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| COMMENTARY |
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Esteban Colosi 18th November 2004 |
The Commision of Jurists said that the death penalty as applied in the U.S. was arbitrary and weighted against blacks and Hispanics yet they didn't explain what the meant by Hispanics though. Spaniards, Mestizos, Mulattos. Whatever Hispanic is not a race it's an ethnic group. Latino is also not a race it's more of a regional identity similar to nationality for people from Latin America. |
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Steven Colosi 24th December 2004 |
The term Caucasian race has in time acquired somewhat different meanings in different contexts. It is popularly used in North America to describe whites of northern, eastern and western European descent, usually excluding Italians (often called "Latins")Greeks, Albanians and peoples of Asian, African, or Mediterranean origin. In North America, Caucasian is also used in the broader meaning of "white" especially in government and census forms; see Caucasian type. Others, especially in Eastern Europe, use the term to refer to various ethnic groups living in the Caucasus region. |
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Thomas 5th January 2005 |
I need to know how many telephones and cell phones are there in the United States. Can you people tell me? I need it for my social studies homework. |
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Steven Colosi 22nd January 2005 |
Thomas, your information is wrong. The Latin Recording Academy awards people of Iberian and Iberian American culture. The name of the awards is a misnomer. |
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cc 3rd March 2005 |
Michael, if you locate Switzerland on a map you can see that it's situated between Germany to the east, France to the west and Italy to the south. As for the demographics, the Germans live mainly in the east, French in the west and Italians in the south; the three ethnic groups have lived in Switzerland for centuries; there is also a fourth official language of Switzerland, called "Romansch" which is a blend of the three. Italo, I agree with your comment! |
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Bill 20th June 2005 |
The word "latin" in the english language originally carried a meaning "Of or relating to ancient Rome (or Latium), its people, or its culture" Successively, in america, it started to be used as the abbreviation of the adjective "latin-american": the inhabitans of the American territories once colonized by "Latin" countries. Nowadays, mostly out of ignorance, the two meanings are often confused and collpsed into a single semantic mess. Regarding the italian race: the italian penisula and ancient base of the Roman Empire, for centuries used to be a major melting pot of all different races (like the US is now), the list goes all the way from Vikings and Normans to Arabs. Today is not possible to single out all those original different ethnic groups. Most italians, among their same family members may find people with VERY different phisical traits. An average Hollywood-trained eye would identify those different traits as beloging to different races. In reality it is not meaningful to define an Italian race (or french, spanish and even less meaningful would be to try to define a latin american race). For these reasons you won't easily hear an Italian man referring or even caring about their national "race" (the same is true for French and Spanish people). People on the street don't even know the meaning of the word "caucasian" or "latino" (as american intend them). An interesting note: Although among italian natives there is no fertile ground for racism, there are other strong form of discrimination based on cultural and economic differences between the italian regions (especially the dichotomy north/south). Just to give an example about the existing economic divide, the above mentioned unenmployment rate is actually lower than the US one in the nortern regions of Italy, while the southern ones present an u.r. which is almost twich as much the US figure. |
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Terry 26th July 2005 |
I'm italian and I live in Rome. We have no national bird and flower, we have no king since 1946 and we don't speak Latin since 1500 years! The word Latin came from Latino, who was a king (about 900 b.c.). His daughter Lavinia get merry with Aeneas who escaped from troy. |
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Italian Pride 1st August 2005 |
Latin is not the official language of Italy. However, since Latin was developed by our (contemporary Italian peoples') ancestors, there has been an increasing desire among Italy's youth to re-explore the language. Nontheless, Latin is, along with Italian, the official language of the Vatican Square and the Holy See. Italian based on the Tuscana dialect is the official language of modern-day Italy, and is the standard literary conduit throughout the entire country. Along with standard Tuscana Italian and the various other Italian dialects, languages such as Spanish, French, Portuguese, Romanian, Catalan, Italkan, etc. and their dialects derive from Latin. Thus, all of these languages are call Italic or Romance-i.e. Roman. |
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Alessandro 5th October 2005 |
Italy has no national bird or flower, and no nation icons either. Plenty of cities have their own icons, animals or symbols, derived from the families that governed them or historical events or what have you. Milan symbol is a python eating a child. It comes from the Sforza's blason. Rome symbol is the she-wolf feeding Romulus and Remo. Turin symbol is a bull. Venice's a winged lion. I believe Florence symbol is a lily. As for unemployment, it's a southern problem. Northern Italy (Val d'Aosta, Piemonte, Liguria, Lombardia, Veneto, Trentino Alto Adige, Friuli Venezia Giulia) unemployment is at 3%. While in Southern Italy (especially Puglia, Campania, Calabria and Sicilia) it stands at 20%. However, the South has a lot of "underground" jobs, or how we call it "black work (lavoro nero)". Obviously no official data exist, but as much as half of the unemployed might be working "in black". The problem with southern Italy dates back to inefficient Borbon administration before the reunification, and the following blunders by the Italian political class. After the reunification in 1861 discontent in the south with being "conquered" by Piedmonte-Sardinia caused a quasi-civil war. The government sent the army in, and thousands were killed. This might be at the origins of souther Italian mistrust of the central government. It's also at the origins of the mafia, which came to be an "alternative" to the Italian states for poor farmers in the south. The problem only increased after WWI and the widespread poverty it caused. Mussolini almost managed to defeat the mafia, using torture and other authoritarian tactics that democracies cannot use. But the mafia managed to get into the fascist government as well, and the problem was left unsolved. In 1943, the American military sought the alliance with the mafia in order to facilitate the invasion of Italy. Mafia bosses became mayors, governors, all with the help of invading American troops. It is strongly suspected that the CIA kept meddling with mafia and ex-fascists in order to prevent the Italian Communist Party to acquire power in Italy. This included several terrorist bombings were tens of people were killed. It was thought that a terrorized population would prefer to keep the current demochristian government in power, rather than risk further destabilization by voting for the communists. During the 50's and 60's the south was heavily subsidized, to no avail. It didn't catch up with the industrialized north, and it didn't defeat the mafia. In the early '90s a huge political scandal exploded, involving mainly the centrist and socialist party, regarding bribes and corruption, many of those related to the mafia. Plenty of people went to prison and the mafia was dealt a severe blow through the arrest of several top bosses. As a result, the two judges who had been at the forefront of the fight against mafia (Falcone and Borsellino) were killed in two bombings, togheter with their bodyguards. Now, the mafia is still there. Politicians are still corrupted. You want a quote that describes Italy? Try this one from Tommasi di Lampeduda's "Il Gattopardo". "Cambiare tutto, per nulla cambiare." "Everything has to change, so that nothing will change." |
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Dienekes 2nd November 2005 |
The Maltese are primarily of Latin and Arab blood. |
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Constantine 10th December 2005 |
The city of Rome was founded by the Latin people on a river in the center of Italy. It was a good location, which gave them a chance to control all of Italy. It put them near to the midpoint of the Mediterranean Sea. Two other groups lived in what is now Italy: the Greeks in the south, and the Etruscans in the north. The Latins borrowed some ideas from both peoples. In 509 B.C., Latins overthrew the Etruscan king who had ruled over his people and over Latium. The Latins said Latium was now a republic. The people had the power to vote and choose leaders. Two groups struggled for power in the new republic. One was the patricians. They were the aristocratic landowners who held most of the power. The other group was the plebeians. They were the common farmers, artisans, and merchants who made up most of the population. At first, the patricians had the most power. Over time, the plebeians got the right to form their own assembly. They could elect representatives called tribunes. The basis of Latin law was the Twelve Tables. This set of rules said that all free citizens were protected by law. The government had three parts. Two consuls, or officials were elected each year. They led the government and the army. The second part of the government was the senate. It usually had 300 members chosen from the upper classes. The senate passed laws. The third, and most democratic, part of government was the assemblies. The assemblies included members from different parts of society, such as citizen-soldiers or plebeians. The assemblies could also make laws. If there were a crisis, the republic could appoint a dictator. This was a leader with absolute power. The dictator made laws and commanded the army. But his power lasted for only six months. Any citizen who owned property had to serve in the army. Latin soldiers were organized into military units called legions. The Latin legion was made up of some 5,000 heavily armed foot soldiers. In the fourth century B.C., Latium began to get larger. Within 150 years, it had captured almost of Italy. Rome allowed some of the conquered peoples to enjoy the benefits of citizenship. With its good location. Rome saw a growth in trade. This brought it into conflict with Carthage, a trading city in North Africa. From 264 to 146 B.C., Rome and Carthage fought three bitter wars called the 'Punic Wars'. In the first, Rome won control of the island of Sicily. In the second, Hannible, a brilliant Carthaginian general invaded northern Italy. He and his soldiers did much damage. But he was unable to take Rome. It took an equally brilliant Latin general, Scipio, to defeat him. By the time of the third war, Carthage was no longer a threat to Rome. Even so, Rome destroyed the city and made its people slaves. Carthage became a new Latin province. Latium's victory in Carthage brought conflict between the rich and poor in Latium. Civil war-fighting between groups in the same country-broke out. Leading generals fought for power. Julius Caesar tried to take control. First he joined with two others-Crassus, a wealthy man, and Pompey, a successful general. They formed a triumvirate-a group of three leaders. For the next ten years, the triumvirate ruled Latium. Caesar gained fame with several victories in battle. Pompey feared Caesar as a result. The two fought another civil war that lasted several years Caesar won the civil war and then governed as an absolute ruler. Caesar made some reforms that increased his popularity. But some members of the senate mistrusted him. They killed him because they feared he wanted to become king. Once again, Latium suffered civil war. Caesar's nephew was the winner. He took the title Augustus, meaning "exalted one." The Latin empire was now ruled by one man. For about 200 years, the Latin empire was a great power. Its population of between 60 and 80 million enjoyed peace and prosperity. This period is known as the Pax Latina-Latin peace. This empire stretched around the Mediterranean, from modern Syria and Turkey west and north to England and Germany. It relied on farming, which employed 90 percent of all workers. Trade was also important. Traders used common coins to buy and sell goods. Coins made trading easier. Latium had a vast trading network. Goods traveled throughout the empire by ship and along the Latin roads. Trading ships were protected by the Latin navy. The army protect all these the people and Latin territories from attack. Many of the army's troops came from conquered peoples. Once they finished their time in the army, they became Latin citizens. Augustus was Latium's ablest emperor. He brought peace to the frontier, built many public building, and created a lasting government. He also set up a civil service. That is, he paid workers to manage the affairs of the government. Between A.D. 96 and A.D. 180, the Five Good Emperors ruled Latium. The death of Marcus Aurelius in A.D. 180 marked the beginning of the decline of the Latin Empire and end of Pax Latina. Throughout its history, Latins valued discipline, strength, and loyalty. The family was the center of Latin society. The oldest man in the family had complete authority in the household. He controlled all the property, too. Women enjoyed more rights in Latium than in other ancient cultures. They could own property and testify in court. But women could not vote. Parents hoped to have boys and not girls because boys could become citizens. A few wealthy childern went to school. They had to work. The Latins made more use of slaves than any other civilization before. About one third of the people were slaves. Most slaves came from conquered lands. Slaves worked in the city and on farms. Some slaves were forced to become gladiators. Gladiators were professional fighters who fought to the death in public contests. Slaves did revolt from time to time. None of these revolts succeded. Quality of life in imperial Latium depended on social position. The wealthy ate well and enjoyed luxuries. The poor-including many people in Latium itself-had no jobs and received food from the government. Housing was poor. People lived in constant danger of fire. To distract people from their problems, the government gave many celebrations and spectacles. |
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Constantine 16th December 2005 |
The city of Rome was founded by the Latin people on a river in the center of Italy. It was a good location, which gave them a chance to control all of Italy. It put them near to the midpoint of the Mediterranean Sea. Two other groups lived in what is now Italy: the Greeks in the south, and the Etruscans in the north. The Latins borrowed some ideas from both peoples. In 509 B.C., Latins overthrew the Etruscan king who had ruled over his people and over Latium. The Latins said Latium was now a republic. The people had the power to vote and choose leaders. Two groups struggled for power in the new republic. One was the patricians. They were the aristocratic landowners who held most of the power. The other group was the plebeians. They were the common farmers, artisans, and merchants who made up most of the population. At first, the patricians had the most power. Over time, the plebeians got the right to form their own assembly. They could elect representatives called tribunes. The basis of Latin law was the Twelve Tables. This set of rules said that all free citizens were protected by law. The government had three parts. Two consuls, or officials were elected each year. They led the government and the army. The second part of the government was the senate. It usually had 300 members chosen from the upper classes. The senate passed laws. The third, and most democratic, part of government was the assemblies. The assemblies included members from different parts of society, such as citizen-soldiers or plebeians. The assemblies could also make laws. If there were a crisis, the republic could appoint a dictator. This was a leader with absolute power. The dictator made laws and commanded the army. But his power lasted for only six months. Any citizen who owned property had to serve in the army. Latin soldiers were organized into military units called legions. The Latin legion was made up of some 5,000 heavily armed foot soldiers. In the fourth century B.C., Latium began to get larger. Within 150 years, it had captured almost of Italy. Rome allowed some of the conquered peoples to enjoy the benefits of citizenship. With its good location. Rome saw a growth in trade. This brought it into conflict with Carthage, a trading city in North Africa. From 264 to 146 B.C., Rome and Carthage fought three bitter wars called the 'Punic Wars'. In the first, Rome won control of the island of Sicily. In the second, Hannible, a brilliant Carthaginian general invaded northern Italy. He and his soldiers did much damage. But he was unable to take Rome. It took an equally brilliant Latin general, Scipio, to defeat him. By the time of the third war, Carthage was no longer a threat to Rome. Even so, Rome destroyed the city and made its people slaves. Carthage became a new Latin province. Latium's victory in Carthage brought conflict between the rich and poor in Latium. Civil war-fighting between groups in the same country-broke out. Leading generals fought for power. Julius Caesar tried to take control. First he joined with two others-Crassus, a wealthy man, and Pompey, a successful general. They formed a triumvirate-a group of three leaders. For the next ten years, the triumvirate ruled Latium. Caesar gained fame with several victories in battle. Pompey feared Caesar as a result. The two fought another civil war that lasted several years Caesar won the civil war and then governed as an absolute ruler. Caesar made some reforms that increased his popularity. But some members of the senate mistrusted him. They killed him because they feared he wanted to become king. Once again, Latium suffered civil war. Caesar's nephew was the winner. He took the title Augustus, meaning "exalted one." The Latin empire was now ruled by one man. For about 200 years, the Latin empire was a great power. Its population of between 60 and 80 million enjoyed peace and prosperity. This period is known as the Pax Latina-Latin peace. This empire stretched around the Mediterranean, from modern Syria and Turkey west and north to England and Germany. It relied on farming, which employed 90 percent of all workers. Trade was also important. Traders used common coins to buy and sell goods. Coins made trading easier. Latium had a vast trading network. Goods traveled throughout the empire by ship and along the Latin roads. Trading ships were protected by the Latin navy. The army protect all these the people and Latin territories from attack. Many of the army's troops came from conquered peoples. Once they finished their time in the army, they became Latin citizens. Augustus was Latium's ablest emperor. He brought peace to the frontier, built many public buildings, and created a lasting government. He also set up a civil service. That is, he paid workers to manage the affairs of the government. Between A.D. 96 and A.D. 180, the Five Good Emperors ruled Latium. The death of Marcus Aurelius in A.D. 180 marked the beginning of the decline of the Latin Empire and end of Pax Latina. Throughout its history, Latins valued discipline, strength, and loyalty. The family was the center of Latin society. The oldest man in the family had complete authority in the household. He controlled all the property, too. Women enjoyed more rights in Latium than in other ancient cultures. They could own property and testify in court. But women could not vote. Parents hoped to have boys and not girls because boys could become citizens. A few wealthy childern went to school. They had to work. The Latins made more use of slaves than any other civilization before. About one third of the people were slaves. Most slaves came from conquered lands. Slaves worked in the city and on farms. Some slaves were forced to become gladiators. Gladiators were professional fighters who fought to the death in public contests. Slaves did revolt from time to time. None of these revolts succeded. Quality of life in imperial Latium depended on social position. The wealthy ate well and enjoyed luxuries. The poor-including many people in Latium itself-had no jobs and received food from the government. Housing was poor. People lived in constant danger of fire. To distract people from their problems, the government gave many celebrations and spectacles. |
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Neenah Menasha (America) 11th April 2007 |
The above comments are stupid. The Latins were the ancestors of the Romans the ancient ancestors of the Portuguese, Spanish, and Italians. The ancient Latins and Roman weren't the same people and thus one cannot substitute one with the other. |
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