Digital History Scrapbook #8 - Rome

Trevor Jones

4/30/15

Per. 7 

Links:

Pro Football: http://www.thepeoplehistory.com/footballhistory.html#origins 

Gladiators/Colosseum: http://www.ancient.eu/Colosseum/

The Similarities of Cultural Elements over Centuries 

Professional Football and the Gladiators of the Colosseum, both having very similar purposes but existing at very different times. The birth of professional football was done so out of a mutation, a mix of soccer and rugby, created by people that were feeling creative, just like anybody else. The first organized practice of football was played on November 6, 1869, between Princeton and Rutgers colleges. After Princeton and Rutgers got the trend started, many other colleges followed and on November 12, 1892, the first man was payed to play football, which lead to professional football. This evolved throughout the next century and became the sport we know today. The creation of the Roman Colosseum was begun in 72 CE by Emperor Vespasian, and finished by his first born son Titus in 80 CE. This arena was built on behalf of returning Rome to its former glory after the civil war as well as an entertainment source for its people. The Colosseum was used to host spectacular public entertainment events such as gladiator fights, wild animal hunts and public execution from the time of creation, up until 404 CE. These two cultural elements of their nation both have very similar purposes, causes, and possibly futures. 

http://www.greenberg-art.com/.Toons/Toons%20Los%20Angeles/Coliseum.html 

These two cultural elements became wildly popular in their nations because they gave to the people what they wanted to see: brutality that is made interesting to watch. In 1966, the AFL and the NFL decided to quit the competition and made a truce. That truce is what became what we know now as the Super Bowl. The first Super Bowl, between the Green Bay Packers and the Kansas City Chiefs, is what made football so popular in the U.S. This is not to say that football was not popular before the truce of the AFL and the NFL, on the contrary, football players were being offered multi-million dollar contracts to play the sport for teams, the Super Bowl just made the sport that much more popular. The name "Colosseum" fits the structure perfectly because it describes very well it's colossal size. At 45 meters tall and it's arena measuring 85.7x 54.8 meters across, it created a craze among the Roman people who were desperate to get in. This, however, was not a problem because the stadium itself seated 45,000, and 5,000 standing spots, with 80 doors to enter through. In the beginning, games were held at the colosseum every evening lasting until late the next morning, however, that number changed into about 100 games a year after the first few years. The games held in the Colosseum were purely for entertainment of the citizens and the Emperor, and consisted of brutal fights between gladiators, some on chariots or horses, and others on foot. This was by no means a fair competition (similar to modern day professional level football by some standards), the real purpose being blood sports and death. These shows attracted people from all around, dying to catch a glimpse of the action. Unlike football, these games eventually ceased and the Roman Colosseum, destroyed. 

http://pixgood.com/roman-gladiators-fighting-in-the-colosseum.html

Like all great things begin, they must also come to an end. For the Roman Colosseum, this was no exception. The use of the colosseum was becoming corrupt, and instead of being a source of entertainment for the people, it became a way for emperors to torture and ruthlessly kill their enemies. This began much earlier but was most apparent with emperor Domitian who used the colosseum for bloodthirsty dramas, execution, and also the killing of Christian Martyrs by throwing them to hungry lions, shot down by others in the stands or arena, and also burnt alive. The games of the Colosseum were finally abolished in 404 CE by Emperor Honorius, but continued to be used the senate for condemning criminals. The Colosseum was damaged by earthquakes in later years, repaired, and collapsed from the great earthquake of 1231 CE, therefore marking the end of the colossal structure. Even by comparing professional football to the games of the colosseum, we start to notice many more similarities then we thought existed in the first place. Like the fact that professional football may be following the same corrupted end as the colosseum faced. For example, the most recent Super Bowl, Super Bowl XLIX, the New England Patriots vs. the Seattle Seahawks. A conspiracy arose that the Patriots were playing with deflated footballs, which allows for more grip on the ball. This conspiracy even went as far as disqualification of the Patriots from the super bowl, meaning the Seahawks would automatically win. If American professional football continues to follow the same path as the corrupted Roman Colosseum, it may end in a fiery end and consequences that have not yet been imagined. 

http://www.miamiherald.com/sports/spt-columns-blogs/greg-cote/article7885071.html

Professional football and the Gladiator fights of the colosseum, both cultural elements and sports of their nations having very similar purposes but existing at two very different times. Both cultural elements were wildly popular in their nation for the very same thing: brutality while still being highly interesting to the people. These two elements have had very similar pasts and have developed similarly over time. We already know what happened to the Gladiators and the colosseum, the question is will professional football follow the same destructive course? 

Law and Order Presentation

Vespasian Book Cover

Vespasian & Titus Keynote

Digital History Scrapbook #7 - Greece

Trevor Jones

4/7/15

Per. 7 

Links: 

1. "Sparta." History.com. A&E Television Networks, n.d. Web. 02 Apr. 2015. <http://www.history.com/topics/ancient-history/sparta>. 

http://www.history.com/topics/ancient-history/sparta

2. "NAVY SEALS HISTORY." From World War 11 to Present Day. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Apr. 2015. <http://www.angelfire.com/ak2/intelligencerreport/navy_seals.html>. 

http://www.angelfire.com/ak2/intelligencerreport/navy_seals.html

The Art of Warriors

Both the valiant warriors of Sparta and the heroes of America, the Navy SEALs, have fought selflessly for their nations for many years, and have been mentioned in many sources as the toughest warriors the world has ever seen. The Spartan Warriors, are a group of cold blooded fighters, who are trained at a young age, and taught the ways of war for a permanent  career. They fight for their nation, and more importantly, they fight for honor. The Spartan Warriors existed long before the SEALs, and much longer, though some say the idea of a small, yet powerful force originated with States like Sparta. The SEALs, or sea air and land, are a unique breed of warriors who conduct special operations in any environment, but who are trained and equipped to operate from, around and in maritime areas. The origin of the SEALs is much clearer and can date back to World War 2, when the U.S. was in need of the covert reconnaissance of landing beaches and coastal defenses. Since then, the SEALs have carried out a number of highly dangerous and difficult covert missions and have evolved into what they are today. These two noble groups have their differences, but are very similar in fact, in multiple ways. Both the Spartan Warriors and the Navy SEALs train and carry out missions in similar ways, and many connections can be made in the structure of both groups.  

http://www.thea-blast.org/top-stories/2013/07/20/the-meaning-of-patriotism-in-america-today/

Both groups of warriors have very similar training techniques, though some prove to more time efficient. The Spartan Warriors are taught the ways of war at a very young age of 7 years. Their training consists of a rigorous discipline and mainly military type education, known as Agoge, lasting for twelve years. During these twelve years, the boys are drilled in physical activities to increase fitness and stamina, as well as living off the land for shelter and in some cases, clothes. These boys are tested at the age of twelve in the forest for a week, and are forced to show their skills to survive. The ones who withstood this event, in which not a few died, continued with their training, until the age of twenty when they would be sent off to fight, as warriors. The Navy SEALs are put through quite similar fitness and endurance tests, and just like the Spartan's, not everybody can become a SEAL, only the best will more on. Unlike the Spartans, the SEALs training is much shorter, but far more intense: "...The first three weeks of First Phase will prepare you for the fourth week, better known as "Hell Week."  During this week, you will participate in five and one-half days of continuous training, with a maximum of four hours sleep total.  This week is designed as the ultimate test of one's physical and mental motivation while in First Phase.  Hell Week proves to those who make it that the human body can do ten times the amount of work the average man thinks possible.  During Hell Week, you will learn the value of cool headedness, perseverance, and above all, TEAMWORK.  The remaining four weeks are devoted to teaching various methods of conducting hydrographic surveys and how to create a hydrographic chart." 90% of those who went into Hell Week will not have lasted the entire week, but for those who do, a life of respect is in their future, such as it was for the Warriors of Sparta. 

http://socialpaintball.com/2012/07/03/paintball-combat-training-with-navy-seals/

These forces fought in similar ways, crafty and with small numbers, not at all the kind that would charge into battle like the enemies they have defeated. Each group, however, had one, or a few battles that stood out, and defined who they are. For the Spartans this war the Battle at Thermopylae. The Battle at Thermopylae was a tactical battle between the Greeks and the Persians in the Persian war, however we tend to remember it as the 300 Spartan Warriors going head to head with a quarter of a million Persian rivals. This was a defining battle for Sparta because despite the fact that they lost, they showed tremendous courage and completely outwitted the Persian General, but due to the sheer force of the Persians, wit was just not enough. One of the SEALs most defining moment was with the birth of the SEALs in the Vietnam War. The Navy needed to determine its role within the special operations arena, so the current Chief of Naval Operations recommended the establishment of guerrilla and counter-guerrilla units. The SEALs were first deployed in South Vietnam for the purpose of training Army of the Republic of Vietnam commandos, in the same way they had been trained. Since then the CIA has been using the SEALs in multiple covert operations that have changed the way people think about war. Both Spartans and SEALs work in small numbers because they have found that it is easy to manage and allows room for strategy and tactical moves.  

https://www.awesomestories.com/asset/view/BATTLE-at-the-HOT-GATES-300-Battle-of-Thermopylae

The Spartan Warriors and the Navy SEALs are both marvelous warriors from time periods far apart. These two groups of heroes serve and protect their nation without rest and are similar in multiple ways. Both groups have a very similar way of training which involves fitness and stamina training, and multiple tests, one of which determine if the warrior-to-be's training will continue. Also, both groups have similar strategic war tactics and are known because of how they acted in certain battles. We may start to see more similarities pop up between the two in the future because as we know, history repeats itself. 

Socrates to Williams Comparison

Trevor Jones

4/3/15

Modern Day Socrates 

Brian Williams is a modern day Socrates for several reasons, including the false accusations brought upon both of them, both men being spokesmen that generally appealed to the public, and both made a scapegoat after accused. First of all, Socrates was tried on the false accusation of corrupting the Athenian youth. This accusation is similar to what Williams is being accused of, indirectly of course, since Brian Williams has not been taken to court, but similar in the fact that they are spreading information that is known to be false to the youth (and adults), therefore corrupting their minds. This brings me to my next point, Williams and Socrates are both spokesmen, meaning they speak about certain topics due to their employment; Socrates being a philosopher and Williams being a news anchor. On top of this, both men generally appeal to the public, and I say generally because there are many exceptions. Socrates was hated by several men, most of them who were currently accusing him, but also had many who admired and adored him, such as the men whom he had tutored when they were children. The same is true with Williams, he is a friendly face, adored by millions of Americans, but like any man with an opinion, has people who despise him, especially after he told his embellishments of his war experience in 2003. Finally, after each man was accused for different reasons, they were made a scapegoat by the public and began uproars much bigger then what they can individually control. Socrates, however, took it so far as to be a martyr for his cause, whereas Williams caused major uproars in social media and throughout society. Putting it all together, Brian Williams is a modern day Socrates because they share similarities such as being falsely accused, being widely appealed spokesmen, and being made a scapegoat by the public.  

http://www.totalmortgage.com/blog/general/mortgage-comparison-fha-vs-conventional-fixed/26968

Defense for Brian Williams Trial

Opening Statement:  Our client, Brian williams has been falsely accused of lying about been in a helicopter that was shot down in Iraq. In truth, NBC wrote the statement that Williams then announced on the news.  Brian Williams has been working as the NBC Anchor since 2004 and has been a loyal and dedicated worker. He has been falsely accused of lying about his experience in Iraq;  but in reality, NBC actually fed The US lies. Our client unknowingly said what he was reading from a screen with a script that NBC wrote. Williams was simply trying to protect his job through reading the story that was projected on the screen. We argue that Williams suffers from False Memory Syndrome which causes his views on the events, to be corrupted with the false one spread by NBC. He simply read what was scripted for him on the teleprompter without truly recognizing what he was saying.

Argument: NBC Dip in viewership over past years, lead to NBC pressuring newscasters and talk show hosts over exaggerate stories to increase views. Once allegations come out against these such people, nbc disassociates themselves with them, making them take the fall for it. Blame Newscaster "Scapegoat" & abandon them, even though they pressure these people into doing such actions, with the threat of losing their job. The situation Bryan Williams is in is not an isolated incident. Similar cases have It happened before: Anne Curry, former today show host, was given inadequate time to increase viewership. When unable to reach such lofty goals, she was subsequently fired. Because of the pressure put on by the network to embilesh and exaggerate stories to increase viewership, it forces employees to lie, or else their job security will be taken away. This being said, Williams' is really being tried for misremembering something, which is not a valid accusation. He is misremembering this event because the lie being told is not Williams' story, rather it is an embellishment of the truth being drilled into Williams' head by the NBC broadcasters. This leads me to my next point, and I quote directly from the New York Times: "The truth is, our memories can deceive us — and they often do. Numerous scientific studies show that memories can fade, shift and distort over time. Not only can our real memories become unwittingly altered and embellished, but entirely new false memories can be incorporated into our memory bank, embedded so deeply that we become convinced they are real and actually happened." This study is true for all humans, however we are convinced that Williams' stuffers from a serious medical condition know as False Memory Syndrome. The dictionary definition of False Memory Syndrome is a condition in which a person's identity and relationships are affected by memories that are factually incorrect but that they strongly believes be true. This means that NBC was the puppet master behind Williams' and with every version of the embellishment that was scripted for Williams' to read, his memory of his own events were altered so that he truly believed the events that NBC said had taken place. Simply put, NBC pressured Williams' into believing their false embellishments as fact, which made Williams' blind to the truth.

Concluding Statement:

Due to the dip in viewership on NBC over the past several years, the broadcasters force the news anchors to embellish and exaggerate stories to increase viewership. These embellishments that were fed to Brian Williams fueled his false memory syndrome, and eventually led him to believe that these embellishments were true. Brian Williams is innocent because NBC fed him false information, and with repetition, eventually lead to the corruption of what he believed to be true. Brian Williams is therefore a victim in a larger scheme ran by NBC to pressure news anchors and talk show hosts to embellish and exaggerate stories for their own personal gain.

http://www.bostonglobe.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/2015/02/13/health/cL3iQRCl2hrkOk4fts8NhI/story.html