (scallops on blinis was nice). The wine is actually Macedonian and as you can see it's named after Bucephall (ox-head - strange) Alexander's horse, who ended up in present-day Pakistan http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Porus - not bad for his selling price of thirteen talents. Talking of talent, I think Miss California is great - not many people could stand on stage in front of all America wearing next to nothing and say anything at all about gay marriage, and she has helped the gay marriage cause no end.