Friday, September 29, 2006

a.d. III Kal. Oct.

Dominus vobiscum et cum spiritu tuo.
–Ecclesiastical

Wednesday, September 27, 2006

a.d. V Kal. Oct.

Ignis aurum probat, miseria fortes viros
–Anonymous

Monday, September 25, 2006

Mark your calendars!

CAES Annual Institute
2006 Institute: October 19 – 21 2006. CAES welcomes all Latin teachers to beautiful and scenic Saratoga Springs for our annual Institute. This year CAES is offering a variety of workshops from teaching strategies to Roman foods. All participants will leave the Institute with exciting ideas to implement into their lesson plans; workshops will be offered covering curriculum in Checkpoints A, B and C. Detailed descriptions will be provided in the brochure which you will receive upon arrival at the Institute and on the website.

Our key-note address will be delivered by Michael Cassin, the Director of Education at the Clark Institute in Williamstown, MA. His presentation will focus on art and well known classical writers and poets; slides will accompany his address.

The Plenary Session will feature a collection of DVDs on Dick and Joanne Gascoyne’s trip to Malta and Sardinia. These retired Latin teachers have much to share with us.

For more information, click here for the CAES website.

Friday, September 22, 2006

a.d. X Kal. Oct.

Ubi mel, ibi apes.
–Anonymous

Thursday, September 21, 2006

a.d. XI Kal. Oct.

Una dies aperit, conficit una dies.
–Decimus Magnus Ausonius

Wednesday, September 20, 2006

Bolchazy-Carducci Author Appearance

West Texas Book and Author Festival
Abilene Civic Center September 19-23

Special recognition is given to local authors who have published a book in the last year. There are events every day, culminating with a Hall of Texas Authors all day Saturday, September 23 at which over 100 authors from near and far have display tables to show, autograph and sell their books.

Meet Rose Williams, author of Cicero: The Patriot, The Labors of Aeneas and Vergil for Beginners.

Tuesday, September 19, 2006

Catullus: A LEGAMUS Transitional Reader

Catullus: A LEGAMUS Transitional Reader
by Kenneth F. Kitchell Jr. & Sean Smith



The Legamus Transitional Readers are innovative texts that form a bridge between the initial study of Latin via basal textbooks and the reading of authentic author texts. This series of texts is being developed by a special committee of high school and college teachers to facilitate this challenging transition.

Catullus: A LEGAMUS Transitional Reader introduces students to eighteen Catullus poems. Introductory materials includes an overview of the life and work of Catullus, bibliography, and description of Catullan meters. Appendices on grammar and figures of speech, and a pull-out vocabulary complete the book’s innovative features. After finishing Catullus: A LEGAMUS Transitional Reader, students will be prepared to undertake a more complete study of Catullus as an AP* or college level course.

Features:
• pre-reading materials help students understand underlying cultural and literary concepts
• short explanations of grammatical and syntactical usage, with exercises
• first version of the Latin text with transitional aids: implied words in parentheses, difficult noun-adjective pairings in different fonts, words re-ordered to facilitate comprehension
• complete vocabulary and grammatical notes on facing pages
• post-reading materials encourage appreciation of Catullus’ style and reflection on what has been read
• pull-out vocabulary of Latin words not annotated
• second version of Latin text without transitional aids, but with notes


The well-designed and thoughtful features of Catullus: A LEGAMUS Transitional Reader will allow students a smooth entry into reading, understanding, and appreciating the poems of Catullus.

Kenneth F. Kitchell Jr. is professor of Classics and former Director of the MAT Program at University of Massachusetts. He has won several teaching awards, is the author or co-author of 5 books, and 47 articles, is co-editor of the Legamus series, and has presented over 100 scholarly talks. He has been active in promoting the study of Classics for such groups as the Classical Association of the Middle West and South, where he served as President, and the American Philological Association, as Vice-President for Education, and as the President of The American Classical League.

Sean Smith been teaching Latin from novice to AP* at Amherst Regional Middle and High School in Massachusetts since 1984. He has served on the College Board's Latin SAT development committee, and is a consultant for AP* Latin.

xxx + 162 pp. (2006) Paperback, ISBN 0-86516-634-X

Click here to see Catullus: A LEGAMUS Transitional Reader at our website.


*AP is a registered trademark of the College Entrance Examination Board,
which was not involved in the production of, and does not endorse, this product.

Monday, September 18, 2006

Mark your calendars!

Florida Foreign Lanugage Association:
The Florida Foreign Language Association (FFLA) will be meeting in Sarasota, FL from October 12-14, 2006.

Click here for more information about the conference.

Friday, September 15, 2006

a.d. XVII Kal. Oct.

Per undas et ignes fluctuat nec mergitur.
–Motto of Paris

Thursday, September 14, 2006

a.d. XVIII Kal. Oct.

Natura in operationibus suis non facit saltum.
–Carl von Linne

Wednesday, September 13, 2006

Id. Sept.

Litterae non dant panem.
–Medieval

Tuesday, September 12, 2006

Excerpt from The Latin Lady

by Dawn LaFon

Dexter hated his new house and absolutely knew he would hate his new school. As his father drove the car into the driveway, he did have to admit that the front porch with the Corinthian columns was really impressive even though the columns hadn’t been painted in about twenty years.

“As soon as the weather gets warm, we’re going to put a swing on this porch. It’ll be fun to sit out here, won’t it son?” Dexter grunted which was his main form of communication these days. His father looked sad and turned to open the car door saying, “Dexter, I’m sorry. I know that it’s hard for you to move right now but things will be so much . . .”


Dexter looked up at his father’s astonished face and couldn’t believe his eyes either. Running up to their car was the largest black dog and the tiniest old lady who was barely taller than the dog.


“I’m Gladys Louise Tucker, your neighbor across the street. Welcome to Crescent Road!”


“Thank you, Miss Tucker. I’m Harry Rye and this is my son, Dexter. We are very, very happy to be here.


“Dexter, did you say that your name is Dexter, young man?” Oh Lord, not only did he have to move but he had to move in across the street from a crazy old woman who was going to make him talk to her.


“Yes ma’am.” Why was it a rule that you always had to be polite to old people?


“Well, you could not have a finer name! It’s Latin! Did you know that? You and my dog Rex have something in common because he has a Latin name too. Rex means “king” and he’s sure treated like one. Aren’t you, boy?”


The dog never took his adoring eyes off of Gladys Louise.


“Oh, we told him that Dexter is Latin for right or right-handed,” began his Dad as he petted Rex and the dog wagged his tail.


“Oh yes, but it means so much more than that! It also means skillful, handy, and lucky and when the Romans shook their right hands, it was a pledge of faith that they would honor their word and do what they said. I’ve never met anyone named Dexter before and now I have someone living right across the street with such a wonderful name. “


“Thank you, Miss Tucker.”


“Call me Gladys Louise. Everyone does.”


His Dad was edging toward the front door. Hopefully he realized that this woman was crazy too. “Well, Gladys Louise, we’re very pleased to be on Crescent Street.”


“That’s Latin, too! “Crescent” comes from cresco, crescere that means “to spring up, grow and prosper. “


“Well good, because we plan to grow and prosper here,” said his Dad.

This excerpt appeared in Bolchazy-Carducci's free newsletter, E-Litterae.
Click here to subscribe.

Monday, September 11, 2006

Mark your calendar!

CAAS Annual Meeting:
2006 Meeting: October 5 - 7, 2006. The Fall 2006 meeting will be held at the Sheraton Baltimore North Hotel in Maryland (link opens in new window). We encourage all members to plan ahead for this meeting; use this printable registration form (Acrobat file, new window). Note that the hotel deadline for the special convention rate is September 7, but we encourage you to register as early as possible because the hotel is very busy at that time. Check out the preliminary Program, which promises to be as exciting and rewarding as our 2005 meeting. NB for Exhibitors: A printable Exhibitor's Form is now available (Acrobat file, new window).

For more information, click here for the CAAS website.

Illinois Classical Conference:

2006 Annual Meeting
The annual meeting of the Illinois Classical Conference will be held 6-8 October in Springfield, Illinois. Most of the sessions will take place at the State House Inn where a block of sleeping rooms has been reserved for members. The luncheon on Saturday will take place at the historic Moldaner’s restaurant and the banquet that night at Sebastian’s Hideout.

For more information, click here for the Illinois Classical Conference website.

a.d. III Id. Sept.

Princeps iniustus servos habet et vitiosos.
–Medieval

Friday, September 08, 2006

a.d. VI Id. Sept.

Certo veniunt ordine Parcae.
–L. Annaeus Seneca

Wednesday, September 06, 2006

a.d. VIII Id. Sept.

Superbus et avarus numquam quiescunt.
–Anonymous

Tuesday, September 05, 2006

Milan Rúfus: And That's the Truth

Milan Rúfus: And That's the Truth
Milan Rufus, poems selected and edited by Milan Richter, illustrated by Koloman Sokol, translated by Ewald Osers, Viera and James Sutherland-Smith



First English Edition of Milan Rúfus
A Candidate for the Nobel Prize in Literature

This English-Slovak edition contains sixty-two poems of Milan Rúfus.
The ten illustrations come from the Slovak-American artist Koloman Sokol.

AUTHOR: Milan Rúfus
The Slovak poet Milan Rúfus is the most translated Slovak poet into foreign languages. • His selected poems have been published in Hungarian, Czech, Polish, Belorussian, Georgian, Lithuanian, Italian, Serbian, Ukrainian, Spanish, German, Bulgarian, Russian, Romanian, Macedonian, French, Norwegian, and now also in English • Recipient of many highest awards, Rúfus has been a candidate for the Nobel Prize in Literature every year since 1991. • Milan Rúfus, who had passively opposed the Communist regime by raising the themes of human values, God, Christian morality, human destiny, and homeland as space for man’s creativity, labor and victory over a bitter fate, became a kind of a national conscience for Slovakia and its people.

ILLUSTRATOR: Koloman Sokol
A leading personality of twentieth century art, Koloman Sokol is one of those few artists born in Slovakia whose art has reached beyond his country’s borders. Sokol’s wide-ranging artistic agenda originated in his unceasing powerful inner energy devoted to the oppressed and the humiliated. Having lived most of his adult life in the United States, Sokol died in 2003 at the age of 100.

Rúfus’ spirit is Slavic. His values come from a synthesis of the West and the East.


xiv + 146 pp. (2006) Hardbound, ISBN 0-86516-649-8

Click here to see Milan Rúfus: And That's the Truth at our website.