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Exams start next week for me, so it's been a highly stressful few days. I'm particularly paranoid about not covering all the material in time. Last semester, in the Celts exam, they asked a completely different question from what I expected, so I spent two pages twisting the material I did know into what the question asked. It all worked out okay in the end, but I don't want to go through the panic of turning over the paper and thinking 'Oh my god, I didn't revise for that!'

For the first section of the Greek history exam, I've chosen to work on Homer's 'Odyssey.' I could have done the Mycenaean & Minoan civilisations, especially since I wrote one of my papers on that topic, but I prefer to approach things fresh for the exam. That way, I don't get complacent and let the side down.

I must admit, I'm not a big fan of all of 'The Odyssey' - the books dealing with Odysseus' travels are the most exciting, but in the second half, I often find my concentration wandering. However, I have recently come to appreciate the argument that you should read the works in the original language.

We've been let loose on some unadapted Euripides (the play is 'Alkestis') in Greek (language), and I've been able to really get to know the text. When you're puzzling out a line in the original language, the end result is so much more satisfying, because you can really appreciate the construction and form of the poetry, and how the writer has used the language to convey feeling and emotion. This is in marked contrast to when I read Sophocles' 'Antigone' and found myself skipping pages just to get to the "good bits."

Tonight, I'm changing lanes and moving to the Roman empire - I've got a pile of books I'm rather optimistically hoping to get through before I go to bed. I want to incorporate some inscriptional evidence into the essay, but I haven't been able to find a translation of the Greek. The inscription does have a commentary, but just to frustrate me, it's in Latin. I guess it's time to haul out the dictionary.

Trek BBS Today

Below are some of the topics currently being discussed at the Trek BBS:

- Should Kellie Waymire (Elizabeth Cutler) become a regular Enterprise cast member?

- Did you think Deep Space Nine was dull in the first few seasons, but loved it later on?

- Would you like to see The Animated Series on DVD?

More topics can be found at the Trek BBS!

Trek Two Years Ago

These were some of the major news items on June 12, 2000:

• Brazilian George Takei Interview
  George Takei (Hikaru Sulu) talked enthusiastically to TrekBrasilis about the 'Excelsior' fan campaign. "I would say that the strongest point with the campaign is that it is coming directly from the fans, the audience," he said. "If the producers are smart, they should respond to the marketplace --- their audience. The other point is that it could explore the 80 some years from the time of Star Trek VI to the time of the Next Generation. That is a lot of adventure tales to make many a series season."

• 'Starship Creator Warp 2' Ships
  Simon & Schuster Interactive's sequel to 'Starship Creator' hit stores across America. The new game allowed players to create mini-episodes with their ships, and export their fleet to the forthcoming 'Dominion Wars' game.

  More news can be found in the archives.

Today's Television Listings

• TNN will be showing the Next Generation episodes 'Sub Rosa' at 8:00 p.m Eastern Time with '11001001' at 11:00 p.m.

• The Sci-Fi Channel will be showing the Original Series episode 'The Cage' at 6:00 p.m Eastern Time.

• In Canada, Space! will be showing the Original Series episode 'Miri' at 10:00 a.m and 2:00 p.m Eastern time, with TNG's 'All Good Things Pt.2' at 3:0 p.m, DS9's 'Children of Time' at 4:00 p.m, and Voyager's 'Fair Haven' at 5:00 p.m.

• In the United Kingdom, Sky One will show the Original Series episode 'Descent' at 16:00 GMT with Voyager's 'Basics Part One' at 17:00. BBC 2 will show 'The Royale' at 18:45. Thanks go out to the Great Link for this!

Tomorrow's Television Listings

• TNN will be showing TNG's 'Lower Decks' at 8:00pm Eastern Time and 'Too Short a Season' at 11:00pm.

• The Sci-Fi Channel will be showing the Original Series's 'Where No Man Has Gone Before' at 6:00pm Eastern Time. In the United Kingdom, Sky One will be showing TNG's 'Liasons' at 16:00 GMT and Voyager's 'Basics, Part II' at 17:00. Thanks go out to the Great Link for this!

• In Canada, Space! will be showing the Original Series's 'A Taste of Armageddon' at 10:00 Eastern Time, 'Dagger of the Mind' at 2:00pm, TNG's 'Encounter at Farpoint, Part I' at 3:00pm, DS9's 'Blaze of Glory' at 4:00pm, and Voyager's 'Blink of an Eye' at 5:00pm and 10:00pm.

• In the Netherlands, V8 will be showing TNG's 'Man of the People' at 18:00 CET. Thanks go out to StarTrek.nl for this!

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