The Pope’s recent resignation, publicly conveyed in lingua Latina, begs the obvious question: Is Latin truly dead? This article has some really interesting observations on that question, and highlights some modern day usages of Latin that are indeed, stinkin’ cool: Lingua Latina mortua est, vivat lingua Latina! | Mind your language | Media | guardian.co.uk.

I just finished the Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins.  Did you know that Roman history and culture, and even a little bit of Latin is interwoven into this story?  If the basic plotline (children sacrificed gladiator-style in an arena for entertainment) sounds a little like something you heard about in ancient history class, then maybe there’s something to be said for Collin’s sci-fi epic, from a classics perspective: The Hunger Games names explained.