The history of the city of Rhodes. The area which is now Rhodes has been a home to man since the Neolithic times.  During the 16th century BCE the Minonions showed up on this Island. While in the 15 century the Mycenaean Greeks invaded the island calling it their own.  After the Bronze age collapsed and the Mycenaean Greeks defeated, the Dorian’s started to settle Rhodes. Three major citys were Lindos , lalyssos and Kamiros. These three cities were combined into the great city of Rhodes.The first city was Rhodes old town in 408 BCE. After many years of settlement, in 305 BCE Rhodes was attacked by Demitrius Poliorcretes. Poliocretes sent 40 000 men and built two water siege towers in the hope of defeating the city of Rhodes. To no avail the city of Rhodes stood. So in 304 BCE, Poliorcretes left Rhodes leaving behind most of his war equipment. As a part of the celebration of the victory it was planned that a huge statue of Halios would be created in honor of the victory. Most of Poliocretes left over weapons were sold to buy supplies for this statue. According to records the statue was made out of iron tie bars and brass plates. Some Archelogists believe though that the statue was made from reforged iron and brass from weapons of Poliocretes men. While the remains of one of Poliocretes siege towers was used as scaffolding.the statue was more than 30 meters high and was considered a blueprint for the statue of liberty. The statue is believed to be located on the harbor of Rhodes or located in the current place of the palace of grand masters. We will never know because it got destroyed in an earthquake in 226 BCE and was never reconstructed.  This statue is remembered as one of the 7 wonders of the ancient world.   In 164 BCE Rhodes became an ally of the roman Empire. This soon expired after the division of the roman state (314 CE). This led the Rhodians to join the Eastern Empire.  The island of Rhodes was then bought by the Knights of Saint John who were a military order after the first Crusade.  The Knights of St. John bought the island from a Genoese pirate admiral by the name Vignoli in 1306 CE. Violence was common between the Knights and the residents of the island at that time. The Order of the Knights of St. John were broken up into the groups France, Italy, England, Germany, Provence , Spain and Auvergne. A battle ensued in 1522 by the Turks called the great Seige Of Rhodes which led to the defeat of the Knights of St. John( before battle 650 knights, at end 180 survived.  The island was ruled by the Ottomans, Byzantine empire and the Italians(Italians took over in 1912) as well.. Finally in 1948 Rhodes joined the great country of Greece. The main reason this island was sought after for so many years was because it was a good trading hub for ships and merchants to the west of Rhodes location.

Around Rhodes today

The city of Rhodes is the capital of Dodecanese.  In Rhodes old town lies the Palace of the Grand Masters. This palace was constructed by the Knights of St. Paul but was destroyed in an explosion in 1856. It was later rebuilt by Mussolini and King Victor Emmanuel the third. The Palace of Grand Masters is protected by a moat and four kilometre wall. Leading up to the Palace of Grand Masters is the Street of Knights. This street is where the knights would meet in Inn’s depending on their nationality.The street goes from the harbour to the Palace. Throughout all of Rhodes there is about 30 castles that show good examples of military defence in medieval times.  While in Rhodes new town the area is imprinted by the structures of the Italian facists of the 1920’s. The west coast of New Town have beautiful beaches which result to the beaches being crammed with people. If you head to western Rhodes it is more green and fertile. This area has many wooded mountain slopes and many vineyards. While in Eastern Rhodes there is miles of beaches and rockry coves. For these many great attraction it is easily seen that this area major industry is tourism.

Comments on Blogs

This is a list of peoples blog I have commented on:
Troy, Creative Hour
Mitch W, Creative hour
Austin, novel study

Three A's

     Another thing that is awesome is having the right ketchup to fry ratio. If you have too much ketchup you might as well be drinking the ketchup from the bottle. Furthermore it makes the fries soggy causing them to cool down faster. On the other hand if you have too little the fries are all dry and flavorless. On the rare occasion if the fries are not cooled down they will burn the roof of your mouth. Usually when people have fries and ketchup issues they simply put ketchup on the side. With ketchup on the side however every time you eat a fry you have to dip it. Furthermore, all the ketchup accumulates at the end of the fry and not throughout the entire body. While if you normally spray the ketchup on top of the fries one area may get more while the other may get less. This is usually overlooked because people cram fries into their mouths without chewing. If you eat one fry at a time though, you will have a different experience. If every fry has the perfect median of salt and sweetness, you will receive the perfect snack.
     Don’t you hate it when you’re starving for something sweet and you realize the only thing you have in your fridge is leftover meatloaf. You solemnly drudge to the fridge to eat the toxins to survive for another day. Then something catches your eye. You see a leftover piece of pie that someone has stored away. You remember the previous night’s dinner and eating what you believed to be the last piece of pie. You recall how sorrow overwhelmed you when you found out you wouldn't have the dessert for another day. Finding the piece of pie lightens your heart. Knowing that this is truly the last piece causes you to savor every last bite of the chilled pie. The reason why most people overlook this is because they just go out and buy another pie the next day. The main reason of finding the pie is significant is it is the same thrill you get when you find the treasure. That is why finding lost dessert is an awesome thing.
     The final awesome thing is when you get lost and find something you never expected. If you ever get lost in the woods it is truly a terrifying thing. You wonder if you will ever get back home again or if you will expire in the forest from dehydration or lack of food. In all this dark peril, there might be a source light further down the road. What is uncovered could be a limitless amount of things. It could be as little as an old pocketknife to as big as the Ark of the Covenant (who knows where it really is).Almost everything that has been discovered has occurred on accidental circumstances. It could be a spectacle of nature like the birth of a baby deer or dew on blossoming flowers in the spring. Theses events are the true Kodak moments. People usually overlook this because once these marvels pass, they realize that they are still lost and the dread set's back in.  Another reason, why people usually overlook these phenomena is because the modern world has made us this way. With today's technologies who would want to experience life when everything on TV is more exciting. Even nature channels exploit the natural world and don't respect the little things.  Explore and get lost because you never know what might be hiding under a rock or up in a tree. You may find something that hasn’t been seen in decades or will never be seen again!

Macbeth option 1

     The story begins with three hideous witches making conversation about when they will be together next. In the darkness with thunder and lightning in the air, the hags plan to engage Macbeth after the upcoming battle. On the battlefield Macbeth and Banquo fight valiantly against their Norwegian foe. This is observed by a Sergeant, who tells King Duncan of their efforts. King Duncan wishes to reward Macbeth’s heroism with a new title. He plans to give him the Thane Cawdor’s status. This was removed from the previous Thane of Cawdor, who betrayed the King. Unannounced to Macbeth, he his met by the three witches. They report to him that he will be Thane of Glamis, Thane of Cawdor and a soon to be king. They reveal to Banqou that he will be a lesser man but his kids will be rulers. Macbeth judges that they are insane because the Thane of Cawdor is still alive. The witches disappear and then surprisingly Ross declares that the King has given Macbeth the privilege of being Thane of Cawdor. He scribes a letter to his wife to inform her about the three witch’s prophecy and how the first two components of the prophecy have already has been proven true. When Lady Macbeth receives the letter she gets very ambitious and has the desire to slaughter Duncan so her spouse can claim his title. They then withdraw to the where Duncan has set up refuge from the elements. King Duncan awards his son Malcolm to be the ruler once he is buried six feet under. This makes Macbeth furious because it defies his fate. He writes a letter to his wife to tell of his unfortunate news and how the King will be visiting on the way through on his journey. A few days pass and Lady Macbeth receives the letter. After reading it her blood turns cold as a result she plans the assassination of Duncan. At first Macbeth refuses to commit this traitorous crime, the king was a kind and fair man. To make matters worse Duncan was not only his ruler but also his house guest. Committing murder would be going against double trusts. Lady Macbeth uses her feminine wiles and twists the idea in Macbeth’s head around until Macbeth finally agrees to butcher King Duncan. If Macbeth does, he still has the constant worry of killing Malcolm. This is the end of scene one.

     Macbeth is a very complex character. The thing he greatly exemplifies is ambition. Macbeth wants nothing more but to be king. He plans to move up the hierarchy to get the feeling of being   superior. Being in high society was very important in medieval times. To get to that next level, Macbeth has to do something that will judge his place in heaven.  Macbeth also feels underappreciated because Duncan should have pronounced him king because Macbeth believed that he would be a better ruler then Malcolm. Macbeth is brave and valiant because during the battle he never showed any signs of being fearful or letting his enemy get into his head. He never showed being tired from all the violence around him. Macbeth in some way has no emotion or in better words not regretful. He kills many soldiers of his enemy and has no remorse. That further brings the idea that he is patriotic at the beginning. The last character trait of Macbeth is that he is very affectionate towards his wife. He is willing to destroy Duncan so that she gets the life she deserves. These character traits make Macbeth, what it takes to be the main character of a story.

     It is a dark night with thunder crashing in the distance. Three sun baked prospectors sit around a bright campfire. They arrange to meet Deputy Marshall of t homestead Gem, on the evening after the battle against the Indians. Before they confront Marshall, they rummage through the belongings of the fallen. They find a few revolvers, a few pairs of boots and even a precious human scalp. On the other side of the battlefield, Marshall and Bryce fight heroically with pistols blazing. Indian corpse’s lay where they were cut down by this duo. All the Indian’s teepees are splattered with blood and Deputy Marshall continues on in his indigenous blood lust. A fellow deputy observes Marshall and Bryce fighting on the blood soaked field. He reports to Sherriff Dylan of their valiant efforts. A fellow deputy of the homestead Crooked Ridge has betrayed his fellow white brothers. He has his homestead taken away and this traitor is sent to the gallows for this disloyalty. It may have been the heat of the moment but Sheriff Dylan decides that for his effort, Marshall will receive the homestead on Crooked Ridge. Another Deputy goes off to present Deputy Marshall with the good news. To reach Marshall the Deputy has to go through hostile terrain which means he has to face the uncivilized Red Skins. Before the Deputy reaches his goal, Marshall is greeted by the three prospectors. With blood soaked hats that sit on their heads they glorify Marshall by calling him the Deputy of Gem, the Deputy of Crooked Ridge and the Sheriff of the town Infamy. This is confusing to Deputy Marshall because the deputy of Crooked Ridge is still alive fighting alongside his fellow Americans. Deputy Bryce learns of his own fortune and he finds out that he will be lesser then Marshall but his kids will be great leaders.  A chuck wagon drives by and behind it a storm of dust. Once the dust clears the deputy’s realize that there eerie prophets have disappeared. Marshall and Bryce are then approached by the deputy bearing Marshall’s promotion. After receiving the information the deputies’ head to where Sheriff Dylan has made his accommodations. Marshall decides to send a letter to his saloon girl wife. Upon receiving the news of Marshall’s promotion and of the coming true of the prospector’s prophecy, Lady Marshall becomes very ambitious. Lady Marshall aspires for is a bullet to placed in Sheriff Dylan’s head. All the deputies meet at the Sheriff’s tent and discuss who deserves to be the next Sheriff. Overhearing their conversation, Sheriff Dylan proudly announces to his men that his son Monty will be next in line to obtain the Sheriff status. Afterwards, the Sheriff asks Deputy Marshall if he (Sheriff Dylan) can stay in his homestead for a night on his journey to hunt down the Moonsing Kid. When everyone starts to disperse Deputy Marshall heads off by himself on his noble steed. He angrily thinks to himself that he rightfully deserves to be Sheriff. The only thing Sheriff Dylan’s son has gunned down was coyotes trying to steal hens.  Deputy Marshall heads to the nearest post stand to send another message to his beloved wife. It is pitch black outside and the only light he has is that of a lantern that that hangs from his belt. The letter simply tells of Marshall’s predicament and that Sheriff Dylan and his posse will be staying at their (Marshall’s) homestead for an evening. An idea starts to particulate in Lady Marshall’s head. She desires her husband to massacre the sheriff in his sleep so that Marshall can be sheriff. When Marshall first hears of the plot he firmly disagrees with his wife. The main factor why Marshall won’t kill Sheriff Dylan is because he doesn’t want to be a murderer who kills the innocent. Lady Marshall turns on her feminine charms and convinces him otherwise. To be sheriff, Deputy Marshall will not only have to kill just Dylan but also his son Monty. To become sheriff, Marshall will have to become a person he swore to fight against. He will have to become an outlaw!  

Manson And Macbeth

Manson and Macbeth

How did histories most notorious cult leader become connected to Shakespeare’s goriest play? There is one man who put these two things together. That man is director Roman Polanski.

To get a better understanding of Roman Polanski's involvement, you require some information on Charles Manson. Charles Manson was born with no name. It took a few weeks for him to actually be given the name Charles. His mother was a lady of the night so Manson never met his father. To make matters worse his teenage mother spent most of her life in jail. This led young Charles into a life of crime.  At the age of about thirteen he committed crimes such as car theft and armed robbery. After two different prison sentences, Manson appeared in San Francisco in 1967. This was the Summer of Love and Manson planned to take advantage of it. He had a way with the ladies so he used it. His followers were the outcasts of society and the victims of parental abandonment.  Father Manson was the answer to all their prayers. He promised them a family and the belief of free love. In 1968 he moved his alleged family to a dude ranch in Los Angeles called Spahn ranch. This ranch was used for western movie sets and was isolated from preying eyes. This is where Manson set up his cult against the United States.  It is important to mention that Manson was a strong believer in the power of music.  He even started a band, with himself as the lead and his followers as back up. He had many music producers come to observe his band at the ranch.  There was one producer who broke the camel’s back and that man was Terry Melcher. Melcher had no interest in recording one of Charles Manson’s songs. Manson didn’t take to kindly to criticism and he was exhausted of having record producers reject his music. For the time being, Manson had taken it quite well but has time wore on and no one was signing him something changed him. He keyed on to one individual for all his failure and he was destined to find him and seek his revenge. Manson found Melcher’s address and went out to find the tormentor of his soul. To his shock, Melcher had moved in the fear of Manson's wrath.  The new residents had no intention on telling this physcopath were he moved. The lady of the house was the pregnant actress Sharon Tate. The outraged Manson, put his second aspiration into motion instead. He constantly believed that God had chosen him to be the savior of Los Angeles.  His alleged prophecy was to start an apocalyptic in proportion conflict between the black and the whites of the Los Angeles area.  To fulfill his prophecy he would have to murder the innocent, leaving the blacks to be racially blamed. He gave this operation the name “Heleter Skeletor” in the honour of Beatles’ song in their “White Album.” Victims of this operation were mainly couples but the world renowned victims were those who were in the Tate house.  Sharon Tate and four of her companions were stabbed and shot continually until they lay limp in a bloody pulp. Manson never actually committed or even witnessed any of theses murders. They were completed be his faithful followers. It is common information that Manson had marijuana and other drugs at the ranch which he gave to his false sons and daughters. This may have turned their brains into mush but this was not Manson's main weapon he used in convincing people. Charles Mansion was a powerful speaker like Hitler and instead of threats he used words to put his followers into his trance.  He made his Family believe that what they were doing was for the better of the world. Then, how is Roman Polanski related to Charles Manson?

Roman Polanski was away in Europe directing a movie when these incidents occurred. His wife fell victim  to one of the attacks. Roman Polanski was married to Sharon Tate. Polanski rushed home once he received the news.What he witnessed when he came home was something that would make the strongest man ill to his stomach. He came to his beloved home that was now in tatters. There was blood on the curtains and blood in pools on the floor.  With the word pig on the kitchen door written in Sharon Tate’s blood. What may have made this the most painful thing to polanski was knowing that his unborn son would never have a life. All of Polanski’s aspirations were long gone. He had lost everything that mattered in his life. He expressed his feelings in the only way he could, through film. Even when Manson was incarcerated for life (originally death penalty) in 1968, Roman Polanski was still depressed. His first film after the murders was Macbeth. It was a very gruesome movie for that time era.  Manson probably inspired Polanski to create a character who truly was a physcopathic and ambitious war lord. This character was probably fulfilling his quest because that is what a greater being told him to do. Every gruesome scene in that movie was inspired by his wife and his unborn son lying in Sharon’s blood on the floor. That memory is probably what haunts Roman Polanski to this very day.

Conclusion to Taxi Ride

Running Bear lay slumped over in his seat, with blood gushing out of his head.  Mr. Smith sat there with a gleam of rage in his eyes. He didn’t move as if he was paralyzed.  Had I killed both of these men? Then Mr. Smith pulled up his hands to get a good look at them. They were drenched in Running Bear’s blood. That was when I noticed the cracked window. I can only assume that Mr. Smith was fed up with Running Bear’s antics so he decided to get rid of him. Mr. Smith stared at me and sloppily dragged the body outside with him. I tried urgently to phone the police but to no avail. The trees were blocking the signal. With gun in hand (which cabbies are now required to have) I left the taxi to try to find Mr. Smith. I found him hunched over Running Bear’s body near the river. He was mumbling a few words that I could not make out . There was a little flash and then Running Bear burst into flames. In a few seconds he was completely engulfed by is firery foe. Mr. Smith strolled towards me and in a monotone voice told me to get back in the cab. Once we were both in the cab Mr. Smith offered me a proposition. In return for my silence about this event he would give me free gas for a lifetime and money for a new cab. I would have to destroy the evidence which remained of Running Bear. My fantasy was coming true. The rest of the ride was uneventful.  I pulled to a stop outside the motel. As Mr. Smith was getting out of the taxi he hissed one thing “Tell anyone about this and my friends at the oil company will make sure you and your family will be erased from the grid”. With that last warning Mr. Smith disappeared into luxurious motel. I started to wonder if Mr Smith was going to be praised once he returned to work. Why did I care? Then a thought hit me. Maybe I would be better driving in a funeral procession, giving rides to the already dead instead of having passengers die during their ride.

Taxi Ride Part 1 (1 hour)

  The weather is brewing outside and I have a feeling I am in for a dreary night.  My job makes me desire gauging my eyes out with a spoon that has been through the garberator instead. I am a professional transport expert or in layman's terms a cab driver. You may think it is a slack job, sadly you’re mistaken. Having to ask people constantly and repeatedly the same questions over and over again is riding on my last nerve. Where are you from? What do you do for a living? Like a really care. I should get a Hurst and drive corpses around. At least you don’t have to talk to the deceased. If you do you should probably be in the loony bin. Every day it’s the same protocol.  Another day of this torture and I may have to drive this automobile off a pier after lighting it on fire. Sadly I cannot.  My family is very desperate.  I have two adolescent kids at home. The mother of my children works for an exotic dance club to pay off are monstrous bills. To add on top of all this woe, she is expecting. I don’t even know if the kid is mine. Another child means a whole lot more responsibilities.  That is why I cannot quit as much as like to. That is why I have to shuttle scientist to and from their convention on this depressing night.

I arrived and strangely the place is deserted. There is only me and two men under the city's streetlights. One looks like an uptight business man. He is wearing a luxurious black tuxedo along with a silk tie. He was cleanly shaven and you could tell he made an effort to stay that way. The man with him was quite the opposite. He wore a tied dyed shirt with extremely baggy pants. He had beads of every colour within his shaggy mane including some that he placed in his matted beard.  The suit got in but the hippie just sat outside starring into the dark abyss. As his looks insinuated the man that was already in the cab asked the other to join him. The hippie said nothing for a few seconds and then agreed to come with us. Surprisingly, they both were staying in a little motel outside of town in the local woods. The smells of the two men intermingled. I assumed that the suit was giving off the smell of aftershave and what seemed to be perfume. While the other man smelt of earth and pot.  It stung my nose hairs. I finally asked them “what do you gentlemen do for a living?” I puked in my mouth a little. Mr Smith (the man in the suit) answered my question first. He had invented a mighty drill for a major oil company. The drill could locate oil sands and drill in half the time of other drills. Running Bear (the hippie) on the other hand invented a way to reduce oil consumption in half. Mr Smith gave Running Bear a humorous glance.  Running Bear didn’t take to kindly to his fellow passenger’s remark. He re bottled by playing with Mr. Smith's tie and harassing him for being a pansy. Mr Smith's face was starting to change into many shades of red. He angrily asked Running Bear to stop but Running Bears taunt attack only continued. I looked away and turned on the music. After so many years in the cab business, I was getting tired of having to listen to people’s petty problems. All of a sudden there was a deafening crunch and then silence. I stopped the cab and slowly turned around.