Monday, January 26, 2026
CNN--top border control enforcer slated to leave--Minneapolis--Trump sending "border tsar" Homan
https://www.cnn.com/us/live-news/minneapolis-shooting-ice-protests-01-26-26
Probably Homan's present will mean more trouble if he flexes his muscles.
DJT should not have sent in National Guard etc and insignia-less masked ICE recruits into US cities like LA, Chicago, DC.
They're there just to strong-arm and provoke.
CNN is now producing a Spanish version for posts like this.
Click on the top of the link.
Slick Trump postmark rules--"Christmas present"
https://www.aol.com/finance/trump-administration-changed-postmark-rules-131500597.html
On Christmas Eve, the Trump administration quietly changed the rules that formally define what a postmark is and when it is applied (1). Under the new rule, the official postmark date reflects the first date the mail was automatically processed, not the date it was dropped in a mailbox. (2)
While this may seem like a small change, it could have a significant impact on important documents that rely on the mailing process, such as tax payments, voting ballots, or bills. Previously, whenever you mailed a letter, you could trust that the post office would give it an official date stamp reflecting the day the piece of mail was received.
General Hospital in Rangoon, where my sister in law, Daisy, helped me give birth to all three of my children.
Thank you. All three times over 15 years she was assisted by a young man--the last time I bled quite a bit and I could hear them panicking, but the bleeding stopped.
The big name gynecologists never showed up but took all the presents.
https://ull.caingram.info/Myanmar/Htm/general_hospital.htm
One made a major mistake,leaving a pair of scissors inside my friend's womb. She died.
*
Sunday, January 25, 2026
Wow--cyanide was tested on his dog--
By 27 April, Berlin's communication had been all but cut off from the rest of Germany. Secure radio contact with defending units had been lost; the command staff in the Führerbunker had to depend on telephone lines for passing instructions and orders, and on public radio for news and information.[27] On 28 April, Hitler received a BBC report originating from Reuters: it stated that Reichsführer-SS Heinrich Himmler had offered to surrender to the western Allies. The offer was declined. Himmler had implied to the Allies that he had the authority to negotiate a surrender, which Hitler considered to be treason. That afternoon, Hitler's anger and bitterness escalated into a rage against Himmler.[28] He ordered Himmler's arrest and had SS-Gruppenführer Hermann Fegelein (Himmler's SS representative at Hitler's headquarters) shot for desertion.[29]
By this time, the Red Army had advanced to the Potsdamer Platz, roughly a kilometre away from the bunker, and all indications were that they were preparing to storm the Reich Chancellery. This report and Himmler's betrayal prompted Hitler to make the last decisions of his life.[30] Shortly after midnight on 29 April,[31][32] he married Eva Braun in a small civil ceremony in a map room within the Führerbunker. The two then hosted a modest wedding breakfast, after which Hitler took his secretary Traudl Junge to another room and dictated his last will and testament. It left instructions to be carried out immediately following his death, with Grand Admiral Karl Dönitz and Joseph Goebbels assuming Hitler's roles as head of state and chancellor, respectively.[33] Hitler signed these documents at 04:00 and then went to bed. Some sources say that he dictated the last will and testament immediately before the wedding, but all agree on the timing of the signing.[o][p]
Eva Braun and Hitler at Berchtesgaden (with Hitler's dog Blondi at right), June 1942
On the afternoon of 29 April, Hitler learned that his ally, Benito Mussolini, had been summarily executed by Italian partisans. The bodies of Mussolini and his mistress, Clara Petacci, had been strung up by their heels. The corpses were later cut down and thrown into the gutter, where they were mocked by Italian dissidents. These events may have strengthened Hitler's resolve not to allow himself or his wife to be made a "spectacle" of, as he had earlier recorded in his testament.[34][q] Hitler had been given some capsules of prussic acid by Himmler through SS physician Ludwig Stumpfegger, and initially had intended to use them for his suicide. When he received the news that Himmler had contacted the Allies through a Swedish diplomat to arrange for an end to the war, Hitler was outraged. With this betrayal in his mind, Hitler began to doubt whether the ampoules would be effective. He ordered Haase to test one on his dog Blondi. The capsule worked – the dog died instantly.[35]
Hitler--contd--Interesting, as they say--
Preceding events
See also: Operation Bagration
Schematic diagram of the Führerbunker
By early 1945, Nazi Germany was on the verge of total military collapse. Poland had fallen to the advancing Soviet Red Army, which was preparing to cross the Oder between Küstrin and Frankfurt-an-der-Oder with the objective of capturing Berlin 82 kilometres (51 mi) to the west.[12] German forces had recently lost to the Allies in the Ardennes Offensive, with British and Canadian forces crossing the Rhine into the German industrial heartland of the Ruhr.[13] US forces in the south had captured Lorraine and were advancing towards Mainz, Mannheim, and the Rhine.[13] German forces in Italy were withdrawing north, as they were pressed by United States and Commonwealth forces as part of the Spring Offensive to advance across the Po and into the foothills of the Alps.[14]
Hitler retreated to the Führerbunker in Berlin on 16 January 1945. It was clear to the Nazi leadership that the Battle of Berlin would be the final battle of the war in Europe.[15] Some 325,000 soldiers of Germany's Army Group B were surrounded and captured in the Ruhr Pocket on 18 April, leaving the path open for US forces to reach Berlin. By 11 April, the Americans crossed the Elbe, 100 kilometres (62 mi) to the west of the city.[16] On 16 April, Soviet forces to the east crossed the Oder and commenced the battle for the Seelow Heights, the last major defensive line protecting Berlin on that side.[17] By 19 April, the Germans were in full retreat from the Seelow Heights, leaving no front line. Berlin was bombarded by Soviet artillery for the first time on 20 April, Hitler's birthday. By the evening of 21 April, Red Army tanks reached the outskirts of the city.[18]
On 21 April, Hitler ordered a special detachment commanded by SS-Obergruppenführer Felix Steiner to counterattack the Soviets. At the next day's afternoon situation conference, Hitler suffered a nervous collapse when he was informed that these orders had not been obeyed.[19] He launched into a tirade against his generals, calling them treacherous and incompetent, culminating in a declaration – for the first time – that the war was lost. Hitler announced that he would stay in Berlin until the end and then shoot himself.[20] Later that day, he asked SS physician Werner Haase about the most reliable method of suicide. Haase suggested the "pistol-and-poison method" of combining a dose of cyanide with a gunshot to the head.[21] Luftwaffe chief Reichsmarschall Hermann Göring learned about Hitler's admission of defeat and declaration of his intended suicide and sent a telegram to Hitler, asking for permission to take over the leadership of the Reich in accordance with Hitler's 1941 decree naming him as his successor.[22]
Hitler's secretary Martin Bormann convinced Hitler that the letter from Göring was an attempt to overthrow the dictator.[23] In response, Hitler informed Göring that he would be executed unless he resigned all of his posts. Later that day, he sacked Göring from all of his offices and ordered his arrest.[24] Hitler also ordered his chief aide and adjutant, Julius Schaub, to destroy safeguarded documents and his personal train.[25][26]
From wiki below--
For the book, see The Death of Adolf Hitler. For the television episode, see The Death of Adolf Hitler (ITV Sunday Night Theatre).
Death of Adolf HitlerNewspaper cover with the title "Hitler Dead"
Front page of the US Armed Forces newspaper Stars and Stripes on 2 May 1945
Map
Wikimedia | © OpenStreetMap
Date 30 April 1945
Time c. 15:30–15:50 (CEST, GMT+2)
Location Führerbunker, Berlin, Germany
Coordinates 52°30′45″N 13°22′52″E
Cause Suicide by gunshot This article is part of a series about Adolf Hitler Personal Rise to power Führer of Germany World War II Anschluss Occupation of Czechoslovakia Western Front Eastern Front Assassination attempts Death alleged doubles conspiracy theories last will and testament Crimes against humanity Electoral campaigns Works Legacy Adolf Hitler's signature Personal standard of Adolf Hitler vte Adolf Hitler, chancellor and dictator of Germany during the Nazi era from 1933 to 1945, committed suicide by gunshot to the head[a][b] on 30 April 1945 in the Führerbunker in Berlin after it became clear that Germany would be defeated during the Battle of Berlin, which led to the end of World War II in Europe. His longtime companion and wife of one day, Eva Braun, committed suicide with him, by cyanide poisoning.[c] In accordance with Hitler's prior written and verbal instructions, that afternoon their remains were carried up the stairs and through the bunker's emergency exit to the Reich Chancellery garden, where they were doused in petrol and burned.[1][2] The news of Hitler's death was announced on German radio the next day, 1 May.[3] Eyewitnesses who saw Hitler's body immediately after his suicide testified that he died from a self-inflicted gunshot, presumably to the temple.[d][e][f] Otto Günsche, Hitler's personal adjutant, who handled both bodies, testified that while Braun's smelled strongly of burnt almonds – an indication of cyanide poisoning – there was no such odour about Hitler's body, which smelled of gunpowder.[4] Dental remains found in the Chancellery garden were matched with Hitler's dental records in May 1945[5][6][g] and are the only portion of Hitler's body confirmed to have been found.
Federal Judge Kennelly extends deportation proceedings for 3,670 Burmese nationals living in US. From NYT complete copy and paste..
Federal Judge Extends Deportation Protections for Burmese Migrants
The ruling represents another setback in the Trump administration’s mass deportation campaign.
Listen to this article · 2:24 min Learn more
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/23/us/politics/burmese-migrants-tps-deportation.html
Kristi Noem speaks in front of microphones with her hand raised, wearing a light blue overcoat.
A federal judge wrote an opinion hat there was significant evidence that Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s decision to end Temporary Protected Status for Burmese immigrants was arbitrary and capricious.Credit...Kenny Holston/The New York Times
Chris Cameron
By Chris Cameron
Reporting from Washington
Jan. 23, 2026
A federal judge in Illinois blocked the Trump administration from ending deportation protections for about 3,670 Burmese nationals living in the United States, a setback to President Trump’s mass deportation campaign and effort to curtail a program for hundreds of thousands of migrants fleeing crisis at home.
Judge Matthew F. Kennelly of the U.S. District Court in Northern Illinois wrote in a 57- page opinion that there was significant evidence that Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s decision to end Temporary Protected Status for Burmese immigrants was arbitrary and capricious.
He wrote that the decision did not properly consider conditions in Myanmar, also known as Burma, a Southeast Asian country that is suffering a yearslong civil war. In more than four years, tens of thousands of people have been killed and millions more have been displaced.
Judge Kennelly ruled that there was significant evidence that Noem’s decision to end the protections was predetermined, based on the goal of administration officials to eliminate Temporary Protected Status for all immigrants, regardless of the circumstances in their countries.
He said that even as Ms. Noem justified the termination, asserting that circumstances in Burma had improved enough that deportations could proceed, other Trump administration officials reported “violence against civilians including airstrikes, shelling, and razing of villages, human trafficking, and dire humanitarian need” amid what has been a brutal conflict driven in part by ethnic tensions.
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“Secretary Noem has, since her confirmation, terminated T.P.S. for each and every country that has been eligible for redesignation,” Judge Kennelly wrote. He said it is more likely that T.P.S. was terminated “to effectuate the secretary’s broader goal of curtailing immigration and eliminating T.P.S. generally, not on her evaluation of changed conditions in Burma.”
The Biden administration first designated Burmese nationals as eligible in 2021 for the program, which allows them to live and work in the United States without risk of deportation, in the aftermath of a military coup that sparked the civil war. The designation was set to expire on Jan. 26.
Chris Cameron is a Times reporter covering Washington, focusing on breaking news and the Trump administration.
See more on: U.S. Politics, Kristi Noem, Donald Trump
From WAPO--what trump admin says--
The Trump administration issued another warning to European allies that the United States would be pulling back its forces from parts of the globe to prioritize its own interests and defense of the Western Hemisphere.
After a year of saying that an “America First” foreign policy will require Europe to step up its own defense, the Pentagon enshrined that threat in official doctrine.
The 2026 National Defense Strategy, released late Friday, is one of several guiding documents that the military uses to plan and shape its forces around the globe to meet its civilian leaders’ strategic priorities.
Federal agents secured gun from ICE victim BEFORE he was shot.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/2026/01/25/minneapolis-shooting-video-gun/
Alex Pretti was an ICU nurse attempting to help someone.
INQUIRY, INQUIRY.
Katee Robert's Neon Gods retells the love story of Persephone and Hades in a modern context.
Warning, explicit sex scenes.
But plot quite accurate--which I did not expect it to be.
I am happy today as I managed to submit 5 paintings for a painting prize--the prizes are quite good and the winners of 3 prizes will get
their paintings hung at a nice gallery.
Saturday, January 24, 2026
An excellent, excellent movie--The Burial--On a par with Mississippi Burniing--
You can see it on Amazon Prime--based on a real life case and the original story in the New Yorker.
Court scenes--the funeral monopoly that screwed all the poor people has to pay up.
The star Black Lawyer never loses.
Staring Jamie Fox and Tommy Lee Jones--also produced by Jamie Fox--audience rating 5 out of 5 stars.
If you believe in the court system and the rule of law, and everyone's right to be heard, you will like this.
Also like To Kill a Mocking Bird and A Man for All Seasons.
Oh, and a famous essay called The American Way of Death--which I read in my eldest son's English text book in college in America.
KyiMay Kaung
1-23-2026
Friday, January 23, 2026
Renee Fleming sings O Mio Babbino Caro--(In Honor of My Father--Sithu U Kaung--who died this month of injuries from a car accident in Calcutta in the 1950s)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2YjBW_aSHi0
Poet Zawgyi (U Thein Han) and my father U Kaung.
Kash P purging FBI_-from CNN--NYT--AP
The FBI agent who initially began working with the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension to investigate the fatal ICE shooting of Renee Good has resigned from the bureau, two sources familiar with the matter told CNN.
https://www.aol.com/articles/fbi-agent-initially-investigated-fatal-003658713.html
Soon after the agent opened the civil rights investigation, she was ordered to reclassify it as an investigation into an assault on the officer. The FBI blocked the BCA from participating in the investigation.
The New York Times first reported the resignation.
The agent’s resignation comes as the agency has undergone another purge of seasoned FBI agents across several states, multiple sources familiar with the departures told CNN. Some of the people who are being pushed out were confronted after the bureau conducted a review of the FBI’s internal messaging system and discovered instances when they made negative comments about President Donald Trump, according to the people familiar.
Some of those comments go as far back as a decade, the sources said.
The removals are part of an ongoing effort led by Director Kash Patel to oust individuals involved in past investigations, including those related to Trump, and include top FBI officials in New Orleans, Miami and beyond.
Thursday, January 22, 2026
From Jamie Raskin, from 2023--official announcement that his cancer is in remission. I saw him July 4th, 2025 and he was fine--brilliant speeches with no notes.
https://raskin.house.gov/2023/4/an-open-letter-from-jamie-raskin-after-the-successful-completion-of-his-chemo-immunotherapy-treatment
Our beloved Congressman--he's been through much,including suicide of his son.
Thank you for all you do for us.
These are just wonderful--get them for the child you are and your children's children--
https://www.amazon.com/dp/1932234586/ref=mes-dp?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_w=r31Rd&pd_rd_wg=0BGP2&pd_rd_r=b3c6147b-60bc-43aa-bdeb-244e97a19038&content-id=amzn1.sym.1763b2a9-7aa6-49c2-a60b-ee230f5faf79
8 volumes --graphic novels--the Life of the Buddha.
I've read some of these--esp. The Third Eye--when I was still in Burma--Journey to the West (Monkey)
even written my own Shee Monkey (Pew finalist script)--Years of Rice and salt--still going through--seems to me more Muslim than Buddhist.
Siddhartha is not about the historical Buddha but about someone named "Siddhartha"--
Tavatimasa--Buddhist "heaven"--realm of nats--from wiki--Sakra is Thagyamin in Burmese.
rāyastriṃśa (Sanskrit: त्रायस्त्रिंश, pronounced [t̪ɾɑː.jɐs̪.t̪ɾĩ.ɕɐ], romanized: trāyastriṃśa; Pali: tāvatiṁsa; lit. 'of the thirty-three [heavenly beings]'[2]) is a celestial realm of the devas in Buddhist cosmology and constitutes the second of the six heavens of the desire realm (kāmadhātu). The term is a Sanskrit adjectival form derived from the numeral त्रयस्त्रिंशत् (trayastriṃśat), meaning "thirty-three", a reference to the pantheon of devas who preside over it, modeled after the thirty-three Vedic deities. It is ruled by Śakra.
Buddhist hell or Avici--realm of Yama.
Avīci-punishable offenses/transgressions
There are various evil acts which can lead one to being committed to the torments of Avīci. People reborn in Avīci have generally committed one or more of the Five Anantarika-karma ("Grave Offenses"):[4][5]
Intentionally killing one's father.
Intentionally killing one's mother.
Killing an arhat (enlightened being).
Shedding the blood of a Buddha.
Creating a schism within the sangha (the community of Buddhist monks, nuns, and laypeople who try to attain enlightenment).
Details about Avīci
Buddhism teaches that going to Naraka is temporary, allowing the offenders to work off the karma they garnered in life. Avīci is sometimes cited as lasting 3.39738624×1018 or 339,738,624×1010 years,[6] about 3.4 quintillion years.
The Lotus Sutra provides an example of humans who have to endure long-term suffering in Avīci.[7][8] Some sutras state that rebirth in Avīci will be for innumerable kalpas (aeons). When the offending soul passes away after one kalpa, it is reborn in the same place, suffering for another kalpa, and on and on until it has exhausted its bad karma.[9] For this reason, the Avīci hell is also known as the "nonstop way" (無間道).
Nichiren famously wrote that Buddhist monks who ignored the passages in the Lotus Sutra, which claimed superiority over other sutras, would fall into Avīci.[10] Outside of Nichiren, it is extremely rare for a Buddhist monk to condemn anyone to Avīci, although the Lotus Sutra itself states of anyone who slanders it: "when his life comes to an end, he will enter the Avichi Hell."
The Greek Gods slept around a lot--from Hephaestus wiki:
Hephaestus and Aphrodite
Though married to Hephaestus, Aphrodite had an affair with Ares, the god of war. Eventually, Hephaestus discovered Aphrodite's affair through Helios, the all-seeing Sun, and planned a trap during one of their trysts. While the lovers lay together in bed, Hephaestus ensnared them in an unbreakable chain-link net so small as to be invisible and dragged them to Mount Olympus to shame them in front of the other gods for retribution.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hephaestus
The gods laughed at the sight of these naked lovers, and Poseidon persuaded Hephaestus to free them in return for a guarantee that Ares would pay the adulterer's fine, or that he, Poseidon, would pay it himself.
He was born with a club foot and was the son of Zeus and Hera--Hera threw him out bc of his disabilty.
He was a smith--and the God of Volcanos.
More from that wiki:
An Athenian founding myth tells that the city's patron goddess, Athena, refused a union with Hephaestus. Pseudo-Apollodorus[73] records an archaic legend, which claims that Hephaestus once attempted to rape Athena, but she pushed him away, causing him to ejaculate on her thigh.[74][75] Athena wiped the semen off using a tuft of wool, which she tossed into the dust, impregnating Gaia and causing her to give birth to Erichthonius,[74][75] whom Athena adopted as her own child.[74]
The Roman mythographer Hyginus[73] records a similar story in which Hephaestus demanded Zeus to let him marry Athena since he was the one who had smashed open Zeus's skull, allowing Athena to be born.[74] Zeus agreed to this and Hephaestus and Athena were married,[74] but, when Hephaestus was about to consummate the union, Athena vanished from the bridal bed, causing him to ejaculate on the floor, thus impregnating Gaia with Erichthonius.[74][76] Nonnus refers to this tale of Erechthonius being born of the Earth after a "makeshift marriage", but says that Athena then nursed Erechthonius on her "manlike breast".[51]
ICE says it can forcibly enter homes without a judicial warrant--according to 2025 memo
leaked to a US Senator.
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/ice-policy-officers-enter-homes-immigration-without-judicial-warrant-rcna255305?utm_source=firefox-newtab-en-us
Wednesday, January 21, 2026
Some good news for a change--Vanna White marries long time partner--
https://www.aol.com/lifestyle/vanna-white-marries-longtime-partner-225511361.html
Beautiful couple--unbelievable 69 year old bride.
Reply to someone who said, "It only needs one strong man."
It only needs one strong man to destroy the world.
Mark Carney (Hero) said: from Al Jazeera--
Carney: ‘If you are not at the table, you are on the menu’
Carney said the world’s middle powers must unite to resist coercion by aggressive superpowers, warning that traditional assumptions about global order no longer hold.
“If great powers abandon even the pretence of rules and values for the unhindered pursuit of their power and interests, the gains from transactionalism will become harder to replicate.”
“So we’re engaging broadly, strategically with open eyes,” he said. “We actively take on the world as it is, not wait around for a world we wish to be.”
Tuesday, January 20, 2026
David Scutt--Forex markets--
https://www.forex.com/en-us/news-and-analysis/aud-usd-nzd-usd-surge-stalls-at-key-levels/
we are all probably going down together--
Ray Dalio warns--
https://www.cnbc.com/2026/01/20/ray-dalio-fears-capital-wars-could-follow-trumps-actions-with-countries-dumping-us-assets.html
Japan and China hold the most US Treasury Bills.
Invitation to eavesdrop on my "beautiful mind." This story Beast won a prize at the Himal Southasia Inaugural Fiction Fest in 2023.
Big thank you to everyone at Himal, especially Chief Editor Roman Gautam and Marlon Ariyasinghe who did all the liaison, and introduced me on the panel, also for the wonderful editing and the beautiful illustration.
https://www.himalmag.com/culture/fiction-fest-beast
Monday, January 19, 2026
Johny Cash was a bass baritone--AI
Johnny Cash was known for his distinctive, deep bass-baritone voice, a rich, low register that blended qualities of both voice types, making him sound like a true bass but with the warmth and flexibility often associated with baritones, allowing him to deliver his iconic storytelling songs.
Voice Type:
While often described as a bass, most sources specify him as a bass-baritone, a vocal classification that sits between a bass and a baritone.
Characteristics:
His voice had a unique deep, calm, and resonant quality, famous for its control in the low register and a distinctive "boom-chucka" rhythm.
Impact:
This deep, powerful voice was a signature part of his sound, defining his music and allowing him to convey themes of struggle, redemption, and humanity, notes the Yale Daily News and Quora users.
Triumphal March-from Verdi's Aida "I--ee-dah"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oznMtbmsvrU&list=RDoznMtbmsvrU&start_radio=1
The general Radames "Rah-da mays" returns triumphant--but he's in love with the slave Aida, while the Princess also wants him.
This is my favorite version--I Lombardi (ee-lombardy) --which I first saw on Masterpiece Theater--but subtitles
here are in Portuguese--
A Muslim-Christian love story--set during the Crusades.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aFveO_Mx7Ig
Make sure you watch the death scene--
Un bel di--one fine day--fromPucinni's Madama Butterfly--movie version directed by Miterrand. Forgot his first name.
It's much better to hear these famous arias in context and costume than the concert versions.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bkUq98oiyRc&list=RDbkUq98oiyRc&start_radio=1
Male nudes in color--fine art--They are for the most part realistic nudes, so of course they are graphic.
However, I don't consider them pornographic.
If you don't like them don't look.
I don't draw or paint fromlive models--so I use images like sculptures which are already in the public domain for practice.
If they offend you, don't look.
https://www.dailyartmagazine.com/male-nudes-art/
What I hate most are hypocrits--goody two shoes.
One wonders how they got married and ever had children.
kmk
1-19-2026
Sculptors in Greek Mythology
AI Overview
Yes, there are several figures in Greek mythology associated with sculpting
, most famously Pygmalion, a sculptor who fell in love with his own ivory statue (Galatea), which Aphrodite brought to life. Another significant figure is Daedalus, the master craftsman who created the Labyrinth and is said to have sculpted statues that could move.
Key Sculptors in Mythology:
Pygmalion: A king of Cyprus and sculptor who rejected women, creating a perfect ivory statue of a woman, Galatea, and praying for her to become real, which Aphrodite granted.
Daedalus: A legendary inventor and craftsman known for his complex mechanical creations, including the Labyrinth, and for sculpting statues so lifelike they seemed to possess life.
Prometheus: While more associated with creation, Prometheus famously sculpted humanity from clay, with Athena breathing life into his figures.
These figures highlight sculpting as a powerful, sometimes divine, art form within Greek myth, capable of bringing beauty and even life from inanimate materials.
AI--Did ancient Greek warriors really walk around stark naked?
AI Overview
No, ancient Greek warriors did not generally walk around stark naked in battle
; this is a common misconception from art and film, as nudity in combat was impractical and suicidal, though they famously competed naked in athletics and exercised nude in the gymnasium, while art used "heroic nudity" to portray idealized physical prowess or vulnerability. Warriors typically wore tunics and armor, removing outer cloaks before fighting, but going into battle without armor was rare and seen as foolish.
This video explains the difference between the reality of ancient Greek warriors and how they are portrayed:
Related video thumbnail
57s
Plutarch
YouTube • Sep 2, 2025
Art vs. Reality: The iconic image of naked Greek warriors comes from sculptures and vase paintings, where nudity symbolized heroism, physical perfection, or vulnerability, not historical accuracy for warfare.
Warrior Attire: Hoplites (heavy infantry) wore armor, including breastplates (like bronze or linothorax), helmets, greaves, and carried shields, often with a tunic and cloak underneath, which was removed for battle.
Spartan Example: While Spartans trained in nudity and wore minimal clothing (like a red cloak) in public, they donned their armor for actual combat, as nudity in battle was considered dangerous.
Nudity in Context: Nudity was culturally significant in specific settings, primarily athletic training and contests (like the Olympics) and the gymnasium (from the Greek gymnos, meaning naked), to celebrate the idealized male physique.
Did The Spartans Really Fight Naked?
Aug 26, 2016 — hello everyone welcome back to my channel this is the Metatron. speaking. i think we're all familiar with the looks of a Spartan w...
YouTube·Metatron
3m
Heroic nudity - Wikipedia In ancient Greek art, warriors on reliefs and painted vases were often shown as nude in combat, which was not in fact the Greek cu... Wikipedia Why ancient Greeks are always nude - NBC News Feb 2, 2007 — "In most public contexts, clothing was not optional, and in combat nakedness was suicidal." Warriors and heroes are often, but not... NBC News Show all
Modern novels based on the life of Theseus.
AI Overview
Review: Theseus and the Minotaur — Modern Graphic Greek Myth ...
Novels based on the Greek hero Theseus often retell his famous myths, particularly the Minotaur story, with popular examples including Mary Renault's historical fiction series (The King Must Die, The Bull from the Sea) and modern retellings like Jennifer Saint's Ariadne and Tracy Barrett's Dark of the Moon, focusing on characters like Ariadne or the hero's journey through ancient Greece}. Other notable books include David Elliott's Bull and [Link: Stephen Fry's Heroes https://www.reddit.com/r/mythology/comments/aaueu4/any_good_books_on_the_story_of_theseus_and_the/}, offering different perspectives on his adventures and the labyrinth.
Classic & Historical Retellings
The King Must Die (1958) & The Bull from the Sea (1962) by Mary Renault: A classic two-book series portraying Theseus as a historical figure, detailing his journey from Troizen to Crete and his rule in Athens.
The Sword Is Forged by Evangeline Walton: Focuses on Theseus's encounter with the Amazon queen Antiope, a less common part of his mythology.
Modern & Mythological Reinterpretations
Ariadne by Jennifer Saint: A popular retelling from the perspective of the Cretan princess who helps Theseus escape the Minotaur.
Circe by Madeline Miller: While centered on Circe, Theseus makes an appearance in this acclaimed novel, as per Goodreads list.
Bull by David Elliott: Offers a unique take on the Minotaur myth, exploring themes of monstrosity and heroism.
Heroes by Stephen Fry: A humorous and accessible retelling of various Greek myths, including Theseus's story, in the book.
Other Notable Mentions
Dark of the Moon by Tracy Barrett: Another popular choice focusing on Theseus and the Minotaur myth, listed on Goodreads.
Kill the Minotaur by Chris Pasetto: A modern novel diving deep into the famous labyrinth legend.
Popular Retellings Of Theseus and Minotaur Books - Goodreads Ariadne Jennifer Saint. Circe Madeline Miller. Dark of the Moon Tracy Barrett. Bull God Roberta Gellis. Labyrinth of Shadows Kyla ... Goodreads Any good books on the story of Theseus and the Minotaur? Dec 30, 2018 — Stephen Fry's Heroes is a great read that has the adventures of Theseus, Heracles, Perseus and more! It's the sequel to his book M... Reddit The King Must Die - Wikipedia The King Must Die is a 1958 bildungsroman and historical novel by Mary Renault that traces the early life and adventures of Theseu... Wikipedia Show all
Ariadne and the Minotaur
AI Overview
The myth of Ariadne and the Minotaur centers on Ariadne, a Cretan princess, helping the Athenian hero Theseus defeat her monstrous half-brother, the Minotaur (half-man, half-bull), trapped in the Labyrinth. She provided him with a ball of thread (or string) to navigate the maze and escape after slaying the beast, but Theseus later abandoned her on the island of Naxos, where she was found and married by the god Dionysus.
Key Elements of the Myth
The Minotaur:
A creature with the body of a man and the head of a bull, born from King Minos's wife, Pasiphaë, after she fell in love with a bull sent by Poseidon.
The Labyrinth:
A complex maze built by the inventor Daedalus to imprison the Minotaur beneath the palace of Knossos.
The Tribute:
Athens was forced to send seven youths and seven maidens as sacrifices to the Minotaur every few years.
Ariadne's Role:
Princess Ariadne, daughter of King Minos, fell in love with Theseus (one of the tributes) and decided to help him.
The Thread:
She gave Theseus a ball of thread to unravel as he went into the Labyrinth, allowing him to find his way back out after killing the Minotaur.
Abandonment:
After the victory, Theseus fled Crete with Ariadne but abandoned her on Naxos.
Dionysus:
The god Dionysus found her there, fell in love with her, and married her, making her immortal.
This video provides a summary of the myth of Theseus and the Minotaur:
1m
World History Encyclopedia
YouTube · Feb 3, 2023
Themes
Love & Betrayal:
Ariadne's love leads to Theseus's success, but his betrayal highlights themes of abandonment.
Cleverness vs. Strength:
Ariadne's thread symbolizes cleverness and guidance, essential for overcoming brute force.
Heroism & Sacrifice:
Theseus becomes a hero by ending the human sacrifices, though his actions also cause great personal pain.
You can watch this video to learn about the significance of the Minotaur in Greek mythology:
52s
Classics and Ancient History @ Warwick
YouTube · Jun 15, 2021
Saturday, January 17, 2026
Germanicus--Claudius' brother--from wiki
Illness and death
In the midst of this feud, Germanicus became ill and despite the fact Piso had removed himself to the port of Seleucia, he was convinced that Piso was somehow poisoning him. Tacitus reports that there were signs of black magic in Piso's house with hidden body-parts and Germanicus's name inscribed on lead tablets. Germanicus sent Piso a letter formally renouncing their friendship (amicitia). Germanicus died soon after on 10 October of that year.[68] His death aroused much speculation, with several sources blaming Piso, acting under orders from Emperor Tiberius. This was never proven, and Piso killed himself while facing trial.[72] Tacitus says Tiberius was involved in a conspiracy against Germanicus, and Tiberius's jealousy and fear of his nephew's popularity and increasing power was the true motive.[73]
The death of Germanicus in dubious circumstances greatly affected Tiberius's popularity in Rome, leading to the creation of a climate of fear in Rome itself. Also suspected of connivance in his death was Tiberius's chief advisor, Sejanus, who would, in the 20s, create an atmosphere of fear in Roman noble and administrative circles by the use of treason trials and the role of delatores, or informers.[74]
Post-mortem
Benjamin West, Agrippina Landing at Brundisium with the Ashes of Germanicus (1768), oil on canvas. Yale University Art Gallery, New Haven[75]
When Rome had received word of Germanicus' death, the people began observing a iustitium before the Senate had officially declared it. Tacitus says this shows the true grief that the people of Rome felt, and this also shows that by this time the people already knew the proper way to commemorate dead princes without an edict from a magistrate. At his funeral, there were no procession statues of Germanicus. There were abundant eulogies and reminders of his fine character and a particular eulogy was given by Tiberius himself in the Senate.[76][77]
The historians Tacitus and Suetonius record the funeral and posthumous honors of Germanicus. His name was placed into the Carmen Saliare, and onto the curule seats that were placed with oaken garlands over them as honorary seats for the Augustan priesthood. His ivory statue was at the head of the procession during the Circus Games; his posts as priest of Augustus and Augur were to be filled by members of the imperial family; knights of Rome gave his name to a block of seats at a theatre in Rome, and rode behind his effigy on 15 July AD 20.[78][79]
After consulting with his family, Tiberius made his wishes known whereupon the Senate collected the honors into a commemorative decree, the Senatus Consultum de memoria honoranda Germanini Caesaris, and ordered the consuls of AD 20 to issue a public law honoring the death of Germanicus,
Marcus Agrippa--In I Claudius TV series, Marcellus and Agrippa are 2 difft individuals--
but Marcellus is the son in law of Augustus and the husband of Julia, the only daughter of Augustus
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marcus_Vipsanius_Agrippa
Graves has depicted the characters so vividly that the "myth" is now stronger than the revionist views--
After all he based his work on ancient sources.
A revisionist view of Livia Drusilla--
AI Overview
New research on Livia Drusilla challenges her portrayal as a purely villainous poisoner, focusing instead on her significant, often "soft power" influence as Augustus's wife, a shrewd political operator, a capable administrator for Tiberius, and a powerful matriarch who shaped the Julio-Claudian dynasty through her intelligence and strategic use of traditional Roman femininity and public role, though ancient rumors of murder persist, now viewed through the lens of historical bias against powerful women
. Scholarship emphasizes her role in managing imperial succession, supporting the old nobility, and using her image as a model for Roman womanhood.
Key Themes in Recent Research
Re-evaluating the "Poisoner" Myth: Modern historians largely dismiss the accusations of serial killing (including against Augustus) as propaganda or sensationalism from later sources (like Tacitus, Suetonius) written by men uncomfortable with powerful women, notes this source from HubEduBirdie.
Soft Power & Political Acumen: Livia wielded immense influence not through direct rule but as a trusted confidant and advisor, managing administration and securing her son Tiberius's ascent, says the Power in Place blog.
Propaganda & Image Control: Her extensive portraiture, coins, and public image (as Mater Patriae, "Mother of the Fatherland") were carefully crafted to project modesty, piety, and traditional Roman values, despite her actual political power, say Rhodes College and the Masters' Gallery Rome source.
Matriarchal Figure: Her deification by her grandson Claudius cemented her status as a foundational figure for the dynasty, highlighting her enduring importance beyond mere politics, notes EBSCO. Influencing the Nobility: Livia used her position to support senators, paying dowries for daughters and intervening for mercy, aligning her actions with traditional elite interests, notes this YouTube video. Key Takeaway Instead of a one-dimensional villain, new research sees Livia as a complex, intelligent, and highly effective political actor who navigated the constraints placed on Roman women to become one of the most influential figures in early Imperial Rome, securing her family's power base. Research Essay on The Life of Augustus and His Wife Livia Drusilla Sep 27, 2022 — Despite her controversial image in history, it is well accepted that she was a woman of great intelligence and was very influentia... EduBirdie Livia, Empress of Rome - Power in Place Aug 7, 2023 — Livia, Empress of Rome * By Adelyn Krucoff, Summer 2023 Collaborator at Power in Place. When you think of an empress of Rome, typi... Power in Place Livia & Theodora: Patrician & Prostitute | Phoebe Smith ... Oct 1, 2025 — but despite this it was still rumored that she was involved in the deaths of members of her family. and that dominates her public ... YouTube·TEDx Talks 3m Show all
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