Having a Good Time in the City-States of Early Greece

The city-states of early Greece are generally considered together as one of the first great civilizations. This doesn’t mean they weren’t up for a little fun.

Having a Good Time in the City-States of Early Greece

People in Greece had a remarkable veneration for their gods and goddesses. As a result, most of the early group activities focused on the deities and, in particular, praising them. This was accomplished through a bevy of religious festivals held throughout the year. In truth, there is a bit of a question as to whether these festivals were more for political aims than fun and worship. Given this fact, we will leave it at that.

Sports played a large role in the city-states. To this end, the modern Olympics were founded during the time. Any real comparison, however, ends there. Unlike modern times, the ancient Olympics were mostly about showing up and/or killing rivals as political statements. The battles and events often replaced war between two city-states and it was not uncommon for the loser to die in his efforts. While we hold the modern Olympics as two separate events, summer and winter, the city-states called for four different Olympics each and every year. No, they did not hand out gold medals and certainly not bronze medals.

One area of the popular activities of the city-states that lives on today can be seen in most major cities. In this case, we are talking about street artists. In the city-states of ancient Greece, it was popular to come upon street poets and singers of all variety and ability. This form of artistry was translated to the future through bards and on to street mimes and such. If you visit Europe today, you can still find street artists in many cities with Venice, Vienna, and Paris having a vast array of talented people plying their trade.

In ancient Greece, the public performers served a unique function when compared to modern street artists. The Greek public entertainers were itinerant artists traveling from one place to another. This made them an excellent resource for news from far away locations. Keep in mind there was no Internet or newspapers during those times. In there stead, traveling street artists delivered the news even if it was a little out of date – and you thought dial up was slow!

Having a good time in the city-states of Greece was both mild in the form of street artists and vicious in the form of the Olympics. Nonetheless, it is interesting that many these events and practices have survived to these modern times, some 2,500 years later.

Bingo History: Story of the Game Bingo

The origins of contemporary bingo go back to 16th century Italy, where the lottery game Lo Giuoco del Lotto dItalia was introduced. The popular chance game was introduced to North America in the late 1920s by the name of Beano. A toy salesperson of New York was responsible for changing the name of the game into Bingo and to the increase of its popularity throughout the US.

In the late 18th century, the original Italian lotto game made its way to France. Historical evidence shows that a game called Le Lotto was popular among the French high society who used to play the game in parties and social gatherings.

Le Lotto used to be played with special cards that were divided into three rows and nine columns. Each of the three columns consists of 10 numbers, while each column had five random number and four blank spaces in it. Each player had a different lotto card where he used to mark the number announced by the caller. The first player to cover one row won the game.

By the 19th century, the lotto game spread around Europe and started to serve as a didactic childrens game. In the 1850s, several educational lotto games had entered the German toys market. The lotto games purpose was to teach children how to spell words, how to multiply numbers, etc.

By 1920s, a similar version to the lotto game, known as beano was popular at county fairs throughout the US. In beano, the players placed beans on their cards to mark the called out number. The first player who completed a full row on his card, used to yell out Beano!, until one night in December 1929, when a New Yorker toys salesperson by the name of Edwin S. Lowe visited a country fair outside Jacksonville, Georgia.

On his way back to New York, Lowe had purchased beano equipment including dried beans, a rubber numbering stamp and cardboard. At his New York home, Lowe has been hosting friendly beano games. During one game, one excited winner who had managed to complete a full row stuttered out Bingo, instead of Beano. Listening to the excited stuttering girl, Edwin S. Lowe thoughts went away. Lowe decided to develop a new game that would be called Bingo.

While Lowe’s Bingo game was making its first steps in the market, a Pennsylvanian priest asked Lowe to use the game for charity purpose. After a short tryout period, the priest had found out that the bingo game causes the churches to lose money. Since the variety of bingo cards was limited, each bingo game ended up in more than five winners.

In order to develop the game and to lower the probabilities of winning, Lowe approached Prof. Carl Leffler, a mathematician from Columbia University. Leffler was asked to create bigger variety of bingo cards that each of them will have unique combination of numbers. By 1930, Lowe had 6,000 bingo cards and Prof. Leffler went insane.

Since then, the popularity of the bingo game as a fundraiser continued to grow. In less than five years, about 10,000 weekly bingo games took place throughout North America. Lowe’s company grew to employ several thousands of employees and to occupy more than 60 presses 24 hours a day.

Now, bingo is one of the most popular chance games in the world. It is played in churches, schools, local bingo halls and land based casinos in the US, the UK, Australia, New Zealand and other parts of the world.

BBC Banned Music: Top Singles Banned By the BBC

The British Broadcasting Corporation also known as the BBC is a public broadcasting corporation. Therefore, it allows itself to ban materials that deviate from certain standards of civility. During the years, many singles that were seen as too explicit, distasteful or bear the potential for offending the British public were banned from BBC airplay. Here you can read about some of them.


In 1977, when England was celebrating the Queens Jubilee, the Sex Pistols had released their second single titled God Save the Queen. The single includes controversial lyrics that rhyme the national anthem title with fascist regime. Moreover, the record cover displayed a picture of the Queen with a safety pin stuck in her nose.

The single was found to offensive to be air played by the BBC, but it did not stop it from reaching number two on the BBC official singles chart. According to the myth, God Save the Queen was the top selling single in the UK at the time, but it was held back of number one to avoid controversies.

Serge Gainsbourg and Jane Birkin scandalous duet Je TAime ... Moi Non Plus, translated: I love you... me neither, was the first ever number one hit to be banned by the BBC. Although at the time of its release, in 1969, the sexual revolution was celebrated, the British radio still was not able to cope with such explicit lyrics, not to mention Birkins moans and groans.

The BBC ban and The Vatican denounce, did not stop Je TAime ... Moi Non Plus from being a top selling single in the UK and worldwide. In October 7, 1969, the single reached number one in the BBC official singles chart. At the same time, it had reached number 69 at the US singles chart.

Je TAime ... Moi Non Plus was a major influence on another BBC banned single, Donna Summers disco pioneer from 1976 titled Love to Love You Baby. After counting 23 faked orgasms performed by Summer in Love to Love You Baby, the British Broadcasting Corporation banned the song. However, it did not stop it from becoming a massive hit. Love to Love You Baby reached number four on the UK single charts but peaked to number two on the Billboard pop chart.

Relax by Frankie Goes to Hollywood is one of the most controversial singles as well as commercially successful singles in history. The BBC did not only ban the song it also did not stop BBC Radio 1 DJ Mike Read to publicly express his feelings of disgust from the single's explicit lyrics. In 1984, Relax stayed in the UK singles charts for 42 weeks. In five of them, it stayed in number one. By the end of 1984, embarrassed Auntie Beeb removed the ban. Relax is still very popular worldwide and it is one of the most recognized symbols of the era. The arguments on whether it gained such a huge success despite the BBC ban or the BBC ban helped promoting it have not been settled yet.

Paul McCartney and the Wings response to the 1972 Bloody Sunday events titled Give Ireland Back to the Irish, was banned by every media resource in the UK. It was forbidden from being broadcast by the BBC, Radio Luxembourg and the Independent Television Authority. In addition, the song title was not allowed to be pronounced on the air, so when it arrived to the BBC Radio 1 chart show it was presented as a record by the group Wings. However, Give Ireland Back to the Irish hit the top of the Irish singles charts.

Algarve Portugal, The South's Delight

Algarve or as it was baptized by the Arabs as Al Gharb meaning 'to the west', is the most southern province of the eleven that Portugal has been divided into. Its variety in terrain which starts at the small town of Odeceixe on the west coast, nicely tucked into the Espinhaco do Cao mountain range bordering the coast and the brave Atlantic Ocean to the west. Its shoreline runs down through Aljezur, symbolic in the Portuguese history thanks to its castle which is one of the seven that appear on the flag of Portugal. Still enjoying the different shades that the fertile valleys offer, you continue along the shoreline to Alfambra, a walled in city and well-known as a fishing village and tourist attraction. To the most western tip is the Cape of Saint Vicent and to the town of Sagres where Henry the Navegator first started his navigation school. At this point, you have come to the come into contact with the most attractive Algarve beaches. Long soft sandy stretches which enclose secret coves at the beginning where the outline of the coast is extremely flat around the towns of Lagos but after the city of Albufeira it turns into cliffs. Not leaving the hypnotizing view of the Atlantic, your car hire seems to know the route and continues on to Faro, the capital of this area after having taken this title away from the city of Silves in 1577. Here in Faro you have the main gateway into this southern region when arriving at this well-prepared international airport for your holiday stay. But there is still more beach towns like Tavira, a very historic medieval town and Castro Marim another city surrounded by a protective wall. From here, the journey northward following the Guadiana River, which is the natural border between Spain and Portugal.

Saved by its Ancestors

The Algarve region has seen all the cultures beginning with the Lusitanians, Celtics, Romans and Arabs who were forced out of Faro in 1249 by Sancho II. But thanks to the combination of all these people, especially the Arabs, the Algarve province ( http://www.lisbon-and-portugal.com/algarve/algarve-portugal.html ) now has a strong production of olive trees which produce rich olive oil, figs and almonds. It is said that the almond trees were a gift from a Moorish sultan who was in love with a Nordic princess. She dearly missed the snow covered ground in winter and what most resembled that were the almond trees in full bloom in the spring. From this, the Algarve makes a rich dessert from almonds, figs, eggs and sugar called 'morgados'. And thanks to the dry weather, pears, tomatoes, melons and grapes are among the delicious fruits available year round.

Algarve Wine, A Sweet Caress for Your Lips

Grapes in Portugal are synonymous to wine, and Algarve has quite a variety. The exportation of wine from this region started under the Muslim domain and reached its climax in the 14th and 15th centuries. Lagos, Portimao and Tavira are the principal wine producers.

+ The Algar Dry from Lagos is a dry wine, served very cold for appetizers. The dry and sweet moscatel wines are aged in oak barrels for at least seven years and have about 18% alcohol content.

+ Alfonso III is another dry wine from Lagos and also served very cold.

+ Cruz de Portugal is a smooth red wine which should be served at room temperature for dessert.

+ From Tavira you have Licoroso de Tavira which is very sweet and dark in colour, served at room temperature.

+ Medronho is a type of liquer very well known all over the Algarve region and usually found in the typical 'tascas' or taverns and served in glasses from Oporto.

Cute places to see around Portugal

Between Tavira and Castro Marim, one can easily manage a nice beach day in Monte Gordo and a leisurley stroll through the Natural Reserve Park to appreciate the marvellous view of pink flamengos and long-legged storks soaring in and out of sight. For golf lovers, near Albufeira and hidden among pine trees and the shore you will find Villamoura with its campestral fields for playing a relaxing game of golf. Wherever you go in this region, be it on the coast or deep in the forest area, there are all kinds of hotels with great facilities for your stay in Algarve or the capital of Portugal, Lisbon.