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This is my blog for posting material of academic interest (to me). Expect to see stuff about Greek and Roman history, archaeology, Classical literature, the Ancient Near East, historical films, teaching, the reception of the Classics in science fiction, the abuse of history, science fiction criticism, and occasionally other historical stuff.
Sunday, October 30, 2005
Plato as done by Tarantino
Tuesday, October 25, 2005
Tom Holland's "No sex please, we're Roman"
But other people had a more free-thinking attitude to sexuality, and this is to be found, for instance, in the works of Ovid. I have to say I find it odd that Holland writes about Roman sexual mores without mentioning Ovid. It means he is as guilty as the producers of Rome of not presenting the whole picture.
I'm sure the series will be sufficiently bonkers.
Helen of Troy
On the minus side, I think the programme is flawed by an attempt to do two separate things, to investigate the 'real' Helen and to examine Helen as a symbol, and blurring the distinction between the two. Hughes talks about her conviction that behind the legendary Helen lies a real Bronze Age queen. She offers no evidence to prove this, because, as she admits, there is none. This doesn't mean that she's wrong, of course. Mythology often coalesces around real individuals (just look at the American West for an example where we can still trace the historical personages concerned), and I am not unhappy to imagine that there might have been a 'real' Helen, or a 'real' Agamemnon, etc. But, as with King Arthur, I wouldn't go much further than that. It's okay to look at what we know of the lives of women in the Mycenaean period. It's okay to look at how archaeologically-attested details turn up in the later legend. It's okay to look at how the political reality revealed by Hittite documents is partially preserved in Homer. It's okay to look at how Helen developed as a symbol for later Greeks (though here Hughes cheats a little, saying at the beginning that we must strip away later interpretations, but being happy to use material from later sources when it suits her). The moment, however, that you begin to retroject details from the legendary Helen to tell the story of the 'real' queen, you're in trouble. The legends have passed through many hands even before they are first written down. Each retelling will add something new, and by the time it gets to Homer, much of the story will be made up. Homer will make stuff up himself - it's what writers do. This isn't to say that some of what we find in the legends of Helen doesn't go back to a real person's life, but to say that it is irrecoverable what is real and what is made up.
Take, for instance, the eloping of Helen and Paris. Now, it may very well be the case that had a foreign prince arrived at Sparta as a xenos, a 'guest-friend', then it would be a very serious breach of etiquette and protocol to run off with the king's wife, and that this could have very serious consequences. Hughes points to records of two Hittite vassal states coming close to war over a princess. But Helen and Paris is also a great romantic story, and simply showing that it is plausible that states might go to war over a woman doesn't show that this story is true.
This programme took the most recent developments in archaeology and Hittitology (which seems to have moved on considerably since I last had any idea what was going on) and weds it to a very traditional approach, the search for the 'truth' behind the legend.
Monday, October 24, 2005
Performance seen: Saturday 15th October (evening)
Every so often, however, I encounter a student production that blows all my preconceptions out of the water. The Oxford University Classical Drama Society's staging of Euripides' Orestes, in the original Greek, is one such. One or two minor points aside, it looks like a professional staging (partly due to the involvement in the crew of people with considerable theatrical experience), and is one of the best productions of Greek tragedy I've seen. Certainly it stands favourable comparison with the RSC's recent London production of Hecuba.*
Orestes is rarely seen, being rather over-shadowed by Aeschylus' Oresteia, which Euripides clearly had in mind when he was writing. The action of Orestes takes place between the second and third plays of the earlier trilogy, and explicitly refers to the famous trial in Eumenides. The characterization of Orestes and his friend and companion Pylades clearly riffs off how they appear in Aeschylus. And, as one of my fellow theatre-goers pointed out, a line where Orestes praises Electra for being a woman with a man's heart echoes a line in Agamemnon where the same quality is thrown at Clytemnestra as an insult (clearer in Morshead's "She in whose woman's breast beats heart of man" than in Browning's near-incomprehensible "The man's-way-planning hoping heart of woman").
There is much else of interest. A work of Euripides' old age, Orestes is the last play that survives which was written before he left Athens (Bacchae and Iphigenia at Aulis were composed in Macedon). It may be a four-actor play.** It has the most sympathetic of Euripides' five portrayals of the Spartan king Menelaus, a character who clearly fascinated him.
It is also the most extreme expression of the deus ex machina that was a noted feature of Euripides' work, whereby conflict is resolved by divine intervention. At the end of the play Orestes and Pylades have murdered Helen, are threatening the life of her daughter Hermione, and have set fire to Agamemnon's palace. Menelaus is raising the population of Argos to storm the building. Just about everyone is going to die, and nothing can avert that. Only the intervention of the god Apollo can restore the characters' destinies to what the audience knows them to be. It's a ridiculous rabbit-out-of-the-hat moment, and is of course meant to be - Euripides is mocking easy solutions and those who proffer them.
As noted, this production is in the original Greek, with English surtitles giving an abridged version of the dialogue, a fairly recent innovation at Greek plays of which I thoroughly approve, as it increases the audience's ability to follow the action (even if, like me, you were so close to the front of the auditorium that it was a bit of a strain to look up from the action on stage to the surtitles). The text itself has been trimmed a bit - a couple of interjections by the Chorus into dialogue between actors appeared to have been lost, and the second half of the Phrygian Slave's scene, his confrontation with Orestes, has been wholly excised. None of these cuts harm the play as a whole. (Also, mischievously, a reference was included in the surtitles to the loss of a bottle of oil, alluding to Aristophanes' send-up of Euripides' style in Frogs, where he demonstrates how many of Euripides' prologues can be ended with 'lost his little bottle of oil'. As far as I know, that line is not actually in Orestes, nor indeed anywhere else in Euripides' extant writings.)
The first thing that impresses one about the Oxford production is the set design. The action is transferred from Argos, where the tragedians placed Agamemnon, back to his Homeric location of Mycenae, which is where a modern audience automatically associates with him. The set is made to look like Mycenae's ruins, because, as director Pippa Needs says in the programme, "the way in which we all interpret these relics says as much, if not more, about us today as ... about the ancient Greeks." It also conjures up, deliberately or not, the spirit of Michael Cacoyannis' films of Euripides (Electra, Trojan Women, and Iphigenia at Aulis). The set is cleverly lit, with the lighting changing to reflect the mood of the action.
Then there is the acting. Rose Heiney's Electra makes the language emote. Matt Trueman as Orestes takes the character from a tortured soul who has the audience's sympathies to an out-of-control paranoiac who rails at anyone who frustrates his wishes (the point at which this is made clear to the audience is a scene which appears at first redundant, where Orestes explains to Pylades the action of the first half of the play - the point is that Orestes' version of events is so far removed from what has been seen that it signals his disconnection with reality). Alex Kalderimis gives us a Pylades clearly more interested in Orestes than Electra, and carries well the moment that he goes beyond the loyal friend to psychopathic killer (one of few moments that elicit laughter from the audience, but this is in reaction to the text in the surtitles, not to Kalderimis' performance). Sheridan Edwards invests the Phrygian Slave with both comedy and dignity. Best of all is Himanshu Ojha as Menelaus. Clad as an eastern prince (presumably a deliberate visual echo of Tyndareus' accusation that Menelaus has 'gone native' after a decade in Troy), this is a Menelaus worth watching even when he isn't speaking - through facial expression Ojha tells us much about the thought processes going on in Menelaus' head. He also doubles up as the Messenger without making it too obvious to the audience that it is the same actor.
It is to the credit of speech coach Ben Cartlidge that this production is never hurt by the typical curse of Greek plays, cast members who appear to be reciting their lines with no real idea of the meaning of what they are saying; instead everyone conveys an awareness of both the literal and emotional content of the text (though occasionally a line gets forgotten). It's a pity, then, that Cartlidge's own performance as Apollo seems rather stilted, though, as the same companion said, it could be argued that this is deliberately emphasizing the artificiality of the deus ex machina ending.
One might find fault with some of the other performances. After a strong start, Heiney is a little single-level in the second act, shunning opportunities to vary her tone. Guy Westwood is visibly too young and lacks enough gravitas in his voice to fully carry off Tyndareus (one of the moments where the student nature of the production shows through). But it should be emphasized that these are merely moments of actors being less good than others in the production - overall, the standard of acting is high.
The Chorus rightly blend movement and music in measured proportion. Again, the music is often reminiscent of Cacoyannis and his use of traditional Greek music, but other influences, such as from the European classical tradition are allowed, particularly in the second act. Impressively, the production attempts arias for the actors as well as choral songs. These were an integral part of the original performance, but are often difficult to carry off with a modern audience. This production gives Electra a sung lament, and the Phrygian Slave's conversation with the Chorus is conducted part spoken, part sung, almost like Gilbert and Sullivan. Both of these work, and rather better than the attempts at the same approach in the RSC's Hecuba, where Vanessa Redgrave's (lack of a) singing voice imposed severe limitations.
A great deal of thought has gone into this production - this is emphasized by a moment noted by another companion, Dr Penny Goodman, where Orestes pleads with Menelaus in a pose of supplication taken from Greek vase painting, clasping Menelaus' knees and beard. The result is a bold, imaginative and high quality production, that all involved can be proud of.
* I got halfway through writing a blog entry about that production, but never finished it. To quickly summarize, I thought it was an interesting production rather let down by a muted performance by Vanessa Redgrave in the title role.
** Early on in the play Helen calls her daughter Hermione on stage to instruct her in making an offering at Clytemnestra's tomb. Two other actors apart from Helen are already on stage, as Electra and Orestes (though the latter has yet to speak). Hermione says nothing at this point, but does when she returns on stage later on. So either the role was meant to be played in the first scene by one of the non-speaking performers who often took the roles of slaves or children (such as Oedipus' daughters at the end of Oedipus the King), and only later played by one of the actors - which would be perfectly possible in a masked production - or there was a fourth actor who played Hermione. Given that Sophocles appears to be doing something similar at the end of Oedipus at Colonus (where either there are four actors or the role of Ismene is split between two), I like to think that towards the end of the fifth century the tragedians were experimenting with going beyond the rigid three-actor format.
Friday, October 07, 2005
Publicity for an upcoming Greek play
I'll let you know what I think of the production after I've seen it next Saturday.
Monday, October 03, 2005
Claudius, Nero, and the Imperial succession
This short paper intends to examine some issues relating to the emperor Claudius' apparently strange decision in AD 49 to marry his niece Agrippina, and advance her son Nero towards the imperial throne, at the expense of his own son Britannicus. It derives from a tutorial I have presented to students taking [the OU course] AA309 Culture, Identity and Power in the Roman Empire.
The first thing to note is the intrinsic bias in the sources against Claudius, to which students are introduced in AA309 Block One, section 3.4. In essence, most of our sources represent the senatorial tradition. This tradition was hostile to the very idea of the principate, though reluctantly accepting its necessity (the debate in the Senate following the death of Gaius Caligula considered not just the restoration of the Republic, but also, more realistically, the elevation of one of their number to the purple). It was also hostile to Claudius in particular, for two reasons. First, Claudius' physical disability (sometimes thought to be cerebral palsy) meant that he was believed to be a fool, and senators were unwilling to accept that they had been wrong. Secondly, he took away much of what had previously been the Senate's responsibility in the running of the empire; like Tiberius, he attempted to co-operate with the Senate, and like Tiberius, often faced stalemate in trying to get them to do what he needed them to do. But where Tiberius had given up in despair, Claudius took the Senate out of the equation.[1] Finally, the tradition was hostile to Claudius' niece and wife Agrippina, because it was intrinsically hostile to powerful women.
Figure 1 Gold aureus of Nero, AD 54, obverse. Facing portraits of Nero and Agrippina the Younger. Legend: AGRIPP. AVG. DIVI CLAVD. NERONIS CAES. MATER ('Agrippina Augusta, wife of the Divine Claudius, mother of Nero Caesar'). Found at Herculaneum, among victims of the eruption of Vesuvius. Naples, National Archaeological Museum. Photo: Barbara McManus. (http://www.vroma.org/images/mcmanus_images/nero_agrippinacoin.jpg)
But however appalling his reputation, it paled into insignificance in comparison with the reputation of Nero's mother, Agrippina. She was universally regarded as the wickedest woman in Rome - a very hotly contested title, but Agrippina won it. There wasn't any immorality that she hadn't been involved in, and there was no crime that she hesitated to commit. She'd been born into the imperial family and, to be fair, that might have warped anybody. Her father, Germanicus, was poisoned. Her mother was murdered '- so were two of her brothers. Her third brother became the insane emperor, Caligula, who threatened her life. She survived, but I suppose her lack of caution and good sense was down to her background.
This extraordinary woman resolved to make her son Nero emperor of Rome. The existing emperor was her uncle, Claudius. Claudius liked as wives exciting immoral women, and he had a whole string of them. When the last of them went a bit too far and had to be executed, Agrippina resolved to take her place. She had, of course, all the qualities necessary for the job, and the Emperor Claudius enjoyed all the benefits of wedlock well in advance of the ceremony. So the uncle married the niece, which was of course incest, and created a bit of a scandal in the Senate, which had to be bribed a bit and threatened a bit. Once Agrippina was Empress she quickly cleared the remaining obstacles out of Nero's way to the throne, including Claudius himself.
This quote comes from Brian Walden's 1999 television programme on Nero, from the series Walden on Villains, and gives a common modern view of Nero's approach to the throne; Walden presents Nero as a usurper, advanced to the principate by his ambitious mother. This is a picture that goes back to the ancient sources. Cassius Dio (History of Rome 61.34; passage (b) below) says that Britannicus by rights should have succeeded. Tacitus (Annals 12.1-3; passage (c)) and Suetonius (Life of Claudius 26; passage (d)) present an account in which Agrippina used her sexual wiles to win over Claudius after the execution of his previous wife, Messalina, for treason.
Figure 2 Head of Claudius, found in River Alde, Suffolk. British Museum, London. (Photo © British Museum.) From AA309 Illustrations Book, Plate 4.15.
However, behind this tale of tabloid sleaze lies serious dynastic politics. Cassius Dio's opinion is based on the empire of his own time, when the son of an emperor would be an obvious candidate to succeed his father (though the truth is that the Roman empire never formalized the process of succession until the time of Diocletian). Matters were somewhat different in the Julio-Claudian period. If one looks at the family tree a different picture emerges. A biological link can be traced between Nero, through his mother Agrippina the Younger, her mother Agrippina the Elder, and her mother Julia the Elder, to Augustus himself. Nero was Augustus' great-great-grandson. The importance of this has been noted by Barrett (1996, p. 97), and though Fagan (1998, n. 24) is sceptical, it seems to me that the relationship is key to the promotion of Nero.
Augustus, perhaps aware of the weak position only being Julius Caesar's testamentary heir had put him in, had pushed the blood relationship to himself as an important qualification for the principate. He first marked out his son-in-law Marcellus as a potential successor, with the intention that the children of his daughter should eventually succeed. For the same reason he adopted his grandsons Gaius and Lucius Caesar. When he adopted Tiberius as his son, he made Tiberius adopt Germanicus; the importance of the adoption was that Germanicus was married to Augustus' grand-daughter Agrippina, so that the succession, after passing through Tiberius and Germanicus, would revert to Augustus' blood descendants, as it did with the accession of Gaius.[2] As Robert Graves put it (I, Claudius, ch. 13): 'It was a satisfaction to Augustus that Germanicus ... was Tiberius's natural successor, and that Germanicus's infant sons ... were his own great-grandsons. Though Fate had decreed against his grandsons succeeding him he would surely one day reign again, as it were, in the persons of his great-grandchildren.' Despite the different attitude of Romans to adoption compared to our own (see Jones and Sidwell, 1997, p. 216; passage (e)), this blood relationship was evidently extremely important to Augustus. Even the descendants of his sister Octavia, often held up as being significant in terms of the succession, were mainly used by Augustus as husbands, wives and guardians for his blood descendants. Hence, Agrippina could view the principate as her son's birthright.
A similar connection cannot be traced from Claudius or his son Britannicus to Augustus. Claudius did not even have an adoptive link with Augustus, as his uncle Tiberius and his brother Germanicus had. He took the name Caesar on his accession, but had no title to it other than that he gave himself and a tenuous descent from Julius Caesar's father, through four generations of women. He was descended from Augustus' sister Octavia; but so was Nero. (It is reported that Claudius revived a rumour that his father, with whom his grandmother Livia was pregnant when she divorced her husband to marry Augustus, was actually Augustus' illegitimate son, a rumour that would allege the blood relationship that Claudius otherwise could not prove.)
This made Claudius' position very weak. He came to the throne largely through default, there being nobody better available; only by his promotion had a civil war between rival senatorial candidates for the principate been avoided. As the young Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus (the future Nero) grew up, he would be a potential focus around which opposition to Claudius could gather. That opposition could be side-stepped by bringing the boy into his own family. By promoting a genuine descendant of Augustus as his successor, Claudius could strengthen his own position. Hence he rapidly made Nero his stepson, adopted son, and son-in-law. The dynastic arguments were so strong that Claudius was prepared to countenance a marriage that was, by Roman law, incestuous. From the moment of his marriage to Agrippina, Britannicus was sidelined. Given the fates of Agrippa Postumus and Tiberius Gemellus (see Goodman, 1997, pp. 48 & 54) he may well have recognized that he was effectively signing his own son's death warrant; but if so he clearly thought a smooth unchallenged succession, avoiding the possibility of civil war, more important.[3]
Figure 3 Detail of a statue of Augustus, found in Via Labicana, Rome. Date: after 12 BC (from the toga fold draped over his head, indicating his role as pontifex maximus). Muzeo Nationale, Rome. (Photo © Alinari.) From AA309 Illustrations Book, Plate 1.5.
There were other male descendants of Augustus around; the Junii Silani, Marcus, Lucius and Decimus. Their mother was Aemilia Lepida, who was daughter of the younger Julia, the eldest daughter of Marcus Agrippa and Augustus' daughter Julia. A number of these were alive in Claudius' reign, and older than Ahenobarbus (Nero). Why did Claudius not turn to one of them? Well, in a sense, he had. The second son, Lucius Silanus was, until Claudius' marriage to Agrippina, betrothed to Claudius' daughter, Octavia.
However, there was something about the Junii Silani that made them unsuitable as imperial heirs. Marcus had been born in AD 14, so was an adult at the time of the assassination of Gaius, who was only a couple of years older. Yet he was never considered a serious alternative to the disabled Claudius. Though the Junii Silani were an old Roman patrician family (they belonged to the same gens as the Junii Bruti, who had produced one of the founders of the Republic and, much later, Caesar's assassin Marcus Junius Brutus), they seem not to have had great standing with the army. Ahenobarbus, on the other hand, as well as being a descendant of Augustus, and also of his sister Octavia, was a grandson of Germanicus, who had been immensely popular with the army. Since Claudius' own elevation had shown the importance of the army in supporting the emperor, Ahenobarbus was a better-placed candidate.
One might ask why Claudius ever bothered with the Junii Silani at all. It's not very clear, but my own suspicion is that originally Claudius based his hopes for the succession around his son Britannicus. Lucius Silanus would be a suitable husband for his daughter, but would not prove a rival to Britannicus. Ahenobarbus would be a more significant threat to Britannicus' succession. Yet Claudius seems to have hedged his bets, and not taken permanent action to remove Ahenobarbus. His wife Messalina may have seen things differently. Suetonius certainly says (Life of Nero 6) that she saw Ahenobarbus as a threat to Britannicus, and alleges that she tried to have the child assassinated.
After the crisis of Messalina's conspiracy in AD 48 (possibly, though this is complete speculation, inspired by Claudius' failure to eliminate the growing threat from Ahenobarbus), things looked rather different. Claudius' own vulnerability was apparent, and there was now a cloud over Britannicus as the son of a traitor. In order the strengthen his own position, and improve the chances of a smooth succession, Claudius had to turn to Agrippina and Ahenobarbus. Agrippina subsequently engineered the disgrace of Lucius Silanus, and after Claudius' death made sure she eliminated his older brother Marcus. (It is notable that Seneca mentions the death of Lucius as one of Claudius' crimes in Apocolocyntosis 10, passing over the fact that his removal helped Nero's passage to the throne.)
As an appendix to this, it is worth considering the supposed murder of Claudius by Agrippina. All the ancient sources suggest this. Josephus, Jewish Antiquities 20.148 (passage (f)), makes it a rumour, but Tacitus (Annals 12.65-9; passage (g)) and Suetonius (Life of Claudius 43-6; passage (h)) are quite certain that Claudius was poisoned. The tale, given by Tacitus and as one version by Suetonius, is that Agrippina administered a fatal dose of poisoned mushrooms to her husband. Most scholars accept the murder without question, feeling that Claudius' death comes too conveniently after the time when Nero was capable of taking the reigns of power himself (yet still young enough that he could be guided by his mother, who hoped to rule through him), but before Britannicus was old enough to do so. However, a number of points need to be considered.
First, this is exactly the sort of story told about powerful imperial women. A similar accusation was made about Livia, who was alleged to have killed Augustus in a very similar fashion (figs instead of mushrooms). Allegations of poison were easy to make and difficult to disprove, and unless any of the individuals involved confessed, which seems unlikely, the details of the murder can only be hearsay, and are contradictory in the sources - some, indeed, such as the poisoned feather that Tacitus says was administered by Claudius' doctor Xenophon, after Claudius had vomited up the original mushrooms, must be invention, as no poison known to the Romans was that fast-acting.
Secondly, Agrippina had already achieved her objective. Nero was the clear successor, and Britannicus was not a serious candidate. There might appear to have been no need to kill Claudius to secure Nero's position.
Thirdly, Claudius was gravely ill in late AD 52 and early AD 53, and some of his acts in his last years (see Suetonius, Life of Claudius 46) look like those of a man aware he had not much longer to live. Agrippina had only to wait.
On the other hand, if Claudius really was expressing intentions to put aside Nero, as Suetonius says he was (Life of Claudius 43), then it is not too surprising that Agrippina acted swiftly. She knew, having seen two of her brothers die in custody, that people could be easily taken out of the line of succession, and the consequences would no doubt have been fatal for her and her son.
The case must remain unproven.
The marriage to Agrippina
Pushed on by his overbearing mother, Agrippina, [Nero] was only 16 when crowned. Indeed it was his mother's machinations that had seen this patently ill-equipped and unprepared boy to power.
(Grabsky, 2001, p. 34)
At the death of Claudius the rule in strict justice belonged to Britannicus, who was a legitimate son of Claudius and in physical development was in advance of his years; yet by law the power fell also to Nero because of his adoption. But no claim is stronger than that of arms; for everyone who possesses superior force always appears to have the greater right on his side, whatever he says or does. And thus Nero, having first destroyed the will of Claudius and having succeeded him as master of the whole empire, put Britannicus and his sisters out of the way. Why, then, should one lament the misfortunes of the other victims?
(Cassius Dio, History of Rome 61.34)
1 Messalina's death convulsed the imperial household. Claudius was impatient of celibacy and easily controlled by his wives, and the ex-slaves quarrelled about who should choose his next one. Rivalry among the women was equally fierce. Each cited her own high birth, beauty, and wealth as qualifications for this exalted marriage. The chief competitors were Lollia Paulina, daughter of the former consul Marcus Lollius, and Germanicus' daughter Agrippina. Their backers were Callistus and Pallas respectively. Narcissus supported Aelia Paetina, who was of the family of the Aelii Tuberones. The emperor continually changed his mind according to whatever advice he had heard last.
Finally, he summoned the disputants to a meeting and requested them to give reasoned opinions.
2 At the meeting, Narcissus reminded Claudius that he had been married to Aelia Paetina before; that the union had been productive (a daughter, Claudia Antonia, had been born to them); that remarriage would necessitate no domestic innovations; and that, far from entertaining a stepmother's dislike for Britannicus and Octavia, Paetina would cherish them next to her own children. Callistus objected that Claudius had divorced Paetina long ago and that this disqualified her – remarriage would make her arrogant, and Lollia was far more eligible since, being childless, she would be a mother to her stepchildren without jealousy. Pallas, proposing Agrippina, emphasized that the son whom she would bring with her was Germanicus' grandson, eminently deserving of imperial rank; let the emperor ally himself with a noble race and unite two branches of the Claudian house, rather than allow this lady of proved capacity for child-bearing, still young, to transfer the glorious name of the Caesars to another family.
3 These arguments prevailed. Agrippina's seductiveness was a help. Visiting her uncle frequently – ostensibly as a close relation – she tempted him into giving her the preference and into treating her, in anticipation, as his wife. Once sure of her marriage, she enlarged the scope of her plans and devoted herself to scheming for her son Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus, whose father was Cnaeus Domitius Ahenobarbus. It was her ambition that this boy, the future Nero, should be wedded to the emperor's daughter Octavia. Here criminal methods were necessary, since Claudius had already betrothed Octavia to Lucius Junius Silanus Torquatus – and had won popularity for his distinguished record by awarding him an honorary Triumph, and giving a lavish gladiatorial display in his name. But with an emperor whose likes and dislikes were all sug-gested and dictated to him anything seemed possible.
(Tacitus, Annals 12.1-3, tr. Grant, 1996, pp. 252-3)
Almost at once, however, he planned either to marry Lollia Paulina, Caligula's widow, or to re-marry his divorced wife Aelia Paetina; but it was Agrippina, daughter of his brother Germanicus, who hooked him. She had a niece's privilege of kissing and caressing Claudius, and exercised it with a noticeable effect on his passions: when the House next met, he persuaded a group of senators to propose that a union between him and her should be compulsorily arranged, in the public interest; and that other uncles should likewise be free to marry their nieces, though this had hitherto counted as incest. The wedding took place with scarcely a single day's delay, but no other uncle cared to follow Claudius's example, except one freedman, and one leading-centurion [primus pilus] whose marriage he and Agrippina both attended.
(Suetonius, Life of Claudius 26, tr. Graves, 1989, p. 203)
Another striking freedom was over adoption. European aristocracies operating under feudal rules have been much encumbered by primogeniture (the automatic privileging of the elder son), absence of female succession, and impossibility of adoption. Roman rules not only treated all children more equally, but made it easy to produce substitute sons and heirs by adoption. By given rituals, a son passed from one familia to another (interestingly, the rituals might involve the same use of weights and scales as for the acquisition of a wife under coemptio, or a slave). But even if the formalities had not been completed, it was possible to use your will to nominate someone as heir to your property and name. Though this was not technically an adoption, the ease with which Caesar's testamentary heir (Octavian) passed himself off as his son shows that custom accepted the situation.
(Jones and Sidwell, 1997, p. 216)
The death of Claudius
Now Claudius Caesar died when he had reigned thirteen years, eight months, and twenty days; and a report went about that he was poisoned by his wife Agrippina. Her father was Germanicus, the brother of Caesar. Her husband was Domitius Ahenobarbus, one of the most illustrious persons that was in the city of Rome; after whose death, and her long continuance in widowhood, Claudius took her to wife. She brought along with her a son, Domitius, of the same name with his father. He had before this slain his wife Messalina, out of jealousy, by whom he had his children Britannicus and Octavia; their eldest sister was Antonia, whom he had by Paetina his first wife.[5] He also married Octavia to Nero; for that was the name that Caesar gave him afterward, upon his adopting him for his son.
(Josephus, Jewish Antiquities 20.148, tr. Whiston)
65 However, the charge against Lepida[6] was attempting the life of the empress by magic, and disturbing the peace of Italy by failing to keep her Calabrian slave-gangs in order. On these charges she was sentenced to death – in spite of vigorous opposition by Narcissus. His suspicions of Agrippina continually grew deeper. 'Whether Britannicus or Nero comes to the throne,' he was said to have told his friends, 'my destruction is inevitable. But Claudius has been so good to me that I would give my life to help him. The criminal intentions for which Messalina was condemned with Gaius Silius have re-emerged in Agrippina. With Britannicus as his successor the emperor has nothing to fear. But the intrigues of his stepmother in Nero's interests are fatal to the imperial house – more ruinous than if I had said nothing about her predecessor's unfaithfulness. And once more there is unfaithfulness. Agrippina's lover is Pallas. That is the final proof that there is nothing she will not sacrifice to imperial ambition – neither decency, nor honour, nor chastity.'
Talking like this, Narcissus would embrace Britannicus and pray he would soon be a man. With hands outstretched – now to the boy, now to heaven – he besought that Britannicus might grow up and cast out his father's enemies, and even avenge his mother's murderers.
66 Then Narcissus' anxieties caused his health to fade. He retired to Sinuessa, to recover his strength in its mild climate and health-giving waters.
Agrippina had long decided on murder. Now she saw her opportunity. Her agents were ready. But she needed advice about poisons. A sudden, drastic effect would give her away. A gradual, wasting recipe might make Claudius, confronted with death, love his son again. What was needed was something subtle that would upset the emperor's faculties but produce a deferred fatal effect. An expert in such matters was selected – a woman called Locusta, recently sentenced for poisoning but with a long career of imperial service ahead of her. By her talents, a preparation was supplied. It was administered by the eunuch Halotus who habitually served the emperor and tasted his food.
67 Later, the whole story became known. Contemporary writers stated that the poison was sprinkled on a particularly succulent mushroom. But because Claudius was torpid – or drunk – its effect was not at first apparent; and an evacuation of his bowels seemed to have saved him. Agrippina was horrified. But when the ultimate stakes are so alarmingly large, immediate disrepute is brushed aside. She had already secured the complicity of the emperor's doctor Xenophon; and now she called him in. The story is that, while pretending to help Claudius to vomit, he put a feather dipped in a quick poison down his throat. Xenophon knew that major crimes, though hazardous to undertake, are profitable to achieve.
68 The senate was summoned. Consuls and priests offered prayers for the emperor's safety. But meanwhile his already lifeless body was being wrapped in blankets and poultices. Moreover, the appropriate steps were being taken to secure Nero's accession. First Agrippina, with heart-broken demeanour, held Britannicus to her as though to draw comfort from him. He was the very image of his father, she declared. By various devices she prevented him from leaving his room and likewise detained his sisters, Claudia Antonia and Octavia. Blocking every approach with troops, Agrippina issued frequent encouraging announcements about the emperor's health, to maintain the Guards' morale and await the propitious moment forecast by the astrologers.
69 At last, at midday on October the thirteenth, the palace gates were suddenly thrown open. Attended by Sextus Afranius Burrus, commander of the Guard, out came Nero to the battalion which, in accordance with regulations, was on duty. At a word from its commander, he was cheered and put in a litter. Some of the men are said to have looked round hesitantly and asked where Britannicus was. However, as no counter-suggestion was made, they accepted the choice offered them. Nero was then conducted into the Guards' camp. There, after saying a few words appropriate to the occasion – and promising gifts on the generous standard set by his father – he was hailed as emperor.[7] The army's decision was followed by senatorial decrees. The provinces, too, showed no hesitation.
Claudius was voted divine honours, and his funeral was modelled on that of the divine Augustus – Agrippina imitating the grandeur of her great-grandmother Livia, the first Augusta. But Claudius' will was not read, in case his preference of stepson to son should create a public impression of unfairness and injustice.
(Tacitus, Annals 12.65-9, tr. Grant, 1996, pp. 281-3)
43 In his last years Claudius made it pretty plain that he repented of having married Agrippina and adopted Nero. For example, when his freedmen congratulated him on having found a certain woman guilty of adultery, he remarked that he himself seemed fated to marry wives who 'were unchaste but remained unchastened'; and presently, meeting Britannicus, embraced him with deep affection. 'Grow up quickly, my boy,' he said, 'and I will then explain what my policy has been.' With that he quoted in Greek from the tale of Telephus and Achilles:
The hand that wounded you shall also heal,
and declared his intention of letting Britannicus come of age because although immature, he was tall enough to wear the toga of manhood; adding 'which will at last provide Rome with a true-born Caesar.'[8]
44 Soon afterwards he composed his will and made all the magistrates put their seals to it as witnesses; but Agrippina, being now accused of many crimes by informers as well as her own conscience, prevented him from going any further.
Most people think that Claudius was poisoned; but when, and by whom, is disputed. Some say that the eunuch Halotus, his official taster, administered the drug while he was dining with the priests in the Citadel; others, that Agrippina did so herself at a family banquet, poisoning a dish of mushrooms, his favourite food. An equal discrepancy exists between the accounts of what happened next. According to many, he lost his power of speech, suffered frightful pain all night long, and died shortly before dawn. A variant version is that he fell into a coma but vomited up the entire contents of his overloaded stomach and was then poisoned a second time, either by a gruel – the excuse being that he needed food to revive him – or by means of an enema, the excuse being that his bowels required relief and must be emptied too.
45 Claudius' death was not revealed until all arrangements had been completed to secure Nero's succession. As a result, people made vows for his safety as though he still lived, and a troop of actors were summoned, under the pretence that he had asked to be diverted by their antics. He died on 13th October,[9] during the consulship of Asinius Marcellus and Acilius Aviola [AD 54], in his sixty-fourth year, and the fourteenth of his reign. He was given a princely funeral and officially deified, an honour which Nero later neglected and then cancelled; but which Vespasian restored.
46 The main omens of Claudius' death included the rise of a long haired star, known as a comet, lightning that struck his father's tomb, and an unusual mortality among magistrates of all ranks. There is also evidence that he foresaw his end and made no secret of it: while choosing the Consuls he provided for no appointment after the month in which he died; and on his last visit to the House offered an earnest plea for harmony between his children,[10] begging the Senate to guide both of them with great care through the years of their youth. During a final appearance on the tribunal he said more than once that he had reached the close of his career; though everyone present cried: 'The Gods forbid!'
(Suetonius, Life of Claudius 43-6, tr. Graves, 1989, pp. 211-12; see Lewis and Reinhold, 1990, pp. 355-6, for chs. 43-4)
[1] This issue is gone into in more detail in Potter, 1982, pp. 27-9.
[2] Goodman, 1997, in the caption on p. 53, Plate 3, says that Augustus was Gaius' great-grandfather by adoption. This is true, but he was also his natural great-grandfather. In contrast on p. 56 he says that Nero's wife Octavia was descended from Julius Caesar, which is not true.
[3] There is, however, circumstantial evidence that Britannicus may have died not from poison, as alleged, but from an epileptic seizure; see Barrett, 1998, pp. 170-2.
[4] Note that Gaius Appius Junius Silanus, who was executed by Claudius in AD 42, belonged to a different branch of the family from that which had married into the descendants of Augustus (Robert Graves got this wrong in I, Claudius and Claudius The God).
[5] Actually his second.
[6] Domitia Lepida, mother of Claudius' third wife Messalina, and grandmother of Britannicus and Octavia. She was also Claudius' cousin, her mother and his being sisters, and therefore a great-niece of Augustus.
[7] I.e. as imperator. Hailing a new emperor as 'Imperator' was standard practice.
[8] Arguably, that description fitted Nero better.
[9] The Latin says 'the third of the Ides of October'.
[10] Britannicus and Nero are meant.
Barrett, A.A. (1996) Agrippina: Sister of Caligula, Wife of Claudius, Mother of Nero, London, Routledge.
Fagan, G.G. (1998) De Imperatoribus Romanis: An Online Encyclopedia of Roman Emperors, 'Claudius (41-54 A.D.)', http://www.roman-emperors.org/claudius.htm.
Goodman, M. (1997) The Roman World 44 BC - AD 180, London, Routledge.
Grabsky, P. (2001) 'Nero's pleasure palace', BBC History Magazine, vol. 2 no. 2, pp. 34-5.
Grant, M. (trans.) (1996) Tacitus: The Annals of Imperial Rome, Harmondsworth, Penguin Books. (First published 1956. Revised edition 1971. Reprinted with a new bibliography 1996.)
Graves, R. (trans.) (1989) Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus: The Twelve Caesars, revised by Michael Grant, Harmondsworth, Penguin Books. (First published 1957. Revised edition 1979. Reprinted with a new bibliography 1989.)
Jones, P. and Sidwell, K. (eds) (1997) The World of Rome: an Introduction to Roman Culture, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press.
Lewis, N. and Reinhold, M. (1990) Roman Civilization: Selected Readings. Volume II: The Empire, New York, Columbia University Press. (First published 1955. Revised edition with new bibliography 1966. Third edition 1990.)
Potter, J. (1982) Rome: The Augustan Age, Unit 9: Tiberius, Gaius and Claudius, Milton Keynes, Open University.
Walden, B. (1999) Walden on Villains 'Nero', BBC Television (a transcript was available on the BBC's website, but has now been removed).
I feel quite chuffed about that.
Of course, had my career gone the way I once hoped, this would be happening all the time.
Troy: a reflection
[I should add, though, that I've changed my mind about whether the erastes-eromenos relationship can be read into Homer, as I will say in the upcoming article.]
Troy: views and reviews
A reflection by Tony Keen
The following is not intended as a review per se of Wolfgang Petersen's Troy. Rather, it seeks to examine some of the issues arising out of one of the most-discussed aspects, the changes made from the 'canon' of Greek mythology. I expected, from advance information, to spend the entirety of the film in open-mouthed shock at what had been done. I didn't.
The first reason is that it's quite obvious within the first ten minutes that this is Wolfgang Petersen doing (for reasons best known to himself) a Cecil B. DeMille movie, and what do you expect from such a film? Historical accuracy?
But there is a more complex reason, one which relates to what we consider important in the retelling of mythology and adaptation of literature. Back in the 1950s, an American television company made a version of Ian Fleming's Casino Royale, in which James Bond was made into an American. Horrifying idea, isn't it? Yet when I actually saw said programme, what struck me was not how much had been changed, but how much of Fleming survived – even Americanized, Bond remains a nasty piece of work. And that's how I feel about Troy. It's not the departures from Homer you note – it's how much of Homer is still there, such as Paris' feebleness in single combat with Menelaus (even if Paris isn't here the sort of person to whom even his close relatives and lover say, "Go out and fight like a man, and if you get yourself killed, well, no real harm done"), and Priam's begging Achilles for his son's body.
Besides, these myths are not immutable. Homer himself probably altered some of the stories he used. The great Attic tragedians, Aeschylus, Sophocles and Euripides, certainly did. Three surviving plays by Euripides feature Helen of Troy on stage – all are mutually inconsistent. Virgil too modified the legends to suit his purpose of praising Rome and Augustus.
Some of the changes made by ancient authors are quite substantial, the most momentous being the tradition that Helen never went to Troy at all, the whole war being fought over her simulacrum or likeness. I wonder if the sort of people now complaining that Helen escapes the sack of Troy at the end of Petersen's film would be up in arms at Euripides' Helen: "A ghost Helen at Troy, and the real one in Egypt? What does this bloody playwright think he's doing, following Steisichorus?"
It's silly to be precious about these stories. Petersen and his screenwriter, David Benioff, are only doing what writers from the beginning of time have done. Granted, many of their changes are more drastic than those performed by any writer of antiquity, especially when all done at the same time. But let's face it, far less violence has been done to the stories in this film than in the average episode of Hercules: The Legendary Journeys or Xena: Warrior Princess. And I could always forgive Robert Tapert, Sam Raimi and their cohorts, because clearly they knew the material that they were transforming. And that's true of Troy's creators too – for instance, they know Homer well enough to have everyone call Menelaus 'Menelaos', in proper Greek fashion.
We have to remember that when Homer wrote the Iliad, everyone knew what happened before and after the small part of the story Homer chooses to tell. Nowadays, most of the demographic for Troy would have no knowledge that Agamemnon should go home to be killed by his wife, because of his sacrifice of their daughter, that Menelaus will be charmed again by Helen, and they will live in quite contentment, that Aeneas will lead a ragged band of escaped Trojans to found Rome (or London, depending on which empire the writer is living under). A movie that tried to tell the whole story, including the dispute over the armour of Odysseus and the suicide of Ajax, and that tried to fit in Hecuba and Cassandra and the fate of Astyanax, would be extremely long and very complicated, not to mention the fact that any modern Hollywood production would have great difficulty in dealing with the blatant unfairness of many characters' fates. Frankly, such a film would never get made. So I don't mind that the fates of Menelaus and Agamemnon are tidied up before the end of the film. Indeed, since Briseis in the film is a amalgam not just of Homer's slave-girl Briseis, and Chryseis, daughter of the priest of Apollo, but also of Cassandra, daughter of Priam, it is almost appropriate that she deals the fatal blow – it remains Agamemnon's lust that finally undoes him. This is what the film does all the time – remembers its primary audience is not familiar with the Trojan cycle, but includes little bits for people who are.
As for Menelaus and Helen, having established Menelaus as a violent and possessive man, the film could hardly have Helen meekly return to Sparta with him at the end. I think far more people would be offended by a film that suggested battered wives should go back to their husbands than by one which alters the eventual fate of Helen of Troy, and rightly so. Once that is decided, Menelaus plays no further dramatic role in the story beyond providing the excuse for Agamemnon's war, so it makes sense in terms of the film to get rid of him as soon as possible. But when Menelaus is killed the look of surprise on his face almost says, "I'm not supposed to die yet! What about Book IV of the Odyssey? What about the Andromache?"
Had the film killed Odysseus, then I would have been annoyed. That would have been to misunderstand something crucial about the character of Odysseus. Whether you admire him, as Homer does, or not, as per the tragedians and Latin poets, the whole point of Odysseus is that he is a survivor. Fortunately, as soon as the undiluted Sheffield vowels of Sean Bean (who I still think would have been better cast as Menelaus) are heard in the introductory narration, it is clear Odysseus will survive. The film even gives him an arch final line about "if they ever write my story ..."
Odysseus is not the only person whose broad characterization the film gets right. Achilles is a petulant baby, Agamemnon a manipulative tyrant, Menelaus a boorish prig. Hector is more noble and heroic than anyone on the Greek side can dream of being, whilst his brother is a pretty-boy who lacks the inner steel to make a true hero. Priam is everything a wise and noble elder statesman should be, except that every important decision he makes is wrong; Helen is tortured by her responsibility for the war, and by the Trojans' refusal to condemn her for it. Many of these characterizations can be found in Homer – almost all are in classical literature somewhere. But, of course, classical literature contains many different versions of these figures. I've already mentioned different views of Odysseus above; Helen is almost a tabula rasa to be depicted how one likes, from the now-dutiful wife who regrets her past that we find in the Odyssey, to the self-regarding manipulative bitch of Trojan Women.
What I am suggesting here is that, for all the variations in detail, Troy never actually misses the point of the Trojan War stories. Troy still falls. And if you think it's silly to suggest it might have been otherwise, something very similar has happened to Alexandre Dumas' The Man in the Iron Mask. That novel concerns a plot to replace Louis XIV of France with his (fictional) identical twin bother Philippe. In Dumas, this plot is thwarted, and Louis remains King. In every single film adaptation, the plot succeeds.
The one change in Troy I didn't think was acceptable was Paris' survival, and that's not because it breaks from the traditional legend, but because it's dramatically not right within the film. When he leaves Helen at the escape tunnel, and passes on the Sword of Troy to Aeneas (supporting his aged father, which I thought was a nice touch), Paris is having one of those moments where he knows, and so does Helen, that he's going off to die. Except he then doesn't die, and the last we see of him he is fleeing with Briseis, the implication being that he will get both of them to the escape route and safety. (And no, this can't be excused by saying, "Oh, but we don't see that he escapes." The film gives us no reason to believe that he doesn't.) Quite what is supposed to happen when he rejoins his fellow escapees isn't clear – will he ask for the Sword of Troy back?
This mishandling of Paris is a shame, because otherwise, the deaths, at least of major characters, all take place for a good dramatic reason, because there is some flaw in each individual for which they must pay the price. Patroclus dies because he is too eager for the fray, Menelaus because he has not the wit to treat Helen as more than an object to possess, Hector because, for all his honour, he loves his brother more than he loves his city, Priam because he arrogantly assumes that the gods are on his side, Agamemnon because his lust for power blinds him to all else, Achilles because his lust for war leads him to care nothing about those he kills. Though Paris' discovery of archery skills (no typecasting for Orland Bloom there, then!) compensates for his earlier cowardice, he still ought to pay the price for carelessly stealing another man's wife, and for killing the hero.
The change that has excited most comment is the down playing of the relationship between Achilles and Patroclus. Both Brad Pitt and Benioff have said that they can't see anything in the Iliad to support a homoerotic subtext (has Brad really read all twenty-four books?), but that's because it was so obvious in the social context when Homer wrote that he didn't need to be explicit. In any case, any homoeroticism that Benioff removed in his script is put back in by Petersen. Not only are Achilles and Patroclus clearly doing it, for those who have eyes to see, but the film is packed full of athletic men with their kit off, lingering shots tastefully cut off just above the pubic hair. In fact, not since Batman Forever have I seen a Hollywood blockbuster quite so in love with the male body.
There are plenty of legitimate reasons to criticise Troy (e.g. the embarrassing dialogue, the failure to make the battle scenes as exciting as Lord of the Rings or Gladiator, the varying level of acting), but it should be criticised on its own terms, and the artistic license the film grants itself should be allowed. By focusing on the changes made, and attacking them simply because they are changes, without trying to understand them in context, classicists and other critics risk appearing as silly pedants. Not to mention inconsistent. The license being denied to Petersen's film is extended without question to Euripides or Virgil, or even to modern playwrights such as John Barton, whose Tantalus cycle is quite prepared to bend the legends when it seems necessary. This raises suspicions of elitism, that what is permitted to ancient authors or on stage cannot be allowed in a populist film. Regular citations of the Iliad as 'the basis of western literature', and by implication somehow sacrosanct, do not dispel such worries.
Even in the arena of film people are being inconsistent. One film often mentioned as a better way to do Homer than Troy is the Coen brothers' O Brother Where Art Thou?, in which the Odyssey is taken as inspiration for a story set in the southern United States in the 1930s. Now, I am not going to promote the notion that Troy is a better movie than O Brother …, since it clearly isn't, but I am interested in the idea that the changes the Coens make are more acceptable than those of Peterson's film. Are we really suggesting that it is intrinsically truer to Homer to shift him into the Depression (or, say, turn of the century Dublin), and make the free adaptation that such a setting requires, than to keep him in the Bronze Age, but then change some of the details?
One wonders whether critics of Troy might benefit from another read of the Iliad themselves. The central theme of the epic is Achilles' anger at the removal of Briseis by Agamemnon, an anger that blinds him to what's really important, winning the war. Troy is a blockbuster film, that will raise the profile of Homer and the Classics in general. Classics as a profession should be ready to take advantage of that. Instead, I have the impression we're sulking in our tents.


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Howard Dean endorses Daley and smacks outgoing Obama staff
The Sarah Palin of the Democratic party – Howard Dean – has endorsed a product of the Chicago Machine's favorite family as Obama's chief of staff. He feels William Daley would be a "huge plus" for the Obama because he is someone "who knows Washington, but he also is not of Washington."
Yeah, that's kinda the point – he's from Chicago. Just like the guy in the Oval office who supposedly "knows Washington" but isn't of there.
That's worked out real well so far hasn't it? In fact, it appears we're going to see them shuffle one set of Chicagoans out while another comes in.
Dean also took a shot at the departing members of Obama's staff for being contemptuous of the "professional left" – i.e. the liberal left:
Noting that many officials are "either out of the White House or going," Dean blasted Obama's current officials who he says have treated the left wing of the Democratic Party with "contempt."
"As they say, don't let the door hit you in the you-know-what on the way out," Dean said.
That is mostly pointed at Axelrod and Gibbs. That said, and Daley endorsed, Dean then even complained a bit about Daley (John Podesta was Dean's first choice) not being left enough for him:
Dean acknowledged that he has big differences with Daley, who according to Dean has "been moving to the right over the last five to 10 years," but he said that Daley is "a grown-up who doesn't treat people like they don't know anything and you know everything."
Dean claims, however, that Daley will bring an "adult" mindset to the White House, a shot at the administration, saying that such a mindset hasn't existed thus far, at least in the minds of the "professional left"(of which Howard Dean is a charter member).
It is fairly common for administrations to shuffle their staff after an electoral loss. In the days of Bush, Rumsfeld was the big news, but other changes also happened. That's really not the point. Watch the appointments carefully to try to discern how the administration is trying to set itself up for the next two years. Hardliners or compromisers? "Liberal" or, as Dean claims of William Daley, more to the "right" (I think that's a very relative term in this case)? Etc.
What's going to be interesting is to see who Obama names to take probably the most visible spot being vacated, that of Bagdad Bob Gibbs. Like it or not the Press Secretary sets the tone for the administration and is its daily face. I think more can be discerned from that pick than just about any other (other than at department secretary level).
Meanwhile it is useful to note Dean's remarks only because they quickly tune you in to the feelings of the "professional left" on most subjects. My guess he's spot on in his condemnation of the staff leaving (as far as its dealing with the more liberal wing). I'd further guess that the criticism won't stop with the incoming staff either – none of them will ever be left enough for the Howard Dean/Firedoglakes of this world.
12 Responses to Howard Dean endorses Daley and smacks outgoing Obama staff
Daley? An adult? Well sure, I suppose so, when compared to the people currently running things, I guess maybe he would seem more adult.
At least the guy's run a frickin' city…
Yesterday, the "progressive" sites were chattering about Daley having "business ties." The one side of the argument was that Daley could bring a working knowledge of how to reach out to the business community. The other side was that no "progressive" could condone Obama making any effort to reach out to the business community .. this would be a sellout.
Exactly how you make new jobs in the private sector without at least communicating with the business community is exactly why the unemployment rate is stuck where it is now. As long as the business community is left in a state of "flux" in regard to future legislation and regulations, the economy will recover at a snail's pace.
Left unsaid is whether Daley can make a difference, but to dismiss him based entirely on an ideology point is insanity.
Then there is this cryptic statement form outgoing press secretary Rober Gibbs …
Gibbs said: "Bill doesn't come from the Obama orbit. He brings an outside perspective. That's a healthy thing in any White House…. He's someone with great experience. He will help in our outreach to business. As a former Cabinet member, he understands how we can use a strong Cabinet."
So does this mean that Obama cabinet picks are in the "hire the handicapped, there fun to watch" category ?
The "doesn't come from the Obama orbit" statement is something only a quantum physicist like Energy Secretary Chu could understand.
That only leaves one thing left to say:
They'll probably just hire Muhammad Saeed to fill Gibb's position. He had good experience.
The latest spin …
I wondered yesterday whether Robert Gibbs jumped or was pushed and noted that President Barack Obama's words indicated that it was "not an entirely voluntary departure".
It's being reported by John King on CNN right now that Gibbs wanted to be a presidential counsellor – something he's been putting about for quite a while – but William Daley, the new chief of staff, nixed this because he believed that too many cooks would spoil the presidential broth. So that's why Gibbs is out.
Additionally, King reports that Valerie Jarrett, whose sole qualification to being a senior counsellor seems to be that she's a long-time Chicago buddy of Barack and Michelle Obama, will have her wings clipped. Daley, not Jarrett, will be the person speaking to the business community.
The Democratic "al Qaeda" won't like this.
Noting that many officials are "either out of the White House or going," Dean blasted Obama's current officials who he says have treated the left wing of the Democratic Party with "contempt."
This is the root of the left's complaints about applying the term "socialist" to The Dear Golfer: in their eyes, he isn't because he isn't far enough to the left to suit their tastes. Where are the collective farms? Where are the trials of speculationists and other reactionary elements? Where is the Five Year Plan? Where are the reeducation camps?
At any rate, we're seeing The Dear Golfer bring in another Chicago thug to help him wreck the country. Hey, what could go wrong???
/ sarc
Dean is a model of consistency: he was an asshat when he was my governor and still is. The gift that keeps on giving.
I'm going to miss Gibbsy. He was Obama's answer to Scott McClellan.

subset: commoncrawl


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Sunday, 24 July, 2011
Dance Fever!
Someone here has suggested that I need to get out more. Last night, I got out. My friend Whitey urged me to attend a contra dance put on by Tucson Friends of Traditional Music. It wasn't a date (although we did go out for pizza and beer). He wanted me to play in the "open band" with him.
So I went, and it was very fun. You never know how many musicians will show up, and how many dancers will pay to dance. Last night, I was playing on stage with about 15 others -- most of whom were real musicians (but no bass!). They even put a mic in front of my banjo. We were entertaining about 30-40 dancers, led by JP (who I met a few weeks ago).
Here's a photo of a random open band from their web site.
It was very different from the old time jams that I normally play at. The main thing is that it's not banjo friendly. In an old time jam, they stay in the same key for a long time, because banjo players (and sometimes fiddlers) need to retune for every key. I heard about this, so I brought two banjos. I was able to play in four keys with minimal tuning.
But the the problem is, a single contra dance lasts a long time and the band often plays a medley of tunes for a single dance. So last night, I had my first experience of: (a) quickly retuning from A Sawmill to A Standard in the middle of a medley, and (b) actually switching banjos in the middle of a medley.
It was fun. But hotter than hell. They had a few fans in the room, but I was sweating like a pig. Probably just stage fright.


text:
Dental Health Info
George D. Karsant Jr. - Carl Kaufmann
George D. Karsant Jr. - Carl Kaufmann
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Gregg L. Lage - Denver, CO
Mark Lake - Osage Beach, MO
Phuong Lam - Gardena, CA
Richard Lackie - Memphis, TN
Richard C. Lage - Miami, FL
Ray L. Lake - Talihina, OK
Robert Lam - New York, NY
Jay Lackman - Bala Cynwyd, PA
Kenneth Lagergren - Richland, WA
Robert D. Lake - Huntington Beach, CA
Sheila Lam - Ballwin, MO
Matthew W. Lackney - Cincinnati, OH
Richard Lagerman - Milwaukee, WI
Ryan J Lake - Clark, NJ
Thomas Lam - Philadelphia, PA
Denver W. Lackorn - Seguin, TX
Bradley Lagers - Scottsdale, AZ
Samuel L. Lake - Bellevue, WA
Thuy Lam - Alvin, TX
Scott Laclair - Clayton, NY
Kenneth Lagina - West Columbia, SC
Steve Lake - Ogallala, NE
Tien Lam - Hesperia, CA
Gary Lacom - Corinth, MS
Joan Lagomarsino - Wallington, NJ
Thomas G. Lakebrink - Liberty, MO
Timothy Lam - Lynnwood, WA
Bradley P. Laconi - Chesterfield, IN
Ann L. Lagonegro - Gloucester, VA
Dan Lakeman - Haleyville, AL
Tom Lam - Rancho Cucamonga, CA
Michael Lacorte - Tucson, AZ
John C. Lagorio - Libertyville, IL
Gerald L. Laker - Livonia, MI
Tony Lam - Germantown, MD
Joseph Lacoste - Metairie, LA
Patricia L. Lagrange - Slidell, LA
Steven Lakes - Colchester, CT
Wai Lam - Gaithersburg, MD
Roger Lacoste - Swansea, MA
Kenneth J. Lagratta - Baltimore, MD
A K. Lakha - Palo Alto, CA
Walter Lam - Alhambra, CA
Roger Lacoste - New Bedford, MA
Raymond Lagstein - Orangeburg, NY
S M. Lakhani - Oak Brook, IL
Wan Lam - Brooklyn, NY
Kevin Lacour - Metairie, LA
Gerald Laguardia - St James, NY
S M. Lakhani - Villa Park, IL
Malinda Lam-Gershony - Redmond, WA
L. D. Lacour - Baton Rouge, LA
Rick Laguatan - Yorkville, IL
Saba Lakhani - Bethesda, MD
Peter Lama - Brooklyn, NY
Pierre H. Lacrampe - San Ramon, CA
Roderick Lagunda - Irvine, CA
Salman Lakhani - Plano, TX
John E. Laman - Hartford, MI
Pierre Lacrampe - San Ramon, CA
Thomas Lah - Grove City, PA
Salman Lakhani - Plano, TX
Anthony J. LaMancusa - Las Vegas, NV
Edward D. Lacy - Tualatin, OR
Thomas Lah - Grove City, PA
Leslie Lakind - Santa Fe, NM
Karin Lamar - Rochester, NH
Edward J. Lacy Jr. - Loveland, CO
Lahnan - Columbia, SC
Stuart Lakind - Dearborn, MI
Michael Lamarche - Mill Creek, WA
Galen E. Lacy - Nederland, TX
Kevin Lahr - Bloomington, MN
Murali Lakireddy - Cleveland, OH
Robert C. Lamarre Jr. - Cincinnati, OH
Galen Lacy - Nederland, TX
Woodrow L. Lahr - Canton, OH
Adib Lakis - Canton, MA
Thomas LaMartina - Farmington, MO
Miranda Lacy - Plano, TX
Russell P. Lahrmann - Industry, TX
Haris Lakisic - La Jolla, CA
Ashley Lamay - Virginia Beach, VA
Robert E. Lacy - Topeka, KS
Andrea Lai - Richardson, TX
Martin W. Laksana - Upland, CA
Christopher Lamb - Chicago, IL
Rosa L. Lacy - La Junta, CO
Chern Lai - Broomall, PA
Theresia Laksmana - Culver City, CA
Daniel Lamb - Colorado Springs, CO
W E Lacy - Wetumpka, AL
Henry Lai - New York, NY
Kunal Lal - New York, NY
Dennis Lamb - Antioch, CA
Chiman Lad - Temple City, CA
Herrick Lai - New York, NY
Jay A. Lala - Mason City, IA
Don Lamb - Glendale, AZ
David P. Ladd - Schererville, IN
Herrick Lai - New York, NY
Alexander Lalabekyan - Glendale, CA
Frederick Lamb - Bullhead City, AZ
Eric Ladd - Schererville, IN
Hong Tien Lai - New York, NY
Alexander Lalabekyan - Redondo Beach, CA
Frederick Lamb - Bullhead City, AZ
Leslie Laddaran - Los Angeles, CA
Lihong Lai - Orange, CA
Naushir Lalani - Far Rockaway, NY
Joey L. Lamb - Roswell, GA
Michael Laden - Port Jervis, NY
Mark W. Lai - Sacramento, CA
Manohar Lalchandani - Holyoke, MA
Kenneth Lamb - Kingsport, TN
Stephen Ladenheim - Cortland, NY
Merlin Lai - Sacramento, CA
Armin Lalehzari - South Richmond Hill, NY
Mardon C. Lamb - Woodland Hills, CA
Daniel Lader - Bethlehem, PA
Michael S. Lai - Westminster, CA
June Lallas - Skokie, IL
Mark A. Lamb - Imlay City, MI
Edward Ladin - Larchmont, NY
Peter Lai - San Francisco, CA
Mark Lallas - Arlington Hts, IL
Michael Lamb - Douglasville, GA
Doris Ladino - Jackson-Heights, NY
Ross C. Lai - San Francisco, CA
Ashok A. Lalli - Tacoma, WA
Phillip H. Lamb - Cleveland, OH
Omowumi Ladipo - Humble, TX
Shufang Lai - Portland, OR
Ashok A. Lalli - Kent, WA
R L. Lamb - Monroe, LA
Leah Ladley - Tavares, FL
Stanford Lai - San Francisco, CA
J Michael Lally - Mc Gehee, AR
Randall Lamb - Amarillo, TX
Robert W. Ladley - Tavares, FL
Timothy Lai - San Jose, CA
Adam Lalonde - Los Fresnos, TX
Richard N. Lamb - Baltimore, MD
Nancy Ladon - Franklin, TN
Andrea Laidlaw - Hillsboro, OR
Joseph B. Lalonde - Breaux Bridge, LA
Keith D. Lamborn - Cave Creek, AZ
Joseph A. Ladone - Lisle, IL
Bettina Laidley - South Burlington, VT
Robert A. Lalor - Vestal, NY
Don Lane - Angier, NC
Marvin Ladov - New Brunswick, NJ
Martina Sandra Laifook - Jersey City, NJ
Chad Lalsingh - Boca Raton, FL
Don Lane - Mt Olive, NC
Lawrence R. Ladowski - Federal Way, WA
Wallace Lail - Duluth, GA
Angeline D. Lam - Sacramento, CA
Don Lane - Winston Salem, NC
Stephen M. LaDuque - Stephenville, TX
Howard A. Laile II - Columbus, OH
Binh Lam - San Jose, CA
James Lee - Bowie, MD
Lee Laeupple - Havre, MT
Jon B Mc Lain - Alpena, MI
Carol Lam - Los Angeles, CA
Yaritza Miranda - Syracuse, NY
Spiros Lafazanos - Crystal Lake, IL
Gary B. Laine - Palo Alto, CA
Eddie H. Lam - Gaithersburg, MD
Vivek Nijhawan - Howell, NJ
Nicholas Lafeber - Sandy, UT
John Shea Lair - Stanford, KY
Gary Lam - Torrance, CA
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Privacy Statement
Privacy Statement
Last updated: March 18, 2010
Effective date: March 18, 2010
This Web site is administered by Futuredontics, Inc. As part of the normal operation of our company and site we collect and disclose information about you. This Privacy Statement describes the information we collect about you and what may happen to that information.
Information We Collect
To match you with a dentist, either by telephone or via our online find-a-dentist pages, we require you to provide us with your full name, contact information such as address, telephone number and e-mail address ("personally identifiable information"), and dental need. In the course of using our service and/or Web site, we automatically track certain information about you. This information includes the URL that you just came from (whether this URL is on our site or not), which URL you go to next (whether this URL is on our site or not), what browser you are using, and your IP address. Most sites automatically collect this information.
In addition, we use cookies on certain pages of our site. Cookies are stored on your hard drive, not on our site. You are always free to decline our cookies if your browser permits, although in that case you may be required to re-enter certain information more frequently during a visit to our site.
Our Use of Your Information
We use the information you provide to return to you a list of member dentists from which you may choose your new dentist. Additionally, we use personally identifiable information about you internally to improve our marketing and promotional efforts, to statistically analyze site usage, to improve our content and product offerings and to customize our site's content and layout. We believe these uses allow us to improve our site and better tailor it to meet your needs.
If you send personal correspondence to us, such as an e-mail, letter or survey, we may collect such information into a file specific to you. All correspondence, either provided to us or if contained within a customer survey, are deemed the property of Futuredontics, Inc. upon receipt. Correspondence submitted to Futuredontics, Inc. may be used in whole or in part, without restriction, and in any medium, by Futuredontics, Inc. in its sole and absolute discretion for any purpose, including marketing, advertising, and educational purposes. At no time will Futuredontics, Inc. use, reproduce, or publish any correspondence with personally identifiable information.
If you request to receive information regarding our member dentists, products, services, and/or promotional campaigns via e-mail and/or text message, you may receive a follow-up e-mail, telephone call, and/or text message from Futuredontics, Inc. Standard text messaging rates and/or cell phone airtime rates may apply. If at anytime you would like to unsubscribe from future communications from Futuredontics, Inc., please click
or contact us via e-mail at
Our Disclosure of Your Information
We reserve the right to use and to disclose to third parties all of the information that we collect from you over the telephone or online, in any way and for any purpose. Once you have selected a new dentist, either by telephone or through the use of our Web site, we will share your personally identifiable information with your dentist. If you request to be matched with a dentist for a specific dental product or brand, we may share your personally identifiable information with the company manufacturing the product. In addition, Futuredontics, Inc. cooperates with all law enforcement inquires. Therefore, local, state and federal law enforcement can request your name, street address, city, state, zip code, phone number, and e-mail address. Due to the existing regulatory environment, we may be forced to disclose information to the government or third parties under certain circumstances, or third parties may unlawfully intercept or access transmissions or private communications. Further, we can disclose any information about you to law enforcement or other government officials as we, in our sole discretion, believe necessary or appropriate. Therefore, although we use industry-standard practices to protect your privacy, we do not promise, and you should not expect, that your personally identifiable information or private communications will remain private.
Your Privacy Rights
Our consumers can request and obtain from us once a year, free of charge, information about the personally identifiable information (if any) we disclosed to third parties for direct marketing purposes in the preceding calendar year. If applicable, this information would include a list of the categories of personally identifiable information that was shared and the names and addresses of all third parties with which we shared such information in the immediately preceding calendar year. If you would like to request this information, please submit your request in writing to:
Chief Technology Officer - Privacy Statement Futuredontics, Inc.
6060 Center Drive, 7th Floor
Los Angeles, CA 90045
Changes to Privacy Statement
The terms of this privacy statement will govern the use and any information collected while it is in place. Futuredontics, Inc. reserves the right to change this Privacy Statement at any time, so please re-visit this page as often as you wish. In case of any material change, we will change the "Last Updated" date in this Privacy Statement. Changes to this Privacy Statement are effective as of the stated "Last Updated" date and your continued use of this site on or after the "Last Updated" date will constitute acceptance of, and agreement to be bound by, those changes.
Futuredontics, Inc. uses industry-standard efforts to safeguard the confidentiality of your personally identifiable information, such as firewalls and Secure Socket Layers. However, "perfect security" does not exist on the Internet.
Questions regarding this statement should be directed to
By accessing the site and its content, you, (hereafter referred to as "users") agree to be bound by the terms and conditions set forth herein. We reserve the right to change the terms and conditions at any time, and users agree to abide by the most recent version each time users view this site. Users are accordingly urged to reference the conditions set forth each time they access the site. Failure to follow these terms and conditions shall be construed as a violation of this agreement.
The user agrees to hold harmless Futuredontics, Inc., its shareholders, officers, directors, employees, affiliates and contributors from all claims arising out of, or related to the information contained within this site, access or use of, or inability to access or use the site.
Unless otherwise stated, all content contained herein, including but not limited to, the graphic images, audio, video, text, html codes and buttons contained herein and their arrangements, are owned or licensed by Futuredontics, Inc. and/or its contributors and may not be copied, reproduced, republished, posted, transmitted or distributed in any way without the prior written consent of Futuredontics, Inc. Nothing contained in this site shall be construed as conferring by implication, estoppel, or otherwise, any license or right to any copyright, patent, trademark or other proprietary interest of Futuredontics, Inc. or any third party. All trademarks used or referred to in this Web site are the property of the Futuredontics, Inc. and/or their respective owners.
The information provided on this site is free of charge and for informational purposes only and does not create any relationship between you and Futuredontics, Inc. or any of its officers, shareholders, owners, employees, affiliates or representatives. Links on this site may lead to services or sites not operated by Futuredontics, Inc. No judgment or warranty is made with respect to such other services or sites and Futuredontics, Inc. takes no responsibility for such other sites or services. A link to another site or service is not an endorsement of that site or service. Any use you make of the information provided on this site, or any site or service linked to by this site, is at your own risk.
The dental information presented throughout this Web site is not intended to be construed as, or to be a substitute for professional advice. The information provided is for general informational purposes only and is not to be taken as medical or dental advice or treatment information. Although we may cite certain medical and/or dental procedures, perspectives, and products, we do not recommend or endorse them in any capacity. While we strive earnestly to update its resources for consumers and professionals, any individual reliance on this information is at the individual's own risk. We do not guarantee the accuracy of the information found herein, and further disclaim all liability or responsibility for injury or impairment experienced by any users who utilize any products, information or concepts.
Futuredontics, Inc. makes no representation or warranty of any kind with respect to this site or any service accessible through this site. Futuredontics, Inc. expressly disclaims all express and implied warranties including, but not limited to, the implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, title and non-infringement. In no event will Futuredontics, Inc. be liable to any party for any direct, indirect, incidental, special, exemplary, consequential, or other damages (including, but not limited to, lost profits, business interruption, loss of programs or data) without regard to the form of action and whether in contract, tort, negligence, strict liability, or otherwise, arising out of or in connection with this site, any content on or accessed through this site or any site service linked to, or any copying, displaying, or use thereof.
For specific medical or dental questions, please see a licensed health care professional.
Futuredontics, Inc. maintains this site in California, U.S.A. and all users agree that these terms of use and any legal action or proceeding relating to this site shall be governed by the laws of the State of California without reference to its choice of law rules. If any user attempts to bring any legal proceedings against us, the user specifically acknowledges that we are free to choose the jurisdiction of our preference as to where such action against us may be held. As the user has agreed by using this site to choose the laws of the State of California to govern any such proceedings, we will probably choose to defend any such action in California and we can make this decision entirely as it suits us, without regard to where in the world you are located, or from where in the world you visited this site.
The user is responsible for complying with the laws of the jurisdiction from which the user is accessing this site and agrees that he/she will not access or use the information on this site in violation of such laws.
Dentists must apply to become a member of the 1-800-DENTIST® program, which involves completing detailed applications and passing our rigorous screening process. Our Quality Assurance department is dedicated to the initial screening and continued monitoring of member dentists, which includes, but is not limited to:
Verifying that member Dental Licenses are current and in good standing, not currently subject to disciplinary action, and carry malpractice insurance Requiring certification for any claimed specialty or service.
Maintaining detailed dentist information, including school attended, services offered, office hours and more Validating claims of practice features such as the ability to treat young children or state-of the-art equipment Surveying patients on an ongoing basis to assure the highest level of satisfaction and care.
Once dentists pass our screening requirements they pay a membership fee, which may be either a flat monthly rate or on a per-lead basis. If any member fails to uphold our high standards (based on the criteria above or feedback from the consumers we match with their practice), they may be removed from the service. 1-800-DENTIST does not dictate member dentists' fees, treatment options or the manner in which they practice.
Consumers who call us or visit our website are asked to provide information including their location, dental need, insurance and preferred payment method. Based on these factors, 1-800-DENTIST searches for a member dentist who matches these needs, recommends the practice and, whenever possible, directly connects callers to the dentist's office so they can make an appointment. The service is completely free to consumers.