A dentil molding (C, top) from the facade of the Supreme Court is damaged after a piece of the marble detail fell from the building in Washington, D.C., November 28, 2005. The marble chunk, above the allegorical figure representing 'Order,' fell about an hour before the court opened without causing any injuries. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts
A little fun fact missing from the AP (and every other) report has to do with the allegorical figure pictured on the frieze. See that thingy he's holding? The bundled-together-sticks gadget? That's called a fasces:
Pronunciation: 'fas-"EzAnd even better for our urban metaphor, it's also the root for the word fascism! Not that this has anything to do with Alito's upcoming confirmation hearings, mind you. No, that would be way too obvious.
Function: noun plural but singular or plural in construction
Etymology: Latin, from plural of fascis bundle; akin to Latin fascia
: a bundle of rods and among them an ax with projecting blade borne before ancient Roman magistrates as a badge of authority.
6 comments:
The building is so ashamed of its denizens that it's trying to make a getaway...
I think it's spelled "frieze," but I could be wrong. Thank you, though, Princess for the only REAL reporting of the details that make the difference. A chunk of marble falling away from an allegorical figure representing the root of fascism, just as another crazy Roman Catholic is put on the court, well, you just can't make this stuff up.
You are so right about my mispelling, Mike. That's embarrassing, especially while I'm being all uppity about knowing things 'n' stuff. Fixed!
Ha ha, studying Latin in high school wasn't a worthless endeavor after all!
I hope they get that fixed before I move in!
The Right Honorable Samuel A. Alito, Jr.
(the A stands for Awesome)
What building? What statue? Don't you see that chick's ass?
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