History of Taranto military help because of the wars that they were having with their neighbours. Also, Thurii, which was located on the Gulf of Taranto and under Tarentine rule, asked Rome for help in 282 BC, after being attacked by Lucanians. This situation inevitably led to a conflict between Taranto and Rome, since Taranto felt Rome was interfering in the affairs of the Greek colonies in southern Italy, which the Tarentines considered under their dominion. Two political parties were present at the time within Taranto. The democrats, led by Philocharis or Ainesias, were dominant; they were against Rome, because they knew that
The Boy with a Thorn in His Side maintained a monotonous diet of Spam sandwiches and raw carrots. Gertrude is simply and totally paranoid about everything. But they both pressure Billy continuely to leave home and get a job. This constant friction forces Billy to decide once and for all if he will change his ways. "Microfilmmaker Magazine" wrote that this was an interesting story, in that it could apply to many different person's lives. They offered that "Alec Sedgley did a good job at portraying the rather lazy and childish Billy", due to his seeming to personally understand the problems and frustrations faced by a young adult.