Ancient Greece timeline

3500 B.C.: Beginnings of Greek Civilization

1450 B.C.: Minoan Civilization collapses

1200 B.C.: Trojan War

1100 B.C. Mycenean Civilization collapses

1100-800 B.C.: Greek Dark Ages

800-499 B.C.: Rise of City States

800 B.C.: Homer's Iliad

776 B.C.: First Olympics

594 B.C.: Solon the lawgiver

499-449 B.C.: Persian Wars

449-431 B.C.: The Delian League/Athenian Empire

431-401 B.C.: The Peloponesian War

401-338 B.C: Demise of Traditional Greece

399 B.C.: Socrates executed

347 B.C.: Plato forms the Academy

338 B.C.: Phillip conquers Greece

336 B.C.: Phillip of Macedon assassinated

336-323 B.C.: Conquests of Alexander the Great

323 B.C.: Alexander dies

323-146 B.C.: Hellenistic Greece

146 B.C.: Rome conquers Greece 

Quotes of the Month: February 2014

Quote of the Month: "I didn't have a dad in the house, and I was angry about it, even though I didn't necessarily realize it at the time. .... I got high without always thinking about the harm that it could do."

-Barack Obama
  Stupid Quote of the Month: "In a sense, climate change can now be considered the world's largest weapon of mass destruction, perhaps even, the world's most fearsome weapon of mass destruction."

-John Kerry


Stupid Quote #2: "All are untrue, but they are being told all over America."

-Harry Reid on the Obamacare horror stories

"The word ‘embarrassing’ is an insulting word, to tell you the truth."


-Peyton Manning after being asked if he was embarrassed by the Broncos performance in the Superbowl

"The towering presence, the empire that ascended to affirm a colossal footprint. The revolution that birthed one of modern history’s pivotal experiments. But if politics has long shaped our sense of who they are, it’s passion that endures. As a more reliable right to their collective heart. What they build in aspirations, lifted by imagination. What they craft, through the wonder of every last detail."

-NBC Documentary on Soviet Communism

"I mean this is stuff that that you do in a banana republic."

-Charles Krauthammer on Obama changing laws without congressional approval

"I can do whatever I want."

-Barack Obama

F.A. Hayek said, ‘We shall not grow wiser until we learn that much that we have done was very foolish.’ Nothing is more foolish – and immoral – than sending men into battle to risk their lives winning victories that are later lost by politicians for political reasons."


-THOMAS SOWELL

"What [a federal minimum wage increase] is, is a transfer of wealth from some low-income earners to other low-income earners… this is so obvious, not rocket science -- some will be better off, will make more, but others are going to lose everything."

-CHARLES KRAUTHAMMER

"I have obviously failed to galvanize and prod, if not shame enough Americans to be ever vigilant not to let a Chicago communist-raised, communist-educated, communist-nurtured subhuman mongrel like the ACORN community organizer gangster Barack Hussein Obama to weasel his way into the top office of authority in the United States of America."

-Ted Nugent

Quotes of the Month: July 2012

Quote of the Month and Stupid Quote of the Month:
"If you got a business-you didn’t build that."

Barack Obama referring to things businesses built or helped build

Slam of the Month:

"I wish the president would learn how to be an American."

-John Sununu


and the rest...
"(One fan) actually called me a racial slur to begin the game with. He was the only one I had a problem with. People in Boston don't even do that."

-Carl Crawford

"The fact is, I’m gay."

-Anderson Cooper

"I don't want to take anything off the table."

-NCAA President Mark Emmert on possible sanctions against Penn State

"There seems to be something "liberating" about ignorance -- especially when you

don't even know enough to realize how little you know. Thus an administration

loaded with people who have never run any business is gung-ho to tell businesses

what to do, as well as gung-ho to tell the medical profession what to do,

lenders whom to lend to, and the military how to fight wars."

-Thomas Sowell

"We got a problem because we've got a president who's all foam and no beer."

-Tim Pawlenty

"Lay off commenting about defending and goalkeeping until you get more educated. The game has changed from a decade ago."

-Hope Solo to Brandi Chastain

History Shorts: Ancient Greece and others (1250-320 B.C.)

The Sea Peoples (1200-1150 BC):
http://cicero390.blogspot.com/2010/11/sea-peoples-and-death-of-civilizations.html

Trojan War (1200 BC):

http://cicero390.blogspot.com/2010/11/history-shorts-trojan-war-1200-bc.html

Rise of Greek City States (800 BC):

http://cicero390.blogspot.com/2010/11/history-shorts-rise-of-greek-city.html

The First Olympics (776 BC):

http://cicero390.blogspot.com/2010/11/history-shorts-first-olympics-776-bc.html

The Draconian Code (621 BC):

http://cicero390.blogspot.com/2010/11/draconian-code-621-bc.html

Solon and Athenian Reform (594 BC):

http://cicero390.blogspot.com/2010/11/history-shorts-solon-and-athenian.html

Confucius (551-479 BC):

http://cicero390.blogspot.com/2010/11/history-shorts-confucius-551-bc-479-bc.html

Cyrus the Great (559 BC):

http://cicero390.blogspot.com/2010/11/history-shorts-cyrus-great-forms.html

Buddha (528 BC):

http://cicero390.blogspot.com/2010/11/history-shorts-buddha-attains.html

Marathon (490 BC):

http://cicero390.blogspot.com/2010/12/history-shorts-battle-of-marathon-490.html

300 Spartans (480 BC):

http://cicero390.blogspot.com/2010/12/history-shorts-300-spartans-at.html

Plataea and the end of the Persian War (479 BC):

http://cicero390.blogspot.com/2010/12/history-shorts-plataea-and-end-of.html

Parthenon (447 BC):

http://cicero390.blogspot.com/2010/12/history-shorts-parthenon-construction.html

The Peloponnesian War (431-404 BC):

http://cicero390.blogspot.com/2011/01/history-shorts-peloponnesian-war-431.html

The Death of Socrates (399 BC):

http://cicero390.blogspot.com/2011/02/history-shorts-death-of-socrates-399-bc.html

The Death of Plato (347 BC):

http://cicero390.blogspot.com/2011/02/history-shorts-death-of-plato-347-bc.html

Philip of Macedon Assassinated (336 BC):

http://cicero390.blogspot.com/search/label/History%20Shorts?max-results=20

Alexander and Gaugamela:

http://cicero390.blogspot.com/2011/02/history-shorts-alexander-great-and.html

Alexander’s Death (323 BC):

http://cicero390.blogspot.com/2011/03/history-shorts-alexander-greats-death.html

Aristotle’s Death (322 BC):

http://cicero390.blogspot.com/2011/03/history-shorts-aristotles-death-322-bc.html

History Shorts: The First Olympics (776 B.C.)

The first Olympic games occurred in Ancient Greece in 776 B.C. The origins of the games are shrouded in mystery. The Greeks used the games as a tribute to the gods and they later became a political tool for the competing city states. Athletes from various city states competed in various competitions as they do today. The original games lasted until 393 A.D. when the Roman Emperor Theodosius ended the games in an attempt to stamp out non-Christian religions.

This clip is from Chariots of Fire (1981) and is synonymous with the modern Olympic Games. The theme song became a major hit that same year.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-7Vu7cqB20

Athletes of the Decade

Athlete of the Decade: Peyton Manning: NFL Player of the Decade, Four Time MVP (Record), Super Bowl MVP, Pro Bowl (2000, 2002-09), First team All-Pro (2003-05, 2008-09), Second team All-Pro (2000, 2006), Pro Bowl MVP (2005), 2000s All Decade Team, Most seasons with 4000 yards passing, third highest passer rating in history, and All-Time Colts leader in many categories.

Detroit Athlete of the Decade/NHL Player of the Decade: Nick Lidstrom: Lidstrom is a contender for greatest defenseman of all time. Red Wing Captain, Four Time Stanley Cup Champion (2002 and 2008 in this decade), six time Norris trophy winner (2001-03, 2006-08), Conn Smythe winner (2002),  eight time All-Star in the decade (11 overall), NHL First Team All Star (1998-03, 2006-08), Second Team All Star (2009), Olympic Gold Medal (2006), Viking Award (2000, 2006), several Red Wing and European NHL records and accomplishments.

MLB: Albert Pujols: Baseball's most feared hitter. 2006 World Champ, Three Time MVP (2005, 2008-09), 2001 ROY, 2004 NLCS MVP, 2008 Roberto Clemente winner, Eight time All Star (2001, 2003-09), five time silver slugger (2001, 2003-04, 2008-09), Gold Glove (2006), and is piling up stats that very few have ever approached.

NBA: Kobe Bryant: Some are beginning to claim that Kobe is the greatest of all time. He is no Jordan, but he is the NBA's best. Four Time NBA Champ (2000-02, 2009), Finals MVP (2009), NBA MVP (2008), 12 time All Star (1998, 2000-2010), Two-time scoring champ (2006-07), 7x First Team All Star (2002-04, 2006-09), Second Team All Star (2000-01), 7x All Defensive First Team (2000, 2003-04, 2006-09), Second Team All Defense (2000-01), 3x All Star Game MVP (2002, 2007, 2009)

Individual Sports: Michael Phelps and Lance Armstrong (tie): Phelps: 16 Olympic Medals (14 gold), 6x Swimmer of the Year, 8x American Swimmer of the Year, several world records, etc etc.

Armstrong: Won seven straight Tour de France's (1999-2005) and several other major competitions. 2002 SI Sportsman of the Year and AP Male Athlete of the Year: 2002-05.

Assorted Ramblings

Item: President Obama warns that if we don't pass the stimulus, a Great Depression will happen.

Reaction: Why is it ok for Obama to scare people with stories about a coming economic apocalypse, yet when the Bush Administration warned about a nuclear armed Saddam, that was fear mongering??

Item: Retail sales were up.

Reaction: Perhaps the recession is not as bad as they say. Maybe we don't need the stimulus plan.

Item: Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi are spatting over the stimulus plan.

Reaction: Like that is a surprise. Reid is a wimpy self important liberal while Pelosi is a nutty self important out of touch limousine liberal.

Item: The stimulus plan has a provision whereby health care and doctor's decisions will have to be run past a government bureaucrat.

Reaction: Having a mid-level HMO employee decide what medical care a patient can have is bad while having a bureaucrat do the same thing is good.

Item: The Census has been taken over by the White House.

Reaction: Yeah, having Rahm Emmanuel involved in the census is going to result in a legitimate count. If Emmanuel was not in politics, he'd be in the mob.

Item: Bret Favre Retires (we think)

Reaction: Favre created the man crush. He was tough on the field, but a prima donna off. He was not the best QB ever and not the best of his generation. However, his signature games were as good as anyone that ever played. (See: Favre to Sharpe, The Superbowl win, and the game after his dad died).

Item: Baseball players gone wild. A-Rod admits to steroids, Bonds is charged with perjury, Miguel Tejada pleads guilty to lying before congress, and Roberto Alomar is accused of trying to spread the AIDS virus.

Reaction: It can't get much worse...well maybe if a star got caught with an underage...oh wait...

Item: Michael Phelps is caught on film tapping a bong.

Reaction: I was a bit surprised anyone cared. After all, President Obama admitted to being a crackhead at one point. We've had several politicians and celebrities admit to drug use. What's the deal? Well, Phelps is on film...maybe that is the barrier celebs can't cross now.