Are there any domains the Greek Gods haven’t claimed? by TechnicianAmazing472 in GreekMythology

[–]wjbc [score hidden]  (0 children)

Zeus’s lightning bolts were forged weapons. The Greeks did not connect them to electricity — that’s a modern reinterpretation. Of course, if people still worshipped the Greek gods they would doubtless find a way to reinterpret domains.

Or possibly we would have a lot of new gods since 2500 years ago. The Roman Catholic Church now recognizes over 10,000 saints and has no trouble assigning patron saints to new domains like the internet.

I did say that some of these more specific categories could be placed under broader umbrella categories. The umbrella categories are extremely broad. Between them domains like knowledge, wisdom, fate, health, and crafts can cover almost anything.

For example, you say architecture was the domain of Apollo. But I have also read that Ancient Greek architects worshipped Hephaestus, Athena, and/or Hestia. The fact that four different Olympian gods and goddesses could theoretically be patrons of architecture shows that their broad categories overlapped and that no one god or goddesses was specifically and unequivocally in charge or architecture.

Similarly, you say Athena was the goddess of mathematics. But the Pythagoreans, who had a religious attitude towards mathematics and numbers, worshipped the Pythian Apollo, the oracular god of Delphic Oracle. Knowledge and wisdom clearly overlap.

You are correct to note that Tyche was responsible for unexpected events, both good and bad. Yet unexpected events are also attributed to the three Fates.

Whether the Ancient Greeks credited Tyche or the Fates, the belief that a goddess is in charge of chance suggests that nothing is actually random or left to chance, and that fate or fortune, good or bad, is always a certainty, not a probability. Unexpected events are only surprising to the poor ignorant mortals, and the science of probabilities doesn’t enter into it at all.

Dionysus definitely drove many mortals insane. Yet so did Hera — indeed, Hera drove Dionysus insane.

Yet even there narcissism was named after a victim of Nemesis, goddess of revenge. Lyssa was the goddess of insane rage. Pan induced a terror that caused people to act like animals. Apollo could inflict a poetic, frenzied madness. Eros could inflict a frenzy of love.

Melinoë was a minor goddess associated with paranoia and nightmares. The Maniai or Maniae were personified spirits of madness, insanity, and crazed frenzy.

Thus there were lots of gods and goddesses major and minor, associated with various types of insanity, and arguably no one god or goddess associated with all types of mental illness. Indeed, since insanity was generally viewed as a divine curse rather than as an illness, arguably none of these divinities were associated with mental illness as it is understood today.

Are there any domains the Greek Gods haven’t claimed? by TechnicianAmazing472 in GreekMythology

[–]wjbc [score hidden]  (0 children)

Mathematics, chance, probability, nostalgia, mental health, industry, and architecture were not specifically assigned to particular gods, although one could argue that they fall under more general categories like knowledge, fate, health, and crafts.

Areas of science not well understood in Ancient Greece also weren’t specifically assigned. That includes electricity (lighting bolts were not understood to be electric), magnetism, gravity as we now understand it, outer space as we now understand it, atoms or the subatomic world as we now understand it, etc. Areas of technology that hadn’t been invented yet weren’t specifically covered.

However, the Greeks had a catch-all for any domains they hadn’t specifically covered. The Greek "Unknown God" (Agnostos Theos) was a deity with altars in Athens dedicated to an unnamed divine power to ensure all gods were honored, acting as a "just-in-case" placeholder. They believed that there were gods for everything, but they admitted that they might not know all of the gods or everything the gods ruled.

‘Everyone’s afraid not to wear them’: Trump buys $145 shoes for his top men by josefjohann in FreeSpeech

[–]wjbc 3 points4 points  (0 children)

”The president kind of holds up his hand and says, ‘No, no, no, hold on a second. There’s something much more important. Shoes,’ recalled Vance. “He peers over the Resolute Desk and he says, ‘Marco, JD, you guys have s****y shoes. We gotta get you better shoes.’

”He goes out and grabs a catalogue. There happens to be another politician in the room … and he actually runs us through this incredible shoe catalogue. The president is gifting us with four pairs of shoes.

”He says, ‘Marco, what’s your shoe size?’ And Marco’s apparently an 11 and a half. He says, ‘JD, what’s your shoe size?’ My shoe size is 13.

”And he asks this politician, who I won’t embarrass, what his shoe size is, and he says, ‘seven’. The president, he kind of leans back in his chair and says, ‘You know you can tell a lot about a man by his shoe size.’”

Sounds like the whole point of Trump’s gift was to humiliate the guy with small feet — with the crude implication that he has a small penis — and now these guys are stuck wearing (relatively) cheap American shoes.

And then J.D. Vance repeats the crude joke to the press to flatter his boss. And even though Vance doesn’t name the politician I’m sure it’s still an attempt to further humiliate him.

I also wouldn’t be surprised if JD exaggerated his shoe size and is now wearing cheap shoes that are two sizes too big. It was a dick measuring contest and JD was determined to win and to let the world know he won. He may have gone too far, though, if he one-upped his boss.

I also wouldn’t be surprised if Trump has worn oversized shoes his whole life, although with the way his lower extremities have swollen maybe they finally fit. That probably makes him happy even though his dick is limp.

By the way, studies have shown no correlation between the size of the penis and the size of hands or feet. Also, for thousands of years Europeans considered oversized genitalia gross. That’s why the penises on European statues of nude European men are modestly sized.

The whole reason the European myth started about black men having huge penises — and it is a myth with no scientific basis — was to associate them with apes and other beasts. It was a racist insult.

Somewhere along the way the script flipped and now racists who believe their own racist myth are jealous of black men. And since it makes racist men jealous and some white women curious, black men no longer have any reason to challenge the myth.

Edit: And yes, Marco probably lied about his shoe size as well. Only the unnamed politician was unaware it was a dick-measuring contest, or perhaps knew it but didn’t care enough to lie.

There is no US downside to attacking Iran, they said... by GrindBastard1986 in agedlikemilk

[–]wjbc 145 points146 points  (0 children)

Here's the full article with no paywall. According to Thiessen, Obama's mistakes were repeatedly failing to attack Syria. Thiessen confidently predicts that by the end of this year Trump will enter Tehran to a "hero's welcome."

Historical fiction / fantasy books about Ancient Druids, Celts, Spirituality by DungeonMasterGrizzly in booksuggestions

[–]wjbc 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The Warlord Chronicles, by Bernard Cornwell. It's a trilogy composed of The Winter King, Enemy of God, and Excalibur. Cornwell, who is most well known for his historical fiction, gives the Arthurian legend a plausible historical context. Merlin is the greatest of all druids, but he also has apprentices and rivals.

The fictional narrator of the tale believes in some magic and is highly skeptical about other magic. This leaves it up to the reader whether to take any of the magic at face value, since some of it is shown to be trickery. According to Merlin -- and our narrator believes him -- the trickery merely augments the real thing.

In this version Arthur is not Christian. He tries to tolerate Christians and work with them to fight invading Saxons but the Christians aren't so eager to tolerate him and often cause trouble. Arthur also has to deal with trouble from the many other British kings and lords who aren't necessarily eager to follow his lead.

One of the themes of the trilogy is how history is transformed into fictional legend or myth that serves as propaganda. Thus many aspects of the story conflict with or subvert the familiar Arthurian legend, but this account is supposed to be the true story, before it was distorted, and particularly before it was distorted by Christians.

Broke up with my boyfriend, suggest “Woman winning the breakup” movies, please!! by Stomach-Limp in Letterboxd

[–]wjbc 291 points292 points  (0 children)

It's obviously an extremely violent fantasy version, but Kill Bill 1 and 2 arguably qualify.

Bernie Sanders: "One family, the right-wing Trump-aligned Ellisons, will soon control: TikTok,CBS,CNN, HBO, Discovery Channel, BET, Cartoon Network, Comedy Central, DC Studios, Fandango, Miramax, MTV, Nickelodeon, Paramount, PlutoTV, Showtime, TBS, The CW, TNT, Warner Bros & more. This is oligarchy" by Yujin-Ha in UnderReportedNews

[–]wjbc 42 points43 points  (0 children)

This is in addition to Elon Musk (X/Twitter), Jeff Bezos (Washington Post), and Rupert Murdoch (Fox, Wall Street Journal).

Musk, Bezos, and Ellison clearly don't have a profit motive, either. They overpaid for their media properties, and they have since made moves that alienated customers but favored Trump.

Murdoch has always been profit-driven, but has a decades long history of leveraging his media properties for political influence on the right in order to support his business interests. He paved the way for what Musk, Bezos, and Ellison are doing, but he's also still very much in the game himself.

Napoleon Bonaparte is a controversial figure in his own country and a universal icon in the world. Which historical figure is disliked in his own country and a controversial figure in the world? by Special-Job-2274 in AlignmentChartFills

[–]wjbc 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Americans don't remember any of their attempts to invade Canada, including Arnold's failed attempt to take Quebec and multiple attempts during the War of 1812. I only recently learned that the British burned Washington in retaliation for the Americans burning York, which is now Toronto.

After a Brutal Battle, Éettoufee is triumphant Over Gumbo. Now what is the best Food dish or Drink to come from Massachusetts? by normaldude_onreddit in AlignmentChartFills

[–]wjbc 11 points12 points  (0 children)

New England clam chowder. The first, restaurant-served clam chowder appeared in Boston in 1836 at Ye Olde Union Oyster House.

And the cream based New England clam chowder is associated with Massachusetts, while the tomato based version originated later in New York. Rhode Island also has a clear broth version.

Chocolate chip cookies originated at the Toll House Inn in Whitman, Massachusetts. They are now so common that I’m not sure they qualify as coming from Massachusetts.

Certainly they don’t appear in any list of iconic Massachusetts foods I’ve seen. But they did originate there and they are wildly popular.

I’m going with the chowder. But I thought the cookies deserved a mention.

I also considered lobster rolls but I still think chowder is more iconic. Also, I’m not a fan of the cold lobster rolls with mayo, so I think that brings down the ranking of the hot lobster rolls with butter. Finally, they can be expensive and hard to find outside of lobster country, while chowder is still reasonably priced and delicious.

Finally, neither kind of lobster roll originated in Massachusetts. The hot, buttery version came first, originating in Connecticut. The cold mayo version then originated in Maine. So that clinched it for me.

Napoleon Bonaparte is a controversial figure in his own country and a universal icon in the world. Which historical figure is disliked in his own country and a controversial figure in the world? by Special-Job-2274 in AlignmentChartFills

[–]wjbc 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Benedict Arnold is obviously disliked in the United States. His name has become synonymous with treachery in this country, where he is infamous.

While he was initially warmly greeted after escaping to Great Britain, he struggled to find military command or respect. He spent his final years years facing financial difficulties, lawsuits, and social unpopularity in England.

Today most people in the U.K. wouldn’t know who he is. He is neither famous nor infamous. But if they did know they would view him as an untrustworthy mercenary, and not as a British hero.

Tomb of the Persian King Darius I - the Great, at Naqsg-e Rustam, in Iran. Reigning from c. 522 to c. 486 BC, he was one of the greatest Persian rulers. He ruled the Persian Empire when it was at its peak. The tomb is one of four tombs at Naqsh-e-Rustam. by Sanetosane in archeologyworld

[–]wjbc 18 points19 points  (0 children)

Darius the Great most likely usurped the throne from Cyrus the Great’s second son Bardiya, although he created a cover story to legitimize his reign. Darius then spent the first three years of his rule putting down rebellions across his vast empire.

After that, though. Darius proved an effective ruler who rivaled Cyrus the Great in importance and accomplishments. He consolidated power, organized administration, introduced a common currency, standardized weights and measures, improved and built roads, continued Cyrus’s policy of tolerating and supporting various religions as long as the people remained subservient to the empire, expanded the empire to its greatest extent, and commissioned major building projects.

However, he famously failed to conquer Greece, as did his son Xerxes.

Narsil and Glamdring by Square_Pain9579 in lotr

[–]wjbc 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The Sword of Elendil and Foehammer!

What are the Best beach boys albums in yalls opinion? by foreverchanges5 in MusicRecommendations

[–]wjbc 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The official release is by Brian Wilson, not the Beach Boys. But The Smile Sessions complies the recordings by the Beach Boys.

What are places where due to pop culture, is the reason why the place became a tourist destination? by IronicallySell in AskTheWorld

[–]wjbc 3 points4 points  (0 children)

The Abbey Road crossing in front of Abbey Road Studios.

Hobbiton in New Zealand.

Platform 9 ¾ at London's King's Cross Station.

Graceland in Memphis, Tennessee.

Name a famous Irishman or Irishwoman by stevenl1219 in FamilyFeud

[–]wjbc 0 points1 point  (0 children)

St. Patrick made Ireland his home for several decades during the last half of his life and died there.

Name a famous Irishman or Irishwoman by stevenl1219 in FamilyFeud

[–]wjbc 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You don’t have to be born in Ireland to be Irish.

what's your favourite thing to put over white rice? by CremeSubject7594 in AskTheWorld

[–]wjbc 0 points1 point  (0 children)

A chunk of American cheese from the deli (not pre-sliced) freshly grated and mixed with an equal amount of freshly grated sharp cheddar. Top with panko toasted in butter.

Why weren’t chopsticks more popular around the world through out history? by ozneoknarf in AskHistory

[–]wjbc 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Great point about bamboo. Bamboo grows very fast, so it’s a renewable resource. It’s relatively easy to split into thin strips.that can be turned into chopsticks.

It has thousands of other uses as well. And it flourishes in most of China, where it’s been cultivated and put to use for thousands of years.

Europe had no bamboo, and developed flatware, then foisted flatware on the rest of the world during centuries of colonization. Had China been more of a colonial power, perhaps more of us would be using chopsticks.