Lexicon Recentis Latinitatis

Excerpts of the Lexicon Recentis Latinitatis, Rome's new dictionary of Latin neologisms corresponding to modern words and expressions, are available online, though in Italian. Thanks to Emily. Many of the Italian words are borrowed from English, and others are easily recognizable:

baby-sitter: infantária
basket-ball: follis canistrique ludus
cow boy: armentárius
discoteca: taberna discothecária
magnetofono: máchina echóica
night-club: taberna nocturna

Fabulous! In related news, check out some chapters from Dag Norberg's A Practical Handbook of Medieval Latin, also available online.

An insult is destroyed by a blessing

1 Peter 3:8-12

Finally, all of you, be of one mind, sympathetic, loving toward one another, compassionate, humble. Do not return evil for evil, or insult for insult; but, on the contrary, a blessing, because to this you were called, that you might inherit a blessing. For: "Whoever would love life and see good days must keep the tongue from evil and the lips from speaking deceit, must turn from evil and do good, seek peace and follow after it. For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears turned to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against evildoers."

Sounds like good advice from our beloved St. Peter. When you are insulted, do the radical thing. Return it not with another insult, but with a blessing instead. In this way, you sow peace where there is discord, good where there is evil.

Two Great Figures in World History

The fall of Communism was inextricably linked to these two great men,
one of whom has passed on.

Amen. Thanks, Brian.

What sticks out to me most is Reagan's character. It was said of Reagan that when working in the Oval Office, he would never remove his suit-coat out of respect for the women with whom he worked.