Round the Herne

 What started off as some research for a lecture (around male friendship) took me off down various mythological tangents, including into the daimona/goddess/spirit Philotes from Ancient Greece who formed and sustained friendships between people (and sometimes also sexual relationships, but that is a side issue). The work-related research has been looking at the connection between social isolation and what are euphemistically called negative life outcomes - ill health, mental problems, increased chances of suicide etc.). While friendship may not get anywhere near the modern cultural coverage of romance (thinking about all those soppy songs, films, Mills & Boon novels etc.), in ancient times there were plenty of tales about friends going off on adventures together.

Part of my new job involves promotional work, getting the degree programme known locally. the college media liaison team contacted the local newspaper (East Anglian Daily Times) who were keen for an article. That lead to requests for a whole series of articles - on wolf lore in East Anglia ( Page One & Page Two ), witch trials in Suffolk ( Page One & Page Two ), a shortly-to-appear one on storytelling. There's another article in the Bury Free Press about the course, but I look like some bizarre kind of bobblehead in the accompanying photo - so I've decided that I'd sooner not share that one! I now have a regular column tackling ethical and philosophical dilemmas sent in by readers. The first moral issue is tackled here . Today, I also had an interview on BBC Radio Suffolk with Lesley Dolphin on her afternoon show. If you fancy listening, it starts just after the 3pm mark: Radio .