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Another Very Interesting Debate Over at Nova Roma
Posted:
Fri Aug 29, 2008 1:22 amby Valerius Claudius Iohanes
Val. Claud. Ioh. Sodalibus Civibusque Romanis s.p.d.
There's an intersting debate going on at the NR Main List (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Nova-Roma/) - those of us who follow current events in NR might be interested. There is a call for the creation of an actual Nova Roman legion.
The suggestion that they do this has raised all sorts of ideas about what it might be, what it would actually be for, how it might be composed, maintained, etc. To some degree, this goes to the heart of what NR intends itself to be. (And so far it has been a far less gut-wrenching debate than was the prior one concerning their recent trials.)
Denuo regressus,
Footnote
Posted:
Fri Aug 29, 2008 6:28 amby Aldus Marius
Salve, mi Iohanne--Welcome back here too! >({|:-)
Alas, the [Nova-Roma] List archives are not open to non-subscribers. The link won't do too much for anyone who is not already on the List. This has been driving me crazy on the NR Wiki too; I don't know how many articles (thousands?) link to specific messages on [Nova-Roma] as primary sources for the goings-on. I do wish that either the Listmods would open the archives or that fellow Wiki editors would copy/paste the relevant message into the articles themselves. As with anything in NR, however, to make the archives publicly available would involve the Roman equivalent of an act of Congress...I know, I've asked. Sigh.
If anyone who is privy to the discussion would like to post particulars here, y'all are welcome to do so! Hei, we might even say something useful that you could take back to the List.
*keeps ears pricked*
In amicitia et fide,
Ita, ita.
Posted:
Sat Aug 30, 2008 8:31 amby Valerius Claudius Iohanes
Quite so, mi Mari -
I'm taking my Yahoo groups for granted. One does have to be a member of the Nova-Roma List to actually see the discussion. And since those of us who are subscribers to that group already see what's going on over there, no need for me to announce it.
But I do like to follow what happens there; I think it's worth a daily perusal. It's a big, active organization, well put together -- yet they, too, are still trying to figure out just how Romanitas works in our lives.
Vale.
Posted:
Sat Aug 30, 2008 6:24 pmby Marcus Lupinius Paulus
A legion is an interesting idea, but to be practicable, wouldn't the participants need to all live reasonably close together? And who would command or be the authority for enforcing the rules and authenticity standards within the group?
I know Marius was a lone wolf reenactor, and we have the Lethal One Medusa with her gladiators. Any other reenactors here?
I did US civil war for a while in 1996 with a Union army group. Very time consuming and expensive! Roman would be more costly I would think.
Paulus
The rest of us?
Posted:
Sun Aug 31, 2008 6:17 pmby Aldus Marius
Salvete iterum, magistri!
Sic Iohannem:
> ...since those of us who are subscribers to that group already see what's going on over there, no need for me to announce it.
And those of us who are *not* subscribers? My affairs have gotten somewhat entangled in Nova Roma's, so I'd like to know what's going on with the Legion suggestion and offer input if I can.
(Historical note: When I was Curator Sermonem over there [yes, I was], the archives were wide-open to everybody. Go figure.)
In fide,
Yahoo for NR
Posted:
Mon Sep 01, 2008 5:05 amby Valerius Claudius Iohanes
Quirites - Their main list is still a Yahoo group, moderated. Any of us can apply and (hopefully) join.
Valete.
Long Memory
Posted:
Thu Sep 04, 2008 4:26 amby Aldus Marius
Salve iterum, mi Iohanne,
For various, excruciatingly well-documented reasons (in both our archives and theirs), I am unlikely in the extreme to ever again subscribe to the Nova Roma Main List. The bad blood has ended, but the scars remain; and to ask me to do this thing is like asking the patients in the burn ward to come sit a little closer to the fire.
Patientia mecum,
!
Posted:
Thu Sep 04, 2008 10:40 pmby Valerius Claudius Iohanes
Val.Claud.Iohannes Aldo Mario s.p.d. -
Minime, amice - nullum tibi feci propositum! Ita non fuit mea sententia.
I did put that up for reference for others who are not familiar with their list. I, myself, when I found it, was surprised that it was as available as it was! From what I had heard of Nova Roma, I expected you'd have to be a CITIZEN first before you could join. Instead, one can just be a simple lurker, like myself, and sit in the amphitheatre and watch the -- games.
Ut vivat Societas nostra!
Vale.
Listwar Story
Posted:
Fri Sep 05, 2008 5:23 amby Aldus Marius
Salve iterum, amice Curator!
> From what I had heard of Nova Roma, I expected you'd have to be a CITIZEN first before you could join...
This was actually proposed during my time as NR ListMod. I fought like hell against it, and prevailed for the time being...here's an excerpt from my statement, in response to one member's concern:
__:::__:::__:::__:::__
> I do have a question regarding this list being totally open and available to anyone who stumbles across it on Onelist. [Ed. note: precursor to Yahoo Groups]
> Isn't it possible for someone to sign up on this list using a Roman name, posting very controversial emails and
> wreaking havoc amongst the citizens? Has this ever happened?
That sort of thing has indeed happened; we get one of those every four to six months or so, and it's happened once-and-a-half on my watch...[snip]
More recent occurances were when a discussion of East Timor flared up into a hurling of racial and religious epithets (I was Curator by then); and the odd half-flap, when an ill-behaved 'outside observer' accused me of manipulating the List-traffic to secure a particular candidate's election. (That did not flare up precisely because, for anyone that knows me [which is most of the List regulars], the accusation was so patently unbelievable.)
Which brings me to another issue that gets kicked around from time to time... We have often asked ourselves whether the NovaRoma E-List ought to be restricted to Citizens only. Generally the question comes up right after a hit-and-run situation such as Diana asks about and I have described. In every case, we have decided against banning non-Cives from subscribing. The reasons? --Chiefly, that we wish prospective members to have a chance to check out Nova Roma by being able to lurk on the List for a time; but also, sometimes our non-Cives contibute a sorely-needed third-party perspective to our discussions and general goings-on! The same 'observer' cited above had also said, in an earlier post:
> We are seeing a living, breathing Rome slowly coming into existence against all the odds...Sometimes you just
> need an outsider's opinion to get you to realize what a wonderful thing you are attempting to do here.
I think it was worth a minor 'texturing' of my dignitas on the election thing to be able to be reminded of this. Ita Est!
__:::__:::__:::__:::__
The List Archives were closed to non-subscribers some time after I left, I think within the first year, by Priscilla Vedia Serena. The justification for keeping them that way now is that magistrates have to give their legal, as well as their Roman, name when they take their oaths of office, and therefore there are some privacy concerns. However, the Wiki team has been kicking the issue around recently; no startling revelations yet, but we're trying to find a good compromise between said privacy concerns and the needs of researchers.
I'm glad one now only has to subscribe to the List, not join the organisation! There *is* progress.
In fide,
Posted:
Fri Sep 12, 2008 6:53 pmby Gaius Iulius Tabernarius
Sounds like a good idea on paper, but it would be hard to put in practice, given that its an online community and scared all over the world. Still its a worthy goal if they can get enough people in one place. Personally I think a few marches and demonstrations would spur recruitment and awareness. It might also create some controversy, but you know the old saying, all publicity is good publicity. And if we have any Cato's to spin it right, then all the better.