IRIS

The Sixth Edition of Vox Romana, is a free bi-monthly podcast about all things Roman. In this edition:
1. Introduction (Hortensia) | 2. Classical News (Hortensia) | 3. The Roman Calendar part 1 (Saturninus) | 4. Plinian Rough Mix (Meredith Bragg) | 5. Aeneid (Anna) | 6. Sign off (Hortensia)

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Jeff Bezos (of Amazon.com fame) has a new venture, a space company called Blue Origin, which promises affordable space flights. In a recent article in the Seattle Times about the unveiling of the secretive company’s launch vehicle, we learn that this cutting-edge firm has a decidedly old-school motto:

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De Augusti Pinochet interitu
Diem summum denique obiit unus ex ferissimis dictatoribus Americae Latinae, cui Civitates Americae Unitae faverant.
Turcia et Unio Europaea
Die Lunae civitatibus Unionis Europaeae placuit, ut aliquot consultationes de Turcia in unionem asciscenda in posterius differrentur.

Fuglesang astronauta Suetus
Scandinavi iam suum proprium astronautam habent, cum Christer Fuglesang Suetus et Robertus Curbeam Americanus naviculae spatiali Discovery [...]

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Sine pennis volare haud facile est. (Anonymous)
pron= SEE-nay PEHN-nees woh-LAH-ray -howd FAH-kih-lay ehst.
Without wings it is not easy to fly.
Comment: Pay attention. It is not impossible to fly without wings–just not easy. This proverb makes me think…[more]
(via Bob Patrick’s Latin Proverb of the Day)

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Via Laura Gibb’s outstanding blog, Bestiaria Latina, comes this list of Latin Christmas Carols:
December 1: RudolphusDecember 2: Angelus ad VirginemDecember 3: Aquifolia OrnateDecember 4: A Solis Ortus CardineDecember 5: O Viri, Este HilaresDecember 6: Conditor Alme SiderumDecember 7: Angeli Canunt PraeconesDecember 8: Regis Olim Urbe DavidDecember 9: Gaudium [...]

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The latest from YLE Radio 1’s Nuntii Latini, Finland’s Latin-language radio service (I did not just make that up… you can listen to it here):
Finnia constitutionem Unionis Europaeae accepit
08.12.2006, klo 10.18
Suffragio facto parlamentum Finniae legem fundamentalem Unionis Europaeae accepit. 
Halonen de statu Russiae sollicita
08.12.2006, klo 10.17
Praesidens Finniae Tarja Halonen dixit se caedibus in Russia politicis [...]

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Today is the birthday of the Roman poet Horace. We know the exact date from Suetonius’ Life of Horace (tr. J.C. Rolfe):
He was born on the sixth day before the Ides of December in the consulate of Lucius Cotta and Lucius Torquatus [65 BCE].
natus est VI Idus Decembris L. Cotta et L. Torquato consulibus.
Suetonius’ De [...]

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The latest from Ephemeris (world news round-up in Latin): De commutatione apud Fidzienses (Fiji), De Beryti intercessionibus, and Polonio plures, quam antea putabatur, veneficio Londinii affectos esse.

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Stultum facit Fortuna quem vult perdere. (Publilius Syrus, Sententia 611)
pron = STOOL-toom FAH-kit fohr-TOO-nah kwem woolt PEHR-deh-reh.
Fortune makes him foolish whom she wishes to destroy.
Comment: I have addressed the double-edged meaning of “The Fool” here before…[more]
(via Bob Patrick’s Latin Proverb of the Day)

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