From dgw1@nyu.edu Sat Mar 30 13:34:16 2002 Received: from mailscan5.cac.washington.edu (mailscan5.cac.washington.edu [140.142.32.14]) by lists.u.washington.edu (8.12.1+UW01.12/8.12.1+UW02.01) with SMTP id g2ULYFDN024202 for ; Sat, 30 Mar 2002 13:34:15 -0800 Received: FROM mxu1.u.washington.edu BY mailscan5.cac.washington.edu ; Sat Mar 30 13:34:14 2002 -0800 Received: from mx1.nyu.edu (MX1.NYU.EDU [128.122.108.102]) by mxu1.u.washington.edu (8.12.1+UW01.12/8.12.1+UW02.01) with ESMTP id g2ULYDc6015495 for ; Sat, 30 Mar 2002 13:34:13 -0800 Received: from computer (DIALN-ASYNC521.DIAL.NET.NYU.EDU [216.165.5.27]) by mx1.nyu.edu (Switch-2.2.1/Switch-2.2.0) with SMTP id g2ULY9B04170 for ; Sat, 30 Mar 2002 16:34:09 -0500 (EST) Message-ID: <023e01c1d833$33c0f560$2a03a5d8@computer> From: "Diana Wright" To: References: <00ef01c1d830$121b66a0$22c3578a@cas.ilstu.edu> Subject: Re: in today's paper (if you can call it a paper)...humor alert Date: Sat, 30 Mar 2002 16:38:15 -0500 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary="----=_NextPart_000_023B_01C1D809.49FFF120" X-Priority: 3 X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Mailer: Microsoft Outlook Express 5.00.2615.200 X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V5.00.2615.200 This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_023B_01C1D809.49FFF120 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable That's old news, Janice. It was published here last fall & I was too = refined to post it. DW ----- Original Message -----=20 From: Janice Siegel=20 To: classics@u.washington.edu=20 Sent: Saturday, March 30, 2002 4:15 PM Subject: in today's paper (if you can call it a paper)...humor alert "Scientists have unearthed fossilized skulls that prove the race of = Cyclops really did exist, says an expert. And Dr. Alvin Meecham adds = that he knows why the one-eyed race is now extinct - they were klutzes! = "They were extremely clumsy," said paleozoologist Meecham, speakign from = his office at London's Royal Academy of Archaeology..."With only one eye = they had no depth perception among other problems...so besides being = vulnerable to attack, they were always running into trees and falling = off cliffs." He calls them Cy-klutses. =20 His research concerns finds on the island of Mindanao, in the south = Phillipines, skulls with one eye socket that seem to confirm tales of a = race of one-eyed giants in the area. =20 "Scientists have long speculated about the existence of the Cyclops, = who are believed to have lived about 2 million years ago. They were = first described by the Greek poet Homer in his classic adventure tale, = The Odyssey. Homer's hero, Odysseus, could have picked up the story from = Philippino tribesmen during one of the many side trips he was forced to = take when he was blown off course during his 10-year journey home to = Crete (uh huh) from the Trojan War...Odysseus easily conquered him = (Polyphemus) by stabbing him in the eye," Meecham said. "Odysseus = couldn't have gotten away with that (rendering him blind so easily) if = Polyphemus had had two eyes." =20 source: "The Weekly World News", available at your local grocery store = now.=20 =20 Who said that classics isn't relevant and topical? =20 Of course, one is reminded of Jim O'Hara's story of the grad seminar = in which the professor announces excitedly that he, too, has figured out = why the enraged Cyclops' thrown rocks miss their mark (O's boat) - = because he has no depth perception. When one student timidly reminds the = professor that the Cyclops is *blind* at this point in the tale, he = quips, "Ah, yes, that too is a factor." =20 I feel sorry for Dr. Meecham (if he exists at all) and hope he is the = victim of what usually happens when we get interviewed and "quotes" are = used. But it certainly was worth the trip to the store for some cornish = hens and eggs...and in case you were wondering, the paper is dated April = *2*. =20 Cheers and Happy Holidays to all, Janice =20 PS: This is the second Weekly World I have ever bought. The first = featured a woman and her Cannibal Stew, which she used to make for her = co-workers every Friday (it tasted great - different than anything they = had ever tasted before....) which I use to teach the nature of the crime = of child-feasting in mythology ("why does this gross you all out so = much," I ask). I refuse to read or buy the serious tabloids because I do = believe they contribute to unethical paparazzi behavior, and even to the = death of Diana. This one is more like "Strange but True" books. The lead = story in this issue: "KKK Skeletons found in Titantic Life Ring" = complete with a picture of a skeleton with a perfectly ironed and = bleached KKK hood and cloak on it. Strange but true!=20 =20 Janice Siegel Assistant Professor of Classics Department of Foreign Languages Box 4300 Illinois State University Normal, Illinois 61790 (309) 438-3583 =20 jfsiege@ilstu.edu http://lilt.ilstu.edu/drjclassics http://lilt.ilstu.edu/drjclassics2 ------=_NextPart_000_023B_01C1D809.49FFF120 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
That's old news, Janice.  It was = published=20 here last fall & I was too refined to post it.

DW
----- Original Message -----
From:=20 Janice = Siegel=20
To: classics@u.washington.edu
Sent: Saturday, March 30, 2002 = 4:15=20 PM
Subject: in today's paper (if = you can=20 call it a paper)...humor alert

"Scientists have unearthed fossilized = skulls that=20 prove the race of Cyclops really did exist, says an expert. And Dr. = Alvin=20 Meecham adds that he knows why the one-eyed race is now extinct - they = were=20 klutzes! "They were extremely clumsy," said paleozoologist Meecham, = speakign=20 from his office at London's Royal Academy of Archaeology..."With = only one=20 eye they had no depth perception among other problems...so besides = being=20 vulnerable to attack, they were always running into trees and falling = off=20 cliffs." He calls them Cy-klutses.
 
His research concerns finds on the = island of=20 Mindanao, in the south Phillipines, skulls with one eye socket that = seem to=20 confirm tales of a race of one-eyed giants in the area.
 
"Scientists have long speculated = about the=20 existence of the Cyclops, who are believed to have lived about 2 = million years=20 ago. They were first described by the Greek poet Homer in his classic=20 adventure tale, The Odyssey. Homer's hero, Odysseus, could have picked = up the=20 story from Philippino tribesmen during one of the many side trips he = was=20 forced to take when he was blown off course during his 10-year journey = home to=20 Crete (uh huh) from the Trojan War...Odysseus easily conquered him=20 (Polyphemus) by stabbing him in the eye," Meecham said. "Odysseus = couldn't=20 have gotten away with that (rendering him blind so easily) if = Polyphemus had=20 had two eyes."
 
source: "The Weekly World News", = available at=20 your local grocery store now.
 
Who said that classics isn't relevant = and=20 topical?
 
Of course, one is reminded of Jim = O'Hara's story=20 of the grad seminar in which the professor announces excitedly that = he, too,=20 has figured out why the enraged Cyclops' thrown rocks miss their mark = (O's=20 boat) - because he has no depth perception. When one student timidly = reminds=20 the professor that the Cyclops is *blind* at this point in the tale, = he quips,=20 "Ah, yes, that too is a factor."
 
I feel sorry for Dr. Meecham (if he = exists at=20 all) and hope he is the victim of what usually happens when we get = interviewed=20 and "quotes" are used. But it certainly was worth the trip to the = store for=20 some cornish hens and eggs...and in case you were wondering, the paper = is=20 dated April *2*.
 
Cheers and Happy Holidays to all,=20 Janice
 
PS: This is the second Weekly World I = have ever=20 bought. The first featured a woman and her Cannibal Stew, which she = used to=20 make for her co-workers every Friday (it tasted great - different than = anything they had ever tasted before....) which I use to teach the = nature of=20 the crime of child-feasting in mythology ("why does this gross you all = out so=20 much," I ask). I refuse to read or buy the serious tabloids because I = do=20 believe they contribute to unethical paparazzi behavior, and even to = the death=20 of Diana. This one is more like "Strange but True" books. The lead = story in=20 this issue: "KKK Skeletons found in Titantic Life Ring" complete with = a=20 picture of a skeleton with a perfectly ironed and bleached KKK hood = and cloak=20 on it. Strange but true! 
 
Janice Siegel
Assistant Professor = of=20 Classics
Department of Foreign Languages
Box 4300
Illinois = State=20 University
Normal, Illinois 61790
(309) 438-3583
 
jfsiege@ilstu.edu
http://lilt.ilstu.edu/drjclass= ics
http://lilt.ilstu.edu/drjclas= sics2
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