A Ton of Crap (24 page)

The Roman Kingdom
The Roman Kingdom lasted from 753 to 509 b.c. Rome was established as a village on the Tiber River and was ruled by seven kings (with Romulus as the first), who were elected by the village to serve for life. According to legend, Romulus’s followers were mostly men from all classes, including slaves, and the shortage of women brought about the abduction of women from the neighboring tribe, the Sabines. The Kingdom of Rome expanded to 350 square miles at this time. Most notably, a Senate of 100 men was created to act as an advisory council to the king.

SPEAKING

The Voice
To create your voice, air is blown from the lungs against the loosely closed vocal folds. As the air pushes through the small space between the vocal folds, it covers the vocal folds. The air then passes through a constriction and speeds up, creating suction. The suction draws part of the vocal folds in toward the center, and they are then pushed by more air from the lungs. This repeated movement is known as the mucosal wave, and its regularity is essential to the production of your voice.

DECIMALS

Addition and Subtraction with Decimals
When adding decimals, it is important to line the decimals up. The numbers are then added in their respective rows starting from the right, and the decimal is carried over. So for example:

and

When subtracting decimals with multiple places, be sure to add zeros to the number with less digits. For example:

can also appear as

Now it appears as any other subtraction problem.

REPRODUCTION

Gametes
There are two types of gametes, or sex cells, involved in human reproduction. The male gamete is called the sperm and the female gamete is called the ovum, or egg. The gametes are produced in organs called gonads. In the male, the sperm is produced in the testes, and in the female, the ovum is produced in the ovaries. Each gamete carries twenty-three chromosomes. The ovum carries only an X chromosome, and the sperm can carry either an X or a Y chromosome. During sexual intercourse, the gametes come together in fertilization. If both have an X chromosome, the zygote will grow to become a female. If the sperm has a Y chromosome, it will become a male.

GREEK

Classical Greek
Classical Greek, or Ancient Greek, was widely spoken throughout the Roman Empire, and it is the language found in the works of Homer and all of the famous Athenian philosophers. There were three distinctive forms and dialects of the language based on the different tribes and their locations: Dorian (the coast of Peloponnesus), Aeolian (the Aegean islands), and Ionian (the west coast of Asia Minor).

ROME

The Roman Republic
After the last king, Tarquin the Proud, was overthrown, a republican system based on elected magistrates was put into effect, and along with the Senate, there was a new focus on separation of powers and a system of checks and balances. The Roman Republic lasted from 500 to 30 b.c. During this time, Rome expanded throughout the Mediterranean and into North Africa, Greece, and the Iberian Peninsula. Toward the end of this time period, one of the most famous rulers, Julius Caesar, came to power and attempted to become a dictator of Rome.

SPEAKING

Volume
The volume of a voice is a result of the pressure of the air that is blown past the vocal folds. The higher the amount of air, the higher the pressure will be and the louder the volume. The vocal cords must tense up to create such pressure and people who suffer from vocal fold paralysis are unable to raise the volume of their voice because they lack this pressure.

DECIMALS