On a post in another subreddit, I saw this comment (provided below) about the origins of the Kraken and that it started as a whale. What are some facts about the origins of the kraken and, more importantly, what are some articles that I could read about the kraken? “The idea that the kraken is/was an enormous octopus is a rather late development of the story. In the earliest versions, descriptions included traits that are associated with whales rather than with squid, and it was often described as a giant crab so enormous as to appear to be an island. Given the limited geographical range assigned to kraken by pre-1800s tales, waters off Norway and Iceland/Greeland and the bubbling, spouting, dangerous new currents and high waves associated with its rise from the bottom, it is more likely to be a response to undersea volcanism in the Iceland region. If this is the case, then the kraken still lurks off the coasts of Iceland, and was last seen to rise in 1973.”

It seems to me that it's Britain particularly that bears the brunt of criticism and blame for things like the slave trade and colonial brutality in general. It's like colonialism has been labeled as specifically a British thing and the colonial legacy of other countries has been forgotten.

The French, Spanish, Belgian, Dutch empires, among various others, were all heavily involved in the slave trade and wealth extraction in their colonies and all committed attrocities but I almost never hear those countries criticised to anywhere near the extent that Britain is.

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For example, the ancient Incan (I believe) tomb in the beginning of the first film is quite expansive and enigmatically ethereal; adorned with excessive daunting cultural decor, religious artifacts and symbols, and lethal "booby traps."

While I definitely am not asking if there were any tombs with 15 foot boulders (lol), I am curious if this level of intensity in a tomb is accurate to any degree. When I look online for videos of ancient meso-american tombs they seemingly look nowhere near as dramatic as hollywood has led me to believe. Any insight is greatly appreciated!

Just a thought

Considering how in most cultures before modernity and many until today, adulthood begins with sexual maturity and thus the early teens; and also considering how some research suggests that most people don't reach physical and emotional maturity until the late 20s, how did societies settle on 18 and let it become almost like a magical watershed?

"Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean no one is out to get you." - Some guy on The Wire.

In school, I've learned that Josef Stalin had a lot of officers and other people arrested and sent to the Gulags, if not just executed. He did this because he was paranoid, was the explenation I got.

I've later learned Lenin allegedly claimed he was unfit for leadership, and that none other than Trotski himself founded the Red Army, which must have meant that a lot officers likely had a personal loyalty to him. Put together, this must have meant that there were a lot of high ranking people with no love for Stalin, and I wonder; if he hadn't had them killed or imprisoned first, would they have removed him from power?

From Wikipedia, quoting a Soviet advisor after the Bay of Pigs:

"...too young, intellectual, not prepared well for decision making in crisis situations... too intelligent and too weak".

While I get that they saw JFK as indecisive, Im not really sure how to take the fact that they apparently considered him too intelligent. Perhaps from a standpoint of overthinking, but Im unsure given that would still be in conflict with their assessment of him being too intelligent for his own good.

Just seems like a poor choice of words to me. Why would someone less intelligent do better in a crisis when crisis management skills arent exactly tied to intelligence?

Did they deny it? Admit it? Honest about it and didn't care?

If so, in what ways were they inferior to the German or Spanish armies?

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I get that both armies were very weak after decades of fighting but their armies still outnumbered Arab armies in many key battles like Qadsiyah and Yarmouk. Both empires had competent generals but still they lost battles after battles.

That, like,how do they protect their homes and things from getting robbed when they were outside!

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