Nephele

Have a grrrrreat day! -- Nephele

Forget it. Our government won't allow GM or any other American car manufacture to produce an inexpensive car like the Nano for sale over here, because the Nano has no air-bags. Which kind of makes me go "hmm..." when I see motorcycles legally cruising our nation's highways with (obviously) no air-bags -- or government-required seat belts, either. Not that I'd drive either a Nano or a motorcycle on Long Island's motorway killing fields. I drive an SUV built like a tank. -- Nephele

Because Ferrari doesn't put a condom on his stick shift. -- Nephele

While I'm saddened to say that soldier suicide isn't news to me, I'm nevertheless shocked at the rate it has risen. -- Nephele

The additional front in Iraq strained American resources here at home, as well. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I seem to recall some historical maxim regarding the foolishness of fighting a war on multiple fronts. -- Nephele

Huh, what do I win? Here in the States we're anticipating tax increases on everything soon, to make up for the ever-increasing deficit. Our new president has some pretty ambitious, expensive plans for the nation. -- Nephele

It may be better that public libraries should make a profit through serving those who use the library. But in the meantime while tax-payers continue to fund public libraries here on Long Island (and quite willingly and supportively, too), I would consider it inappropriate for libraries to additionally charge for borrowing tax-funded materials. Has the government reduced your taxes since their agencies started making profits? I'll wager a guess that your taxes continue to rise, regardless. -- Nephele

What is this? Libraries in England charge patrons money to borrow DVDs? Like Blockbuster Video stores? Do all libraries in England now do this, or just yours? I think St. Paul's public library in Michigan was considering doing this, but it's not something one would normally see here in the States. In fact, I think there would be a tax-payer's revolt (and rightfully so), if Long Island public libraries ever tried charging money to borrow library materials. We do charge overdue fines, though, if the DVDs aren't brought back on time. I think your library should refund that kid his 50 pence, at the very least. -- Nephele

Wow! Congratulations on that scholarship and trip to Rome! We'll be looking forward to your pictures and full report! -- Nephele

aemilianus, you are a freedwoman who was once the slave of a Roman named Mercatius, but upon being given your freedom you took the gens name of your former master for your own name. You retained your Greek slave name of "Eclecta" (meaning "chosen" -- for you were chosen above all others) as your cognomen (according to custom). Your full Roman name is: Mercatia Eclecta = acryeebmltakect -bky +aci Welcome to UNRV! -- Nephele

It just wouldn't be the Ides of March without a birthday hail to our MPC! I'm sure you're having a better day than Caesar did! -- Nephele

Thanks, Ursus! An interesting Ursus from history! Since this member of the imperial era Julii was originally a member of the Servii, it's difficult to know whether his surname of "Ursus" was in use by the Julii, or whether it was a Servian surname that he simply appended to his new, adopted name. None of the recorded Julian or Servian magistrates of the republican era bore the surname of "Ursus." Perhaps this surname of "Ursus" may even have been conferred upon him by his peers in recognition of his unusual strength -- one would have to be strong as a bear to live into one's nineties. -- Nephele

AC, I hope you smote your fist a mighty blow! Seriously, hope you're okay. Please don't engage your fist in battle anymore. -- Nephele

I thought all ghosts were roamin' (through graveyards, old houses, etc.). -- Nephele

This is my kind of archaeological news... A skeleton exhumed from a grave in Venice is being claimed as the first known example of the "vampires" widely referred to in contemporary documents. Matteo Borrini of the University of Florence in Italy found the skeleton of a woman with a small brick in her mouth while excavating mass graves of plague victims from the Middle Ages on Lazzaretto Nuovo Island in Venice. http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/story?id=7022975 -- Nephele

Aha! In celebration of your birthday, I've worked out a couple more true (substituting only a single letter) blanagrams of your name. Using your first name, middle initial, and last name, and substituting "u" for "h": T. Hoenius Acer C. Hoenius Ater You share the same gens with the consul of 141 CE, T. Hoenius Severus. Acer: meaning "sharp; cutting" Ater: meaning "black; dark" Hail to you, o sharp-witted, cutting-tongued descendent of Hoenius, or (alternately), dark and perhaps somewhat sinister descendent of Hoenius! -- Nephele

That is neither clever nor pertinent to the discussion at hand. Keep in mind that there is nothing more indicative of fascist thought than the expectation that others MUST! MUST! MUST! agree with, sympathize with, or otherwise share in one's own passions and beliefs. -- Nephele

Hope you're having the best of days! I'll have to 'gram you some birthday pressies later! -- Nephele

Hi, Arckeya. Ingsoc is right about how plebeians were often just as rich as patricians -- and there were also impoverished patrician families. We've had a few discussions on the subject of wealth and class in ancient Rome, and I think this topic might be helpful to you: Plebeians and Patricians, Who were they? Do you have access to JSTOR? If not, PM me your e-mail address, and I'll see what I can dig up for you. -- Nephele

A-ha! I suspected as much, my lady! -- Nephele

Aurelia, being a Latin girl has its advantages -- I didn't have to tweak your name scramble with a blanagram. I was able to get a Roman name for you as a direct anagram of your name scramble. You were born into the Cartoria gens -- an uncommon gens name which has been recorded through the names of slaves that had been sold into the imperial house and who later gained their freedom (presumably their patron was a Roman citizen named C. Cartorius). (Rawson, Beryl. "Family Life among the Lower Classes at Rome in the First Two Centuries of the Empire." Classical Philology. April, 1966.) Your cognomen is "Probicina," meaning "upright, honest, sincere." Your full Roman name is: Cartoria Probicina = pcnbiiaractorairo Welcome to UNRV! -- Nephele

Crete ? A nation ? Edit : deleted That's to see if you're paying attention. "Transylvania" is also included in the song. Lyrics Forgotten and New Nations since song was written in 1993 (updated as of 1995) Also, since Tom Lehrer wrote his song "The Elements" (1959), there have been a few additions to that list, too. -- Nephele

For the geography-challenged (an homage to Tom Lehrer's "The Elements"): Nations of the World -- Nephele

Contenders for championship titles are invited to write their names on a scrap of parchment, which they then place into a Goblet of Fire. Later on, the Goblet spits out the chosen names... Oh, wait... I'm getting confused with a Harry Potter movie. Ah, all football stuff is arcane to me, anyway. -- Nephele

In January of 2007 I visited the University of Pennsylvania Museum to see the Amarna exhibit (which was traveling at the time and I think this was the closest museum to me that was to be hosting it). While there, I snapped a few pics of some of the U. of Penn. Museum's permanent exhibits, and I just found this pic I took of one of the ancient glass exhibits: Of interest to you may be this site on Roman glass, hosted by the U. of Penn. Museum: Glassmaking in Roman Times If you check out the link on Colorless Glass, and click on the pages that follow, you'll see examples of what Maladict was talking about. The second page of the "Colorless Glass" section shows an illustration of a wall painting from a villa at Oplontis near Pompeii (mid 1st century BCE) which depicts a clear glass bowl containing apples. -- Nephele