USS Harry S. Truman collides with merchant vessel in Mediterranean

USS Harry S. Truman collides with merchant vessel in Mediterranean

By Beth Sullivan

 Thursday, Feb 13, 2025

Editor’s note: This story has been updated to include a photo released Friday, Feb. 14, 2025, of the damage to the carrier Harry S. Truman and additional details about the carrier’s deployment.

The aircraft carrier Harry S. Truman was involved in a collision with the merchant vessel Besiktas-M on Wednesday night while operating in the Mediterranean Sea, service officials said.

The incident occurred in the vicinity of Port Said, Egypt, at approximately 11:46 p.m. local time, Cmdr. Timothy Gorman, U.S. Sixth Fleet spokesperson, said in a brief statement Thursday.

The collision “did not endanger” the Truman, as no injuries or flooding were reported, Gorman said.

“The propulsion plants are unaffected and in a safe and stable condition,” Gorman said.

The incident is under investigation.

More information will be released as it becomes available, Gorman said.

The carrier, the flagship of the Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group, is on a scheduled deployment in the U.S. 6th Fleet area of operations supporting U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa, according to the Navy.

https://www.navytimes.com/news/your-navy/2025/02/13/uss-harry-s-truman-collides-with-merchant-vessel-in-mediterranean/

Harry R. Truman (October 1896 – May 18, 1980) was an American businessman, bootlegger, and prospector. He lived near Mount St. Helens, an active volcano in the state of Washington, and was the owner and caretaker of Mount St. Helens Lodge at Spirit Lake near the base of the mountain. Truman came to fame as a folk hero in the weeks leading up to the volcano's 1980 eruption after refusing to leave his home despite evacuation orders. He was killed by a pyroclastic flow that overtook his lodge and buried the site under 150 ft (46 m) of volcanic debris.

After Truman's death, his family and friends reflected on his love for the mountain. In 1981, Art Carney portrayed Truman in the docudrama film St. Helens. He was commemorated in a book by his niece, and also in various pieces of music, including songs by Headgear, Billy Jonas, and Shawn Wright and the Brothers Band.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_R._Truman

Pope John Paul II (Latin: Ioannes Paulus II; Italian: Giovanni Paolo II; Polish: Jan Paweł II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła [ˈkarɔl ˈjuzɛv vɔjˈtɨwa];[b] 18 May 1920 – 2 April 2005) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his death in 2005.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_John_Paul_II

As May 18 dawned, Mount St. Helens's activity did not show any change from the pattern of the preceding month. The rates of bulge movement and sulfur dioxide emission, and ground temperature readings did not reveal any changes indicating a catastrophic eruption. USGS volcanologist David A. Johnston was on duty at an observation post around 6 mi (10 km) north of the volcano: as of 6:00 am, Johnston's measurements did not indicate any unusual activity.[9]

At 8:32 am, a magnitude-5.1 earthquake centered directly below the north slope triggered that part of the volcano to slide,[31] approximately 7–20 seconds after the shock,[9] followed a few seconds later by the main volcanic blast. The landslide, the largest subaerial landslide in recorded history, traveled at 110 to 155 mph (177 to 249 km/h) and moved across Spirit Lake's west arm. Part of it hit a 1,150 ft-high (350 m) ridge about 6 mi (10 km) north.[9] Some of the slide spilled over the ridge, but most of it moved 13 mi (21 km) down the North Fork Toutle River, filling its valley up to 600 feet (180 m) deep with avalanche debris.[31] An area of about 24 sq mi (62 km2) was covered, and the total volume of the deposit was about 0.7 cu mi (2.9 km3).[9]

Scientists were able to reconstruct the motion of the landslide from a series of rapid photographs by Gary Rosenquist, who was camping 11 mi (18 km) away from the blast 46°18′49″N 122°02′12″W.[9] Rosenquist, his party, and his photographs survived because the blast was deflected by local topography 1 mi (1.6 km) short of his location.[32]

Sound of the eruption of Mount St. Helens, as heard from 140 miles away

Duration: 44 seconds.0:44

Amateur recording of a series of booms produced by the eruption, as heard from the town of Newport, Oregon (audio filtered and amplified).

Problems playing this file? See media help.

Most of St. Helens's former north side became a rubble deposit 17 mi (27 km) long, averaging 150 ft (46 m) thick; the slide was thickest at 1 mi (1.6 km) below Spirit Lake and thinnest at its western margin.[9] The landslide temporarily displaced the waters of Spirit Lake to the ridge north of the lake, in a giant wave about 600 ft (180 m) high.[33] This, in turn, created a 295 ft (90 m) avalanche of debris consisting of the returning waters and thousands of uprooted trees and stumps. Some of these remained intact with roots, but most had been sheared off at the stump seconds earlier by the blast of superheated volcanic gas and ash that had immediately followed and overtaken the initial landslide. The debris was transported along with the water as it returned to its basin, raising the surface level of Spirit Lake by about 200 ft (61 m).[9]

Four decades after the eruption, floating log mats persist on Spirit Lake and nearby St. Helens Lake, changing position with the wind. The rest of the trees, especially those that were not completely detached from their roots, were turned upright by their own weight and became waterlogged, sinking into the muddy sediments at the bottom where they are in the process of becoming petrified in the anaerobic and mineral-rich waters. This provides insight into other sites with a similar fossil record.[34]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1980_eruption_of_Mount_St._Helens

Updated May 18, 2023 Defense Primer: Directed-Energy Weapons Both the 2022 National Defense Strategy and the House Armed Services Committee’s bipartisan Future of Defense Task Force Report have identified directed energy as a technology that could have a significant impact on U.S. national security in the years to come. As the Department of Defense (DOD) continues to invest in directed-energy (DE) weapons, Congress may consider implications for defense authorizations, appropriations, and oversight. Overview DOD defines DE weapons as those using concentrated electromagnetic energy, rather than kinetic energy, to “incapacitate, damage, disable, or destroy enemy equipment, facilities, and/or personnel.” DE weapons include high-energy lasers (HEL) and high-powered microwave (HPM) weapons; other DE weapons, such as particle beam weapons, are outside the scope of this In Focus. HELs might be used by ground forces in short-range air defense (SHORAD), counter-unmanned aircraft systems (C-UAS), or counter-rocket, artillery, and mortar (C-RAM) missions. The weapons might be used to “dazzle” (i.e., temporarily disable) or damage satellites and sensors. This could in turn interfere with intelligence-gathering operations; military cmmunications; and positioning, navigation, and timing systems used for weapons targeting. In addition, HELs could theoretically provide options for boost-phase missile intercept, given their speed-of-light travel time; however, experts disagree on the affordability, technological feasibility, and utility of this application. In general, HELs might offer lower costs per shot and— assuming access to a sufficient power supply—deeper magazines compared with traditional munitions. (Although a number of different types of HELs exist, many of the United States’ current programs are solid state lasers, which are fueled by electrical power. As a result, the cost per shot is equivalent to the cost of the electrical power required to fire the shot.) This could in turn produce a favorable costexchange ratio for the defender, whose marginal costs would be significantly lower than those of the aggressor.

https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/IF/IF11882

https://www.facebook.com/billy.dunn.50767/posts/pfbid02QQKPJ8GadPDUKRL2nJhrpyZxr1TvbtT9JFzyyoZdfYPiXRDPuq8AbM513HXEkfhwl

On 13 May 1981, in St. Peter's Square in Vatican City, Pope John Paul II was shot and wounded by Mehmet Ali Ağca while he was entering the square. The Pope was struck twice and suffered severe blood loss. Ağca was apprehended immediately and later sentenced to life in prison by an Italian court. The Pope forgave Ağca for the assassination attempt.[1] He was pardoned by Italian president Carlo Azeglio Ciampi at the Pope's request and was deported to Turkey in June 2000. Ağca converted to Roman Catholicism in 2007.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attempted_assassination_of_Pope_John_Paul_II

Pope John Paul I[a] (born Albino Luciani;[b] 17 October 1912 – 28 September 1978) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 26 August 1978 until his death 33 days later. His reign is among the shortest in papal history, giving rise to the most recent year of three popes—the first since 1605. John Paul I remains the most recent Italian-born pope, the last in a succession of such popes that started with Clement VII in 1523.

Before the August 1978 papal conclave that elected him, he expressed his desire not to be elected, telling those close to him that he would decline the papacy if elected; upon the cardinals' electing him, he felt an obligation to accept.[4] He was the first pontiff to have a double name, choosing "John Paul" in honour of his two immediate predecessors, John XXIII and Paul VI. He explained that he was indebted to John XXIII and to Paul VI for naming him a bishop and a cardinal, respectively. Furthermore, he was the first pope to add the ordinal number "I", designating himself "the First".

His two immediate successors, John Paul II and Benedict XVI, later recalled the warm qualities of the late pontiff in several addresses. In Italy, he is remembered with the appellatives of Il Papa del Sorriso (transl. The Pope of the Smile)[5] and Il Sorriso di Dio (transl. The Smile of God).[6] Time magazine and other publications referred to him as "The September Pope".[7] He is also referred to in Italy as "Papa Luciani" to distinguish him from his successor of the same papal name. In his hometown of Canale d'Agordo a museum built and named in his honour is dedicated to his life and brief papacy.

He was declared a servant of God by his successor, John Paul II, on 23 November 2003, the first step on the road to sainthood. Pope Francis confirmed his heroic virtue on 8 November 2017 and named him as Venerable. Francis presided over his beatification on 4 September 2022.[8][9]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_John_Paul_I

Harry S. Truman, 33rd President of the U.S. and 33rd degree Freemason, in full occult regalia, in an official lodge portrait. Truman ordered the atomic incineration of two Japanese cities, killing at least 150,000 people, mostly women and children. Roosevelt's chief of staff, Admiral Leahy, admitted to Walter Trohan of the Chicago Tribune, that Japan was ready to surrender conditionally without an invasion by U.S. ground forces. It was Truman's insistence upon "unconditional surrender" that set the stage for Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Secret Societies and Psychological Warfare

by Michael A. Hoffman II

Martin: Well, I got to my question #2. So, let’s go to #3 of the seventy. (laughter)

How does Shriner Freemason President Harry Truman’s signing into law of the Emergency War Powers Act of 1950 factor into the Jesuit Agenda?

Phelps: First of all, Harry Truman, who the Japanese called “Dirty Harry” - when they heard the movie Dirty Harry came out, they thought it was a movie about Harry Truman, according to my Japanese pastor friend, Daniel Fuji, who has passed away.

Harry Truman was put in office by the Jesuits, the Pensergast Democratic machine in Missouri. Harry Truman takes over after FDR’s murder, because he was murdered in the home of Bernard Baruch. When he did that, he then finished up the war with the hoax called the dropping of the nuclear bombs, to purposely create this greater hoax called the Cold War, that would enable the Vatican to knock over country after country after country, and replace the leaders with dictators, subordinate to the Pope. That was the purpose of the Cold War.

And so, when Harry Truman in 1950 signed into law the Emergency War Powers Act, the Cold War was in full force. They were building bomb shelters, etc. So the nation was in kind of a frenzy.

When he signed this into law, it put the whole country under military or martial law, and that’s when the flags in every courtroom, state and federal, began to be changed. And every state flag and every U.S. flag is now trimmed in gold fringe. And whenever you see a flag trimmed in gold fringe, that means that it is the flag of the Commander-in-Chief. Now, if it’s the state flag, it means that’s the flag of the governor, as Commander-in-Chief. And if it’s the federal flag, or the national flag, more correctly, it’s the flag of the Commander-in-Chief in Washington.

So, all your courts are nothing more than courts of military rule. They all proceed with summary procedures. The jury has no power of jury nullification. And they are simply enforcing the laws of the Empire, which I call 14th Amendment America, which is a military-style, King of England-style country. The courts are nothing more than courts of the king’s bench, as you can see in Blackstone’s Commentaries.

And the banks, as you walk into every bank, they all have a flag trimmed in gold fringe. The bank is what England would call, in Blackstone’s day, the king’s bank. So, we have the king’s bank, and we have the king’s bench. And it’s run according to military rule, according to Berkheimer’s great work Military Rule And Martial Law, published in 1914.

When Harry Truman did this, there was a consummation of a great plan to put us under the Emergency War Powers Act and, actually, a war rule. “Daylight savings time” is what was called “war time”. This country only went to daylight savings time during World War II, and they called it, at that time, war time. So, nothing’s changed. We’ve never gone back to not turning back our clocks. We’re still on war time. The income tax is a war tax. It was called a victory tax in 1942.

So, people are paying a war tax, they’re under war time, they’re under an emergency war powers act, and the courts are war courts.

 

Martin: Regarding the assassination of President John Kennedy, which could take this entire interview, you say that the assassination was ordered by the Jesuit General, executed by Pope Paul VI, and carried out by the “American Pope”, Francis Cardinal Spellman -  who, in turn, used the Knights of Malta, Shriner Freemasons, Knights of Columbus, and Mafia Dons, including the FBI and CIA, to carry out the order from Rome. Would you explain why you believe your particular theory on the assassination to be an accurate representation of the facts?

Phelps: Sure. Alright, number one: The powers that be are properly outlined [in his book], and proven through two centuries of showing how it’s all been put together. Now, as to why, I will be conservative and stick with Fletcher Prouty’s reasons, that he outlined in his JFK and also his other book called The Secret Team.

The reason why Kennedy was assassinated was he wanted to end the Vietnam War, and he wanted to end the rule of the CIA. That begets two questions: Did Rome want the Vietnam War? And, did Rome control the CIA? The answer is yes on both counts.

We know, on its face, that the Vietnam War was called “Spelly’s War” - Cardinal Spellman’s war. He went over to the warfront many times and he called the American soldiers the “soldiers of Christ”. The man who was the Commander of the American forces was a Roman Catholic, CFR member, possibly a Knight of Columbus, I don’t know, but he was General William Westmoreland.

So, Westmoreland was Cardinal Spellman’s agent to make sure that war was prosecuted properly. And another overseer of Westmoreland was Cardinal Spellman’s boy, Lyndon Baines Johnson. Lyndon Baines Johnson was a 33rd-degree Freemason. He was also part of the assassination, with J. Edgar Hoover, another 33rd-degree Freemason.

And Johnson went to Cardinal Spellman’s death at St. Patrick’s Cathedral, and the picture can be seen in Cooney’s work The American Pope. So, Johnson was completely at the beck and call of Cardinal Spellman through Cartha DeLoach, the 3rd-in-control of the FBI. According to Curt Gentry, in his Hoover: The Man And The Secrets, DeLoach had a phone at his bedside direct to Johnson, and Johnson could call him anytime. DeLoach was a Knight of Malta, subject to Spellman.

Spellman wanted the Vietnam War, why? Spellman was controlled by the Jesuits of Fordham. Why did the Jesuit General want the Vietnam War? The people of Vietnam, the Buddhists, were unconvertible. They would not convert to Catholicism. They didn’t need Rome.

There had been a Jesuit presence in Vietnam for centuries, so it had been decided that about a million or so Buddhists would have to be “purged”. They would later continue this purge of Cambodia, with Pol Pot, and the purge is yet for Thailand. It was a purging of Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam of all these Buddhists, just like they purged the Buddhists of China with Mao Zedong, because Mao Zedong was completely controlled by the Jesuits. So, they wanted the Vietnam War.

The other thing is that Rome is in control of the drug trade. The Vatican controls all of the drug trade - all of the heroin, all of the opium, all of the cocaine, everything going around in Colombia.

Colombia has a concordat with the Pope. A concordat is a treaty with the Pope. Hitler had a concordat. Mussolini had a concordat. Franco had a concordat. They want to set up a concordat here, which was the reason for Reagan formally recognizing the sovereign state of Vatican City in 1984. The greatest traitor we ever had was Ronald Reagan.

So, they had a concordat. Colombia has a concordat. Do you think that drugs running out of Colombia, with a country that has a concordat with Rome, is not controlled by Rome? If Rome didn’t want the drug trade out of Colombia, they’d end the concordat. The whole drug trade is run by high Mafia families out of the country of Colombia, subject to the Jesuit General.

And the Jesuit General ran the Opium trade, a couple of centuries ago, out of China. They ran the silk trade, the pearl trade. The movie Shogun is but a slight scratching of the surface of the Jesuit “black ships” that trafficked in all of this silk and pearls and gold and opals and everything they could pull out of the East, including opium.

The Vietnam War was to consolidate and control this huge massive drug-trade that would inundate every American city with drugs, being brought in by the CIA with their Air America, and then distributed by the Trafficante family throughout the United States - Santos Trafficante out of Miami.

So we have the Mafia and the CIA working together in the drug trade. We have the Mafia and the CIA working together in the assassination of Kennedy.

The first reason why the Jesuit General [at that time, Jean-Baptist Janssens] wanted Kennedy out of the way was because he was going to end the Vietnam War.

The second reason is, he wanted to end the reign of the CIA, because the CIA had betrayed him in the person of McGeorge Bundy, by not giving the cover to the Cuban patriots to retake Cuba from that Roman Catholic, Jesuit-trained, grease-ball bastard - he was a bastard, his father was a Nazi - Fidel Castro.

Kennedy was betrayed by the CIA at the Bay of Pigs invasion, which sacrificed all the patriots on the shores of the Bay of Pigs there, so Castro had no real opposition. This was the same tactic, used by the CIA and the KGB at the top, working together with Angleton controlling it, in the Hungarian Revolution, when the CIA fomented that revolution, and then betrayed all of those patriots into the hands of the Soviet army and KGB, which infuriated certain top CIA officials.

It’s the same tactic: you raise up a revolution and you sacrifice the men who truly want to resist. When that happened, when McGeorge Bundy stopped the air cover of the Bay of Pigs invasion, that ended that resistance to Castro and it enthroned him into power. And, of course, it was meant to be by the Jesuits because they HAD trained him. So now Kennedy looks bad. He’s got egg all over his face. What does he want to do? He signs a Memorandum, according to Fletcher Prouty, and takes all of the power away from the CIA, and gives it to the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

The CIA was built by the Knights of Malta. One of the founders of the CIA was “Wild” Bill Donovan, an Irish Roman Catholic, who are the most fanatical, and his brother was a Dominican priest, Vincent. So, the CIA was founded by this high Roman Catholic, the first head, to solidify the Catholic or the Vatican control of it.

I’m not against the Catholic people; I’m against Rome’s hierarchy. The American Catholic people know NOTHING of what’s going on. And if they did, there would be a march on St. Patrick’s tomorrow morning. So, as I’m against the hierarchy, I’m showing that Kennedy was against the Vietnam War, and he was going to do away with the CIA.

Well, the Jesuits had brought in all of their top Nazi SS soldiers into the CIA because the Jesuits were using the SS to kill the Jews in Europe. When the Einsatzgruppen went into Russia, the Jesuits followed with the SS and purged Western Russia of all its Jews. That’s why Stalin deliberately killed 40,000 of his best officers.

 

That’s why he kicked out his best generals, purged them, because he wanted to make sure that the Red Army would lose with the advance of the German army, because following that would come the SS and purge Russia of the Jews that Stalin so hated. And by the way, justice is often poetic because Stalin’s daughter married a Jew.

Now, the CIA was composed of the SS. The CIA now was an arm - and the intelligence arm - of the Vatican. The Knights of Malta were throughout. Casey was a Knight of Malta. Angleton was a Knight of Malta. The Knights were through and through. Angleton manned the “Vatican desk”, and that is a desk within the CIA that has a direct link to the Vatican.

So, Kennedy wanted to end this “intelligence community”. That was the end of him.

Thus for anyone attempting to end the CIA, and attempting to end the Vietnam War, and also because he attacked the Jesuits’ Federal Reserve Bank by printing United States Notes, they got rid of him. They killed our only Roman Catholic president.

And it’s another piece of poetic justice that a Roman Catholic - not Protestants, like Harry Truman, FDR, and others - it’s a Roman Catholic who truly sought to resist the temporal power of the Pope in this country. And in many ways, even though Kennedy was, in fact, a socialist and communist, at least he resisted the temporal power of the Pope. And for that we should be thankful and remember his name.

But what have they done to his name? They’ve slammed it. They drag it into the dirt. Every time you see it on TV, they parade before you his womanizing, which I don’t deny, but my goodness, can’t we give him some credit where credit is due? That’s why they got rid of John F. Kennedy.

And then, of course, as soon as he’s assassinated, John McCone, the head of the CIA, the following day goes to the White House and they reverse Kennedy’s Memorandum of reversing the Vietnam War and make a full-scale, carte blanche war.

The CIA then is tremendously and heavily funded, because it was a CIA war. And there they tried all of their new technology, their anti-gravity machines, their men who they’re trying to make like the “million-dollar man”. They tried out all their new technology in Vietnam. It was a great experimental theater, and Kennedy knew this. He knew it, and he knew that the American people had no idea what was going down, and he still tried to resist it, against his father’s warnings.

 

Because his father was the most powerful Knight of Malta in the Empire.

 

Martin: Any theories on why they took out junior?

Phelps: Yes. According to Tom Kuncle, in his publication, John F. Kennedy, Jr. wanted to find his father’s real killers, and he had the power to publish the conclusion. So, they took him out right away. They would not allow that to happen.

 

Martin: Why haven’t you been taken out?

Phelps: Because I am immortal - until the Lord is done with me. I am a Calvinist and a Baptist, and we believe in the sovereignty of God. And as long as we are operating in His Will, they cannot touch us, regardless of their power.

 

Martin: Which is why we’re having this conversation.

Phelps: Which is why we’re having the conversation. Don’t think for one moment they’re not tapping this phone. They know this. The issue is here. We’re talking about a providential, sovereign God who wishes to move, using second causes, men, just as the Devil does.

The Devil always uses second causes, men. So, it’s one group of men vs. another group of men, and one path leads to evil, and the true, almighty God leads to goodness.

The problem is, with us, there are very few men who want to believe God anymore. Nobody believes He can deliver anymore. It’s just a handful of us who say: “Well, we’re going to do His Will; we’re going to trust Him in His Power.”

And like the Hebrews getting ready to be thrown into the fiery furnace of Nebuchadnezzar, our God is able to deliver us. We’re going to tell the truth!

 

Martin: Let’s see here. I can throw away a lot of these questions. So much of it seems, in a way, irrelevant to our current times because there’s so much going on now. But, good grief ! I was just stunned to read in your book of all the historical things that have happened as a result of these evil people. You dedicated the book to four Roman Catholics who, I’m sure, no one has ever heard of: Charles Chiniquy, Jeremiah Crowley, Emmett McLaughlin, and Alberto Rivera. Why them?

Phelps: Because those Roman Catholic men were priests; they left the priesthood and told the truth about what was really happening. And all four of them, except one, I think Emmett McLaughlin, paid with their life. Chiniquy was the great exposer of the Jesuit assassination of President Lincoln, when he wrote his masterpiece Fifty Years In The Church Of Rome in 1886. He proves that Lincoln was assassinated by the Jesuits, and that it was covered-up by our government at the time.

Jeremiah Crowley: that priest was a great Irishman who came here and, seeing the corruption of the Archdiocese in Chicago, that it was so corrupt, he left it and exposed it. And, of course, he later came to Christ and became a Bible-believer, which they would call a Protestant. Protestants today don’t believe the Bible. Protestantism of today is an empty shell, it’s nothing. But, back then, in 1912, they believed the Bible.

Crowley, then, exposed many things, and one of the things he exposed, that helped me with this, was that he warned that the Jesuits, with their Knights of Columbus - which, he says, the Knights of Columbus, named after Columbus, who he tells us was a Spanish Jew and a pirate and a deflowerer of young girls -  that Columbus was no Christian.

He has a tremendous section in his book on Columbus. That the purpose of the Knights of Columbus was to fulfill Jesuitical politics, and part of those politics was to restore the temporal power of the Pope because, you remember, the Pope had lost that in 1870 and they wanted to get it back. And they got it back with Mussolini in 1929.

Well, in the book that Crowley wrote in 1912, he says that Taft and Teddy Roosevelt were all cow-towing to the Pope and the Cardinals of New York. And he said they’re going to use our military to restore the Pope’s temporal power around the world.

And THAT was absolutely correct. That IS American foreign policy. And the Council of Trent is the American foreign policy of today. That’s what’s going on in Serbia and Bosnia. It’s the Council of Trent - the Jesuits using the American Air Force to bomb those orthodox people to smithereens. But, that was Crowley’s great contribution.

Next, Emmett McLaughlin wrote several books. He wrote The People’s Padre; he wrote Crime And Immorality In The Catholic Church, showing that Catholic nations are more lawless and more criminal than Protestant nations, and he proved it with statistics from the jails.

Emmett McLaughlin also wrote another book called The Assassination Of Abraham Lincoln, where he, again, shows that Lincoln was assassinated by the Jesuits. So, Emmett McLaughlin came out of the Catholic Church. To my knowledge, he never was born again. He never was saved, but he did tell the truth. He married a nun, and lived a virtuous and honorable life after he left.

The last one was, of course, Alberto Rivera, who was greatly hated by the Vatican because he was a very high Jesuit who came out and, in the late ’60s, about 1969, exposed the power of Rome in the ecumenical movement, that Rome controlled Kathryn Kuhlman; that Rome controlled Billy Graham; that Rome controlled, virtually, our government - Ronald Reagan.

Reagan, when he took the Oath of Office, faced the obelisk, indicating that this country will ultimately have a concordat. So, Alberto Rivera converted to Christ, wonderfully, and he started a ministry called The Anti-Christ Information Center, out of Los Angeles.

They tried to kill him five times. A dentist jammed a needle up between his teeth, trying to give him an infection in the brain. When he passed out, about a year or so later, they couldn’t figure it out. Everybody was praying for him. And this was discovered when he went to another dentist. He had it removed.

He was pushed in front of a subway train. They tried five times to kill the man, and finally he died, I believe, of cancer, in a hospital, about three years ago. But these four wonderful, great, Catholic priests did their best to expose the power of Rome and its attempts to destroy our sovereign, Protestant, Bible-believing nation. And so, to them, I dedicate it.

 

Martin: What compelled you to write this book? What started it for you?

Phelps: I was always taught to be a patriot, a patriot first and foremost - America first, and everybody else second. Later, when I came to know the Lord, at 17, I realized the Bible taught the same thing - that the Lord had instituted nations. The Lord never instituted world governments; that’s always the result of the Devil’s working.

So, being a patriot and a nationalist -  believing in national sovereignty - I was saved at 17, went into the Air Force, was garrisoned in a nuclear weapons area for three years in Germany, came back and started to go to Bible college.

When I went to Bible college, the issue of the King James came up, as far as it being an archaic version. And that’s what I used and I had never given it a thought. Well, some were using NIV, some NASB, and I thought:

“Well, maybe it’s just a modern version of what I have here.”

And I thought:

“Well, if they want to use that, that’s fine, but I’ll use the King James.”

I found that the underlying Greek text for the King James, the Textus Receptus, was the Greek text of the Reformation.

 

It represents 95% of the existing manuscripts that we have today. The Greek text that underlies all these other versions - there’s a Westcott and Hort Greek text, which I then discovered was really a conspiracy to adulterate the Textus Receptus in England, led by Brooke Foss Westcott and Anthony Hort, who were Maryolitors, Mary-worshippers.

Later, I found out that they had invited Cardinal Newman to sit in on the revision committee. Well, Cardinal Newman was a traitor to the Anglican Church, with his Track 90, which blew-off the Anglican Church. He then left England and he was then a Cardinal by Pius IX.

So, here we have Cardinal Newman, and E. B. Pusey, had been invited to sit on thisrevision committee, the end result being a Greek text that had been produced that was pro-Jerome’s Latin Vulgate. Jerome’s Latin Vulgate is the basis for the Jesuit’s Reheims-Douay text, that was put out in 1582, that was attempting to rival William Tyndale’s English text, which later became the King James Version of 1611.

So now I see this awful Jesuit hand in my Bible college, attempting to deprive me of the Word of God, the authorized version of 1611, in it’s present edition of 1769. Now I thought “Well, here the Jesuits are, what else have they done?” And the next thing I was led to was the Lincoln assassination.

 

And I can remember reading Burke McCarty’s The Suppressed Truth About The Assassination Of Abraham Lincoln, and weeping in the back room, when I was in college.

 

Martin: For me, one of the most compelling portions of your book was the series of revelations about Lincoln. I was stunned by that.

Phelps: That’s what they did. Remember, Lincoln was not going to go along with the 14th Amendment. He wanted those Southern states to re-enter the Union on the same footing that they had left, which would have left us with a federal Republic as Washington had established it. This the Jesuits would not allow. It would be converted into an Empire. The states would be subordinate provinces to Washington. And the 14th Amendment would accomplish this with the reversion of citizenship. And Lincoln was re-elected, and he was ready to end this, and that’s why they killed him. Kennedy was ready to implement his things; they would not let him be re-elected.

 

Martin: This is a total aside. Have you ever come across The Jefferson Bible?

Phelps: The Jefferson Bible - and maybe you know this - is Matthew, Mark, and Luke. And Thomas Jefferson, being the Deist, being the pagan that he was, cut out all the supernatural from those three gospels. Jefferson was a Deist; he was involved with the French Freemasons who were involved in the French Revolution, and he was not here at the writing of our Protestant Constitution.

 

So, the Lord put him out of the picture. Jefferson was just used to help with the Revolution - because the Lord does use the unGodly for good things. But Jefferson copied much of the Declaration Of Independence from the Mechlenburg Declaration, written by Calvinistic Presbyterians of North Carolina, when they seceded, when that county of Mechlenburg seceded from the Colonies.

 

Martin: Never heard of it.

Phelps: Yes, you’ll find it in Presbyterian writings. You can find it from D. James Kennedy; he has a thing on it. And Jefferson copied, at the end: “...and to this end we devote our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor.”

That was copied directly from the Mechlenburg Declaration. Jefferson was a plagiarist; he was a high Freemason; and he was out of here at the time of the writing of our Constitution. And the reason why the people of Virginia did elect him to office was because he was a State’s Rights man. He wanted limited powers in Washington, and that was a good thing.

 

And when Jefferson was elected, he undid everything the king-president John Adams did, with his Alien & Sedition Laws, because John Adams wanted to be a king, and Jefferson undid it, and Jefferson got two terms for that.

https://www.bibliotecapleyades.net/vatican/esp_vatican02a.htm

Popeye the Sailor is a fictional cartoon character created by Elzie Crisler Segar.[19][20][21][22] The character first appeared on January 17, 1929, in the daily King Features comic strip Thimble Theatre. The strip was in its tenth year when Popeye made his debut, but the one-eyed sailor quickly became the lead character, and Thimble Theatre became one of King Features' most popular properties during the 1930s. Following Segar's death in 1938, Thimble Theatre (later renamed Popeye) was continued by several writers and artists, most notably Segar's assistant Bud Sagendorf. The strip continues to appear in first-run installments on Sundays, written and drawn by R. K. Milholland. The daily strips are reprints of old Sagendorf stories.[21]

In 1933, Max Fleischer adapted the Thimble Theatre characters into a series of Popeye the Sailor theatrical cartoon shorts for Paramount Pictures.[23] These cartoons proved to be among the most popular of the 1930s, and Fleischer Studios, which later became Paramount's own Famous Studios, continued production through 1957. Cartoons produced during World War II included Allied propaganda, as was common among cartoons of the time.[24] These cartoon shorts are now owned by Turner Entertainment and distributed by its sister company Warner Bros.[25]

Over the years, Popeye has also appeared in comic books, television cartoons, video games, hundreds of advertisements,[21] peripheral products ranging from spinach to candy cigarettes, and the 1980 live-action film directed by Robert Altman and starring Robin Williams as Popeye.

Charles M. Schulz said, "I think Popeye was a perfect comic strip, consistent in drawing and humor."[26] In 2002, TV Guide ranked Popeye number 20 on its "50 Greatest Cartoon Characters of All Time" list.[27]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Popeye

Saylorsburg is a census-designated place and unincorporated community in Monroe County, Pennsylvania, United States. Saylorsburg is located off Pennsylvania Route 33, 5 miles (8.0 km) northwest of Wind Gap. As of the 2010 census, its population was 1,126.[2] The village is located in both Ross Township and Hamilton Township.[4]

Saylorsburg is in the Pocono Mountains.[5]

Wildlife

Saylorsburg is home to some species of wildlife, including American black bear, gray & red fox, white-tailed deer, groundhog, Virginia opossum, raccoon, and fisher. Saylorsburg is also home to several bird species including great blue heron, wild turkey, and bald eagle. Although only few sightings have been reported, it is commonly known that elk reside in higher elevations in the Pocono Mountains.[citation needed]

Education

The Hamilton Township side of the CDP is in Stroudsburg Area School District while the Ross Township side is in Pleasant Valley School District.[6]

Notable person

Fethullah Gülen, founder of the Gülen movement

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saylorsburg,_Pennsylvania

Muhammed Fethullah Gülen (27 April 1941 – 20 October 2024) was a Turkish Muslim scholar, preacher, and leader of the Gülen movement[7][8] who as of 2016 had millions of followers.[9] Gülen was an influential neo-Ottomanist,[10] Anatolian panethnicist,[clarification needed][11][12] Islamic poet, writer,[13] social critic, and activist–dissident developing a Nursian theological perspective[14] that embraces democratic modernity.[12] Gülen was a local state imam from 1959 to 1981[15][16] and he was a citizen of Turkey until his denaturalization by the Turkish government in 2017.[17] Over the years, Gülen became a centrist political figure in Turkey prior to his being there as a fugitive. From 21 March 1999 until his death on 20 October 2024, Gülen lived in self-exile in the United States near Saylorsburg, Pennsylvania.[18][19][20] Gülen's body was buried in a plot of land near the Chestnut Retreat Center in Pennsylvania due to the political situation in Turkey.[21]

Gülen said his social criticisms are focused upon individuals' faith and morality and a lesser extent toward political ends,[22] and self described as rejecting an Islamist political philosophy, advocating instead for full participation within professions, society, and political life by religious and secular individuals who profess high moral or ethical principles and who wholly support secular rule, within Muslim-majority countries and elsewhere.[23] Gülen was described in the English-language media as an imam "who promoted a tolerant Islam which emphasises altruism, hard work, and education" and as "one of the world's most important Muslim figures".[24][25]

In 2003, a number of Gülen movement participants allied with Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's right wing Justice and Development Party (AKP), providing the AKP political and sorely-needed administrative support.[26][27][28] This political alliance worked together to weaken left-of-center Kemalist factions, but fractured in 2011. Turkish prosecutors accused Gülen of attempts to overthrow the government by allegedly directing politically motivated corruption investigations by Gülen-linked investigators then in the judiciary,[29][30] who illegally wiretapped the executive office of the Turkish president,[8] and Gülen's alleged instigations of the 2016 coup attempt.[31][32] Gülen denied the accusations.[33][34]

A Turkish criminal court issued an arrest warrant for Gülen in 2016,[35][36] and Turkey demanded his extradition from the United States.[37][38][39] U.S. government officials did not believe he was associated with any terrorist activity, and requested evidence to be provided by the Turkish government to substantiate the allegations in the warrant requesting extradition, frequently rejecting Turkish calls for his extradition.[40][41][42]

Gülen was wanted as a terrorist leader in Turkey[43] and Pakistan,[44] as well as by the OIC[45][46] and GCC.[47]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fethullah_G%C3%BClen

Poppy Fields in the Tora Bora Region of Afghanistan

405027 04: An Afghan farmer cuts into a poppy bulb to extract the sap, which will be used to make opium, in a field May 6, 2002 in the village of Markhanai in the Tora Bora region of Afghanistan. Afghanistan once supplied 70 percent of the world's opium. The country's former Taliban rulers banned poppies in 2000, but farmers quickly planted the lucrative crop again after a U.S. bombing campaign helped push the Islamic militia from power late last year. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/an-afghan-farmer-cuts-into-a-poppy-bulb-to-extract-the-sap-news-photo/1540301

The Battle of Tora Bora was a military engagement that took place in the cave complex of Tora Bora, eastern Afghanistan, from November 30 – December 17, 2001, during the final stages of the United States invasion of Afghanistan. It was launched by the United States and its allies with the objective to capture or kill Osama bin Laden, the founder and leader of the militant organization al-Qaeda. Al-Qaeda and bin Laden were suspected of being responsible for the September 11 attacks three months prior. Tora Bora (Pashto: تورا بورا; Black Cave) is located in the Spīn Ghar mountain range near the Khyber Pass. The U.S. stated that al-Qaeda had its headquarters there and that it was bin Laden's location at the time.

Background

In Operation Cyclone during the early 1980s, CIA officers had assisted the mujahideen fighters in extending and shoring up the caves to use for resistance during the Soviet–Afghan War.[8] The U.S. then supported their effort. Several years later, the Taliban formed and took control of most of the country, enforcing Islamic fundamentalist rule. Several cave areas were used in much earlier periods, as the difficult terrain formed a natural defensive position and had been used by tribal warriors fighting foreign invaders.

In the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, the United States launched Operation Enduring Freedom to dismantle the Taliban regime that had sheltered Osama bin Laden. To achieve this goal, the U.S. military joined forces with the Northern Alliance, a group of rebels who had long been waging a guerrilla war against the Taliban. Through a combination of air strikes and ground operations, the U.S. and its allies quickly gained the upper hand, seizing control of key Taliban strongholds and toppling the regime's grip on power. By November 13, 2001, the Northern Alliance had captured the capital city of Kabul.

The CIA was closely tracking Osama bin Laden's movements, hoping to locate and catch him. On November 10, 2001, he had been spotted near Jalalabad traveling in a convoy of 200 pick-up trucks heading in the direction of his training camp in Tora Bora mountain.[12] The U.S. had expected bin Laden to make a last stand at Tora Bora, hoping to repeat his success against the Soviets in the Battle of Jaji in 1987. Vice President Dick Cheney revealed in a November 29, 2001 television interview that bin Laden was believed to be in the general area of Tora Bora, surrounded by a sizable force of loyal fighters.[4] The CIA lead in the Panjshir, Gary Berntsen, sent a detachment to team up with Afghan tribal militias around Jalalabad who opposed the Taliban.[12] The Americans climbed the mountains guided by the locals who knew the terrain. After a few days of climbing, they arrived at the training camp in Tora Bora where hundreds of Al-Qaeda fighters could be spotted.[13]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Tora_Bora

Katharina von Bora (German: [kataˈʁiːnaː fɔn ˈboːʁaː]; 29 January 1499? – 20 December 1552), after her wedding Katharina Luther, also referred to as "die Lutherin" ('the Lutheress'),[1] was the wife of the German reformer Martin Luther and a seminal figure of the Protestant Reformation. Although little is known about her, she is often considered to have been important to the Reformation, her marriage setting a precedent for Protestant family life and clerical marriage.[2]

Ancestry

Katharina von Bora was the daughter to a family of Saxon lesser nobility.[3][4][5] According to common belief, she was born on 29 January 1499 in Lippendorf, but there is no evidence of this in contemporary documents. Due to there being multiple branches in her family and the uncertainty of her birth name, there are diverging theories about her place of birth.[6] One of them proposes that she was born in Hirschfeld and that her parents were Hans von Bora zu Hirschfeld and his wife, born Anna von Haugwitz.[7][8] It is also possible that Katharina was the daughter of Jan von Bora auf Lippendorf and his wife Margarete, both of whom were only mentioned in 1505.[9]

Early life

A portrait of Martin Luther in 1526 by Lucas Cranach the Elder

Her father sent then five-year-old von Bora to a Benedictine convent in Brehna in 1504 to be educated, according to a letter Laurentius Zoch sent to Martin Luther in 1531.[10] At the age of nine, she was moved to Nimbschen Abbey, Cistercian community named Marienthron ('Mary's Throne') near Grimma, where her maternal aunt was a nun.[11] Von Bora's presence is in the financial accounts of 1509/10.[12]

Plaque on the ruins of Nimbschen Abbey, commemorating von Bora's time there and her escape.

After years of being a nun, von Bora became interested in the growing reform movement and grew dissatisfied with cloistered life. Conspiring with several other sisters, she contacted Luther and begged for his assistance.[13] On 4 April 1523, Holy Saturday, Luther sent Leonhard Köppe, a merchant and councillor of Torgau who regularly delivered herring to the convent. The nuns escaped by hiding in his covered wagon among the fish barrels, and fled to Wittenberg.[14]

Luther asked the family of the nuns to admit them into their houses, but they declined, possibly because this would have made them accomplices to a crime under canon law.[15]

Within two years, Luther was able to arrange marriages or find employment for all of the escaped nuns except von Bora. She was first housed with the family of Philipp Reichenbach, the municipal clerk of Wittenberg, then with Lucas Cranach the Elder and his wife, Barbara. Von Bora had a number of suitors, including Hieronymus Baumgartner from Nuremberg, and a pastor, Kaspar Glatz from Orlamünde, but none of the proposals resulted in marriage. She told Luther's friend and fellow reformer, Nicolaus von Amsdorf, that she would be willing to marry only Luther or von Amsdorf.[16]

Marriage to Luther

Three depictions of Katharina von Bora

Martin Luther, as well as many of his friends, was at first unsure of whether he should marry. Philip Melanchthon thought that this would hurt the Reformation by causing scandal. Luther eventually decided that his marriage would 'please his father, rile the pope, cause the angels to laugh, and the devils to weep'.[16] 26-year-old Von Bora and 41-year-old Luther married on 13 June 1525, before witnesses including Justus Jonas, Johannes Bugenhagen, and Barbara and Lucas Cranach.[17] A small wedding breakfast was held the next morning, and a more formal, public ceremony on 27 June, presided over by Bugenhagen.[18]

The couple took up residence in the former dormitory and educational institution of Augustinian friars studying in Wittenberg (known as the 'Black Monastery'), a wedding gift from John, Elector of Saxony, brother of Luther's protector Frederick III, Elector of Saxony.[19] Katharina immediately took on the task of managing the monastery's vast holdings. She bred and sold cattle and ran a brewery to provide for their family, the numerous students who boarded with them, and her husband's visitors. In times of epidemics, she operated a hospital with nurses, working alongside them. Luther called her the 'boss of Zulsdorf', after the farm they owned, and the 'morning star of Wittenberg' for her habit of rising at 4 a.m.[2]

Based on Luther's descriptions, his wife, whom he nicknamed 'Herr Käthe', exerted much control over his life. She might have even influenced his decisions to a degree; Luther said that his wife 'convince[d] [him] of whatever' she pleased', and explicitly afforded her 'complete control' over the household, as long as 'his rights' were 'preserved', since '[f]emale government has never done any good'.[20] She thus assisted her husband with running their estate and directed renovations when necessary.[21] Anecdotal evidence suggests that Katharina Luther played a wife's role as taught by her husband's movement: she depended on him financially (although she also increased their estate's profits), and respected him as a 'higher vessel', always calling him 'Herr Doktor'. He reciprocated by occasionally consulting her on church matters.[22]

Katharina bore six children: Hans (1526–1575), Elisabeth (1527–1528), Magdalena (1529–1542), Martin (1531–1565), Paul (1533–1593), and Margarete (1534–1570). She also suffered a miscarriage on 1 November 1539. The Luthers raised four orphaned children, including Katharina's nephew, Fabian.[23]

Significance of the marriage

The marriage of von Bora to Luther is very important in the history of Protestantism, specifically in regard to the development of its views on marriage and gender roles. While Luther was not the first cleric to marry because of Reformation ideas, he was one of the most prominent. As he argued publicly for clerical marriage and produced much anti-Catholic propaganda, his marriage became a natural target for his enemies.[24]

After Luther's death

von Bora in 1546

von Bora's gravestone engraving at Saint Mary's Church in Torgau, Germany

When Martin Luther died in 1546, Katharina was left in difficult financial straits without Luther's salary as professor and pastor, even though she owned land, properties, and the Black Cloister. She had been counselled by Martin Luther to move out of the old abbey and sell it after his death, and move into much more modest quarters with the children who remained at home, but she refused.[25] Luther had named her his sole heir in his last will. His will could not be executed, however, because it did not conform with Saxon law.[26]

Almost immediately after, Katharina had to leave the Black Cloister, now called Lutherhaus, by herself, at the outbreak of the Schmalkaldic War, fleeing to Magdeburg. After she returned, the approaching war forced another flight in 1547, this time to Braunschweig. In July 1547, at the close of the war, she was able to return to Wittenberg.[citation needed]

After the war, the buildings and lands of the monastery had been torn apart and laid waste. Cattle and other farm animals had been stolen or killed. If she had sold the land and the buildings, she could have had a good financial situation. Financially, they could not remain there. Katharina was able to support herself thanks to the generosity of John Frederick I, Elector of Saxony, and the princes of Anhalt.[27]

She remained in Wittenberg in poverty until 1552, when an outbreak of the Black Plague and a harvest failure forced her to leave the city once again. She fled to Torgau, where she was thrown from her cart into a watery ditch near the city gates. For three months, she went in and out of consciousness, before dying in Torgau on 20 December 1552, at the age of 53. She was buried at Torgau's Saint Mary's Church, far from her husband's grave in Wittenberg. She is reported to have said on her deathbed, 'I will stick to Christ as a burr to cloth.'[28]

By the time of Katharina's death, the surviving Luther children were adults. After Katharina's death, the Black Cloister was sold back to the university in 1564 by his heirs.[citation needed]

Margareta Luther, born in Wittenberg on 27 December 1534, married into a noble, wealthy Prussian family, to Georg von Kunheim (Wehlau, 1 July 1523 – Mühlhausen [now Gvardeyskoye, Kaliningrad Oblast], 18 October 1611, the son of Georg von Kunheim [1480–1543] and wife Margarethe, Truchsessin von Wetzhausen [1490–1527]) but died in Mühlhausen in 1570 at the age of thirty-six.[29]

Commemoration

Katharina von Bora is commemorated on 20 December in the Calendar of Saints of some Lutheran churches in the United States.[30] In 2022, she was officially added to the Episcopal Church liturgical calendar with a feast day on 20 December.[31]

In addition to a statue in Wittenberg and several biographies, an opera of her life now keeps her memory alive.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katharina_von_Bora

 Augustinians and Cistercians | Church and Society in the Medieval West

One newly founded order broke with the rule of Benedict, finding its inspiration in a letter of Augustine is that prescribed simply that monks share all their property, pray together at regular intervals, dress alike, and obey a superior. Some of the “Augustinians,” as they called themselves, interpreted these general rules severely, living in silence, performing manual labor, eating and drinking sparingly, and singing psalms; others ate meat, conversed among themselves, and did not insist on manual labor.

Often beginning as small informal foundations, the Augustinians attracted modest donations from relatively modest donors. Unlike Cluny, with its vast collections of buildings crowned by a great and splendid church, the Augustinian foundations were simple and humble. The Augustinians preached, baptized, heard confessions, and helped the poor unobtrusively. They multiplied rapidly, and in the thirteenth century there were thousands of Augustinian houses in England and on the Continent.

Founded only a little later, the Cistercians abandoned the world instead of living in it. Their original house, Citeaux (Cistercium) in Burgundy, lay in a dismal wasteland far from the distractions of the world. There they pioneered land reclamation and launched a period of agricultural expansion. By the twelfth century the Cistercians were looked to for their knowledge of how to make previously uncultivated lands, often swamps, productive. They considered themselves the only true Benedictines, vet the self-denial, poverty, and wholly spiritual life that the Cistercians adopted was often seen by their contemporaries as arrogant, worldly, and even greedy.

Perhaps the best-known Cistercian leader was Bernard of Clairvaux (c. 1091-1153), who in 1115 led a band of Cistercians to a new and remote site from which he influenced worldly affairs to a remarkable degree, preaching for a Second Crusade and attacking the scholastic method of teaching. As he wrote, “There are many who seek knowledge for the sake of knowledge: that is curiosity. There are others who desire to know in order that they themselves be known: that is vanity. Others seek knowledge in order to sell it: that is dishonorable. But there are also some who seek knowledge in order to edify others. That is love.” He launched significant reforms in teaching, the observance of church rules, and attitudes toward worship.

In the end, the Cistercians, too, changed. Display conquered austerity, and aristocratic traditions quenched humility. By the thirteenth century, great Cistercian monasteries were wealthy centers of production. The expensive arts of architecture and sculpture were lavished on their buildings. These Cistercian monasteries had become great corporations, thoroughly tied into the increasingly complex web of medieval economic life.

https://bigsiteofhistory.com/augustinians-and-cistercians-church-and-society-in-the-medieval-west

 The Cistercian Order

Main article: Cistercians

In 1075 Robert de Molesme, a Benedictine monk from Cluny Abbey, had obtained the permission of Pope Gregory VII to found a monastery at Molesme in Burgundy. At Molesme, Robert tried to restore monastery practice to the simple and severe character of the original Rule of Saint Benedict, called "Strict Observance". Being only partly successful in this at Molesme, Robert in 1098 led a band of 21 monks from their abbey at Molesme to establish a new monastery. The monks acquired a plot of marsh land just south of Dijon called Cîteaux (Latin: "Cistercium") and set about building a new monastery there which became Cîteaux Abbey, the mother Abbey of the newly founded Cistercian Order.[10]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cluniac_Reforms

Finally, the Constitutions train us all for perfection, instructing us in the weapons to be used in combatting our three fierce and raging adversaries. They teach us how to counter the lust of the flesh with chastity, the lust of the eyes with poverty, and the pride of life with obedience. I shall say nothing of our observance of chastity (in which we should imitate the purity of the angels so far as our frailty allows), or of our OBSERVANCE of poverty (which is so STRICT that neither churches nor professed houses may acquire any rents, lands, or even perpetual endowments). As for obedience, however, by which we consecrate the chief and noblest part of ourselves to God, our Constitutions require of us that it be so prompt, eager, perfect, and integral that we do not swerve even a hairsbreadth from our superiors commands. In matters falling under obedience, not only must our action be guided by the superior s command and our will by his will, but even something much more difficult our understanding by his understanding.

To sum up: men crucified to the world, and to whom the world itself is crucified[7] such would our Constitutions have us to be; new men, I say, who have put off their affections to put on Christ;[8] dead to themselves to live to justice; who, with St. Paul in labors, in watchings, in fastings, in chastity, in knowledge, in long suffering, in sweetness, in the Holy Spirit, in charity unfeigned, in the word of truth, show themselves ministers of God[9] and by the armor of Justice on the right hand and, on the left, by honor and dishonor, by evil report and good report, by good success finally and ill success, press forward with great strides to their heavenly country. This is the sum and aim of our institute.

And so I beseech you, brothers in the Lord, that we may walk in a manner worthy of our vocation,[10] and, in order to know that vocation, may read and reread these Constitutions that have been bestowed upon us by the gift of God. Let us study them day and night. Let us vie with each other in learning them, pondering them, and keeping them. If we do so, our name will be matched by our lives and our profession made manifest in deed.

Farewell in Christ.

Rome, the house of the Society of Jesus, 1559 [7]

The Constitutions of The Society of Jesus and Their Complimentary Norms

A Complete English Translation of the Official Latin Texts

THE INSTITUTE OF JESUIT SOURCES

SAINT LOUIS, 1996

https://web.archive.org/web/20200211182223/https://jesuitas.lat/uploads/the-constitutions-of-the-society-of-jesus-and-their-complementary-norms/Constitutions%20and%20Norms%20SJ%20ingls.pdf

The Gehlen Organization or Gehlen Org (often referred to as The Org) was an intelligence agency established in June 1946 by U.S. occupation authorities in the United States zone of post-war occupied Germany, and consisted of former members of the 12th Department of the German Army General Staff (Foreign Armies East, or FHO). It was headed by Reinhard Gehlen who had previously been a Wehrmacht Major General and head of the Nazi German military intelligence in the Eastern Front during World War II.

The agency was a precursor to the Bundesnachrichtendienst (BND or Federal Intelligence Service) which was formed in 1956.

Establishment

Reinhard Gehlen in 1943

After World War II, Reinhard Gehlen acted under the tutelage of US Army G-2 (intelligence), but he wished to establish an association with the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). In 1947, in alliance with the CIA, the military orientation of the organization turned increasingly toward political, economic and technical espionage against the Eastern bloc and the moniker "Pullach" became synonymous with secret service intrigues.[1]

According to one report, the Org was for many years "the only eyes and ears of the CIA on the ground in the Soviet Bloc nations" during the Cold War. The CIA kept close tabs on the Gehlen group: the Org supplied the manpower while the CIA supplied the material needs for clandestine operations, including funding, cars and airplanes.[citation needed]

Every German POW returning from Soviet captivity to West Germany between 1947 and 1955 was interviewed by Org agents. Those returnees who were forced to work in Soviet industries and construction, and who were willing to participate, represented an incomparable source of information: a post-war, up-to-date picture of the Soviet Union as it evolved.[2]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gehlen_Organization

Operation Mockingbird is an alleged large-scale program of the United States Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) that began in the early years of the Cold War and attempted to manipulate domestic American news media organizations for propaganda purposes. According to author Deborah Davis, Operation Mockingbird recruited leading American journalists into a propaganda network and influenced the operations of front groups. CIA support of front groups was exposed when an April 1967 Ramparts article reported that the National Student Association received funding from the CIA.[1] In 1975, Church Committee Congressional investigations revealed Agency connections with journalists and civic groups.

In 1973, a document referred to as the "Family Jewels"[2] was published by the CIA containing a reference to "Project Mockingbird", which was the name of an operation in 1963 which wiretapped two journalists who had published articles based on classified material.[3] The document does not contain references to "Operation Mockingbird".[4]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Mockingbird

Kodashim (Hebrew: קׇדָשִׁים‎, romanized: Qoḏāšim, lit. 'holy things') is the fifth of the six orders, or major divisions, of the Mishnah, Tosefta and the Talmud, and deals largely with the services within the Temple in Jerusalem, its maintenance and design, the korbanot, or sacrificial offerings that were offered there, and other subjects related to these topics, as well as, notably, the topic of kosher slaughter.

Topics

This Seder (order, or division) of the Mishnah is known as Kodashim (“sacred things” or “sanctities”), because it deals with subjects connected with Temple service and ritual slaughter of animals (shehitah). The term kodashim, in the Biblical context, applies to the sacrifices, the Temple and its furnishings, as well as the priests who carried out the duties and ceremonies of its service; and it is with these holy things, places and people that Kodashim is mainly concerned. The title Kodashim is apparently an abbreviation of Shehitat Kodashim ("the slaughter of sacred animals") since the main, although not the only subject of this order is sacrifices.[1][2][3]

The topics of this Seder are primarily the sacrifices of animals, birds, and meal offerings, the laws of bringing a sacrifice, such as the sin offering and the guilt offering, and the laws of misappropriation of sacred property. In addition, the order contains a description of the Second Temple (tractate Middot), and a description and rules about the daily sacrifice service in the Temple (tractate Tamid). The order also includes tractate Hullin, which concerns the slaughter of animals for non-sacrificial use, as well as other dietary laws applying to meat and animal products. Although Hullin is about the slaughter of animals for non-sacrificial, and therefore unsanctified purposes, because the rules about the proper slaughter of animals and birds, and their ritual fitness for use were considered to be an integral part of the concept of holiness in Judaism, they were also included in the order regarding “holy things”.[2][3]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kodashim

And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird.

Revelation 18:2

Zevachim (“Sacrifices”), with FOURTEEN chapters, and originally called Shehitat Kodashim ("slaughtering of the holy animals") deals with the sacrificial system of the Temple period, namely the laws for animal and bird offerings, and the conditions which make them acceptable or not, as specified in the Torah, primarily in the book of Leviticus (Lev 1:2 and on).[1][2][4]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kodashim

14We ought to act on the principle that everyone who lives under obedience should let himself be carried and directed by Divine Providence through the agency of the superior 15as if he were a lifeless body, which allows itself to be carried to any place and treated in any way; or an old man s staff, which serves at any place and for any purpose in which the one holding it in his hand wishes to employ it. 16For in this way the obedient man ought joyfully to employ himself in any task in which the superior desires to employ him in aid of the whole body of the religious order; 17and he ought to hold it certain that by so doing he conforms himself with the divine will more than by anything else he could do while following his own will and different judgment.[3]"

page 221

The Constitutions of The Society of Jesus and Their Complimentary Norms

A Complete English Translation of the Official Latin Texts

THE INSTITUTE OF JESUIT SOURCES

SAINT LOUIS, 1996

https://jesuitas.lat/uploads/the-constitutions-of-the-society-of-jesus-and-their-complementary-norms/Constitutions%20and%20Norms%20SJ%20ingls.pdf

14 And deceived them that dwell on the earth by the signs which were permitted to him to do in the sight of the beast, saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make the [t]image of the [u]beast, which had the wound of a sword, and did live.

Revelation 13:14

Himmler used the Jesuits as the model for the SS, since he found they had the core elements of absolute obedience and the cult of the organisation.[59][60] Hitler is said to have called Himmler "my Ignatius of Loyola".[59] As an order, the SS needed a coherent doctrine that would set it apart.[61] Himmler attempted to construct such an ideology, and deduced a "pseudo-Germanic tradition" from history.[61] Himmler dismissed the image of Christ as a Jew and rejected Christianity's basic doctrine and its institutions.[62] Starting in 1934, the SS hosted "solstice ceremonies" (Sonnenwendfeiern) to increase team spirit within their ranks.[63] In a 1936 memorandum, Himmler set forth a list of approved holidays based on pagan and political precedents meant to wean SS members from their reliance on Christian festivities.[64] In an attempt to replace Christianity and suffuse the SS with a new doctrine, SS-men were able to choose special Lebenslauffeste, substituting common Christian ceremonies such as baptisms, weddings and burials. Since the ceremonies were held in small private circles, it is unknown how many SS-members opted for these kind of celebrations.[65]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ideology_of_the_SS

The large Latin inscription on the façade reads: Clemens XII Pont Max Anno V Christo Salvatori In Hon SS Ioan Bapt et Evang. This abbreviated inscription translates as: "The Supreme Pontiff Clement XII, in the fifth year [of his Pontificate, dedicated this building] to Christ the Savior, in honor of Saints John the Baptist and [John] the Evangelist".[5] The inscription indicates, with its full title (see below), that the archbasilica was originally dedicated to Christ the Savior and, centuries later, rededicated in honor of Saint John the Baptist and Saint John the Evangelist. Christ the Savior remains its primary dedication, and its titular feast day is 6 August, the Transfiguration of Christ. As the cathedral of the pope as bishop of Rome, it ranks superior to all other churches of the Catholic Church, including Saint Peter's Basilica.

Name

The archbasilica's Latin name is Archibasilica Sanctissimi Salvatoris ac Sancti Ioannis Baptistae et Ioannis Evangelistae ad Lateranum,[6] which in English is the Archbasilica of the Most Holy Savior and Saints John the Baptist and John the Evangelist at the Lateran, and in Italian Arcibasilica [Papale] del Santissimo Salvatore e Santi Giovanni Battista ed Evangelista in Laterano.[4]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archbasilica_of_Saint_John_Lateran#Lateran_Palace

From modest beginnings the SS (Schutzstaffel; Protection Squadrons), became a virtual state within a state in Nazi Germany, staffed by men who perceived themselves as the “racial elite” of Nazi future.

In the Nazi state, the SS assumed leading responsibility for security, identification of ethnicity, settlement and population policy, and intelligence collection and analysis. The SS controlled the German police forces and the concentration camp system. The SS conceived and implemented plans designed to restructure the ethnic composition of eastern Europe and the occupied Soviet Union.

From 1939, the SS assumed responsibility for “solving” the so-called Jewish Question; after 1941, its leadership planned, coordinated and directed the so-called Final Solution of the Jewish Question. This “solution” was the annihilation of the European Jews, which we now refer to as the Holocaust

https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/ss

2 §1. The character and charism of the Society of Jesus arise from the Spiritual Exercises which our holy father Ignatius and his companions went through. Led by this experience, they formed an apostolic group rooted in charity, in which, after they had taken the vows of chastity and poverty and had been raised to the priesthood, they offered themselves as a HOLOCAUST to God,[2] so that serving as soldiers of God beneath the banner of the cross and serving the Lord alone and the Church his spouse under the Roman Pontiff, the vicar of Christ on earth,[3] they would be sent into the entire world[4] for the defense and propagation of the faith and for the progress of souls in Christian life and doctrine. [5]

The Constitutions of The Society of Jesus and Their Complimentary Norms

A Complete English Translation of the Official Latin Texts

THE INSTITUTE OF JESUIT SOURCES

SAINT LOUIS, 1996

https://jesuitas.lat/uploads/the-constitutions-of-the-society-of-jesus-and-their-complementary-norms/Constitutions%20and%20Norms%20SJ%20ingls.pdf

Hajj Amin al-Husayni meets Hitler

In this German propaganda newsreel, the former Mufti of Jerusalem, Hajj Amin al-Husayni, an Arab nationalist and prominent Muslim religious leader, meets Hitler for the first time. During the meeting, held in in the Reich chancellery, Hitler declined to grant al-Husayni’s request for a public statement—or a secret but formal treaty—in which Germany would: 1) pledge not to occupy Arab land, 2) recognize Arab striving for independence, and 3) support the “removal” of the proposed Jewish homeland in Palestine. The Führer confirmed that the “struggle against a Jewish homeland in Palestine” would be part of the struggle against the Jews. Hitler stated that: he would “continue the struggle until the complete destruction of Jewish-Communist European empire”; and when the German army was in proximity to the Arab world, Germany would issue “an assurance to the Arab world” that “the hour of liberation was at hand.” It would then be al-Husayni’s “responsibility to unleash the Arab action that he has secretly prepared.” The Führer stated that Germany would not intervene in internal Arab matters and that the only German “goal at that time would be the annihilation of Jewry living in Arab space under the protection of British power.”

https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/film/hajj-amin-al-husayni-meets-hitler

The ratlines (German: Rattenlinien) were systems of escape routes for German Nazis and other fascists fleeing Europe from 1945 onwards in the aftermath of World War II. These escape routes mainly led toward havens in the Americas, particularly in Argentina, though also in Paraguay, Colombia,[1] Brazil, Uruguay, Mexico, Peru, Guatemala, Ecuador, and Bolivia, as well as the United States, Canada, Australia, Spain, and Switzerland.

There were two primary routes: the first went from Germany to Spain, then Argentina; the second from Germany to Rome, then Genoa, then South America. The two routes developed independently but eventually came together.[2] The ratlines were supported by rogue elements in the Vatican, particularly an Austrian bishop and four Croatian clergy of the Catholic Church who sympathized with the Ustaše.[3][4][5] Starting in 1947, U.S. Intelligence utilized existing ratlines to move certain Nazi strategists and scientists.[6]

While consensus among Western scholars is that Nazi leader Adolf Hitler died by suicide in 1945, in the late 1940s and 1950s the U.S. investigated claims that he survived and fled to South America..

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ratlines_(World_War_II)

20. It is better and safer to make alliance and amity with [Moslem] Turks, [Communist] Infidels, or [Talmudic and anti-Torah, Zionist] Jews, than with [Reformation Bible-believing] Heretic Protestants [and Baptists], because they may draw us into the errors of their novelties. {1}

Absolutist Papal Maxims of the Jesuits

Qetesh (also Qodesh, Qadesh, Qedesh, Qetesh, Kadesh, Kedesh, Kadeš or Qades /ˈkɑːdɛʃ/) was a goddess who was incorporated into the ancient Egyptian religion in the late Bronze Age. Her name was likely developed by the Egyptians based on the Semitic root Q-D-Š meaning 'holy' or 'blessed,'[2] attested as a title of El and possibly Athirat and a further independent deity in texts from Ugarit.[3]

Due to lack of clear references to Qetesh as a distinct deity in Ugaritic and other Syro-Palestinian sources, she is considered an Egyptian deity influenced by religion and iconography of Canaan by many modern researchers, rather than merely a Canaanite deity adopted by the Egyptians (examples of which include Reshef and Anat)[4][5]

Character

In Egyptian religion, the functions of Qetesh are hard to determine due to lack of direct references, but her epithets (especially the default one, "lady of heaven") might point at an astral character, and lack of presence in royal cult might mean that she was regarded as a protective goddess mostly by commoners. Known sources do not associate her with fertility or sex, and theories presenting her as a "sacred harlot" are regarded as obsolete in modern scholarship due to lack of evidence.[6]

Her epithets include "Mistress of All the Gods", "Lady of the Stars of Heaven", "Beloved of Ptah", "Great of magic, mistress of the stars", and "Eye of Ra, without her equal".[7] A connection with Ptah or Ra evident in her epithets is also known from Egyptian texts about Anat and Astarte.[8][9]

Iconography

Stele of Qetesh / Kadesh, Dynasty XIX (1292–1186 BC), Museo Egizio

Qetesh wearing the headdress of Hathor and standing on a lion; she holds a lotus flower and a snake and is flanked by Min on the left and Resheph on the right (Louvre).

On a stele representing the deity, Qetesh is depicted as a frontal nude (an uncommon motif in Egyptian art, though not exclusively associated with her), wearing a Hathor wig and standing on a lion, between Min and the Canaanite warrior god Resheph. She holds a snake in one hand and a bouquet of lotus or papyrus flowers in the other.[10][11]

Origin

Early researchers attempted to prove Qetesh was simply a form of a known Canaanite deity, rather than a fully independent goddess. William F. Albright proposed in 1939 that she was a form of the "lady of Byblos" (Baalat Gebal), while René Dussard suggested a connection to "Asherat" (e.g. the biblical Asherah) in 1941. Subsequent studies tried to find further evidence for equivalence of Qetesh and Asherah, despite dissimilar functions and symbols.[12]

The arguments presenting Qetesh and Asherah as the same goddess rely on the erroneous notion that Asherah, Astarte and Anat were the only three prominent goddesses in the religion of ancient Levant, and formed a trinity.[13] However, while Ashtart (Astarte) and Anat were closely associated with each other in Ugarit, in Egyptian sources, and elsewhere,[14][15] there is no evidence for conflation of Athirat and Ashtart, nor is Athirat associated closely with Ashtart and Anat in Ugaritic texts.[16] The concept of Athirat, Anat and Ashtart as a trinity and the only prominent goddesses in the entire region (popularized by authors like Tikva Frymer-Kensky) is modern and ignores the large role of other female deities, for example Shapash, in known texts, as well as the fact El appears to be the deity most closely linked to Athirat in primary sources.[17][18] One of the authors relying on the Anat-Ashtart-Athirat trinity theory is Saul M. Olyan (author of Asherah and the Cult of Yahweh in Israel) who calls the Qudshu-Astarte-Anat plaque "a triple-fusion hypostasis", and considers Qudshu to be an epithet of Athirat by a process of elimination, for Astarte and Anat appear after Qudshu in the inscription.[19][20]

Modern egyptologists, such as Christiane Zivie-Coche, do not consider Qetesh to be a hypostasis of Anat or Astarte, but a goddess developed in Egypt possibly without a clear forerunner among Canaanite or Syrian goddesses, though given a Semitic name and associated mostly with foreign deities.[21]

In popular culture

Qetesh is the name given to the Goa'uld that once possessed Vala Mal Doran, a recurring and then regular character in Seasons 9 and 10, respectively of the science fiction television series Stargate SG-1.

Qetesh is also the name used in The Sarah Jane Adventures episode Goodbye, Sarah Jane Smith, and confirmed to be the humanoid species (also known as "soul-stealers") of Ruby White (the episode's villain) who feeds off excitement and heightened emotion and have stomachs that live outside their bodies.

Moreover is Qadesh, also called Qwynn, a character in Holly Roberds' fantasy novel "Bitten by Death", published in 2021.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qetesh

What It Means:

"Kadosh" is the Hebrew word for "holy," but it goes beyond just being sacred or set apart. It signifies something that is entirely devoted to God, pure, and distinct from the ordinary.

Why It Matters:

This term is a cornerstone of the Hebrew Bible and frequently appears in passages that describe God’s nature and His expectations for His people. When God is described as "Kadosh," it emphasizes His ultimate purity and separation from all that is common. It's not just about reverence; it’s about living in a way that reflects God’s holiness in our own lives.

Fun Fact:

In Isaiah 6:3, the seraphim around God's throne declare, "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty" ("Kadosh, Kadosh, Kadosh"). This triple repetition highlights the supreme and unparalleled holiness of God, making it a central aspect of divine praise. It’s as if they're shouting, "God is incredibly, utterly holy!"

In ancient Israel, the most sacred place ever is the Temple site in Jerusalem. Perched on a high hill in the heart of the holiest city, it was the ultimate example of setting something aside for special protection. Inside the Temple’s inner chamber, known as the Holy of Holies, was where the presence of the Lord was believed to reside.

What About You?:

Is there something special in your spiritual life that you cherish and want to protect? Maybe it’s a personal ritual, a cherished belief, or a special moment of connection that you hold dear?

Note 345.—'*As to the history of the Kadosh degree, it is said tg have been first invented at Lyons, in France, in 1743. where it appeared under the name of the Petit Elu. This degree, which is said to have been based upon the Templar doctrine heretofore referred to, was afterwards developed into the Kadosh, which we find in 1758 incorporated as the Grand Elect Kadosh into the system of the Council of Emperors of the East and West, which was that year formed at Paris, whence it descended to the Scottish Rite Masons. Of all the Kadoshes. two only ai*e now important, viz.: the Philosophic Kadosh, which Kas been adopted by the Grand Orient of France, and the Knight Kadosh, which constitutes the thirtieth degree of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite, this latter being the most generally diffused of the Kadoshes."—Mackey's Encyclopedia of Freemasonry, Article Kadosh.

Las Plagas (プラーガ purāga?) are a genus of parasitic arthropods that belong to an unknown taxonomical order. They are endemic to a remote, montane region of Spain, from which they derive their name, "las plagas," meaning "the plague" in Spanish. Assuming that Plagas are otherwise typical parasitic arthropods, they are believed to reproduce asexually, with their eggs being expelled from the host and consumed by other animals as part of their life cycle. Plagas generally reach maturity within days of hatching, after which they rapidly progress through three consecutive stages, known (in Spanish) as guadaña, mandíbula and araña (English: 'scythe', 'jaw' and 'spider', respectively).

By latching onto the nervous system, plagas can exert influence over their host's actions, leading to increased aggression in human hosts known as Ganados. Additionally, they form social groups with other infected hosts. Unless the host's brain is destroyed or compromised, the plagan influence is not absolute, allowing them to continue their daily routines. All plagas existing in the 21st century are descendants of two species, one of which is artificial, and was employed by a paramilitary cult, known as Los Iluminados, as part of their bioweapons project.

History

Though often associated with Spain, the plagas may have originated in Western Africa, based on the discovery of desiccated remains within the Ndipaya Kingdom. These ruins are ancient, possibly dating back to the Neolithic age. The Plaga population in Spain could be as old as the Bronze Age, and evidence of human sacrificial rituals performed by the Ganados is depicted in Wharf B cave art. Count Gregorio Salazar led a brutal crusade against the Ganados in the region due to their pagan beliefs. Surviving Plagas were sealed within caves beneath a mound, separated from the nearby village by a deep valley trench and a large body of water. A fortress was constructed above the caves, with Salazar and his descendants assuming the role of Castellan to prevent the escape of the Plagas.[1]

Resident Evil 4 Castle - Mine examine 1

Desiccated remains of Plaga.[note 1]

Around the turn of the millennium, Osmund Saddler, who descended from one of the original banished ganados on a nearby island, discovered the Plagas and devised plans to utilize them for personal gain and international influence through parasitization. Assuming the role of a Prophet, Saddler led the cult known as "Los Iluminados," meaning "The Enlightened Ones" in Spanish. Prophet Saddler gained the loyalty of Ramón Salazar, the 8th Castellan, who agreed to release the Plagas as a means of atonement for his family's "sins" against the Ganados.[2] During the excavation led by Salazar, Saddler, and the hired village workers,[1] the Plagas, which had long been mummified in the low-oxygen environment,[3] were discovered to have survived in the form of spores and were growing within their new hosts when a strange disease spread among the workers.[3]

In the alternate account pertaining the unsealing of Las Plagas, the parasites laid dormant within enormous chunks of amber which subsequently relocated to the island where Saddler family previously banished at. Apparently, workers who infected by newly rejuvenated Plagas had broken few pieces of the amber by mistake hence the others were implored to take extra care in unearthing and transferring the rest.

Following his infection, Saddler's motivations and sanity may have shifted, possibly due to parasitic damage from the Plaga. Accounts of his perception on Los Iluminados varied. In one, he saw both the cult and the Plaga as mere tools for his own power and financial gain. Another claimed that, as the legitimate surviving heir of one of families who established the cult's original iteration, Saddler truly embraced its faith and therefore perceived the Plagas as divine beings worthy of worship.

Further experimentation with the Plagas revealed their ability to mutate humans under specific circumstances, resulting in increased strength, giant proportions, and the ability to regenerate body parts rapidly.[4] The Plagas were also used to create human-animal hybrids, leading to the development of creatures such as the Novistador, the Verdugo, and U-3. Dr. Luis Serra's research indicated that surgically removing juvenile and subadult Plagas would prove fatal if an adult Plaga was present; the only safe method was radiation therapy.[5][note 2]

https://residentevil.fandom.com/wiki/Las_Plagas

Ultramontanism is a clerical political conception within the Catholic Church that places strong emphasis on the prerogatives and powers of the Pope. It contrasts with Gallicanism, the belief that popular civil authority—often represented by the monarch's or state's authority—over the Church is comparable to that of the Pope.

History

The term descends from the Middle Ages, when a non-Italian pope was said to be papa ultramontano – a pope from beyond the mountains (the Alps).[1] Foreign students at medieval Italian universities also were referred to as ultramontani.

After the Protestant Reformation in France, the concept was revived but with its directionality reversed to indicate the man "beyond the mountains" in Italy: the Pope. The term ultramontain was used to refer to Catholics who supported papal authority in French affairs – as opposed to the Gallican and Jansenist factions, who did not – and was intended as an insult implying lack of patriotism.[1] From the 17th century, ultramontanism became closely associated with the Jesuits.[2]

In the 18th century the term came to refer to supporters of the Church in any conflict between church and state. In Austria ultramontanists were opposed to Josephinism, and in Germany to Febronianism. In Great Britain and Ireland ultramontanists resisted Cisalpinism, which favored concessions to the Protestant state in order to achieve Catholic emancipation.

In eighteenth-century Spain, the Bourbon monarchs began implementing policies of regalism, which expanded the power of the monarchy and sought to bring the Catholic Church under its jurisdiction in all matters except the spiritual sphere. Charles III of Spain's ministers, Count of Floridablanca and the Count of Campomanes rejected the arguments of the ultramontanists that the Church had inalienable rights in the secular sphere.[3] The regalist reforms that the Spanish crown sought to implement were not completely successful, and the resistance to them were attributed to support for the Society of Jesus, which had been expelled from the Spanish Empire in 1767, but prior to that were educators.[4]

In Canada, the majority of Catholic clergy despised the French Revolution and its anti-clerical bias and looked to Rome for both spiritual and political guidance. There were many laymen and laywomen who supported these ideals as key to preserving Canadian institutions and values. For this reason they were called ultramontanists. The ultramontanes distrusted both the Protestant anglophone and francophone politicians, but the Church found it easier to deal with British governors, who appreciated the role of the Church in containing dissent, than with the francophone liberal professionals who were secularists.[5]

First Vatican Council

Main article: First Vatican Council

According to Catholic academic Jeffrey P. von Arx,

The threat to the Catholic Church and the papacy through the 19th century was real, and the church’s reaction to that threat was understandable. Indeed, the church remained threatened on all sides. On the left, secular liberals sought to reduce or eliminate the role of the church in public life and civil society (by suppressing church schools, for example, and expelling religious congregations). The more radical heirs of the revolution and the socialists and communists into whom they evolved remained committed to the church’s utter destruction. But the threat was also from the nationalist right. Otto von Bismarck’s Kulturkampf was aimed directly at the Catholic Church, imposing state supervision of Catholic schools and seminaries and government appointment of bishops with no reference to Rome.[6]

The response was a condemnation of Gallicanism as heretical:

[W]e condemn and reject the opinions of those who hold that this communication of the supreme head with pastors and flocks may be lawfully obstructed; or that it should be dependent on the civil power, which leads them to maintain that what is determined by the apostolic see or by its authority concerning the government of the church, has no force or effect unless it is confirmed by the agreement of the civil authority.[7]

The council also asserted papal primacy. In July 1870, it issued the Dogmatic constitution Pastor aeternus, defining four doctrines of the Catholic faith: the apostolic primacy conferred on Peter, the perpetuity of this primacy in the Roman pontiffs, the meaning and power of the papal primacy, and Papal infallibility.

[W]e teach and declare that, by divine ordinance, the Roman Church possesses a pre-eminence of ordinary power over every other Church, and that this jurisdictional power of the Roman Pontiff is both episcopal and immediate. Both clergy and faithful, of whatever rite and dignity, both singly and collectively, are bound to submit to this power by the duty of hierarchical subordination and true obedience, and this not only in matters concerning faith and morals, but also in those which regard the discipline and government of the Church throughout the world.[8]

Von Arx compares this to "the great empires and national states of the 19th century, which used new means of communication and transportation to consolidate power, enforce unity and build bureaucracies".[6] "Cardinal Henry Edward Manning in Great Britain thought unity and discipline within the church were of the utmost importance in protecting the church and advancing its interests in a liberal, democratic state, and so he was one of the strongest advocates of the ultramontane position."[6] The English bishops at the council were characterized by their ultramontanism and described as "being more Catholic than the Pope himself".[9]

Reaction

Other Christian groups outside the Catholic Church declared this as the triumph of what they termed "the heresy of ultramontanism". It was specifically decried in the "Declaration of the Catholic Congress at Munich", in the Theses of Bonn, and in the Declaration of Utrecht, which became the foundational documents of Old Catholics (Altkatholische) who split with Rome over the declaration on infallibility and supremacy, joining the Old Episcopal Order Catholic See of Utrecht, which had been independent from Rome since 1723.[7]

As with previous pronouncements by the pope, liberals across Europe were outraged by the doctrine of infallibility and many countries reacted with laws to counter the influence of the church. The term "ultramontanism" was revived during the French Third Republic (1870–1940) as a pejorative way to describe policies that went against laïcité, a concept rooted in the French Revolution. The French philosopher Jacques Maritain noted the distinction between the models found in France and the separation of church and state in the United States in the mid-twentieth century. He considered the US model of that time to be more amicable because it had both "sharp distinction and actual cooperation" between church and state, what he called "an historical treasure" and admonished the United States, "Please to God that you keep it carefully, and do not let your concept of separation veer round to the European one."[10]

After Italian Unification and the abrupt (and unofficial) end of the First Vatican Council in 1870 because of the outbreak of the Franco-Prussian War, the ultramontanist movement and the opposing conciliarism became obsolete to a large extent. However, some very extreme tendencies of a minority of adherents to ultramontanism – especially those attributing to the Roman pontiff, even in his private opinions, absolute infallibility even in matters beyond faith and morals, and impeccability – survived and were eagerly used by opponents of the Catholic Church and papacy before the Second Vatican Council (1962–1965) for use in their propaganda. These extreme tendencies, however, were never supported by the First Vatican Council's dogma of 1870 of papal infallibility and primacy, but were rather inspired by erroneous private opinions of some Catholic laymen who tend to identify themselves completely with the Holy See.

At the Second Vatican Council's Dogmatic Constitution on the Church Lumen gentium, the Catholic Church's teaching on the authority of the pope, bishops and councils was further elaborated. The post-conciliar position of the Apostolic See did not deny any of the previous doctrines of papal infallibility or papal primacy; rather, it shifted emphasis from structural and organizational authority to doctrinal teaching authority (also known as the magisterium). Papal magisterium, i.e. papal teaching authority, was defined in Lumen gentium No. 25 and later codified in the 1983 revision of Canon Law.

Controversy

Some, such as the former Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, have claimed the Catholic social teaching of subsidiarity can overrun ultramontanism and has the potential to decentralize the Catholic Church,[11] whereas others defend it as merely a bureaucratic adjustment to give more pastoral responsibility to local bishops and priests of local parishes.[12]

Challenges to ultramontanism have remained strong within and outside Roman jurisdiction.[13] Ultramontanism has particularly overshadowed ecumenical work between the Catholic Church and both Lutherans and Anglicans.[14] The joint Anglican-Roman Catholic International Consultation published The Gift of Authority in 1999, highlights agreements and differences on these issues.[15]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ultramontanism

Inside Job: Unmasking the 9/11 Conspiracies Paperback – June 1, 2004

by Jim Marrs (Author)

4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars    67 ratings

The 9/11 Tragedy: Official Story...or Inside Job? Find out in this startling analysis by a leading investigative journalist.

A Sobering Look at 9/11 as an Inside Job

The official story about 9/11 is discredited. That is the sobering conclusion reached by millions of Americans, all across the political spectrum, who have sifted through the evidence uncovered by hundreds of independent researchers. Many honest citizens are now forced, with sadness and reluctance, to make an almost unthinkable inference:

Powerful US officials must have had foreknowledge of the planned attacks, and then acted from the inside to: thwart efforts to prevent 9/11, remove or cover up criminal evidence, and hamper inquiries into what happened.

Were the horrific events of September 11, 2001 truly an inside job? This book will help you decide for yourself. In this work, world-renowned conspiracy theorist Jim Marrs makes a compelling case that 9/11 marks the intersection of several conspiracies at once, each based on overlapping political agendas. Support for his thesis comes from this sampling of the many disturbing anomalies, cited by Marrs:

• Standard air defense mechanisms systematically failed, simultaneously.

• Interceptor jets were scrambled too late, too slowly, and from the wrong locations.

• President Bush proceeded with a "photo op" long after he knew we were under attack.

• Fires could not have caused the free-fall collapse of the World Trade Center towers.

• The collapse of Building 7 in the complex was later admitted to be a demolition.

• Vital physical evidence was either removed or has never been released to investigators. • Key officials claimed warnings never came, despite massive evidence to the contrary.

Inside Job is the definitive journalistic account of the hidden role of the Bush administration in failing to prevent the 9/11 attacks. The author provides heavy documentation of his findings, plus extensive appendices that include perspectives from families of 9/11 victims, and excerpts from the RICO Act lawsuit filed by 9/11 widow Ellen Mariani.

https://www.amazon.com/Inside-Job-Unmasking-11-Conspiracies/dp/1579830137

THE "ZIG-ZAG Man" of rolling papers fame is based on the story of a French North African soldier (Zouave) whose smoking pipe was shattered by a stray bullet during the battle of Sevastopol so he rolled his tobacco using a piece of paper torn from a musket cartridge.

https://www.reddit.com/r/todayilearned/comments/9oojd9/til_zigzag_man_of_rolling_papers_fame_is_based_on/?rdt=47114

Thomas Trace Beatie (born 1974[1]) is an American public speaker, author, and advocate of transgender rights and sexuality issues, with a focus on transgender fertility and reproductive rights.[2]

Beatie came out as a trans man in early 1997. Beatie had gender-affirming surgery in March 2002 and became known as "the pregnant man" after he became pregnant through artificial insemination in 2007.[3] Beatie chose to be pregnant, with donated sperm,[4][5] because his wife Nancy was sterile.

The couple filed for divorce in 2012. The Beatie case is the first of its kind on record, where a documented legal male gave birth within a marriage to a woman, and for the first time, a court challenged a marriage where the husband gave birth.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Beatie

Tracing boards are painted or printed illustrations depicting the various emblems and symbols of Freemasonry. They can be used as teaching aids during the lectures that follow each of the Masonic Degrees, when an experienced member explains the various concepts of Freemasonry to new members. They can also be used by experienced members as reminders of the concepts they learned as they went through the ceremonies of the different masonic degrees.[1]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tracing_board

Exoteric Masonry, which is only the husks of the Mystic Order formed by the Sons of Cain has in modern times attracted the masculine element with its positively polarized physical vehicles, and educated them in industry and statecraft, thus controlling the material development of the world. The sons of Seth, constituting themselves the Priestcraft have worked their spell over the positive vital bodies of the feminine element to dominate the spiritual development. And whereas, the sons of Cain working through Freemasonry and kindred movements, have openly fought for the temporal power, the Priestcraft has fought as strenuously and perhaps more effectively, by stealth, to retain their monopoly upon the spiritual development of the feminine element. To the casual onlooker it would seem as if there were no decided antagonism between these two movements at the present time, but though Freemasonry of today is but a shell of its true ancient mystic self, and though Catholicism has been terribly tarnished by the touch of time, in that one thing there is no difference, the war is as keen as ever, the efforts of the Church are not concentrated upon the masses however as much as upon those who are seeking to live the higher life, so that they may gain admission to the Mystery Temple and learn how to make the Philosophers’ Stone. As mankind advances in evolution, the vital body becomes more permanently positively polarized giving to both sexes a greater desire for spirituality, and though we change from the masculine to feminine in alternate embodiment, positive polarity of the vital body is becoming more pronounced regardless of sex, and this accounts for the growing tendency towards Altruism which is even being brought out by the suffering entailed by the great war we are now fighting, for all agree that they are seeking to obtain a lasting peace where the swords may be made into plowshares, and the spears into pruning hooks. In the past humanity has been claiming universal brotherhood as a great ideal, but we must come closer than that to be in full accord with the Christ. He said to his Disciples “ye are my friends.” Among brothers and sisters hate and enmity may exist, but friendship is the expression of love and cannot exist apart from that. This is therefore the magic word which will eventually level all distinctions, bring peace upon earth and goodwill among men. This is the great Ideal proclaimed by the Rosicrucian Fellowship, an Ideal which points the shortest way to the New Heaven and the New Earth, where the sons of Cain and the sons of Seth will eventually be united.

FREEMASONRY AND CATHOLICISM

by MAX HEINDEL

https://dn720206.ca.archive.org/0/items/freemasonryandca017137mbp/freemasonryandca017137mbp.pdf

The Women's Liberation Front (WoLF) is an American trans-exclusionary radical feminist organization that opposes transgender rights and related legislation.[1][2][3] It opposed the Obama administration's Title IX directives which defined sex discrimination to include gender identity. It has participated in G. G. v. Gloucester County School Board and the landmark supreme court case R. G. & G. R. Harris Funeral Homes, Inc., v. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission

Structure and ideology

WoLF was founded by author and activist Lierre Keith in 2014.[4] As of 2021, WoLF reported having nearly 1,000 members across the United States.[5] WolF describes itself as a radical feminist organization.[2] WoLF has been characterized by Vox, The New Republic, and La Presse, The Advocate, and The Washington Post as a "trans-exclusionary radical feminist" (TERF) group,[3] [6][7][1][8] and it has been described as a hate group by the Gender Justice League.[9] NBC has said it is "best known for its opposition to transgender rights".[2]

The Women's Liberation Front's activism finds its source in second-wave feminist tendencies, such as those of Mary Daly and Janice Raymond, which consider transgender identities untrue and say that women are defined by "their biology, and by having 'survived girlhood'", rather than by gender identity.[3] While considered a fringe group by the mainstream progressives, who say the group conceals an essentially discriminatory right-wing ideology under the guise of feminism,[3] the organization has found influence through collaboration with conservative groups on shared legislative views.[3][10] Progressive and feminist organizations like the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)[3]and the National Organization for Women (NOW)[11] challenge this characterization, with NOW describing WoLF, alongside Women's Declaration International, as "anti-trans bigots disguised as feminists".[11]

Co-Chair Kara Dansky has stated her organization supports gay rights and abortion rights but that "on certain issues, such as gender identity, pornography and prostitution, WoLF finds that the left has pretty much sold out women".[2]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women%27s_Liberation_Front

"Dog Days Are Over" is a song by English indie rock band Florence and the Machine from their debut album Lungs (2009). It was originally scheduled for release on 24 November 2008 through Moshi Moshi Records in the UK as the album's second single, but was later pushed back for release on 1 December 2008. A day later on 2 December 2008 the single was released in download and seven-inch vinyl format through IAMSOUND Records in the US. The B-side to the single is a cover of "You Got the Love" by The Source featuring Candi Staton which later was confirmed as a track on their debut album and the band's fifth single. The single reached the top 30 in Canada, Ireland, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

A demo version of "Dog Days Are Over" is featured on disc two of the deluxe edition of Lungs. A six-minute, forty-second-long Optimo remix of "Dog Days Are Over" has also been made available.[4] An acoustic version of the song was performed live on BBC Radio 1's Big Weekend. The track has been performed at a great number of high-profile festivals through 2008 and 2009, including the Reading and Leeds festivals. The band also performed the song on the Mercury Prize 2009 awards show and BBC Introducing. In 2023, the song appeared in the finale of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and re-entered some charts almost 15 years after its release.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dog_Days_Are_Over

‘The drone corgi has made my year’: Viewers react to light show at Party at the Palace

An image of the Queen’s favourite dog breed lit up Buckingham Palace

Saman Javed

Sunday 05 June 2022 06:47 EDT

Audiences have praised the “phenomenal” drone display during BBC’s Party at the Palace on Saturday evening, which saw the sky light up with images of the Queen’s corgis, horses and a teapot.

As night fell around Buckingham Palace on Saturday 4 June and the live performances came to an end, crowds enjoyed a light show which paid tribute to some of the Queen’s hobbies and interests.

Organised by light show company SkyMagic, drones took the shape of the 96-year-old monarch’s favourite dog breed, the corgi.

The pup was pictured with its tongue out, and a bone next to one of its paws.

Other images created by the drones included the Queen’s signature Launer handbag, the number “70” with a crown in the centre of the “0”, and a union jack flag.

The show also delivered a subtle nod to the Queen’s love of horse riding and her daily afternoon tea.

The number 70 lit up over the palace

open image in gallery

The number 70 lit up over the palace (PA)

Social media users praised the display, with some declaring it the highlight of the show.

“The production values on the #PlatinumPartyatthePalace have been brilliant but the drone corgi absolutely topped it off,” one person wrote.

The Queen’s signature handbag

open image in gallery

The Queen’s signature handbag (AP)

Another said: “The drones, lighting and graphics were absolutely phenomenal during the #PlatinumPartyatthePalace. A monumental effort from all involved! What a show!”

Others expressed their delight at seeing the huge corgi.

“Shut up, it’s a giant corgi made of drones. This is absurd,” one Twitter user said.

Another wrote: “The drone corgi above Buckingham Palace has made my year.”

“There is a giant drone corgi over Buckingham Palace and this is the best country on earth,” a third person said.

The Queen’s love of corgis has been well-documented, and the dog breed has played a key role in celebrations during the 96-year-old’s platinum jubilee.

The monarch’s love affair with the corgi began in 1933. Their father – then the Duke of York – gifted the then-Princess Elizabeth and her sister, Princess Maragret, a corgi named Dookie.

Earlier this month, the Royal Family’s official Twitter account unveiled a new emoji of a crown-wearing corgi called PJ.

With his tongue sticking out, PJ wears a purple and platinum coloured-crown, and automatically appears when Twitter users use celebratory Jubilee hashtags.

https://www.the-independent.com/life-style/royal-family/drone-corgi-light-show-party-at-the-palace-b2094253.html

One of the many names for Sirius is the 'Dog Star'.  Of course Sirius is the primary star of the constellation Canis Major, the large dog, but this is far from the entire story.  Sirius seems to have a very ancient and a very wide spread association with dogs and wolves.  The most familiar of these traditions come from ancient Rome and Greece.  For example, the familiar term 'Dog Days of Summer' has a Roman origin that refers to the long hot days of late summer which the Romans associated with the arrival of Sirius in the morning sky at that time of year.  The Greeks also had numerous beliefs and legends which linked dogs and Sirius.  For example, on the Greek island of Ceos coins were imprinted with the image of a dog surrounded by radiant spikes, again commemorating the late summer arrival of Sirius in the morning sky.

A 3rd Century BC coin from Ceos showing a canine Sirius (Sear 3079, Michael Molnar Collection)

There are other much older traditions of Sirius and dogs which originate in places seeming unrelated to Greece and Rome.  For example, the ancient Chinese called Sirius Tsien Lang, the 'Heavenly Wolf'.   It was associated with an old constellation called the Bow and Arrow, with the arrow pointed at Sirius, the wolf.   This same constellation, with virtually the same stars, was also known in ancient Mesopotamia, where Sirius had names associated with dogs.  Perhaps most intriguing of all such traditions is found among many of the native peoples of North America.   Here there exist a remarkable number of occurrences of names for Sirius and legends about the star having to do with dogs and wolves.   A few examples include: 'Moon Dog' (Alaskan Inuit); 'dog-face' (Blackfoot); 'Wolf Star' (Pawnee); and 'Wolf that hangs by the side of Heaven' (Northern Osage).   Such appellations are not universal, many counter examples exist from other Native American groups.  Nevertheless, it is intriguing to wonder if perhaps many of these canine-related names and stories involving Sirius could have a common origin from some long forgotten source on the Eurasian Continent, perhaps as long ago as the last Ice Age.  Then again it could all be coincidence, we will probably never know.

Further Reading:

Chapter 2 Dog Star  in Sirius: The Brightest Diamond in the Night Sky

Miller, Dorcus, S. 1997, Stars of the First People; Native American star myths and constellations, Pruett

Allen, Richard Hinckley, 1963, Star Names Their Lore and Meaning, Dover Publications, 117-129

http://vega.lpl.arizona.edu/sirius/A1.html

EX-MAID: DIANA IS BURIED IN FORMER DOG CEMETERY

By

PUBLISHED: July 7, 1998 at 4:00 a.m. | UPDATED: July 29, 2021 at 9:16 p.m.

LONDON – Princess Diana is buried on land used for years as a pet cemetery and known to the staff at her childhood home as “Dog Island,” a former housekeeper for her family said in an article published on Monday. The leafy Oval Island at Althorp, the Spencer family’s rural estate, was used as a place to bury hunting dogs that belonged to Diana’s grandfather Jack, Maudie P ...

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/1998/07/07/ex-maid-diana-is-buried-in-former-dog-cemetery/

Anubis (/əˈnjuːbɪs/;[3] Ancient Greek: Ἄνουβις), also known as Inpu, Inpw, Jnpw, or Anpu in Ancient Egyptian (Coptic: ⲁⲛⲟⲩⲡ, romanized: Anoup), is the god of funerary rites, protector of graves, and guide to the underworld, in ancient Egyptian religion, usually depicted as a canine or a man with a canine head.[4]

Like many ancient Egyptian deities, Anubis assumed different roles in various contexts. Depicted as a protector of graves as early as the First Dynasty (c. 3100 – c. 2890 BC), Anubis was also an embalmer. By the Middle Kingdom (c. 2055–1650 BC) he was replaced by Osiris in his role as lord of the underworld. One of his prominent roles was as a god who ushered souls into the afterlife. He attended the weighing scale during the "Weighing of the Heart", in which it was determined whether a soul would be allowed to enter the realm of the dead. Anubis is one of the most frequently depicted and mentioned gods in the Egyptian pantheon; however, few major myths involved him.[5]

Anubis was depicted in black, a color that symbolized regeneration, life, the soil of the Nile River, and the discoloration of the corpse after embalming. Anubis is associated with Wepwawet, another Egyptian god portrayed with a dog's head or in canine form, but with grey or white fur. Historians assume that the two figures were eventually combined.[6] Anubis' female counterpart is Anput. His daughter is the serpent goddess Kebechet.

Name

"Anubis" is a Greek rendering of this god's Egyptian name.[7][8] Before the Greeks arrived in Egypt, around the 7th century BC, the god was known as Anpu or Inpu. The root of the name in ancient Egyptian language means "a royal child." Inpu has a root to "inp", which means "to decay." The god was also known as "First of the Westerners," "Lord of the Sacred Land," "He Who is Upon his Sacred Mountain," "Ruler of the Nine Bows," "The Dog who Swallows Millions," "Master of Secrets," "He Who is in the Place of Embalming," and "Foremost of the Divine Booth."[9] The positions that he had were also reflected in the titles he held such as "He Who Is upon His Mountain," "Lord of the Sacred Land," "Foremost of the Westerners," and "He Who Is in the Place of Embalming."[10]

In the Old Kingdom (c. 2686 BC – c. 2181 BC), the standard way of writing his name in hieroglyphs was composed of the sound signs inpw followed by a jackal[a] over a ḥtp sign:[14]

i n

p w C6

A new form with the jackal on a tall stand appeared in the late Old Kingdom and became common thereafter:[14]

i n

p w E16

Anubis' name jnpw was possibly pronounced [aˈna.pʰa(w)], based on Coptic Anoup and the Akkadian transcription ⟨a-na-pa⟩ (𒀀𒈾𒉺) in the name <ri-a-na-pa> "Reanapa" that appears in Amarna letter EA 315.[15][16] However, this transcription may also be interpreted as rˁ-nfr, a name similar to that of Prince Ranefer of the Fourth Dynasty.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anubis

2030: The Year of the Metal Dog

In addition to being associated with a zodiac animal, each new lunar year also aligns with one of the five traditional Chinese elements. These elements are known in Chinese as the 五行 (wǔxíng).

While we won’t delve into the details of this aspect of zodiac philosophy due to its complexity, keep in mind that each lunar year consists of a combination of 10 heavenly stems (干 gàn) and 12 earthly branches (支 zhī). These unite to form a system of 60 stem-branch combinations. Each combination is symbolized by one of the five elements (fire, water, wood, metal and earth).

According to this system, 2030 is the Year of the Metal Dog.

For anyone interested in diving deeper into doctrines of Chinese astrology, the internet provides a great database of resources for continued study.

https://studycli.org/chinese-zodiac/year-of-the-dog/

2030-2031 APPARITION CHARACTERISTICS

Another general rule for predicting oppositions of Mars is from the following: the planet has an approximate 15.8-year periodic opposition cycle, which consists of three or four Aphelic oppositions and three consecutive Perihelic oppositions. Perihelic oppositions are also called "favorable" because the Earth and Mars come closest to each other on those occasions. We sometimes refer to this as the seven Martian synodic periods. This cycle is repeated every 79 years (± 4 to 5 days) and, if one were to live long enough, one would see this cycle nearly replicated in approximately 284 years. The 2031 Mars apparition is considered Transitional (between Aphelic and Perihelic) because the orbital longitude at opposition will be 68.4° from the aphelion longitude of 70° Ls and 111.6° Ls from perihelion (250° Ls).

NOTE: Ls is the planetocentric longitude of the Sun along the ecliptic of Mars’ sky. 0° Ls is defined as that point where the Sun crosses the Martian celestial equator from south to north, that is the planet’s northern hemisphere vernal equinox. The other Ls values that define the beginnings of Martian northern hemisphere seasons are: summer, 90° Ls; autumn, 180° Ls; and winter, 270° Ls. For Mars’ southern hemisphere these values represent the opposite seasons. Distance (A.U.) - Distance from Earth to Mars in astronomical units, where one (1) A.U. equals 92,955,807.267 miles or 149,597,870.691 km.

Opposition occurs 11 months after conjunction when Mars is on the opposite side of the Earth from the Sun. At that time, the two planets will lie nearly in a straight line with respect to the Sun, or five weeks after retrogression begins. Opposition will occur at 1157 UT on May 04, 2031 (138.4° Ls) with an apparent planetary disk diameter of 16.7 arcsec. Mars will remain visible for more than twelve months after opposition and then become lost in the glare of the Sun around May 31, 2032 as it approaches the next conjunction (July 11, 2032). The cycle is complete in 780 Earth days.

Closest approach occurs at 0350 UT on May 12, 2031 (142.1° Ls) with an apparent planetary disk diameter of 16.9 at a distance of 0.5533578 astronomical units (AU) or 51,437,823 miles (82,781,152 km). During closest approach in 2031 the apparent diameter of Mars will be 2.4 arcsec larger than it was at the same period in 2029; however, it will be 17.1 degrees lower in the sky - not quite as good for observing the Red Planet for observers in the northern hemisphere. It should also be noted that closest approach between Earth and Mars is not necessarily coincident with the time of opposition but varies by as much as two weeks.

https://www.alpo-astronomy.org/jbeish/2031_MARS.htm

Elon Musk: “We’re going straight to Mars. The Moon is a distraction.”

What to make of Musk's comments that are critical of NASA's lunar plans?

Eric Berger – Jan 3, 2025 9:28 AM

Although SpaceX founder Elon Musk is known for outspokenness and controversial comments on his social media site X, he has been relatively restrained when it comes to US space policy in recent years.

For example, he has rarely criticized NASA or its overall goal to return humans to the Moon through the Artemis Program. Rather, Musk, who has long preferred Mars as a destination for humans, has more or less been a team player when it comes to the space agency's lunar-focused plans.

This is understandable from a financial perspective, as SpaceX has contracts worth billions of dollars to not only build a Human Landing System as part of NASA's Artemis Program but also to supply food, cargo, and other logistics services to a planned Lunar Gateway in orbit around the Moon.

But privately, Musk has been critical of NASA's plans, suggesting that the Artemis Program has been moving too slowly and is too reliant on contractors who seek cost-plus government contracts and are less interested in delivering results.

Silent on policy no longer

During the last 10 days, Musk has begun airing some of these private thoughts publicly. On Christmas Day, for example, Musk wrote on X, "The Artemis architecture is extremely inefficient, as it is a jobs-maximizing program, not a results-maximizing program. Something entirely new is needed."

Then, on Thursday evening, he added this: "No, we’re going straight to Mars. The Moon is a distraction."

These are definitive statements that directly contradict NASA's plans to send a series of human missions to the lunar south pole later this decade and establish a sustainable base of operations there with the Artemis Program.

It would be one thing if Musk was just expressing his opinion as a private citizen. But since playing a significant part in the election of Donald Trump as the next president of the United States last year, Musk has assumed an important advisory role for the incoming administration. He was also partly responsible for the expected nomination of private astronaut Jared Isaacman to become the next administrator of NASA. Although Musk is not directing US space policy, he certainly has a meaningful say in what happens.

So what does this mean for Artemis?

The fate of Artemis is an important question not just for NASA but for the US commercial space industry, the European Space Agency, and other international partners who have aligned with the return of humans to the Moon. With Artemis, the United States is in competition with China to establish a meaningful presence on the surface of the Moon.

Based upon conversations with people involved in developing space policy for the Trump administration, I can make some educated guesses about how to interpret Musk's comments. None of these people, for example, would disagree with Musk's assertion that "the Artemis architecture is extremely inefficient" and that some changes are warranted.

With that said, the Artemis Program is probably not going away. After all, it was the first Trump administration that created the program about five years ago. However, it may be less well-remembered that the first Trump White House pushed for more significant changes, including a "major course correction" at NASA.

"I call on NASA to adopt new policies and embrace a new mindset," then-Vice President Mike Pence said in May 2019. "If our current contractors can't meet this objective, then we'll find ones that will." (Speaking of the vice president, it's unlikely that the National Space Council will be reconstituted under JD Vance).

To a large extent, NASA resisted this change during the remainder of the Trump administration, keeping its core group of major contractors, such as Boeing and Lockheed Martin, in place. It had help from key US Senators, including Richard Shelby, the now-retired Republican from Alabama. But this time, the push for change is likely to be more concerted, especially with key elements of NASA's architecture, including the Space Launch System rocket, being bypassed by privately developed rockets such as SpaceX's Starship vehicle and Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket.

Not one, but both

In all likelihood, NASA will adopt a new "Artemis" plan that involves initiatives to both the Moon and Mars. When Musk said "we're going straight to Mars," he may have meant that this will be the thrust of SpaceX, with support from NASA. That does not preclude a separate initiative, possibly led by Blue Origin with help from NASA, to develop lunar return plans.

Isaacman, who is keeping a fairly low profile ahead of his nomination, has not weighed in on Musk's comments. However, when his nomination was announced one month ago, he did make a germane comment on X.

"I was born after the Moon landings; my children were born after the final space shuttle launch," he wrote. "With the support of President Trump, I can promise you this: We will never again lose our ability to journey to the stars and never settle for second place. We will inspire children, yours and mine, to look up and dream of what is possible. Americans will walk on the Moon and Mars and in doing so, we will make life better here on Earth."

In short, NASA is likely to adopt a two-lane strategy of reaching for both the Moon and Mars. Whether the space agency is successful with either one will be a major question asked of the new administration.

https://arstechnica.com/space/2025/01/elon-musk-were-going-straight-to-mars-the-moon-is-a-distraction/

In ancient Roman religion and mythology, Mars (Latin: Mārs, pronounced [maːrs])[4] is the god of war and also an agricultural guardian, a combination characteristic of early Rome.[5] He is the son of Jupiter and Juno, and was pre-eminent among the Roman army's military gods. Most of his festivals were held in March, the month named for him (Latin Martius), and in October, the months which traditionally began and ended the season for both military campaigning and farming.[6]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mars_(mythology)

The Gita in the title of the Bhagavad Gita means "song". Religious leaders and scholars interpret the word Bhagavad in several ways. Accordingly, the title has been interpreted as "the song of God", "the word of God" by theistic schools,[19] "the words of the Lord",[20] "the Divine Song",[21][page needed][22] and "Celestial Song" by others.[23]

The Sanskrit name is often written as Shrimad Bhagavad Gita or Shrimad Bhagavadgita (श्रीमद् भगवद् गीता or श्रीमद् भगवद्गीता). The prefix shrimad (or shrimat) denotes a high degree of respect. The Bhagavad Gita is not to be confused with the Bhagavata Puran, which is one of the eighteen major Puranas dealing with the life of the Hindu God Krishna and various avatars of Vishnu.[24]

The work is also known as the Iswara Gita, the Ananta Gita, the Hari Gita, the Vyasa Gita, or the Gita.[25]

Dating and authorship

Dating

The text is generally dated to the second or first century BCE,.[3][4][5][6]

According to Jeaneane Fowler, "the dating of the Gita varies considerably" and depends in part on whether one accepts it to be a part of the early versions of the Mahabharata, or a text that was inserted into the epic at a later date.[26] The earliest "surviving" components therefore are believed to be no older than the earliest "external" references we have to the Mahabharata epic. The Mahabharata – the world's longest poem – is itself a text that was likely written and compiled over several hundred years, one dated between "400 BCE or little earlier, and 2nd century CE, though some claim a few parts can be put as late as 400 CE", states Fowler. The dating of the Gita is thus dependent on the uncertain dating of the Mahabharata. The actual dates of composition of the Gita remain unresolved.[26]

According to Arthur Basham, the context of the Bhagavad Gita suggests that it was composed in an era when the ethics of war were being questioned and renunciation of monastic life was becoming popular.[27] Such an era emerged after the rise of Buddhism and Jainism in the 5th century BCE, and particularly after the semi-legendary life of Ashoka in the 3rd century BCE. Thus, the first version of the Bhagavad Gita may have been composed in or after the 3rd century BCE.[27]

An old torn paper with a painting depicting the Mahabharata war, with some verses recorded in Sanskrit.

A manuscript illustration of the battle of Kurukshetra, fought between the Kauravas and the Pandavas, recorded in the Mahabharata. c. 1700 – c. 1800 CE

Winthrop Sargeant linguistically categorizes the Bhagavad Gita as Epic-Puranic Sanskrit, a language that succeeds Vedic Sanskrit and precedes classical Sanskrit.[28] The text has occasional pre-classical elements of the Vedic Sanskrit language, such as aorists and the prohibitive mā instead of the expected na (not) of classical Sanskrit.[28] This suggests that the text was composed after the Pāṇini era, but before the long compounds of classical Sanskrit became the norm. This would date the text as transmitted by the oral tradition to the later centuries of the 1st-millennium BCE, and the first written version probably to the 2nd or 3rd century CE.[28][29]

Kashi Nath Upadhyaya dates it a bit earlier, but after the rise of Buddhism, by which it was influenced. He states that the Gita was always a part of the Mahabharata, and dating the latter suffices in dating the Gita.[30] based on the estimated dates of Mahabharata as evidenced by exact quotes of it in the Buddhist literature by Asvaghosa (c. 100 CE), Upadhyaya states that the Mahabharata, and therefore the Gita, must have been well known by then for a Buddhist to be quoting it.[30][note 1] This suggests a terminus ante quem (latest date) of the Gita be sometime before the 1st century CE.[30] He cites similar quotes in the dharmasutra texts, the Brahma sutras, and other literature to conclude that the Bhagavad Gita was composed in the fifth or fourth-century BCE.[32][note 2]

Vāsudeva-Krishna, on a coin of Agathocles of Bactria c. 180 BCE.[34][35] This is "the earliest unambiguous image" of the deity.[36]

Authorship

In the Indian tradition, the Bhagavad Gita, as well as the epic Mahabharata of which it is a part, is attributed to the sage Vyasa,[37] also known as Krishna Dvaipayana and as Veda-Vyasa.[38] A Hindu legend narrates that Vyasa composed it, and Ganesha, who broke one of his tusks, used this tusk to write down the Mahabharata along with the Bhagavad Gita.[9][39][note 3]

Scholars consider Vyasa to be a mythical or symbolic author, in part because Vyasa is also a title or generic name for the compiler of a text, and Vyasa is also regarded by tradition as the compiler of the Vedas and the Puranas, texts dated with a time-differencd of circa two millennia.[9][e]

According to Alexus McLeod, a scholar of Philosophy and Asian Studies, it is "impossible to link the Bhagavad Gita to a single author", and it may be the work of many authors.[9][10] This view is shared by the Indologist Arthur Basham, who states that there were three or more authors or compilers of Bhagavad Gita. This is evidenced by the discontinuous intermixing of philosophical verses with theistic or passionately theistic verses, according to Basham.[11][note 4]

J. A. B. van Buitenen, an Indologist known for his translations and scholarship on Mahabharata, finds that the Gita is so contextually and philosophically well-knit within the Mahabharata that it was not an independent text that "somehow wandered into the epic".[42] The Gita, states van Buitenen, was conceived and developed by the Mahabharata authors to "bring to a climax and solution the dharmic dilemma of a war".[42][note 5]

Vāsudeva-Krishna roots

According to Dennis Hudson, there is an overlap between Vedic and Tantric rituals within the teachings found in the Bhagavad Gita.[45] Dennis Hudson places the Pancaratra Agama in the last three or four centuries of 1st-millennium BCE, and proposes that both the tantric and vedic, the Agama and the Gita share the same Vāsudeva-Krishna roots.[46]

According to Hudson, a story in this Vedic text highlights the meaning of the name Vāsudeva as the 'shining one (deva) who dwells (Vasu) in all things and in whom all things dwell', and the meaning of Vishnu to be the 'pervading actor'. In the Bhagavad Gita, similarly, 'Krishna identified himself both with Vāsudeva, Vishnu and their meanings'.[47][note 6] The ideas at the centre of Vedic rituals in Shatapatha Brahmana and the teachings of the Bhagavad Gita revolve around this absolute Person, the primordial genderless absolute, which is the same as the goal of Pancaratra Agama and Tantra.[49]

Manuscripts and layout

Photograph of four pieces of paper with verses in Sanskrit.

A Sanskrit manuscript of the Bhagavad Gita in the Devanagari script. c. 1800 – c. 1900 CE

The Bhagavad Gita manuscript is found in the sixth book of the Mahabharata manuscripts – the Bhisma-parvan. Therein, in the third section, the Gita forms chapters 23–40, that is 6.3.23 to 6.3.40.[50] The Bhagavad Gita is often preserved and studied on its own, as an independent text with its chapters renumbered from 1 to 18.[50] The Bhagavad Gita manuscripts exist in numerous Indic scripts.[51] These include writing systems that are currently in use, as well as early scripts such as the now dormant Sharada script.[51][52] Variant manuscripts of the Gita have been found on the Indian subcontinent.[53][54] Unlike the enormous variations in the remaining sections of the surviving Mahabharata manuscripts, the Gita manuscripts show only minor variations.[53][54]

According to Gambhirananda, the old manuscripts may have had 745 verses, though he agrees that “700 verses is the generally accepted historic standard."[55] Gambhirananda's view is supported by a few versions of chapter 6.43 of the Mahabharata. According to Gita exegesis scholar Robert Minor, these versions state that the Gita is a text where "Kesava [Krishna] spoke 574 slokas, Arjuna 84, Sanjaya 41, and Dhritarashtra 1".[56] An authentic manuscript of the Gita with 745 verses has not been found.[57] Adi Shankara, in his 8th-century commentary, explicitly states that the Gita has 700 verses, which was likely a deliberate declaration to prevent further insertions and changes to the Gita. Since Shankara's time, "700 verses" has been the standard benchmark for the critical edition of the Bhagavad Gita.[57]

Structure

The Bhagavad Gita is a poem written in the Sanskrit language with 18 chapters in total.[58][59] The 700 verses[54] are structured into several ancient Indian poetic meters, with the principal being the Anushthubh chanda. Each shloka consists of a couplet, thus the entire text consists of 1,400 lines. Each shloka has two-quarter verses with exactly eight syllables. Each of these quarters is further arranged into two metrical feet of four syllables each.[58][note 7] The metered verse does not rhyme.[60] While the anushthubh chanda is the principal meter used, it does deploy other elements of Sanskrit prosody (which refers to one of the six Vedangas, or limbs of Vedic statues).[61] At dramatic moments, it uses the tristubh meter found in the Vedas, where each line of the couplet has two-quarter verses with exactly eleven syllables.[60]

Characters

Arjuna, one of the five Pandavas

Krishna, Arjuna's charioteer and guru who was actually an incarnation of Vishnu

Sanjaya, counselor of the Kuru king Dhritarashtra (secondary narrator)

Dhritarashtra, Kuru king (Sanjaya's audience) and father of the Kauravas

Narrative

The Gita is a dialogue between Krishna and Arjuna right before the start of the climactic Kurukshetra War in the Hindu epic Mahabharata.[62][note 8] Two massive armies have gathered to destroy each other. The Pandava prince Arjuna asks his charioteer Krishna to drive to the centre of the battlefield so that he can get a good look at both the armies and all those "so eager for war".[64] He sees that some among his enemies are his relatives, beloved friends, and revered teachers. He does not want to fight to kill them and is thus filled with doubt and despair on the battlefield.[65] He drops his bow, wonders if he should renounce his duty and just leave the battlefield.[64] He turns to his charioteer and guide, Krishna, for advice on the rationale for war, his choices and the right thing to do. The Bhagavad Gita is the compilation of Arjuna's questions and moral dilemma and Krishna's answers and insights that elaborate on a variety of philosophical concepts.[64][66][67]

Vintage Hindu God Krishan Gita Birth Litho Print Original Vasudeo Pandya. c. 1932 CE

The compiled dialogue goes far beyond the "rationale for war"; it touches on many human ethical dilemmas, philosophical issues and life's choices.[64][68] According to Flood and Martin, although the Gita is set in the context of a wartime epic, the narrative is structured to apply to all situations; it wrestles with questions about "who we are, how we should live our lives, and how should we act in the world".[69] According to Huston Smith, it delves into questions about the "purpose of life, crisis of self-identity, human Self, human temperaments, and ways for the spiritual quest".[70]

The Gita posits the existence of two selves in an individual,[c] and its presentation of the Krishna-Arjuna dialogue has been interpreted as a metaphor for an eternal dialogue between the two.[d]

Textual significance

Synthesis prioritizing dharma and bhakti

See also: Smarta tradition

The Bhagavad Gita is a synthesis of Vedic and non-Vedic traditions,[73][b][f] reconciling renunciation with action by arguing that they are inseparable; while following one's dharma, one should not consider oneself to be the agent of action, but attribute all one's actions to God.[14][74] It is a Brahmanical text that uses Shramanic and Yogic terminology to propagate the Brahmanic idea of living according to one's duty or dharma, in contrast to the ascetic ideal of liberation by avoiding all karma.[12] According to Hiltebeitel, the Bhagavad Gita is the sealing achievement of the consolidation of Hinduism, merging Bhakti traditions with Mimamsa, Vedanta, and other knowledge based traditions.[75]

A didactic print that uses the Gita scene as a focal point for general religious instruction. c. 1960 – c. 1970 CE

The Gita discusses and synthesizes sramana- and yoga-based renunciation, dharma-based householder life, and devotion-based theism, attempting "to forge a harmony" between these three paths.[76][f] It does this in a framework addressing the question of what constitutes the virtuous path that is necessary for spiritual liberation or release from the cycles of rebirth (moksha),[77][78] incorporating various religious traditions,[79][80][76] including philosophical ideas from the Upanishads[81][6] samkhya yoga philosophy,[6] and bhakti, incorporating bhakti into Vedanta.[75] As such, it neutralizes the tension between the Brahmanical worldorder with its caste-based social institutions that hold society together, and the search for salvation by ascetics who have left society.[82]

Rejection of sramanic non-action

Knowledge is indeed better than practice;

Meditation is superior to knowledge;

Renunciation of the fruit of action is better than meditation;

Peace immediately follows renunciation.

Bhagavad Gita, chapter XII, verse 12[83]

According to Gavin Flood and Charles Martin, the Gita rejects the shramanic path of non-action, emphasizing instead "the renunciation of the fruits of action".[13] According to Gavin Flood, the teachings in the Gita differ from other Indian religions that encouraged extreme austerity and self-torture of various forms (karsayanta). The Gita disapproves of these, stating that not only is it against tradition but against Krishna himself, because "Krishna dwells within all beings, in torturing the body the ascetic would be torturing him", states Flood. Even a monk should strive for "inner renunciation" rather than external pretensions.[84] It further states that the dharmic householder can achieve the same goals as the renouncing monk through "inner renunciation" or "motiveless action".[77][note 9] One must do the right thing because one has determined that it is right, states Gita, without craving for its fruits, without worrying about the results, loss or gain.[86][87][88] Desires, selfishness, and the craving for fruits can distort one from spiritual living.[87][g]

Vedanta

The Bhagavad Gita is part of the Prasthanatrayi,[92][93] which also includes the Upanishads and the Brahma Sutras, the foundational texts of the Vedanta school of Hindu philosophy.[94][h]

Vaishnavism

The Gita is a revered text in the Vaishnava tradition,[95][96][97][98][99] mostly through the Vaishnava Vedanta commentaries written on it,[99] though the text itself is also celebrated in the Puranas, for example, the Gita Mahatmya of the Varaha Purana.[i] While Upanishads focus more on knowledge and the identity of the self with Brahman, the Bhagavad Gita shifts the emphasis towards devotion and the worship of a personal deity, specifically Krishna.[16] There are alternate versions of the Bhagavad Gita (such as the one found in Kashmir), but the basic message behind these texts is not distorted.[53][100][101]

Modern prominence

The Trinity test of the Manhattan Project was the first detonation of a nuclear weapon, which led Oppenheimer to recall verses from the Bhagavad Gita, including "Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds".

Mass recitation of the Bhagavad Gita by one lakh people in Kolkata, 24th December c. 2023 CE.

While Hinduism is known for its diversity and the synthesis derived from it, the Bhagavad Gita holds a unique pan-Hindu influence.[102][103][j] Gerald James Larson – an Indologist and scholar of classical Hindu philosophy, states that "if there is any one text that comes near to embodying the totality of what it is to be a Hindu, it would be the Bhagavad Gita."[104][105]

Yet, according to Robinson, "it is increasingly recognized by scholars that the extraordinary prominence of the Bhagavad Gita is a feature of modernity despite disagreement over the date at which it became dominant."[106] According to Eric Sharpe, this change started in the 1880s, and became prominent after 1900.[106] According to Arvind Sharma, the Bhagavad Gita was always an important scripture but became prominent in the 1920s.[106]

With its translation and study by Western scholars beginning in the early 18th century, the Bhagavad Gita gained a growing appreciation and popularity in the West.[web 1] Novel interpretations of the Gita, along with apologetics on it, have been a part of the modern era revisionism and renewal movements within Hinduism.[107] According to Ronald Neufeldt, it was the Theosophical Society that dedicated much attention and energy to the allegorical interpretation of the Gita, along with religious texts from around the world, after 1885 and given H. P. Blavatsky, Subba Rao and Anne Besant writings.[108] Their attempt was to present their "universalist religion." These late 19th-century theosophical writings called the Gita a "path of true spirituality" and "teaching nothing more than the basis of every system of philosophy and scientific endeavour", triumphing over other "Samkhya paths" of Hinduism that "have degenerated into superstition and demoralized India by leading people away from practical action".[108]

Hindu reform movements

Main article: Hindu reform movements

Neo-Hindus and Hindu nationalists have celebrated the Bhagavad Gita as containing the essence of Hinduism and taking the Gita's emphasis on duty and action as a clue for their activism for Indian nationalism and independence.[109][110] Bankim Chandra Chatterjee (1838–1894) challenged orientalist literature on Hinduism and offered his interpretations of the Gita, states Ajit Ray.[111][112] Bal Gangadhar Tilak (1856–1920) interpreted the karma yoga teachings in Gita as a "doctrine of liberation" taught by Hinduism,[113] while Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan (1888–1975) stated that the Bhagavad Gita teaches a universalist religion and the "essence of Hinduism" along with the "essence of all religions", rather than a private religion.[109]

Vivekananda's (1863–1902) works contained numerous references to the Gita, such as his lectures on the four yogas – Bhakti, Jnana, Karma, and Raja.[114] Through the message of the Gita, Vivekananda sought to energise the people of India to reclaim their dormant but strong identity.[115] Aurobindo (1872–1950) saw the Bhagavad Gita as a "scripture of the future religion" and suggested that Hinduism had acquired a much wider relevance through the Gita.[116]

Neo-Vedanta and yoga

Main articles: Neo-Vedanta and Three Yogas

While the Upanishads refer to yoga as yoking or restraining the mind,[117] the topic of BG chapter 6, the Bhagavad Gita introduces "the famous three kinds of yoga: 'knowledge' (jnana), 'action' (karma), and 'love' (bhakti).[118] BG XIII verses 23-25 famously mention four kinds of yoga, or ways of seeing the self, adding meditation to the three yogas.[8] Yet, the practice of dhyana (meditation), is a part of all three classical paths in Hinduism.[119][120] Knowledge or insight, discerning the true self (purusha) from matter and material desires (prakriti), is the true aim of classical yoga, in which meditation and insight cannot be separated. Furthermore, the Gita "rejects the Buddhist and Jain path of non-action, emphasizing instead renunciation of the fruits of action"[13] and devotion to Krishna.[121]

[23] He who in this way knows the Spirit

And material nature, along with the qualities [guna],

In whatever stage of transmigration he may exist,

Is not born again.

[24] Some perceive the Self in the Self

By the Self through meditation;

Others by the discipline of Sankhya

And still others by the yoga of action.

[25] Yet others, not knowing this,

Worship, having heard it from others,

And they also cross beyond death,

Devoted to what they have heard.

Bhagavad Gita, chapter XIII, verse 23-25[122]

The systematic presentation of Hindu monotheism as divided into these four paths or "Yogas" is modern, advocated by Swami Vivekananda from the 1890s in his books on Jnana Yoga,Karma Yoga, Bhakti Yoga and Raja Yoga, emphasizing Raja Yoga as the crowning achievement of yoga.[17][18] Vivekananda, who was strongly inspired by the Gita, viewed all spiritual paths as equal.[123] Yet, Vivekananda also noted that "The reconciliation of the different paths of Dharma, and work without desire or attachment — these are the two special characteristics of the Gita."[124] Similarly, Cornille states that the Gita asserts that the path of Bhakti (devotion) is the foremost and the easiest of them all.[125]

According to Huston Smith, a notable neo-Vedantin, referring to BG XIII verse 23–25, the Gita mentions four ways to see the self, based on the Samkhya-premise that people are born with different temperaments and tendencies (guṇa).[8] Some individuals are more reflective and intellectual, some are effective and engaged by their emotions, some are action-driven, yet others favour experimentation and exploring what works.[8] According to Smith, BG XIII verse 24-25 lists four different spiritual paths for each personality type respectively: the path of knowledge (jnana yoga), the path of devotion (bhakti yoga), the path of action (karma yoga), and the path of meditation (raja yoga).[8]

Medieval commentators argued which path had priority.[126] According to Robinson, modern commentators have interpreted the text as refraining from insisting on one right marga (path) to spirituality.[127] According to Upadhyaya, the Gita states that none of these paths to spiritual realization is "intrinsically superior or inferior", rather they "converge in one and lead to the same goal".[128]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bhagavad_Gita

https://www.facebook.com/billy.dunn.50767/posts/pfbid03r7LQkf6mjH4b8GSgx6zhm13AwiKJpQLxSuJj8Y2AzBjrXQKLZCmyQN89Awo2ykYl

"The Mother of All Demos" is a name retroactively applied to a landmark computer demonstration, of developments by the Augmentation Research Center, given at the Association for Computing Machinery / Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (ACM/IEEE)—Computer Society's Fall Joint Computer Conference in San Francisco, by Douglas Engelbart, on December 9, 1968.[1]

The live demonstration featured the introduction of a complete computer hardware and software system called the oN-Line System or, more commonly, NLS. The 90-minute presentation demonstrated for the first time many of the fundamental elements of modern personal computing: windows, hypertext, graphics, efficient navigation and command input, video conferencing, the computer mouse, word processing, dynamic file linking, revision control, and a collaborative real-time editor. Engelbart's presentation was the first to publicly demonstrate all of these elements in a single system. The demonstration was highly influential and spawned similar projects at Xerox PARC in the early 1970s. The underlying concepts and technologies influenced both the Apple Macintosh and Microsoft Windows graphical user interface operating systems in the 1980s and 1990s.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Mother_of_All_Demos

20And Adam named his wife Eve,e because she would be the mother of all the living.

Genesis 3:20

https://biblehub.com/bsb/genesis/3.htm

Demo

From Old Galician-Portuguese demõ (“demon; devil”), from Latin daemon (“demon”), from Ancient Greek δαίμων (daímōn, “god, goddess, divine power”).

Pronunciation

IPA(key): /ˈdɛ.mo̝/

Noun

demo m (plural demos)

1. devil; demon

Synonyms: diabo, diaño

2. (uncountable) the Devil

3. (figurative) an evil person

O demo ós seus quer. (proverb) ― Devil loves his own people.

4. (figurative) a playful kid

https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/demo

Lilith (/ˈlɪlɪθ/; Hebrew: לִילִית, romanized: Liliṯ), also spelt Lilit, Lilitu, or Lilis, is a female figure in Mesopotamian and Jewish mythology, theorized to be the first wife of Adam[1] and supposedly the primordial she-demon. Lilith is cited as having been "banished"[2] from the Garden of Eden for not complying with and obeying Adam.[2]

She is thought to be mentioned in Biblical Hebrew in the Book of Isaiah,[3] and in late antiquity in Mandaean and Jewish sources from 500 AD onward. Lilith appears in historiolas (incantations incorporating a short mythic story) in various concepts and localities[4] that give partial descriptions of her. She is mentioned in the Babylonian Talmud (Eruvin 100b, Niddah 24b, Shabbat 151b, Bava Batra 73a), in the Conflict of Adam and Eve with Satan as Adam's first wife, and in the Zohar § Leviticus 19a as "a hot fiery female who first cohabited with man".[5] Many rabbinic authorities, including Maimonides and Menachem Meiri, reject the existence of Lilith.[6]

The name Lilith stems from lilû, lilîtu, and (w)ardat lilî). The Akkadian word lilû is related to the Hebrew word lilit appearing in Isaiah 34:14, which is thought to be a night bird by some modern scholars such as Judit M. Blair.[7] In Mesopotamian religion, found in the cuneiform texts of Sumer, Assyria, and Babylonia, lilîtu is a spirit or demon.[1][8][9] Many have also connected her to the Mesopotamian demon Lamashtu, who shares similar traits and a similar position in mythology to Lilith.[10][11][12]

Lilith continues to serve as source material in today's popular culture, Western culture, literature, occultism, fantasy, and horror.

History

In some Jewish folklore, such as the Alphabet of Sirach (c. 700–1000 AD), Lilith appears as Adam's first wife, who was created at the same time and from the same clay as Adam.[a] The legend of Lilith developed extensively during the Middle Ages, in the tradition of Aggadah, the Zohar, and Jewish mysticism.[15] For example, in the 13th-century writings of Isaac ben Jacob ha-Cohen, Lilith left Adam after she refused to become subservient to him and then would not return to the Garden of Eden after she had coupled with the archangel Samael.[16]

Interpretations of Lilith found in later Jewish materials are plentiful, but little information has survived relating to the Sumerian, Assyrian and Babylonian views of this class of demons. Recent scholarship has disputed the relevance of two sources previously used to connect the Jewish lilith to an Akkadian lilītu – the Gilgamesh appendix and the Arslan Tash amulets[17] (see below for discussion of these two problematic sources).

In contrast, some scholars, such as Lowell K. Handy, hold the view that though Lilith derives from Mesopotamian demonology, evidence of the Hebrew Lilith being present in the sources frequently cited – the Sumerian Gilgamesh fragment and the Sumerian incantation from Arshlan-Tash being two – is scant, if present at all.[16]: 174  In the Sumerian King List, the name first occurs in a description of a king's lineage, and was identified by scholars as a class of demons.[18]

In Hebrew-language texts, the term lilith or lilit (translated as "night creatures", "night monster", "night hag", or "screech owl") first occurs in a list of animals in Isaiah 34.[19] The Isaiah 34:14 Lilith reference does not appear in most common Bible translations such as KJV and NIV. Commentators and interpreters often envision the figure of Lilith as a dangerous demon of the night, who is sexually wanton, and who steals babies in the darkness.[20] Jewish incantation bowls and amulets from Mesopotamia from the first to the eighth centuries identify Lilith as a female demon and provide the first visual depictions of her.[20]

Etymology

In the Akkadian language of Assyria and Babylonia, the terms lili and līlītu mean spirits. Some uses of līlītu are listed in the Assyrian Dictionary of the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago (CAD, 1956, L.190), in Wolfram von Soden's Akkadisches Handwörterbuch (AHw, p. 553), and Reallexikon der Assyriologie (RLA, p. 47).[21]

The Sumerian female demons lili have no etymological relation to Akkadian lilu, "evening".[22]

Archibald Sayce (1882)[23][page needed] considered that the Hebrew and the earlier Akkadian names are derived from Proto-Semitic. Charles Fossey (1902) has this literally translating to "female night being/demon", although cuneiform inscriptions from Mesopotamia exist where Līlīt and Līlītu refers to disease-bearing wind spirits.[24][25]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lilith

What is the lily of the valley (Song of Solomon 2:1)?

Answer

The Song of Solomon is an extended love poem. In Song of Solomon 2:1, the woman declares, “I am a rose of Sharon, a lily of the valleys.” Then the man affirms in verse 2, “Like a lily among thorns is my darling among the young women.” Then in verse 3 the woman responds, “Like an apple tree among the trees of the forest is my beloved among the young men.”

In the first verse, the woman says she is a rose of Sharon and a lily of the valleys. Many different plants have been called a rose of Sharon, and we do not know the specific species that is referred to here. There is also some question as to how the lily of the valley is to be identified. Suggestions include wild-growing anemone, hyacinth, tulip, iris, and gladiolus. In any case, the lily of the valley was a beautiful and fragrant plant. In the context of Song of Solomon, it may be that the woman is comparing herself to some common wildflowers that would not necessarily be considered valuable or beautiful when compared to cultivated flowers.

On the contrary, the man sees his beloved as a lily among thorns. Thorns are ugly, unattractive, and uninviting. But his beloved is a lily among the thorns—she stands out in his eyes, and her beauty outshines that of all other women. By the same token, the woman sees her bridegroom as an apple tree among the other trees in the forest—he is unique and valuable in her eyes.

The point seems to be that each lover finds the other superior to all the other options. The bride is a lily, as compared to thorns. The bridegroom is an apple tree, as compared to the other forest trees. There might be a lot of trees in the forest that are large and tall—like the mighty oak or the cedar of Lebanon. A rather small, scrubby apple tree would not seem to be very significant by comparison. However, when one considers the fruit that the apple tree gives, it is extraordinary. A person might chop down any number of trees for firewood, lumber, etc., but would most likely save an apple tree because of the fruit.

The point seems to be that comparing a beloved with others is all a matter of perspective. A lily of the valley compared to cultivated flowers might be rather insignificant, but compared to thorns that grow around it, it is beautiful. An apple tree is not the greatest tree in the forest, but when you consider the fruit that it gives, it is a wonderful tree.

This is the attitude that married people need to have when viewing each other. Each spouse needs to emphasize the positive strengths of the other. If one spouse looks around and starts to compare himself/herself against others who are better looking, more successful, richer, more powerful, more talented, more capable, etc., he or she may begin to feel inadequate or unworthy. It is the responsibility and privilege of the other spouse to point out the strengths and to demonstrate that “I only have eyes for you.” If the other spouse falls into the trap of negatively comparing his or her spouse with others, then things can go downhill quickly. Pornography and so much of what popular media defines as beautiful, sexy, or successful can be devastating to marriages because they set impossible, artificial standards that a spouse in real life can most likely never meet.

Every husband should see his wife as the lily of the valley and thank God for the beautiful and delightful blossom He has provided for him in the wilderness.

https://www.gotquestions.org/lily-of-the-valley.html

Song of Solomon 2

1599 Geneva Bible

2 3 The Church desireth to rest under the shadow of Christ. 8 She heareth his voice. 14 She is compared to the dove. 15 And the enemies to the foxes.

1 I am the rose of the field, and the lily of the valleys.

2 Like a lily among the thorns, so is my [a]love among the daughters.

3 [b]Like the apple tree among the trees of the forest, so is my well-beloved among the sons of men: under his shadow had I delight, and sat down: and his fruit was sweet unto my mouth.

4 He brought me into the wine cellar, and love was his banner over me.

5 Stay me with flagons, and comfort me with apples: for I am sick of love.

6 His left hand is under mine head, and his right hand doth embrace me.

7 [c]I charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem, by the roes and by the hinds of the field, that ye stir not up, nor waken my love, until she please.

8 [d]It is the voice of my well-beloved: behold, he cometh leaping by the mountains, and skipping by the hills.

9 My well-beloved is like a roe, or a young hart: lo, he [e]standeth behind our wall, looking forth of the windows, showing himself through the [f]grates.

10 My well-beloved spake and said unto me, Arise, my love, my fair one, and come thy way.

11 For behold, [g]winter is past: the rain is changed, and is gone away.

12 The flowers appear in the earth: the time of the singing of birds is come, and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land.

13 The fig tree hath brought forth her young figs: and the vines with their small grapes have cast a savor: arise my love, my fair one, and come away.

14 My dove, that art in the [h]holes of the rock, in the secret places of the stairs, show me thy sight, let me hear thy voice: for thy voice is sweet, and thy sight comely.

15 Take us the foxes, the [i]little foxes, which destroy the vines: for our vines have small grapes.

16 My well-beloved is mine, and I am his: he feedeth among the lilies,

17 Until the daybreak, and the shadows flee away: return, my well-beloved, and be like a [j]roe, or a young hart upon the mountains of Bether.

Footnotes

Song of Solomon 2:2 Thus Christ preferreth his Church above all other things.

Song of Solomon 2:3 The spouse testifieth her great desire toward her husband, but her strength faileth her, and therefore she desireth to be comforted, and felt it.

Song of Solomon 2:7 Christ chargeth them which have to do in the Church as it were by a solemn oath, that they trouble not the quietness thereof.

Song of Solomon 2:8 This is spoken of Christ, who took upon his our nature to come to help his Church.

Song of Solomon 2:9 Forasmuch as his divinity was hid under the cloak of our flesh.

Song of Solomon 2:9 So that we cannot have full knowledge of him in this life.

Song of Solomon 2:11 That is, sin and error is driven back by the coming of Christ, which is here described by the spring time, when all things flourish.

Song of Solomon 2:14 Thou that art ashamed of thy sins, come and show thyself unto me.

Song of Solomon 2:15 Suppress the heretics while they are young, that is, when they begin to show their malice, and destroy the vine of the Lord.

Song of Solomon 2:17 The Church desireth Christ to be most ready to help her in all dangers.

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Song%20of%20Solomon%202&version=GNV

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Robert Swan Mueller III (/ˈmʌlər/; born August 7, 1944) is an American lawyer who served as the sixth director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) from 2001 to 2013.

A graduate of Princeton University and New York University, Mueller served as a Marine Corps officer during the Vietnam War, receiving a Bronze Star for heroism and a Purple Heart. He subsequently attended the University of Virginia School of Law. Mueller is a registered Republican in Washington, D.C.,[1] and was appointed and reappointed to Senate-confirmed positions by presidents George H. W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama.[2][3]

Mueller has served both in government and private practice. He was an assistant United States attorney, a United States attorney, United States assistant attorney general for the Criminal Division, a homicide prosecutor in Washington, D.C., acting United States deputy attorney general, partner at D.C. law firm WilmerHale and director of the FBI. He is the only FBI Director that Congress has allowed to serve more than the statutory limit of 10 years since the death of J. Edgar Hoover in 1972 by giving him a special two-year extension.

On May 17, 2017, Mueller was appointed by Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein as special counsel overseeing an investigation into allegations of Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election and related matters.[4] He submitted his report to Attorney General William Barr on March 22, 2019.[5] On April 18, the Department of Justice released it.[6][7] On May 29, he resigned his post and the Office of the Special Counsel was closed.

Early life and education

Mueller was born on August 7, 1944, at Doctors Hospital in the New York City borough of Manhattan,[8][9] the first child of Alice C. Truesdale (1920–2007) and Robert Swan Mueller Jr. (1916–2007). He has four younger sisters: Susan, Sandra, Joan, and Patricia.[10] His father was an executive with DuPont who had served as a Navy officer in the Atlantic and Mediterranean theaters during World War II.[10] His father majored in psychology at Princeton University and played varsity lacrosse.

Mueller is of German, English, and Scottish descent. His paternal great-grandfather, Gustave A. Mueller, was a prominent doctor in Pittsburgh, whose own father, August C. E. Müller, had immigrated to the United States in 1855 from the Province of Pomerania in the Kingdom of Prussia (a historical territory whose area included land now part of Poland and the north-eastern edge of Germany).[11] On his mother's side, he is a great-grandson of the railroad executive William Truesdale.[12]

Mueller grew up in Princeton, New Jersey, where he attended Princeton Country Day School (now known as the Princeton Day School). After he completed eighth grade, his family moved to Philadelphia while Mueller himself went on to attend St. Paul's School in Concord, New Hampshire for high school, where he was captain of the soccer, hockey, and lacrosse teams and won the Gordon Medal as the school's top athlete in 1962.[13][14] A lacrosse teammate and classmate at St. Paul's School was future Massachusetts Senator and Secretary of State John Kerry.[15]

After graduating from St. Paul's, Mueller entered Princeton University, where he continued to play lacrosse,[16] receiving a Bachelor of Arts in politics in 1966 after completing a senior thesis titled "Acceptance of Jurisdiction in the South West Africa Cases."[17] Mueller was a member of University Cottage Club while he was a student at Princeton.[18] Mueller earned a Master of Arts in international relations from New York University in 1967.

In 1968, Mueller joined the United States Marine Corps.[19] After his military service, he enrolled at the University of Virginia School of Law where he served on the Virginia Law Review and graduated in 1973.[20]

United States Marine Corps service

Mueller as a Marine lieutenant

Mueller has cited the combat death of his Princeton lacrosse teammate David Spencer Hackett in the Vietnam War as an influence on his decision to pursue military service.[21] Of his classmate, Mueller has said, "One of the reasons I went into the Marine Corps was because we lost a very good friend, a Marine in Vietnam, who was a year ahead of me at Princeton. There were a number of us who felt we should follow his example and at least go into the service. And it flows from there."[22] Hackett was a Marine Corps first lieutenant in the infantry and was killed in 1967 in Quảng Trị province by small arms fire.[23]

After waiting a year so a knee injury could heal, Mueller was accepted for officer training in the United States Marine Corps in 1968, attending training at Parris Island, Officer Candidate School, Army Ranger School, and Army jump school. Of these, he said later that he considered Ranger School the most valuable because he felt "more than anything teaches you about how you react with no sleep and nothing to eat."[24][25]

In the summer of 1968, he was sent to South Vietnam, where he served as a rifle platoon leader as a second lieutenant with Second Platoon, H Company, 2nd Battalion, 4th Marines, 3rd Marine Division.[9][26] On December 11, 1968, during an engagement in Operation Scotland II, he earned the Bronze Star with "V" device for combat valor for rescuing a wounded Marine under enemy fire during an ambush in which he saw half of his platoon become casualties.[27][28] In April 1969, he received an enemy gunshot wound in the thigh, recovered, and returned to lead his platoon until June 1969.[29] For his service in and during the Vietnam War, his military decorations and awards include: the Bronze Star Medal with Combat "V", Purple Heart Medal, two Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medals with Combat "V", Combat Action Ribbon, National Defense Service Medal, Vietnam Service Medal with four service stars, Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross, Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal, and Parachutist Badge.[9][29][25][30]

After recuperating at a field hospital near Da Nang, Mueller became aide-de-camp to 3rd Marine Division's commanding general, then–Major General William K. Jones, where he "significantly contributed to the rapport" Jones had with other officers, according to one report.[24][31]

Mueller had originally considered making the Marines his career, but he explained later that he found non-combat life in the corps to be unexciting.[25] After returning from South Vietnam, Mueller was briefly stationed at Henderson Hall, before leaving active-duty service in August 1970[31] at the rank of captain.[31]

Reflecting on his service in the Vietnam War, Mueller said, "I consider myself exceptionally lucky to have made it out of Vietnam. There were many—many—who did not. And perhaps because I did survive Vietnam, I have always felt compelled to contribute."[32] In 2009, he told a writer that despite his other accomplishments, he was still "most proud the Marine Corps deemed me worthy of leading other Marines."[25]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Mueller

V For Virginia City NV Mail Drop is a photograph by LeeAnn McLaneGoetz McLaneGoetzStudioLLCcom which was uploaded on July 16th, 2011.

https://fineartamerica.com/featured/v-for-virginia-city-nv-mail-drop-leeann-mclane-goetz.html

Mueller Water Products, Inc. (MWP) is a publicly traded company headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. It is one of the largest manufacturers and distributors of fire hydrants, gate valves, and other water infrastructure products in North America.[3] MWP is made up of two business units—Mueller Co. and Mueller Technologies—that oversee more than a dozen brands and affiliates, including Echologics and Mueller Systems.[4]

History

Mueller Water Products was incorporated as a standalone business on September 22, 2005, but the company traces the history of its business units, subsidiaries and brands back as far as 1857, when the forerunner to Mueller Co. was founded by Hieronymus Mueller in Decatur, Illinois.[5] Providence Steam and Gas Pipe became General Fire Extinguisher Co. in 1892 after merging with several sprinkler manufacturers, and was later renamed Grinnell Co. in 1919, after the company's president, Frederick Grinnell.[5] In 1899, 12 companies incorporated as United States Cast Iron Pipe and Foundry Company, which would later be known as U.S. Pipe after dropping "cast iron" from the company name in 1929.[5] Grinnell Co. became known as Anvil International in 2000.[5]

Jim Walter Corporation acquired U.S. Pipe in 1969, and in 2005, it acquired Mueller Co. and Anvil International. The three businesses were combined to form Mueller Water Products. The combined entity was then spun off as the publicly held Mueller Water Products, Inc. in 2006, moving its headquarters from the company's birthplace of Decatur, Illinois, to Atlanta, Georgia.[6][5][7] Initially, MWP operated with three business units—Mueller Co., Anvil International, and U.S. Pipe. However, in 2012 Mueller Water Products divested U.S. Pipe to Wynnchurch Capital, Ltd., retaining only the valve and hydrant division, which now operates under the Mueller Co. business unit.[8] Early in 2017 Mueller Water Products sold its Anvil International division to One Equity Partners[9] and also completed the acquisition of Singer Valve, a manufacturer of automatic control valves.[10]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mueller_Water_Products

Draining the Swamp

From the beginning, the creators of Washington, D.C., went to some trouble to conceal that their capital was built on shaky ground.

By Ted Widmer

January 19, 2017

On October 17th, during a speech on ethics reform, Donald Trump announced, “It is time to drain the swamp in Washington, D.C.” A day later, he repeated the phrase in a tweet, adding the hashtag #draintheswamp for good measure. It was late in the campaign for a new slogan, but soon audiences were chanting it.

https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/draining-the-swamp

John Eleuthère du Pont (November 22, 1938 – December 9, 2010) was an American multimillionaire philanthropist and convicted murderer. Heir to the du Pont family fortune,[1] he was a published ornithologist, philatelist, conchologist, and sports enthusiast.

In 1972, du Pont founded and directed the Delaware Museum of Natural History and contributed to Villanova University and other institutions.[1] In the 1980s, he established a wrestling facility at his Foxcatcher Farm estate after becoming interested in the sport and in pentathlon events. Du Pont became a prominent supporter of amateur sports in the United States and a sponsor of USA Wrestling.

By the 1990s, friends and acquaintances were concerned about du Pont's erratic and paranoid behavior, but his wealth shielded him.[2] On February 25, 1997, he was convicted of murder in the third degree for the January 26, 1996, shooting of Dave Schultz, an Olympic champion freestyle wrestler living and working on du Pont's estate that was located in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania. He was ruled to have been mentally ill but not insane and was sentenced to prison for thirteen to thirty years. Du Pont died in prison at age 72 on December 9, 2010. To date, he is the only member of the Forbes 400 richest Americans to be convicted of murder.[3]

Early life and education

du Pont (front left) as a member of Zeta Psi fraternity at the University of Pennsylvania

John du Pont was born on November 22, 1938, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the youngest of four children of William du Pont, Jr. and Jean Liseter Austin (1897–1988). He grew up at Liseter Hall, a mansion built in 1922 in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania, by his maternal grandfather on more than 80 hectares (200 acres) of land given to his parents at their wedding by his maternal grandfather.[4] Both his parents' families had emigrated from Europe to the United States at the beginning of the 19th century and became highly successful.

During the 1920s and 1930s, du Pont's parents acquired more land and developed Liseter Hall Farm for Thoroughbred breeding, showing, and racing. His mother retained Liseter Hall Farm after the couple divorced in 1941. She added a dairy herd of Guernseys and bred Welsh ponies at the farm. John was aged 2 when his parents divorced. He had two older sisters, Jean and Evelyn; an older brother, Henry E. I. du Pont; and a younger half brother, William du Pont III, born of their father's second marriage.

Du Pont graduated from Haverford School in 1957. He attended the University of Pennsylvania, where he belonged to the Zeta Psi fraternity, but withdrew before completing his freshman year.[5] He later attended college in Miami, Florida, where he studied under and was mentored by scientist Oscar T. Owre.[6] He graduated from the University of Miami in 1965 with a Bachelor of Science degree in zoology. He went on to complete a doctorate in natural science from Villanova University in 1973.[7]

Science career

During his graduate work, du Pont participated in several scientific expeditions to study and identify species of birds in the Philippines and South Pacific. As an ornithologist, du Pont is credited with the discovery of two dozen species of birds.[8] He founded the Delaware Museum of Natural History in 1957.[9] As a young man, he served on the board, helping guide the institution toward opening in 1972. After having been part of scientific expeditions, he served as director of the museum for many years.[10]

Personal life

At the age of 45, on September 3, 1983, du Pont married 29-year-old Gale Wenk, an occupational therapist. They met after he injured his hand in an auto accident.[11] They lived together for less than six months.[12] Du Pont filed for divorce when they had been married for ten months. Wenk sued du Pont for $5 million, claiming he had pointed a gun at her and tried to push her into a fireplace.[11] The divorce became final in 1987.[12] Du Pont's will excluded her from inheriting any of his estate.[13] In 1987, it was estimated that John du Pont was worth $200 million.[14]

Interests

The British Guiana 1c magenta postage stamp

Philately

Du Pont was also a philatelist. Bidding anonymously in a 1980 auction, he paid $935,000 for one of the rarest stamps in the world, the British Guiana 1856 1c black on magenta.[15] After his death, this stamp was sold at auction for $9.5 million (inclusive of buyer's premium) at Sotheby's June 17, 2014. For the fourth time, the stamp broke the record for a single stamp's sale.[16]

The unique stamp was part of the estate of du Pont. According to du Pont's will—unsuccessfully challenged by several parties—80 percent of the sale proceeds went to the family of Bulgarian wrestler Valentin Jordanov Dimitrov and 20 percent to the Eurasian Pacific Wildlife Foundation, based in Paoli, Pennsylvania, a group du Pont founded to support Pacific wildlife.[16] In 1986, competing as "John Foxbridge", he won the Grand Prix d'Honneur in the FIP Championship Class at the STOCKHOLMIA 86 international stamp exhibition for his display of "British North America".[17] While du Pont continued to buy stamps while in prison, he was not allowed to bring them there.[18]

Athletics

Du Pont developed the 440-acre (180 ha) Liseter Hall Farm in Newtown Square as a high-quality wrestling facility for amateur wrestlers.[19] He called the private group "Team Foxcatcher", after his father's noted racing stable. Du Pont established an Olympic swimming and wrestling training center and sponsored competitive events at the estate. He also allowed some people, such as Olympic champion wrestlers Mark Schultz and Dave Schultz and his wife, to live in houses on the grounds for years. Dave Schultz also coached the Foxcatcher team, which Kurt Angle was a member of at the time of Schultz' murder.[20]

Du Pont became a sponsor in wrestling, swimming, track, and the modern pentathlon. He was also involved in promoting a subset of the modern pentathlon (run, swim, shoot) as a separate event.[21][22] He took up athletics and became a competitive wrestler in his 50s. His only prior wrestling experience was as a freshman in high school. He began competing again at the age of 55 in the 1992 Veteran's World Championships in Cali, Colombia; following that in 1993 in Toronto, Ontario; [23] and in 1995 in Sofia, Bulgaria.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_du_Pont

Michael Andrew Fox (born June 9, 1961), known professionally as Michael J. Fox, is a Canadian and American activist and retired actor. Beginning his career as a child actor in the 1970s, he rose to prominence portraying Alex P. Keaton on the NBC sitcom Family Ties (1982–1989) and Marty McFly in the Back to the Future film trilogy (1985–1990). Fox went on to star in films such as Teen Wolf (1985), The Secret of My Success (1987), Casualties of War (1989), Doc Hollywood (1991), and The Frighteners (1996). He returned to television on the ABC sitcom Spin City in the lead role of Mike Flaherty (1996–2000).

In 1998, Fox disclosed his 1991 diagnosis of Parkinson's disease. He subsequently became an advocate for finding a cure, and founded the Michael J. Fox Foundation in 2000 to help fund research. Worsening symptoms forced him to reduce his acting work.

Fox voiced the lead roles in the Stuart Little films (1999–2005) and the animated film Atlantis: The Lost Empire (2001). He continued to make guest appearances on television, including comedy-drama Rescue Me (2009), the legal drama The Good Wife (2010–2016) and spin-off The Good Fight (2020), and the comedy series Curb Your Enthusiasm (2011, 2017). Fox's last major role was the lead on the short-lived sitcom The Michael J. Fox Show (2013–2014). He officially retired in 2020 due to his declining health.[1]

Fox has won five Emmy Awards, four Golden Globe Awards, two Screen Actors Guild Awards, and a Grammy Award. He was appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada in 2010, and was inducted to Canada's Walk of Fame in 2000 and the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2002. For his advocacy of a cure for Parkinson's disease, he received the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award from the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences in 2022[2] and the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2025.[3][4]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_J._Fox

The Actes and Monuments (full title: Actes and Monuments of these Latter and Perillous Days, Touching Matters of the Church), popularly known as Foxe's Book of Martyrs, is a work of Protestant history and martyrology by Protestant English historian John Foxe, first published in 1563 by John Day.

It includes a polemical account of the sufferings of Protestants under the Catholic Church, with particular emphasis on England and Scotland. The book was highly influential in those countries and helped shape lasting popular notions of Catholicism there.

The book went through four editions in Foxe's lifetime and a number of later editions and abridgements, including some that specifically reduced the text to a Book of Martyrs.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foxe%27s_Book_of_Martyrs

Église St-Pierre de Montmartre

Montmartre & Northern Paris,Paris,France,Europe

Montmartre & Northern Paris

All that remains of the former Benedictine Abbey of Montmartre, this church dates back to the 12th century and is one of the oldest in Paris, though it has been much restored. Built atop a Roman temple to Mars, it was witness to the founding of the Jesuits in 1534, who met in the crypt under the guidance of Ignatius of Loyola.

Some say that the name Montmartre is derived from ‘Mons Martis’ (Latin for Mount of Mars); others prefer the Christian ‘Mont Martyr’ (Mount of the Martyr), a reference to the 3rd-century St Denis, who, according to legend, walked across Montmartre and on to the site of today’s Basilique de St-Denis after having been beheaded by Roman priests."

https://www.lonelyplanet.com/france/paris/montmartre-and-northern-paris/attractions/eglise-st-pierre-de-montmartre/a/poi-sig/1264286/1323143

AI Overview

Learn more

Both "Evan" and "Jean" are variations of the name "John" and ultimately derive from the Hebrew name "Yochanan," meaning "God is gracious"; "Evan" is a Welsh variation while "Jean" is the French version, essentially sharing the same core meaning of "God is gracious.".

Breakdown:

Evan: A Welsh form of "John," meaning "God is gracious".

Jean: The French version of "John," also signifying "God is gracious".

Key points:

Origin: Both names stem from the Hebrew name "Yochanan".

Language variations: "Evan" is Welsh, while "Jean" is French.

Meaning: Both names essentially mean "God is gracious".

Generative AI is experimental.

Evan Wyman

in Dayton, NV (Nevada)

Age 27

Current Address (Since January 2020)

2033 Lonnie Ln

Dayton NV 89403

Jean Rae Malone's Nevada Voter Registration

Dayton, Nevada

Jean Rae Malone (age 66) is listed at 2030 Lonnie Ln Dayton, Nv 89403 and is affiliated with the Non-Partisan Party. Jean is registered to vote in Lyon County, Nevada.

 

Overview of Jean Rae Malone

Lives in:  Dayton, Nevada

Phone: View phone number Ad

Age:  66

Jean Malone's Voter Registration

Party Affiliation: Non-Partisan

Registered to Vote In:  Lyon County, Nevada

Registration Date:  12/18/2023

Voter Status: ActivePrecinct: 13.00

Congressional District: Cd2

House District: Ad39

Senate District: Sd17

School Board District: Ed2

https://voterrecords.com/voter/129532222/jean-malone

9:14

2

JM

Jean>

Hi how you doing I have a favor to ask you could you tell Billy to take my info off his wall it really upset me that my kids names were all there even Shay no one cares who I am but I do l cried when I saw my boys name on there I haven't done anything to him I am only asking once if he won't take it off I will file a police report on him I don't think he will want that they can come and go thru his phone and computer so can you at least ask him thanks we tried to help you but you just ignored us so you are on your own to deal with him we're all done trying to help anymore so please see what you can do

+

iMessage

CERTIFICATE OF FOSTER PARENTHOOD

THIS IS TO CERTIFY THAT SUE DUNN

HAS BECOME A FOSTER PARENT ON THIS DAY DEC. 25, 1986 OF A BOWLSIE CREATION OF LITTLE PEOPLE.

Frances & Bowles

FRANCES A. BOWLES

A SPECIAL CREATION FOR A SPECIAL FRIEND SUSAN JEAN LITTLE SU SU)

HAS BEEN CREATED ESPECIALLY FOR YOU

Susan Lohrey Dunn's Nevada Voter Registration

Dayton, Nevada

Susan Lohrey Dunn (age 73) is listed at 2031 Lonnie Ln Dayton, Nv 89403 and is affiliated with the Republican Party. Susan is registered to vote in Lyon County, Nevada.

Overview of Susan Lohrey Dunn

Lives in:  Dayton, Nevada

Phone: View phone number Ad

Age:  73

Susan Dunn's Voter Registration

Party Affiliation: Republican Party

Registered to Vote In:  Lyon County, Nevada

Registration Date:  05/28/2015

Voter Status: ActivePrecinct: 13.00

Congressional District: Cd2

House District: Ad39

Senate District: Sd17

School Board District: Ed2

https://voterrecords.com/voter/124466056/susan-dunn

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Case No. 24 PO 00116 3G

PO REC NO 311979

242401219

FILED

IN THE JUSTICE COURT OF DAYTON TOWNSHIP24 JUL-2 PM 3: 12

COUNTY OF LYON, STATE OF NEVADA JUSTICE

PRACT

CLEAK

4

JULIA ANN BYSE

Applicant,

5

6

VS.

WILLIAM FRANCIS DUNN IV

Adverse Party.

7

8

TEMPORARY PROTECTION ORDER AGAINST STALKING OR HARASSMENT

9

10

11

12

15

16

17

18

19

Expiration: This order was issued by the Court above on July 2, 2024 and will expire on AUGUST 16, 2024 at 11:59 pm unless the Court orders otherwise.

Hearing to Extend:

There is no hearing scheduled.

The Applicant filed a verified application for a protective order. The Court has jurisdiction over this matter. See NRS 200.591, et seq. The Court finds that stalking, ggravated stalking and/or harassment has occurred. Accordingly, and good cause appearing, c is the ORDER of the Court that the following orders apply to the Adverse Party:

1. YOU ARE PROHIBITED from threatening, physically injuring, or harassing the On Applicant and/or the following persons:

Protected Parties: The following persons are protected under this order: Applicant: JULIA ANN BYSE

2. YOU ARE ORDERED to not contact the protected parties at all in any way, including but not limited to in person, by phone/text, by email, or through social media.

3. YOU ARE ORDERED to stay away from Applicant's residence located at:

2030 LONNIE LANE

DAYTON, NV 89403

20

C2020 Nevada Supreme Court

(Revised October 2020) Temporary Protection Order Against Stalking or Harassment

Page

1 of 3

3

4

24 PO 00116 3G

ORDER TO LAW ENFORCEMENT

Any law enforcement officer, with or without a warrant, may arrest and take into custody the Adverse Party, when the law enforcement officer has probable cause to believe that (a) an Order has been issued pursuant to NRS 33.270 against the Adverse Party; (b) the Adverse Party has been served with a copy of the Order; and (c) the Adverse Party is acting or has acted in violation of the Order. This arrest may occur regardless of whether the violation occurred in the officer's presence.

5

Any law enforcement agency in this state may enforce a Court Order issued pursuant to NRS 33.270 without regard to the county in which the Order is issued.

10

11

12

23

13

14

141

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16

17

18

19

July 2, 2024

Aamir Vecch

CAMILLE VECCHIARELLI Justice of the Peace

20

02020 Nevada Supreme Court

Temporary Protection Order Against Stalking or Harassment (Revised October 2020)

Page 3 of 3

Nevada School of Law at Old College was the first law school established in the state of Nevada. The school, located in Reno, was founded in 1981 by former president of Gonzaga University Rev. John "Jack" P. Leary and then-Washoe County District Attorney Cal Dunlap. After its first year, the school moved from the former St. Thomas Aquinas Parochial School to its permanent home at the old Reno Gazette-Journal newspaper plant donated by the Gannett Company. The school lacked the financial means by which to gain full accreditation from the American Bar Association, and it closed its doors in August 1988. At the time of its closure, the school had an 85% first-time bar passage rate among its graduates.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nevada_School_of_Law_at_Old_College

Marquette University is a Catholic institution operated by the Jesuit order. The law school's mission includes a commitment to the Jesuit idea of cura personalis ("care of the entire person"), a duty to promote diversity, and a goal of encouraging its "students to become agents for positive change in society."[5]

As of the 2016-17 academic year, the school has 575 enrolled students and 98 faculty members and administrators, including 30 full-time faculty members, 10 "deans, librarians, and others who teach," and 58 part-time faculty members.[1] For the fall 2016 entering J.D. class, there were 190 enrolled students (182 full-time and 8 part-time).[1]

Wisconsin, unique among American states, allows graduates of accredited law schools within the state to be admitted to the Wisconsin state bar without taking the state's bar examination if they complete certain requirements in their law school courses and achieve a certain level of performance in those courses, a practice known as the "diploma privilege."[6]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marquette_University_Law_School

The meaning of Marquette is : Land Owner, A French habitational name

https://mylofamily.com/parenting/babynames/meaning-of-marquette-53145

Bill Freeman supervising Nathan Grove's water-hose at 2030 Lonnie Lane Dayton Nevada 89403 and Nathan's adopted grandma Julia Byse is transgender Jesuit Papist and is sado-masochistic murderer as well as Jean (John) Malone.

The North American Man/Boy Love Association (NAMBLA, stylized as NAMbLA) is a pedophilia and pederasty advocacy organization in the United States. It works to abolish age-of-consent laws criminalizing adult sexual involvement with minors[2][3] and campaigns for the release of men who have been jailed for sexual contacts with minors that did not involve what it considers coercion.[2][4]

The group no longer holds regular national meetings, and as of the late 1990s—to avoid local police infiltration—the organization discouraged the formation of local chapters.[4][5] Around 1995, an undercover detective discovered there were 1,100 people on the organization's rolls.[4] NAMBLA was the largest group in International Pedophile and Child Emancipation (IPCE), an international pro-pedophile activist organization.[6] Since then, the organization has dwindled to only a handful of people, with many members joining online pedophile networks, according to Xavier Von Erck, director of operations at the anti-pedophile organization Perverted-Justice.[7] As of 2005, a newspaper report stated that NAMBLA was based in New York and San Francisco.[4]

History

Events such as Anita Bryant's 1977 "Save Our Children" campaign and a police raid of a Toronto-area newspaper, The Body Politic, for publishing an article by Gerald Hannon sympathetic to "boy-love" set the stage for the founding of NAMBLA.[5]

In December 1977, police raided a house in the Boston suburb Revere. Twenty-four men were arrested and indicted on over 100 felony counts of the statutory rape of boys aged eight to fifteen.[8] Suffolk County district attorney Garrett H. Byrne found the men had used drugs and video games to lure the boys into a house, where they photographed them as they engaged in sexual activity. The men were members of a "sex ring"; Byrne said the arrest was "the tip of the iceberg".[9][10][5] Commenting on this issue, Boston magazine described NAMBLA as "the most despised group of men in America", which was "founded mostly by eccentric, boy-loving leftists".[5] The "Boston-Boise Committee", a gay rights organization, was formed in response to these events (which they termed the "Boston witch-hunt"), allegedly in order to promote solidarity amongst gay men, saying in an official leaflet that: "The closet is weak. There is strength in unity and openness."[11] NAMBLA's founding was inspired by this organization.[11] It was co-founded by gay-rights activist and socialist David Thorstad.[12]

In 1982, a NAMBLA member was falsely linked to the disappearance of Etan Patz. Although the accusation was groundless, the negative publicity was disastrous to the organization.[13] NAMBLA published a book A Witchhunt Foiled: The FBI vs. NAMBLA, which documented these events.[14] In testimony before the United States Senate, NAMBLA was exonerated from criminal activities; it said, "It is the pedophile with no organized affiliations who is the real threat to children".[15]

Mike Echols, the author of I Know My First Name Is Steven, infiltrated NAMBLA and recorded his observations in his book, which was published in 1991. Echols published the names, addresses and telephone numbers of eighty suspected NAMBLA members on his website, which led to death threats being made to people who were not members of the organization.[5]

Onell R. Soto, a San Diego Union-Tribune writer, wrote in February 2005, "Law enforcement officials and mental health professionals say that while NAMBLA's membership numbers are small, the group has a dangerous ripple effect through the Internet by sanctioning the behavior of those who would abuse children".[4]

ILGA controversy

Main article: ILGA consultative status controversy

In 1993, the International Lesbian and Gay Association (ILGA) achieved United Nations consultative status. NAMBLA's membership in ILGA drew heavy criticism and caused the suspension of ILGA. Many gay organizations called for the ILGA to dissolve ties with NAMBLA. Republican Senator Jesse Helms proposed a bill to withhold US$119 million in UN contributions until U.S. President Bill Clinton could certify that no UN agency grants any official status to organizations that condoned pedophilia.[16] The bill was unanimously approved by Congress and signed into law by Clinton in April 1994.[17]

In 1994, ILGA expelled NAMBLA—the first U.S.-based organization to be a member[12]—as well as Vereniging Martijn and Project Truth,[17] because they were judged to be "organizations with a predominant aim of supporting or promoting pedophilia".[18] Although ILGA removed NAMBLA, the UN reversed its decision to grant ILGA special consultative status. Repeated attempts by ILGA to regain special status with the UN succeeded in 2006.[19]

Partially in response to the NAMBLA situation,[17] Gregory King of the Human Rights Campaign later said, "NAMBLA is not a gay organization ... they are not part of our community and we thoroughly reject their efforts to insinuate that pedophilia is an issue related to gay and lesbian civil rights".[20] NAMBLA said, "man/boy love is by definition homosexual", that "the Western homosexual tradition from Socrates to Wilde to Gide ... [and] many non Western homo sexualities from New Guinea and Persia to the Zulu and the Japanese" were formed by pederasty, that "man/boy lovers are part of the gay movement and central to gay history and culture", and that "homosexuals denying that it is 'not gay' to be attracted to adolescent boys are just as ludicrous as heterosexuals saying it's 'not heterosexual' to be attracted to adolescent girls".[20]

Curley v. NAMBLA

Main article: Curley v. NAMBLA

In 2000, a Boston couple, Robert and Barbara Curley, sued NAMBLA for the wrongful death of their son. According to the suit, defendants Charles Jaynes and Salvatore Sicari, who were convicted of murdering the Curleys' son Jeffrey, "stalked ... tortured, murdered and mutilated [his] body on or about October 1, 1997. Upon information and belief immediately prior to said acts, Charles Jaynes accessed NAMBLA's website at the Boston Public Library."[21] The lawsuit said, "NAMBLA serves as a conduit for an underground network of pedophiles in the United States who use their NAMBLA association and contacts therein and the Internet to obtain and promote pedophile activity".[21] Jaynes wrote in his diary, "This was a turning point in discovery of myself ... NAMBLA's Bulletin helped me to become aware of my own sexuality and acceptance of it ... ".[22]

Citing cases in which NAMBLA members were convicted of sexual offenses against children, Larry Frisoli, the attorney representing the Curleys, said the organization is a "training ground" for adults who wish to seduce children, in which men exchange strategies to find and groom child sex partners. Frisoli also said NAMBLA has sold on its website "The Rape and Escape Manual", which gave details about the avoidance of capture and prosecution.[23] The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) stepped in to defend NAMBLA as a free speech matter;[24] it won a dismissal because NAMBLA is organized as an unincorporated association rather than a corporation. John Reinstein, director of the ACLU Massachusetts, said although NAMBLA "may extol conduct which is currently illegal", there was nothing on its website that "advocated or incited the commission of any illegal acts, including murder or rape".[25]

A NAMBLA founder said the case would "break our backs, even if we win, which we will".[5] Media reports from 2006 said that for practical purposes the group no longer exists and that it consists only of a website maintained by a few enthusiasts.[5] The Curleys continued the suit as a wrongful death action against individual NAMBLA members, some of whom were active in the group's leadership. Targets of the wrongful death suits included NAMBLA co-founder David Thorstad. The lawsuit was dropped in April 2008 after a judge ruled that a key witness was not competent to testify.[26]

Support

Allen Ginsberg, poet and father of the Beat Generation, was an affiliated member of NAMBLA. Claiming to have joined the organization "in defense of free speech",[27] Ginsberg said: "Attacks on NAMBLA stink of politics, witchhunting for profit, humorlessness, vanity, anger and ignorance ... I'm a member of NAMBLA because I love boys too—everybody does, who has a little humanity".[28] He appeared in Chicken Hawk: Men Who Love Boys, produced and directed by Adi Sideman, a documentary in which members of NAMBLA gave interviews and presented defenses of the organization.[29]

Pat Califia argued that politics played an important role in the gay community's rejection of NAMBLA.[30] Califia has since withdrawn much of his earlier support for the association while still maintaining that discussing an issue does not constitute criminal activity.[31]

Camille Paglia, feminist academic and social critic, signed a manifesto supporting the group in 1993.[32][33] In 1994, Paglia supported lowering the legal age of consent to fourteen. She noted in a 1995 interview with pro-pedophile activist Bill Andriette "I fail to see what is wrong with erotic fondling with any age."[34][35] In a 1997 Salon column, Paglia expressed the view that male pedophilia correlates with the heights of a civilization, stating "I have repeatedly protested the lynch-mob hysteria that dogs the issue of man-boy love. In Sexual Personae, I argued that male pedophilia is intricately intertwined with the cardinal moments of Western civilization."[33] Paglia noted in several interviews, as well as Sexual Personae, that she supports the legalization of certain forms of child pornography.[36][37][34] She later had a change of heart on the matter. In an interview for Radio New Zealand's Saturday Morning show, conducted on April 28, 2018, by Kim Hill, Paglia was asked, "Are you a libertarian on the issue of pedophilia?", to which she replied

In terms of the present day, I think it's absolutely impossible to think we could reproduce the Athenian code of pedophilia, of boy-love, that was central to culture at that time. ... We must protect children, and I feel that very very strongly. The age of consent for sexual interactions between a boy and an older man is obviously disputed, at what point that should be. I used to think that fourteen (the way it is in some places in the world) was adequate. I no longer think that. I think young people need greater protection than that. ... This is one of those areas that we must confine to the realm of imagination and the history of the arts.[38]

Feigned support

See also: Anti-LGBTQ rhetoric § Conflation with pedophilia, and Societal attitudes toward homosexuality § Association with child abuse and pedophilia

In a 2017 protest at Columbia University against Mike Cernovich, an unidentified individual raised a pro-pedophilia banner showing logos from NAMBLA and some leftist organizations (all denying knowledge of any such cooperation). Fact-checking organizations consider this a false flag operation as alt-right personalities were quick to repost the photo without caveat and because NAMBLA had largely ceased operation by 2016.[39] A similar 4chan hoax in 2018 connected NAMBLA with TED, following a controversial TEDx presentation—notably unvetted by the TED organization—referring to pedophilia as an "unchangeable sexual orientation".[40]

Opposition

The first documented opposition to NAMBLA from LGBTQ organizations occurred at the conference that organized the first gay march on Washington in 1979.[41]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_American_Man/Boy_Love_Association

Can. 666 In the use of means of social communication, necessary discretion is to be observed and those things are to be avoided which are harmful to one’s vocation and dangerous to the chastity of a consecrated person."

TITLE II. RELIGIOUS INSTITUTES (Cann. 607 - 709)

CODE OF CANON LAW

https://www.vatican.va/archive/cod-iuris-canonici/eng/documents/cic_lib2-cann607-709_en.html

Thomas Trace Beatie (born 1974[1]) is an American public speaker, author, and advocate of transgender rights and sexuality issues, with a focus on transgender fertility and reproductive rights.[2]

Beatie came out as a trans man in early 1997. Beatie had gender-affirming surgery in March 2002 and became known as "the pregnant man" after he became pregnant through artificial insemination in 2007.[3] Beatie chose to be pregnant, with donated sperm,[4][5] because his wife Nancy was sterile.

The couple filed for divorce in 2012. The Beatie case is the first of its kind on record, where a documented legal male gave birth within a marriage to a woman, and for the first time, a court challenged a marriage where the husband gave birth.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Beatie

Tracing boards are painted or printed illustrations depicting the various emblems and symbols of Freemasonry. They can be used as teaching aids during the lectures that follow each of the Masonic Degrees, when an experienced member explains the various concepts of Freemasonry to new members. They can also be used by experienced members as reminders of the concepts they learned as they went through the ceremonies of the different masonic degrees.[1]

History and development

Floor and table designs

In the eighteenth century Masonic lodges met chiefly in private rooms above taverns, and the symbolic designs used in catechesis were chalked on the table or floor in the centre of the hired room, usually by the Tyler or the Worshipful Master.[2] Evidence suggests that a simple boundary was drawn (usually a square or rectangle, or sometimes a cross) within which various Masonic symbols were added, often of a geometric type (such as a circle or pentagram). In many lodges the boundary shape may have been drawn by the Tyler, with the Master adding the symbolic detail. Later various symbolic objects were incorporated, examples including a ladder, a beehive, and an hourglass, and sometimes drawings were interchangeable with physical objects.[3] At the end of the work a new member was often required to erase the drawing with a mop, as a practical demonstration of his obligation of secrecy.

Though the various Grand Lodges were then generally hostile to the creation of any physical representations of the ritual and symbols of the Craft, the time-consuming business of redrawing the symbols at every meeting was gradually replaced by keeping a removable "floor cloth" on which the various symbols were painted. Different portions might be exposed according to the work being executed.[4] By the second half of the eighteenth century the Masonic symbols were being painted on a variety of removable materials ranging from small marble slabs to canvas, to give a more decorative and elaborate symbolic display.

Painted boards

During the nineteenth century there was a rapid expansion of the use of permanent painted tracing boards, usually painted on canvas and framed in wood. Many artists produced competing designs, and most lodges commissioned sets of bespoke boards which were therefore of a unique design, despite following common themes. Some designs became particularly popular, leading to some repetition of favoured design features. Boards by John Cole and Josiah Bowring were examples of popularly recurring designs.[5]

The English artist John Harris was initiated in 1818 and produced many different series of tracing boards, including a miniature set of 1823 which became popular after Harris dedicated the design to Prince Augustus Frederick, Duke of Sussex, the Grand Master of the United Grand Lodge of England (UGLE).[6] Eventually the Emulation Lodge of Improvement sought to bring a measure of standardisation in tracing board design, and organised a competition in 1845, to which many different designs were submitted. Harris himself submitted at least two different sets to the competition, but one of his designs was the winner. Harris revised the designs in 1849, and these "Emulation" tracing boards are today considered a definitive design within British and Commonwealth Freemasonry.[7]

Contemporary use

In lodges under the UGLE, and many jurisdictions derived from English Freemasonry, tracing boards are an essential part of lodge furniture, sometimes displayed flat on the floor, and sometimes vertically against a pedestal or on the wall. Sets of three boards, usually of older designs, may often be found in special cases for storage and display within lodge rooms. There are sometimes tracing boards in other degrees.[8] The Royal Arch tracing board has fallen into disuse in most places, and examples are now rare. In the Mark Master Mason and Royal Ark Mariner degrees as administered from London, the tracing boards have experienced a great revival in popularity from the end of the twentieth century, and official rituals for the explanations of these tracing boards are again in regular use in English lodges.

As different Masonic jurisdictions established official, or standard, degree rituals the creation of new tracing boards by artists waned, and has since largely disappeared in favour of standard designs. Nonetheless, some masonic artists have experimented with very modern designs for the twenty-first century.[9]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tracing_board

[666] 6. 1On the side of the superior general, what will aid toward this union of hearts are the qualities of his person [G], to be treated in Part IX [723-25], with which he will perform his office, 2which is to be for all the members a head from which the influence required for the end sought by the Society ought to descend to them all. 3It is thus from the general as head that all authority of the provincials should flow, from the provincials that of the local superiors, and from the local superiors that of the individual members. 4And from this same head, or at least by his commission and approval, should likewise come the appointing of missions. And the same should apply to communicating the graces of the Society. 5For the more the subjects are dependent upon their superiors, the better will the love, obedience, and union among them be preserved."

The Constitutions of the Society of Jesus and Their Complementary Norms

https://jesuitas.lat/uploads/the-constitutions-of-the-society-of-jesus-and-their-complementary-norms/Constitutions%20and%20Norms%20SJ%20ingls.pdf

Revelation 13:18

New International Version

18 This calls for wisdom. Let the person who has insight calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man.[a] That number is 666.

Read full chapter

Footnotes

Revelation 13:18 Or is humanity’s number

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Revelation%2013%3A18&version=NIV

Ultramontanism

Article by

Nive Voisine

Updated by

Clayton Ma

Published Online

February 7, 2006

Last Edited

October 26, 2020

Ultramontanism was a school of thought of the Catholic Church which promoted supreme papal authority in matters of spirituality and governance. Ultramontanism rejected modern ideals in favour of the supremacy of Catholicism and the Catholic Church in public life. This school of thought was particularly influent in the French-Canadian society during the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century.

Origins

In Canada and in Europe — mainly in France, where ultramontanism appeared during the Middle Ages and grew rapidly during the French Revolution —, its supporters criticized the separation of Church and state, as well as what they considered manifestations of modern liberalism. They pushed for the supremacy of the Catholic Church in both civil and religious matters. This school of thought was mainly characterized by its attachment to the Holy See’s authority and, as of 1870, by its faith in the Pope’s infallibility. The term “ultramontane” meant, literally, “beyond the mountains,” because the French Ultramontanes believed in the supremacy of the Vatican — which is located beyond the mountains of the Alps — over the local clergy.

Ultramontanism was adopted in Canada in the 1820s, first in the Saint-Hyacinthe seminary under the strong influence of French priest Félicité de Lamennais, then in Montreal under that of its first Catholic bishop, Jean-Jacques Lartigue. The latter opposed the Gallican ideas and fought for the freedom of the Church and for religious supremacy in matters of education. His successor, Monseigneur Ignace Bourget, led the triumph of ultramontane ideas in all fields (theology, education, relations between Church and state, etc.) in Montreal and made them a major, albeit contested, part of the Catholic world in Canada.

Ideological Split

Ultramontanism grew strong in Canada, but faced a split at the end of the 1860s, following the Guibord Affair. Monseigneur Bourget, followed by Monseigneur Louis-François Laflèche, represented a group of extreme Ultramontanes who were more active within political institutions. This group fought for the immediate application of ultramontane principles, namely the Church’s supreme power over education matters, the reform of laws under canon law and the introduction of episcopate monitoring of civil legislation. Moderate Ultramontanes, like Joseph-Sabin Raymond, to whom the extremists referred as liberals, wished for a more prudent application of the Ultramontane principles and for compromise where necessary.

The extremists engaged conservative journalists and politicians, who advocated for a Catholic election platform as early as 1871 with the goal of guaranteeing the supremacy of the Church over politics. Over the following years, the extremists and supporters of the election platform led an anti-liberal crusade, which resulted in the creation of the Castors (“Beavers”) in 1882.

Influence

Ultramontanism dominated philosophy and theology teachings in small and large seminaries, the social doctrine of the Roman Catholic Church in Canada and several bishop directives from the second half of the 19th century until the 1950s.

Ultramontanist thought guided the ideals of important French Canadian nationalists who desired a self-sufficient society governed by the Church. The movement had a significant influence over the French-Canadian society and Maurice Duplessis’ reign as premier of Quebec. Ultramontanism fed traditional and conservative tendencies within the French-Canadian society, until the Quiet Revolution and the Second Vatican Council put an end to this influence.

https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/ultramontanism

THE NEW AGE

GOD'S PLAN IN AMERICA C. WILLIAM SMITH, New Orleans, La.  September 1950

THERE are three plans in action in America today and they all have different purposes. The first plan is God's plan, a nonsectarian plan; the second is the Roman Catholic plan, and this is a denominational or sectarian plan, and the third is the Communistic plan, an anticapitalist plan.

God's plan is dedicated to the unification of all races, religions and creeds. This plan, dedicated to the new order of things, is to make all things new-s new nation, a new race, a new civilization and a new religion, a nonsectarian religion that has already been recognized and called the religion of "The Great Light."

Looking back into history, we can easily see that the Guiding Hand of Providence has chosen the Nordic people to bring in and unfold the new order of the world. Records clearly show that 95 percent of the colonists were Nordics-Anglo-Saxons.

Providence has chosen the Nordics because the Nordics have prepared themselves and have chosen God. They are not church worshippers, for they worship God's word-the Holy Bible. The Nordics are. the great Bible-reading people of the world today, and the Nordics-Anglo-Saxons -were the first people to print the Holy Bible in great quantity, and they were known as the people of a book, that book being the Holy Bible.

But, in order to read the Bible, it is necessary to know how to read. In the Nordic race there is no illiteracy. In Norway there has been no illiteracy for more than a hundred years. Another fact that shows clearly that the Nordics are God's chosen people this time is they are always looking for more light on the mission of life.

Looking at their station of life, these great Bible-reading people should open the eyes of the world, King Gustaf of Sweden is a great light in the nonsectarian Masonic Brotherhood, and King Haakon of Norway is a Masonic light in Norway.

The late King Christian of Denmark was a Masonic spirit in his Denmark; also King George of England is a Masonic light to his Anglo-Saxon people.  Just as Providence has chosen the Jewish race-the children of Israel-to bring into the world righteousness by carrying the "Ten Commandments" which emphasize 'Remember the Sabbath Day and keep it holy," so also Providence has chosen the Nordic race to unfold the 'New Age" of the world-a "Novus Ordo Seclorum." One of the first of the Nordics to reach the New World was the Viking, Leif Ericsson. He sailed from Norway to bring his people in Iceland a new message, the message of the Chritian God. But Providence moves in a mysterious way His wonders to perform, and so Leif the Lucky was sent by Providence to the New World. From the abundance of grapes found there Leif Ericsson called the place Vinland. It is easy to sense that Leif Ericsson was sent by the Guiding Hand of Providence to bring the Norse spirit of the "All-Father" to the shores of the New World.

The Nordics are the highest branch of the fifth Aryan Civilization.; The Latins are of the fourth Aryan Civilization, and the American race will be the sixth Aryan Civilization. This new and great civilization is like an American Beauty rosebud, ready to open and send its wonderful fragrance to all the world. George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, Thomas Paine and many others of the founders of the New World were Nordics. Thomas Paine, the spark plug of the American Revolution, loved God but hated sectarianism. In 'These Are the times," he wrote: "We have it in our power to begin the world all over again! A situation familiar to the present hath not happened since the days of Noah, till now. The birthday of a New World is at hand."

As stated before, God's Plan in America is nonsectarian plan. Our Constitution is nonsectarian. Our great American Public Schools-God's chosen schools-are nonsectarian. The Great Spirit behind this great nation is nonsectarian.

Our great American Public Schools have never taken away from any child the freedom of will, freedom of Spirit or freedom of mind. That is the divine reason that Great God our King has chosen the great American Public Schools to pave the way for the new race, the new religion and the new civilization that is taking place in America.

Any mother, father or guardian who is responsible for taking away of freedom of mind, freedom of will or freedom of spirit is the lowest criminal on this earth, because they take away from that child the God-given right to become a part of God's great plan in America for the dawn of the New Age of the world."

The Official Organ of The Supreme Council 33° A. & A. Scottish Rite of Freemasonry S. J. U. S. A.

PUBLISHED AT 1735 SIXTEENTH STREET N, W. WASHINGTON, D. C.

PART VI 1THE PERSONAL LIFE OF THOSE ALREADY ADMITTED AND INCORPORATED INTO THE BODY OF THE SOCIETY

SECTION 1: THE APOSTOLIC CHARACTER OF OUR VOWS IN GENERAL

143 §1. Our consecration by profession of the evangelical counsels, by which we respond to a divine vocation, is at one and the same time the following of Christ poor, virginal, and obedient and a rejection of those idols that the world is always prepared to adore, especially wealth, pleasure, prestige, and power. Hence, our poverty, chastity, and obedience ought visibly and efficaciously to bear witness to this attitude, whereby we proclaim the evangelical possibility of a certain communion among men and women that is a foretaste of the future kingdom of God.[1]

§2. Our religious vows, while binding us, also set us FREE:

FREE, by our vow of poverty, to share the life of the poor and to use whatever resources we may have, not for our own security and comfort, but for service;

FREE, by our vow of chastity, to be men for others, in friendship and communion with all, but especially with those who share our mission of service;

FREE, by our vow of obedience, to respond to the call of Christ as made known to us by him whom the Spirit has placed over the Church, and to follow the lead of all our superiors.[2] [1] See GC 32, d. 4, no. 16; see GC 31, d. 16, no. 4; d. 17, no. 2; d. 18, no. 3. [2] GC 32, d. 2, no. 20. 215

The Constitutions of The Society of Jesus and Their Complimentary Norms

https://jesuitas.lat/uploads/the-constitutions-of-the-society-of-jesus-and-their-complementary-norms/Constitutions%20and%20Norms%20SJ%20ingls.pdf

Valley of Traverse City

ANCIENT ACCEPTED SCOTTISH RITE

The History and Legend of Scottish Rite Origins

The Story Unfolds…

Like much of early Masonic history, the origins of the Scottish Rite are uncertain. This is primarily due to the lack of historic documentation prior to the early 1700’s and not to any great veiled mystery. The few records kept were subject to loss, fire, weather and aging. So we can at best only speculate on many of our origins by looking at the few documents, historical references and legends that remain.

What We Know

n 1754, near Paris, Chevalier de Bonneville established the Chapter of Clermont. The Chapter resided in the College of Jesuits of Clermont, hence the name. It is said to have been created to honor the Duc de Clermont, then Grand Master of the English Grand Lodge of France.

The Chapter of Clermont was a “Chapter of the Advanced Degrees” and initially entailed six degrees and was later extended to 25 known degrees. The six initial degrees were 1˚, 2˚ and 3˚ St John’s Masonry, 4˚ Knight of the Eagle, 5˚ Illustrious Knight or Templar, 6˚ Sublime Illustrious Knight.

Interestingly enough historically, prior to the time of the Rite’s creation, James II had been in residence at Clermont in exile from Britain from 1688 to his death in 1701. As noted by German Masonic historian, Lenning… “whilst in exile, James II residing at the Jesuit College of Clermont in France, allowed his closest associates to fabricate certain degrees in order to extend their political views.” Lenning believed this to have been an attempt on the part of James and his associates to regain control of the British throne for the House of Stuart. If Lenning is right, this places the origins of the “Rite of Perfection” in the hands of James II and the Jacobite (Stuart) Freemasons who at the time were in exile from Great Britain throughout France and Italy. Lenning also contends that these degrees were introduced into French Freemasonry under the name of the Clermont System.

James II died in exile in 1701. His son James III is said to have continued his father’s Masonic legacy and later created further higher degrees.

Perhaps James II saw in the Jesuit morality plays of the College of Clermont a vessel for passing on a set of moral lessons. Some of the world’s greatest playwrights had emerged from Clermont. Jesuit tutelage had previously produced great writers such as Lope de Vega, Moliere, Racine, and the Corneille brothers. Ensconced in exile, I believe James II did find the inspiration and the training to help produce what would later become the first six degrees. From out of the darkness… comes light.

To be continued… (Author’s note… An in depth look at the Templar influence in Scottish Rite masonry’s origins can be found by visiting the Rosslyn Templars’ website.)"

https://web.archive.org/web/20190615041607/http://www.traversecityscottishrite.com/scottish-rite-history.html

Note 370.—"Sublime Prince of the Royal Secret. The 32nd degree of the Ancient and Accepted rite, and for many years, or until the institution of the 33d degree, this was the highest degree, or ne plus ultra of Masonry. The body is styled a Consistory, and should be held in a building of two stories. The officers are, a Thrice Illustrious Commander, First and Second Lieutenants, a Minister of State, a Grand Chancellor, a Grand Treasurer, a Grand Secretary, and a Grand Captain of the Guard. In the East a throne, elevated on seven steps, which is the seat of the Thrice Illustrious Commander, who wears a robe of royal purple, and he and the Lieutenants, wear swords. The collar of this degree is black, lined with scarlet, and in the center, at the point, a double-headed eagle, of silver or gold, on a red Teutonic cross. The apron is of white satin, with a border of gold lace, one inch wide, lined with scarlet; on the flap is a double-headed eagle, on each side of which is the flag of the country in which the body is located, the flag of Prussia and the Beause- -ant of the Kadosh degree; on the apron is the camp of the Crusaders, , which is thus explained; it is composed of an enneagon, within which is ' inscribed a heptagon, within that a pentagon, and in the center an equilateral triangle, within which is a circle. Between the heptagon and pentagon are placed five standards, in the designs of whigjl are five letters, which form a particular word. The first standard is purple, on which is emblazoned the ark of the covenant, with a palm, tree on each side; the ark has the motto Laus Deo. The second is blue, on which is a lion, of gold, couchant, holding in his mouth a golden key, with a collar of the same metal on his neck, and on it is the device, Ad majorem Dei gloriam. The third is white, and displays a heart in flames, with two wings; it is surmounted by a crown of laurels. The fourth is green, and bears a double-headed black eagle, crowned, holding a sword in his right claw, and a bleeding heart in his left. The fifth bears a black ox. on a field of gold. On the sides of the enneagon are nine tents, with flags, representing the divisions of the Masonic army; on the angles are nine pinions, of the same color as the flag of the tent that precedes it. The hall of the Consistory is hung with black, strewed with tears of silver. The jewel is a double-headed white and black eagle, resting on a Teutonic cross, of gold, worn attached to the collar or ribbon. ^The members are called Sublime Princes of the Royal Secret. The moral of the degree teaches opposition to bigotry, superstition, and all the passions and vices which disgrace human nature."—Macoy's Encyclopaedia and Pictionary of Freemasonry, Article Sublime Prince of the Royal Secret

32 Let Christ the king of Israel now come down from the cross, that we may see, and believe. They also that were crucified with him, reviled him.

Mark 15:32

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=mark%2015&version=GNV

MISSIONS FROM THE SUPREME PONTIFF

252 §1. To be truly Christian, our service to the Church must be anchored in fidelity to Christ, who makes all things new; to be proper to the Society, it must be done in union with the successors of Peter[32]

The Constitutions of The Society of Jesus and Their Complimentary Norms

A Complete English Translation of the Official Latin Texts

THE INSTITUTE OF JESUIT SOURCES

SAINT LOUIS, 1996

https://web.archive.org/web/20200211182223/https://jesuitas.lat/uploads/the-constitutions-of-the-society-of-jesus-and-their-complementary-norms/Constitutions%20and%20Norms%20SJ%20ingls.pdf

Psycho Dad is a fictitious character and television show on PBS that Al Bundy and the members of "NO MA'AM" (except for Griff) idolize. The show was later brought to Fox as The New Adventures of Psycho Dad (Kelly Knows Something).

Contents

1 Background

2 Description

3 Appearances

4 Now Comics

Background

Andrew Prine plays the unnamed actor who played "Psycho Dad" during its run. The actor describes the show as "a simple saga of a guy run amok in the Old West". It becomes Al's favorite show since it simply portrays a man who violently kills his ex-wives.

As seen in "Teacher Pets", there was also a spin-off series that Peg liked, called Psycho Mom.

The show was abruptly cancelled after complaints from women's group due to its high content of violence. Although Al and his friends had hoped that they could get the show back on the air by protesting at a local station, WHBZ, that carried the show, it didn't work.

Following the failed protest, Al sent a letter directly to the actor who played the character. Al and his friends were hopefully when they found out later that the actor was holding a press conference with two middle-aged women by his side. Unfortunately for them, they soon find out that the actor had sold out his fans.

Psycho dad actor

The unnamed actor that played "Psycho Dad" renouncing the character he played after reading Al's letter

Although the actor admitted that he was truly hurt and depressed by the cancellation, after receiving Al's letter and reading it on-air, he changes his attitude by apologizing and renouncing the character and what he stood for, stating that he didn't want to continue being involved on a show that created fans like Al. He then brags that because the network has offered him a nice sum of money, that viewers can see him star in Lefkowitz: Special Education Teacher's Aid. He then concludes by suggesting to Al that he should get some psychological help.

Although their efforts got them nowhere and the actor turning against the fans, Al proposes that the only solution left is to take it all the way to Washington D.C. and get the government to bring the show back. Because of Jefferson's government connection (as he had worked as C.I.A. agent), he and the fellow NO MA'AM are able to interrupt a Senate meeting in progress. They are then introduced to Senator Furman, Chairman of the Presidential Sub-committee for Taste in Television. The members of NO MA'AM try their best to present their argument, that parents are the ones responsible for their children's upbringing, not the television and that its a parent's job to help them understand what their kids happen to see on television and teach them right from wrong.

After a moment, Senator Furman simply states that violence is not acceptable in modern day society and rules that Psycho Dad will remain cancelled. While Al laments about the loss in the hallway, he happens to see Senator Furman being mugged and decides to come to his aid and knock the thief out. The grateful Senator then asks if there is a way he can repay Al, to which he replies that the Senators should focus more on putting criminals in prison or to cancel the television sitcom, Blossom.

Description

As there is no footage of the actual show, it can be inferred from the show's lyrics, the few brief audio clips heard in some episodes, and what Al has said about the character that he:

Is tall, has an icy stare and is insane.

Has a son that he loves

Killed the pig that his son raised and wanted to keep as a pet.

Has killed (or has attempted to kill) multiple ex-wives for various reasons:

Killed one of his wives because she weighed a ton.

Killed another wife because she had a cold.

Killed one of his wives and a schoolmarm simultaneously, after finding out that they were teaching his son how to do housework and he had only one cartridge left in his rifle.

Attempted to kill one of his wives, but she managed to duck after he tried to shoot her at a theatre. The bullet then hit U.S. President Abraham Lincoln.

Has the scalp of one of his ex-wives.

Kidnapped a circuit judge to prevent a wedding from happening.

Has the heads of eight reindeer on his cabin wall

Fights bums on Christmas.

Massacred a village filled with unarmed Native American women and children.

In the The New Adventures of Psycho Dad, it is stated that it has "less violence but more kinky sex and nudity for a cleaner and saner America".

He wore the same suit for several years.

Each episode runs about an hour long and on average has about 84 killings per episode.

It is unclear how many episodes of Psycho Dad were produced, but the title Dad is likely responsible for about 8,000 killings through the life of the series.

A good educated guess puts the total number of episodes at around 100.

The only show that can possibly compare to Psycho Dad is the FOX TV Series Twenty-Four. Through the life of that series (216 episodes), there were a total of 16.380 deaths and a whopping 76 deaths per episode. However, the numbers are incredibly skewed due to a nuclear explosion in Day 3 (season 3.)

As it has been noted that the show took place in the Old West and that he was responsible for the death of Abraham Lincoln, it can be assumed that the show takes place in or near the year 1865.

Appearances

Al... with Kelly

Teacher Pets

Kelly Knows Something

The Worst Noel

I Want My Psycho Dad (Part 1)

I Want My Psycho Dad: Second Blood (Part 2)

Now Comics

In the third issue of the short lived Married with Children comic book series (1991), titled Psychodad, Al is seen watching a rerun episode of Psycho Dad (before going crazy himself). In the comic, Psycho Dad is depicted as a middle aged balding man with crazed red eyes, a menacing grin, yellowing teeth and is either drooling or foaming at the mouth. Based on his clothing, the series takes place in modern times rather than in the Old West as the original version did. He also has two children, a son named Bobby and an unnamed daughter, who appear to be between 5 to 7 years old.

In the short scene we see, he shoots his two children, because one of them was about to hide his gun before asking for a raise in his allowance. Feeling no remorse or guilt, Psycho Dad brags that his offspring has just "mysteriously croaked" and immediately resorts to adoption.

Later, after Al goes crazy and walks to the basement to get his gun, he sings a variation of the Psycho Dad theme to himself that claims Psycho Dad escaped from an asylum, did time in the pen, and kills for fun. In a style similar to Jacob Marley from A Christmas Carol, the ghost of Psycho Dad haunts Al and reminds him that due to his countless repeated crimes, he got the electric chair in the final episode, and that Al will have to endure that same fate if he kills his family. He then tells Al that instead of killing his family, he needs to man up and find a way to get even.

https://marriedwithchildren.fandom.com/wiki/Psycho_Dad

Todd Morgan Beamer was an American passenger aboard United Airlines Flight 93, which was hijacked and crashed as part of the September 11 attacks in 2001. He was one of the passengers who attempted to regain control of the aircraft from the hijackers."

"Following this, the passengers and flight crew decided to act.[1] According to accounts of cell phone conversations, Beamer, along with Mark Bingham, Tom Burnett, and Jeremy Glick, formed a plan to take the plane back from the hijackers.[10] They were joined by other passengers, including Lou Nacke, Rich Guadagno, Alan Beaven, Honor Elizabeth Wainio, Linda Gronlund, and William Cashman, along with flight attendants Sandra Bradshaw and CeeCee Lyles, in discussing their options and voting on a course of action, ultimately deciding to storm the cockpit and take over the plane.[1] Beamer told Jefferson that the group was planning to "jump on" the hijackers and fly the plane into the ground before the hijackers' plan could be followed through.[7][8] Beamer recited the Lord's Prayer and the 23rd Psalm with Jefferson, prompting others to join in. Beamer requested of Jefferson, "If I don't make it, please call my family and let them know how much I love them." After this, Jefferson heard muffled voices and Beamer clearly answering, "Are you ready? Okay. Let's ROLL." These were the last words spoken by Beamer heard by Lisa Jefferson.[1][8][9]"

Todd Beamer - Wikipedia

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Todd_Beamer

Jefferson Airplane - House at Pooneil Corners - Manhattan Rooftop Concert (1968) - YouTube

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vuwMEiNg3B8

Jet Fuel Can't Melt Steel Beams" is an assertion made by September 11th, 2001 attack conspiracy theorists that the burning fuel from crashed planes would not have been able to melt the supporting beams of the World Trade Center. The claim is widely mocked online for being based on flawed evidence."

Jet Fuel Can't Melt Steel Beams | Know Your Meme

[https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/jet-fuel-cant-melt-steel-beams](https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/jet-fuel-cant-melt-steel-beams)

Six months after the Twin Towers fell, they returned in the form of two blue beams of light illuminating the Manhattan skyline. Since then, they have lit the sky annually as a Sept. 11 commemoration known as Tribute in Light. The tradition will continue this year to remember the 14th anniversary of the attacks."

A Look at Tribute in Light | National September 11 Memorial & Museum (911memorial.org)

https://www.911memorial.org/connect/blog/look-tribute-light

A Blue Mass is a Mass celebrated annually throughout the United States[1] in the Catholic Church for those employed in the "public safety field" (i.e. police officers, firefighters, correctional officers, 911 operators and EMS personnel).[2] The color blue relates to the blue-colored uniforms predominantly used by these services.[3] Similar to the Red Mass, the service honors those who have died in the line of duty and those currently serving as first responders.[4] The Mass is an opportunity for the community to show gratitude to first responders and their families.[5]"

Blue Mass - Wikipedia

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Mass

The story behind this image of slain Davis police officer Natalie CORONA

By Lisa Fernandez and KTVU Published January 12, 2019 Updated December 28, 2020 California KTVU FOX 2

DAVIS, Calif. (KTVU) - In the image, she's wearing a royal BLUE gown, carrying a black-striped American flag with a thin blue line streaked across it.

Her heels are high. Her hair is done. Her smile is beaming. And she's standing in the middle of Leesville Grade Road next to a field in Williams, Colusa County, population 21,000, in California's Central Valley, where her father was a sheriff's deputy and now a county supervisor.

It's this compelling photograph of slain Davis police officer Natalie Corona that circulated throughout the country on Friday, hours after the 22-year-old was shot to death by a suspect identified on Saturday as Kevin Douglas Limbaugh, 48. A note found on his bed inside his home, where he later killed himself, stated that he believed Davis police bombarded him with ultrasonic waves."

The story behind this image of slain Davis police officer Natalie Corona (ktvu.com)

https://www.ktvu.com/news/the-story-behind-this-image-of-slain-davis-police-officer-natalie-corona

Serge Monast (1945 – 5 or 6 December 1996[1][2]) was a Canadian investigative journalist, poet, essayist and conspiracy theorist. He is known to English-speaking readers mainly for the originating the conspiracy theory Project BLUE BEAM, which concerns an alleged plot to facilitate a totalitarian world government by destroying traditional religions and replacing them with a new-age belief system using NASA technology.[3][unreliable source?]"

Serge Monast - Wikipedia

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serge_Monast

SEPTEMBER 11, 1990 | CLIP OF PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS ON PERSIAN GULF

George H.W. Bush describes the New World Order in his address to the US Congress on the Crisis in the Persian Gulf.

User Clip: George Bush defines the New World Order | C-SPAN.org

https://www.c-span.org/video/?c4528359/user-clip-george-bush-defines-world-order

ROLLback of governments hostile to the U.S. took place during World War II (against Fascist Italy in 1943, Nazi Germany in 1945, and Imperial Japan in 1945), Afghanistan (against the Taliban in 2001), and Iraq (against Saddam Hussein in 2003). When directed against an established government, rollback is sometimes called "regime change".[2]"

Rollback - Wikipedia

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rollback

In 1917, the Virgin appeared in Fatima. "The Mother of God" was a smashing success, playing to overflow crowds. As a result, the Socialists of Portugal suffered a major defeat. "Roman Catholics world-wide began praying for the conversion of Russia and the Jesuits invented the Novenas to Fatima which they could perform throughout North Africa, spreading good public relations to the Muslim world. The Arabs thought they were honoring the daughter of Muhammad, which is what the Jesuits wanted them to believe. "As a result of the vision of Fatima, Pope Pius XII ordered his Nazi army to crush Russia and the Orthodox religion and make Russia Roman Catholic." A few years after he lost World war II, Pope Pius XII startled the world with his phoney dancing sun vision to keep Fatima in the news. It was great religious show biz and the world swallowed it. "Not surprisingly, Pope Pius was the only one to see this vision. As a result, a group of followers has grown into a BLUE Army world-wide, totaling millions of faithful Roman Catholics ready to die for the blessed virgin. "But we haven't seen anything yet. The Jesuits have their Virgin Mary scheduled to appear four or five times in China, Russia, and major appearance in the U.S.

"What has this got to do with Islam?

Note Bishop Sheen's statement: "Our Lady's appearances at Fatima marked the turning point in the history of the world's 350 million Muslims. After the death of his daughter, Muhammad wrote that she "is the most holy of all women in Paradise, next to Mary."

"He believed that the Virgin Mary chose to be known as Our Lady of Fatima as a sign and a pledge that the Muslims who believe in Christ's virgin birth, will come to believe in His divinity.

"Bishop Sheen pointed out that the pilgrim virgin statues of Our Lady of Fatima were enthusiastically received by Muslims in Africa, India, and elsewhere, and that many Muslims are now coming into the Roman Catholic Church."

How the Vatican created Islam (remnantofgod.org)

http://www.remnantofgod.org/books/docs/how-the-vatican-created-islam.pdf

Pope Francis (Latin: Franciscus; Italian: Francesco; Spanish: Francisco; born Jorge Mario Bergoglio;[b] 17 December 1936) is the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State. He is the first pope to be a member of the Society of Jesus (the Jesuit Order), the first from the Americas and the Southern Hemisphere, and the first born or raised outside Europe since the 8th-century papacy of the Syrian pope Gregory III.

Born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Bergoglio worked for a time as a bouncer and a janitor before training to become a chemist and working as a technician in a food science laboratory. After recovering from a severe case of pneumonia and cysts, he was inspired to join the Jesuits in 1958. He was ordained a Catholic priest in 1969; from 1973 to 1979, he was the Jesuit provincial superior in Argentina. He became the archbishop of Buenos Aires in 1998 and was created a cardinal in 2001 by Pope John Paul II. He led the Argentine Church during the December 2001 riots in Argentina; the administrations of Néstor Kirchner and Cristina Fernández de Kirchner considered him to be a political rival.

Following the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI on 28 February 2013, a papal conclave elected Bergoglio as his successor on 13 March. He chose Francis as his papal name in honour of Saint Francis of Assisi. Throughout his public life, Francis has been noted for his humility, emphasis on God's mercy, international visibility as pope, concern for the poor and commitment to interreligious dialogue. He is known for having a less formal approach to the papacy than his predecessors by, for instance, choosing to reside in the Domus Sanctae Marthae guest house rather than in the papal apartments of the Apostolic Palace used by previous popes.[2]

Francis has made women full members of dicasteries in the Roman Curia.[3][4] He maintains that the Catholic Church should be more sympathetic toward members of the LGBT community and has stated that while blessings of same-sex unions are not permitted, the individuals can be blessed as long as blessings are not given in a liturgical context.[5] Francis is a critic of unbridled capitalism, consumerism, and overdevelopment;[6] he has made action on climate change a leading focus of his papacy.[7] He is widely interpreted as denouncing the death penalty as intrinsically evil[8] and has termed it "an attack on the inviolability and dignity of the person" and "inadmissible", stating additionally that the Catholic Church is committed to its abolition.[9] There can be "no going back from this position", he observed.[10]

In international diplomacy, Francis has criticized the rise of right-wing populism, called for the decriminalization of homosexuality (though still considering same-sex acts as sinful),[11] helped to restore full diplomatic relations between the United States and Cuba, negotiated a deal with China to define how much influence the Communist Party has in appointing Chinese bishops, and has supported the cause of refugees during the European and Central American migrant crises. He has called on the Western world to increase immigration levels significantly.[12][13] In 2022, he apologized for the Church's role in the "cultural genocide" of the Canadian indigenous peoples.[14] On 4 October 2023, Francis convened the beginnings of the Synod on Synodality which was described as the culmination of his papacy and the most important event in the Catholic Church since the Second Vatican Council.[4][15][16] Pope Francis is the first pope to publish a memoir, Hope, which was released on 14 January 2025.[17]

Francis died at the age of 88 in the early morning of 21 April 2025, Easter Monday. He made his last public appearance the day before, on Easter Sunday.[13][14]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Francis

Tragedy and Hope: A History of the World in Our Time is a work of history written by former Georgetown University professor and historian Carroll Quigley. The book covers the period of roughly 1880 to 1963 and is multidisciplinary in nature though perhaps focusing on the economic problems brought about by the First World War and the impact these had on subsequent events. While global in scope, the book focuses on Western civilization.

The book has attracted the attention of those interested in geopolitics due to Quigley's assertion that a secret society initially led by Cecil Rhodes, Alfred Milner and others had considerable influence over British and American foreign policy in the first half of the twentieth century. From 1909 to 1913, Milner organized the outer ring of this society as the semi-secret Round Table groups.[1]

The book is written based on archived files from the Council on Foreign Relations.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tragedy_and_Hope

The President William Jefferson Clinton Birthplace Home National Historic Site is located in HOPE, Arkansas.[2] Built in 1917 by Dr. H. S. Garrett, in this house the 42nd president of the United States, Bill Clinton, spent the first four years of his life, having been born on August 19, 1946, at Julia Chester Hospital in HOPE, Arkansas.[3][4] The house was owned by Clinton's maternal grandparents, Edith Grisham and James Eldridge Cassidy, and they cared for him when his mother, Virginia, was away working as an anesthetist in New Orleans.[5]"

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/President_William_Jefferson_Clinton_Birthplace_Home_National_Historic_Site

It was while investigating the Little Rock integration incident in 1957 that I first learned of Pike’s rapid advance in Freemasonry, and knowing that Weishaupt, using Thomas Jefferson and Moses Holbrook, had infiltrated Illuminists into the Masonic Lodges of America, I decided I would find out if the fact that Pike’s mansion in Little Rock had thirteen rooms had any significance. “Thirteen’ figures prominently in Satanic, Luciferian and Cabalistic rituals, codes, and writings, etc. My investigations produced documentary evidence to show that, because of Pike’s exceptional mental ability, he came under the notice of professors in Harvard who were members of the Illuminati, who developed in his mind the ‘idea that a One World Government, a One World Religion and a One World financial and economic system was the ONLY solution to the world’s many and varied problems. I next discovered that his departure from Harvard was not due to lack of finances, or because of a misunderstanding with the faculty over tuition fees, but because of his ‘radical’ ideas and teachings. When he returned home determined that he would ‘fight’ his way to the top despite all opposition, he was in a suitable frame of mind to be recruited as a ‘Minerval’ or ‘apprentice’ into the lower degrees of the Illuminati."

Satan Prince of This World

by William Guy Carr

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Hw94yTrcRzvZjNQOo8T5_w-jqL8v5IMu/view

Bill and Hillary Clinton National Airport, also known as Adams Field, is a joint civil-military airport on the east side of Little Rock, Arkansas. It is operated by the Little Rock Municipal Airport Commission.

The largest commercial airport in Arkansas, it served more than 2.1 million passengers in the year spanning from March 2009 through to February 2010.[6] While Clinton National Airport does not have direct international passenger flights, more than 50 flights arrive or depart at Little Rock each day, with nonstop service to 14 cities.[7] The airport is included in the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2019–2023, in which it is categorized as a small-hub primary commercial service facility.[8]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clinton_National_Airport

In his first year (1965) in the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown, Bill Clinton took Quigley's course, receiving a 'B' as his final grade in both semesters (an excellent grade in a course where nearly half the students received D or lower).[1]: 94, 96 In 1991, Clinton named Quigley as an important influence on his aspirations and political philosophy, when Clinton launched his presidential campaign in a speech at Georgetown.[1]: 96 He said he learned from Quigley that “The future can be better than the past, and that each of us has a personal, moral responsibility to make it so.” Bill Clinton told his audiences, “that is what the new choice is all about....We are not here to save the Democratic party. We are here to save the United States of America.” It was Clinton's most effective speech, and he repeated variations time and time again as the blueprint for his campaign message in winning the Democratic nomination and the general election for President of the United States in 1992.[21][22]"

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carroll_Quigley

"Theorists also cite the inclusion of Bill Clinton at the meetings in 1991 before he was president and Tony Blair’s presence in 1993 before he became the British prime minister as examples of the group’s power. Past attendees have included former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger (who will also be attending this year), former Chase Manhattan chief executive David Rockefeller, and British Prime Minister David Cameron."

Bilderberg Group: What To Know About the Secretive Meetings

https://time.com/4362872/bilderberg-group-meetings-2016-conspiracy-theories/

"Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner October 20, 2016 Donald Trump Hillary Clinton Henry Kissinger Gayle King Cardinal Dolan Katie Couric Chuck Schumer Mayor Bill de Blasio"

https://www.facebook.com/MariaBartiromo/posts/alfred-e-smith-memorial-foundation-dinner-october-20-2016-donald-trump-hillary-c/1353937201283479/

"HOPE: all hope is to be placed in God, and with what degree of perfection [67]; eternal life alone is to be hoped for as a reward [82]; the extent to which this hope should be of assistance [288]; how hope should be shown by the dying | 595]; hope in the preservation and growth of the Society [812]. See also Faithfulness" The Constitutions of the Society of Jesus and Their Complimentary Norms pg. 464

https://jesuitas.lat/uploads/the-constitutions-of-the-society-of-jesus-and-their-complementary-norms/Constitutions%20and%20Norms%20SJ%20ingls.pdf

Bill Clinton ‘Encouraged’ Trump to Run

SLICK WILLY

Updated Apr. 14, 2017 10:12AM EDT /

Published Aug. 05, 2015 3:33PM EDT

Bill Clinton called Donald Trump this spring and “encouraged Trump’s efforts to play a larger role in the Republican Party,” The Washington Post reported Wednesday, citing five people familiar with the exchange. Clinton’s personal office confirmed the call occurred. Trump aides claim their boss was “candid about his political ambitions and his potential interest in seeking the White House during the talk....” Clinton “analyzed Trump’s prospects and his desire to rouse the GOP base,” according to Trump allies.

https://www.thedailybeast.com/cheats/2015/08/05/bill-clinton-encouraged-trump

I began by attending Fordham University in the Bronx, mostly because I wanted to be close to home. I got along very well with the Jesuits who ran the school, but after two years, I decided that as long as I had to be in college, I might as well test myself against the best. I applied to the Wharton School of Finance at the University of Pennsylvania and I got in. At the time, if you were going to make a career in business, Wharton was the place to go. Harvard Business School may produce a lot of CEOs—guys who manage public companies— but the real entrepreneurs all seemed to go to Wharton: Saul Steinberg, Leonard Lauder, Ron Perelman—the list goes on and on."

Donald Trump The Art of the Deal

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1DLcbnLrl6moQT7nGj1JitG6AiQ6qgK0y/view?usp=sharing

Hillary Clinton : "We Can Have this Jesuitical Argument about what exactly was meant" (re-upload) - YouTube

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_TxtqlWPplQ

MEET THE PRESS - RUSSERT BADGERS HILLARY ON THE IRAQ VOTE P2

MEET THE PRESS JANUARY 6, 2008

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v0SL05Sls_U

"Barnum said and I quote "there's a sucker born every minute", villian Hillary claimed they were passive investors in whitewater they would have you believe they were innocent dupes in a series of unfortunate schemes perpetuated on them by unscrupulous cads mcquarrie no and the Hour of the Time tend to demonstrate to you that the exact opposite is true.

Number one, it was built in himself who masterminded the schemes in connection with the intelligence community with its roots in the Central Intelligence Agency. Number two, Hillary through her legal connections with a key player in much of the fraud, and three, the Clintons and their friends benefitted to the tune of millions of dollars.

One thing you have to understand is that the political machine in Arkansas is one of the most corrupt systems in the nation. It's impossible to be in Arkansas politics and not be corrupt and it is heavily under the control of the Scottish Rite of Freemasonry, of the Southern Jurisdiction.

Let me give you two examples of what we're talking about here. One Arkansas governor ensured every concrete and steel bridge in the state for fire, mind you, every concrete and steel bridge in the state for fire. Now, who, dear listeners, you think owned the insurance company?

Another governor up on fraud charges fired the judge. He replaced him with the town drunks who promptly dismissed the grand jury that was about to hand down an indictment. Hallelujah, Arkansas, that's just politics as usual in Arkansas. Bill was just following the footsteps of his illustrious predecessors but ypu see he had an extra incentive. The GABAA governor of Arkansas pays a disparity $35,000 a year. Clinton was not independently wealthy, it was a small-town boy with huge political ambition. He was picked by the power structure, his mentor was the man who wrote Tragedy and Hope, he was sent to England to Oxoford under a Rhodes Scholarship to learn how to lead the sheeple into the New World Order, into one world government. He's an Anglophile, he believes in British Israelism."

Whitewater - Hour of the Time - Bill Cooper

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xLPkY0fFoC0

President Trump: Jesuit Temporal Coadjutors are on the Attack from Within Your Administration

8 years ago Eric Jon Phelps

Dear President Trump,

Certain Jesuit Temporal Coadjutors have set out to foil your attempts to implement invigorating, nationalist policies intended to build our epic nation created by the Constitution for the United States of America.  These men and women, both directly and indirectly, are slaves of Jesuit Superior General Arturo Sosa, he being the secret master of his subordinate, Jesuit Pope Francis I.  Yes, the Society of Jesus rules the pope of Rome who in turn rules the United States via a host of organizations and brotherhoods.  By far, the most powerful “Roman Senator” in the nation is the Archbishop of New York City, Timothy Cardinal Dolan—the man you sat next to at the Cardinal’s annual Al Smith Dinner prior to your election.  This “prince of the church,” overseen by powerful Jesuits of Fordham University within the Order’s New York Province, oversees the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) in New York City.  The CFR is the Cardinal’s trusted third party.  Its purpose is to enforce the pope’s Temporal/Political Power over America, America then to wage economic and martial war on selected nations targeted by the military “Company” of the Society of Jesus.  The nations most targeted today are Syria and Iran.

Apparently the Jesuits have ordered their left-wing, socialist-communist, anti-American press (including CFR-controlled MSNBC, CBS, ABC, CNN, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, etc.), certain socialist-communist politicians (New York Senator Charles Schumer, California Governor Jerry Brown, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi, etc.) and socialist-communist, anti-American Academia to wage a concerted, frontal attack against you.  Meanwhile, you are under siege by certain traitors within the Intelligence Community secretly directed by Jesuit Coadjutors within the NSA, CIA, FBI, DIA, etc.  Two of the men seeking to sabotage your administration are named here.  They are former CIA Director John Brennan and former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper.  And what do these Obama holder-overs have in common?  Both Roman Catholics are connected to Jesuit universities: Brennan is a creature of Fordham in New York City and Clapper was a professor at Georgetown in Washington, D.C.—the two foremost Jesuit universities in the country.

In addition to having real AV1611 Bible-believing Men of God who know the risen Lord Jesus Christ as their personal savior and are serious men of effectual fervent prayer and fasting, I suggest you add to your present bodyguard AV1611 Bible-believing Men of War who know how to pray and fight.  This is exactly what the great Oliver Cromwell did after he became the Protector in Great Britain from 1653-1658.  This savior of the English Reformation, being at war with Papal Rome and the Jesuit Counter Reformation, did the following after he dissolved the treacherous Parliament in 1653:

Cromwell at Dunbar with His Undefeated Puritan Ironsides, 1650

Oliver Cromwell at Dunbar with His Undefeated Puritan Ironsides, 1650

“No sooner was this parliament dissolved, then he commenced arresting the ringleaders of the conspiracy.  Summoning his followers about him, he explained how matters stood, and if asked if they would permit the enemies of the Commonwealth to overthrow it?  They answered, ‘We will stand and fall with your Highness—we will live and die with you.’  A hundred and sixty  brave fellows, selected from his different regiments of cavalry [Cromwell’s invincible Ironsides], divided into eight companies, became his bodyguard; ten of whom were always on duty about his person.  On these he could rely; and unflinching and bold must be the man, and quick the assassin’s knife, that could reach him then.”  J. T. Headley, The Life of Oliver Cromwell (New York: Baker and Scribner, 1848) p. 421.

If you truly are the man you appear to be, then may God the Father of the risen Lord Jesus Christ protect you from present left-wing, socialist-communist, Jesuit onslaught waged on both you and the American people who put you in office.  The Society of Jesus, being the true authors of Communism, know how to use this bloodied arrow to bring down their target.  May the Lord be your shield and exceedingly great reward (Genesis 15:1) as you seek to preserve the nation that is the last bastion of gospel-preaching and Reformation Bible distribution in the world.

https://vaticanassassins.org/2017/02/18/president-trump-jesuit-coadjutors-are-on-the-attack-from-within-your-administration/

Trump Plays Down Talk of a Third Term, Backing Vance and Rubio

President Trump, who has frequently raised the idea of pursuing a third term in defiance of the Constitution, told “Meet the Press” that his vice president and his secretary of state were potential successors.

A hand holding a sign that say MAGA at a rally in Michigan.

President Trump has often mused about the idea of a third term and has suggested there were “methods” of circumventing the 22nd Amendment.Credit...Emily Elconin for The New York Times

By Matthew Mpoke Bigg

May 4, 2025

President Trump poured cold water on the idea of serving a third term, an idea he has frequently teased but is prohibited by the Constitution, and instead floated Vice President JD Vance or Secretary of State Marco Rubio as possible successors in an interview aired on Sunday.

Mr. Trump said in the interview, with NBC’s “Meet the Press,” that he was reluctant to be drawn into a debate about who could follow him, but he called Mr. Vance a “fantastic, brilliant guy” and Mr. Rubio “great.” Mr. Trump added that “a lot” of people are great, but said, “certainly you would say that somebody’s the V.P., if that person is outstanding, I guess that person would have an advantage.”

Mr. Trump has often mused about the idea of a third term, going so far as to say in March that he was “not joking” about the possibility and suggesting there were “methods” of circumventing the 22nd Amendment, which says no person may be elected president more than twice. Last month, his family business began selling “Trump 2028” merchandise — some with the phrase “Rewrite the Rules” — that added to the speculation.

On Sunday, the interviewer, Kristen Welker, asked Mr. Trump about that merchandise, and the president insisted that many people wanted him to seek another term before he played down the idea.

“It’s something that, to the best of my knowledge, you’re not allowed to do,” he said before adding that he did not know if the prohibition — which is part of the Constitution — was constitutional.

“There are many people selling the 2028 hat, but this is not something I’m looking to do,” he said. “I’m looking to have four great years and turn it over to somebody, ideally a great Republican.”

Four years, Mr. Trump added, was enough time to do something “really spectacular.”

Matthew Mpoke Bigg is a London-based reporter on the Live team at The Times, which covers breaking and developing news.

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/04/us/politics/trump-2028-vance-rubio.html

Rubedo is a Latin word meaning "redness" that was adopted by alchemists to define the fourth and final major stage in their magnum opus.[1] Both gold and the philosopher's stone were associated with the color red, as rubedo signaled alchemical success, and the end of the great work.[2] Rubedo is also known by the Greek word iosis.

Interpretation

The three alchemical stages preceding rubedo were nigredo (blackness), which represented putrefaction and spiritual death; albedo (whiteness), which represented purification; and citrinitas (yellowness), the solar dawn or awakening.[3] Some sources describe the alchemical process as three-phased with citrinitas serving as mere extension and takes place between albedo and rubedo.[4] The rubedo stage entails the attempt of the alchemist to integrate the psychospiritual outcomes of the process into a coherent sense of self before its re-entry to the world.[5] The stage can take some time or years to complete due to the required synthesis and substantiation of insights and experiences.[5]

The symbols used in alchemical writing and art to represent this red stage can include blood, a phoenix, a rose, a crowned king, or a figure wearing red clothes. Countless sources mention a reddening process; the seventeenth dictum of the 12th century Turba Philosophorum is one example:

O Turba of Philosophers and disciples, now hast thou spoken about making into white, but it yet remains to treat concerning the reddening! Know, all ye seekers after this Art, that unless ye whiten, ye cannot make red, because the two natures are nothing other than red and white. Whiten, therefore, the red, and redden the white![6]

Psychology

In the framework of psychological development (especially with followers of Jungian psychology), these four alchemical steps are viewed as analogous to the process of attaining individuation or the process that allows an individual to attain the integration of opposites, their transcendence, and, finally, emergence out of an undifferentiated unconscious.[7] In an archetypal schema, rubedo represents the Self archetype, and is the culmination of the four stages, the merging of ego and Self.[8] It is also described as a stage that gives birth to a new personality.[9] Represented by the color of blood in alchemy, the stage indicates a process that cannot be reversed since it involves the struggle of the self towards its manifestation.[10]

The Self manifests itself in "wholeness," a point in which a person discovers their true nature. Another interpretation phrased it as "reunification" which entail the reunion of body, soul, and spirit, leading to a diminished inner conflict.[11]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rubedo

Kamala Devi Harris[a] was born in Oakland, California,[3] on October 20, 1964.[4] Her mother, Shyamala Gopalan (1938–2009), was a biologist who arrived in the United States from India in 1958 to enroll in graduate school in endocrinology at the University of California, Berkeley. A research career of over 40 years followed, during which her work on the progesterone receptor gene led to advances in breast cancer research.[5] Kamala's father, Donald J. Harris (1938–),[6] is an Afro-Jamaican who immigrated to the United States in 1961 and also enrolled in UC Berkeley, specializing in development economics. The first Black scholar to be granted tenure at Stanford University's economics department, he has emeritus status there.[7] Kamala's parents met in 1962 and married in 1963.[8]

The Harris family lived in Berkeley until they moved in 1966, around Kamala's second birthday. The Harrises lived for a few years in college towns in the MIDWEST where her parents held teaching or research positions:[9] Urbana, Illinois (where her sister Maya was born in 1966); Evanston, Illinois; and Madison, Wisconsin.[b][10][9][11] By 1970, the marriage had faltered, and Shyamala moved back to Berkeley with her two daughters;[12][13][9] the couple divorced when Kamala was seven.[8] In 1972, Donald Harris accepted a position at Stanford University; Kamala and Maya spent weekends at their father's house in Palo Alto and lived at their mother's house in Berkeley during the week.[14] Shyamala was friends with African-American intellectuals and activists in Oakland and Berkeley.[11] In 1976, she accepted a research position at the McGill University School of Medicine, and moved with her daughters to Montreal, Quebec.[15][16] Kamala graduated from Westmount High School on Montreal Island in 1981.[17]

Early career

In 1990, Harris was hired as a deputy district attorney in Alameda County, California, where she was described as "an able prosecutor on the way up".[27] In 1994, Speaker of the California Assembly Willie BROWN, who was then dating Harris, appointed her to the state Unemployment Insurance Appeals Board and later to the California Medical Assistance Commission.[27] In February 1998, San Francisco district attorney Terence Hallinan recruited Harris as an assistant district attorney.[28] There, she became the chief of the Career Criminal Division, supervising five other attorneys, where she prosecuted homicide, burglary, robbery, and sexual assault cases—particularly three-strikes cases. In August 2000, Harris took a job at San Francisco City Hall, working for city attorney Louise Renne.[29] Harris ran the Family and Children's Services Division, representing child abuse and neglect cases. Renne endorsed Harris during her D.A. campaign.[30]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kamala_Harris

Donald Jasper Harris, OM (born August 23, 1938) is a Jamaican-American economist and professor emeritus at Stanford University, known for applying post-Keynesian ideas to development economics.[1]

He is the father of US Vice President and current Democrat presidential nominee Kamala Harris and lawyer Maya Harris.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donald_J._Harris

Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donald_Trump

Danney Lee Williams Jr. (born December 7, 1985) is a man from Little Rock, Arkansas who claims to be the biological son of Bill Clinton, the former President of the United States.[1] Blood tests ruled out Clinton as the father.[1][2]

Background

Williams was born in 1985 to Danney Williams Sr. and Bobbie Ann Williams.

The story came to notice in the late 1990s when reporting by Newsmax led by celebrity tabloid magazine Star to commission a paternity test prove whether Williams is actually Clinton's biological son.[3] Time magazine cited Star on July 18, 1999 to say that there was no match.[4]

The story was revived in 2016 before the 2016 presidential election and pushed by a number of media outlets including Newsmax, the Drudge Report,[3] as well as WorldNetDaily,[1] and the New York Daily News.[1]

Due to some uncertainties with the original test by Star, Snopes concluded that the claim was unproven.[3] The Washington Post stated that, while the test could not prove Clinton was the father, it did conclusively rule him out as the father.[1]

On October 19, 2016, Williams' lawyers announced their intentions to file a paternity suit to prove that Clinton's DNA matched Williams'.[5] Williams wrote to Monica Lewinsky asking for her dress in order to obtain a sample of Clinton's DNA. However, Lewinsky never replied to Williams.[6] A partial analysis of Clinton's blood, and thus his DNA, was already part of the public record because of the Lewinsky affair investigation.[1]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danney_Williams

Thomas Trace Beatie (born 1974[1]) is an American public speaker, author, and advocate of transgender rights and sexuality issues, with a focus on transgender fertility and reproductive rights.[2]

Beatie came out as a trans man in early 1997. Beatie had gender-affirming surgery in March 2002 and became known as "the pregnant man" after he became pregnant through artificial insemination in 2007.[3] Beatie chose to be pregnant, with donated sperm,[4][5] because his wife Nancy was sterile.

The couple filed for divorce in 2012. The Beatie case is the first of its kind on record, where a documented legal male gave birth within a marriage to a woman, and for the first time, a court challenged a marriage where the husband gave birth.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Beatie

Tracing boards are painted or printed illustrations depicting the various emblems and symbols of Freemasonry. They can be used as teaching aids during the lectures that follow each of the Masonic Degrees, when an experienced member explains the various concepts of Freemasonry to new members. They can also be used by experienced members as reminders of the concepts they learned as they went through the ceremonies of the different masonic degrees.[1]

History and development

Floor and table designs

In the eighteenth century Masonic lodges met chiefly in private rooms above taverns, and the symbolic designs used in catechesis were chalked on the table or floor in the centre of the hired room, usually by the Tyler or the Worshipful Master.[2] Evidence suggests that a simple boundary was drawn (usually a square or rectangle, or sometimes a cross) within which various Masonic symbols were added, often of a geometric type (such as a circle or pentagram). In many lodges the boundary shape may have been drawn by the Tyler, with the Master adding the symbolic detail. Later various symbolic objects were incorporated, examples including a ladder, a beehive, and an hourglass, and sometimes drawings were interchangeable with physical objects.[3] At the end of the work a new member was often required to erase the drawing with a mop, as a practical demonstration of his obligation of secrecy.

Though the various Grand Lodges were then generally hostile to the creation of any physical representations of the ritual and symbols of the Craft, the time-consuming business of redrawing the symbols at every meeting was gradually replaced by keeping a removable "floor cloth" on which the various symbols were painted. Different portions might be exposed according to the work being executed.[4] By the second half of the eighteenth century the Masonic symbols were being painted on a variety of removable materials ranging from small marble slabs to canvas, to give a more decorative and elaborate symbolic display.

Painted boards

During the nineteenth century there was a rapid expansion of the use of permanent painted tracing boards, usually painted on canvas and framed in wood. Many artists produced competing designs, and most lodges commissioned sets of bespoke boards which were therefore of a unique design, despite following common themes. Some designs became particularly popular, leading to some repetition of favoured design features. Boards by John Cole and Josiah Bowring were examples of popularly recurring designs.[5]

The English artist John Harris was initiated in 1818 and produced many different series of tracing boards, including a miniature set of 1823 which became popular after Harris dedicated the design to Prince Augustus Frederick, Duke of Sussex, the Grand Master of the United Grand Lodge of England (UGLE).[6] Eventually the Emulation Lodge of Improvement sought to bring a measure of standardisation in tracing board design, and organised a competition in 1845, to which many different designs were submitted. Harris himself submitted at least two different sets to the competition, but one of his designs was the winner. Harris revised the designs in 1849, and these "Emulation" tracing boards are today considered a definitive design within British and Commonwealth Freemasonry.[7]

Contemporary use

In lodges under the UGLE, and many jurisdictions derived from English Freemasonry, tracing boards are an essential part of lodge furniture, sometimes displayed flat on the floor, and sometimes vertically against a pedestal or on the wall. Sets of three boards, usually of older designs, may often be found in special cases for storage and display within lodge rooms. There are sometimes tracing boards in other degrees.[8] The Royal Arch tracing board has fallen into disuse in most places, and examples are now rare. In the Mark Master Mason and Royal Ark Mariner degrees as administered from London, the tracing boards have experienced a great revival in popularity from the end of the twentieth century, and official rituals for the explanations of these tracing boards are again in regular use in English lodges.

As different Masonic jurisdictions established official, or standard, degree rituals the creation of new tracing boards by artists waned, and has since largely disappeared in favour of standard designs. Nonetheless, some masonic artists have experimented with very modern designs for the twenty-first century.[9]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tracing_board

Exoteric Masonry, which is only the husks of the Mystic Order formed by the Sons of Cain has in modern times attracted the masculine element with its positively polarized physical vehicles, and educated them in industry and statecraft, thus controlling the material development of the world. The sons of Seth, constituting themselves the Priestcraft have worked their spell over the positive vital bodies of the feminine element to dominate the spiritual development. And whereas, the sons of Cain working through Freemasonry and kindred movements, have openly fought for the temporal power, the Priestcraft has fought as strenuously and perhaps more effectively, by stealth, to retain their monopoly upon the spiritual development of the feminine element. To the casual onlooker it would seem as if there were no decided antagonism between these two movements at the present time, but though Freemasonry of today is but a shell of its true ancient mystic self, and though Catholicism has been terribly tarnished by the touch of time, in that one thing there is no difference, the war is as keen as ever, the efforts of the Church are not concentrated upon the masses however as much as upon those who are seeking to live the higher life, so that they may gain admission to the Mystery Temple and learn how to make the Philosophers’ Stone. As mankind advances in evolution, the vital body becomes more permanently positively polarized giving to both sexes a greater desire for spirituality, and though we change from the masculine to feminine in alternate embodiment, positive polarity of the vital body is becoming more pronounced regardless of sex, and this accounts for the growing tendency towards Altruism which is even being brought out by the suffering entailed by the great war we are now fighting, for all agree that they are seeking to obtain a lasting peace where the swords may be made into plowshares, and the spears into pruning hooks. In the past humanity has been claiming universal brotherhood as a great ideal, but we must come closer than that to be in full accord with the Christ. He said to his Disciples “ye are my friends.” Among brothers and sisters hate and enmity may exist, but friendship is the expression of love and cannot exist apart from that. This is therefore the magic word which will eventually level all distinctions, bring peace upon earth and goodwill among men. This is the great Ideal proclaimed by the Rosicrucian Fellowship, an Ideal which points the shortest way to the New Heaven and the New Earth, where the sons of Cain and the sons of Seth will eventually be united.

FREEMASONRY AND CATHOLICISM

by MAX HEINDEL

https://dn720206.ca.archive.org/0/items/freemasonryandca017137mbp/freemasonryandca017137mbp.pdf

Presidential elections are scheduled to be held in the United States on November 7, 2028, to elect the president and vice president of the United States for a term of four years.

In the 2024 elections, the Republican Party gained a majority of seats in the House of Representatives and Senate. Incumbent president Donald Trump won a non-consecutive second term; per the limits set by the 22nd Amendment, he is constitutionally barred from being elected president again.[1]

Background

See also: 2024 United States elections

The Republican Party returned to power in the United States with a government trifecta in January 2025 following the 2024 election. Trump, who was elected president in 2016 but lost a re-election bid in 2020 to Joe Biden, and JD Vance, a then-senator from Ohio defeated vice president Kamala Harris, who began her campaign following Biden's exit from the 2024 election, and Minnesota governor Tim Walz. Trump's victory was credited to a post-pandemic surge in inflation,[a] a migrant crisis at the U.S.–Mexico border,[b] and a global anti-incumbent backlash.[8][9][10] In addition, Republicans secured control of the Senate, flipping four seats and earning a three seat majority, while also retaining a House majority, though the party's majority narrowed to three seats after losing two seats.[11]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2028_United_States_presidential_election

Is the Catholic church ready for its first African Pope?

As world leaders gather in Rome for Pope Francis’s funeral on Saturday, many Catholics are wondering if the church could soon elect its first black pope. With Africa home to one in five Catholics, the idea of a pope from the continent is gaining ground.

Issued on: 26/04/2025 - 09:01

By:

RFI

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Since Francis’s death over Easter, one name gaining attention in the Vatican is Ghana’s Cardinal Peter Turkson.

In 2010, Turkson said he wasn’t ready to become pope and that the church might not be ready either. "I wouldn't want to be that first black pope. I think he'll have a rough time," he said.

But Africa’s share of the Catholic population is growing. The continent is now home to 20 percent of the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics, as the church struggles to hold on to followers in increasingly secular Europe.

Some now believe the time could be right for the first black pope.

A spiritual leader

Cardinal Peter Turkson, 76, grew up in a small town in what was then the Gold Coast, under British rule. He was the fourth of 10 children. His father worked in a mine and as a carpenter, while his mother sold vegetables at the market.

Turkson studied in seminaries in Ghana and New York, was ordained in 1975, then taught in Ghana. He later completed advanced Biblical studies in Rome.

Pope John Paul II made him archbishop of Cape Coast in 1992 and, in 2003, the first cardinal in Ghana’s history.

His rise continued under John Paul’s successor, Benedict XVI, who brought him to the Vatican in 2009 and made him head of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace.

There, he became one of the pope’s closest advisors, working on issues like climate change and economic justice.

Turkson is seen as having both a strong connection to local congregations in Ghana and experience leading Vatican offices. His communication skills have also been praised.

Other African contenders

Turkson is not the only African name being mentioned as the church prepares for a conclave to choose its next leader. He would also not be the first African pontiff – Pope Victor I, from North Africa, led the church from 189 to 199.

"There has been this sense which has built up that the pope, if he is going to be a global authority, needs to come from the global church," said Miles Pattenden, a historian of Catholicism at Oxford University.

But Pattenden also said there is no reason to believe the next pope will follow Francis’s more liberal approach.

Francis often called for reform but didn’t always deliver. That middle ground might appeal to African candidates, some of whom have been called too conservative by critics, said Cristina Traina, a religious studies professor at Fordham University in New York.

One example is Cardinal Robert Sarah of Guinea, a traditionalist who compared abortion, "Islamic fanaticism" and homosexuality to Nazi ideology. He could attract support from more conservative cardinals.

In the Democratic Republic of Congo, Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo has been mentioned. He led efforts to oppose the blessing of same-sex couples in Africa after Francis encouraged acceptance of such unions elsewhere.

A long time coming

Francis, who was from Argentina, worked to make the Vatican reflect the diversity of its members. African cardinals now make up 12 percent of those eligible to vote in the conclave, up from eight percent at the last papal election.

"It would be almost impossible to imagine the world accepting an African pope without this transition of Pope Francis having been from Argentina," said Traina.

Africa still has fewer voting cardinals than some think it should.

Some African Catholics also feel left out. A Congolese priest, who did not want to be named, told the French news agency AFP: "Even if it isn't obvious among our European brothers, discrimination is still a reality that we often don't talk about."

He said the church has made progress, but there is a reason no African has been pope in 1,500 years.

An African pope could bring new ideas to the church’s current challenges, including the ban on married priests, said Traina.

"It has always been on our lips how we wish to have an African pope," said Father Paul Maji, a priest in Abuja, Nigeria. But he added that Africans should not be "sentimental" about where the next pope comes from.

Sylvain Badibanga, dean of the theology faculty at the Catholic University of Congo, told AFP: "We shouldn't think 'it's our turn'. It's God's turn."

Archbishop Dieudonné Nzapalainga of Bangui, made a cardinal in 2016 after Francis visited the Central African Republic, will vote in a conclave for the first time.

"This is not about regional, continental, or even personal interests," he told RFI, adding that cardinals must think about the broader interests of the Catholic church.

As his name came up again before the 2013 conclave that chose Francis, Turkson said he could become pope "if it's the will of God".

(with newswires)

https://www.rfi.fr/en/international/20250426-is-the-catholic-church-ready-for-an-african-pope

https://www.facebook.com/4williamdunn/posts/pfbid0oELcx4pv1zyfSoQuJYmowZgcSWkXJaH4LR6vinRB3dranDWzq7ioLwteEUiju7P9l

Pope Benedict XVI[a] (born Joseph Alois Ratzinger;[b] 16 April 1927 – 31 December 2022) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 19 April 2005 until his resignation on 28 February 2013. Benedict's election as pope occurred in the 2005 papal conclave that followed the death of Pope John Paul II. Upon his resignation, Benedict chose to be known as "Pope emeritus", a title he held until his death in 2022.[1][2]

Ordained as a priest in 1951 in his native Bavaria, Ratzinger embarked on an academic career and established himself as a highly regarded theologian by the late 1950s. He was appointed a full professor in 1958 when aged 31. After a long career as a professor of theology at several German universities, he was appointed Archbishop of Munich and Freising and created a cardinal by Pope Paul VI in 1977, an unusual promotion for someone with little pastoral experience. In 1981, he was appointed Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, one of the most important dicasteries of the Roman Curia. From 2002 until he was elected pope, he was also Dean of the College of Cardinals. Before becoming pope, he had been "a major figure on the Vatican stage for a quarter of a century"; he had had an influence "second to none when it came to setting church priorities and directions" as one of John Paul II's closest confidants.[3]

Benedict's writings were prolific and generally defended traditional Catholic doctrine, values, and liturgy.[4] He was originally a liberal theologian but adopted conservative views after 1968.[5] During his papacy, Benedict advocated a return to fundamental Christian values to counter the increased secularisation of many Western countries. He viewed relativism's denial of objective truth, and the denial of moral truths in particular, as the central problem of the 21st century. Benedict also revived several traditions and permitted greater use of the Tridentine Mass.[6] He strengthened the relationship between the Catholic Church and art, promoted the use of Latin,[7] and reintroduced traditional papal vestments, for which reason he was called "the pope of aesthetics".[8] He also established personal ordinariates for former Anglicans and Methodists joining the Catholic Church. Benedict's handling of sexual abuse cases within the Catholic Church and opposition to usage of condoms in areas of high HIV transmission was substantially criticised by public health officials, anti-AIDS activists, and victim's rights organizations.[9][10]

On 11 February 2013, at age 85, Benedict announced his resignation (effective 28 February 2013), citing a "lack of strength of mind and body" due to his advanced age. His resignation was the first by a pope since Gregory XII in 1415, and the first without external pressure since Celestine V in 1294. He was succeeded by Francis on 13 March 2013 and moved into the newly renovated Mater Ecclesiae Monastery in Vatican City for his retirement. In addition to his native German language, Benedict had some proficiency in French, Italian, English, and Spanish. He also knew Portuguese, Latin, Biblical Hebrew, and Biblical Greek.[11][12][13] He was a member of several social science academies, such as the French Académie des Sciences Morales et Politiques.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Benedict_XVI

Uncle Ben’s rice products will be rebranded as Ben’s Originals.

Mars Food committed to changing the name of Uncle Ben’s in June, after widespread protests renewed the focus on companies that for decades used racial images to sell products.Credit...Rogelio V. Solis/Associated Press

Gillian Friedman

By Gillian Friedman

Sept. 23, 2020

Mars Food is changing the name of its Uncle Ben’s rice products to Ben’s Original, after widespread anti-racism protests renewed the focus on companies that for decades used racial images to sell their products.

The company said on Wednesday that it would also remove the image of an older Black man smiling from the box.

Mars, controlled by one of the world’s wealthiest families, committed to making changes to its branding in June, amid protests around the United States. The parent companies of Aunt Jemima, Cream of Wheat and Mrs. Butterworth’s also said at the time that they would retire or rebrand their products.

The rice brand was named for Uncle Ben, a (potentially apocryphal) Texan farmer known for his high quality rice, according to an archived page on the company’s website. The face that has appeared on the box of rice since the 1940s is that of Frank Brown, the headwaiter at an exclusive Chicago restaurant who agreed to pose for the portrait.

The image of Uncle Ben, with his bow tie reminiscent of Pullman porters and his title evoking the way white Southerners once used “uncle” and “aunt” to refer to older Black people instead of “Mr.” and “Ms.,” has drawn longstanding criticism for perpetuating a stereotype of Black subservience.

In 2007, Mars Food responded to such criticism by promoting Uncle Ben from servant to chairman, giving him a busy schedule, an opulent office and the slogan “Ben Knows Best.” But such efforts did little to quell the backlash against the use of racist imagery in product marketing, which boiled over this summer after the killing of George Floyd while in police custody.

“We understand the inequities that were associated with the name and face of the previous brand, and as we announced in June, we have committed to change,” said Fiona Dawson, global president of multisales and global customers for Mars Food.

The revamped packaging will hit store shelves in 2021.

Gillian Friedman is a business reporter covering bankruptcy, economics and general business news.

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/23/business/uncle-ben-name-change.html

Condoleezza "Condi" Rice (/ˌkɒndəˈliːzə/ KON-də-LEE-zə; born November 14, 1954) is an American diplomat and political scientist serving since 2020 as the 8th director of Stanford University's Hoover Institution. A member of the Republican Party, she previously served as the 66th United States secretary of state from 2005 to 2009 and as the 19th U.S. national security advisor from 2001 to 2005. Rice was the first female African-American secretary of state and the first woman to serve as national security advisor. Until the election of Barack Obama as president in 2008, Rice and her predecessor, Colin Powell, were the highest-ranking African Americans in the history of the federal executive branch (by virtue of the secretary of state standing fourth in the presidential line of succession). At the time of her appointment as Secretary of State, Rice was the highest-ranking woman in the history of the United States to be in the presidential line of succession.

Rice was born in Birmingham, Alabama, and grew up while the South was racially segregated. She obtained her bachelor's degree from the University of Denver and her master's degree from the University of Notre Dame, both in political science. In 1981, she received a PhD from the School of International Studies at the University of Denver.[1][2] She worked at the State Department under the Carter administration and served on the National Security Council as the Soviet and Eastern Europe affairs advisor to President George H. W. Bush during the dissolution of the Soviet Union and German reunification from 1989 to 1991. Rice later pursued an academic fellowship at Stanford University, where she later served as provost from 1993 to 1999. On December 17, 2000, she joined the George W. Bush administration as national security advisor. In Bush's second term, she succeeded Colin Powell as Secretary of State, thereby becoming the first African-American woman, second African-American after Powell, and second woman after Madeleine Albright to hold this office.

Following her confirmation as secretary of state, Rice pioneered the policy of Transformational Diplomacy directed toward expanding the number of responsible democratic governments in the world and especially in the Greater Middle East. That policy faced challenges as Hamas captured a popular majority in Palestinian elections, and influential countries including Saudi Arabia and Egypt maintained authoritarian systems (with U.S. backing). While in the position, she chaired the Millennium Challenge Corporation's board of directors.[3] In March 2009, Rice returned to Stanford University as a political science professor and the Thomas and Barbara Stephenson Senior Fellow on Public Policy at the Hoover Institution.[4][5] In September 2010, she became a faculty member of the Stanford Graduate School of Business and a director of its Global Center for Business and the Economy.[6] In January 2020, it was announced that Rice would succeed Thomas W. Gilligan as the next director of the Hoover Institution on September 1, 2020.[7] She is on the Board of Directors of Dropbox and Makena Capital Management, LLC.[8][9][10]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Condoleezza_Rice

Benben

In the creation myth of the Heliopolitan form of ancient Egyptian religion, Benben was the mound that arose from the primordial waters Nu upon which the creator deity Atum settled. The Benben stone (also known as a pyramidion) is the top stone of the pyramid. It is also related to the obelisk.

Primeval mound

In the Pyramid Texts, e.g. Utterances 587 and 600, Atum himself is at times referred to as "mound". It was said to have turned into a small pyramid, located in Heliopolis (Egyptian: Annu or Iunu), within which Atum was said to dwell. Other cities developed their own myths of the primeval mound. At Memphis, the god Tatenen, an earth god and the origin of "all things in the shape of food and viands, divine offers, all good things", was the personification of the primeval mound.

Benben stone

The Benben stone, named after the mound, was a sacred stone in the temple of Ra at Heliopolis (Egyptian: Annu or Iunu). It was the location on which the first rays of the sun fell. It is thought to have been the prototype for later obelisks, and the capstones of the great pyramids were based on its design. The capstone (the tip of the pyramid) is also called a pyramidion. In ancient Egypt, these were probably gilded so they shone in sunlight.[citation needed]

Many Benben stones, often carved with images and inscriptions, are found in museums around the world.

The bird deity Bennu, which was probably the inspiration for the phoenix, was venerated at Heliopolis, where it was said to be living on the Benben stone or on the holy willow tree.

According to Barry Kemp, the connection between the benben, the phoenix, and the sun may well have been based on alliteration: the rising, weben, of the sun sending its rays towards the benben, on which the bennu bird lives. Utterance 600, § 1652 of the Pyramid Texts speaks of Atum as you rose up, as the benben, in the Mansion of the Bennu in Heliopolis.[1]

Historical development

From the earliest times, the portrayal of Benben was stylized in two ways; the first was as a pointed, pyramidal form, which was probably the model for pyramids and obelisks. The other form was round-topped; this was probably the origin of Benben as a free standing votive object and an object of veneration.[2]

During the Fifth Dynasty, the portrayal of benben was formalized as a squat obelisk. Later, during the Middle Kingdom, this became a long, thin obelisk.

In the Amarna Period tomb of Panehesy, the benben is seen as a large, round-topped stela standing on a raised platform.[3]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benben

A mound is a heaped pile of earth, gravel, sand, rocks, or debris. Most commonly, mounds are earthen formations such as hills and mountains, particularly if they appear artificial. A mound may be any rounded area of topographically higher elevation on any surface. Artificial mounds have been created for a variety of reasons throughout history, including habitation (see Tell and Terp), ceremonial (platform mound), burial (tumulus), and commemorative purposes (e.g. Kościuszko Mound).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mound

Bennu /ˈbɛnuː/[1] is an ancient Egyptian deity linked with the Sun, creation, and rebirth. He may have been the original inspiration for the phoenix legends that developed in Greek mythology.

According to Egyptian mythology, Bennu was a self-created being said to have played a role in the creation of the world. He was said to be the ba (personality component of the soul) of the sun deity Ra, and to have enabled the creative actions of Atum.[2] The deity was said to have flown over the waters of Nun that existed before creation, landing on a rock and issuing a call that determined the nature of creation. He was also a symbol of rebirth and, therefore, was associated with Osiris.[3]

Some of the titles of Bennu were "He Who Came Into Being by Himself",[2] and "Lord of Jubilees"; the latter epithet referring to the belief that Bennu periodically renewed himself like the sun was thought to do.[3] His name is related to the Egyptian verb wbn, meaning "to rise in brilliance" or "to shine".[2]

Depiction

The Pyramid Texts, which date to the Old Kingdom, refer to the 'bnw' as a symbol of Atum, and it may have been the original form of Bennu. In this word the shape of a bird used is definitely not that of a heron, but a small singing bird. The German Wörterbuch der ägyptischen Sprache (Dictionary of the Egyptian Language) surmised that this might have been a Yellow Wagtail (Motacilla flava), but no clear reason is given.[2] However, the same bird is used in the spelling of a word 'bn.t' in a painted limestone relief wall fragment from the suntemple of the Vth Dynasty Old Kingdom king Niuserre. This hieroglyph clearly shows traces of blue-grey paint on much of the bird body, indicating that it referenced a different bird species. The shape and colour seem to point rather to a (Mediterranean) Kingfisher (Alcedo atthis) for which, however, another name was in use: 'hn.t<y' (lit. 'the one of the canal'). It could be surmised that a Kingfisher flying low over water and shrieking loudly would be a reasonable mythical basis for the creator deity Atum of Heliopolis as having risen from the first dark waters, called Nun, in order to start his creation of the world. If so, the Kingfisher 'bnw' or 'bn.t' is a good match for the mythical and cultic Nile goose (I.e. 'smn') of the creator deity Amun in later periods, imagined to have been honking loudly in the primeval dark above the still waters in order to bring forth all creation by its voice.[citation needed]

New Kingdom artwork shows Bennu as a huge grey heron with a long beak and a two-feathered crest. Sometimes Bennu is depicted as perched on a benben stone (representing Ra and the name of the top stone of a pyramid) or in a willow tree (representing Osiris). Because of the connection with Osiris, Bennu sometimes wears the Atef crown,[3] instead of the solar disk.

Possible animal model

Remains of a giant, human-sized heron species, thought to have gone extinct around 1500 BC, were discovered in the United Arab Emirates in 1977.[4][5] It lived on the Arabian Peninsula and shared many characteristics with Bennu, and scientists believe it may have been the animal model for the deity. In reference to this, archaeologist Dr. Ella Hoch from the Geological Museum at Copenhagen University named it the Bennu heron (Ardea bennuides).[6]

Worship

Like Atum and Ra, Bennu was probably worshipped in the deitys’ cult centre at Heliopolis.[3] Bennu also appears on funerary scarab amulets as a symbol of rebirth.[2]

Connection with the Greek phoenix

The Greek historian Herodotus, writing about Egyptian customs and traditions in the fifth century BC, wrote that the people at Heliopolis described the "phoenix" to him. They said it lived for 500 years before dying, resuscitating, building a funerary egg with myrrh for the paternal corpse, and carrying it to the temple of the Sun at Heliopolis.[7] His description of the phoenix likens it to an eagle with red and gold plumage, reminiscent of the sun.[3]

Long after Herodotus, the theme of the fire, pyre, and ashes of the dying bird, ultimately associated with the Greek phoenix, developed in Greek traditions.

The name "phoenix" could be derived from "Bennu", and its rebirth and connections with the sun resemble the beliefs about Bennu; however, Egyptian sources do not mention a death of the deity.[2]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bennu

Big Ben is the nickname for the Great Bell of the Great Clock of Westminster,[1][2] and, by extension, for the clock tower itself,[3] which stands at the north end of the Palace of Westminster in London, England.[4] Originally known simply as the Clock Tower, it was renamed Elizabeth Tower, in 2012, to mark the Diamond Jubilee of Elizabeth II. The clock is a striking clock, with five bells.[2]

The tower was designed by Sir Charles Barry and Augustus Pugin in a Perpendicular Gothic Revival style and was completed in 1859. It is elaborately decorated with stone carvings and features symbols related to the four nations of the United Kingdom and the Anglo-Welsh Tudor dynasty. A Latin inscription celebrates Queen Victoria, in whose reign the palace was built.[5] The tower stands 316 feet (96 m) tall, and the climb from ground level to the belfry is 334 steps. Its base is square, measuring 40 feet (12 m) on each side. The dials of the clock are 22.5 feet (6.9 m) in diameter.

The clock uses its original mechanism and was the largest and most accurate four-faced striking and chiming clock in the world upon its completion.[6] It was designed by Edmund Beckett Denison and George Airy, the Astronomer Royal, and constructed by Edward John Dent and Frederick Dent. It is known for its reliability, and can be adjusted by adding or removing pre-decimal pennies from the pendulum. The Great Bell was cast by the Whitechapel Bell Foundry and weighs 13.5 long tons (13.7 tonnes; 15.1 short tons).[4] Its nickname is derived from that of Sir Benjamin Hall, who oversaw its installation, although it is sometimes attributed to heavyweight boxing champion Benjamin Caunt. There are four quarter bells, which chime on the quarter hours.

Big Ben is a British cultural icon. It is one of the most prominent symbols of the United Kingdom and parliamentary democracy,[7] and it is often used in the establishing shot of films set in London.[8] The clock tower has been part of a Grade I listed building since 1970 and a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1987.[9] The clock and tower were renovated between 2017 and 2021, during which the bells remained silent with few exceptions.[10]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Ben

The Royal Family

Yesterday at 8:22 AM  ·

VE Day 1945 ➡️ #VEDay80 2025

A spectacular flypast by the RAF Red Arrows! 🤩

https://www.facebook.com/TheBritishMonarchy/posts/pfbid0fbbodDVUa32Mj5ik3uNWqQUn9GX6duB1euySgfrxgCEX9dTpTCkpx4wPcmcbWJN8l

The 80th anniversary of bombing of Buckingham Palace during the Blitz

Sunday 13th September marks 80 years since the bombing of Buckingham Palace during the raids of The Blitz in 1940. To mark the anniversary we are sharing accounts of the raid as recorded by Members of the Royal Family, from the Royal Archives.

A letter written by Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother to Queen Mary tells of the moment of the bombing.

Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother

“…at this moment we heard the unmistakable whirr-whirr of a german plane…and before anything else could be said, there was the noise of aircraft diving at great speed, and then the scream of a bomb - It all happened so quickly, that we had only time to look foolishly at each other, when the scream hurtled past us, and exploded with a tremendous crash in the quadrangle.

“I saw a great column of smoke & earth thrown up into the air, and then we all ducked like lightning into the corridor - There was another tremendous explosion, and we & our 2 pages who were outside the door, remained for a moment or two in the corridor away from the staircase, in case of flying glass. It is curious how one’s instinct works at those moments of great danger, as quite without thinking, the urge was to get away from the windows. Everybody remained wonderfully calm, and we went down to the shelter.”

An extract from the diaries of King George VI from the 13th September – His Majesty’s personal account of the attack.

King George VI

“All of a sudden we heard an aircraft making a zooming noise above us, saw 2 bombs falling past the opposite side of the Palace, & then heard 2 resounding crashes as the bombs fell in the quadrangle about 30 yds away. We looked at each other, & then we were out into the passage as fast as we could get there. The whole thing happened in a matter of seconds….

“…6 bombs had been dropped. The aircraft was seem coming straight down the Mall below the clouds having dived through the clouds & had dropped 2 bombs in the forecourt, 2 in the quadrangle, 1 in the Chapel & the other in the garden.”

https://www.royal.uk/80th-anniversary-bombing-buckingham-palace-during-blitz

The Masonic King of England

Edward VIII was crowned both king and Grand Master of English Freemasonry on January20, 1936. Edward, however, married a divorced commoner from the United States and was forced to abdicate eleven months later on December 10th. His younger brother ascended the throne the next day and downgraded Edward's title to the Duke of Windsor. In July1940 the Duke assumed the governorship of the Bahamas.127 Edward VIII not only supported Hitler, he did so loudly. From the time of Hitler's rise to power, the Windsors were fascinated by the Fuehrer and his New Order in Europe. Speaking in Masonic 480 terms, the King expressed the views of the Brotherhood concerning Hitler: "What-ever happens, he said, "whatever the outcome, a New Order is going to come into the world.... It will be buttressed with police power.. ..When peace comes this time, there is going to be a New Order of Social Justice. It cannot be another Versailles." 128 During his short reign, King Edward VIII made every effort to promote Nazism. As a result some of the most prominent aristocrats in England joined the Nazi Party.129

Scarlet and the Beast

by John Daniel

https://ia803001.us.archive.org/28/items/ScarletAndTheBeastJohnDaniel1995/Scarlet%20and%20the%20Beast,%20John%20Daniel%20(1995).pdf

Edward VIII (Edward Albert Christian George Andrew Patrick David; 23 June 1894 – 28 May 1972), later known as the Duke of Windsor, was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Empire, and Emperor of India, from 20 January 1936 until his abdication in December of the same year.[a]

Edward was born during the reign of his great-grandmother Queen Victoria as the eldest child of the Duke and Duchess of York, later King George V and Queen Mary. He was created Prince of Wales on his 16th birthday, seven weeks after his father succeeded as king. As a young man, Edward served in the British Army during the First World War and undertook several overseas tours on behalf of his father. The Prince of Wales gained popularity due to his charm and charisma, and his fashion sense became a hallmark of the era. After the war, his conduct began to give cause for concern; he engaged in a series of sexual affairs that worried both his father and the British prime minister, Stanley Baldwin.

Upon his father's death in 1936, Edward became the second monarch of the House of Windsor. The new king showed impatience with court protocol, and caused consternation among politicians by his apparent disregard for established constitutional conventions. Only months into his reign, a constitutional crisis was caused by his proposal to marry Wallis Simpson, an American who had divorced her first husband and was seeking a divorce from her second. The prime ministers of the United Kingdom and the Dominions opposed the marriage, arguing a divorced woman with two living ex-husbands was politically and socially unacceptable as a prospective queen consort. Additionally, such a marriage would have conflicted with Edward's status as titular head of the Church of England, which, at the time, disapproved of remarriage after divorce if a former spouse was still alive. Edward knew the Baldwin government would resign if the marriage went ahead, which could have forced a general election and would have ruined his status as a politically neutral constitutional monarch. When it became apparent he could not marry Simpson and remain on the throne, he abdicated. He was succeeded by his younger brother, George VI. With a reign of 326 days, Edward was one of the shortest-reigning British monarchs to date.

After his abdication, Edward was created Duke of Windsor. He married Simpson in France on 3 June 1937, after her second divorce became final. Later that year, the couple toured Nazi Germany, which fed rumours that he was a Nazi sympathiser. During the Second World War, Edward was at first stationed with the British Military Mission to France. After the fall of France, he was appointed Governor of the Bahamas. After the war, Edward spent the rest of his life in France. He and Wallis remained married until his death in 1972; they had no children.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_VIII

Nicole Brown Simpson (née Brown; May 19, 1959 – June 12, 1994) was the second wife of American professional football player, actor, and media personality O. J. Simpson. She was murdered outside her Brentwood home, along with her friend Ron Goldman, in 1994.

Brown was born in Frankfurt, West Germany, and moved to the U.S. early in her life. Brown and Simpson met in 1977 and married in 1985, five years after Simpson had retired from professional American football. Their marriage lasted for eight years, and they had a daughter and a son together. Reports suggest that Simpson emotionally, verbally, and physically abused Brown throughout their relationship, which continued after their divorce. They made an attempt at reconciliation, but later broke up again, seemingly permanently, in May 1994.

In June 1994, Brown and Goldman were stabbed to death, and Simpson was tried for the murders. Following a highly publicized criminal trial, Simpson was acquitted of all charges, though he was later found liable for the wrongful deaths in a civil lawsuit in 1997. No other suspects have ever been identified, and the killings remain unsolved, although Brown's family has expressed the belief that Simpson committed the murders and was the sole perpetrator.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicole_Brown_Simpson

Shanksville is a borough in Somerset County, Pennsylvania, United States. It has a population of 197 as of the 2020 U.S. census.[2] It is part of the Somerset, Pennsylvania Micropolitan Statistical Area and is located 78 miles (126 km) southeast of Pittsburgh and 226 miles (364 km) west of Philadelphia.

Shanksville garnered global attention during the September 11 attacks when United Airlines Flight 93, bound from Newark, New Jersey, for San Francisco, crashed in adjacent Stonycreek Township after its passengers rebelled against the flight's al-Qaeda terrorist hijackers. It was the only one of the four hijacked planes that failed to reach the terrorists' intended target.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shanksville,_Pennsylvania

A shiv, also chiv, schiv, shivvie or shank,[1][2] is a handcrafted bladed weapon resembling a knife that is commonly associated with prison inmates.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shiv_(weapon)

There are multiple matches for Shiva, including a Hindu god and a Jewish mourning period.

Shiva (Hindu god)

Shiva is a major god in Hinduism, known as the god of destruction.

His name means "auspicious one".

He is also known as Mahadeva, which means "the great god".

Shiva is part of the Hindu trinity, the Trimurti, along with Brahma and Vishnu.

He is worshipped at many shrines in India and around the world.

Shiva is said to live in the Himalayas with his wife, Parvati.

Shiva (Jewish mourning period)

Shiva is a seven-day period of mourning that begins after the burial of a loved one.

The word "shiva" comes from the Hebrew word sheva, which means "seven".

During shiva, mourners traditionally stay home or at the home of the deceased.

They also wear torn clothing or a black ribbon pinned to their clothes.

Shiva is a time to remember, accept death, and return to life.

Generative AI is experimental.

AI Overview

Shiva Shakti | Jai Maa Vaishno Devi

In Hinduism, Devi (the Mother Goddess) is the Shakti (energy) and creative power of Shiva, and her various forms, including Parvati, Sati, and Durga, are often depicted as his consort and the embodiment of the divine feminine.

Here's a more detailed look at the relationship between Devi and Shiva:

Devi as Shiva's Shakti:

In the Shaivite tradition, Shiva is the Supreme Lord, while Devi is regarded as his energy and creative power, the Shakti, and an equal complementary partner.

Parvati as a Form of Devi:

Parvati is a well-known form of Devi and is considered Shiva's eternal wife.

Sati and her Significance:

Sati was the first wife of Shiva, and her story, including her self-immolation, is significant in shaping the traditions of Shaivism and Shaktism.

Durga as a Fierce Aspect of Devi:

Durga is a prominent female deity in Hindu mythology, often depicted as a warrior goddess, and is considered an avatar of Devi.

The Cosmic Union:

The union of Shiva and Devi, or Shiva and his various forms of Devi, represents the intertwining of feminine and masculine energies, the dance of creation and destruction.

Symbolism:

Parvati and Shiva are often symbolized by a yoni and a linga, respectively, representing origin, source, and regenerative power.

Devi's Many Roles:

Devi is portrayed as the ideal wife, mother, and householder, and her statues and iconography grace ancient and medieval era Hindu temples.

Ardhanarishvara:

In Indian art, the vision of the ideal couple is derived from Shiva and Parvati as being half of the other, represented as Ardhanarishvara.

Generative AI is experimental

Protocol 17: The King of the Jews will be the real Pope of the Universe, the patriarch of an international Church.

But, in the meantime, while we are re-educating youth in new traditional religions and afterwards in ours, we shall not overtly lay a finger on existing churches, but we shall fight them by criticism calculated to produce schism....

Notice that "The King of the Jews" will replace the Pope. Jews would not be concerned with replacing the Pope. They do not even recognize the Church. On the other hand, the Priory of Sion used the Catholic Church to build its empire. It was subject to the Roman Church for centuries, but withdrew during the Reformation, and through Free-masonry became adversarial to the Church. Naturally, the Priory would want to call their king "the real Pope of the Universe."

Also, notice the reference to New Age religion. Before the New Age can be perfected, the Protocol states that "criticism" must first divide the Church. This "criticism" is likely the new "Biblical criticism," the sources of which Orthodox Rabbi Marvin Antelman has revealed to us. In his book, To Eliminate The Opiate, he devotes a whole chapter entitled "The Birth of Biblical Criticism" to the subject. He lays Biblical Criticism at the feet of the Frankist-Reform Jews who were protected by illuminated Masonic lodges in Germany. Rabbi Antelman confirms that Biblical criticism did not originate with Orthodox Jews, but rather; was orchestrated by apostate Jews bent on the destruction of Jude~ Christian religion.

Scarlet and the Beast

by John Daniel

https://ia803001.us.archive.org/28/items/ScarletAndTheBeastJohnDaniel1995/Scarlet%20and%20the%20Beast,%20John%20Daniel%20(1995).pdf

Lucky 17, Q and the 'tippy top' White House: How conspiracy theories are being turbo-charged in Donald Trump's America

Donald Trump

World

Thursday 22 November 2018 at 12:01am

Robert Moore

ITV News Correspondent

There are some riddles about America that I never imagined I would have to unravel.

In fact, there are many conspiracy theories that exist in the dark recesses here that I never knew about, even after reporting from the US for more than a decade.

Until recently, I was blissfully unaware of the significance of the number 17 to many Americans.

I had never pondered the letter Q as a political force.

I would have struggled to tell you why thousands of people were exhilarated when Donald Trump used the phrase “tippy top” from the White House balcony.

Today, having spent a month researching and filming American conspiracy theories for a documentary for ITV’s Tonight programme, I feel more informed and more confused at the same time.

I have a better grasp, certainly, of why Americans are drawn to the idea of conspiracies and secret plots.

But as these theories are turbo-charged by the internet, talk radio and social media, I don’t know where it ends.

Does America become increasingly paranoid and suspicious, seeing shadows and threats everywhere, or does it eventually rediscover its equilibrium and return to a belief in reason and science?

Let me explain those riddles.

Q is the name that many Trump-supporting Americans give to the secretive figure they believe exists inside the government, who is helping the president defeat his enemies.

They believe that Q will not only ensure Trump’s survival but that he - or she - will turn the tables and destroy the Democrats and the Deep State.

And since Q is the 17th letter of the alphabet, his followers attach special significance to that number.

In the eyes of Q believers, his credibility was enhanced when a follower asked Q to get President Trump to say “tip top”.

Sure enough, Trump did use those words, although he had used the phrase before and there is no evidence of a link between the president and the Q conspiracy theory.

America has always been awash with such ideas.

From the hysteria of the 17th century Salem witch trials, through to the paranoid McCarthy era, to the JFK assassination and 9/11, there is a direct connection.

All have fuelled Americans’ obsession with conspiracies and raised doubts about whether official explanations are accurate.

But today something much more remarkable has occurred.

Suddenly, the conspiracy theorist-in-chief is on the inside.

He works from the White House. He is the President of the United States of America.

Donald Trump has weaponised conspiracy theories for his own political benefit.

Indeed, he came to political prominence by riding on the back of the Birther Movement, the pernicious lie that claims that Barack Obama was born in Africa and therefore was an illegitimate president.

Whether it is believing votes have been deliberately miscounted in the mid-term elections, or that there is a Deep State conspiracy against him, Trump is playing to the anxiety of millions of Americans who already have a profound distrust of the government and mainstream sources of news.

Many recent acts of violence have been triggered by those who believe in wild conspiracy theories, including most recently the gunman who murdered 11 Jews in a Pittsburgh synagogue.

So there is grave danger ahead if the battle for truth is lost.

In our film, we speak to those who believe passionately in the existence of Q; we hear from those who have been traumatised by conspiracy theorists; and we speak to scientists and intellectuals who are fighting back.

Besieged by talk of Fake News, with a president who portrays much of the media as the Enemy of the People, America is at a crossroads.

https://www.itv.com/news/2018-11-22/lucky-17-q-and-the-tippy-top-president-how-conspiracy-theories-are-being-turbo-charged-into-donald-trumps-america

Louis Farrakhan (/ˈfɑːrəkɑːn/; born Louis Eugene Walcott; May 11, 1933) is an American religious leader who heads the Nation of Islam (NOI), a black nationalist organization.[2][3] Farrakhan is notable for his leadership of the 1995 Million Man March in Washington, D.C., and for his rhetoric that has been widely denounced as antisemitic and racist.

Prior to joining the NOI, Farrakhan was a calypso singer who used the stage name Calypso Gene. Early in his career, he served as the minister of mosques in Boston and Harlem and was appointed to the post of National Representative of the Nation of Islam by then-NOI leader Elijah Muhammad. He adopted the name Louis X before being named Louis Farrakhan.

After Warith Deen Mohammed reorganized the original NOI into the orthodox Sunni Islamic group American Society of Muslims, Farrakhan began to rebuild the NOI as "Final Call". In 1981, he officially adopted the name "Nation of Islam", reviving the group and establishing its headquarters at Mosque Maryam. In October 1995, Farrakhan organized and led the Million Man March in Washington, D.C.. Due to health issues, he reduced his responsibilities with the NOI in 2007.[4] However, Farrakhan has continued to deliver sermons[5] and speak at NOI events.[6] In 2015, he led the 20th Anniversary of the Million Man March: Justice or Else.

Farrakhan is known for antisemitic statements and racist remarks directed at white people. His antisemitic statements and views have been condemned by the Southern Poverty Law Center, the Anti-Defamation League (ADL),[7][6] and other organizations.[8] Farrakhan's views and remarks have also been called homophobic.[9] He has denied assertions that he is antisemitic, racist, or anti-gay.[10][11][12] Farrakhan was banned from Facebook in 2019 along with other public figures considered to be extremists.[13][14]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_Farrakhan

416 Finally, those means that are proposed by our holy father Saint Ignatius in Part X of the Constitutions for the preservation and development not only of the body or exterior of the Society but also of its spirit, and for the attainment of the objective it seeks, which is to aid souls to reach their ultimate and supernatural end, [10] are to be observed eagerly and diligently by all, with a truly personal sense of responsibility for its increase and development, for the praise and service of our God and Lord Jesus Christ, and the help of souls.[11]

L. D. S. "

The Constitutions of The Society of Jesus and Their Complimentary Norms

A Complete English Translation of the Official Latin Texts

THE INSTITUTE OF JESUIT SOURCES

SAINT LOUIS, 1996

https://web.archive.org/web/20200211182223/https://jesuitas.lat/uploads/the-constitutions-of-the-society-of-jesus-and-their-complementary-norms/Constitutions%20and%20Norms%20SJ%20ingls.pdf

Clovis is the modern conventional French (and thence English) form of the Old Frankish name ᚺᛚᛟᛞᛟᚹᛁᚷ (in runic alphabet) or *"Hlōdowik" or "Hlōdowig" (in Latin alphabet), equivalent to the modern forms Louis (French), Lodewijk (Dutch), Lewis (English), and Ludwig (German).

Etymology

The name *Hlōdowik or *Hlōdowig is traditionally considered to be composed of two elements, deriving from both Proto-Germanic *hlūdaz ("loud, famous") and *wiganą ("to battle, to fight") respectively, resulting in the traditional practice of translating Clovis' name as meaning "famous warrior".

However, scholars have pointed out that Gregory of Tours consequently transcribes the names of various Merovingian royal names containing the first element as chlodo-. The use of a close-mid back protruded vowel (o), rather than the expected close back rounded vowel (u) which Gregory does use in various other Germanic names (i.e. Fredegundis, Arnulfus, Gundobadus, etc.) opens up the possibility that the first element instead derives from Proto-Germanic *hlutą ("lot, share, portion"), giving the meaning of the name as "loot bringer" or "plunder (bringing) warrior". This hypothesis is supported by the fact that if the first element is taken to mean "famous", then the name of Chlodomer (one of Clovis' sons) would contain two elements (*hlūdaz and *mērijaz) both meaning "famous", which would be highly uncommon within the typical Germanic name structure.[1][2]

Frankish royalty

Clovis I (c. 466 – 511), the first king of the Franks to unite all the Frankish tribes under one ruler

Clovis II (637 – c. 658), king of Neustria and Burgundy

Clovis III (reigned 675–676), the king of Austrasia

Clovis IV (682–695), the sole king of the Franks from 691 until 695

Clovis (died 580), son of Chilperic I and Audovera, assassinated by his father and stepmother

Louis the Pious, son of Charlemagne, King of Aquitaine from 781 and sole ruler of the Franks 814–840, but counted as "Louis I of France" even though West Francia (the nucleus of the later kingdom of France) was formed only after his death.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clovis_(given_name

The Carolingian dynasty (/ˌkærəˈlɪndʒiən/ KARR-ə-LIN-jee-ən;[1] known variously as the Carlovingians, Carolingus, Carolings, Karolinger or Karlings) was a Frankish noble family named after Charles Martel and his grandson Charlemagne, descendants of the Arnulfing and Pippinid clans of the 7th century AD.[2] The dynasty consolidated its power in the 8th century, eventually making the offices of mayor of the palace and dux et princeps Francorum hereditary, and becoming the de facto rulers of the Franks as the real powers behind the Merovingian throne. In 751 the Merovingian dynasty which had ruled the Franks was overthrown with the consent of the Papacy and the aristocracy, and Pepin the Short, son of Martel, was crowned King of the Franks. The Carolingian dynasty reached its peak in 800 with the crowning of Charlemagne as the first Emperor of the Romans in the West in over three centuries. Nearly every monarch of France from Charlemagne's son Louis the Pious till the penultimate monarch of France Louis Philippe have been his descendants. His death in 814 began an extended period of fragmentation of the Carolingian Empire and decline that would eventually lead to the evolution of the Kingdom of France and the Holy Roman Empire.

Name

The Carolingian dynasty takes its name from Carolus, the Latinised name of multiple Frankish kings including Charlemagne and Charles Martel.[3] The name originates from a common Germanic word, rendered in Old High German as Karl or Kerl,[4] meaning 'man', 'husband', or 'freeman'.[5]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carolingian_dynasty

THE CONFLICT: PRIORY OF SION VERSUS KNIGHTS TEMPLAR

Secret societies by virtue of their very secrecy have often kept historians at bay, and the historians, reluctant to confess their ignorance, prefer to diminish the consequence of their subject. Freemasonry.. is of vital importance to any social, psychological, cultural or political history of eighteenth-century Europe, and even to the founding of the United States; but most history books don't even mention it. It is almost as if an implicit policy obtained: If something cannot be exhaustively documented, it must be irrelevant and thereby not worth discussing I at all. Investigators of the Holy Grail' Freemasonry, French and English, as we know it today, finds its loots in two organizations of the Middle Ages - the Priory of Sion and the Order of the Knights Templar. What follows is the fascinating, if sometimes complicated and obscure history, of how these two modern, anti-Christian secular secret societies - English and French Freemasonry - developed from two groups that themselves had roots in the occult. We will see how the Priory of Sion desired to rule the world from the throne of David in Jerusalem through its counterfeit Jewish Merovingian bloodline, and how its own creation, the Knights Templar, moved beyond its role as police and protector of Sion to financial masters of medieval Europe. We will trace the alliance of Sion and the Templars, their dispute over the discovery of Solomon's treasures, and the terrible intrigues which followed that led to the undoing of the Templars in their struggle over wealth, power, and politics. We will reveal the beliefs of these two groups: that Jesus fathered children by Mary Magdalene; that a spiritual god of good (Satan) battles a material god of evil; that Lucifer, not Jesus, deserves worship; that a "Spear of Destiny" (later sought and possessed by Hitler) allows the holder to rule the world. We will also present data about the whereabouts of King Solomon's wealth, the plan to one day return it to Jerusalem, and reveal that the ultimate goal of these two groups is world government, and that their descendants, English and French Freemasonry, desire the same. The Historical Trail: The Priory of Sion and the Holy Grail In 1982 and 1986 three secular revisionist authors, Michael Baigent~ Richard Leigh, and Henry Lincoln published Holy Blood, Holy Grail followed by The Messianic Legacy. These two books dramatically reveal a secret order structured in the manner of Freemasonry, and founded in Europe twelve centuries before the Grand Lodge was officially formed in 1717. This order protects both the Holy Grail and the Merovingian bloodline, which bloodline carried Mystery Babylon into the Catholic Church in 496 A.D. 56 The Holy Grail, of course, is the so-called cup from which Jesus drank at the Last Supper. The Merovingians, owners of the Holy Grail, teach that Jesus fathered children by Mary Magdalene. The Merovingians claim to be the offspring of that "holy" union, and as such, assert they are Jews of the Davidic line.

In Revelation 17:3-5 the apostle John describes a vision, which Rev. J. R. Church in Guardians of the Grail believes is fulfilled in the Grail legend. The Whore of Babylon is holding in her hand a golden cup full of blasphemy. Church believes the cup is the blasphemous Holy Grail Another element of the Grail legend is the spear supposed to have pierced the side of Jesus, also known as the Spear of Longinus or the Spear of Destiny. Whoever possesses this spear, so the legend goes, will rule the world. The Merovingians, whose descendants are the Habsburg pretenders to the Austrian throne today, are in possession of the spear. It is on display in the Habsburg museum in Vienna, Austria~ No one, however, knows the location of the Holy Grail. At least no one is telling. Although heretical, this secret society should not be discounted, for it is alive and well today. In fact, in 1956, an Order calling itself the Prieure de Sion, or Priory of Sion, registered itself publicly for the first time with the French government. (Sion is French for Zion.) It is from this Order that the legend of the Holy Grail originated five centuries after Christ's death. Rev. Church remarks of this organization: This mysterious group is presently made up of over 9,000 men, including Protestants, Roman Catholics, Jews, and Moslems. The members of this secret sect should be considered unfaithful to their respective beliefs, for in reality they are neither Christian nor Catholic, they are neither Jew nor Moslem. Their doctrine sidesteps the basic tenets of those beliefs and replaces them with the teachings of their greatest prophet - whom they believe to be Buddha.2 From this secret order J. R. Church believes will come the Anti-Christ, for he writes, "Their ultimate goal is world government!'"

Scarlet and the Beast

by John Daniel

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1zCd0nFuvnM4OYWuVW5QUBCpsTfBv5bYx/view?usp=sharing

Trump posts AI-generated photo of himself as pope, drawing internet outrage

By Andrea Shalal

May 3, 20252:21 PM PDTUpdated 12 hours ago

Summary

Trump and his wife Melania attended funeral of Pope Francis

Image shows Trump in white paper vestments

Former Italian PM blasts 'shameful' post

WEST PALM BEACH, Florida, May 2 (Reuters) - President Donald Trump posted an AI-generated photo showing himself as the pope ahead of this week's gathering of cardinals to choose a new leader of the 1.4-billion-strong Catholic Church, and just days after he joked he would "like to be pope".

Trump, who is not a Catholic and does not attend church regularly, posted the image on his Truth Social platform late on Friday, less than a week after attending the funeral of Pope Francis, who died at 88 last month. The White House then reposted it on its official X account.

The image shows an unsmiling Trump seated in an ornate chair, dressed in white papal vestments and headdress, with right forefinger raised.

The irreverent posting drew instant outrage on X, including from Republicans against Trump, a group that describes itself as "pro-democracy conservative Republicans fighting Trump & Trumpism." The group reposted the image, calling it "a blatant insult to Catholics and a mockery of their faith".

Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni declined to comment on the image during a briefing with journalists about the process of electing a new pope, which begins on May 7.

Former Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi wrote on X: “This is an image that offends believers, insults institutions and shows that the leader of the global right enjoys being a clown. In the meantime, the American economy risks recession and the dollar loses value."

Closer to home, the Catholic bishops of New York state also expressed their displeasure on X.

"There is nothing clever or funny about this image, Mr. President," they wrote. "We just buried our beloved Pope Francis and the cardinals are about to enter a solemn conclave to elect a new successor of St. Peter. Do not mock us."

Trump on Tuesday had jokingly said he would be his own first choice to become pope, before adding that there was a "very good" candidate in New York, Cardinal Timothy Dolan.

Dolan, the archbishop of New York, is not on the short list of possible contenders for the top spot, but it does include another American, Cardinal Joseph Tobin, archbishop of Newark, New Jersey. There has never been a pope from the United States.

In mid-February, both Trump and the official White House social media accounts posted a different AI-generated image of the president wearing a crown and captioned "CONGESTION PRICING IS DEAD. Manhattan, and all of New York, is SAVED. LONG LIVE THE KING!"

In West Palm Beach, Debbie Macchia, 60, stood waiting with a dozen other supporters as Trump's motorcade arrived at his golf club on Saturday morning.

"He was clearly joking. Clearly joking," said Macchia, who is Jewish. "But I wouldn't want to see them do anything sacrilegious with the pope, or anything."

Reporting by Andrea Shalal; Additional reporting by Joshua McElwee in Vatican City, Editing by Ross Colvin and Daniel Wallis

https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/trump-posts-ai-generated-photo-himself-pope-2025-05-03/

I began by attending Fordham University in the Bronx, mostly because I wanted to be close to home. I got along very well with the Jesuits who ran the school, but after two years, I decided that as long as I had to be in college, I might as well test myself against the best. I applied to the Wharton School of Finance at the University of Pennsylvania and I got in. At the time, if you were going to make a career in business, Wharton was the place to go. Harvard Business School may produce a lot of CEOs—guys who manage public companies— but the real entrepreneurs all seemed to go to Wharton: Saul Steinberg, Leonard Lauder, Ron Perelman—the list goes on and on."

Donald Trump The Art of the Deal

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1DLcbnLrl6moQT7nGj1JitG6AiQ6qgK0y/view?usp=sharing

University of Scranton welcomes President Biden

The university has illuminated its Class of 2020 Gateway in red and blue lights.

Author: WNEP Web Staff

Published: 10:52 PM EDT October 19, 2021

Updated: 10:52 PM EDT October 19, 2021

SCRANTON, Pa. — In preparation for President Joe Biden's visit, a university lit up their lights in his honor.

The University of Scranton has illuminated its Class of 2020 Gateway in blue and red with the number 46 prominently displayed to welcome the 46th president."

University of Scranton welcomes President Biden | wnep.com

https://www.wnep.com/article/news/local/lackawanna-county/university-of-scranton-welcomes-president-biden-gateway-lights/523-cdba68b1-822b-4747-94be-4cd7e4de9d67

"His son, Hunter Biden, 38, is a longtime federal lobbyist for the Jesuit university located in his father's hometown, Scranton PA. According to federal disclosures, Hunter Biden has been earning about $80,000 a year since 2006 to lobby for this university. Senator Biden himself has lectured at the Jesuit University of Scranton, and received an honorary degree from the same university, in 1976."

Codeword Barbelon

by P.D. Stuart

Revelation 17:17-18

1599 Geneva Bible

17 [a]For God hath put in their hearts to fulfill his will, and to do with one consent for to give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God be fulfilled.

18 And that woman which thou sawest, is that [b]great city which reigned over the kings of the earth.

Read full chapter

Footnotes

Revelation 17:17 A reason rendered from the chief efficient cause, which is the providence of God, by which alone S. John by inversion of order affirmeth to have come to pass, both that the Kings should execute upon the harlot, that which pleased God, and which he declared in the verse next beforegoing: and also that by one consent and counsel, they should give their kingdom unto the beast, etc., verses 13, 14. For as these being blinded have before depended upon the beck of the beast that lifteth up the harlot, so it is said that afterward it shall come to pass, that they shall turn back, and shall fall away from her when their hearts shall be turned into better state by the grace and mercy of God.

Revelation 17:18 That is, Rome that great City, or only City (as Justinian calleth it) the King and head whereof was then the Emperor, but now the Pope, since that the condition of the beast was changed.

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Revelation%2017%3A17-18&version=GNV

EL SABOR DE HEREJIA: THE EDICT OF 1525, THE ALUMBRADOS

AND THE INQUISITORS’ USAGE OF LOCURA

By

Javier A. Montoya

May 2010

Chair: Nina Caputo

Major: History

The alumbrados of Spain were a mystical Christian movement that arose in the 1510s. Initially enjoying noble patronage and an environment of spiritual exploration fostered by the reforms of Cardinal Cisneros, the alumbrados spread their ideas throughout Castile. Led by charismatic female spiritual leaders or beatas, the alumbrados’ brief era of success ended when two of its leaders came before the Tribunal of Toledo in 1524. With a membership consisting mostly of second-generation conversos, the alumbrados advocated an interiorized approach to Christianity under the aegis of dejamiento. The meditational practice of dejamiento called upon its practitioners to “abandon” themselves to God and His will effectively releasing themselves from their ties (ataduras) to the material world that included the Church and the priesthood.

By 1525, convinced of the heretical nature of alumbradismo, the Inquisitors published El edicto contra los alumbrados consisting of 48 alumbrado Propositions followed by official Inquisitorial refutation and condemnation. The Edict of 1525 presented the alumbrados as a dangerous group of heretics in its attempt to delegitimize their beliefs.

This study focuses on the Inquisitors’ diction in their responses to and qualifications of the alumbrado Propositions, specifically their usage of the words loca (crazy) and locura

6

(madness). The usage of loca is then placed within a discourse about the attitudes prevalent in Castilian society towards conversos and beatas with the understanding that stereotyping and general dislike and fear of both groups contributed much to the Inquisitors’ reactions to the alumbrado Propositions. The Edict also reveals the Inquisitors’ interpretative difficulties in classifying alumbradismo and placing it within their continuum of heresy. The usage of loca as a negative qualifier in Inquisitorial responses was meant to highlight the danger the movement posed to Catholic orthodoxy. The alumbrados challenged the Inquisitors’ cosmological views and pre-established categories of heresy. In turn, the Inquisitors designated the alumbrados a novelty placing them in a third space of heresy, one neither crypto-Jewish nor Protestant and lying somewhere between heterodoxy and orthodoxy.

The analysis of the intertwined factors of the Inquisitorial portrayal of the alumbrados and the alumbrados’ status as conversos and women is placed within an overall discourse that addresses the historiographic problems that historians of alumbradismo have faced. As such, the alumbrados are presented as free as possible from labels of heresy or comparison to other contemporary religious movements. Inquisitorial testimonies and documents remain the primary sources of alumbrado history, however, this thesis attempts to set aside the Inquisitors’ interpretation of alumbradismo when representing their ideas. The alumbrados then function as an example of the growing spiritual and religious unrest prevalent in sixteenth century Europe and as an example of a uniquely converso understanding of Christianity.

https://ufdcimages.uflib.ufl.edu/uf/e0/04/13/85/00001/montoya_j.pdf

Politics

Vance says it was "pretty crazy" that he met Pope Francis in his last 24 hours

By Kaia Hubbard

April 23, 2025 / 9:58 AM EDT / CBS News

Vice President JD Vance said Wednesday that it was "pretty crazy" that he was among the last officials to meet with Pope Francis before his death earlier this week.

"When I saw him, I didn't know that he had less than 24 hours still on this earth," Vance told reporters in Agra, India. "I think it was a great blessing."

The vice president is on a four-day trip in India with his wife Usha, the first Hindu American second lady, whose parents emigrated to the U.S. from India. Vance's visit with his family comes after they traveled to Italy last week to participate in Holy Week events. Vance noted that plans remain in flux about whether he will attend the pope's funeral in the coming days.

The vice president outlined his brief visit with Francis on Easter Sunday, saying he knew the pope was "very ill," but he "didn't realize how sick he was."

"The thing that I will always remember Pope Francis for is that he was a great pastor," Vance said. "People on the margins, poor people, people suffering from diseases, they saw in Pope Francis an advocate and I think, a true expression of Christian love."

Vance added that the pontiff "affected a lot of lives," saying that he tries to remember "that I was lucky that I got to shake his hand and tell him that I pray for him every day, because I did and I do."

Vance and Francis' meeting came after the two men had sharp disagreements on immigration as the pontiff had long condemned the Trump administration's approach. Vance, who converted to Catholicism in 2019, told reporters Wednesday that he's aware of the disagreements the pope had with some of the Trump administration's policies, while noting that he would not "soil the man's legacy by talking about politics."

On the selection of the next pope, the vice president said he would "say a prayer for wisdom" for the Cardinals, saying that "I want them to pick somebody who will be good for the world's Catholics."

"But I'll let them make that decision, and obviously they're entitled to do so," he added.

The vice president's trip to India comes amid President Trump's recent actions on tariffs. Vance arrived in India on Monday and met with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, after which the leaders touted progress on trade talks.

The vice president told reporters Wednesday that "we're making progress across the board," though he said of the trade discussions more broadly that it's "a little bit too early to prejudge, to say what any of these deals is going to look like."

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/pope-francis-death-jd-vance-meeting/

James David Vance (born James Donald Bowman;[a] August 2, 1984) is an American politician, author, attorney, and Marine Corps veteran who is the 50th vice president of the United States serving under President Donald Trump. A member of the Republican Party, he represented Ohio in the U.S. Senate from 2023 to 2025.

Vance was born in Middletown, Ohio. After high school, Vance joined the Marine Corps, where he served as a military journalist from 2003 to 2007, and was deployed to the Iraq War for six months in 2005. He graduated from Ohio State University with a bachelor's degree in 2009 and Yale Law School with a law degree in 2013. He practiced briefly as a corporate lawyer before embarking on a career in the tech industry as a venture capitalist. His memoir, Hillbilly Elegy, was published in 2016[2] and adapted into a film in 2020.

Vance won the 2022 United States Senate election in Ohio, defeating Democratic nominee Tim Ryan. After initially opposing Donald Trump's candidacy in the 2016 election, Vance became a strong Trump supporter during Trump's first presidency. In July 2024, Trump selected Vance as his running mate before the Republican National Convention. He served as Ohio's senator until his resignation in preparation to assume the vice presidency in January 2025. Vance is the third-youngest vice president in U.S. history, as well as the first millennial to hold the office.

Vance has been characterized as a national conservative and right-wing populist, and he describes himself as a member of the postliberal right. His political positions include opposition to abortion, same-sex marriage and gun control. Vance is an outspoken critic of childlessness and has credited the influence of Catholic theology on his sociopolitical positions.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/JD_Vance

Is the Catholic church ready for its first African Pope?

As world leaders gather in Rome for Pope Francis’s funeral on Saturday, many Catholics are wondering if the church could soon elect its first black pope. With Africa home to one in five Catholics, the idea of a pope from the continent is gaining ground.

Issued on: 26/04/2025 - 09:01

By:

RFI

Follow

Since Francis’s death over Easter, one name gaining attention in the Vatican is Ghana’s Cardinal Peter Turkson.

In 2010, Turkson said he wasn’t ready to become pope and that the church might not be ready either. "I wouldn't want to be that first black pope. I think he'll have a rough time," he said.

But Africa’s share of the Catholic population is growing. The continent is now home to 20 percent of the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics, as the church struggles to hold on to followers in increasingly secular Europe.

Some now believe the time could be right for the first black pope.

A spiritual leader

Cardinal Peter Turkson, 76, grew up in a small town in what was then the Gold Coast, under British rule. He was the fourth of 10 children. His father worked in a mine and as a carpenter, while his mother sold vegetables at the market.

Turkson studied in seminaries in Ghana and New York, was ordained in 1975, then taught in Ghana. He later completed advanced Biblical studies in Rome.

Pope John Paul II made him archbishop of Cape Coast in 1992 and, in 2003, the first cardinal in Ghana’s history.

His rise continued under John Paul’s successor, Benedict XVI, who brought him to the Vatican in 2009 and made him head of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace.

There, he became one of the pope’s closest advisors, working on issues like climate change and economic justice.

Turkson is seen as having both a strong connection to local congregations in Ghana and experience leading Vatican offices. His communication skills have also been praised.

Other African contenders

Turkson is not the only African name being mentioned as the church prepares for a conclave to choose its next leader. He would also not be the first African pontiff – Pope Victor I, from North Africa, led the church from 189 to 199.

"There has been this sense which has built up that the pope, if he is going to be a global authority, needs to come from the global church," said Miles Pattenden, a historian of Catholicism at Oxford University.

But Pattenden also said there is no reason to believe the next pope will follow Francis’s more liberal approach.

Francis often called for reform but didn’t always deliver. That middle ground might appeal to African candidates, some of whom have been called too conservative by critics, said Cristina Traina, a religious studies professor at Fordham University in New York.

One example is Cardinal Robert Sarah of Guinea, a traditionalist who compared abortion, "Islamic fanaticism" and homosexuality to Nazi ideology. He could attract support from more conservative cardinals.

In the Democratic Republic of Congo, Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo has been mentioned. He led efforts to oppose the blessing of same-sex couples in Africa after Francis encouraged acceptance of such unions elsewhere.

A long time coming

Francis, who was from Argentina, worked to make the Vatican reflect the diversity of its members. African cardinals now make up 12 percent of those eligible to vote in the conclave, up from eight percent at the last papal election.

"It would be almost impossible to imagine the world accepting an African pope without this transition of Pope Francis having been from Argentina," said Traina.

Africa still has fewer voting cardinals than some think it should.

Some African Catholics also feel left out. A Congolese priest, who did not want to be named, told the French news agency AFP: "Even if it isn't obvious among our European brothers, discrimination is still a reality that we often don't talk about."

He said the church has made progress, but there is a reason no African has been pope in 1,500 years.

An African pope could bring new ideas to the church’s current challenges, including the ban on married priests, said Traina.

"It has always been on our lips how we wish to have an African pope," said Father Paul Maji, a priest in Abuja, Nigeria. But he added that Africans should not be "sentimental" about where the next pope comes from.

Sylvain Badibanga, dean of the theology faculty at the Catholic University of Congo, told AFP: "We shouldn't think 'it's our turn'. It's God's turn."

Archbishop Dieudonné Nzapalainga of Bangui, made a cardinal in 2016 after Francis visited the Central African Republic, will vote in a conclave for the first time.

"This is not about regional, continental, or even personal interests," he told RFI, adding that cardinals must think about the broader interests of the Catholic church.

As his name came up again before the 2013 conclave that chose Francis, Turkson said he could become pope "if it's the will of God".

(with newswires)

https://www.rfi.fr/en/international/20250426-is-the-catholic-church-ready-for-an-african-pope

Presidential elections are scheduled to be held in the United States on November 7, 2028, to elect the president and vice president of the United States for a term of four years.

In the 2024 elections, the Republican Party gained a majority of seats in the House of Representatives and Senate. Incumbent president Donald Trump won a non-consecutive second term; per the limits set by the 22nd Amendment, he is constitutionally barred from being elected president again.[1]

Background

See also: 2024 United States elections

The Republican Party returned to power in the United States with a government trifecta in January 2025 following the 2024 election. Trump, who was elected president in 2016 but lost a re-election bid in 2020 to Joe Biden, and JD Vance, a then-senator from Ohio defeated vice president Kamala Harris, who began her campaign following Biden's exit from the 2024 election, and Minnesota governor Tim Walz. Trump's victory was credited to a post-pandemic surge in inflation,[a] a migrant crisis at the U.S.–Mexico border,[b] and a global anti-incumbent backlash.[8][9][10] In addition, Republicans secured control of the Senate, flipping four seats and earning a three seat majority, while also retaining a House majority, though the party's majority narrowed to three seats after losing two seats.[11]

Electoral system

Main article: United States Electoral College

See also: United States presidential primary and Primary elections in the United States

The president and vice president of the United States are elected through the Electoral College, determined by the number of senators and representatives with an additional three representatives for Washington, D.C. A majority of 270 votes is needed to win the election. Forty-eight states use a winner-take-all system, in which states award all of their electors to the winner of the popular vote. In Maine and Nebraska, two votes are allocated to the winner of the popular vote, while each of the individual congressional districts have one vote. Electoral votes are certified by state electors in December and by Congress on January 6.[12] Presidential candidates are selected in a presidential primary, conducted through primary elections run by state governments or caucuses run by state parties which bind convention delegates to candidates.[13] A brokered convention occurs when a candidate does not receive a majority of votes on the first round of voting,[14] or when a candidate withdraws.[15]

Election Day in the United States has been held on the first Tuesday that falls after the first Monday in November.[16] Previously, states could determine their own Election Day prior to the first Wednesday in December. The 2028 presidential election will occur on November 7, 2028.[17]

Eligibility

The United States Constitution limits occupancy of the presidency to individuals who are at least thirty-five, who have been a resident in the United States for at least fourteen years, and who are a natural-born citizen.[18] Section three of the Fourteenth Amendment prevents current and former federal, state, and military officials from holding office—including the presidency—if they have "engaged in insurrection or rebellion" against the United States;[19] in March 2024, the Supreme Court unanimously ruled in Trump v. Anderson that former president Donald Trump could seek office after challenges to his ballot eligibility were raised by several state attorneys general.[20] A convicted felon may serve as president.[21] Elon Musk, who emerged as a political influencer in the 2024 presidential election, is ineligible to serve as president as he was born in South Africa and is a naturalized citizen.[22]

Trump is ineligible to be elected to a third term, as the Twenty-Second Amendment forbids any person from being elected president more than twice.[23] Nonetheless, he has repeatedly suggested running for a third term, an idea supported by several of his allies, including Steve Bannon.[24] In January 2025, Tennessee representative Andy Ogles proposed a resolution to amend the Twenty-Second Amendment, allowing for presidents who have served two non-consecutive terms to seek a third term. The verbiage of the amendment would prevent living presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama, all currently ineligible under the 22nd Amendment, from running for a third term.[25] At CPAC 2025, conservative groups, such as the Third Term Project, supported the Ogles resolution and promoted the idea of Trump running for an as-yet unconstitutional third term.[26][27] In response, New York Democratic representative Dan Goldman planned to introduce a resolution affirming the Twenty-Second Amendment.[28]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2028_United_States_presidential_election

Kamala Devi Harris (English: /ˈkɑːmələ ˈdeɪvi/ ⓘ,[1] born October 20, 1964) is an American politician and attorney who has been the 49th and current vice president of the United States since 2021, serving under President Joe Biden. Harris is the Democratic presidential nominee in the 2024 United States presidential election. She is the first female vice president of the United States, making her the highest-ranking female official in U.S. history. She is also the first African American and first Asian American vice president. From 2017 to 2021, she represented California in the United States Senate. Before that, she was Attorney General of California from 2011 to 2017.

Born in Oakland, California, Harris graduated from Howard University and the University of California, Hastings College of the Law. She began her law career in the office of the district attorney of Alameda County. She was recruited to the San Francisco District Attorney's Office and later to the office of the city attorney of San Francisco. She was elected district attorney of San Francisco in 2003 and attorney general of California in 2010, and reelected as attorney general in 2014. As the San Francisco district attorney and the attorney general of California, Harris was the first woman, the first African American, and the first Asian American to hold each office.

Harris was the junior U.S. senator from California from 2017 to 2021. She won the 2016 Senate election, becoming the second Black woman and first South Asian American U.S. senator. As a senator, Harris advocated for stricter gun control laws, the DREAM Act, federal legalization of cannabis, and reforms to healthcare and taxation. She gained a national profile for her pointed questioning of Trump administration officials during Senate hearings, including Trump's second Supreme Court nominee, Brett Kavanaugh.

Harris sought the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination in 2019, but withdrew from the race before the primaries. Biden selected her as his running mate, and their ticket defeated the incumbent president and vice president, Donald Trump and Mike Pence, in the 2020 election. Presiding over an evenly split Senate upon entering office, Harris played a crucial role as president of the Senate. She cast more tie-breaking votes than any other vice president, which helped pass bills such as the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 stimulus package and the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022. After Biden withdrew from the 2024 presidential election, Harris launched her campaign with Biden's endorsement and soon became the presumptive nominee. On August 6, 2024, she chose Tim Walz, the governor of Minnesota, as her running mate.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kamala_Harris

Devī (/ˈdeɪvi/;[1] Sanskrit: देवी) is the Sanskrit word for 'goddess'; the masculine form is deva. Devi and deva mean 'heavenly, divine, anything of excellence', and are also gender-specific terms for a deity in Hinduism.

The concept and reverence for goddesses appears in the Vedas, which were composed around the 2nd millennium BCE. However, they did not play a vital role in that era.[2] Goddesses such as Durga, Kali, Lakshmi, Parvati, Radha, Saraswati and Sita have continued to be revered in the modern era.[2] The medieval era Puranas witness a major expansion in mythology and literature associated with Devi, with texts such as the Devi Mahatmya, wherein she manifests as the ultimate truth and supreme power. She has inspired the Shaktism tradition of Hinduism. Further, Devi is viewed as central in the Hindu traditions of Shaktism and Shaivism.[2][3]

Etymology

Devi and deva are Sanskrit terms found in Vedic literature around the 3rd millennium BCE. Deva is masculine, and the related feminine equivalent is devi.[4] Monier-Williams translates it as 'heavenly, divine, terrestrial things of high excellence, exalted, shining ones'.[5][6] Etymologically, a cognate of devi is Latin dea.[7] When capitalised, Devi maata refers to the mother goddess in Hinduism.[8] Deva is short for devatā and devi for devika.[5]

According to Douglas Harper, the etymological root dev- means "a shining one", from *div-, "to shine", it is an Indo-European cognate of the Greek dios, Gothic divine and Latin deus (Old Latin deivos); see also *Dyēus.[9]

A synonym for the word Devi in the Vedas is Bhagavati. Bhagavatī (Devanagari: भगवती, IAST: Bhagavatī), is an Indian epithet of Sanskrit origin, used as an honorific title for goddesses in Hinduism and Buddhism. In Hinduism, it is primarily used to address the goddesses Lakshmi and Durga. In Buddhism, it is used to refer to several Mahayana Buddhist female deities, like Cundā.[10]

History

The worship of Devi-like deities dates back to period of Indus Valley civilisation.[11][12]

The Devīsūkta of the Rigveda (10.125.1 to 10.125.8) is among the most studied hymns declaring that the ultimate reality is a goddess:[13][14]

I have created all worlds at my will without being urged by any higher Being, and dwell within them. I permeate the earth and heaven, and all created entities with my greatness and dwell in them as eternal and infinite consciousness.

— Devi Sukta, Rigveda 10.125.8, Translated by June McDaniel[15][16]

The Vedas name numerous cosmic goddesses such as Devi (power), Prithvi (earth), Aditi (cosmic moral order), Vāc (sound), Nirṛti (destruction), Ratri (night) and Aranyani (forest); bounty goddesses such as Dinsana, Raka, Puramdhi, Parendi, Bharati and Mahi are among others are mentioned in the Rigveda.[2]: 6–17, 55–64  However, the goddesses are not discussed as frequently as gods (devas).[2] Devi appears in late Vedic texts dated to be pre-Buddhist, but verses dedicated to her do not suggest that her characteristics were fully developed in the Vedic era.[2]: 18–19  All gods and goddesses are distinguished in Vedic times,[2]: 18  but in post-Vedic texts, particularly in the early medieval era literature, they are ultimately seen as aspects or manifestations of one Devi, the Supreme Power.[17]

Devi is the supreme being in the Shakta tradition of Hinduism; in the Smarta tradition, she is one of the five primary forms of Brahman that is revered.[18][19] In other Hindu traditions, Devi embodies the active energy and power of Deva, and they always appear together complementing each other. Examples of this are Parvati with Shiva in Shaivism, Saraswati with Brahma in Brahmanism and Lakshmi with Vishnu, Sita with Rama and Radha with Krishna in Vaishnavism.[20][21][22]

Devi-inspired philosophy is propounded in many Hindu texts such as the Devi Upanishad, which teaches that Shakti is essentially Brahman (ultimate metaphysical Reality) and that from her arises prakṛti (matter) and purusha (consciousness) and that she is bliss and non-bliss, the Vedas and what is different from it, the born and the unborn and all of the universe. Shakti is Parvati, Shiva’s wife. [23] She is also mentioned as the creative power of Shiva in Tripura Upanishad, Bahvricha Upanishad and Guhyakali Upanishad.[13]

Devi identifies herself in the Devi Upanishad as Brahman in her reply to the gods stating that she rules the world, blesses devotees with riches, that she is the supreme deity to whom all worship is to be offered and that she infuses Ātman in every soul.[23] Devi asserts that she is the creator of earth and heaven and resides there.[13] Her creation of the sky as father and the seas as the mother is reflected as the 'Inner Supreme Self'.[13] Her creations are not prompted by any higher being and she resides in all her creations. She is, states Devi, the eternal and infinite consciousness engulfing earth and heaven, and 'all forms of bliss and non-bliss, knowledge and ignorance, Brahman and Non-Brahman'. The tantric aspect in Devi Upanishad, says June McDaniel, is the usage of the terms yantra, bindu, bija, mantra, shakti and chakra.[13]

Among the major world religions, the concept of Goddess in Hinduism as the divine feminine has had the strongest presence since ancient times.[24]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Devi

The name Monita has its roots in India and is derived from the Sanskrit word manita, which means 'honored' or 'respected.' This ancient name reflects the cultural traditions and values of Indian society, where respect and honor hold great significance. Monita has been prominent in Indian history since ancient times, often given to those who were esteemed for their noble character and high social standing. In historical texts and scriptures, the name Monita is often associated with individuals who were recognized for their wisdom, integrity, and leadership qualities.

In modern-day usage, the name Monita continues to evoke a sense of honor and respect. It is a popular name choice among families who value tradition and wish to bestow upon their child a name that reflects these virtues. Monita is often given to female children, symbolizing the strength and dignity they possess. In some cases, the name Monita is also used as a name, further emphasizing the family's heritage and the importance they place on respect and honor.

Overall, the name Monita has a rich history rooted in Indian culture and embodies the values of honor and respect. From ancient times to the present day, this name has stood as a testament to the qualities that society holds in high regard and continues to be cherished by families who wish to pass on these values to future generations.

https://www.ancestry.com/first-name-meaning/monita

Monita

A Latin word meaning "instructions":

Monita, work by Abbot Porcarius I of Lérins (c. 500)

Monita Secreta, an alleged code of instructions of the Jesuits

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monita

 The Seoket Monitor op the Jesuits, embracing a brief

 history of this Society of Thugs, with their secret instruc

tions and code, with an introdnction by Charles Sauvestre,

 the whole translated from the Spanish. Copy now in the

 hands of the translator, Edwin A. Sherman, the compiler of

 this work.

 PART SECOND.

 CONTENTS.

 Why Abraham Lincoln, the Martyr President, was assassi

nated; the initial point of the conspiracy against him by the

 Jesuits in Illinois in 1856; the Papal conspiracy against him

 and the Union while he was President, and the tragic fate of

 the victim of their foul plot, which was consummated on the

 14th of April, 1865.

 PART THIRD.

 The Papal Syllabus of Errors, by Pope Pius IX.; extracts

 from Den's and Kenricks' Theology; Bishop Dupanloup's

 tirade against Freemasonry, and other miscellaneous matters

 of interest to Freemasons and other fraternal associations.

PREFACE

 BY THE TRANSLATOR.

 In presenting to our readers this translation from the

 Spanish of the "Monita Secreta " (Secret Monitor) of

 the Jesuits, it is but due that a clear and truthful statement

 of how the work came into our hands should be given.

 In the month of August of 1870, the Secretariat of all the

 bodies of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freema

sonry in the City of San Francisco, California, had been

 placed in our hands, and we then occupied an office, which

 had been assigned to us, in the Masonic Temple of this city.

 Scarcely had we then entered upon our duties, when one

 morning in the month of September, 1870, a rap was heard

 at our door, and, on opening it, a stranger, feeble in body,

 with a pallid face bearing the evidence of great suffering and

 of sickness, inquired if that was the office of the Secretary of

 the Scottish Rite of Freemasonry, which we answered in the

 affirmative and invited him in and gave him a seat.

 He then took from his pocket a package of papers, covered

 with leather and oil-silk, which he carefully unwrapped and

 presented for our inspection. Being in Spanish and Latin,

 we found upon examination that they were his patents or

 certificates of the various degrees of the Scottish Rite of

 Freemasonry, duly signed and attested by the officers, and

 bearing the seal of the Supreme Council of the Tbirty-third

 Degree of Peru . 

Upon further examination, we found the

 stranger to be a "Brother of the Light," and, with other let

ters and credentials which he bore, that he was a gentleman

 of refinement and culture, and a member of and explorer for

 various scientific societies in Europe, but more especially for

 the Archaeological Society of France, with its principal seat at

 Paris, and with its members and correspondents scattered

 throughout Europe and America. He was a Frenchman,

 and, if we mistake not, a Huguenot. He spoke English, but

rather brokenly, yet correctly in grammar and diction. He

 inquired where our Scottish Rite bodies met, and desired to

 see the hall where onr brethren of that Kite assembled. We

 conducted him up the stairs, which he slowly ascended to the

 ante-room of the Chapter Hall, where, pausing a few mo

ments, we then entered the main hall, and with uncovered

 head he reverently approached the altar, knelt and embraced

 it, and bowed his head in silent prayer. We were peculiarly

 struck with his manner and attitude, and looked on in silence?

 wondering what he would do next. He then raised his head,

 and, reaching behind, took out a handkerchief from his pocket

 in the skirt of his coat and spread it out upon the altar. He

 then reached his hand to the back of his neck inside of his

 collar and slowly pulled up and out a soiled Masonic Rose

 Croix apron and spread it out upon the handkerchief upon

 the altar, and then clasping his hands together and raising

 his eyes towards heaven, offered a prayer in French of grati

tude and thanksgiving. These strange proceedings, at such

 a time and to which Americans are not accustomed, greatly

 intensified our curiosity, and the first thought that passed

 through our mind was, Is he a crank? While waiting

 for him to finish his devotions, we observed that the

 apron was badly stained and had several holes in it, and

 there was something about it which held our attention fixed

 upon it. At last he arose, and we asked of him the meaning

 of all this, which was strange to us, never having witnessed

 anything of this sort before, we having then been a Mason

 nearly seventeen years. We were aware of the difference in

 the rituals of foreign jurisdictions, and the customs of our

 foreign brethren, especially those of the Latin races, and

 could make an allowance for their exuberance and intensity

 of feehng in their affection and ardor for Freemasonry. He

 replied: "If you will return to your room down-stairs, where

 it is warmer than it is in this hall, I will explain to you all."

 We;then returned to the office, and he, looking to see if the

 door was bolted and secure, asked us to assist him in remov

ing his coat and vest, and we did so. Then pulling up his

'•

 outer and under shirts, he showed us his back, and what a

 sight was there presented to us! There were several bullet

 wounds and those made by stabs with a knife or poinard,

 but nearly healed, two or three of which were still slightly

 suppurating. We said to him, "You need a surgeon."

 Oh, no," he answered, "I am pretty near well now." We

 then assisted him to adjust his clothing, which having done,

 we then asked of him to explain to us the history and mean

ing of all this, which he dil in the following manner, which

 is given as correctly as possible and as our recollection serves

 us. He said: "I am a mea)ber of various scientific societies

 in Europe, one of which is the Archaeological Society of

 France, whose seat is in Paris, and of which country I am a

 native. This society has many corresponding members in

 other countries, and is engaged in making archaeological and

 antiquarian researches in various parts of the globe. As one

 of its scientific explorers, I was assigned to Spanish America,

 especially to the countries of Chili, Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador,

 New Granada and Venezuela. After having laid out my plan

 of exploration, I directed my principal attention to the west

ern slope of the Andean Kange in South America, and to

 that portion in northeastern Chili, Bolivia and southeastern

 Peru, as that presented the most interesting unexplored ter

ritory for my research and examination. Every facility had

 been accorded to me by the principal government officials of

 those countries; the people of Chili being the most libera^

 and enlightened, while those of Peru and Bolivia were the

 most superstitious and priest-ridden of any under the sun.

 I was greatly indebted to my Masonic brethren at Callao and

 Lima for kind and fraternal courtesies and hospitalities ex

tended to me, and after bidding them adieu, I entered upon

 my tour of exploration and started for my destination to ex

amine the ruins of ancient Temples of the Sun and of towns

 and cities long since perished, which were once populated by

 the subjects of the Incas, and destroyed by the ravages of

 war with other nations, the invasion by the Spaniards under

 Pizarro, and the terrible temblors or earthquakes which bad

8

 helped in the general destruction which had been wrought at

 the hands of the invaders, both of their native continent and

 from across the Atlantic from the Sierra Morena of Old

 Spain —a people now remotely and sparsely settled, except

ing in the few cities and towns, but nearly the whole sunk in

 ignorance, and both soul and body fettered and bound to a

 licentious and merciless priesthood, where every cathedral

 and church was a citadel and fortification, and every monas

tery a barracks garrisoned with lustful and armed monks,

 with innumerable nunneries as harems for the gratification

 of their passions and lustful desires. Morals were at a low

 ebb, and a compagnon de noche was furnished with the gen

eral bill of fare to the guest of the hostelry, to be accepted or

 not, according to the taste or wish of the sojourning traveller.

 "Having determined the point of my destination and com

menced my explorations, the nearest habitation to the locality

 of the ruins which I had selected to examine was nearly six

 miles, and, at times when being excessively fatigued with my

 labor, I found that it would be necessary to camp upon the

 spot, and then afterwards where I was domiciled I could

 write up my reports from the sketches I had made and the

 notes taken down. The house which I occupied while so en

gaged was built of massive adobe walls (or unburnt brick),

 nearly four feet thick, one story in height, and the windows

 without glass were barred with iron grating and shutters in

side. It had originally been constructed during the Spanish

 occupation of the country, and evidently been built as an

 outpost fortification for military purposes, against the inroads

 of the mountain tribes of Indians, with whom a constant

 predatory warfare had been maintained, some of whom, no

 doubt, were the descendants of the original occupants of the

 country, the ruins of whose labors I had undertaken to ex

plore.

 "The room which had been assigned to me by the family

 who occupied this house was about thirty feet square, with

 bare walls, and a seat of the same material (adobe) extending

 nearly around the room, whitewashed, and with patches of

9

 the furniture knocked off in many places. The cama or bed

 consisted of an adobe bedstead laid up in masonry to about

 the same height and shape as an ordinary blacksmith's forge,

 but somewhat larger and covered with a very large bullock's

 hide. Owing to the frequent changes of the bed linen and

 to remove the many lively occupants of this downy couch,

 repeated sweepings of the bedstead had made an incline

 plane inwards, with a narrow gutter next the wall. In that

 country, as it used to be in California, every traveller is ex

pected to Carry his blankets, take up his bed and walk when

 necessary. Some cheap pictures of the Virgin and saints

 and a crucifix adorned the walls, and with a chair and table

 of rude manufacture, nailed and screwed together with thongs

 of rawhide, my furnished apartments were complete. Dur

ing my absence at the ruins, my room was not unfrequently

 occupied by other travelling gentry, passing through the

 country.

 " It was on my return upon one occasion that I learned

 that a distinguished 'Obispo Padre de Jesus,' or Jesuit Bishop

 Father, had also stopped one night and had occupied my

 room and bed, and had left there only two days previous to

 my return. Having thrown my poncho and cloak upon the

 bed, I made my ablutions, satisfied my hunger, and went to

 work transcribing from my notes and arranging my sketches

 in order. While so engaged, I had occasion to rise and go

 to my bed to get some things out of the pocket in my cloak,

 and in doing so I disarranged the rawhide mattress, and my

 attention was directed to a small package in the gutter of the

 bedstead next the wail, which had been covered up. I un

rolled it, and to my great astonishment I found that I had

 made a great discovery of the ' Secret Manual of Instructions,

 together with the ceremonies of induction of members of the

 Society of the Jesuits,' printed in Latin, and bearing the

 seal and signature and attecitation of the General and Secre

tary of the Order at Rome, embracing also the co-lateral

 branch of the Society of San Fedistas, or Fathers of the Holy

 Faith. Accompanying the same were manuscript additions

10

 and amendtuents made to the general work. Carefully con

cealing the fact of my discovery, I immediately set to work

 and in stenographic hand copied the entire woik from the

 Latin into French, and, knowing that it would be exceeding

ly dangerous to be found with the original in my possession,

 if not positively fatal, I wrapped the whole up with the

 ' *

 same care with which I had undone it, replaced it in the cor.

 ner of the gutter of my bedstead and pushed the rawhide

 mattress over it in the same manner as I had found it.

 I started the next morning, after having completed my

 copying, to renew my explorations and to peruse the copy I

 had made. In a week I again returned to the house where I

 had been staying, when I was informed by the family that the

 Obispo with his servant had returned in great trepidation and

 anxiety, asking if they or any one had found a small parcel

 done up, describing its outward appearance, for he had lost

 it and would be ruined if it was not to be found. He had

 ridden on muleback over one hundred and fifty leagues and

 had searched for it in vain. On entering my apartment,

 which he had also occupied, and on approaching the bed

stead and lifting the rawhide, he had discovered the lost par

it.

 cel and was greatly overjoyed on again getting possession of

 He rigidly questioned them concerning the extrangero

 who rented the apartments, but gaining no information that

 would throw any additional light on the subject, went away

 satisfied with what he had recovered.

 "Having when in Paris heard of such a work that had

 been printed and used by Eugene Sue in his great work of

 the 'Wandering Jew,' which precipitated the Revolution of

 1848 and made France a republic, I sent for a copy of that

 work, if it could possibly be obtained, which I was fortunate

 in being able to do through an officer of the Grand Orient of

 France. On comparing the two, I found that they were

 identically alike, with the exception only of late additions

 and emendations, which, with some other matters, were in

 manuscript form as already stated. I therefora adopted the

 copy sent me with the introduction by Charles Sauvestre and

11

 other addenda, and at my leisure translated the whole print

ed matter into Spanish, sent the manuscript to my friends in

 the city of Boston, in the United States, and had it printed

 in Spanish for the benefit of my Masonic brethren in Span

ish America, but the imprint, the better to conceal the source

 and protect my friends, was made to appear as having been

 printed at a certain number and street in Paris. I succeeded

 in getting quite a large number of copies smuggled through

 the custom-house at Callao, Peru, and distributed some of

 them among my Masonic brethren in that country. But,

 alas! unfortunately for myself and the fraternity, the Jesuits

 were to be found even among them, and, being duly warned

 by true brethren, it became necessary, in order to save my

 life, to flee from the country, and I made my arrangements

 to leave accordingly. But being detained longer than 1 ex

pected, I had to take another route to reach another seaport

 than the one originally contemplated, and in doing so had to

 run the gauntlet, as it were, and was shot and stabbed in the

 back, as you see by the wounds nearly healed. Fortunately

 none proved to be fatal. I succeeded in reaching the sea

coast, and through kind brethren was put on board of an

 English steamer bound for Panama, from whose surgeon and

 officers I received every courtesy and attention, and on ar

riving at Panama, I took the Pacific Mail Company's steamer,

 receiving the same tender treatment, and arrived here only a

 few days ago, nearly well, and here I am just as you see me.

 Through it all I have carried one copy of this work safely,

 and here it is. If I could get it translated into English and

 have it printed, it would be a most valuable weapon in the

 hands of the Masonic fraternity."

 At that time we were the Associate Editor of the Masonic

 Mirror, published by A. W. Bishop & Co., afterwards Bishop

 & Sherman. We offered to make the translation, and did a

 small portion of it at that time and sent copies of the oath of

 the San Fedistas and Colloquy to our subscribers, and we

 went with him to Messrs. H. H, Bancroft & Co., Roman &

 Co., and other publishers of San Francisco at that time, to

12

 see if they would print the work, but all of them declined,

 either out of indifference, fear or policy, and the publication

 of it at that time had to be abandoned. This gentleman then

 went with me to Dr. Washington Ayer, with whom the book

 was left. It had been lost, and for a period of about twelvo

 years could not be found, when, as good fortune would have

 it, the book was again recovered in the fall of 1882, and, as

 translated, it is here given to our readers. The original owner

 is supposed to now be in Mexico or Central America, pursu

ing his scientific researches there. His name is withheld for

 prudential reasons and for safety. He is a gentleman of high

 character, and was warmly and favorably indorsed by Senor

 Don Jos^ Raymundo Morales, 33'^ Active Member of the

 Supreme Council of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Eite

 of Freemasonry of Peru at the time of his visit to the Grand

 Consistory of the State of California, at its organization in

 San Francisco, October 12th, 1870, at which time we were

 chosen as the Grand Registrar of that Grand Body.

 The difficulty in adhering to the original text, being a

 translation from the Spanish into English, and the Spanish

 itself being a translation from the Latin and the French at

 the same time, we have endeavored to give the same true to

 the spirit and literally as possible; and though there are

 some paragraphs and sentences somewhat awkward in ex

pression, dubious in their meaning and hard to be understood,

 yet the reader will be ready, when he comes to them, to un

derstand the full force of the language of the Jesuit Talley

rand, *' that words are only intended to conceal ideas."

 Asking the indulgence of our readers for the imperfections

 contained in this our first edition, which when exhausted

 will be supplied by another, and thanking our Masonic and

 other brethren, who have encouraged us in bringing forth

 this work, that we may see the devil as he is, we remain,

 Fraternally yours,

 EDWIN A. SHERMAN,

 Translator and Compiler.

 San Feanoisco, Cal., August 24, 1883.

https://dn790003.ca.archive.org/0/items/engineercorpsofhe00sher/engineercorpsofhe00sher.pdf

Trump says he got help from 'a couple of people' at Fox News with crude Al Smith dinner routine

BY Justin Tasolides New York City

PUBLISHED 11:23 AM ET Oct. 18, 2024

Hours after lobbing a number of below-the-belt insults at the Al Smith charity dinner in New York, former President Donald Trump took to Fox News on Friday morning to bemoan the lack of a teleprompter he could use at the event, while also revealing that he got some help from “a couple of people” at the conservative-leaning network with his jokes.

When asked by one of the anchors who wrote his jokes, Trump replied: “Well, I’ve had a lot of people helping, a lot of people. A couple of people from Fox, actually — I shouldn’t say that, but they wrote some jokes.”

A spokesperson for the network denied Trump's comment, telling Spectrum News: "Fox News confirmed that no employee or freelancers wrote the jokes."

While past speakers have turned to comedians for help for humorous events — Barack Obama enlisted the help of then-“Daily Show” writer Kevin Bleyer for a past White House Correspondents Dinner, for instance — it’s somewhat unusual that a news outlet would fill that role.

Trump also referenced not being able to use a teleprompter as he delivered his remarks.

“They told me it’s only teleprompter for the comedian,” Trump said, adding: “So I had to do it sort of like … and I liked it better, I think I liked it better. But when I went, I said, ‘is this a teleprompter speech,’ and I had a really long speech, and they said ‘sir, we don’t use teleprompter.’ And I get up there and I see the comedian [emcee Jim Gaffigan] used it.”

He said similarly as he opened his remarks on Thursday night.

“They told me under no circumstances are you allowed to use a teleprompter, and I got up here and I see there’s this beautiful teleprompter,” Trump said at the dinner. “So here I am.”

The former president stumbled as he delivered some of his jokes, which ranged from his typical grievances and falsehoods to crude and, at times, profane insults at his opponents, particularly those aimed at Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris.

Harris was not in attendance, opting instead to campaign in battleground Wisconsin, but she did deliver a video message to the crowd alongside comedian Molly Shannon, who reprised her Catholic school girl character Mary Katherine Gallagher from “Saturday Night Live.”

“It shows you there is a God,” Trump said of Harris’ absence.

Trump lays into Harris, Emhoff, de Blasio in off-color routine

During quadrennial election years, the annual dinner benefitting Catholic charities typically features the major presidential candidates trading light-hearted barbs and poking fun at themselves.

Trump, whose speech hammered his Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton during the 2016 dinner, used his time on Thursday night to insult the intelligence of Harris and President Joe Biden, continually mispronounce his opponent’s first name, reference an extramarital affair that Harris’ husband, second gentleman Doug Emhoff, admitted to in his previous marriage, joked about transgender women in disparaging terms and hammered other Democrats in attendance, like former New York Mayor Bill de Blasio.

“He was a terrible mayor,” Trump said of de Blasio. “I don’t give a s*** if this is comedy or not.”

Trump also joked about the city’s current mayor, Eric Adams, who is under indictment for federal bribery and fraud charges. He wished Adams “good luck” with his legal situation, while baselessly alleging it had to do with the mayor’s criticism of the Biden administration’s migrant policies.

“They went after you, mayor,” Trump said. “Nine-and-a-half months ago, I said, ‘he just said something bad about the administration, he’s going to be indicted any moment.’ And guess what happened? But you’re gonna win, so good luck, good luck. I don’t like what they do.”

Trump has made similar comments baselessly blaming the Biden administration — and, by extension, Harris — for the criminal prosecutions against him. There is no evidence linking the White House to any of the criminal cases against Trump.

That was far from the only time Trump referenced his legal woes, saying: “They’ve gone after me. Mr. Mayor [Adams], you’re peanuts compared to what they’ve done to me.”

Of Harris, Trump tried to tie her to her current boss in an effort to diminish her mental fitness.

“We have someone in the White House who can barely talk, barely put together two coherent sentences, who seems to have mental faculties of a child. It’s a person that has nothing going, no intelligence whatsoever,” Trump said. “But enough about Kamala Harris.”

"The only piece of advice I would have for her in the event that she wins is not to let her husband Doug anywhere near the nannies,” Trump said, referring to Emhoff, who admitted to an affair with a teacher that worked at a school his children attended long before he met Harris.

When the joke was met with groans, Trump blamed his joke writers: “That’s a nasty one. I told these idiots that gave me this stuff, that’s too tough.”

Typically, the candidates use their Al Smith dinner speech to poke fun at themselves. Trump declined to do so.

“Tradition holds that I’m supposed to tell a few self-deprecating jokes this evening, so here it goes: Nope. I’ve got nothing. There’s nothing to say,” Trump said of himself.

“I just don't see the point of taking shots at myself when other people have been shooting at me,” Trump said, referring to the two failed assassination attempts on his life.

He also attacked the “White Dudes for Harris” group — an informal coalition largely comprising Caucasian males supporting the vice president — in crude fashion, saying that he’s “not worried” about them “because their wives and their wives' lovers are all voting for me.”

And to Catholics, Trump declared: “You've got to vote for me. You better remember: I’m here, and she’s not.”

Trump’s campaign called the roast a “knockout,” while Harris’ campaign was less than kind about his performance.

“Donald Trump struggled to read scripted notes written by his handlers, repeatedly complaining that he couldn't use a teleprompter,” Harris campaign spokesperson Ammar Moussa said. “He stumbled over his words and lashed out when the crowd wouldn't laugh with him. The rare moments he was off script, he went on long incomprehensible rambles, reminding Americans how unstable he’s become. And of course he made it all about himself.”

In video, Harris and Molly Shannon make light-hearted jokes

Harris, in her video with Shannon, took a number of light jabs at Trump, with the comedian in character giving the vice president advice that “Thou shalt not bear false witness to thy neighbor.”

“Indeed, especially thy neighbor’s election results,” Harris rebutted.

She also told Harris to not say anything negative about Catholics at the Catholic event.

“I would never do that, no matter where I was. That would be like criticizing Detroit in Detroit,” Harris said, referring to Trump’s insult of the city while campaigning in the city.

https://spectrumlocalnews.com/us/national/news/2024/10/18/trump-al-smith-dinner-harris-fox-news

Trump posts AI-generated photo of himself as pope, drawing internet outrage

By Andrea Shalal

May 3, 20252:21 PM PDTUpdated 12 hours ago

Summary

Trump and his wife Melania attended funeral of Pope Francis

Image shows Trump in white paper vestments

Former Italian PM blasts 'shameful' post

WEST PALM BEACH, Florida, May 2 (Reuters) - President Donald Trump posted an AI-generated photo showing himself as the pope ahead of this week's gathering of cardinals to choose a new leader of the 1.4-billion-strong Catholic Church, and just days after he joked he would "like to be pope".

Trump, who is not a Catholic and does not attend church regularly, posted the image on his Truth Social platform late on Friday, less than a week after attending the funeral of Pope Francis, who died at 88 last month. The White House then reposted it on its official X account.

The image shows an unsmiling Trump seated in an ornate chair, dressed in white papal vestments and headdress, with right forefinger raised.

The irreverent posting drew instant outrage on X, including from Republicans against Trump, a group that describes itself as "pro-democracy conservative Republicans fighting Trump & Trumpism." The group reposted the image, calling it "a blatant insult to Catholics and a mockery of their faith".

Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni declined to comment on the image during a briefing with journalists about the process of electing a new pope, which begins on May 7.

Former Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi wrote on X: “This is an image that offends believers, insults institutions and shows that the leader of the global right enjoys being a clown. In the meantime, the American economy risks recession and the dollar loses value."

Closer to home, the Catholic bishops of New York state also expressed their displeasure on X.

"There is nothing clever or funny about this image, Mr. President," they wrote. "We just buried our beloved Pope Francis and the cardinals are about to enter a solemn conclave to elect a new successor of St. Peter. Do not mock us."

Trump on Tuesday had jokingly said he would be his own first choice to become pope, before adding that there was a "very good" candidate in New York, Cardinal Timothy Dolan.

Dolan, the archbishop of New York, is not on the short list of possible contenders for the top spot, but it does include another American, Cardinal Joseph Tobin, archbishop of Newark, New Jersey. There has never been a pope from the United States.

In mid-February, both Trump and the official White House social media accounts posted a different AI-generated image of the president wearing a crown and captioned "CONGESTION PRICING IS DEAD. Manhattan, and all of New York, is SAVED. LONG LIVE THE KING!"

In West Palm Beach, Debbie Macchia, 60, stood waiting with a dozen other supporters as Trump's motorcade arrived at his golf club on Saturday morning.

"He was clearly joking. Clearly joking," said Macchia, who is Jewish. "But I wouldn't want to see them do anything sacrilegious with the pope, or anything."

Reporting by Andrea Shalal; Additional reporting by Joshua McElwee in Vatican City, Editing by Ross Colvin and Daniel Wallis

https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/trump-posts-ai-generated-photo-himself-pope-2025-05-03/

Is the Catholic church ready for its first African Pope?

As world leaders gather in Rome for Pope Francis’s funeral on Saturday, many Catholics are wondering if the church could soon elect its first black pope. With Africa home to one in five Catholics, the idea of a pope from the continent is gaining ground.

Issued on: 26/04/2025 - 09:01

By:

RFI

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Since Francis’s death over Easter, one name gaining attention in the Vatican is Ghana’s Cardinal Peter Turkson.

In 2010, Turkson said he wasn’t ready to become pope and that the church might not be ready either. "I wouldn't want to be that first black pope. I think he'll have a rough time," he said.

But Africa’s share of the Catholic population is growing. The continent is now home to 20 percent of the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics, as the church struggles to hold on to followers in increasingly secular Europe.

Some now believe the time could be right for the first black pope.

A spiritual leader

Cardinal Peter Turkson, 76, grew up in a small town in what was then the Gold Coast, under British rule. He was the fourth of 10 children. His father worked in a mine and as a carpenter, while his mother sold vegetables at the market.

Turkson studied in seminaries in Ghana and New York, was ordained in 1975, then taught in Ghana. He later completed advanced Biblical studies in Rome.

Pope John Paul II made him archbishop of Cape Coast in 1992 and, in 2003, the first cardinal in Ghana’s history.

His rise continued under John Paul’s successor, Benedict XVI, who brought him to the Vatican in 2009 and made him head of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace.

There, he became one of the pope’s closest advisors, working on issues like climate change and economic justice.

Turkson is seen as having both a strong connection to local congregations in Ghana and experience leading Vatican offices. His communication skills have also been praised.

Other African contenders

Turkson is not the only African name being mentioned as the church prepares for a conclave to choose its next leader. He would also not be the first African pontiff – Pope Victor I, from North Africa, led the church from 189 to 199.

"There has been this sense which has built up that the pope, if he is going to be a global authority, needs to come from the global church," said Miles Pattenden, a historian of Catholicism at Oxford University.

But Pattenden also said there is no reason to believe the next pope will follow Francis’s more liberal approach.

Francis often called for reform but didn’t always deliver. That middle ground might appeal to African candidates, some of whom have been called too conservative by critics, said Cristina Traina, a religious studies professor at Fordham University in New York.

One example is Cardinal Robert Sarah of Guinea, a traditionalist who compared abortion, "Islamic fanaticism" and homosexuality to Nazi ideology. He could attract support from more conservative cardinals.

In the Democratic Republic of Congo, Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo has been mentioned. He led efforts to oppose the blessing of same-sex couples in Africa after Francis encouraged acceptance of such unions elsewhere.

A long time coming

Francis, who was from Argentina, worked to make the Vatican reflect the diversity of its members. African cardinals now make up 12 percent of those eligible to vote in the conclave, up from eight percent at the last papal election.

"It would be almost impossible to imagine the world accepting an African pope without this transition of Pope Francis having been from Argentina," said Traina.

Africa still has fewer voting cardinals than some think it should.

Some African Catholics also feel left out. A Congolese priest, who did not want to be named, told the French news agency AFP: "Even if it isn't obvious among our European brothers, discrimination is still a reality that we often don't talk about."

He said the church has made progress, but there is a reason no African has been pope in 1,500 years.

An African pope could bring new ideas to the church’s current challenges, including the ban on married priests, said Traina.

"It has always been on our lips how we wish to have an African pope," said Father Paul Maji, a priest in Abuja, Nigeria. But he added that Africans should not be "sentimental" about where the next pope comes from.

Sylvain Badibanga, dean of the theology faculty at the Catholic University of Congo, told AFP: "We shouldn't think 'it's our turn'. It's God's turn."

Archbishop Dieudonné Nzapalainga of Bangui, made a cardinal in 2016 after Francis visited the Central African Republic, will vote in a conclave for the first time.

"This is not about regional, continental, or even personal interests," he told RFI, adding that cardinals must think about the broader interests of the Catholic church.

As his name came up again before the 2013 conclave that chose Francis, Turkson said he could become pope "if it's the will of God".

(with newswires)

https://www.rfi.fr/en/international/20250426-is-the-catholic-church-ready-for-an-african-pope

Def Comedy Jam is an HBO television series produced by Russell Simmons, Stan Lathan, and Bob Sumner.[1][2][3] The series was hosted by Martin Lawrence and Joe Torry in its first six seasons, Mike Epps in its seventh season, and D. L. Hughley in its eighth season.

Simmons and long-time collaborator Lathan were inspired to make Def Comedy Jam by The Uptown Comedy Club in Harlem, New York and The Comedy Act Theatre in Los Angeles, California. They teamed up with Def Jam Records label executive and veteran comedy scout Sumner to launch the show. The series had its original run from 1992 to 1997, and in 2006 it returned in the HBO fall lineup. The show helped to launch the careers of several African-American stand-up comedians.

On 10 September 2017, a Netflix special, Def Comedy Jam 25, was filmed at the Beverly Hilton. It was shown on 26 September 2017 and featured many of the comedy stars listed below.[4]

Notable performers

Kid Capri

Katt Williams

Dave Chappelle

Mike Epps

Jamie Foxx

Adele Givens

Eddie Griffin

D.L. Hughley

Martin Lawrence

Bernie Mac

Monique Hicks

Leslie Segar

Sommore

Chris Tucker

Chris Rock

Sheryl Underwood

John Witherspoon

Tj Mackie

[[Cory Fernandez]

Spin-offs

The show produced a spinoff called Loco Slam.[5]

Home media

The show was released on DVD boxsets in the US and the UK.[6]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Def_Comedy_Jam

Inferno (Italian: [iɱˈfɛrno]; Italian for "Hell") is the first part of Italian writer Dante Alighieri's 14th-century epic poem Divine Comedy. It is followed by Purgatorio and Paradiso. The Inferno describes Dante's journey through Hell, guided by the ancient Roman poet Virgil. In the poem, Hell is depicted as nine concentric circles of torment located within the Earth; it is the "realm ... of those who have rejected spiritual values by yielding to bestial appetites or violence, or by perverting their human intellect to fraud or malice against their fellowmen".[1] As an allegory, the Divine Comedy represents the journey of the soul toward God, with the Inferno describing the recognition and rejection of sin.[2]"

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inferno_(Dante)

Fire as the agent of Truth

Asha Vahishta is closely associated with fire. Fire is "grandly conceived as a force informing all the other Amesha Spentas, giving them warmth and the spark of life."[27] In Yasht 17.20, Angra Mainyu clamours that Zoroaster burns him with Asha Vahishta. In Vendidad 4.54-55, speaking against the truth and violating the sanctity of promise is detected by the consumption of "water, blazing, of golden color, having the power to detect guilt."

This analogy of truth that burns and detecting truth through fire is already attested in the very earliest texts, that is, in the Gathas and in the Yasna Haptanghaiti. In Yasna 43–44, Ahura Mazda dispenses justice through radiance of His fire and the strength of aṣ̌a. Fire "detects" sinners "by hand-grasping" (Yasna 34.4). An individual who has passed the fiery test (garmo-varah, ordeal by heat), has attained physical and spiritual strength, wisdom, truth and love with serenity (Yasna 30.7). Altogether, "there are said to have been some 30 kinds of fiery tests in all."[28] According to the post-Sassanid Dadestan i denig (I.31.10), at the final judgement a river of molten metal will cover the earth. The righteous, as they wade through this river, will perceive the molten metal as a bath of warm milk. The wicked will be scorched. For details on aṣ̌a's role in personal and final judgement, see aṣ̌a in eschatology, below.

Fire is moreover the "auxiliary of the truth," "and not only, as in the ordeal, of justice and of truth at the same time."[11] In Yasna 31.19, "the man who thinks of aṣ̌a, [...] who uses his tongue in order to speak correctly, [does so] with the aid of brilliant fire". In Yasna 34-44 devotees "ardently desire [Mazda's] mighty fire, through aṣ̌a." In Yasna 43–44, Ahura Mazda "shall come to [Zoroaster] through the splendour of [Mazda's] fire, possessing the strength of (through) aṣ̌a and good mind (=Vohu Manah)." That fire "possesses strength through aṣ̌a" is repeated again in Yasna 43.4. In Yasna 43.9, Zoroaster, wishing to serve fire, gives his attention to aṣ̌a. In Yasna 37.1, in a list of what are otherwise all physical creations, aṣ̌a takes the place of fire.

Asha Vahishta's association with atar is carried forward in the post-Gathic texts, and they are often mentioned together. In Zoroastrian cosmogony, each of the Amesha Spentas represents one aspect of creation and one of seven primordial elements that in Zoroastrian tradition are the basis of that creation. In this matrix, aṣ̌a/arta is the origin of fire, Avestan atar, which permeates through all Creation. The correspondence then is that aṣ̌a/arta "penetrates all ethical life, as fire penetrates all physical being."[12]

In the liturgy Asha Vahishta is frequently invoked together with fire. (Yasna l.4, 2.4, 3.6, 4.9, 6.3, 7.6, 17.3, 22.6, 59.3, 62.3 etc.). In one passage, fire is a protector of aṣ̌a: "when the Evil Spirit assailed the creation of Good Truth, Good Thought and Fire intervened" (Yasht 13.77)

In later Zoroastrian tradition, Asha Vahishta is still at times identified with the fire of the household hearth.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asha

Pope John Paul II, born Karol Józef Wojty?a (18 May 1920 – 2 April 2005), known as Blessed John Paul II since his beatification on May 1, 2011, reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church and Sovereign of The Holy See from 16 October 1978 until his death on 2 April 2005, at 84 years and 319 days of age. His was the second-longest documented pontificate, which lasted 26 years and 168 days; only Pope Pius IX (1846–1878) who served 31 years, has reigned longer. Pope John Paul II is the only Slavic or Polish pope to date, and was the first non-Italian Pope since Dutch Pope Adrian VI (1522–1523).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_John_Paul_II

On March 27, 1980, a series of volcanic explosions and pyroclastic flows began at Mount St. Helens in Skamania County, Washington, United States. A series of phreatic blasts occurred from the summit and escalated until a major explosive eruption took place on May 18, 1980, at 8:32 am. The eruption, which had a Volcanic Explosivity Index of 5, was the most significant to occur in the contiguous United States since the much smaller 1915 eruption of Lassen Peak in California.[2] It has often been declared the most disastrous volcanic eruption in U.S. history.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1980_eruption_of_Mount_St._Helens

On 13 May 1981, in St. Peter's Square in Vatican City, Pope John Paul II was shot and wounded by Mehmet Ali Ağca while he was entering the square. The Pope was struck twice and suffered severe blood loss. Ağca was apprehended immediately and later sentenced to life in prison by an Italian court."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attempted_assassination_of_Pope_John_Paul_II

It's hard to see how the fishing industry will pick itself up again. Takeshi is moving away from the coast as is his neighbor and fellow fisherman. His wife has refused to return here since the tsunami hit. At the age of 77, he is unlikely to be able to start from scratch. But he picks up any remnants of his fishing gear he can find, just in case. What is left intact barely fills one small basket. His neighbor finds his clock. It has stopped at 3:22pm -- the exact moment his life changed and countless others ended." Misplaced trust: 30-foot tsunami wall didn't save Japanese village by Paul Hancocks

http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/asiapcf/03/31/japan.tsunami.village/index.html

Skull and Bones, The Order, Order 322 or The Brotherhood of Death is an undergraduate senior secret student society at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut."

There is a secret that binds the two men who would be the next leader of the free world. President George W Bush and Senator John Kerry both spent a portion of their youth laying bare their sex lives in Gothic rituals presided over by a human skull and the skeletal remains of various other animal species in a windowless building known as the Tomb. They also formed an unusual attachment to the number 322, which holds a special resonance for the club's members." Skeletons in the closet

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2004/may/20/usa.internationaleducationnews

It is perhaps worth noting, in light of George W.'s controversial episode at Bob Jones University and the specter of anti-Catholicism, that at one point in the proceedings every initiate kisses the slippered toe of the "Pope." At last the initiate is formally dubbed a Knight of Eulogia. Amid more raucous ritual he is cast from the room into the waiting arms of the patriarchs."

https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2000/05/george-w-knight-of-eulogia/304686/

A major landslide occurred 4 miles (6.4 km) east of Oso, Washington, United States, on March 22, 2014 (3/22/2014), at 10:37 a.m. local time. A portion of an unstable hill collapsed, sending mud and debris to the south across the North Fork of the Stillaguamish River, engulfing a rural neighborhood, and covering an area of approximately 1 square mile (2.6 km2). Forty-three people were killed and 49 homes and other structures destroyed."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2014_Oso_mudslide

Published: 10 October 1996

Russian documents Set out 'tectonic weapon' research

Carl Levitin

Moscow. The first official details have emerged in Moscow of ambitious research into 'tectonic warfare' carried out by the former Soviet Union and subsequently by the government of Russia, and involving atte mpts to stimulate 'artificial' earthquakes as weapons of destruction. According to documents obtained by the newspaper Moscow News, two research programmes, the first known as ' Mercury ' and the second as ' Volcano', were aimed at creating new earthquake epicentres by using underground nuclear explosions . Geophysicists are aware that impending earthquakes may be triggered by underground nuclear explosions . But Western geophysicists remain sceptical about tectonic warfare and have all but abandoned research after two unsuccessful phases of activity in the 1960s and 1980s, says Roger Clark, a lecturer in geophysics at the University of Leeds. Clark is not at all surprised that th e Russians tried to create earthquakes and control their location electromagnetically, however. "This sort of science is very much part of their heritage. We don't think it is impossible, or wrong , but past experience suggests it is very, very unlikely. "

The programme , which was secretly launched by the Communist rulers of the former Soviet Union in 1987, and has been unofficially known to Western geophysicists for several years, is now believed to have been abandoned. It would certainly contravene the terms of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, which Russia signe d at the United Nations in Geneva last month . The Mercury project was launched in the former Soviet republic of Azerbaijan, but came to a halt when the republic became independent. It was superseded by the Volcano project. Three underground nuclear tests are believed to have taken place at sites in Kyrgyzstan.

According to the documents, the Mercury project was launched by a secret decree of the Central Committee of the Communist Party and the Council of Ministers of the Soviet Union. The objective was to "develop a methodology for remote operation on an earthquake epicentre by using weak seismic fields and research possibilities of transferring the seismic energy of an explosion ".

The documents say that the Mercury project involved 22 scientific and industrial organizations, including the Geological Institute of the Azerbaijan Academy of Sciences in Baku. The remit extended to developing the electronic equipment to be installed aboard space satellites that would control the tectonic weapon. The scientists were given three years to complete research, with testing planned for 1990.

During the research phase, Azerbaijani scientists grew increasingly confident and, according to the documents, were sure that " after [a] nuclear explosion, subterranean energy may accumulate at huge distances from the epicentre and reach massive capacity, after which the next directed explosion can release it all ".

Underground testing began at the town of Batken in Kyrgyzstan, and was directed by lkram Ke rimov , of the Azerbaijan Academy of Sciences. The documents say that scientists detonated an underground nuclear charge and tried to control the direction of seismic energy release d using British-built equipment known as 'system 9690 ' .

A report prepared by the Mozhaisky Military Engineering Institute concluded that the test had been a success. But progress slowed considerably following Azerbaijan's independence from the Soviet Union. At about this time , Russia embarked on a more comprehensive tectonic warfare programme known as the Volcano project. The Earth Physics Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS) became the project headquarters .

Research was scheduled to be completed in 1992, with underground testing beginning the following year. The final test was carried out at a place code-named S36NZ-0Kh; Moscow News believes the letters 'NZ' refer to Novaya Zemlya, where Soviet nuclear testing began in the 1950s."

https://www.nature.com/articles/383471a0

Shamanism

Contributor(s) Karen Lawson, MD

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A person practicing shaminism

"Because it is not an organized religion as such, but rather a spiritual practice, shamanism cuts across all faiths and creeds, reaching deep levels of ancestral memory. As a primal belief system, which precedes established religion, it has its own symbolism and cosmology, inhabited by beings, gods, and totems, who display similar characteristics although they appear in various forms, depending upon their places of origin."

~John Matthews, The Celtic Shaman

What is shamanism?

Shamanism is a spiritual practice found in cultures around the world from ancient times up to the present day. First and foremost, shamans' practices are practical and adaptable. These practices coexist over millennia with varying cultures, systems of government, and organized religious practices. 

Many formalized religions, from Buddhism to Christianity, came from ancient shamanic roots and still bear the shamanic threads of deep connection to the divine in all things. But shamanism itself is not a formalized system of beliefs or an ideology. Rather, it is a group of activities and experiences shared by shamans in cultures around the world. These practices are adaptable and coexist with different cultures, systems of government, and organized religious practices. 

Individual practice

Nowadays, in non-indigenous cultures, shamanism is studied and practiced as a life path. Following a shamanistic perspective, individuals seek to be in relationship with the spirit in all things. They seek to use information and guidance from non-ordinary reality to intentionally form their own life experience. 

This perspective is not inherently contradictory of any religious practice that allows a person to be in direct relationship with whatever they perceive as a higher power.

Consulting with shamans

Just as in ancient times, contemporary people consult with modern day shamanic practitioners for practical and pragmatic solutions to problems in everyday life-from personal illness, professional challenges, or family discord to ancestral issues.

Shamans work in voluntary, ecstatic trance states, which alter their consciousness to travel to the realms of the invisible worlds. Their ability to gain information and make changes in the invisible realms is dependent upon the working relationships they develop with spirits there. In this sense, shamanism is a relationship-based practice of making changes in invisible realms to impact healing, of individuals or communities, in the realm of ordinary reality.

For some peoples, such shamanic practice is part of their dominant culture, for others it is directly contradictory. Some individuals are intuitively guided to seek help from a contemporary shaman, often when other options have been exhausted, without even understanding what a shaman is or how they work.

What is a shaman?Collage of a shaman, drum and kava

According to famed American psychologist and consciousness pioneer, Stanley Krippner, shamans are "community-assigned magico-religious professionals who deliberately alter their consciousness in order to obtain information from the 'spirit world.' They use this knowledge and power to help and to heal members of their community, as well as the community as a whole." 

Krippner describes shamans as the first physicians, diagnosticians, psychotherapists, religious functionaries, magicians, performing artists, and storytellers. 

In shamanistic cultures, all adults are responsible for their relationships with spiritual energies, including those of their home environment (geography, animals, and plant life,) their ancestors, their own personal helping spirits, and Spirit, the creator force. 

However, the shaman is unique in that he or she not only has increased facility for traveling in non-ordinary realms, but also uses their spirit relationships to create changes that will manifest in the physical world, for the healing of individuals or the community. This definition differentiates shamans from other types of practitioners. For example, mediums use altered states of consciousness, but they do not take action in those altered states. And sorcerers take action in altered states, but not necessarily to heal.

Abilities of shamans

According to Christina Pratt in The Encyclopedia of Shamanism, a shaman is a practitioner who has gained mastery of:

Altered states of consciousness, possessing the ability to enter alternated states at will, and controlling themselves while moving in and out of those states.

Mediating between the needs of the spirit world and those of the physical world in a way that can be understood and used by the community.

Serving the needs of the community that cannot be met by practitioners of other disciplines, such as physicians, psychiatrists, priests, and leaders.

A shaman is therefore a specific type of healer who uses an alternate state of consciousness to enter the invisible world, which is made up of all unseen aspects of the world that affect us, including the spiritual, emotional, mental, mythical, archetypal, and dream worlds.

Categories of healers

There are three categories of contemporary shamans, including those who:

Come from an unbroken shamanic tradition and continue to practice in that tradition, usually in their native culture.

Come from a shamanic tradition, but serve to bridge between that tradition and the modern Western world, often by adding ceremonies and rituals that were not necessary in their indigenous culture.

Are called by Spirit to serve the needs of their community as shamans, though they may be long separated culturally from their original shamanic roots.

How can shamanism benefit your health and wellbeing?

Individuals may seek shamanic healing for many different maladies. If they are living within a shamanic culture, shamanic healing is typically part of a multidisciplinary approach used for any disease or imbalance, in partnership with physical healers, botanical medicines, changes in diet, and other therapies.

In contemporary western society, shamanic healing is unfamiliar to most non-indigenous individuals. Despite that, people are finding their way to contemporary shamans for all types of health challenges, but especially when they are not making satisfactory improvements with conventional approaches. 

Shamanistic perspective on disease

The perspective on individual disease is different in shamanism than in the conventional medical view. In a shamanistic view:

Similar symptoms or diseases do not stem from the same underlying root energetic problem.

Community disharmony often manifests in individual illness.

Any illness may have a significant underlying spiritual or energetic issue, regardless of the form in which that illness manifests - physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, or relational. 

Certain illnesses are more likely to have a spiritual component that may respond to shamanic healing techniques. These include psychological diagnoses like depression and anxiety, ADD/ADHD, autism, and addictions.

Illnesses that manifest physically may still have significant spiritual underpinnings. This is especially true for illnesses that have atypical or premature presentations, such as a degenerative illness that normally occurs in elder years occurring in a young adult. 

The sense that something is "missing" or that "I haven't been the same since..." can often be indicative of an energetic loss of some type, including soul energy loss. Shamanic healing is often part of a multi-pronged approach to an illness, and is fully compatible with both conventional medicine and other integrative treatments, such as Traditional Chinese Medicine, homeopathy, naturopathy, chiropractic, and others.

Shamanistic healing

Shamanic healing work requires two distinct phases:  

The accurate diagnosis of the seen and unseen energies at the root of the problem.

Carrying out the specific choreography of energies needed to resolve the problem. 

The shaman may serve by removing energies that are inappropriately present, or by returning energies that have been lost. This includes soul recovery to accomplish healing via the return of lost parts of the soul. 

When an individual is living within a community that supports such work, there is time and support for the integration and processing that an individual must do to complete most healing processes. In contemporary society, the shaman and the client must create the resources and structure for the individual to adjust to the shift in internal energies. 

Shamans direct and move energy to restore the harmony within the individual, between the individual and the community, and between the community and the spirit world.

How do I find a shamanic practitioner?

For individuals who live within an indigenous culture, shamanic practitioners are readily known and easily accessible. But for the majority of contemporary westerners, shamanic practitioners are not known. As shamans are called to their practices through direct spiritual initiation, there is not a certifying body to register practitioners. That said, the Foundation for Shamanic Studies does post a registry of Certified Shamanic Counselors who have completed a training program in Core Shamanism through the foundation.

If you find a practitioner in your local community, ask friends and colleagues about their reputation. Then meet with the practitioner and ask how they were initiated and trained, as well as how they practice. One critical question is whether the practitioner would be available after a shamanic healing (especially a soul retrieval), to help with issues of integration and processing (or if they at least refer to a colleague to assist in that work).

Is there good evidence for shamanic healing?

Because shamanic healing is individualized to each unique person and their illness, it does not lend itself readily to conventional research designs.  Additionally, there has been little interest in or financial support for research in these practices. 

Thousands of years of practice indicate that shamanic approaches have value to those who use them, or they would not have survived and been perpetuated. Most understanding in this area has come from the observations of cultural anthropologists.  In addition, in many early cultures, knowledge of plant curative properties came through the practice of Shamanism, knowledge which is still used today. There has been a growing body of academic studies in this field since the 1950s (classic texts are listed in the References and Further Information section below).

In recent years, some initial research efforts have begun, although they are still challenged by the design issues. The following are resources and websites that carry information about research publications, often focusing on a particular practice that may be used within shamanic healing (e.g. ayahuasca-facilitated healing) rather than on the general practice of shamanic healing as a system of care:

Transpersonal Shamanism Research Project

Peters, L. and Price-Williams, D. (1980). Towards an experimental analysis of shamanism. American Ethnologist, 1, 397-418.

A research strategy has been proposed by Michael Harner, PhD, anthropologist and founder of the Foundation for Shamanic Studies.

https://www.takingcharge.csh.umn.edu/shamanism

Shamash (Akkadian: šamaš[a]), also known as Utu (Sumerian: dutu 𒀭𒌓 "Sun"[2]) was the ancient Mesopotamian sun god. He was believed to see everything that happened in the world every day, and was therefore responsible for justice and protection of travelers. As a divine judge, he could be associated with the underworld. Additionally, he could serve as the god of divination, typically alongside the weather god Adad. While he was universally regarded as one of the primary gods, he was particularly venerated in Sippar and Larsa. The moon god Nanna (Sin) and his wife Ningal were regarded as his parents, while his twin sister was Inanna (Ishtar). Occasionally other goddesses, such as Manzat and Pinikir, could be regarded as his sisters too. The dawn goddess Aya (Sherida) was his wife, and multiple texts describe their daily reunions taking place on a mountain where the sun was believed to set. Among their children were Kittum, the personification of truth, dream deities such as Mamu, as well as the god Ishum. Utu's name could be used to write the names of many foreign solar deities logographically. The connection between him and the Hurrian solar god Shimige is particularly well attested, and the latter could be associated with Aya as well.

While no myths focusing on Utu are known, he often appears as an ally of other figures in both Sumerian and Akkadian compositions. According to narratives about Dumuzi's death, he helped protect him when the galla demons tried to drag him to the underworld. In various versions of the Epic of Gilgamesh and in earlier Gilgamesh myths, he helps this hero defeat the monstrous Humbaba. In the myth Inanna and An, he helps his sister acquire the temple Eanna. In How Grain Came to Sumer, he is invoked to advise Ninazu and Ninmada.

Name

The two most common names of the sun god used in Mesopotamian texts are Sumerian Utu and Akkadian Shamash.[3] A further relatively commonly attested name is Amna, whose origin is uncertain.[4] The most common writing of the sun god's name was the logogram dUTU, which could be read as Utu, Shamash, or, as attested in the god list An = Anum, as Amna.[4] Syllabic spellings of all three of these names are also known.[4] A further logographic spelling used the numeral 20, which was associated with him.[4]

Etymology

The name Shamash is a cognate of Akkadian terms šamšu ("sun")[5] and šamšatu ("solar disc"), as well as the words referring to sun in other Semitic languages,[2] such as Arabic šams and Hebrew šemeš.[6] The linguistic connection between the name of the god and the corresponding celestial body has been compared to that between Adad (and Syrian Hadad) and the word addu, "storm."[5] The Amorite form of the name is Samsu, as attested for example in the theophoric name Samsu-iluna ("Samsu is our god").[7] The ancient Aramaic form of the name was most likely Śameš, though many variant syllabic spellings are attested.[7] Additionally, the name for the sun in Mandaean cosmology, Shamish (Mandaic language:ࡔࡀࡌࡉࡔ), is derived from Akkadian Shamash.[8]

Grammatical gender

Utu was understood as a masculine deity.[3] According to Manfred Krebernik, this most likely also resulted in his Akkadian counterpart being viewed as such, even though in the majority of Semitic languages both the word referring to the sun itself and names of solar deities are grammatically feminine.[3] Julia M. Asher-Greve considers this the oldest attested example of a Mesopotamian deity's gender being impacted by syncretism.[9] However, not all researchers agree with the assumption that the name Shamash was ever understood as referring to a female deity in Akkadian-speaking areas.[10] Christopher Woods argues that the only available evidence are early ambiguous theophoric names, which according to him do not necessarily point at the existence of female Shamash, and might omit prepositions necessary to identify the gender of the deity invoked in them.[10] Manfred Krebernik notes that a well known example of a female deity in what he deems the "cuneiform cultural sphere" is Shapash.[3] At the same time, both the Amorites and the Arameans viewed the solar deity as male, like Sumerians and Akkadians.[7]

Secondary names and epithets

According to Manfred Krebernik, the name Amna, attested as a synonym of Utu in the god list An = Anum and used to refer to the sun god in an inscription of Nabonidus, might be either connected to the toponym Sippar-Amnanum or to a root attested in Northwest Semitic languages, '-m-n, which can be translated as "to be reliable" or "to be firm."[4]

Dozens of other variant names, epithets or possibly minor deities who came to be seen as synonymous with Utu are attested in god lists.[11] Examples include Karkara (possibly related to Ninkar, one of the names of his wife Aya), Nimindu (possibly related to the name of the goddess Nimintabba), Si'e ("who shines forth"), Ṣalam (possibly a name referring to a winged sun symbol) and U'e ("sunrise").[12]

Character

The sun god was one of the principal deities of the Mesopotamian pantheon.[13] In the Early Dynastic god list from Fara, he is the sixth among the deities listed, after Anu, Enlil, Inanna, Enki and Nanna.[14] In later god lists, for example in An = Anum, he and his circle appears between Nanna (Sin) and Ishkur (Adad).[14] The Old Babylonian Nippur god list instead places him between Ishkur and Ninurta.[14] Despite Utu's typical high status, it is agreed that the role of the sun and deities representing it in Mesopotamian religion was not comparable to that known from ancient Egyptian religion.[3] Based on the attestations of theophoric names such as Shamash-bel-ili (Akkadian: "Shamash is the lord of the gods"), Shamash-Enlil-ili ("Shamash is the Enlil of the gods") and Shamash-ashared-ili ("Shamash is the foremost of the gods"), Wilfred G. Lambert proposed that a tradition in which he was the supreme god of the pantheon did exist, but never found official support and its spread was limited to the clergy in Sippar and to a smaller degree Larsa.[15]

Common epithets characterize Utu as a "youth" (Sumerian šul, Akkadian eṭlu) and "hero" (Sumerian ursaĝ, Akkadian qarrādu).[16] As a representation of the sun, he was believed to travel every day through the sky from east to west, and at night in the opposite direction through AN.ŠAG4, a "nether sky" located directly above the underworld,[17] though the notion of a night journey only developed later, and in sources from the third millennium BCE Utu usually rests at night.[18] A reference to the latter tradition is also known from the "Standard Babylonian" version of the Epic of Gilgamesh, where Shamash meets with his wife Aya after sunset.[19] Utu's vehicle was a solar chariot,[20] which was pulled by four animals bearing the Sumerian names Uhegalanna ("the abundant light of heaven"), Uhushgalanna ("the terrifying great light of heaven"), Usurmurgalanna ("the dreadful great light of heaven") and Unirgalanna ("the noble light of heaven").[21] Their species is not entirely consistent, though in most cases the sun chariot is apparently associated with equids: "choice steeds" (niskum) in an inscription of Gudea, horses in various prayers and incantations, and mules in the Epic of Gilgamesh.[22] Manfred Krebernik argues that in early sources, his chariot was drawn by lions,[16] but this has been questioned by Marco Bonechi.[23] Nathan Wasserman in his translation of a fragment of a hymn to Utu mentioning the animals only refers to them as "beasts."[24] Sunrise and sunset were described as the sun god passing through cosmic gates situated on twin mountains on the opposite ends of the world.[25] It was believed that his daily journey let him see everything happening on earth.[26] He was also responsible for protection of travelers.[27] Formulas common in both prayers and literary compositions indicate that he was likely often invoked outside temples, presumably as an astral body.[28] Early morning was likely regarded as the most appropriate time for imploring him for help.[29]

Utu was also the primary god of justice,[30] presumably because due to traveling through the sky every day he was believed to see everything that happened in the world.[26] He could be assisted in this role by his father Nanna, his sister Inanna, and various minor judge deities.[31] At least in the third millennium BCE, Ishtaran was regarded as a divine judge equal in rank to Utu,[32] and a fragment of a myth from Ebla mentions a divine tribunal in which they both partake alongside Idlurugu (dÍD),[33] a river god also known for his association with justice and judgment who represented ordeal by water.[32] A hymn to Utu states that Idlurugu cannot give judgment without his presence.[34] As an extension of his role as a divine judge, Utu could be associated with the underworld,[35][36] though this connection is not attested before the Old Babylonian period.[37] In exorcisms, he could be implored to help with bringing restless ghosts to the land of the dead.[38] In this capacity he could be associated with the deified legendary king Gilgamesh, commonly portrayed in a similar role.[39]

Shamash and Adad were jointly regarded as gods of divination, especially extispicy.[40] The connection between the sun god and the weather god is well attested in Mesopotamian sources[40] and goes back to the Old Babylonian period.[41] Its origin is uncertain, but since in the earliest Sumerian sources Ishkur, who was analogous to Adad, was not associated with divination, it is possible that it was based on the association between Hadad and the solar deity in Ebla and possibly elsewhere in Syria and Upper Mesopotamia.[41] According to a late ritual text, Shamash and Adad were responsible for teaching divination to the mythical king Enmeduranki.[42] Subsequently, he taught it to the people of Sippar, Nippur and Babylon.[42]

Iconography

Whether referred to as Utu or Shamash, the sun god had identical iconography.[43] Due to distinct attributes, he is considered one of the few Mesopotamian deities who can be identified in art with certainty.[44] Depictions of him are known from many sites, for example Eshnunna, Tell al-Rimah, Sippar, Ur and Susa.[45] His best attested attributes are a large saw (šaššaru)[46] and rays of light[43] emanating from his shoulders.[47] The reasons behind associating him with the former are poorly understood, and various interpretations have been proposed, for example that it was a representation of the first ray of sunshine of the day, that it was associated with judgment,[48] perhaps as a weapon used to behead criminals, or that the sun god used it to break through the mountains during his daily journey.[49] Christopher Woods points out that both in Sumerian and Akkadian, judgments had to be "cut" (kud/parāsum), and therefore considers the association with judgment to be most likely.[49] The saw's presence is often used to identify depictions of gods as Utu.[50] He could also be depicted holding the rod-and-ring symbol, commonly associated with major deities.[50] In some cases he is shown handing them to human rulers.[51]

Utu was commonly depicted on cylinder seals as early as in the third millennium BCE.[52] Multiple motifs recur on them, some not known from textual sources.[45] On seals from the Sargonic period, he could be depicted climbing over two mountains,[53] which has been interpreted as a representation of sunrise.[45] He was also commonly depicted traveling in a boat.[54] This motif is the single best attested type of cylinder seal image from the third millennium BCE, with over fifty examples presently known.[54] Another recurring image is a depiction of Utu, sometimes accompanied by another god, partaking in a battle between deities.[45] The attendant deity is sometimes interpreted as Bunene.[55] In some cases Inanna is shown watching the battle or partaking in it on Utu's side.[55] It has been suggested that it is a symbolic representation of a conflict between day and night,[45] or that the deities confronted by Utu and his allies are rebellious mountain gods.[55] Wilfred G. Lambert suggested that in some cases figures from battle scenes with rays emanating from their shoulders might be representations of Enmesharra rather than the sun god, as in a tradition known from a late myth, Enmesharra's Defeat, he was their original owner.[56]

In the second millennium BCE, Utu was typically portrayed in front of worshipers, either standing or seated on a throne.[50] One well known example of such an image is a stele of Hammurabi of Babylon, inscribed with his legal code.[50]

Anna Kurmangaliev points out that only a single depiction of the sun god in anthropomorphic form has been identified among works of art from Babylonia from the first millennium BCE, the so-called Sun God Tablet.[50] It is commonly discussed in scholarship, and has been described as "one of the masterpieces of ancient Near Eastern art."[57] It was discovered by Hormuzd Rassam in December 1880 during his excavations in Abu Habbah in modern Iraq.[58] Its discovery subsequently made it possible to identify this site with Sippar.[59] It dates to the Neo-Babylonian period,[60] but its style has been described as "archaizing,"[61] and most likely was inspired by motifs found in presentation scenes from the Ur III period.[62] It shows three individuals, an intercessory minor goddess (lamma) and two men, possibly the king Nabu-apla-iddina and the priest Nabu-nadin-shumi, facing Shamash.[62] While other anthropomorphic depictions of the sun god are known from Assyria from the same period, in Babylonia he came to be usually portrayed in the form of a symbol instead.[50]

The symbolic representation of Utu was the sun disc,[50] typically represented as a four-pointed star with wavy lines placed between the points.[63] It is attested as early as in the Sargonic period, and continued to be represented in art through the rest of history of ancient Mesopotamia.[50] It is well known from kudurru (boundary stones), where it is typically depicted in the first row of symbols, next to the eight-pointed star representing Inanna (Ishtar) and the crescent representing Nanna (Sin).[64] Additionally the symbol of a winged sun came to be associated with the sun god in Assyria in the first millennium BCE.[65] Some depictions of it add a bird tail as well.[48] It only arrived in Babylonia during the reign of Nabonidus.[48]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shamash

O.J. Simpson’s Freeway Chase: What Happened to the White Ford Bronco

More than two decades since the murder suspect's low-speed chase, the infamous car sits in a Tennessee crime museum.

By Biography.com Editors and Rachel ChangUpdated: Apr 11, 2024 3:32 PM EDT

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O.J. Simpson Bronco chase

Photo: Ted Soqui/Sygma via Getty Images

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No need for speed: One of the most-watched live television events was also the slowest moving. On the evening of Friday, June 17, 1994, a white Ford Bronco with California plate 3DHY503 traveled down southern California’s freeways driven by former football player Al Cowlings. In the backseat: O.J. Simpson, the football legend known as “The Juice,” who reportedly had a gun to his own head.

Nearly 100 million people tuned into the live chase

Five days prior, his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ron Goldman had been murdered and Simpson became a suspect the next day. Initially compliant, he suddenly led police (and the world) on a 60-mile chase along the Santa Ana Freeway (5), Artesia Freeway (91) and San Diego Freeway (405), which began at 5:56 p.m. until he reached his Brentwood home at 7:57 p.m. and the surrender started, according to the L.A. Times.

With about 95 million viewers following the live chase, which even interrupted Game 5 of the NBA Finals between the New York Knicks and Houston Rockets, the 1993 white Ford Bronco became synonymous with the trial that followed, where Simpson was acquitted.

There were actually two Broncos involved in the case — Simpson’s own car, which was parked outside his Rockingham estate with traces of the victims’ blood (this car has since been destroyed), and Cowlings’ vehicle, which went on the low-speed chase. (Ironically, Simpson was a spokesperson for Ford from 1975 until the day of the chase.)

Fans on the side of the street cheering O.J. Simpson on during the Bronco chase

Photo: Vinnie Zuffante/Archive Photos/Getty Images

Fans on the side of the street cheering O.J. Simpson on during the Bronco chase.

The car received multiple offers

After its two hours in the spotlight, the chase vehicle was sold by Cowlings to a company called Starifacts for $75,000 (not bad for a car worth $1,800 according to Kelley Blue Book). But Simpson’s former agent Mike Gilbert intervened when he discovered the company’s intention. “We found out that the company was going to rent the vehicle to a company in L.A. called Grave Line Tours, that visited famous graves," Gilbert told ESPN. "They were going to re-enact the chase with the Bronco and then take people to Nicole's grave. The trial hadn't taken place yet, and we didn't want people thinking anyone associated with O.J. did this."

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Instead, Gilbert and two of Cowlings’ friends gave Cowlings $75,000 for the car — and for years the infamous Bronco simply sat in a condo’s apartment garage. They ensured it kept running by constantly changing the battery and taking it out for a drive every other year. But even so, there were only 20 more miles put on the odometer since the chase.

In 2012, the owners received an offer from Las Vegas’ Luxor Hotel — and it was on display in front of the hotel as part of a sports memorabilia exhibit (which also included the 1999 Women’s World Cup trophy). But when they wanted to move the car inside the hotel, which would have required disassembling it, the owners said no since they wanted to ensure the car was “still in running condition,” according to the same ESPN story.

The original gas was removed from the vehicle

While the famous wheels also had a short stint in Greenwich, Connecticut, at the Brant Foundation Arts Center and was on a 2017 episode of Pawn Stars, it’s now on loan for a display at the Alcatraz East Crime Museum in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. Also on display there: a temporary exhibit honoring Nicole Brown Simpson, which sheds light on domestic abuse.

And as for the original gas that was in the vehicle? Gilbert took it out of the vehicle and still has it, along with the original tires and vehicle registration papers, as he told ESPN.

Meanwhile, Simpson, who was released from prison in October 2017, is enjoying life outside Las Vegas — and even joined Twitter in June 2019 with a debut video saying he was looking forward to letting followers “read all my thoughts and opinions on just about everything” and ending it: “This should be a lot of fun. I’ve got a little getting even to do.”

One of his first posts to “set the record straight,” included addressing the rumors about him being romantically linked to Kris Jenner — and specifically stating that Khloe Kardashian is not his daughter.

https://www.biography.com/crime/oj-simpson-bronco-chase-car-museum

Citing 'Two Corinthians,' Trump Struggles To Make The Sale To Evangelicals

January 18, 201610:42 PM ET

By 

Jessica Taylor

There were a few stumbles during Donald Trump's sojourn to Liberty University on Monday.

He mispronounced a book of the Bible. He cursed — twice. And on Martin Luther King Day, the GOP presidential candidate said he was honoring the slain civil-rights leader by dedicating to him the record crowds he says he drew for the school's opening convocation. (Students are required to attend.)

"We're going to protect Christianity. I can say that. I don't have to be politically correct," he thundered at the beginning of his speech at the conservative evangelical university.

Then he moved on to cite "Two Corinthians 3:17, that's the whole ballgame. ... Is that the one you like?" Trump asked. "Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty."

That's a verse that's etched on campus buildings, but that verse comes from "Second Corinthians" — not "Two."

Students in the room snickered and laughed, and advisers to two of Trump's top rivals, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, were quick to point out the gaffe on Twitter.

Trump was once leading with conservative evangelical voters in the polls, but that support has slipped, especially in Iowa, which votes in two weeks. And it's Cruz who's challenging him the most heavily for religious conservatives.

https://www.npr.org/2016/01/18/463528847/citing-two-corinthians-trump-struggles-to-make-the-sale-to-evangelicals 

Donald Trump Owned Several Atlantic City Casinos That Went Bankrupt — Despite This, He Said, 'Atlantic City Fueled A Lot Of Growth For Me'

Jeannine Mancini

November 13, 2023 4 min read

In the glittering world of Atlantic City’s casinos during the 1980s, Donald Trump emerged as a major player. His entry into the casino industry was timed with the booming popularity of Atlantic City as a gambling haven, second only to Las Vegas. Trump’s ambition led him to acquire three of the city’s major casinos, marking him as a significant presence in the thriving industry.

Then the landscape of casino gambling shifted dramatically. The legalization of gambling in other states gradually eroded the monopoly Atlantic City once enjoyed. The decentralization of the gambling industry started to draw crowds away, impacting the city’s and Trump’s casino revenues.

Trump’s challenges in the casino industry were not just external. The internal financial structure of his ventures, particularly the Taj Mahal, was fraught with risks. Heavily reliant on debt, these establishments faced immense pressure to generate substantial revenue. Financial analysts, like Mark Hoffberg of The Wall Street Journal, predicted early on that the seasonal fluctuations in tourism would severely impact these casinos’ ability to cover operational costs and debt payments.

Trump’s response to these challenges was varied and controversial. He initially dismissed critics and analysts who foresaw the impending financial troubles. As the predictions materialized, Trump’s strategy included blaming external factors and individuals, including contractors and business associates, for the failures.

By the early 1990s, the financial situation of Trump’s casino empire had become critical. Multiple bankruptcy filings ensued: the Trump Taj Mahal in 1991, followed by Trump Plaza and Trump Castle in 1992 and later Trump Hotels & Casino Resorts Inc. in 2004. These filings were a clear indication of the dire state of his casino ventures.

Despite the setbacks, Trump’s finances remained somewhat insulated from the turmoil of his business ventures. He managed to negotiate deals with creditors that allowed him to avoid personal bankruptcy and maintain a semblance of financial stability. The dichotomy between the failure of his casinos and the preservation of his wealth highlights Trump’s complex relationship with his businesses.

In 2009, Trump resigned as chairman of Trump Entertainment Resorts, just before the company filed for bankruptcy protection again. This move was in line with his past strategies, distancing himself from the financial failures while maintaining his brand and wealth.

“Atlantic City fueled a lot of growth for me,” Trump said, reflecting on the significant personal gains he managed to secure from these failing ventures through a combination of strategic financing and business maneuvers — a point he has often highlighted in defending his business record.

The eventual demolition of the Trump Plaza Hotel and Casino in 2021, using 3,000 sticks of dynamite, symbolized the physical and metaphorical end of Trump’s tumultuous journey in the casino business. What began as a venture full of promise and ambition in Atlantic City eventually succumbed to the changing dynamics of the gambling industry and financial mismanagement.

As Trump faces his current legal challenges in New York, his business legacy is under scrutiny. This trial represents a critical moment that could influence public perception and the future trajectory of his varied business interests. The implications of the trial extend beyond any single sector, potentially impacting the broader spectrum of his business empire.

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/donald-trump-owned-several-atlantic-181258334.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAADtOE1c7OrY-4k7-idKr5AD3lcz-GFtbrg7gcaYB-MriEWUy3cEZMzYnc_GpJ91oasiMeYf6LnOXO7QGJAw2n8lIesxYe5cq49n7t_KJJ8Ijlzv9VHcVKSUzRx4RQtME6wJu1lcjigEDv2iB4yRmlkvNtF9u853zSEq8smP9E9GW

Casino is a 1995 epic crime drama film directed by Martin Scorsese, adapted by Scorsese and Nicholas Pileggi from the latter's nonfiction book Casino: Love and Honor in Las Vegas.[6] It stars Robert De Niro, Sharon Stone, Joe Pesci, Don Rickles, Kevin Pollak, Frank Vincent and James Woods. The film was the eighth collaboration between director Scorsese and De Niro.

Casino follows Sam "Ace" Rothstein (De Niro), a Jewish American gambling expert handicapper who is asked by the Chicago Outfit to oversee the day-to-day casino and hotel operations at the Tangiers Casino in Las Vegas. Other significant characters include Nicky Santoro (Pesci), a "made man" and friend of Sam, and Ginger McKenna (Stone), a streetwise chip hustler whom Sam marries and has a daughter with. The film details Sam's operation of the casino, the difficulties he confronts in his job, the Mafia's involvement with the casino, and the gradual breakdown of his relationships and standing, as Las Vegas changes over the years.

The primary characters are based on real people: Sam is inspired by the life of Frank Rosenthal, also known as "Lefty", who ran the Stardust, Fremont, Marina, and Hacienda casinos in Las Vegas for the Chicago Outfit from 1968 until 1981. Nicky and Ginger are based on mob enforcer Anthony Spilotro and former dancer and socialite Geri McGee, respectively.

Casino was released on November 22, 1995, by Universal Pictures, to a mostly positive critical reception, and was a worldwide box office success. Stone's performance was singled out for acclaim, earning her a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama and a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actress.

Plot

In 1973, sports handicapper and Mafia associate Sam "Ace" Rothstein is sent by the Chicago Outfit to Las Vegas to run the Tangiers Casino, with frontman Philip Green. Sam soon doubles the casino's profits, with the extra unaccounted-for cash skimmed directly from the casino count room and delivered to the Midwest Mafia bosses. Chicago boss Remo Gaggi sends Sam's childhood friend and mob enforcer Nicky Santoro to protect Sam, the cash skim, and the casino. Nicky recruits his younger brother Dominick and childhood friend Frankie Marino to gather an experienced crew specializing in shakedowns and jewelry burglaries. Nicky's criminal activities in Las Vegas start drawing too much media and police attention, and he is eventually placed in the Black Book, banning him from every casino in Nevada. Sam meets and falls in love with a beautiful con artist, showgirl, and former prostitute Ginger McKenna. They have a daughter, Amy, and marry. Sam entrusts Ginger with $2 million in cash and $1 million in jewelry. Still, their marriage is soon thrown into turmoil due to Ginger's relationship with her longtime boyfriend, hustler and pimp Lester Diamond. Sam has Nicky's crew beat Lester when they catch him accepting $25,000 of Sam's money from her.

In 1976, Sam fires slot manager Don Ward for incompetence. Ward is brother-in-law to Clark County Commission chairman Pat Webb, who is unable to convince Sam to re-hire Ward. Webb arranges for Sam's gaming license to be denied, jeopardizing Sam's position. Sam starts hosting a local television talk show from inside the casino, irritating both Nicky and the bosses back home for bringing more unneeded attention. Sam blames Nicky's recklessness for ongoing police and state government pressure, and Sam's attempts to get Nicky to leave Las Vegas only further strain their friendship.

When the Midwest bosses discover that people on the inside are stealing from their skim, they install incompetent Kansas City underboss Artie Piscano to oversee the operation. Disobeying orders, Piscano keeps detailed written records of the operation. Additionally, an FBI bug placed in Piscano's grocery store catches him talking in detail about the skim, prompting a full investigation into the Tangiers Casino.

In 1980, Ginger kidnaps little Amy, planning to flee to Europe with her and Lester. Sam convinces Ginger to return with Amy, then overhears her planning on the phone to kill him. Enraged, Sam kicks her out of their home but relents and forgives her. Ginger confides in Nicky about the situation, and the two start an affair. Sam soon discovers their affair, as do private investigators. Nicky ends his affair with Ginger once she asks him to kill Sam and threatens to go to the FBI. Ginger leaves Sam and takes all of her money and jewelry.

In 1982, the FBI discovers Piscano's records, closes the Tangiers, and Green agrees to cooperate. The FBI approaches Sam for help by showing him photos of Nicky and Ginger together, but he turns them down. The Chicago bosses are arrested, get ready for trial, and arrange the murders of anyone who might testify against them. In 1983, Ginger, whose personal fortune was squandered by lowlife associates, dies of a drug overdose called a hot dose in Los Angeles. That same year, Sam narrowly survives a car bomb, suspecting Nicky to be the culprit. Sam states that the bosses did not authorize the bombing because they had "other ideas" for him.

In 1986, the bosses, finally fed up with Nicky's recklessness and attempt on Sam's life, order Frankie and his crew to kill Nicky and Dominick. Invited to attend a meetup in a remote Illinois cornfield, they are brutally beaten with baseball bats upon arriving, stripped of their clothes, and buried alive in a shallow grave. With the Mafia now out of the casino industry, nearly all the old casinos are demolished, and new casinos are built with money from junk bonds. Sam laments the new impersonal, corporate-run resorts of Las Vegas. Because of his status as a reliable and high earner for the outfit, Sam is allowed to live, moving to San Diego and returning to sports handicapping; "right back where I started," as Sam puts it before asking, "Why mess up a good thing? And that's that."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Casino_(1995_film)

History of Casino Gaming Around the World

3 minute read

As we conclude the eighth year of live video gaming operations in Illinois it sure feels like time has flown by. 2020 has been an extremely difficult year for Americans and the Illinois VGT community. Reflecting on the market since go live we thought it would be fun to do a series of stories about the history of gaming. Starting with Part 1, the History of Casino Gaming Around the World.

Gaming has roots that trace back to mankind's earliest ancestors. However, it wasn't until the world's very first casino, known as Il Ridotto (Italian: “Private Room”), opened its doors in Venice, Italy, that gaming went from small rooms and backlots to a more organized fashion. In fact, Italy is also credited with the etymology of the word "casino" - it is derived from the Italian description for a "small house."

The earliest casinos

While gaming has been popular since the earliest cultures in places like ancient China and ancient Rome, casinos didn't enter the picture until 1638. Meant to provide fun and entertainment during downtimes of the Venetian Carnival, Il Ridotto had some very strict rules.

Only privileged individuals were allowed in the casino.

Patrons had to abide by a specific dress code at all times (specifically, wear hats and masks).

Guests were expected to be civil.

Players were required to order food or drink from the casino's menu.

Unfortunately, Il Ridotto was closed in 1774 by Giorgio Pisani, but others would soon rise to take its place - including new ones in Italy and around the globe.

Casinos in the 19th century

Although several new casinos were built during the 18th century, Europe really saw a casino boom in the 19th century. To accommodate their newfound popularity, casinos started expanding and growing larger. Moreover, many casinos began making customer service a top priority.

The 19th century brings with it the creation of highly luxurious casino development. The Prince of Monaco, Florestran I, approved Monaco’s first casino in 1856. Le Grand Casino de Monte Carlo. Made famous in modern day culture by many James Bond films such as “GoldenEye” and “Casino Royale”. The Grand Casino still stands today and recently removed their requirement to wear a sport coat and surprisingly offer a very well-priced luxurious restaurant overlooking the Mediterranean Sea.

Casinos in the United States

Traditional Englishmen are credited for introducing gaming to the original British colonies. Raffles, lotteries and card games in the U.S. are all traceable back to the country's birth, but casinos wouldn't make their appearance until the 1800s.

Most of the earliest U.S. casinos were riverboats located in and around New Orleans, but a few gambling halls were licensed throughout the state. The introduction of such properties was somewhat problematic due to the lack of formal legislation for gaming operations in the new and young America. Gaming activities were somewhat of a gray area until 1931 when Nevada officially passed the Wide Open Gambling Bill to effectively legalize casinos in the state. Fast forward to today, many other states followed suit, but none have reached the amount of fame as Las Vegas.

Casinos and their games have made many transformations since then. The high cost and sometimes difficult to access brick and mortar casino development eventually led to the popular VGT offering we see in Illinois today. No longer does a patron need to hop a flight to Vegas or take a drive to a regional casino as the same fun and excitement is offered by great companies like Prairie State Gaming. If you’re a patron looking for the hottest slots or a local establishment that wants the benefits of a great casino operator like Penn National Gaming (our parent company) with close to home customer service call Prairie State Gaming today for your Illinois Video Gaming servicing. To find out more about how video game terminals (VGT) can bring success to your establishment, contact Prairie State Gaming today.

https://www.prairiestategaming.com/blog/history-of-casino-gaming

casino (n.)

1744, "public room for music or dancing," from Italian casino, literally "a little house," diminutive of casa "house," from Latin casa "hut, cottage, cabin," which is of uncertain origin. The card game (also cassino) is attested by that name from 1792. Specifically as "building for aristocratic gambling" by 1820, first in an Italian context.

[T]he term Casino [is] indiscriminately applied to a set of farm offices, a country-seat, a gambling house, and a game of cards ... [Jane Waldie Watts, "Sketches Descriptive of Italy in the Years 1816 and 1817," London 1820]

also from 1744

Entries linking to casino

https://www.etymonline.com/word/casino

Steven Terner Mnuchin[1] (/məˈnuːʃɪn/ mə-NOO-shin;[2] born December 21, 1962) is an American investment banker[3] and film producer who served as the 77th United States secretary of the treasury as part of the first cabinet of Donald Trump from 2017 to 2021. Serving for nearly a full presidential term, Mnuchin was one of the few high-profile members of Trump's cabinet whom the president did not dismiss during his first term.[4]

Mnuchin was born in New York City. Upon graduating from Yale University in 1985, Mnuchin joined the investment bank Goldman Sachs where his father, Robert Mnuchin, was a general partner. Mnuchin worked at Goldman Sachs for 17 years, eventually becoming its chief information officer. After he left Goldman Sachs in 2002, he worked for and founded several hedge funds and launched Dune Entertainment, a film production company that financed several films for 20th Century Fox. He later served on the boards of Kmart and Sears Holdings. During the financial crisis of 2007–2008 he bought failed residential bank Indymac, which he reorganized as OneWest Bank and resold, becoming embroiled in lawsuits over questionable foreclosures.

Mnuchin joined Trump's presidential campaign in 2016, and was named National Finance Chairman for the campaign. On February 13, 2017, Mnuchin was confirmed by the U.S. Senate as Secretary of the Treasury by a vote of 53–47.[5] As Secretary of the Treasury, Mnuchin supported the Trump tax cuts and the tax reform of 2017, and advocated reducing personal and corporate tax rates.[6] In regard to regulatory policy, Mnuchin supported President Trump’s partial repeal of the Dodd–Frank Act, citing the complexity of the legislation.[7]

Early life and education

Steven Mnuchin was born on December 21, 1962, in New York City, the second-youngest son in his family.[8][9] Mnuchin's family is Jewish.[9][10][11] He is the son of Robert E. Mnuchin of Washington, Connecticut, and Elaine Terner Cooper of New York.[12] Robert Mnuchin was a partner at Goldman Sachs in charge of equity trading and a member of the management committee. He is also the founder of an art gallery in New York City, the Mnuchin Gallery.[12][13] Mnuchin's great-grandfather, Aaron Mnuchin, a Russian-born diamond dealer who later resided in Belgium, emigrated to the U.S. in 1916.[14]

Mnuchin attended Riverdale Country School in New York City. He graduated from Yale University in 1985 with a bachelor's degree in economics.[8][15][16] At Yale, Mnuchin was publisher of the Yale Daily News,[17][18] and was also initiated into Skull and Bones in 1985.[19][20] While a student at Yale, Mnuchin drove a Porsche and lived at New Haven's Taft Hotel.[21]

Mnuchin's first job was as a trainee at investment bank Salomon Brothers in the early 1980s, while still studying at Yale.[20][22]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steven_Mnuchin

Steven Mnuchin set to lead 250 strong US delegation at Jerusalem embassy opening

Group reportedly to include Jared Kushner, Ivanka Trump, Republican Senators Ted Cruz and Lindsay Graham, Jewish leaders and heads of pro-Israel Christian organizations

By ToI Staff

22 April 2018, 11:01 pm

Washington, DC on April 21, 2018. (AFP PHOTO / ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS)

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin is to lead a delegation of 250 people from the United States, including some 40 politicians, to the opening of the embassy in Jerusalem next month, Channel 10 news reported Sunday.

Mnuchin will be accompanied by US President Donald Trump’s senior adviser and son-in-law Jared Kushner, and the president’s daughter Ivanka Trump, as well as 40 senators and representatives, the report said.

The Times of Israel first reported last week that Kushner and Ivanka Trump were likely to attend.

Kushner has been a key architect of the US administration’s efforts to broker an Israeli-Palestinian peace deal.

The delegation will fly in to attend the official dedication ceremony for the US Embassy in Jerusalem’s Arnona neighborhood on May 14, the TV report said.

Republican Senators Ted Cruz and Lindsay Graham are reportedly expected to attend, as is Trump’s Middle East envoy Jason Greenblatt. The group is also expected to include Jewish leaders and heads of pro-Israel Christian organizations.

Channel 10 said there was no official confirmation from the White House, the Treasury, or US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced last week that the Foreign Ministry will host a reception for “guests” coming to Israel on the occasion of the embassy dedication. He did not provide further details.

“Initially, the interim embassy in Arnona will contain office space for the ambassador [Friedman] and a small staff. By the end of next year, we will complete the construction of additional office space in the Arnona compound that will provide the ambassador and his team with expanded interim capacity,” an official in the Tel Aviv embassy told The Times of Israel last week.

“Most embassy staff will continue to live and work in Tel Aviv during this period, until a new embassy is built in Jerusalem. We expect the process of site selection, design, planning and permitting, and construction of a permanent embassy to take additional years to complete.”

Friedman, who owns a home in Jerusalem, will “continue to divide his time between his official residence in Herzliya and a residence in Jerusalem during the initial phases of the embassy move, as this is a multi-year process,” the official said.

Trump, who formally recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and announced the embassy relocation on December 6, had mulled attending the inauguration, but reportedly decided against it.

On March 5, the US president was asked if he would travel to Israel to cut the ribbon on the new facility, almost a year after his first visit to Jerusalem as president.

“I may. I may,” he said during a meeting with Netanyahu in the White House. “We’re looking at coming. If I can, I will.”

While US officials later denied reports that he decided not to come to Israel in May, a presidential visit to Israel is not planned, officials said.

Raphael Ahren contributed to this report.

https://www.timesofisrael.com/steven-mnuchin-set-to-lead-250-strong-us-delegation-at-jerusalem-embassy-opening/

Easton's Bible Dictionary - Corn

Corn [N] [S]

The word so rendered (dagan) in Genesis 27:28 Genesis 27:37 , Numbers 18:27 , Deuteronomy 28:51 , Lamentations 2:12 , is a general term representing all the commodities we usually describe by the words corn, grain, seeds, peas, beans. With this corresponds the use of the word in John 12:24 .

In Genesis 41:35 Genesis 41:49 , Proverbs 11:26 , Joel 2:24 ("wheat"), the word thus translated (bar; i.e., "winnowed") means corn purified from chaff. With this corresponds the use of the word in the New Testament ( Matthew 3:12 ; Luke 3:17 ; Acts 7:12 ). In Psalms 65:13 it means "growing corn."

In Genesis 42:1 Genesis 42:2 Genesis 42:19 , Joshua 9:14 , Nehemiah 10:31 ("victuals"), the word (sheber; i.e., "broken," i.e., grist) denotes generally victuals, provisions, and corn as a principal article of food.

From the time of Solomon, corn began to be exported from Palestine ( Ezekiel 27:17 ; Amos 8:5 ). "Plenty of corn" was a part of Issac's blessing conferred upon Jacob ( Genesis 27:28 ; Compare Psalms 65:13 ).

Smith's Bible Dictionary - Corn

Corn. [N] [E]

The most common kinds were wheat, barley, spelt, Authorized Version, ( Exodus 9:32 ) and Isai 28:25 "rye;" ( Ezekiel 4:9 ) "fitches" and millet; oats are mentioned only by rabbinical writers. Our Indian corn was unknown in Bible times. Corn-crops are still reckoned at twentyfold what was sown, and were anciently much more. ( Genesis 41:22 ) The Jewish law permitted any one in passing through a filed of standing corn to pluck and eat. ( 23:25 ) see also Matt 12:1 From Solomons time, ( 2 Chronicles 2:10 2 Chronicles 2:15 ) as agriculture became developed under a settled government, Palestine was a corn-exporting country, and her grain was largely taken by her commercial neighbor Tyre. ( Ezekiel 27:17 ) comp. Amos 8:5

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Corn

CORN

korn (daghan; sitos):

A word used for cereals generally (Genesis 27:28,37, etc., the King James Version) much as our English word "corn." the American Standard Revised Version almost invariably substitutes "grain" for "corn." The latter may be taken to include

(1) barley,

(2) wheat,

(3) fitches (vetches),

(4) lentils,

(5) beans,

(6) millet,

(7) rye--the wrong translation for vetches,

(8) pulse--for all these see separate articles.

Rye and oats are not cultivated in Palestine For many references to corn see AGRICULTURE; FOOD. "A corn kokkos, the Revised Version (British and American) "grain" of wheat" is mentioned (John 12:24).

https://www.biblestudytools.com/dictionary/corn/

Dagon (Hebrew: דָּגוֹן, Dāgōn) or Dagan (Sumerian: 𒀭𒁕𒃶, romanized: dda-gan;[1] Phoenician: 𐤃𐤂𐤍, romanized: Dāgān) was a god worshipped in ancient Syria across the middle of the Euphrates, with primary temples located in Tuttul and Terqa, though many attestations of his cult come from cities such as Mari and Emar as well. In settlements situated in the upper Euphrates area, he was regarded as the "father of gods" similar to Mesopotamian Enlil or Hurrian Kumarbi, as well as a lord of the land, a god of prosperity, and a source of royal legitimacy. A large number of theophoric names, both masculine and feminine, attests that he was a popular deity. He was also worshiped further east, in Mesopotamia, where many rulers regarded him as the god capable of granting them kingship over the western areas.

Attestations of Dagan from coastal areas are much less frequent and come mostly from the northern city of Ugarit, where Dagan's cult had a limited scope. According to the Hebrew Bible, Dagan was also the national god of the Philistines, with temples at Ashdod and Gaza, but there is no extrabiblical evidence confirming this.[2] The extrasolar object designated Fomalhaut b is named after Dagon.

Etymology

Multiple origins have been proposed for Dagan's name.

According to Philo of Byblos, the Phoenician author Sanchuniathon explained Dagon as a word for "grain" (siton).[3] Historian Manfred Hutter considers it possible that the god's name derives from the root *dgn (to be cloudy), which he interprets as a sign that he was originally a weather god.[4] However, the notion of Dagan being a weather god is rejected by most researchers of this deity (see the Dagan and weather gods section below).

Lluís Feliu in his monograph The God Dagan in Bronze Age Syria rejects both of these theories and concludes that Dagan's name originated in a pre-Semitic language spoken in inland Syria.[5] This theory is supported by Alfonso Archi as well.[6] Multiple other ancient Syrian deities are regarded as originating in such a substratum, including Aštabi, Ishara and Kubaba.[7][8][9][10]

The association with a Hebrew word for "fish" (as in Hebrew: דג, Tib. /dɔːg/) in medieval exegesis has led to an incorrect interpretation of Dagan as a fish god.[3]

Divine genealogy and syncretism

No known text deals with the parentage or creation of Dagan.[11] His wife was Shalash; while well attested in Tuttul and elsewhere, she is seemingly absent in sources pertaining to Dagan's cult in Terqa.[12] Their children were Hadad (analogous to Ugaritic Baal)[13] and possibly Hebat,[14] who is attested alongside Dagan and Shalash in a mourning ritual from ancient Aleppo.[15] Daniel Schwemer considers it possible that Dagan, while always viewed as a "father of gods," only became the father of the weather god under Hurrian influence.[13]

While Wilfred G. Lambert proposed in 1980 that Ishara was sometimes regarded as the wife of Dagan,[16] and this theory is repeated as fact in older reference works such as Jeremy Black's and Anthony Green's Gods, Demons and Symbols of Ancient Mesopotamia,[17] it is no longer considered the consensus.[18][19] Lluís Feliu in his study of Dagan concludes that the association between these two deities was limited to sharing temples in Mesopotamia, and was most likely based on their origin in the western region and shared status as foreign deities in the eyes of Mesopotamian theologians. He also points out that there is no indication that they were closely connected outside of Babylonia, especially in parts of Syria where they were most commonly worshiped.[18] He additionally remarks that Lambert mistakenly assumed Ishara is one and the same as Haburitum, goddess of the river Habur, who also appears in Mesopotamian texts in association with Dagan.[20] Both Feliu[20] and Alfonso Archi point out that Haburitum and Ishara could appear side by side in the same documents, and therefore cannot be two names of the same deity.[21] Archi considers it more likely that Haburitum was analogous to Belet Nagar.[21][19] Like Feliu, he considers it implausible that Dagan was ever regarded as Ishara's husband.[19] He points out that the latter's character was similar to Ishtar's.[19]

Dagan, Enlil and Kumarbi

In Mesopotamia, Dagan was equated with Enlil due to their shared role as "fathers of gods." This equation was eventually codified by the god list An = Anum, which additionally equated their spouses with each other.[22] However, which of the two parts of this equation was viewed as the primary god varied. In Mari, it was Dagan who received Enlil's epithets, and in Emar the logographic writing dKUR, a shortened version of Enlil's epithet dKur-gal (Great Mountain), stood for Dagan's name in the late Bronze Age.[23] It is unclear if this equation was responsible for the logographic writing of the name of Emar's city god as dNIN.URTA, as the god of Emar is unlikely to be Dagan's primary son Hadad (whose name was written logographically as dIŠKUR), and in Hurrian sources from Syria dNIN.URTA is the war god Aštabi rather than a weather god.[24]

In Hurrian tradition, Dagan was equated with Kumarbi,[25] though only because of shared senior position in the respective pantheons.[26] Kumarbi was nonetheless called "the Dagan of the Hurrians,"[10] and Shalash was viewed as his spouse due to this syncretic process.[27] However, she is absent from Hurrian myths about Kumarbi.

Dagan and weather gods

Due to the similarity between the names of Dagan's wife Shalash and Shala, wife of Adad in Mesopotamia, some researches conclude that the two goddesses were the same and that Dagan was possibly a weather god himself.[28] However, there is no clear proof that Dagan fulfilled such a function or that he was conflated with any weather gods.[29][30]

Dagan and Nisaba

In some documents from Syrian cities, for example Halab and Ugarit, the logogram dNISABA designates Dagan.[31] As noted by Alphonso Archi, in Western Semitic languages such as Ugaritic Dagan's name was homophonous with the word for grain (dgn in alphabetic Ugaritic texts), and the logographic writing of his name as dNISABA was likely a form of wordplay popular among scribes, relying on the fact that the name of Nisaba, the Mesopotamian goddess of writing, could simply be understood as "grain" too.[32]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dagon 

Agent Orange: This nickname gained traction during Trump's presidency, alluding to his controversial policies and the color of his trademark hair. It has a dual meaning, referencing both his hair color and the herbicide of the same name used during the Vietnam War.

https://abatul.com/

History of the Orange Order

The Loyal Orange Institution was formed on 21st September 1795 shortly after the ‘Battle of the Diamond’ outside Loughgall, Co. Armagh. Three well-known local men of the area, James Wilson, Dan Winter, and James Sloan, established the institution. Whilst much is made of these ‘founding fathers’ within Orange circles; from a spiritual perspective we see no evidence that any of them had evangelical credentials. History, in fact, shows that all three men were dedicated Freemasons and two of the three were actually proprietors of licensed premises.

The Bible addresses such people, saying, “Woe unto him that giveth his neighbour drink, that puttest thy bottle to him, and makest him drunken also, that thou mayest look on their nakedness!” (Habakkuk 2:15). The Rev. Allan Dunlop, addressing this passage of Scripture in his book ‘Where Shadows Fall’ (p. 37), says, “The curse of God is upon the drink trade for what profits it brings are wrung from widows tears, children’s terror, women’s virtue and young men’s strength; and of wives and mothers broken hearts.”

It is true to say that Dan Winter came from a Quaker background, although his ungodly lifestyle shows he was anything but a dedicated Quaker. Firstly, Quakers have always practised strict ‘total abstinence’ and have always opposed the devilish influence of alcohol. Winter was the proprietor of a public house. Secondly, Quakers have always been opposed to the heathenish practices and teachings of Freemasonry. Winter was a zealous Freemason. Thirdly, Quakers have always been pacifists, opposing all type of fighting. Winter was the leader of the local ‘Peep O’ Day Boys’ (an illegal Protestant militia group of the day), and he was also a well-known ‘cock fighter’ in the area.

The ‘Battle of the Diamond’ itself lasted only fifteen minutes and was centred on Dan Winter’s public house, which was located at the Diamond crossroads. This battle (or skirmish) resulted in Winter’s premises being burnt to the ground by the attacking Roman Catholics who were ironically known as ‘the Defenders’. This place was the special focus of the attack as it was the gathering house for the local ‘Peep O’ Day Boys’. Prior to the battle, the authorities had made several arrests and various arms seizures relating to this illegal group.

Winter’s supporters, many of whom were Freemasons, gathered around the debris of the public house and pledged themselves to form a new secret society, made up wholly of Protestant men. Now that they no longer had Winter’s premises as a meeting place the men retired to James Sloan’s public house in the local village of Loughgall. Here the Orange Institution was properly organised.

The founders of the Orange Institution were known as ‘unwarranted masons’, ‘clandestine masons’ or ‘hedge’ Masons. These Masons were a rebellious group who would not accept the existing degree format of the ruling Masonic Grand Lodge of the day. Belinda Loftus, in her book ‘Mirrors’ (p.24) confirms that the clandestine or hedge Masons were “unwarranted by the Grand Lodge in Dublin” because Irish Masonry “refused to recognise any degrees but craft.” Up until the early 1800s the Grand Masonic Lodge of Ireland only accepted three degrees, – Entered Apprentice, Fellowcraft and Master Mason, collectively known as the ‘Craft degrees’ or the ‘Blue Lodge’. All other degrees were held to be illegal.

Read a detailed exposure of the Royal Arch Purple by W P Malcomson:

The Unwarranted Masons were the more zealous (or esoteric) Masons who adhered to the many mystical degrees, which today are accepted within the domain of higher degree Freemasonry. These degrees are found under the auspices of the Red Lodge, known as the Chapter and the Chivalry degrees, known as the Preceptory.

The Irish Masonic publication ‘History of Freemasonry in the Province of Antrim’ alludes to these clandestine Masons. It explain how these men would ascend to “the top of some neighbouring hill, and there, towards the close of a summers evening, after the manner of the ancient Druids, perform their rites and ceremonies, the meeting being properly tyled and guarded…They were unwarranted and recognised no authority and no authority recognised them” (p.143&144).

Winter, Sloan and Wilson, accompanied by others, felt the great need to instigate a ceremony of initiation into the new body and not surprisingly Freemasonry was chosen as the model. They used the Masonic template to formulate their degree structure. That is why the Loyal Orders teaching, titles, symbols and rituals so closely resembles that of Freemasonry.

Initially the Orange had one sole degree known simply as the ‘Orange degree’. As the months progressed the founding fathers introduced a further degree somewhere around late 1796. The ‘Orange Marksman’ degree as it was originally designated, became better known as the ‘Purple degree’. It was constructed in Portadown, in the home of prominent Freemason, John Templeton – a location frequently used for Masonic ceremonies. Orange historian (and well known Freemason of his day) Colonel R.H. Wallace outlined in his ‘History of the Orange Order’ (1899) how the founders “were observed going into and out of a house in which a Masonic Lodge held its meetings,” and that, “He [Mr Templeton] invited them into the Masonic room, and there and then satisfactory arrangements were made.” He concluded by saying, “the influence of the place and its associations can be discerned in the results” (p. 50). Another Orange historian R.M. Sibbett in ‘Orangeism in Ireland and Throughout the Empire’ (1938) explained how, “The subject uppermost in their minds was touched upon and discussed, and, at the request of Mr. Templeton, they adjourned to a room which had been used for other ceremonies. Here the warrant was produced, the lodge was reopened, and a higher Order was added.”

A further degree was added as Orangeism consolidated itself. The Royal Arch Purple Chapter book states that, “Probably late in the year 1796 or early 1797 a third degree known as Purple Marksman was added to the ritual. It is likely to have been composed by the same hands, probably in the same room as that of the Orange Marksman or Purpleman” (History of the Royal Arch Purple Order p. 39).

Whilst little is known of the exact content of these three degrees it seems certain that they were highly ritualistic in character, being modelled on the first three degrees of Freemasonry, namely, Entered Apprentice, Fellowcraft and Master Mason. The Royal Arch Purple Chapter book testifies that these three initial Orange degrees were “elaborate degrees” (p. 59).

Orange degree – Entered Apprentice degree

Orange Marksman degree – Fellowcraft degree

Purple Marksman degree – Master Mason degree

These were the three main degrees that were worked within the Order between 1795 and 1798, although many other ritualistic degrees were finding their way into Orangeism throughout the island of Ireland. Most of these degrees can today be found within the Royal Black Institution.

During this early period each individual Orange lodge administered its own control over the working of degrees, as no controlling authority existed to govern the degree system. A Grand Lodge of Ulster, as it were, was formed on 12th of July 1797, although it seemed to exercise little power over the whole island of Ireland.

The prevailing confusion within the Order, coupled with a large influx of new members, due to the deteriorating political situation in the form of the Republican uprising of the ‘United Irelanders’, resulted in the formation of a Grand Orange Lodge of Ireland on 21st April 1798. This brought much needed stability and leadership to the Order at a strategic period in its history.

Grand Lodge immediately addressed the bewildering amount of unnecessary ritualism that had found its way into Orangeism, and here began a process of reform which purged out all the ritualistic baggage which had settled itself within the Order. This resulted in the disposal of the original three (elaborate) degrees of the Orange. These were replaced with two simplified degrees of ‘Orange’ and ‘Plain Purple’. Out with the old degrees went the old leadership of James Wilson, Dan Winter, and James Sloan.

Wasting little time, Grand Lodge released a strong statement on 13th December 1798 which reflected the hierarchy’s strong desire to separate themselves from former error, stating: “That many persons having introduced various Orders into the Orange Society which will very much tend to injure the regularity of the institution. The Grand Lodge disavows any Order but Orange and Purple and there can be none other regular unless issuing and approved by them.”

From this date forward, the Grand Orange Lodge of Ireland accepted only two degrees within the Order – ‘Orange’ and ‘Plain Purple’. Between 1798 and 1800 Grand Lodge began a process of implementing this simplification by standardising procedures throughout every lodge in Ireland. That they might eradicate any lingering injurious behaviour by spurious characters, they abolished the old Orange Order in 1800, with its ritualistic connections, obliging every Orangeman to rejoin a now simplified new Orange Institution.

Grand Lodges opposition to Royal Arch Purple and Black degrees

1798-1801

1802-1828

1834-1875

1876-1878

1880-1913

1925

Those ritualistic Orangemen inside the Order who bore allegiance to the former neo-Masonic degrees were far from happy at this radical reform. Some continued to practise these illegal degrees in a clandestine manner, in blatant violation of the rules of the Grand Orange Lodge of Ireland.

Facing strong persecution from a now powerful Grand Lodge and realising their beleaguered position, they merged the three old degrees into one large ritualistic degree. The Arch Purple Chapter’s book ‘History of the Royal Arch Purple Order’ explains: “Sometime between 1800 and 1811, possibly in 1802, a new degree was devised by the Brethren who valued and loved the old traditions and who were concerned by the turn of events” (p. 58). This degree was ” developed from the three pre 1798 ‘old degrees’ ” (p. 59). This elaborate degree became known as the ‘Royal Arch Purple degree’.

Orange degree

Orange Marksman degree – Royal Arch Purple degree

Purple Marksman degree

The Arch Purple Chapter’s book also confirms its composition, how that it was designed to “include as much as possible of the travel and ritual of the original three.”

The draft to the Arch Purple Chapter’s book diplomatically traces the roots of the Royal Arch Purple degree, stating that, “In light of the evidence available it would appear that the degree given today evolved from certain practices which had their origin in the Masonic Order, together with some innovations which had been introduced by those brethren conferring the degree in different areas being added to the original theme of the pre 1800 degrees to form a new ritual.” Even this guarded statement was omitted from the published book!

Nevertheless, in their book ‘The Orange Order: An Evangelical Perspective’ Grand Chaplain of the Grand Orange Lodge of Scotland (which owns the Royal Arch Purple as its third degree) Rev. Ian Meredith and Irish Arch Purple man Rev. Brian Kennaway comment on the Arch Purple degree. They state, “It has to be admitted that this is the most ‘Masonic-like’ part of our ceremony.” They later describe it as “a Christianised or ‘Reformed Freemasonry’ ” (pp. 12, 25).

From its inception, the Grand Orange Lodge of Ireland looked upon this neo-Masonic Royal Arch Purple degree with understandable abhorrence. It was viewed as being incompatible with, and contrary to, both Protestantism and Orangeism. Those ritualistic Orangemen who practised the degree were persecuted by Grand Lodge, forcing them to practise the degree in great secrecy for fear of expulsion from the Order. Grand Lodge maintained this position throughout the whole of the 1800s and into the early 20th century. The hard line assumed by the Orange Institution in Ireland mirrored the resolute stance of Orangeism throughout Great Britain.

The history of the Royal Black Institution

The history of the Royal Black degrees

Royal Black Institution, the Crusades and the Jesuits

https://www.evangelicaltruth.com/royal-black-institution-crusades-the-jesuits/

https://www.evangelicaltruth.com/history-of-the-orange-order/

Casino (7/10) Movie CLIP - Lester Diamond (1995) HD

CLIP DESCRIPTION:

Ace (Robert De Niro) confronts Lester (James Woods) and a humiliated Ginger (Sharon Stone) at a coffee shop. Two thugs beat the hell out of Lester.

FILM DESCRIPTION:

The inner-workings of a corrupt Las Vegas casino are exposed in Martin Scorsese's story of crime and punishment. The film chronicles the lives and times of three characters: "Ace" Rothstein (Robert De Niro), a bookmaking wizard; Nicky Santoro (Joe Pesci), a Mafia underboss and longtime best friend to Ace; and Ginger McKenna (Sharon Stone, in a role she was born to play), a leggy ex-prostitute with a fondness for jewelry and a penchant for playing the field. Ace plays by the rules (albeit Vegas rules, which, as he reminds the audience in voiceover, would make him a criminal in any other state), while Nicky and Ginger lie, cheat, and steal their respective ways to the top. The film's first hour and a half details their rise to power, while the second half follows their downfall as the FBI, corrupt government officials, and angry mob bosses pick apart their Camelot piece by piece.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gcAaILQ0ATo

The Principality of Orange (French: Principauté d'Orange) was, from 1163 to 1713, a feudal state in Provence, in the south of modern-day France, on the east bank of the river Rhone, north of the city of Avignon, and surrounded by the independent papal state of Comtat Venaissin.

It was constituted in 1163, when Holy Roman Emperor Frederick I elevated the Burgundian County of Orange (consisting of the city of Orange and the land surrounding it) to a sovereign principality within the Empire. The principality became part of the scattered holdings of the house of Orange-Nassau from the time that William the Silent inherited the title of Prince of Orange from his cousin in 1544, until it was finally ceded to France in 1713 under the Treaty of Utrecht. Although permanently lost by the Nassaus then, this fief gave its name to the extant Royal House of the Netherlands. The area of the principality was approximately 12 miles (19 km) long by 9 miles (14 km) wide, or 108 square miles (280 km2).[1]

History

Counts of Baux

The Carolingian counts of Orange had their origin in the 8th century, and the fief passed into the family of the lords of Baux. The Baux counts of Orange became fully independent with the breakup of the Kingdom of Burgundy after 1033.[citation needed] In 1163 Orange was raised to a principality, as a fief of the Holy Roman Empire.

Orange University

In 1365, Orange university was founded by Charles IV when he was in Arles for his coronation as king of Arles.

In 1431, the Count of Provence waived taxation duties for Orange's rulers (Mary of Baux-Orange and Jean de Châlons of Burgundy) in exchange for liquid assets to be used for a ransom. The town and principality of Orange was a part of administration and province of Dauphiné.

House of Orange-Nassau

In 1544, William the Silent, count of Nassau, with large properties in the Netherlands, inherited the principality. William, 11 years old at the time, was the cousin of René of Châlon who died without an heir when he was shot at St. Dizier in 1544 during the Franco-Imperial wars. René, it turned out, willed his entire fortune to this very young relative. Among those titles and estates was the Principality of Orange. René's mother, Claudia, had held the title prior to it being passed to young William since Philibert de Châlon was her brother.

When William inherited the Principality, it was incorporated into the holdings of what became the House of Orange. This pitched it into the Protestant side in the Wars of Religion, during which the town was badly damaged. In 1568 the Eighty Years' War began with William as Stadtholder of Holland leading the bid for independence of the Netherlands from Spain. William the Silent was assassinated in Delft in 1584. It was his son, Maurice of Nassau (Prince of Orange after his elder brother died in 1618), with the help of Johan van Oldenbarnevelt, who solidified the independence of the Dutch republic.

As an independent enclave within France, Orange became an attractive destination for Protestants and a Huguenot stronghold. William III of Orange, who ruled England as William III of England, was the last Prince of Orange to rule the principality.

Annexation by France

The principality was captured by the forces of Louis XIV under François Adhémar de Monteil Comte de Grignan, in 1672 during the Franco-Dutch War, and again in August 1682, but William did not concede his claim to rule. In 1702, William III died childless and the right to the principality became a matter of dispute between Frederick I of Prussia and John William Friso of Nassau-Dietz, who both claimed the title 'Prince of Orange'. In 1702 also, Louis XIV of France enfeoffed François Louis, Prince of Conti, a relative of the Châlon dynasty, with the Principality of Orange, so that there were three claimants to the title.

Finally in 1713 in the Treaty of Utrecht, Frederick I of Prussia ceded the Principality to France (without surrendering the princely title) in which cession the Holy Roman Empire as suzerain concurred, though John William Friso of Nassau-Dietz, the other claimant to the principality, did not concur. Only with the treaty of partition in 1732 did John William Friso's successor William IV, Prince of Orange, renounce all his claims to the territory, but again (like Frederick I) he did not renounce his claim to the title. In the same treaty an agreement was made between both claimants, stipulating that both houses be allowed to use the title.[2]

In 1713, after Orange was officially ceded to France, it became a part of the Province of the Dauphiné.

Following the French Revolution of 1789, Orange was absorbed into the French département of Drôme in 1790, then Bouches-du-Rhône, then finally Vaucluse.

In 1814, after the defeat of Napoleon, the Dutch Republic was not revived but replaced into the Kingdom of the United Netherlands, under a King of the House of Orange-Nassau. In 1815 the Congress of Vienna took care of a French sensitivity by stipulating that the Kingdom of the Netherlands would be ruled by the House of Oranje-Nassau – "Oranje", not "Orange" as had been the custom until then. The English language, however, continues to use the term Orange-Nassau.[3]

Today, Dutch crown princess Amalia carries the title "Princess of Orange" in the official form of Prinses van Oranje.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Principality_of_Orange

Trump International, Scotland

@TrumpScotland

Donald J Trump, 45th President of the United States, announced today the start of a new golf venture in Scotland: the MacLeod course, to be built at Trump International Scotland in Aberdeenshire in honor of his late mother Mary Anne MacLeod.

10:47 AM · May 1, 2023

https://x.com/TrumpScotland/status/1653093764271857666

James Francis Edward Stuart (10 June 1688 – 1 January 1766) [a] was the House of Stuart claimant to the thrones of England, Ireland and Scotland from 1701 until his death in 1766. The only son of James II of England and his second wife, Mary of Modena, he was Prince of Wales and heir until his Catholic father was deposed and exiled in the Glorious Revolution of 1688. His Protestant half-sister Mary II and her husband William III became co-monarchs. As a Catholic, he was subsequently excluded from the succession by the Act of Settlement 1701.

Raised primarily in France and Italy, when his father died in September 1701 James claimed the thrones. As part of the War of the Spanish Succession, in 1708 Louis XIV of France backed a landing in Scotland on his behalf. This failed, as did further attempts in 1715 and 1719. Led by his elder son Charles Edward Stuart, the 1745 Rising was the last serious effort to restore the House of Stuart.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Francis_Edward_Stuart 

With the Cold War now ended, America faces a new threat to her superpower status from the Pacific countries. In the meantime, the nations of Europe band together in what was once a seemingly well conceived economic community, but which is already suffering from the same pressures of individual custom and national sovereignty that beset the Holy Roman Empire. Whether nations are governed by military-style regimes or elected parliaments, by autocrats or democrats, and whether formally described as monarchist, socialist or republican, the net product is always the same: the few control the fate of the many. In situations of dictatorship this is a natural experience — but it should not be the case in a democratic institution based on the principle of majority vote. True democracy is government by the people for the people, in either direct or representative form, ignoring class distinctions and tolerating minority views. The American Constitution sets out an ideal for this form of democracy ... but, in line with other nations, there is always a large sector of the community that is not represented by the party in power. Because presidents and prime ministers are politically tied, and because political parties take their respective turns at individual helms, the inevitable result is a lack of continuity for the nations concerned. This is not necessarily a bad thing, but there is no reliable ongoing institution to champion the civil rights and liberties of people in such conditions of ever-changing leadership. Britain does, at least, retain a monarchy, but it is a politically constrained monarchy, and as such is ineffectual in performing its role as guardian of the nation. The United States, unlike Britain, has a Written Constitution — but has no one with the power to uphold its principles against successive governments who determinedly pursue their own politically vested interests. Is there an answer to the anomaly — an answer that could bring not just a ray of hope but a shining light for the future? There certainly is, but its energy relies on those in governmental service appreciating their roles as ‘representatives’ of society rather than presuming to stand at the head of society. Alongside the political administration, an appointed Constitutional champion would be empowered to keep check on any potential disparities and infringements of the Constitution that might occur. This can be achieved in the manner first envisaged by George Washington and the American Fathers. Their original plan was for a democratic Parliament combined with a working Constitutional Monarchy bound not to Parliament or the Church but to the people and their Written Constitution. In such an environment, sovereignty would ultimately rest with the people, while the monarch (as an operative Guardian of the Realm) would pledge an ‘Oath of Fealty to the Nation’ — not the reverse, as in Britain’s case, whereby the nation pays homage to the sovereignty of Parliament and the monarchy. The unfulfilled ambition of the American Fathers was that government ministers should be elected by the majority vote of the people, but that their actions be directed within the boundaries of the Constitution. Because that Constitution belongs to the people, its champion — as George Washington perceived — should be a monarch whose obligation is not to politics or religion but to the sovereign nation. Through the natural system of heredity (being born and bred to the task), such a Constitutional guardian would provide an ‘ongoing continuity’ of public representation through successive governments. In this regard both monarchs and ministers would be servants of the Constitution on behalf of the Community of the Realm. Such a concept of moral government lies at the very heart of the Grail Code, and it remains within the bounds of possibility for every civilized Nation State. A leading British politician recently claimed that it was not his job to be popular! Not so—a popular minister is a trusted minister, and holding a deserved electoral trust facilitates the democratic process. No minister can honestly expound an ideal of equality in society when that minister is deemed to possess some form of prior lordship over society. Class structure is always decided from above, never from below. It is therefore for those on self-made pedestals to be seen to kick them aside in the interests of harmony and unity. Jesus was not in the least humbled when he washed his Apostles’ feet; he was raised to the realm of a true Grail King — the realm of equality and princely service. This is the eternal ‘Precept of the Sangréal’, and it is expressed in Grail lore with the utmost clarity: only by asking ‘Whom does the Grail serve?’ will the wound of the Fisher King be healed, and the Wasteland returned to fertility.

pages 438-443

"The Sangreal Today"

Bloodline of the Holy Grail 

by Laurence Gardner

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1zsH4O_ls0IgWEYXLXWCo7I3IUi32FJhq/view?usp=sharing

https://www.facebook.com/4williamdunn/posts/pfbid0tQEJ8bL3Kj4SzzuogovpSCrkob8QQJXsCT6cUYECnUbwJRRjRQZoYM5wtTPaFLhvl

Chevy Chase (/ˈtʃɛviː tʃeɪs/) is the colloquial name of an area that includes a town, several incorporated villages, and an unincorporated census-designated place in southern Montgomery County, Maryland; and one adjoining neighborhood in northwest Washington, D.C. Most of these derive from a late-19th-century effort to create a new suburb that its developer dubbed Chevy Chase after a colonial land patent.

Primarily residential, Chevy Chase adjoins Friendship Heights, a popular shopping district. It is the home of the Chevy Chase Club and Columbia Country Club, private clubs whose members include many prominent politicians and Washingtonians.[1]

The name is derived from Cheivy Chace, the name of the land patented to Colonel Joseph Belt from Charles Calvert, 5th Baron Baltimore, on July 10, 1725. It has historic associations with a 1388 chevauchée, a French word describing a border raid, fought by Lord Percy of England and Earl Douglas of Scotland over hunting grounds, or a "chace", in the Cheviot Hills of Northumberland and Otterburn.[2] The battle was memorialized in "The Ballad of Chevy Chase".

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chevy_Chase,_Maryland

What is the Table of Nations?

Answer

Genesis chapter 10, commonly known as the Table of Nations, is a list of the patriarchal founders of seventy nations which descended from Noah through his three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Twenty-six of the seventy descended from Shem, thirty from Ham, and fourteen from Japheth. Genesis 10:32 sums up the chapter succinctly: "These are the families of the sons of Noah, according to their genealogies, by their nations; and out of these the nations were separated on the earth after the flood." Chapter 11 recounts their division at Babel.

The text seems to imply, though it never explicitly states, that the list was intended to be an exhaustive account. It has traditionally been interpreted as such. Nevertheless, this interpretation is speculative.

All of the biblical genealogies are abridged. Key historical figures are included while "lesser," or less culturally relevant, siblings are left out. It is possible that such is the case for the Table of Nations. The compiler of the Table may have focused his study on nations most significant to his own nation at the time of the Table’s compilation, while neglecting the founders of other far-flung, perhaps even long-forgotten nations. While every nation is ultimately related to every other nation through Noah, this ancestral tie does not indefinitely perpetuate mutual cultural significance among his descendants.

While some of the nations listed are easily identifiable, some remain obscure. Numerous scholars have attempted to identify these unknown nations with varying degrees of success. Due to the archaic nature of the source material, there remains considerable ambiguity.

The accuracy of the Table has been called into question by the fact that some of the relationships described do not match up with modern comparative linguistics. For example, the Elamites are said to have descended from Shem, yet their language was not Semitic. The Canaanites are said to have descended from Ham, yet their language was Semitic.

This objection assumes that these languages never experienced any dramatic change. The region’s history seems to suggest that this is a dubious assumption. The cultures of the region were constantly subject to migrations and invasions by foreign powers. The conquering empires often imposed their language and culture upon the vanquished.

The Hellenizing of the Persian Empire following Alexander the Great’s conquest is a classic example. Or consider the Israelites, who primarily spoke ancient Hebrew up until the Babylonian captivity and the Persian conquest. Then they adopted Aramaic, the official language of the Persian Empire. The Jewish Talmud was written in Aramaic, as were large portions of the books of Daniel and Ezra. Aramaic is thought to have been Jesus’ native language. Following Alexander’s conquest of Persia, the Jews adopted Greek as a second language. As a result, all of the New Testament was written in Greek. The languages of the region were not static.

The Hebrews invaded and conquered Canaan long before the Greeks, Persians, and Babylonians. Is it surprising that the Canaanites of the region adopted a Semitic language almost identical to ancient Hebrew? As for the Elamites, if we want to make a case from Elamite we have to start with proto-Elamite. Proto-Elamite remains undeciphered, so it cannot form the basis for a polemic against the Table of Nations. There is no evidence that the later, non-Semitic Elamite underlies proto-Elamite, and we do not know what influences may have altered the language at any time.

Another objection to the Table of Nations is that several of the nations listed do not appear in the historical record (as we have it today) until as late as the first millennium BC. This has led some critical scholars to date the Table no earlier than 7th century BC.

This is a recurring criticism of the Bible. Rather than give the Bible the benefit of the doubt whenever it mentions a city or culture that doesn’t appear anywhere else in the historical record, or whenever it places a culture in an era that antedates any other record we have from our other limited sources, critics generally assume that the biblical authors were either disingenuous or ignorant. Such was the case for the ancient metropolis of Nineveh and the ancient Hittite civilization of the Levant, both of which were rediscovered in modern times, in the 19th and 20th centuries, respectively, in a remarkable vindication of the Bible’s historical witness. The fact of the matter is our knowledge of ancient cultures is extremely fragmented and often dependent upon key assumptions. It is therefore speculative to argue that the Table of Nations was written so late based solely on the fact that some of the nations mentioned appear nowhere else than in later historical records.

One final objection concerns the fact that Nimrod is said to have been a son of Cush (Genesis 10:8), who is believed to have founded Nubia just south of Egypt. Yet Nimrod established several cities in Mesopotamia that show no sign of Nubian origin (Genesis 10:8-12). Does this mean, as some critics claim, that the Table is therefore manifestly wrong, either about Nimrod’s lineage or his role in establishing the Mesopotamian cities?

Skeptics who make this argument overlook the fact that Cush also fathered the founders of at least six Arabian nations (Genesis 10:7), none of which show signs of Nubian origin. This is because Nubia developed along its own cultural path over many generations. Nimrod was an immediate son of Cush. We have no reason to expect him or the cities he helped establish to show any sign of Nubian origin.

In summary, the Table of Nations presents the biblical, ethnological view that all nations descend from Noah through three of his sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth. It is not known whether the list of seventy was meant to be exhaustive or if there were some nations left out, intentionally or accidentally. The accuracy of what we do know about the Table has been called into question by skeptics whose polemical objections tend to be defective and insubstantial. Due to the archaic nature of the source material, the veracity of the Table ultimately remains undeterminable. In the end, those who accept it do so by faith, taking it for granted as part of a larger, justifiable perspective. Those who reject it essentially do so for the same reasons.

https://www.gotquestions.org/table-of-nations.html

Luke 3

1599 Geneva Bible

3 3 John exhorteth to repentance. 15 His testimony of Christ. 20 Herod putteth him in prison. 21 Christ is baptized. 23 His pedigree.

1 Now [a]in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judea, and Herod being Tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip Tetrarch of Iturea, and of the country of Trachonitis, and Lysanias the Tetrarch of Abilene,

2 (When [b]Annas and Caiaphas were the high Priests) the word of God came unto John, the son of Zacharias in the wilderness.

3 And he came into all the coasts about Jordan, preaching the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins,

4 As it is written in the book of the sayings of Isaiah the Prophet, which saith, The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness is, Prepare ye the way of the Lord: make his paths straight.

5 Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be brought low, and crooked things shall be made straight, and the rough ways shall be made smooth.

6 And all flesh shall see the salvation of God.

7 Then said he to the people that were come out to be baptized of him, O generations of vipers, who hath forewarned you to flee from the wrath to come?

8 Bring forth therefore fruits worthy amendment of life, and begin not to say with yourselves, We have Abraham to our Father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham.

9 Now also is the axe laid unto the root of the trees: therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit, shall be hewn down, and cast into the fire.

10 ¶ Then the people asked him, saying, What shall we do then?

11 And he answered, and said unto them, He that hath two coats, let him part with him that hath none: and he that hath meat, let him do likewise.

12 Then came there Publicans also to be baptized, and said unto him, Master, what shall we do?

13 And he said unto them, Require no more than that which is [c]appointed unto you.

14 The soldiers likewise demanded of him, saying, And what shall we do? And he said unto them, Do violence to no man, neither accuse any falsely, and be content with your [d]wages.

15 [e]As the people waited, and all men mused in their hearts of John, if he were not that Christ.

16 John answered, and said to them all, Indeed I baptize you with water, but one stronger than I, cometh, whose shoe’s latchet I am not worthy to unloose: he will baptize you with the holy Ghost, and with fire.

17 [f]Whose fan is in his hand, and he will make clean his floor, and will gather the wheat into his garner, but the chaff will he burn up with fire that never shall be quenched.

18 Thus then exhorting with many other things, he preached unto the people.

19 [g]But when Herod the Tetrarch was rebuked of him, for Herodias his brother Philip’s wife, and for all the evils which Herod had done,

20 He added yet this above all, that he shut up John in prison.

21 [h]Now it came to pass, as all the people were baptized, and that Jesus was baptized and did pray, that the heaven was opened:

22 And the holy Ghost came down in a bodily shape like a dove upon him, and there was a voice from heaven, saying, Thou art my beloved Son: in thee I am well pleased.

23 ¶ [i]And Jesus himself began to be about thirty years of age, being as men supposed the son of Joseph, which was the son of Heli,

24 The son of Matthat, the son of Levi, the son of Melchi, the son of Janna, the son of Joseph,

25 The son of Mattathiah, the son of Amos, the son of Nahum, the son of Esli, the son of Naggai,

26 The son of Maath, the son of Mattathiah, the son of Semei, the son of Joseph, the son of Judah,

27 The son of Joannas, the son of Rhesa, the son of Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel, the son of Neri,

28 The son of Melchi, the son of Addi, the son of Cosam, the son of Elmodam, the son of Er,

29 ¶ The son of Jose, the son of Eliezer, the son of Jorim, the son of Matthat, the son of Levi,

30 The son of Simeon, the son of Judah, the son of Joseph, the son of Jonan, the son of Eliakim,

31 The son of Melea, the son of Menan, the son of Mattathah, the son of Nathan, the son of David,

32 The son of Jesse, the son of Obed, the son of Boaz, the son of Salmon, the son of Nahshon,

33 The son of Amminadab, the son of Ram, the son of Hezron, the son of Perez, the son of Judah,

34 The son of Jacob, the son of Isaac, the son of Abraham, the son of Terah, the son of Nahor,

35 The son of Serug, the son of Reu, the son of Peleg, the son of Eber, the son of Shelah,

36 The son of Cainan, the son of Arphaxad, the son of Shem, the son of Noah, the son of Lamech,

37 The son of Methuselah, the son of Enoch, the son of Jared, the son of Mahalalel, the son of Cainan,

38 The son of Enosh, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God.

Footnotes

Luke 3:1 John cometh at the time foretold of the Prophets, and layeth the foundation of the Gospel which is exhibited unto us, setting forth the true observing of the Law, and free mercy in Christ, which cometh after him, using also baptism the effectual sign both of regeneration and also of forgiveness of sins.

Luke 3:2 Josephus calleth him Ananus.

Luke 3:13 Require no more than that sum that is appointed for the tribute money.

Luke 3:14 Which was paid them partly in money, and partly in victual.

Luke 3:15 If we would rightly, and fruitfully receive the sacraments, we must neither rest in the signs, neither in him that ministereth the signs, but lift up our eyes to Christ, who is the author of the sacraments, and the giver of that which is represented by the sacraments.

Luke 3:17 The Gospel is the fan of the world.

Luke 3:19 John’s preaching is confirmed with his death.

Luke 3:21 Our baptism is sanctified in the head of the Church, and Christ also is pronounced, by the voice of the Father, to be our everlasting King, Priest, and Prophet.

Luke 3:23 The stock of Christ, according to the flesh, is brought by order even to Adam, and so to God, that it might appear, that he only it was, whom God promised to Abraham and David, and appointed from everlasting to his Church, which is gathered together of all sorts of men.

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke%203&version=GNV