The History of Rome in 10 Words
A small city grew gradually to become a vast empire.
The History of Rome in 25 Words
Under Kings and Emperors and as a Republic, Rome grew constantly for almost a thousand years, and became the greatest power of the ancient world.
The History of Rome in 50 Words
Founded 753 BC, Rome was ruled by Kings until 509 BC, and was a Republic then until Julius Caesar took power in 46 BC. After Caesar Rome became an Empire, with an emperor. Rome’s growth from a small city to a great empire was sustained by their success in wars.
The History of Rome in 100 Words
Founded about 753 BC, Rome was a belligerent little town that consistently prevailed in conflicts with rivals, and thus grew gradually in size and influence. Ruled by Kings until 509 BC, Rome transitioned into a disciplined, well-organized Republic which sustained excellence in military preparation and capacity, and thus continued to grow for hundreds of years. Ruled by an emperor from about 27 BC, Rome reached the zenith of its power in the years 100 to 180 AD, under the rulers known as the Five Good Emperors. A series of corrupt and incompetent rulers allowed Rome to slip gradually into history.
The History of Rome in 200 Words
Founded about 753 BC, Rome was a belligerent little town that consistently prevailed in conflicts with rivals, and thus grew gradually in size and influence. Ruled in its early years by elected Kings, Rome fell gradually under the power of tyrants. The Roman nobility revolted in 509 BC, expelled the kings, and established a Republic.
With a disciplined, educated noble class and a strong ethic of service, the Roman republic continued to grow and thrive. This led them eventually into conflict with the other great powers of the region, most notably the Carthaginians, with whom Rome fought a series of wars from roughly 264 BC until 146 BC. After those wars Rome was divided between its own nobility and reformers, and these fought a series of civil wars culminating in a disastrous conflict that brought Julius Caesar to power in 46 BC. After the death of Caesar, civil war brought to power Rome’s greatest ruler, the Emperor Augustus.
As an empire, Rome reached the zenith of its power in the years 100 to 180 AD, under the rulers known as the Five Good Emperors. A series of corrupt and incompetent rulers allowed the Roman Empire to fracture and crumble.
The History of Rome in 500 Words
Founded about 753 BC, Rome was a belligerent little town that consistently prevailed in conflicts with rivals, and thus grew gradually in size and influence. Ruled in its early years by elected Kings, often men of excellent judgment, Rome fell gradually under the power of tyrants. The Roman nobility revolted in 509 BC, after the son of the King Tarquinius Superbas raped a noblewoman known for her virtue (Lucretia). The nobility expelled the kings, and established a Republic.
For a generation after that the Roman city/state was often under attack, and sometimes on the verge of obliteration. But with a disciplined, educated nobility and a strong ethic of service, the Roman republic recovered, and by the end of the 5th century BC (400 BC) was once more growing constantly larger and more powerful. This led them into conflict with the other great powers of the Middle East, most notably the Carthaginians, with whom the Romans fought a long series of wars (the Punic Wars) from 264 BC until 146 BC. Eventually vanquishing the Carthaginians, Rome overran dozens or hundreds of other provinces, bringing hundreds of thousands of slaves flooding onto the Italian peninsula. This created unmanageable economic inequities, leading to a series of revolts, coup d’etats and civil wars. These culminated in a disastrous conflict (49-46 BC) that brought Julius Caesar to power. The assassination of Caesar (44 BC) pitched Rome back into civil war, and this war, after many years, brought to power Rome’s greatest ruler, the Emperor Augustus.
Augustus made every possible effort to find and train a worthy successor, but failed to do so, leaving the empire in the hands of Tiberius, who was very competent, but vicious and brutal, and then the infamous Caligula. Still, the Julio-Claudian dynasty (founded by Augustus or, if you prefer, Julius Caesar) lasted until the death of Nero in 68 AD.
As an empire, Rome reached the zenith of its power in the years 100 to 180 AD, under the rulers known as the Five Good Emperors (Nerva, Trajan, Hadrian, Antoninus Pius, and Marcus Aurelius.) As these emperors had no sons, they were able to "adopt" sons, and thus were able to choose successors who were equal to the task of commanding an empire. They also adopted the practice of "sharing" the throne, creating orderly transitions of power, and also allowing the younger emperor to learn from the elder.
Marcus Aurelius, unfortunately, had a son, Commodus, who was lazy, vain, stupid and corrupt. After Commodus Rome slipped back into the pattern of selecting emperors by a combination of war, assassination, birthright, and the whims of the Praetorian Guard. This lasted a hundred years, order being finally restored by Diocletian, who gained power in 285 AD. Diocletian put the empire, which appeared to be almost finished, back into sustainable condition for another century. After 400 AD the Roman Empire divided into an Eastern and a Western empire, and then into ever smaller and less powerful units, often at war with one another.
The History of the Jeffrey MacDonald Case in 10 Words
MacDonald’s family was murdered in 1970. MacDonald is in prison.
The History of the Jeffrey MacDonald Case in 25 Words
Dr. Jeffrey MacDonald’s wife and two daughters were murdered in 1970. MacDonald was convicted in 1979, and remains in prison today, still proclaiming his innocence.
The History of the Jeffrey MacDonald Case in 50 Words
About 3 AM on February 17, 1970, Colette MacDonald and her two daughters, Kristen and Kimberly, were murdered in their apartment at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Jeffrey MacDonald was legally exonerated in October, 1970, but was convicted of the murders in 1979. Still proclaiming his innocence, he remains in prison.
The History of the Jeffrey MacDonald Case in 100 Words
About 3 AM on February 17, 1970, Colette MacDonald and her daughters, Kristen and Kimberly, were murdered in their apartment at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Jeffrey MacDonald, husband and father of the victims, survived the attack, which he blamed on a home invasion by a group of hippies. Macdonald was exonerated in 1970, but due mostly to the persistence and determination of his in-laws, Freddy and Mildred Kassab, was brought to trial in 1979, and was convicted. Still proclaiming his innocence, he remains in prison. Many books have been written about the case, and many people believe MacDonald is innocent.
The History of the Jeffrey MacDonald Case in 200 Words
About 3 AM on February 17, 1970, Colette MacDonald and her daughters, Kristen and Kimberly, were murdered in their apartment at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Dr. Jeffrey MacDonald survived the attack, which he blamed on a home invasion by a group of knife-wielding hippies.
The investigation was slipshod. Investigators decided that MacDonald had committed the crime, and brought him before a military preliminary hearing in October, 1970. The officer in charge of that hearing not only cleared MacDonald, but declared flatly that MacDonald had not committed the crime.
MacDonald, however, alienated his in-laws, Freddy and Mildred Kassab, who campaigned to have him prosecuted. He appeared on the Dick Cavett show, national television, and left Cavett and many of the viewers convinced that he was guilty. He loudly and repeatedly charged the military with bungling the investigation, greatly annoying those who believed he had gotten by with murder. MacDonald was indicted in 1975 in a civilian court, pursuant to charges filed by Freddy Kassab. He was put on trial in 1979, and was convicted of the murders.
Still proclaiming his innocence, he remains in prison. Many books have been written about the case, and many people believe that MacDonald is innocent.
The History of the Jeffrey MacDonald Case in 500 Words
About 3 AM on February 17, 1970, Colette MacDonald and her daughters, Kristen and Kimberly, were stabbed to death in their apartment at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Dr. Jeffrey MacDonald survived the attack, which he blamed on a home invasion by hippies.
The investigation was slipshod. Investigators decided that MacDonald had committed the crime, and brought him before a military preliminary hearing in October, 1970. The officer in charge of that hearing not only cleared MacDonald, but declared flatly that MacDonald had not committed the crime.
Dr. MacDonald, immensely intelligent and charming, went on the offensive after his hearing, loudly and repeatedly accusing the military of bungling the investigation of the crime. His charm, however, seemed ill-suited to his position in life, and his publicity offensive backfired on him. He alienated his in-laws, Freddy and Mildred Kassab, who campaigned to have him prosecuted. He appeared on the Dick Cavett show, national television, and left Cavett and many of the viewers convinced that he was guilty. He annoyed the military officials who, he said, had bungled the case, which motivated them to look for other avenues to pursue prosecution. MacDonald was indicted in 1975 in a civilian court, pursuant to charges filed by Freddy Kassab. He went to trial in 1979, and was convicted of the murders.
As MacDonald and his lawyers were preparing for trial they were contacted by an author, Joe McGinniss, interested in writing a book about the case. McGinniss gave MacDonald and his attorneys every reason to believe that the book would be pro-MacDonald, and McGinniss was allowed to join the defense team. McGinniss sat in with the defense on their meetings, on the preparation of their witnesses, and actually lived with them during the trial; they were all living in a fraternity house on the campus of North Carolina State. He was MacDonald’s jogging partner and constant correspondent, and MacDonald allowed him complete access to his diaries and other papers.
McGinniss, however, decided that MacDonald was guilty of the crime, and after the conviction McGinniss wrote a book, Fatal Vision, that declared that MacDonald had been justly convicted. Fatal Vision became the Freddy Kassab story, the story of how Kassab had successfully pursued justice for his murdered daughter.
McGinniss is not a good writer, and Fatal Vision is not a good book; it is rambling, repetitive, and often incoherent. It was, however, an immensely successful book, selling millions of copies and being made into an extremely successful mini-series starring Karl Malden as Freddy Kassab. The success of Fatal Vision so completely convinced the public of MacDonald’s guilt that this assumption has formed a very high wall separating MacDonald from a re-hearing of his case. MacDonald’s key defense witness, Helena Stoeckley, died in 1983. MacDonald remains in prison today, although many, many people now believe him to be innocent. A recent book by the great Errol Morris (A Wilderness of Error) argues that he is in fact probably innocent, and was, at the least, wrongly convicted.
Baseball
Whether the defensive shifts we see so often now are a fad or a permanent change in the game of baseball is yet to be determined, but here is one sure thing about them. This is going to bring the bunt back into the game. It has to. The shift in the past was being used only against big, slow sluggers. Now it is being used against guys who can run. There is no doubt in my mind that some of those guys are going to be able to bunt well enough to defeat the shift. I expect to see more bunts for a hit this season than I saw during all of the 1990s. And I expect to see, sometime this summer, somebody bunt for a double.
College Basketball
I was thinking about trying to evaluate College Basketball Coaches’ records by a process similar to that we used here a month or two ago to look at baseball managers, which involves (among other things) comparing the success of their teams to reasonable expectations for the success of the teams. This idea, however, immediately hits a road block.
In baseball, teams have a 50% relapse rate, which is fairly stable over time (although, of course, it varies widely from team to team.) A team that is 20 games over .500 one year can expect to be 10 games over .500 the next season. A team that improves by 12 games in one season can expect to drop back by 6 games the next season.
In college basketball and college football, though, the relapse rates are totally different. If you look at the powerhouses in college basketball in the 1990s, the 1980s, the 1970s, the 1960s, what you notice immediately is that most of them are still powerhouses today. Duke finished the 2012-2013 season with a record of 30-6. A baseline expectation for them for next season wouldn’t be 24-12; it would be more like 27-9 or 28-8.
Before you could do the same study in NCAA basketball, you’d first have to establish what the normal "central tendency drift" is.
Basketball II
CBS has done a terrific job with the tournament. The game broadcasters, unlike certain unnamed clowns who work for ESPN, are mostly inoffensive, and sometimes very good. The "big five" panel of Charles Barkley, Greg Anthony, Doug Gottlieb, Kenny Smith and Greg Gumbel is absolutely tremendous. It’s five smart guys who know basketball, have fun with the game, and aren’t afraid to say what they think. I’ve enjoyed it.
I’ll have a much longer article tomorrow about the Jeffrey MacDonald case. Thanks for reading.
Bill