Association for Latin Teaching

ARLT

Interactive

Teachers join the site
Contact us
Notice Board

Summer School
March INSET Day (Refresher Course)
Classical Calendar

Teaching

Syllabus
Audio
Set Texts
Common Entrance
School Trips
Private Tuition
Resources
Direct Method
Classics departments
Christmas
For Teachers

Keep up to date!

Topical Comment
Best of the Blog
Newsletters
Podcasts

Facilities

Links
Search the site
F.A.Q.
Admin

Index to Newsletters

Newsletter 1 - January 2003
Newsletter 2 - February 2003
Newsletter 3 - March 2003
Newsletter 4 - May 2003
Newsletter 5 - June 2003
Newsletter 6 - July 2003
Newsletter 7 - August 2003
Newsletter 8 - October 2003
Newsletter 9 - November 2003
Newsletter 10 - December 2003

Newsletter 11 - January 2004
Newsletter 12 - February 2004
Newsletter 13 - March 2004
Newsletter 14 - April 2004
Newsletter 15 - May 2004
Newsletter 16 - June 2004
Newsletter 17 - July 2004
Newsletter 18 - August 2004
Newsletter 19 - September 2004
Newsletter 20 - October 2004
Newsletter 21 - November 2004

Newsletter 22 - January 2005
Newsletter 23 - February 2005
Newsletter 24 - April 2005
Newsletter 25 - May 2005
Newsletter 26 - June 2005
Newsletter 27 - July 2005
Newsletter 28 - August 2005
Newsletter 29 - September 2005
Newsletter 30 - January 2006
Newsletter 31 - February 2006
Newsletter 32 - March 2006

Newsletter 3: March 2003

From David Parsons, Association for Latin Teaching

Greeting! This month: Refresher Day notes - Belinda Dennis - new search engine - more news in Latin - the war and other Classical news - where visitors came from.

Refresher Day

They tell me that the Refresher Day in Leeds went very well, with 70 people and good sessions. I had to miss it myself, as I had the chance of the last two tickets for Mahler's Symphony of a Thousand in Cardiff (and mind-blowing it was, too). If you would like the option group notes of a session you missed in Leeds, you might find them by visiting www.arlt.co.uk and clicking on the appropriate item in the 'New in the past month' box on the right hand side.

Belinda Dennis

You will also see in that box the sad news of the death of Belinda Dennis, just a month ago. A couple of tributes are on the web site. If you feel there is something you would like to add from your own knowledge of Belinda, please email it to me and I will add it to the site.

New search engine

Talking of the arlt web site reminds me that you can now use a search engine to search the site for any word or name you wish. My son Charlie, whose company Wham Ltd hosts the web site, devised it himself for us, and would value feedback. See his own business site at www.wham-e.com to decide if you would like his professional help in setting up and developing a Classics Department site for your school. End of plug!

More news in Latin

Since the last newsletter I have discovered a second radio station offering the news in Latin. This is Radio Bremen, who produce a bulletin only once a month, as opposed to Radio Finland's weekly broadcast. I am impressed by how easy they make it to see the words on the screen while you listen to the broadcast. I thought you might like to see a sample, on anti-war protests, under the headline "Bellum ubique recusatur":

Ubique terrarum miliones hominum protestati sunt se bellum Iraquianum nequaquam esse probaturos. Nullis umquam demonstrationibus plures homines interfuerunt, postquam bellum Vietnamiense compositum est. Gerhard Schröder cancellarius Germaniae denuo negavit se iustam belli Iraquiani causam videre, dum pace servata Saddam Hussein dearmari posset. Interea Consilium Securitatis Unitarum Nationum constituit, ut armorum Iraquianorum inspectoribus plus temporis concederetur. Once again, the link to this is on the www.arlt.co.uk web site, at present in the 'New in the past month' box.

The war and other Classical news

Now the war has begun, and I expect your emotions are as mixed as mine, especially as the TV churns out more and more images of violent destruction, while here the sun shines on cheerful daffodils, forsythia and cherry-plum blossom. Both war and Spring are familiar enough themes in ancient literature, and the prospect of war has led some commentators to look for wisdom to the ancient world. Under the title "Cassandra speaks", for instance, Nicholas D. Kristof draws three lessons for Bush from the Iliad in a piece in the New York Times of 18 March. This can be accessed from the ARLT site, by clicking on "Classical world in the news" in the 'New in the past month' box, which will take you to a page full of classical references in the papers that I have found interesting. There is also a link to this page from an item near the bottom of the Home Page.

Other news items I have collected on the "news" page recently concern the ivory face of Apollo from a chryselephantine statue ascribed to Pheidias (I had to be careful to avoid slander while explaining how it got to London), a piece from the British Psychological Society conference telling of the harm done to pupils by too much testing, the Latin signs in the Newcastle Metro, and a long review article on Cleopatra by Mary Beard in the Guardian. My aim in presenting these is to provide material for a classroom pin-board on "The Classics in Today's World" or somesuch title. Your feedback on this idea will be welcome.

Where visitors came from

Visitors to the ARLT website during the first three weeks of March were registered in, and so probably came from, Belgium, Hungary, Austria, Canada, USA, Spain, Brazil, Singapore, Netherlands, New Zealand, South Africa, Saudi Arabia, Australia, Switzerland, Greece, Japan, Sweden, Germany, South Korea, and of course the United Kingdom.

Chat and Farewell

Once again, may I remind you about the chat room. Visit the web site 7 pm GMT Mondays, click on 'Chat' and then on the number (or the word 'none') under 'Chatters' and you're there. While on line, do contribute to the Bulletin Board, either questions or answers or observations. Perhaps I shall see you at the Classical Association Annual Meeting in Warwick University next month. When the next newsletter is due, Easter will have come and gone, and I shall be enjoying a glass of wine again! Meanwhile I raise a virtual glass to peace and new life for Iraq and for the world. Cheers!

David

Interesting

School Trips experiences exchange

The Blog contains the latest Classics news

We need A level teaching notes and unseens now for this year's syllabus, in the Teachers' section. Register for access.

Want a job teaching Latin? See our bulletin board

Resources now easier to find

Spoken Latin: new, slimmed-down version of 'Read it right!' for on-line use or quicker download

Search this site

O.B.I.

The Ordo Barbaricae Ignorantiae (OBI) is awarded to people or institutions whose words or actions show an inexcusable ignorance of, or hostility to, the Classics. Read more here.

There is no current recipient.

Previous recipients here.

Useful Information

Classics on TV and Radio this week. Thanks, David Swift!

On-line Latin Dictionary

View the Classical Calendar
Free Calendars by Bravenet.com

Hosted by wham-e.com

Association For Latin Teaching

Newsletter 3: March 2003

O.B.I.