My week and welcome to it!

The week started out with a success in spite of myself...

Dear Cheryl from Rice, Beans and Pastichio awarded me the "Happy Cupcake Award"! Possibly because I'm such a fluffy thing (those 20 lbs I lost last summer, are trying desperately to insinuate themselves back into my life!), but probably because she's such a sweetheart herself. So.

I must sing for my supper, as it were, and comply with the terms of the award... and so Blog friends beware!



There are some rules with the award:

1. Copy the award image into a post.

2. List 10 things that make you happy.

3. Tag 10 bloggers who brighten your day.

4. Link to their blogs.

5. Notify the award recipients.

6. Award recipients link back to sender's blog

Ten things that make me happy:

My husband

My three sons and their mates

My three exceptional grandchildren

My home and what's inside it (ie: my kitchen, my computer, my pillow etc.)

Family (generic- ie mom, aunt, cousins, in-laws)

Friends

Prosecco

Corfu

Music

Color (Green is a particular favorite)

I could sum it up in one word... My life makes me happy.
~~~

As for my choices of who to pass the award on to, I would say that people who have blogs that are honest - really honest about themselves and their lives- makes me very happy when I read them.

Helena Halme is a wonderful blog and a really clever person. It's funny and sad and intimate and charming (and so are you Helena). She's my first pick.

My second is Life the universe and all that's in it. Wildernesschic (aka Ruth) lives in a most marvelous and beautful house. She visualizes her dream and makes it happen. Her blog makes me very happy, as if I couldn't live in my house, I would live in hers! If I wasn't an only child, I'd pick her for a sister.

Third, would be Ayak at Turkish Delight. But someone sent the award to her and beat me to the punch! Ayak's trials and tribulations along with her frustrations and happiness of life in Turkey with Mr Ayak are honest and true. (They also often remind me of when my husband and I lived in Turkey!) Ultimately you can read about what makes her happy in her latest post!

Next my award would go to the charming Bernie at Old? Who? Me? Her honesty and her stream of consciousness writing about everyday life and times are fun to read. She enjoys her life and always -ALWAYS- has the time to see the beauty in everyday things.

I will pass this award as well, to a most wonderful blog by Gaelikaa, (she has two blogs and it's difficult to decide which one!) I do get a lot of happiness and enjoyment from gaelikaa's diary Journal of an East/West Wife Gaelikaa, who is Irish, lives in India with her husband and children under the roof of her husband family. She faces countless differences in culture and lifestyle, and yet she embraces each day with joy and honesty. I truely enjoy her blog.

Ayla Central is a blog that always makes me smile. True it's about a baby named Ayla, but it's also peripherally about her family and her amazing mom, a scientist concerned about the earth . I love visiting the blog and seeing Ayla smile and everytime I visit I think of her mom and Grandmom who were my friends years ago when we all lived in Turkey. Many things changed with the years, but that baby's smile is soo familiar!!!

What can I say, I know that they probably don't "do" awards, but I have to say that if anything deserves a Happiness Award, Holy Cuteness is right up there at the top! A daily dose of wonderful funny pictures or great little videos of cute animals- what else do you need???

Savage Reflections is a wonderfully well written intelligent blog. Berowne writes because he enjoys writing and because he's good at it. Inherent though in everything he writes is care and truthfulness. (His hobby is also Shakespeare and he has an amazing series of posts titled "Laid Back Shakespeare" that are wonderfully fun to read.)

My last two choices are from Australia.

A marvelously intelligent but really fun blog is A Curate's Egg. Lee's blog is filled with the day to day irony that is universally understood. It is not the only blog produced by this witty blogger, but it was the first one I discovered and I still enjoy it regularly. He writes four other wonderful blogs and they are all worth a visit.

My last choice is a new find, but what I enjoy the most about the blog is her progress stats on the sidebar! Lacey Devlin is an aspiring romance writer. It makes me very happy to check her blog and see her bar graph grow as she completes more pages. I always wanted to write a romance novel, but I never pushed myself to do it. I admire her verve and writers guts. Good on you, Lacey!

So there it is.

As for my weeks highlights... I went into town (to the bank!) on the day of the Greek strikes. Not knowing how long they might last, we thought it would be best to have some cash on hand.

I am certain that strikes in other places are pretty much the same, but I was impressed by the music that was played pretty much constantly, with the odd microphone-d voice making speeches in San Rocco Square. There were a lot of people in town, and a light police presence from a group that is normally invisible.

For sure there was a crowd. Different groups massed in different parts of the city. We decided to leave though as the parade was starting to assemble. It turned a bit violent in Athens but all went well here in Corfu.

Wednesday evening we went to dinner at Bistro Boileau to celebrate friends finally getting official permission to build their house. Of course as with all things in Corfu, they still had to return for "one more" stamp, but in effect the celebration was due because it was all official! yay! I had a WONderful breast of chicken with fig and walnut sauce. Amazing. The dessert was incredible- homemade orange ice cream with dark chocolate sauce. (Alex said they had so many oranges he didn't know what to do with them, so he decided to try to make some ice cream! Great decision, Alex!) I would have provided pictures but we were all talking and eating from eachothers plates and poof- sadly I was too late because we'd eaten every crumb.

T finished his project on the stone entry posts... and also finished sealing the roof, and acid washed the pool tiles - we have a lot of mineral build up by the end of the season. Once it's all clean we can start thinking of spring again and filling it up for swimming!

I meanwhile experimented and made a really great leek and potato soup and a wonderful cauliflower gratin.

Cauliflower Gratin Recipe (based on Ina Garten's "Barefoot Contessa" recipe)

* 1 (3-pound) head cauliflower, cut into large florets
* salt




* 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, divided
* 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
* 2 cups hot milk
* 2 T cream cheese (MY secret ingredient)
* 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
* 1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg

* 1 1/2 cup freshly grated Gruyere, divided
* 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan
* 1 cup fresh bread crumbs

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Cook the cauliflower florets in a large pot of boiling salted water for 5 to 6 minutes, until tender but still firm. Drain. (Zap the milk in the microwave to warm it)

Meanwhile, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in a medium saucepan over low heat. Add the flour, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon for 2 minutes. Pour the hot milk into the butter-flour mixture and stir until it comes to a boil. Boil, whisking constantly, for 1 minute, or until thickened. Off the heat, add 1 teaspoon of salt, the pepper, nutmeg, 1cup of the Gruyere, 2 T cream cheese and the Parmesan. Mix all til well blended.

Pour 1/3 of the sauce on the bottom of an 8 by 11 by 2-inch baking dish. Place the drained cauliflower on top and then spread the rest of the sauce evenly on top. Combine the bread crumbs with the remaining 1/2 cup of Gruyere and sprinkle on top. Melt the remaining 2 (+) tablespoons of butter and drizzle over the gratin. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the top is browned. Serve hot or at room temperature.

This is REALLY good.

So that about wraps up the week. There were a few other things that popped in and out- my addiction to facebook, a couple of scrabble games - I LOST (but they were close...)

Well.

Tomorrow is my 41st wedding anniversary. I can't believe so much time has passed. But he's still my best friend and we're still together for all the ups and downs 41 years of marriage has tossed our way.

I may even post a wedding picture tomorrow... you never know.

Have a great week!

~~~

Ancient/Modern Greek Humor...

Image via WikipediaMortal: What is a million years like to you?

Mortal: What is a million years like to you?

Zeus: Like one second.

Mortal: What is a million dollars like to you?

Zeus: Like one penny.

Mortal: Can I have a penny?

Zeus: Just a second...

~~~

A Man dies and goes to hell. There he finds that there is a different hell for each country. He goes to the German hell and asks, "What do they do here?"

He is told: "First they put you in an electric chair for an hour. Then they lay you on a bed of nails for another hour. Then the German devil comes in and whips you for the rest of the day.

The man does not like the sound of that at all, so he moves on. He checks out the American hell, as well as the Russian hell & many more.

He discovers that they are all more or less the same as the German hell. Then he comes to the Greek hell and finds that there is a long line of people from all nationalities waiting to get in.

Amazed, he asks, "What do they do here? He is told, "First they put you in an electric chair for an

Image by XcBiker via Flickr

hour, and then they lay you on a bed of nails for another hour. Then the Greek devil comes in and whips you for the rest of the day. "But that is exactly the same as all the other hells. Why are there so many people waiting to get in?"

Because the maintenance crew is always on strike, there is no electricity so the electric chair doesn't work, Someone has stolen all the nails from the bed, and the devil is a former Government employee, so he comes in, signs the register and then goes to have his frappe and eat kourabie all day...

One Lovely Blog Award

I am so totally honored to receive an award for my blog! It's my very first and it's like a great present that makes my stomach fluttery every time I think about it!

The "One Lovely Blog" Award was given to me by another lovely blog (and truly lovely person) Helena Halme!

I am sending Helena some "virtual" roses (see picture!) and some fragrances of Greece: some bay laurel and some oregano- both from next to my kitchen...

I started this blog in June when our grandson came to visit for the summer, thinking that it would be nice for family and friends to keep tabs on how he was doing. But then I got addicted to blogging (and other people's blogs!) And even tho I rationalized like crazy, I got hooked.

So this blog continues, and people other than my family and friends, ACTUALLY read it! I am so touched and thankful to all of you.

Part of the generosity of this award is that you need to pass it along to OTHER deserving blogs, so I award this blog to

- Rice Beans & Pastichio and Cheryl's gentle humor and beautiful photographs of her corner of Greece
- Turkish Delight the lovely Ayak's great blog of life and times in Milas, Turkey
- Holli's Ramblings a marvelous blog of the daily adventure of living and working in Accra, Ghana
- Maple Spice, because even tho I am NOT a vegetarian or even a vegan, Debbie's recipes are not impossible, and totally makes vegan food look rich and sumptuous.

These are all Lovely Blogs that deserve a visit. Enjoy them please!
~~~



So again thank you Helena, and if I could, I would have you come and enjoy some of my grandmother's recipe tomato soup I have currently cooking on the stove...

The Song of the Seven Islands

I came across this poem, on the way to looking up something entirely different. I guess that's the beauty of the Internet... anyway this is excerpted from near the bottom of a rather long page.

"Kostis Palamas once wrote a poem called "Song of the Seven Islands", which was translated by Ian Scot-Kilvert and quoted by Arthur Foss at the beginning of The Ionian Islands. I've always liked it:

"Song of the Seven Islands"

by Kostis Palamas

"Your waters dazzle like a floor of diamonds

Westward your tides

Grope and caress the shores of Italy.

In a circumference of blue the seven islands

Foam-chiselled, rise, dissolve,

Join hands and dance upon the waves.

Zakynthos drowned in flowers

Cephalonia seamed with toil

Kythera and Paxoi

Corfu the enchantress of the mind and heart

Ithaka a mariner's ryhme in stone

Levkas the watch-tower of the Armatoli.

From the Ionian shore

From the Ionian sea

Since Homer, since Solomos,

The poet's song, the statesman's art

Haunted these islands like sea-birds......................."

Things I have learned about living in Greece and particularly Corfu.

Image via Wikipedia

Everyone expects you to learn Greek but then only speaks English to you, anyway, except for the people in hardware stores, welders and quite often discount stores. They usually don't speak any English and most Greek classes unfortunately don't cover the words you actually need to use in those places.

Drawing pictures and pantomiming work well however. [T regularly goes to a welder with drawings and sometimes an exact mock-up in cardboard of what he wants made. Our welder is delighted with T's clever plans, and after T leaves with his finished handmade item, we often see several others in the village in use. T considers it a form of "giving back" to the community.]

Corfu is on Eastern European Time (EET) or Standard Time = GMT+2. Summer Time = GMT+3 Corfu changed to Summer Time at 1 am on 29 March 2009. It will change back again October 25.

These dates change every year, but fortunately I don't have to worry about it, as I try not to travel or make appointments for either March or October so as not to be early or late for them.

Time is however relative in that a set time for, say a workman to arrive at your house, is often really more a virtual guideline rather than actual physical time.

The words "Avrio" and "Methavrio" as well as "morning" and "aftrnoon" or even "evening" are important in estimating Greek time. Do not be deceived in thinking it is time -as you may know it- however.

Avrio means "tomorrow"... as in 'tomorrow maybe someone will come'. Methavrio means "the day after tomorrow" or 'whatever you are calling about, as far are I can tell, probably isn't really that urgent', and so you may not see them for about a month- maybe.

If they say they'll call you back- they won't. (well, not true. Usually they won't call back but sometimes, once in a while, you get lucky.) Everytime you go into a place for service they'll respectfully ask for your phone number. They write it down and then seemingly lose it before you come back again, when they will ask for your phone number as if they have never asked before. This can go on for years.

Another word about workmen: For some reason they often arrive without tools. They ask if you have tools, and then use them in various ways. (I once had a gentleman use my delicate computer screwdriver as a hammer, thereby splitting the handle BUT he did get the nail into the slot he was trying for!)

I have NEVER had a workman arrive with his own ladder. Cleaning up after they have done their piece is not part of their job description. Allow plenty of time for clean up!!

Morning is anytime between 8 AM and 3 PM. Afternoon is usually from Noon until 7 PM. Evening is generally from 6 PM to 10 PM (though it CAN be as late as 11:30 PM)

Stores are never open on Sundays except for confectionary stores - that sell cake and biscuits (cookies) - but NOT bread (also sometimes open are some small local shops and the odd kiosk, and usually only Sunday morning.)

A lot of restaurants are closed Monday night. Many restaurants don't open for dinner until 8:30 PM. (Most Greeks don't arrive for dinner before 9:30 or 10!)

Buses may seem the same but they are not. The BLUE bus is "local" which means it come out as far as our village, but it doesn't come out too much past the village rather it returns to downtown. (T was once caught in the loop and ended up going all the way back into town, in order to ride back to "near" home again). The GREEN bus is the one take back home from town. In order to go the extra three kilometers past the village (and to get to the other side of the island as well.) it is necessary to catch THAT bus. The BLUE bus drops one off 'close" but makes for a long walk.)

The GREEN bus and the BLUE bus are stationed in different parts of the city.

click to enlarge [sign over Takis cash register]

Opening hours seem at first to be a movable feast, but quite simple when you get the hang of it.

Shops are open in week days from 9:00 am – 1:30 pm and from 5:00 pm – 9:00 pm. or else they are open 8am to 2.00pm and then 5pm to 8pm on Tuesday, Thursday, Friday. (On Monday, Wednesday,Saturday they are open 8am to 2.30pm ONLY and not open in the evenings at all.)

I still haven't got the hang of it.

Shops in resorts stay open all through the day and will open even on Sundays in the height of the season. Shops in resorts are open approximately 9:00 AM to 10:00 PM.

Supermarkets out of town are generally open all day until late (8 or 9 PM). They are closed on Sunday except on the rare occasion Christmas or Easter is on a Monday or a Tueday. Then they are open on Sundays!

Tourist shops in the old town of Corfu too are usually open until late, and in high season really don't seem to close all day long as well. Some of those same shops are boarded up or sell completely different things in the wintertime.

Pharmacies are open during "normal" shopping hours (Greek shopping hours). Outside of normal shopping hours a 24 hour rota system operates and a list of times is displayed in each pharmacy's window (sometimes in Greek). Pharmacies in Greece are NOT like the rest of Europe or America. If you are sick and need an antibiotic, you can buy it over the counter. Most drugs that are considered "prescription' are available from your pharmacist. (However, if your pharmacists does not know you, but thinks you are a strange tourists, or trying to "game the system" they may recommend you see a doctor and get a "prescription" which they will then honor.)

In general businesses, including most tourist attractions, are open from early morning (8am or 9 am) until early afternoon (2 or 3 pm) unless otherwise stated. (several DO "state" otherwise!)

Three times a week on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays, shops (but never banks, museums, or post offices) will re-open in the evening from about 5 pm until 8 pm. In the summer, hours are sometimes extended and during the peak of high season some attractions stay open all day.

Bank opening hours are 8am-4pm Monday-Thursday, and 8am-1.30pm Friday.

Banks, shops and most museums close public holidays and celebrations. Some businesses close on St Spyridon's Day (12th December).

The main post office in Corfu is situated in Alexandras avenue and is open from 7:30 AM to 8:30 PM. Post boxes are yellow and can be found in every resort and village. You will also find stamps at most shops that sell post cards but they charge a 10% premium on the price of the stamp (note: it's worth paying the 10%, not to wait in line at the Post Office!!)

Waiting in line or queuing is an interesting exercise. Generally most people here, feel they really need to be first in line, or at least gently interrupt if you happen to have finally become first in line, just to ask a simple question (that ironically is always MUCH more complex than initially thought!) Motorcycles and mopeds are universally incapable of queuing. They ALWAYS go to the head of whatever line of traffic exists. They do so by passing on both the right AND the left side of stationary and slowly moving queuing vehicles.

Between 2:30 PM and 5:00 PM many people have a siesta. If you live in or drive through a village during siesta- DON'T MAKE NOISE! People can be very very snarky about their siesta!

Flyers are posted downtown to let you know what film is being shown at the movie theatre. It is posted no where else. [To find out what film is playing we drive by the theatre to see the posters, or we call a friend who lives around the corner.]

There are 11 public holidays in Corfu: New Year's Day - 1 January, Epiphany - 6th January, The first Sunday in Lent - February, Greek Independence Day - 25th March, Good Friday & Easter Sunday - March/April, Labour Day - 1st May, Feast of the Assumption - 15th August, Ochi Day - 28th October, St Spyridon's Day - 12th December (some business close), Christmas Day - 25 December, St Stephen's Day - 26th December

Oddly enough there are several other days that mysteriously show up wherein everything is closed. As I have yet to figure them out, I cannot name them. Usually the Sunday public holidays mean that business is closed on the following Monday too.

T reminds me that general strikes also close certain places, such as the phone company or the electric company or the bus stations or even the government buildings. Often there is a forewarning of sorts, as it may, though not always, coincide with either a teachers strike wherein all the children are running around the village, or a garbage strike (and the less said about that, the better.).

Living here is like a taste of Paradise, and I love every day of it, to be sure, but it is also, always, no matter how long you've been here, a little bit of an adventure!



~~~

Bees in my life

This morning in honor of my brother-in-law having taken up bee keeping in Seattle, this past year, T and I decided to revisit The Bee Park (Skiadena) in Liappedes.

Besides it was on the way back from the clinic where I had my blood drawn.

I had never been but T (on the way back from when HE had blood drawn two weeks ago) decided to take a look at one of Corfu's many marvelous "roadside attractions".

brother-in-law w. bees

He had spent an interesting if mostly pantomimed half hour 'talking' with Sofia, the bee lady, and he brought home a small jar of the best honey I have ever tasted. So I decided I wanted to visit too and we were off..

We arrived just as she was opening up for business. She spoke German and Greek but of course we didn't, so she gallantly used what little english she could and between all three languages we had a lovely half hour and cup of Greek coffee with her under the olive trees.

She spent most of her life in Germany, but was glad to finally settle in Greece. She took over bee keeping at first as a favor to a neighbor to help out when his sons didn't want to take over his bee business. She said she never expected to like it, but she loves the bees. (and yes they DO bite her!)

She's been doing it for about 8 years now and has convinced all the local olive growers who own the groves where she keeps her bees, not to spray pesticides on the trees, so her honey is pure and organic. She keeps over 100 hives and takes care of them all.

She also makes and sells bee pollen, royal jelly, honeycomb and of course her marvelous honey. (with bottles and jars of her own olive oil from her trees, as well as her own dried herbs and sun dried tomatoes in oil, and jams and spoon sweets she makes herself.)

[click on picture for fullsize)

She is charming and very entrepreneurial in sort of a slightly batty way. The bee park is a strange mixture of odd playground equipment, a HUGE blue stuffed animal in a small cart at the entry way (wearing some olive netting over it's head!).

She remember when T came to visit and as a parting gift gave us a bottle of her homemade quince jam! We told her that we just wanted to buy some honey, and try the bee pollen. The benefits of bee pollen seem almost too good to be true!

Bee pollen is used to retard hardening of the arteries, to strengthen the circulatory system and combat the symptoms of illness and allergies. It is believed to regulate the function of the endocrine system, aid digestion, reduce stress and increase alertness and stamina. Bee pollen has more protein by weight than meat, fish or eggs! Bee pollen is the richest known vegetable source of steroid hormones which improve overall strength, muscle mass, endurance and sexual potency. Pollen is known to accelerate healing, and increase blood and sperm count.

A Swedish study has concluded that using bee pollen therapeutically can significantly decrease inflammation and swelling of the prostate gland. It is believed to be the natural hormonal substances contained in bee pollen that help to support the male urinary and reproductive systems. Some researchers have suggested that men should take bee pollen after the age of 30 to help prevent the onset of prostate disorders. Bee pollen has also been found to greatly reduce the symptoms of menopause for women. A study conducted in Germany has revealed that the daily use of bee pollen is an excellent natural way to lower cholesterol with no side effects found in synthetic medications.

So! We'll try it out. Since neither one of us is allergic to bees, I figure it can't hurt!!


~~~

Sunset and moonrise - we play tourist again

It's always nice to discover something totally by accident and we found it in Pelekas: the Petra beach bar was just such a serendipitous accident, and only ten minutes from the house!

If ever there was a place that should have named themselves "Sunset Bar", this IS the place! It's gorgeous. As their website describes "This spectacular octagonal building enclosed by glass on all sides has been designed to maximise views and to highlight the extraordinary structure of the property. Giant arches built of local stone support a magnificent tree trunk roof.", and that is exactly what you get!

We had a lovely drink and munchies (T had a Leffe beer almost impossible to find here on the island!) with uninterrupted views of sky and water and watched the sun go down All the while there was a group on the other side of the huge room having a sunset wedding vows exchange with a group of friends!


It turned out we knew the groom! how serendipitous was that! (one thing we always are reminded of when living on an island, eventually you do run into most of the people you know or have met. It's like "6 degrees of separation"only closer!)

All in all it was a lovely way to celebrate the end of the day.

We decided to drive to Agios Gordias and on the way caught the moon, rising like a big pink platinum coin!

On arrival we solved the biggest problem by finding a great parking space right away.

From there we went to have a little wander down to the beach and look into the sales in all the shops, then, maybe find some Mexican Food.

La Tabernita Mexicana Grill & Tequila Bar is nicely midway down the road from where we parked and up from the beach on the walk back.

We've been there before. They DO make the best Sangria on the island. The food is adequately Mexican, though it's nearly impossible to find really spicy Mexican food anywhere on Corfu.

We did have for about a year and a half a great (yes it DOES sound strange) Mexican - Chinese Restaurant called Chili's and Chopsticks, wherein, if you asked, you could actually get really spicy Mexican OR Chinese food (with no flavor carryover!) Sadly the restaurant is no more- well, that may not be strictly true, I don't know where it IS and the last place it was in closed down. (It did that once before and it took us six months to find it again!)

So. Due to my diet, I decided to try the dinner salad but, I was overwhelmed. What a great choice! It was huge and had several different types of salad, thinly sliced cabbage, green onions, green peppers, cucumbers and tomatoes with big slices of avocado over the top. There was a very nice (NOT diet) white dressing on top in the center - that I am sure included mayonnaise!- and was delicious.

I couldn't finish it all, but T finished it for me. T had a chicken burrito, which he deemed quite tasty.

In order not to feel deprived, I ordered a "starter": a single cheese and pepper (w one jalapeno!) quesadilla. T and I split it, and it did a fine job giving added zip to each of our meals.

We got home around 10:30, and felt welcomed by both the house AND the moon!

~~~

a poem by Odysseas Elytis

Helios o Protos only a selected part
(The Sovereign Sun)

by Odysseas Elytis


(XVI) From what rocks, from what blood, from what iron from what fire, we are made of While we appear to be just made of cloud and they throw stones at us, yelling: "dreamers!"... How we get on, in our days and our nights, only a God can know...


[Odysseas Elytis (Greek: Οδυσσέας Ελύτης) (November 2, 1911—March 18, 1996) was a Greek poet regarded as a major exponent of romantic modernism in Greece and the world. In 1979, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature.]

Old Joke

In ancient Greece (469 - 399 BC), Socrates was widely lauded for his wisdom.

One day an acquaintance ran up to him excitedly and said, 'Socrates, do you
know what I just heard about one of your students?'

'Wait a moment,' Socrates replied. 'Before you tell me I'd like you to pass
a little test. It's called the Triple Filter Test.'

'Triple filter?' asked the acquaintance.

'That's right,' Socrates continued. 'Before you talk to me about my student let's take a moment to filter what you're going to say. The first filter is Truth. Have you made absolutely sure that what you are about to tell me is true?'

'No,' the man said, 'actually I just heard about it.'

'All right,' said Socrates. 'So you don't really know if it's true or not. Now let's try the second filter, the filter of Goodness. Is what you are about to tell me about my student something good?'

'No, on the contrary ....'.

'So,' Socrates continued, 'you want to tell me something bad about him, even though you're not certain it's true?'.

The man shrugged, a little embarrassed. Socrates continued..' You may still pass the test though, because there is a third filter - the filter of Usefulness. Is what you want to tell me about my student going to be useful to me?'

'No, not really...'

'Well,' concluded Socrates, 'if what you want to tell me is neither True nor Good nor even Useful, why tell it to me at all?'

The man was defeated and ashamed. This is the reason Socrates was a great philosopher and held in such high esteem.



It also explains why he never found out that Plato, one of his students, was having an affair with his wife.

~~~