In Calydon, Oeneus made his offerings to the gods, and in the counting of names he forgot Artemis (Ov. Met. 8). The first fruits rise in smoke to Zeus, Hera, the household powers, the immortals who tolerate men so long as men remember them. It is the old economy of reciprocity, the one James FrazerContinue reading “Diomedes and Aeneas”
Tag Archives: Marcel Mauss
China is the Paper Tiger
Business is war, and war is business. — Sean Connery as Captain John Connor, Rising Sun (1993) In the early 1990s, Rising Sun captured an America unsettled by Japan’s economic ascent. Beneath its murder mystery plot lay a parable about national confidence; the fear that Japan’s discipline and precision might eclipse Western improvisation and ingenuity.Continue reading “China is the Paper Tiger”
Graeber’s “Debt”
Too many books sit unread on my shelf. This weekend, I finally made my way to Debt, The First 5,000 Years by David Graeber (2011). The first chapter prepared me for disappointment. Graeber proudly announces his role in protesting the IMF and occupying Wall Street (I did not know his background before buying his books).Continue reading “Graeber’s “Debt””
Protective Arts 