Shrove Tuesday: With this pancake thing … do waffles count? Great dinner and early valentines celebration with the Molls … 🙂
Pope resignation, Latin, BBC News, twitter, @StephenAtHome, @dandrezner: Who speaks Latin these days? Amazing, but the one journalist in the room who ‘spoke” latin, got the scoop!
“One of the pleasures of Latin is that you don’t have to speak it and of course not many people do. It is charming that the Finns broadcast news in Latin. It doesn’t hurt. But it’s not why you learn Latin,” says Beard.
“You learn it so that you can read what the Romans wrote and what was written in Latin down to the 17th Century. You learn it to read Virgil.”
But can she and her classicist colleagues speak it?
“If you give us some nice claret, and as the claret goes down, we’ll drop our inhibitions and have a go.”
…
In Europe Latin was still important in the 16th and 17th Century but by the 18th it was already on the wane. It fell out of use first in France and England. “Isaac Newton’s Principia Mathematica (1687) was the last major work in England to be published in Latin,” says Ostler.
…The reporter who broke the news of Pope Benedict XVI’s resignation got the scoop because she understood his announcement in Latin. How much of it is spoken in the Vatican and elsewhere these days?There are not many occasions when a reporter needs a grasp of Latin. But one came on Monday when the Pope made a short announcement.
Most of the reporters present had to wait for the Vatican’s official translations into Italian, English and languages that people actually speak.
But not Italian wire service reporter Giovanna Chirri, who had clearly been paying attention in secondary school. Her Latin was up to the job and she broke the story of the pope’s resignation to the world.
Giovanna Chirri, who covers the Vatican for Italian news agency ANSA and knows Latin, heard the Pope’s resignation speech to cardinals
After alerting her news desk, she tweeted in Italian “B16 si e’ dimesso. Lascia pontificato dal 28 febbraio”
Translates as “B16 [Benedict XVI] has resigned. Leaves pontificate from 28 February”
She later tweeted that his Latin was “very easy to understand”
Flurry in the Vatican newsroom
But beyond Chirri how widespread is Latin within the Roman Catholic Church? To what extent does it exist as a spoken language?
In his office at the Vatican, Father Reginald Foster says “we always spoke Latin”. It was Foster’s job to write the Latin for the Church’s official documents and encyclicals.
Now retired to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Foster continues to speak to friends in the Vatican on the phone in Latin. And he still has friends to whom he sends postcards in Latin.
But even while he was writing Latin for the Church he felt he was writing not for the present “but for history”. It is still important he argues that there is a single version of a text which people can consult in case of any doubts about meaning.
To keep Latin alive he has for many years run Aestiva Romae Latinitas in Rome – a two-month immersion course in Latin.
“Latin is a language,” Foster stresses. “It didn’t come down in a golden box from Heaven. You don’t have to be clever to speak it. In ancient Rome it was spoken by poor people, prostitutes and bums.”
via BBC News – Pope resignation: Who speaks Latin these days?.
So what exactly prompted him to resign …
The Vatican is acknowledging for the first time that Pope Benedict XVI has had a pacemaker for years and that its battery was replaced a few months ago in secret.
Vatican spokesman Rev. Federico Lombardi said Benedict had the pacemaker installed “a long time” before he became pope in 2005. He called the latest medical procedure “routine.”
via Vatican acknowledges that pope had pacemaker – Chicago Sun-Times
Conclave: How cardinals elect a Pope …
and a few from twitter …
Stephen Colbert @StephenAtHome
What’s the past tense of “Pope”? Puppe? Porpe?
…
Daniel Drezner @dandrezner
In under ten minutes, @TheDailyShow managed to mash up the Pope’s resignation with Manti Te’o, the GOP, Nate Silver, and Leno/Conan. #funny
Bookshelf, The House Girl, Tara Conklin, Man in the Empty Suit, Sean Ferrell, Eighty Days, Nellie Bly and Elizabeth Bisland: I hate it hen I add 3 books to my list in one day …
The House Girl by Tara Conklin (Goodreads Author)
Alternating between centuries, this novel connects the lives of two women: a plantation house slave in 1852 Virginia and a modern-day New York lawyer who is tasked with finding a slave descendent willing to be the plaintiff in an enormous reparations lawsuit for African Americans. Kiki says, “Great writing, compelling storytelling, and lovely structure helped make an almost unbelievable story…absolutely unforgettable.”
…
Man in the Empty Suit by Sean Ferrell (Goodreads Author)
Every year for his birthday, a time traveler hops to 2071 Manhattan to celebrate with all the other versions of himself—the ultimate party with both his younger and older selves. But at age 39 in this mind-bending thriller, he discovers his 40-year-old self shot dead in the hotel elevator. Rita calls it “a lightning-paced, intricately woven take on the classic theme ‘man vs. himself’…this thoughtfully riveting story will make you question every decision you’ve ever made in your life.”
…
Eighty Days: Nellie Bly and Elizabeth Bisland’s History-Making Race Around the World by Matthew Goodman
In November 1889, gutsy journalists Nellie Bly and Elizabeth Bisland left New York City in opposite directions, each hoping to circumnavigate the globe in under 80 days. Their race, chronicled in this nonfiction adventure, pushed the limits of world travel as they defied Victorian mores and created a media frenzy. Jammies says, “Mr. Goodman writes as if he knew his heroines personally, and his fascination with their journeys is infectious…engrossing and satisfying and well worth a read.”
twitter, @StephenAtHome, @BONESonFOX, Jamie Dimon, @wsj: My source …
Jamie Dimon is the most powerful New Yorker in finance, according to our #NYIndex. Who’s up and who’s down: http://on.wsj.com/14OjKIc
…
BONES @BONESonFOX
“Civilization is based on rational thought.” – Brennan.
…
Stephen Colbert @StephenAtHome
Bush’s paintings are all over the internet. Yet we’re STILL waiting for his alt-folk album to drop. Release the tapes, Mr. President!
automation of work, meta-professioanls, Daniel Pink:
In discussing the automation of work, the former Vice President writes:And robosourcing is beginning to have an impact on journalism. Narrative Science, a robot reporting company founded by two directors of Northwestern University’s Intelligent Information Laboratory, is now producing articles for newspapers and magazines with algorithms that analyze statistical data from sporting events, financial reports, and government studies. One of the cofounders, Kristian Hammond, who is also a professor at the Medill School of Journalism, told me that the business is expanding rapidly into many new fields of journalism. The CEO, Stuart Frankel, said the few human writers who work for the company have become “meta-journalists” who design the templates, frames, and angles into which the algorithm inserts the data.Are we all destined to become meta-journalists, meta-physicians, and meta-teachers? And is this a good thing, a bad thing, or more likely, just a thing?
poetry, The Laughing Heart, Charles Bukowski: Just liked it …
The Laughing Heart
by Charles Bukowski
your life is your life
don’t let it be clubbed into dank submission
be on the watch.
there are ways out.
there is light somewhere.
it may not be much light but
it beats the darkness.
be on the watch.
the gods will offer you chances.
know them.
take them.
you can’t beat death but
you can beat death in life, sometimes.
and the more often you learn to do it,
the more light there will be.
your life is your life.
know it while you have it.
you are marvelous
the gods wait to delight
in you.
adventures, Madrid, kith/kin, technology, apps, flighttrack: So I wake up and note the time … jack’s flight should be somewhere over the atlantic. Then I pull the flighttracker app and realize that Jack is indeed, crossing the Pond … Almost halfway back … Apps can be amazing.
Condoleezza Rice, Immigration Reform Group, Path To Citizenship: Big issues … love it that Ms. Rice is on the task force.
WASHINGTON — A new bipartisan task force on immigration reform led by Republicans Condoleezza Rice and Haley Barbour and Democrats Henry Cisneros and Ed Rendell still has a number of issues to resolve, including what may be the most challenging: whether undocumented immigrants currently in the country should be given a pathway to citizenship.“I come in with an open mind on this,” Rice, former secretary of state to President George W. Bush, told reporters on Monday. “I don’t actually have an exact answer at this point because I think this is actually the hardest and most vexing issue. So I look forward to sharing views with other members of the task force.”
Members’ lack of consensus on certain immigration issues is precisely what makes the group important, according to organizers from the Bipartisan Policy Center. Barbour is a former Republican governor of Mississippi; Cisneros was a Housing and Urban Development secretary under President Bill Clinton; and Ed Rendell is a former Democratic governor of Pennsylvania. They will join with about a dozen other members, yet to be announced, to advocate for immigration reform.
via Condoleezza Rice: Immigration Reform Group Will Discuss Path To Citizenship.
2013 Super Bowl, Ecard, baseball, someecards.com:
via Super Bowl Power Outage Baseball Football Funny Ecard | Sports Ecard | someecards.com.
UNC, Class of 2017: Largest pool ever … seriously worries me about the state of our economy.
A total of 30,689 applications were received in all, surpassing last year’s total of 29,497. This marks the eighth consecutive record year for applications at UNC; during this period, applications to the first-year class have increased by 64 percent.
via UNC News – From 15 percent larger pool, Carolina offers admission to 5,393 in first round.
Atlanta, foodtrucks, Smiley’s Street Eats, po boys, Thrillist Atlanta: i am a po boy snob … Henri’s or bust. OK, I’ll track this truck down and give it a try.
One night, Mrs. Smiley had a dream. In it, she saw a food truck made out of blue jeans, and vowed to make one herself. But since even Destination XL doesn’t have Jordaches in large-automobile size, she and her husband Guy Smiley got a truck, painted it like denim, researched successful food rigs all over the country, and decided to laser-focus on creating 21 of the most ridiculous, delicious po’ boys ever.
Daily Meditation: Words That Feed Us, Henri Nouwen:
When we talk to one another, we often talk about what happened, what we are doing, or what we plan to do. Often we say, “What’s up?” and we encourage one another to share the details of our daily lives. But often we want to hear something else. We want to hear, “I’ve been thinking of you today,” or “I missed you,” or “I wish you were here,” or “I really love you.” It is not always easy to say these words, but such words can deepen our bonds with one another.
Telling someone “I love you” in whatever way is always delivering good news. Nobody will respond by saying, “Well, I knew that already, you don’t have to say it again”! Words of love and affirmation are like bread. We need them each day, over and over. They keep us alive inside.
Apple, battery drain issue, iOS 6.1:
Rory Cellan-Jones @BBCRoryCJ
According to one source, Apple is preparing to release an update to iOS 6.1 tonight to deal with the battery draining issue
Bill Gates, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, AMA random: AMA = Ask me anything …
What do you do for fun? I find it hard to fathom how someone like you can just disconnect. Disconnect from the emails, calls ,the media. All of it. What would be your definition of a chill and fun day? Edit-Thanks for the gold!
I love playing tennis. I am an avid bridge player (a card game if you have not heard of it – it was more popular in the past!). I like to tour interesting things with my kids like power plants, garbage dumps, the Large Hadron Collider, Antarctica, missile Silos (Arizona),… I read a lot and watch courses (online or the Learning Company)..
Casually tours the LHC. The jealousy is strong.
…
Ask me anything.
via I’m Bill Gates, co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. AMA : IAmA.
Leonardo, ‘The British Library , The Atlantic: pretty amazing …
The British Library has been digitizing some of its prize pieces and they announced a new round of six artifacts had been completed including Beowulf, a gold-ink penned Gospel, and one of Leonardo Da Vinci’s notebooks.
“Each of these six manuscripts is a true splendour, and has immense significance in its respective field, whether that be Anglo-Saxon literature, Carolingian or Flemish art, or Renaissance science and learning,” Julian Harrison, the library’s curator of medieval artifacts, blogged. “On Digitised Manuscripts you’ll be able to view every page in full and in colour, and to see the finer details using the deep zoom facility.”
All of these texts can be appreciated on a visual level, particularly because the scans are so good. Even the grain of the paper is fascinating.
via Leonardo’s Notebook Digitized in All Its Befuddling Glory – Alexis C. Madrigal – The Atlantic.
trees, FYI, Explore: Very useful ..
A visual guide to trees. Complement with Herman Hesse’s poetic meditation on trees.
Revit RPC Tree Guide from a Revit User « Archvision’s Blog.
Downton Abbey: A little Downton fun for you …
this is probably one of the most amazing pictures in history.via Pedro Hogan.
Dennard's Clipping Service 