SpaceX reveals simpler lander to speed up Moon return

SpaceX reveals simpler lander to speed up Moon return

By David Szondy

November 07, 2025

The lander will have a new hoist for equipment and crew SpaceX

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With its metaphorical feet held over the allegorical fire by NASA, SpaceX has released a new, simplified plan to build a lander to put US astronauts back on the Moon now that the competition for the spacecraft has been reopened due to delays.

NASA's Artemis program to establish a permanent US human presence on the Moon is ambitious beyond any doubt. However, like previous American efforts, it's been fraught with cost overruns, delays and technical problems. One of the most aggravating of these bottlenecks has been building the lunar lander because if you don't have a way to actually put astronauts on the actual Moon, you're pretty much wasting your time.

SpaceX's original plan was to build a lander based on its still-experimental Starship rocket – more than just based on it, the craft would essentially be a complete, baseline Starship complete with airfoils and heat shields. The goal was to land up to 100 tonnes of supplies on the Moon or enough to establish a complete, sustainable base.

Interior of the lander

Interior of the landerSpaceX

This would require much more than just the lander to accomplish. It would also mean between 15 and 30 Starship launches to rendezvous with the lander in space in a Near-Rectilinear Halo Orbit (NRHO) and the transfer of 1,200 tonnes of volatile cryogenic fuels for the landing and to compensate for losses due to fuel boiling away before or during the mission. Each tanker was to be made fully reusable and able to return to Earth for powered landing.

That's all well and good, but it hasn't sat very well with NASA, which has been dealing with political pressures as well as setbacks with the Space Launch System (SLS) and the Orion crew spacecraft. A particularly irksome factor is that the SpaceX project has fallen behind, with the on-orbit cryogenic propellant transfer demonstration delayed until 2026.

In light of this, in October 2025 NASA's Acting Administrator Sean Duffy called for a major speed up of the lander program that included direct competition between SpaceX, which previously was the sole contractor, and Blue Origin. This included a demand for revised plans to be submitted to the space agency by October 29.

Rendering of the lander on the pad

Rendering of the lander on the padSpaceX

As a result, SpaceX has come up with a simplified lander plan. It's based on a stripped-down version of Starship with an emphasis on speed and crew safety over full cargo capacity. This means losing a lot of equipment from the craft as well as making it include expendable tanks and other components to save weight. In addition, the NRHO rendezvous would be abandoned in favor of one in low-lunar orbit, which has a lower energy requirement and is safer if a mission abort is needed.

The purpose of all this is to simplify the hardware and to impose milestones to speed up approval of the various onboard systems, as well as modifications to Starship that include installation of a pair of new airlocks – each of which will have more volume than that of an Apollo Lunar Module – and a hoist to lower astronauts to the surface instead of climbing down a 100-ft (30-m) ladder. In addition, this new plan would drastically cut down the number of fueling trips required for a landing mission to less than 10.

"Starship continues to simultaneously be the fastest path to returning humans to the surface of the Moon and a core enabler of the Artemis program’s goal to establish a permanent, sustainable presence on the lunar surface," said the company in a statement. "SpaceX shares the goal of returning to the Moon as expeditiously as possible, approaching the mission with the same alacrity and commitment that returned human spaceflight capability to America under NASA’s Commercial Crew program."

Source: SpaceX

https://newatlas.com/space/spacex-simpler-lander-moon-return/

The Space Shuttle is a retired, partially reusable low Earth orbital spacecraft system operated from 1981 to 2011 by the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) as part of the Space Shuttle program. Its official program name was the Space Transportation System (STS), taken from the 1969 plan led by U.S. vice president Spiro Agnew for a system of reusable spacecraft where it was the only item funded for development.[8]: 163–166 [9][10]

The first (STS-1) of four orbital test flights occurred in 1981, leading to operational flights (STS-5) beginning in 1982. Five complete Space Shuttle orbiter vehicles were built and flown on a total of 135 missions from 1981 to 2011. They launched from the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida. Operational missions launched numerous satellites, interplanetary probes, and the Hubble Space Telescope (HST), conducted science experiments in orbit, participated in the Shuttle-Mir program with Russia, and participated in the construction and servicing of the International Space Station (ISS). The Space Shuttle fleet's total mission time was 1,323 days.[11]

Space Shuttle components include the Orbiter Vehicle (OV) with three clustered Rocketdyne RS-25 main engines, a pair of recoverable solid rocket boosters (SRBs), and the expendable external tank (ET) containing liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen. The Space Shuttle was launched vertically, like a conventional rocket, with the two SRBs operating in parallel with the orbiter's three main engines, which were fueled from the ET. The SRBs were jettisoned before the vehicle reached orbit, while the main engines continued to operate, and the ET was jettisoned after main engine cutoff and just before orbit insertion, which used the orbiter's two Orbital Maneuvering System (OMS) engines. At the conclusion of the mission, the orbiter fired its OMS to deorbit and reenter the atmosphere. The orbiter was protected during reentry by its thermal protection system tiles, and it glided as a spaceplane to a runway landing, usually to the Shuttle Landing Facility at KSC, Florida, or to Rogers Dry Lake in Edwards Air Force Base, California. If the landing occurred at Edwards, the orbiter was flown back to the KSC atop the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA), a specially modified Boeing 747 designed to carry the shuttle above it.

The first orbiter, Enterprise, was built in 1976 and used in Approach and Landing Tests (ALT), but had no orbital capability. Four fully operational orbiters were initially built: Columbia, Challenger, Discovery, and Atlantis. Of these, two were lost in mission accidents: Challenger in 1986 and Columbia in 2003, with a total of 14 astronauts killed. A fifth operational (and sixth in total) orbiter, Endeavour, was built in 1991 to replace Challenger. The three surviving operational vehicles were retired from service following Atlantis's final flight on July 21, 2011. The U.S. relied on the Russian Soyuz spacecraft to transport astronauts to the ISS from the last Shuttle flight until the launch of the Crew Dragon Demo-2 mission in May 2020.[12]

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

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 2005 until his resignation in 2013. Following his resignation, he chose to be known as "pope emeritus", a title he held until his death on 31 December 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. In 2002, he also became 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] Following the death of John Paul II on 2 April 2005, a conclave elected Ratzinger as his successor on 19 April; he chose Benedict XVI as his papal name in honour of Benedict XV and Benedict of Nursia.

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 criticized by public health officials, anti-AIDS activists, and victims' rights organizations.[9][10]

Citing health reasons due to his advanced age, Benedict resigned as pope on 28 February 2013. He became the first pope to resign from office since Gregory XII in 1415, and the first without external pressure since Celestine V in 1294. He subsequently moved into the newly renovated Mater Ecclesiae Monastery in Vatican City for his retirement. The 2013 conclave elected Francis as his successor on 13 March. 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

Featured Artifact: A Scottish Rite Flag that Went to the Moon

 In the above video, Bro. Joshua Aaron Poole, 32°, House of the Temple Museum Curator and Archival Associate, discusses the history of this unique piece that traveled to the moon with astronaut “Buzz” Aldrin on Apollo XI in 1969 and the flag’s significance to Freemasonry and the Scottish Rite. (Having trouble viewing the video? Watch it on Vimeo.)

https://scottishrite.org/scottish-rite-myths-and-facts/featured-artifact-scottish-rite-flag-went-moon/

Pope Paul VI watched arrival Apollo 11's on the moon and sent a message

Other Popes

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19/07/2019

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Pope Paul VI visited the Vatican Astronomical Observatory to follow the arrival of the first man on the moon.

There, he observed the moon with the the space telescope and followed the landing on television.

Afterward, he sent a greeting praising the work of those involved in this project.

Very few know, but the astronauts of Apollo 11 left on the moon messages from heads of states. On behalf of Pope Paul VI they brought Psalm 8:

“When I see your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and stars that you set in place— What is man that you are mindful of him, and a son of man that you care for him?”

Ever since, popes and astronauts have often been in contact with each other.

Benedict XVI connected in 2011 with the International Space Station, and had fun seeing the effects of no gravity.  

Additionally, Pope Francis had a similar encounter in 2017.

A few months later, he met them at the Vatican. The astronauts brought him a surprise gift: an authentic and personalized space suit.

“We have decided that to begin with, as you are what you wear, to make you one like ours ...”

“Ah okay! And you plan the trip for me...”

It is a story that all began one night in Castel Gandolfo, when the pope wanted to watch the arrival of the first man on the moon.

https://www.romereports.com/en/2019/07/19/pope-paul-vi-watched-arrival-apollo-11s-on-the-moon-and-sent-a-message/

Tranquility Base (Latin: Statio Tranquillitatis) is the site on the Moon where, in July 1969, humans landed and walked on a celestial body other than Earth for the first time. On July 20, 1969, Apollo 11 crewmembers Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landed their Apollo Lunar Module Eagle at approximately 20:17:40 UTC. Armstrong exited the spacecraft six hours and 39 minutes after touchdown, followed 19 minutes later by Aldrin. The astronauts spent two hours and 31 minutes examining and photographing the lunar surface, setting up several scientific experiment packages, and collecting 47.5 pounds (21.5 kg) of dirt and rock samples for return to Earth. They lifted off the surface on July 21 at 17:54 UTC.

Tranquility Base was named by Aldrin and Armstrong, and first announced by Armstrong when the Lunar Module Eagle landed. It is located in the south-western corner of the dark lunar plain Mare Tranquillitatis ("Sea of Tranquility").[1]

Due to involvement of facilities within the U.S. states of California and New Mexico with the Apollo program, the relevant government bodies in these states have registered Tranquility Base as a historic site associated with the heritage of the respective state: the California State Historical Resources Commission in the California Register of Historical Resources,[2] and the New Mexico Historic Preservation Division of the New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs in the New Mexico State Register of Cultural Properties site #1946. However, Texas, the U.S. National Park Service, and UNESCO have declined to do so, citing the procedural technicality that it is not located within their borders (which according to common convention don't extend thousands of miles beyond the Earth's surface).

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

The Latin word mare ('sea') was a pun upon the name Mary, and the phrase Stella maris is an mistranslation of the Hebrew form of her name, Miriam.

Mary as a star, giving guidance to sailors on a stormy ocean, became a popular metaphor for the help she gave to mankind on earth. The great fourteenth-century Italian poet Petrarch, wrote a powerful lyric on the subject:

Bright virgin, steadfast in eternity /

Star of this storm-tossed sea, /

Trusted guide of every trustful pilot, /

Turn your thoughts to the terrifying squall /

In which I find myself, alone and rudderless...

Interestingly, Stella maris was originally an epithet of the goddess Isis in Roman religion. Like Mary, Isis was a divine mother with a very popular cult, and representations of her with her baby son Horus in Egyptian art to some extent influenced the way early artists showed the Virgin and Child.

Here is an example in the Fitzwilliam, dating from between 715 and 525 BCE [E.122.1954].

https://fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/explore-our-collection/highlights/context/sign-and-symbols/the-star-of-mary

"Savoy Truffle" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles from their 1968 album The Beatles (also known as "the White Album"). The song was written by George Harrison and inspired by his friend Eric Clapton's fondness for chocolate. The lyrics list the various flavours offered in Mackintosh's Good News chocolates and serve as a warning to Clapton about the detrimental effect that his gorging would have on his teeth. Along with Clapton's guest appearance on the White Album track "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" and Harrison reciprocating on Cream's "Badge", it is one of several songs that mark the start of a long-lasting musical association between the two guitarists.

The Beatles recorded "Savoy Truffle" in October 1968, towards the end of the five-month sessions for the album. An upbeat rock track in the soul genre, the song reflects Harrison's return to the guitar as his main musical instrument after two years of studying the Indian sitar. The recording includes a Chris Thomas-arranged horn section, and introduced the horn-heavy sound that became a feature of Harrison's music as a solo artist. Through the lyrics' reference to "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da", the song is also an example of the Beatles' use of self-quotation in their later work.

On release, "Savoy Truffle" was viewed by many commentators as a sign of Harrison's growing maturity as a songwriter. Among more recent assessments, Ian MacDonald cited it as an example of the lesser material found on The Beatles, while Daryl Easlea of BBC Music describes it as one of the "doodles that delight" and "a fine counterweight" to "While My Guitar Gently Weeps".[3] Ella Fitzgerald, Terry Manning and They Might Be Giants have also recorded the song.

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

Benjamin Franklin: Templar Spy Master

Benjamin Franklin became a Mason in February 1731 and Provincial Grand Master of Pennsylvania in 1734, and again in 1749. In 1756 he was inducted into the Royal Society in absensia. (The Royal Society, you may recall, was an English Masonic front organization for the Rosicrucian Priory of Sion.)

Between 1757 and 1762, and again between 1764 and 1775, Franklin spent considerable time in England and France. While in England, he discovered English Freemasonry's "Secret Doctrine" for America. Franklin was in London in 1775 when he was made aware that war between the colonies and Great Britain might break out at any moment, so in March he returned to Philadelphia. Later that year he attended the Second Continental Congress, through which he helped draft the Declaration of Independence. In 1776 he was sent to Paris where he came in contact with the Illuminati. Franklin learned of the esoteric significance of the number "13" and the Illuminati plan for the "13" American colonies. He stayed in Paris only a short while, returning to America with this important information. On the afternoon of July 4, 1776, he, with two other Masons, were appointed by the Continental Congress to design the Great Seal of the United States of America, which would include the Seal of the Illuminati.

Baigent suggests that Franklin favored the Illuminati plan to create a New World democracy, a "Philosophical Atlantis," over the British plan for an oligarchic expansion of empire. When Franklin was in France, he began to build a spy network in preparation for America's independence from England. Baigent gives us the details:

On 9 November [1777], a special committee - the "Committee of Congress for Secret Correspondence" - was appointed to establish a network of contacts among "our friends abroad." This committee consisted of Robert Morris, John Jay, Benjamin Harrison, John Dickinson and Benjamin Franklin. It was to operate extensively through Freemasonic channels and to lead to the creation of an elaborate spy network. At the same time, and quite coincidentally, it was to overlap a British spy network which ran parallel to it and also operated through Freemasonic channels. Both networks were to be based primarily in Paris, which became the centre for a vast web of espionage, intrigue and shifting allegiances.28

Spying was not foreign to Franklin. As Deputy Postmaster General for the American colonies from the 1750s until 1775, he became particularly friendly with his British counterpart, Sir Francis Dashwood, who moved in Jacobite Masonic circles. Dashwood also had Masonic friends who were staunch supporters of Charles Edward Stuart. While in England Franklin stayed at Dashwood's estate. Michael Baigent gives us more details about the "traditional" role of spymaster incumbent upon Postmasters-General:

Because it afforded access to virtually all letters, all communications, the position of Postmaster-General was also traditionally that of spymaster. And during the American War for Independence, their experience as Postmasters-General was to stand both Dashwood and Franklin in good stead.

In his dual role of spymaster and colonial ambassador to France, Franklin established his centre of operations in Paris. He was accompanied here by two other appointees of the Congressional Committee for Secret Correspondence, Silas Deane and Arthur Lee. Lee's brother was based in London. So, too, was Franklin's sister, who is also believed to have been engaged in espionage.29

Franklin's sister introduced Franklin to the Howe brothers, one a General in the British Army, the other an Admiral, both of whom belonged to Templar military lodges in the colonial theater of operation. As Templars they were favorable to the rebellion. And in fact in 1781 the Howe brothers were accused of "belonging to a 'faction' which conspired to facilitate the colonists' bid for independence."30

Franklin's Templar Masonic friends in the postal service and in the military also had Templar sympathizers in the British Parliament. These traitors to the British Crown clandestinely raised money for the Colonial Continental Army and remitted it to Franklin in Paris. Franklin passed it on to North America, or used it in France to purchase arms and material. In 1778 Franklin joined the Illuminati lodge "Neuf Soeurs" (Nine Sisters), assisting in the initiation of Voltaire. Later he became Grand Master of the Lodge. In 1782 Franklin joined a more elusive and mysterious Freemasonic conclave, the Royal Lodge of Commanders of the Temple West.

As stated earlier, the British spy network in Paris was also Masonic. Its agents had penetrated Franklin's operation by joining his Nine Sisters' Lodge. Thus, "the British government was kept apprised not only of the colonists' activities, but also of French plans for entering the war."31

British knowledge of the impending colonial revolt did not, however, reach ears in America, because the British colonial high command in charge of the Crown's army and navy in the New World (namely the Howe brothers) were Templar Freemasons solidly in the camp of Franklin. To guarantee the success of the American Revolution, the Howe brothers displayed dilatory conduct throughout the war.

A Templar American Revolution

The war for American independence was a continuation of the battle between English and French Freemasonry. The conflict over the control of "New Atlantis" originated in Boston between two adversarial lodges, Sionist St. John's and Templar St. Andrew's. Among the members of St. Andrew's were John Hancock and Paul Revere. To the south in Virginia were two other Templar Masons, Patrick Henry and Richard Henry Lee, who in 1769 prompted the Virginia Assembly to formally condemn the British government. Events swiftly accelerated toward open conflict between England and her American colonies. In 1770 the famous Boston Massacre occurred when British sentries killed five rioters. In 1771 thirteen rebels were executed for treason in North Carolina. In 1772 two prominent Freemasons, John Brown and Abraham Whipple, had attacked a customs ship off Rhode Island and burned it. In 1773 the British government increased the tax on tea to keep the British East India Company solvent. In retaliation, Templar Masons from St. Andrew's Lodge dressed as Mohawk Indians, boarded the Dartmouth in Boston harbor and dumped its tea overboard. This was the famous "Boston Tea Party" that is said to have triggered the American Revolution.32

It took three months for the news of the "Boston Tea Party" to reach London, whereupon the British Parliament declared Massachusetts to be in a state of rebellion. Not realizing the significance of the Masonic division in the colonies, the Crown's action was swift and misguidedly drastic. The "Boston Port Bill," which placed an embargo on all trade with Boston, for example, effectively closed the port,33 and stiffened colonial resolve against the Crown.

On September 5, 1774, the First Continental Congress convened in Philadelphia to plan action against the British. The Congress was under the presidency of Templar Freemason Peyton Randolph, a prominent attorney and Provincial Grand Master of Virginia. Boston delegates included Samuel Adams and Paul Revere. In February 1775, the Massachusetts Provincial Congress met and announced plans for armed resistance. Within a month Templar Freemason Patrick Henry made his famous speech - "Give me liberty, or give me death" - to Virginia's Provincial Assembly. On April 18, 1775, 700 British troops were dispatched outside Boston. Templar Freemason Paul Revere made his famous ride, announcing "The Red Coats are coming!" The Templar bid to take America from Rosicrucian England had begun.34

Scarlet and the Beast

by John Daniel

https://ia803001.us.archive.org/28/items/ScarletAndTheBeastJohnDaniel1995/Scarlet%20and%20the%20Beast,%20John%20Daniel%20(1995).pdf

Trump, Vance meet with Pope Leo's Florida brother, 'a major MAGA fan', at White House

Kim Luciani

USA TODAY NETWORK - Florida

May 22, 2025, 12:58 p.m. ET

Key Points AI-assisted summary

President Donald Trump met with Pope Leo XIV's brother, Louis Prevost, at the White House.

Trump publicly praised Prevost, a Florida resident, for being a "major MAGA fan."

Louis Prevost acknowledged his political views and stated his intention to "tone it down" to avoid causing issues for the pope.

President Donald Trump met with Pope Leo XIV's Florida brother Louis Prevost at the White House on May 20, after praising Prevost to reporters at the Capitol earlier in the day, calling him a "major MAGA fan."

Trump told reporters he likes the pope and both of his brothers, but spotlighted the eldest brother, Navy veteran and Port Charlotte resident Louis Prevost.

"I like the new pope and I like the pope's brother. You know, one of the pope's brothers – actually both of them – but one in particular is a major MAGA fan. Did you know that? He lives in Florida," Trump said.

"And I look forward to getting him to the White House. I want to shake his hand, I want to give him a big hug."

Later that day, the White House visit happened. Louis Prevost and his wife Deborah met with Trump and Vice President JD Vance in the Oval Office.

"Great meeting between President Trump, Vice President Vance, and @Pontifex’s brother, Louis Prevost and his wife Deborah," Special Assistant to the President and Communications Advisor Margo Martin posted on X, along with a photo of the meeting.

Louis Prevost excited and happy about brother Pope Leo XVI's papacy

The Prevost brothers — Louis, John and Robert (Pope Leo XIV) — grew up in Chicago in a traditional Catholic family.

Louis Prevost said his youngest brother Robert wanted to "play priest" when he was 6 and set his sights on the priesthood as a freshman in high school. Their parents, neighbors and even strangers told Robert, "You're going to be pope someday," he said.

Robert Prevost's election as Pope Leo XIV left Louis Prevost excited, happy, mind blown and a little worried about how the papacy would impact their relationship.

“I just freaked out and said ‘It’s Rob, OMG.’ I was up, dressed, out, just going nuts,” he told WBBH.

“We can only hope that we can maintain that closeness, and we don't do anything to embarrass him,” he said.

Louis Prevost attended Pope Leo's inaugural mass at the Vatican on May 18. The brothers shared a hug after the service.

Pope Leo's Florida brother Louis Prevost is a MAGA, Trump supporter

Trump told reporters Louis Prevost is a "major MAGA fan."

In an interview with Piers Morgan, Louis Prevost said, "I don’t want to create waves that don’t need to be there because I’m a MAGA type and I have my beliefs,” he said. “I don’t need to create heat for him. He’s going to have enough to handle as it is without the press going ‘the pope’s brother says this.’ He doesn’t need that.”

Asked about his reposts of controversial social media memes, including one calling Nancy Pelosi a drunk (expletive), and how they might affect the pope, Louis Prevost said he will "tone it down."

"He knows I am who I am," he said of the pope. "He's well aware of my position. He knows I'm probably not going to change and I don't think I will, other than to, just like you say, tone it down."

Contributing: Melissa Pérez-Carrillo, Herald-Tribune, Ashley Ferrer, USA TODAY Network-Florida

https://www.heraldtribune.com/story/news/2025/05/22/trump-pope-leo-florida-maga-brother-louis-prevost-white-house-visit/83773944007/

A papal renunciation (Latin: renuntiatio), also called a papal abdication, occurs when the current pope of the Catholic Church voluntarily resigns his position. As a pope conventionally holds the office for life, a papal renunciation is an uncommon event. Before the 21st century, only five popes unambiguously resigned with historical certainty, all between the 10th and 15th centuries. There are disputed claims of four popes having resigned, dating from the 3rd to the 11th centuries; a fifth disputed case may have involved an antipope.

Additionally, a few popes during the saeculum obscurum were "deposed", meaning driven from office by force. The history and canonical question here is complicated; generally, the official Vatican list of popes seems to recognize such "depositions" as valid renunciations if the pope acquiesced, but not if he did not. The later development of canon law has been in favor of papal supremacy, leaving no recourse to the removal of a pope involuntarily.[1]

The most recent pope to resign was Benedict XVI, who vacated the Holy See on 28 February 2013, the date of his effective resignation. He was the first pope to do so since Gregory XII in 1415.

Despite its common usage in discussion of papal renunciations,[2] the term abdication is not used in the official documents of the church for renunciation by a pope.

Modern procedure

In the Latin Church of the Catholic Church, the official laws on all matters are codified in the Latin edition of the 1983 Code of Canon Law. This regulates papal renunciations in canon 332 §2, where it states:

Si contingat ut Romanus Pontifex muneri suo renuntiet, ad validitatem requiritur ut renuntiatio libere fiat et rite manifestetur, non vero ut a quopiam acceptetur.[3] (In English:[4] If it happens that the Roman Pontiff resigns his office, it is required for validity that the resignation be made freely and properly manifested but not that it is accepted by anyone.)[5]

This corresponds to canon 221 of the 1917 Code of Canon Law, which in Latin is:

Si contingat ut Romanus Pontifex renuntiet, ad eiusdem renuntiationis validitatem non est necessaria Cardinalium aliorumve acceptatio. (In English:[6] If it happens that the Roman Pontiff resigns his office, it is not required for validity that the resignation is accepted by the Cardinals or by anyone else.[7])

Both the 1983 code and the 1917 code make explicit that there is no particular individual or body of people to whom the pope must manifest his renunciation. This addresses a concern raised in earlier centuries, specifically by 18th-century canonist Lucius Ferraris, who held that the College of Cardinals or at least its Dean must be informed, since the cardinals must be absolutely certain that the pope has renounced the dignity before they can validly proceed to elect a successor.[2][8]

In 1996, Pope John Paul II, in his Apostolic Constitution Universi Dominici gregis, anticipated the possibility of resignation when he specified that the procedures he set out in that document should be observed "even if the vacancy of the Apostolic See should occur as a result of the resignation of the Supreme Pontiff".[9]

History

The Catholic Encyclopedia notes the historically obscure renunciations of Pontian[10] (230–235) and Marcellinus (296–308), the historically postulated renunciation of Liberius (352–366),[2] and mentions that one (unspecified) catalogue of popes lists John XVIII as resigning office in 1009 and finishing his life as a monk.[11][12]

11th century

The first historically unquestionable[2] papal renunciation is that of Benedict IX in 1045. Benedict had also previously been deposed by Sylvester III in 1044, and though he returned to take up the office again the next year, the Vatican considers Sylvester III to have been a legitimate pope in the intervening months (meaning that Benedict IX must be considered to have validly resigned by acquiescing to the deposition in 1044). Then, in 1045, having regained the papacy for a few months, in order to rid the church of the scandalous Benedict, Gregory VI gave Benedict "valuable possessions"[2] to resign the papacy in his favour.[13] Gregory himself resigned in 1046 because the arrangement he had entered into with Benedict could have been considered simony. Gregory was followed by Clement II, and when Clement died, Benedict IX returned to be elected to the papacy for a third time, only to resign yet again before dying in a monastery. He was thus pope for three non-consecutive periods of time, and either resigned or was deposed three times.

Celestine V

A well-known renunciation of a pope is that of Celestine V, in 1294. After only five months as pope, he issued a solemn decree declaring it permissible for a pope to resign, and then did so himself. He lived two more years as a hermit and then prisoner of his successor Boniface VIII, and was later canonised. Celestine's decree, and Boniface concurring (not revoking it), ended any doubt among canonists about the possibility of a valid papal renunciation.[14]

Western Schism

Gregory XII (1406–1415) resigned in 1415 in order to end the Western Schism, which had reached the point where there were three claimants to the papal throne: Roman Pope Gregory XII, Avignon Antipope Benedict XIII, and Pisan Antipope John XXIII. Before resigning, he formally convened the already existing Council of Constance and authorized it to elect his successor.

Benedict XVI

Main article: Resignation of Pope Benedict XVI

Benedict XVI's renunciation of the papacy took effect on 28 February 2013 at 20:00 (8:00 pm) CET (19:00 UTC), after being announced on the morning of 11 February by the Vatican.[15][16][17] He was the first pope to relinquish the office since Gregory XII resigned to end the Western Schism in 1415[18] and the first to do so on his own initiative since Celestine V in 1294.[19] His action was unexpected,[20] given that the modern era popes have held the position from election until death.[20] He said he was motivated by his declining health due to old age.[21] The conclave to select his successor began on 12 March 2013[22] and elected Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, Archbishop of Buenos Aires, who took the name Francis.

List of papal renunciations

Pontificate Portrait Regnal name Personal name Reason for renunciation Notes

Alleged resignations

21 July 230

– 28 September 235

(5 years, 69 days) St Pontian Pontianus Exiled by Roman authorities Renunciation documented only in the Liberian Catalogue, which records his renunciation as 28 September 235, the earliest exact date in papal history.[23][24]

30 June 296

– 25 October 304

(8 years, 117 days) St Marcellinus Marcellinus Said to have been tainted by offerings to the pagan gods during the Diocletian persecution Renunciation is documented only in the Liberian Catalogue.

17 May 352

– 24 September 366

(14 years, 130 days) Liberius Liberius Banished by Emperor Constantius II[2] Renunciation is speculated to explain the succession of Antipope Felix II,[2] although Liber Pontificalis argues that Liberius retained office in exile.

25 December 1003

– 18 July 1009

(5 years, 205 days) John XVIII Giovanni Fasano Abdicated and retired to a monastery Renunciation documented only in one catalog of popes

13 January 1045

– 10 March 1045

(56 days) Sylvester III Giovanni dei Crescenzi-Ottaviani Driven out of office by the return of Benedict IX Some claim he was never pope, but an antipope. The official Vatican list includes him however, which assumes Benedict IX acquiesced to his first deposition and that the new election was valid. Sylvester returned to his old bishopric, seemingly accepting the deposition.

Reliable resignations

22 May 964

– 23 June 964

(32 days) Benedict V Benedetto Deposed by Emperor Otto I Deposed in favor of the antipope Leo VIII, who then became a valid pope. Benedict's abdication was considered valid. Retained the rank of deacon. Lived out the rest of his life in Hamburg under the care of Adaldag, Archbishop of Hamburg-Bremen.

Oct 1032–Sept 1044

April 1045–May 1045

Nov 1047–July 1048 Benedict IX Teofilatto di Tuscolo Deposed briefly from his first term as pope, bribed to resign his second term after several reputed scandals, and also resigned his third term Earliest renunciation recognized in the ordering of popes. He was pope on three occasions between 1032 and 1048.[25] One of the youngest popes, he was the only man to have been pope on more than one occasion and the only man ever to have sold the papacy.

1 May 1045

– 20 December 1046

(1 year, 233 days) Gregory VI Giovanni Graziano Pierleoni Accused of simony for bribing Benedict IX to resign Abdicated or deposed at the Council of Sutri.

5 July 1294

– 13 December 1294

(161 days) St Celestine V, O.S.B. Pietro Angelerio da Morrone Lack of competence for the office With no administrative experience, Celestine V fell under the control of secular politicians. To protect the church, he resigned. He was the first pope to establish canons for renunciation.

30 November 1406

– 4 July 1415

(8 years, 216 days) Gregory XII Angelo Correr To end the Western Schism Abdicated during the Council of Constance, which had been called by his opponent, Antipope John XXIII.

19 April 2005

– 28 February 2013

(7 years, 315 days) Benedict XVI Joseph Alois Ratzinger

Main article: Resignation of Pope Benedict XVI

Physical infirmity due to advanced age (85 at the time) Became pope emeritus upon renunciation.

Conditional renunciations not put into effect

Before setting out for Paris to crown Napoleon in 1804, Pope Pius VII (1800–1823) signed a document of renunciation to take effect if he were imprisoned in France.[2]

During World War II, Pope Pius XII drew up a document ordering that his resignation take effect immediately if he were kidnapped by the Nazis, as was thought likely in August 1943. It was thought that the College of Cardinals would evacuate to a neutral country, perhaps Portugal, and elect his successor.[26]

According to longtime curial official Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, Pope Paul VI handwrote two letters in the late 1960s or 1970, well before his death, in anticipation of an incapacitating illness. One letter was addressed to the College of Cardinals, the other to the Secretary of State, whose name was not specified. Pope John Paul II showed them to Re, and they were shown to Pope Benedict XVI in 2003.[27][28] In 2018, Paul's letter dated 2 May 1965 and addressed to the dean of the College of Cardinals was published. He wrote that "In case of infirmity, which is believed to be incurable or is of long duration and which impedes us from sufficiently exercising the functions of our apostolic ministry; or in the case of another serious and prolonged impediment", he renounced his office "both as bishop of Rome as well as head of the same holy Catholic Church".[29][30]

Pope John Paul II wrote a letter in 1989 offering to resign if he became incapacitated. The letter said that if ill health or some other unforeseen difficulty prevented him from "sufficiently carrying out the functions of my apostolic ministry … I renounce my sacred and canonical office, both as bishop of Rome as well as head of the holy Catholic Church." In 1994 he wrote a document that he apparently planned to read aloud, which explained that he had determined he could not resign merely because of age, as other bishops are required to do, but only "in the presence of an incurable illness or an impediment", and that he would therefore continue in office.[31][32] He prayed in his will, written in 2000, that God "would help me to recognise how long I must continue this service", suggesting that renunciation was possible.[33] In the weeks before his death in 2005, there was press speculation that John Paul might resign because of his failing health.[34]

Pope Francis had confirmed he had a resignation letter prepared in the first months of his pontificate, in the event he needed to abdicate his position due to illness "impeding his work" as pope. This letter was never enforced, and he died in office in 2025.[35]

Incapacitation

Canon law makes no provision for a pope being incapacitated by reason of health, either temporarily or permanently; nor does it specify what body has the authority to certify that the pope is incapacitated.[36] It does state that "When the Roman See is vacant, or completely impeded, no innovation is to be made in the governance of the universal Church."[37][38]

See also

Sede vacante

Jewish pope Andreas, a Jewish legend about a Jewish boy in the Middle Ages from the German town of Mainz who is kidnapped while asleep, told his parents had died, converts to Catholicism, becomes a priest and is elected Pope but then engineers a meeting with Mainz Jews, discovers his rabbi father is still alive when he appears, before admitting to his father that he is his long-lost son, abdicates from the papacy, converts back to Judaism and moves back to Mainz.

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

All historians acknowledge the ascendancy of the popes began in 308 A.D., when King Clovis of the Salian or Merovingian Franks (later France), won the decisive battle in the Catholic and Arian religious war, thereby settling the dispute in favor of the Catholics. But the popes' temporal reign officially began in the year 538 A.D. when Roman Emperor Justinian subdued the last of the three kingdoms, or "horns," that opposed the rise of the Papacy."

-page 137

Chapter 19 "Exposed (Again): 1260 Years of World Domination

Codeword Barbelon book 2

by P.D. Stuart

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

Louis Raphaël I Sako (Arabic: لويس روفائيل ساكو;[1] born 4 July 1948) is a Chaldean Catholic prelate who has served as Patriarch of Baghdad since 1 February 2013. Pope Francis made him a cardinal on 28 June 2018.

Biography

Early life

Sako was born in the city of Zakho, Iraq, on 4 July 1948.[2] He comes from an ethnic Assyrian family of the Chaldean Catholic Church that has roots in a religious community that has had a presence in the city of his birth since the 5th century AD.[3]

He completed his early studies in Mosul and then attended the Dominican-run Saint Jean’s Seminary there. He was ordained a priest on 1 June 1974 and filled his first pastoral assignment at the Cathedral of Mosul until 1979. He then earned a doctorate in Eastern patrology at the Pontifical Oriental Institute. When denied a license to teach because he was only qualified for religious instruction, he earned a second doctorate in history from the Sorbonne in Paris.[4] With this he secured his teaching license and was able to provide religious instruction. From 1997 to 2002 he was rector of the Patriarchal Seminary in Baghdad. He then returned to Mosul and guided the parish of Perpetual Help for a year.[5][6]

Sako speaks Neo-Aramaic, German, French, English, Italian, Kurdish and Arabic.[2]

Archeparch

A synod of the bishops of the Chaldean Catholic Church meeting in Baghdad elected Sako Archeparch of Kirkuk on 24 October 2002. Pope John Paul II gave his assent on 27 September 2003.[7] He received his episcopal consecration on 14 November 2003 from his predecessor in Kirkuk, André Sana.[8]

In August 2009, and at the beginning of Ramadan, Sako organized an appeal for national peace, reconciliation and end to violence on the part of more than fifty religious leaders in Kirkuk. He called it "a gesture of closeness to our Muslim brothers. We are all brothers, sons of the same God we must respect and cooperate for the good of the people and our country." The participants included representatives of Ali Sistani and Muqtada al Sadr.[9]

Patriarch

The Synod of Bishops of the Chaldean Catholic Church, convoked in Rome on 28 January 2013, elected Sako to succeed Emmanuel III Delly as Patriarch of Babylon. He chose Louis Raphael I as his regnal name. Pope Benedict XVI gave his assent to the election on 1 February[2] and granted him ecclesiastica communio (ecclesiastical communion) as required by the canon law for Eastern-rite Catholic churches in recognition of their unity with the wider Catholic church.[10]

That same year, Iraq's President Jalal Talabani issued a decree recognizing Sako as Patriarch of the Chaldean Church.[11]

In July 2014 Sako led a wave of condemnation for the Sunni Islamists who demanded Christians either convert, submit to their radical rule and pay a religious levy or face death by the sword.[12] In September 2014 Sako said “The U.S. is indirectly responsible for what is going on in Iraq as it said it would ensure democracy and the well-being of the people, but 10 years have passed and on the contrary we have gone backward." He was responding to a question following remarks attributed to him in the local daily Ad-Diyar in which he accused the U.S. of supporting ISIS. Sako had also criticized Muslim countries for lack of support: "Our Muslim neighbours did not help us." He urged Muslim preachers to issue a religious ruling against the killing of all innocent people and said that "Issuing a fatwa preventing Muslims from killing fellow Muslims is not enough."[13]

In 2014, Sako ordered ten priests who had fled Iraq to return there by 22 October; he suspended them when they failed to comply. The priests, all living in the United States, some for as long as twenty years, appealed to Pope Francis for relief from the order.[14] In January 2015, Pope Francis granted them permission to remain in the United States.[15] Sako later renewed his order despite the pope's decision.[16]

In 2015, Sako proposed a "merger" or reunion of his own Chaldean Catholic Church with the Ancient Church of the East and the Assyrian Church of the East to create one united "Church of the East" with a single patriarch in union with the pope. His proposal would have required both his own resignation and that of Mar Addai II, followed by a joint synod of the bishops of all three churches to elect a new patriarch for the reunited Church of the East. (The patriarchate of the Assyrian Church of the East was vacant at the time, following the death of Mar Dinkha IV.)[17] He wrote that "Unity does not mean uniformity, nor the melting of our own church identity into one style, but it maintains unity in diversity and we remain one apostolic universal church, the Oriental Church, that maintains its independence of administration, laws and liturgies, traditions and support."[18] The Assyrian Church of the East respectfully declined this proposal citing "ecclesiological divergences still remaining" and proceeded with its election of a new patriarch.[19]

On 14 November 2015, the Synod of Bishops announced that Pope Francis had named Sako as one of his three appointments to that body's council.[20]

Cardinal

Pope Francis made Sako a cardinal in a consistory on 28 June 2018.[21] Later that year, Pope Francis named him one of the four cardinals to preside over sessions of the Synod of Bishops on Youth in October.[22]

On 6 October 2018 Sako was named a member of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches,[23] on 22 February 2019 a member of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue,[24] and on 29 September 2021 a member of the Congregation for Catholic Education.[25] On 4 January 2022, Pope Francis made him a member of the Council for the Economy.[26]

Sako was a cardinal elector in the 2025 papal conclave that elected Pope Leo XIV.[27] Patriarch Sako was also the first Chaldean Catholic Patriarch ever to participate in a papal conclave.[28][a] Sako opted not to wear the shash, the traditional headgear of East Syriac Christian bishops, and wore only his scarlet zucchetto.[32]

Government recognition dispute

On 15 July 2023, Iraq's President Abdul Latif Rashid announced the revocation of the government's 2013 decree recognizing Sako as Patriarch. In response that same day Sako announced he was leaving Baghdad to take up residence in Iraqi Kurdistan. He called the revocation "unprecedented in the history of Iraq".[11] Rashid said his action "does not affect the religious or legal status of patriarch Sako" and said it was based on the fact that Sako's office is not recognized by the Iraqi Constitution; Sako viewed as an extension of the government's ongoing "deliberate and humiliating campaign" against him and its wider failure to protect Iraqi Christians.[33] Rashid had recently rejected requests for comparable decrees from the Patriarchs of the Assyrian Church and the Old Assyrian Church. Others cited complex political manoeuvering.[34]

On 15 July 2023, Sako announced his intention to "retire from the Patriarchal See in Baghdad and move to a church, a mission, in one of the monasteries of Iraqi Kurdistan". His announcement followed a decision by the President of Iraq, Abdul Latif Rashid, to revoke a decree established in 2013 by the former Iraq's President, Jalal Talabani, recognising Sako as Patriarch of the Chaldean Church. The revocation "is unprecedented in Iraq's history," Sako said, highlighting "the government's silence" about the incident and the suffering of the Christian community.[35] For months, Sako had been embroiled in a war of words with a Shia lawmaker and militia leader, Rayan al-Kildani. Both accused each other of exploiting their influence to illegally seize Christian-owned properties. Al-Kildani is the leader of the Babylon Movement, whose militia fought ISIS within the state-linked Popular Mobilisation Forces, a network of largely pro-Iran paramilitaries. Since then, al-Kildani forged strong alliances with powerful Tehran-allied Shiite militias. Sako criticized the Babylon Movement as falsely Christian, noting most of its members and supporters are Shia Muslims using the label for political gain.[36][37] Furthermore, the Babylon Movement, led by al-Kildani, is accused of pillaging homes, unlawful confiscation of land, coercion, extortion, abuse of women, persecution of religious minorities, and torture of detainees. As a result, in 2019, the US imposed sanctions on al-Kildani and another Shiite militia leader, calling them "perpetrators of serious human rights abuse and corruption", and penalizing entities that interact with them.[38]

Cardinal Sako has accused Archbishop Bashar Warda of collaborating and conspiring with Rayan al-Kildani in an effort to subvert his authority and push for his resignation as head of the Chaldean Church. Warda is criticized for supporting al-Kildani despite his horrendous actions, and for not supporting Sako's efforts to counter the Babylon Movement's seizure of Christian assets. This has led to accusations that Warda prioritizes benefits from al-Kildani's support over protecting church interests. Sako has referred to Warda as the "Godfather" of the Babylon Movement.[39][40][41]

On 7 August 2023, Sako told an interviewer that "Withdrawing the decree is very bad. For 15 centuries, there were decrees recognising the Patriarch as head of the Church and administrator of the properties of the Church. Revoking it is a humiliation for the Church. Those behind this move want to put their hands on the properties of the Church and administer them separately from the ecclesiastical authorities. We cannot accept that."[42]

In April 2024, after nine months of exile, Sako returned to Baghdad with the assistance of Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' Al Sudani.[43][44]

On 28 August 2024, Sako demanded a public apology from five bishops based on perceived disunity in the Chaldean Catholic Church, including absence from a mandatory July episcopal synod, setting a deadline of September 5. The five bishops, led by Bashar Warda, the Archbishop of Erbil, also withdrew from an August spiritual retreat and pulled their students from the Chaldean Seminary. The bishops refused to apologize, citing dissatisfaction with Sako's leadership style and unilateral decision-making. As a result, he would suspend them and ask Pope Francis to impose canonical penalties, including excommunication.[45][46] The actions of Bashar Warda and the other bishops have been described by the Chaldean Patriarchate as a "dangerous precedent" that goes against their episcopal vows to support the patriarch. The 17 bishops who attended the July 2024 synod issued a communiqué, calling for "appropriate legal measures" against the "clear violations" committed by the boycotting group of Warda.[47]

The rivalry between Louis Sako and Bashar Warda is driven by a fierce personal conflict, with Sako perceiving Warda as ruthlessly ambitious to seize the patriarchate. This perception has led Sako to backtrack on his initial plans to retire at 75, driven by a determination to thwart Warda's power grab. Warda's actions are seen as a betrayal of Sako's leadership.[48]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_Rapha%C3%ABl_I_Sako

A Trip to the Moon (French: Le Voyage dans la Lune [lə vwajaʒ dɑ̃ la lyn], transl. "The Journey to the Moon")[a] is a 1902 French science-fiction adventure trick film written, directed and produced by Georges Méliès. Inspired by the Jules Verne novel From the Earth to the Moon (1865) and its sequel Around the Moon (1870), the film follows a group of astronomers who travel to the Moon in a cannon-propelled capsule, explore the Moon's surface, escape from an underground group of Selenites (lunar inhabitants), and return to Earth with a captive Selenite. Méliès leads an ensemble cast of French theatrical performers as the main character Professor Barbenfouillis.

Although the film disappeared into obscurity (after Méliès's retirement from the film industry) it was rediscovered around 1930, when Méliès's importance to the history of cinema was beginning to be recognised by film devotees. An original hand-colored print was discovered in 1993, and restored in 2011.

A Trip to the Moon was ranked 84th among the 100 greatest films of the 20th century by The Village Voice.[6] The film remains Méliès' best-known, and the moment when the capsule lands (in the moon's eye) remains one of the most iconic, and frequently referenced, images in the history of cinema.

Plot

Title card

At a meeting of the Astronomy Club, its president, Professor Barbenfouillis,[b][c] proposes an expedition to the Moon. After addressing some dissent, five other brave astronomers—Nostradamus,[d] Alcofrisbas,[e] Omega, Micromegas,[f] and Parafaragaramus—agree to the plan. A space capsule in the shape of a bullet is built, along with a huge cannon to shoot it into space. The astronomers embark and their capsule is fired from the cannon with the help of "marines", most of whom are played by young women in sailors' outfits. The Man in the Moon watches the capsule as it approaches, and, in an iconic shot, it hits him in the eye.[g]

Landing safely on the Moon, the astronomers get out of the capsule (without the need for space suits or breathing apparatus) and watch the Earth rise in the distance. Exhausted by their journey, they unroll their blankets and sleep. As they sleep, a comet passes, the Big Dipper appears with human faces peering out of each star, old Saturn leans out of a window in his ringed planet, and Phoebe, goddess of the Moon, appears seated in a crescent-moon swing. Phoebe causes a snowfall that awakens the astronomers, and they seek shelter in a cavern where they discover giant mushrooms. One astronomer opens his umbrella; it promptly takes root and turns into a giant mushroom itself.

At this point, a Selenite (an insectoid alien inhabitant of the Moon, named after one of the Greek moon goddesses, Selene) appears, but it is killed easily by an astronomer, as the creatures explode if they are hit with force. More Selenites appear, and it becomes increasingly difficult for the astronomers to destroy them as they are surrounded. The Selenites capture the astronomers and take them to the palace of their king. An astronomer lifts the Selenite King off his throne and throws him to the ground, causing him to explode.

The astronomers run back to their capsule while continuing to hit the pursuing Selenites, and five get inside. The sixth astronomer, Barbenfouillis himself, uses a rope to tip the capsule over a ledge on the Moon and into space. A Selenite tries to seize the capsule at the last minute. Astronomer, capsule, and Selenite fall through space and land in an ocean on Earth, where they are rescued by a ship and towed ashore. The final sequence (missing from some prints of the film) depicts a celebratory parade in honour of the travellers' return, including a display of the captive Selenite and the unveiling of a commemorative statue bearing the motto "Labor omnia vincit".[h]

Cast

Georges Méliès (n.d., c. 1890; approx. age 28)

When A Trip to the Moon was made, film actors performed anonymously, and no credits were given; the practice of supplying opening and closing credits in films was a later innovation.[11] The following cast details can be reconstructed from available evidence:

Georges Méliès as Professor Barbenfouillis and The Moon.[1][12] Méliès, a pioneering French film-maker and magician now generally regarded as one of the first people to recognise the potential of narrative film,[13] had already achieved considerable success with his film versions of Cinderella (1899) and Joan of Arc (1900).[14] His extensive involvement in all of his films as director, producer, writer, designer, technician, publicist, editor, and often actor makes him one of the first cinematic auteurs.[15] Speaking about his work late in life, Méliès commented: "The greatest difficulty in realising my own ideas forced me to sometimes play the leading role in my films ... I was a star without knowing I was one, since the term did not yet exist."[16] All told, Méliès took an acting role in at least 300 of his 520 films.[17]

Bleuette Bernon as Phoebe (the woman on the crescent moon). Méliès discovered Bernon in the 1890s, when she was performing as a singer at the cabaret L'Enfer. She also appeared in his 1899 adaptation of Cinderella.[18]

François Lallement as the officer of the marines. Lallement was one of the salaried camera operators for the Star Film Company.[18]

Henri Delannoy as the captain of the rocket.[1]

Jules-Eugène Legris as the parade leader. Legris was a magician who performed at Méliès's theatre of stage illusions, the Théâtre Robert-Houdin in Paris.[19]

Victor André, Delpierre, Farjaux, Kelm, and Brunnet as the astronomers. André worked at the Théâtre de Cluny; the others were singers in French music halls.[20]

Ballet of the Théâtre du Châtelet as stars[20] and as cannon attendants.[8]

Acrobats of the Folies Bergère as Selenites.[20]

Production

Inspiration

Stereoscope card showing a scene from Jacques Offenbach's Le voyage dans la lune.

When asked in 1930 what inspired him for A Trip to the Moon, Méliès credited Jules Verne's novels From the Earth to the Moon (1865) and Around the Moon (1870). Cinema historians, the mid-20th-century French writer Georges Sadoul first among them, have frequently suggested H. G. Wells's The First Men in the Moon (1901), a French translation of which was published a few months before Méliès made the film, as another likely influence. Sadoul argued that the first half of the film (up to the shooting of the projectile) is derived from Verne and that the second half, the travellers' adventures on and in the Moon, is derived from Wells.[21]

In addition to these literary sources, various film scholars have suggested that Méliès was heavily influenced by other works, especially Jacques Offenbach's opera-féerie Le voyage dans la lune (an unauthorised parody of Verne's novels) and the A Trip to the Moon attraction at the 1901 Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo, New York.[22][23] The French film historian Thierry Lefebvre hypothesises that Méliès drew upon both of these works, but in different ways: he appears to have taken the structure of the film—"a trip to the Moon, a Moon landing, an encounter with extraterrestrials with a deformity, an underground trek, an interview with the Man in the Moon, and a brutal return to reality back on Earth"—directly from the 1901 attraction, but also incorporated many plot elements (including the presence of six astronomers with pseudo-scientific names, telescopes that transform into stools, a moonshot cannon mounted above ground, a scene in which the Moon appears to approach the viewer, a lunar snowstorm, an earthrise scene, and umbrella-wielding travellers), not to mention the parodic tone of the film, from the Offenbach opera-féerie.[24]

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

https://www.facebook.com/4williamdunn/posts/pfbid02aTTAkgdLVeHxEHy18QPVYrTGtpqrDf3qBNahjV56m6Cfew1qG2NB7awHgcCmqctGl

Body of missing Nevada woman found, suspect charged

By  Scott Sonner

Published 8:40 PM PST, March 30, 2022

RENO, Nev. (AP) — Authorities discovered the remains of an 18-year-old northern Nevada woman who was kidnapped over two weeks ago from a Walmart parking lot along the interstate east of Reno, officials said.

Investigators acting on a tip about the disappearance of Naomi Irion of Fernley found a gravesite in a remote part of northern Nevada on Tuesday. An autopsy on Wednesday confirmed the body was Irion, the Lyon and Churchill county sheriff’s offices said in a joint statement late Wednesday.

Earlier Wednesday, a 41-year-old man with a violent criminal record was charged during a brief court hearing with first-degree kidnapping. A judge in rural Lyon County left Troy Driver’s bail unchanged. It had been set at $750,000 after his Friday arrest.

Driver, of Fernley, has yet to enter a plea to the kidnapping charge. He was arraigned from jail Wednesday via Zoom. Authorities did not immediately say whether Driver will be charged in Irion’s death.

“No further information can be released at this time as this is still an open and active investigation,” the sheriff’s offices said after officials announced Irion had been found.

Justice of the Peace Lori Matheus said Driver will have to wear a GPS monitoring device if he posts a bond.

Driver has been held at the Lyon County Jail in Yerington as a suspect in what authorities say was Irion’s kidnapping.

She was last seen around 5:25 a.m. March 12 in her car in a Walmart parking lot in Fernley about 30 miles (48 kilometers) east of Reno. Security video showed a masked man wearing a hooded sweatshirt get into her car.

Driver abducted her “on or about March 12” and “did hold or detain her for the purpose of committing sexual assault and/or purpose of killing her,” according to the two-page criminal complaint filed Wednesday in Lyon County’s Canal Township Justice Court.

The FBI offered a $10,000 reward for information to locate Irion. Hundreds of volunteers have joined searches during the past two weeks, looking for clues in a vast desert area.

Irion lived in Fernley with her older brother, Casey Valley, who told reporters after the hearing that the family was “all in shock” that any bail was set.

Irion’s vehicle was found three days after she went missing near a paint manufacturing facility in an industrial park along Interstate 80 not far from the store.

Valley said earlier Wednesday they planned another search Saturday just across the Churchill County line near Hazen about 12 miles (19 kilometers) east of Fernley.

“We would like to extend our sympathy and condolences to the Irion family and thank all the volunteers for their hard work in trying to find Naomi and bring closure to the family,” the sheriff’s offices said in a statement Wednesday night.

Valley said his sister usually catches a bus from the Walmart lot to work at a Reno-area Panasonic facility. Valley said she never arrived at work, and he contacted family members and authorities when Irion didn’t return home that weekend.

Matheus set a court date for Driver next Tuesday, and a preliminary hearing April 12 to decide if there is evidence for Driver to be tried in state court. He could face life in prison without parole if he is convicted.

His defense lawyer, Mario Walther, did not immediately respond to requests for comment following the hearing.

Several news outlets have reported that Driver was sentenced to 15 years in prison for his role in a 1997 murder case in Northern California.

Mendocino County Court records show he pleaded guilty that summer to robbery, burglary and firearms charges as well as to being an accessory to a felony after the fact.

California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation spokeswoman Dana Simas said in an email to The Associated Press that he was sentenced to 15 years on those charges on Aug. 19, 1997, was released to state parole supervision in 2012 and discharged from parole supervision in 2014.

Before authorities announced that her body had been identified, Valley told reporters Wednesday that family members appreciate the support from the community and praised efforts by sheriff’s deputies and federal agents to find his sister.

“Lyon County and the FBI are working very hard,” he said. “I wish there was more and everybody does.”

___

Associated Press Writer Ken Ritter in Las Vegas contributed to this report.

https://apnews.com/article/nevada-kidnapping-reno-816f216c87f3a91e633c6b4131c19d88

On March 12, 2022, 18-year-old Naomi Irion disappeared from a Walmart parking lot in Fernley, Nevada, United States. A man was seen approaching Irion's car and driving away in it. She was found dead two weeks later in a shallow gravesite in rural Churchill County, having been kidnapped and shot to death.

Several days before Irion's body was found, 41-year-old Troy Driver was taken into custody and charged with Irion's killing. Before going to trial, he committed suicide in his jail cell in August 2023.

Personal life

Naomi Irion moved across the world with her family to follow her father's, Herve Irion, career as a foreign expat for the US State Department. They relocated to France, Russia, Germany, and South Africa before Naomi returned to the United States as an adult. When in South Africa, Naomi attended the American International School of Johannesburg where she graduated in 2021.[1]

Naomi had three younger brothers, who were adopted from Ukraine in 2018. Irion also had a brother, Sean Michael Irion, who died in infancy in 2002.[2]

Naomi was an avid fan of music, playing the ukulele, guitar, and was a singer. Her favourite colour was the rainbow and often wore rainbow clothing such as socks and had rainbows on her jackets and bag. Irion was well known for always laughing, spreading kindness, and her positivity within her friendship groups.

Irion turned eighteen on 25 July 2021 and died between 12 and 29 March 2022.

Events

Kidnapping

Naomi Christine Irion's FBI Missing poster

Around 5:00 a.m. (PST; UTC−08:00) on Saturday, March 12, 2022, Naomi Irion parked her vehicle in the Walmart parking lot in Fernley, Nevada.[3] According to her sister, she was waiting for a shuttle to take her to her job.[3] She was active on social media between 5:09 and 5:23 a.m.[3] At 5:24 a.m., surveillance footage showed a man approaching Irion's vehicle and entering.[3] A minute later, the vehicle left the parking lot with the man driving.[3] The male was wearing a gray hooded sweatshirt, "dark pants or jeans" and dark tennis shoes.[3] At the time of the disappearance, Irion was described as being 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) with dyed black hair and green eyes.[3] She was wearing a blue shirt, gray sweater, dark boots, and gray sweatpants.[3]

Search and discovery of body

On March 15, three days after Irion disappeared, her four-door sedan was discovered in an industrial area near Fernley.[4] Police stated they were searching for a suspect driving a "dark, newer model" Chevrolet Silverado High Country truck.[4] Irion's sedan was searched and analyzed forensically.[4] Law enforcement conducted many searches on the ground and by air.[4] On March 28, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) announced they would be offering a reward of up to US$10,000 for information leading to Irion's location.[5] The Bureau put Irion on their Most Wanted Kidnapping and Missing Persons list.[6]

On March 29, police received a tip connected to Irion's disappearance that led them to a rural site in Churchill County. They recovered a body, which was later confirmed to be Irion's.[7]

Investigation

On March 25, police arrested 41-year-old Troy Driver, a resident of Fallon.[8] Driver had a lengthy juvenile criminal history, including pleading guilty to being an accomplice to murder and a series of armed robberies at age 17.[9]

Legal proceedings

Driver was initially taken into custody for kidnapping charges and had his bond set to US$750,000, but was charged with murder, first-degree kidnapping, robbery, burglary of a motor vehicle and destruction of evidence after Irion's body was discovered.[7][10] A criminal complaint alleged that Driver kidnapped Irion and shot her to death before burying her body to avoid leaving evidence.[10] He reportedly disposed of Irion's phone and replaced his truck's tires.[10]

In July 2022, Driver was charged with sexual assault, as prosecutors alleged he raped Irion before killing her.[11] In November, he was found mentally fit to stand trial for the killing of Irion.[12]

On August 6, 2023, Driver was found dead in his cell when prison personnel arrived for a routine inmate check.[13] His death was ruled a suicide by asphyxiation.[13][14] While he was never convicted, officials said the evidence against him was overwhelming. Forensic evidence, including his DNA, were found on Irion's body. Driver also left a note in which he apologized for the "darkness within" himself.[15]

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

BIG BROTHER’S COMING! Revealed: Secret plan to tag every man, woman and child

by Joe Frick

First Published: Aug. 01, 1989 – edition of The Sun

CODED MICROCHIPS implanted in every person in the country would tie all of us into a master computer that could track anyone down at any moment, and plans for such a system are already under way whether you like it or not!

The secret scheme is being touted as a service for the protection of the people by high government officials, but some insiders who object to the move say it’s just another way for Big Brother to control its subjects.

http://www.whale.to/vaccine/frick.html

THE RUSSIAN WOODPECKER AND PROJECT SANGUINE

In 1953, the Soviets set up seven radio transmitters and began pulsing the American Embassy in Moscow with an ELF signal measuring 3.26–17.54 MHz. Embassy workers had no idea they were being pulsed while developing emotional and behavioral problems, leukemia (a 40 percent higher than average white blood cell count), cancer, and cataracts. Ambassadors Charles Bohlen and Llewellyn Thompson died; Ambassador Walter Stoessel, Jr. developed a rare blood disease and bled from the eyes. The Moscow Embassy “experiment” would run for thirty years, a full generation.

Meanwhile in the United States under DARPA’s Project Pandora, scientists were studying how low-intensity microwaves might be used to induce heart attacks, blood/brain barrier leaks, auditory hallucinations, etc. This was the MK-ULTRA mind control era whose overarching electromagnetic question was, Can a microwave signal control the mind at a distance? In 1962, the CIA dedicated Project Bizarre to studying the Moscow signal and made a crucial discovery: it was not the strength of the signal that was responsible for loss of biological health—a tiny fraction of the U.S. military (very high) “safe” exposure level—but the pulsing. This information was immediately classified and Pandora went black, along with other projects.

By July 1969, the U.S. had 71,524 microwave towers spaced according to the geometric harmonics of the world magnetic grid. SECOM II’s16 five towers broadcast in the 3–12 MHz range—within the Schumann range—in a round robin from Idaho and New Mexico to Missouri, South Carolina, and Maryland.

In 1968, the secretive JASON Group mounted Project Sanguine’s 6,400-mile buried cable antenna for long radio wave transmissions (SLF 30–300Hz) out of upper Wisconsin. A transmitter on one side would pump ELF waves through the ground and out the other side so that, as bioelectromagnetics expert Robert O. Becker, MD, put it, “ELF waves issuing from it and resonating between the earth’s surface and the ionosphere could be picked up anywhere on the globe.”17 Supposedly, Sanguine was for submarine communication (much like HAARP was sold to the public), but the antenna length produced minuscule frequencies (.3 kHz), which was odd, given that the best frequencies for defense purposes are much higher. The truth is that Sanguine was to be set in sync with the three Soviet Duga antennas at Chernobyl, eastern Siberia, and Ukraine/Croatia.18

Per the requirements of the Environmental Protection Act, U.S. Navy Captain Paul E. Tyler asked Dr. Becker to be on the scientific committee overseeing Sanguine. In 1984, Captain Tyler would author “The Electromagnetic Spectrum in Low-Intensity Conflict,” a watershed paper which the International Committee on Offensive Microwave Weapons (ICOMW) described as “so important in the chain of evidence establishing the existence of an Electronic Concentration Camp System that if our Archive consisted of only two documents, the Tyler paper would surely be one of them!”19

In his 1985 book The Body Electric: Electromagnetism and the Foundation of Life, Dr. Becker detailed the committee’s disturbing Project Sanguine findings: stress responses, desynchronized bio-cycles, cellular metabolism interference, increased cancer rates in hundreds of thousands of people living inside the antenna field, etc. What would happen when the longwave signals resonated throughout the world? The committee recommended that Project Sanguine be shelved and that the 60 Hz power lines carrying far more power than the Sanguine antenna into homes across the nation be reexamined.

Under An Ionized Sky: From Chemtrails To Space Fence Lockdown

by Elana Freeland

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1oneu_kEMMH5AeAffiWOR_7NJ0HptHJrC/view?usp=sharing

Peckerwood is a racial epithet used against white people, especially poor rural whites.[2] Originally an ethnic slur, the term has been reclaimed by a subculture related to prison gangs and outlaw motorcycle clubs.[3][4][5][6] The term was in use as an inversion of woodpecker in the Southern United States by the 1830s; it is also with the sense referring to white people documented from the 1850s.[2] African-American folklore in the 1920s contrasted the white "peckerwood" bird with the African-American blackbird.[6][7] The word became a common term in Jive.

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

AI Overview

WHAT IS THE FREY EFFECT?

The Frey effect, also known as the microwave auditory effect or radio-frequency hearing, refers to the human perception of sounds induced by pulsed or modulated radio frequencies, specifically microwaves. These sounds are generated directly within the head, without the need for an external electronic device. The effect is named after Allan H. Frey, who first reported the phenomenon in the 1960s.

Here's a more detailed explanation:

How it works:

Microwaves, a form of electromagnetic radiation, can be absorbed by the human head, causing the auditory cortex to perceive sounds. These sounds can range from clicks and buzzes to human voices and are often described as being inside the head rather than originating from an external source.

Historical context:

The effect was initially noticed by individuals working near radar transponders during World War II. Later, Frey's research established the link between microwave exposure and auditory sensations.

Applications:

While the Frey effect is a well-established phenomenon, it has also been explored for potential applications, including microwave weapons. Some research suggests that microwave auditory effect weapons, like MEDUSA, can cause discomfort or even incapacitation by inducing loud, painful sounds in the target's head.

"Havana Syndrome":

The Frey effect has been suggested as a possible explanation for the "Havana Syndrome" – a set of health problems experienced by U.S. embassy personnel in Cuba and elsewhere. Some researchers have proposed that directed microwave energy could be responsible for the symptoms, including auditory and other neurological effects.

Potential for weaponization:

The potential for using the Frey effect as a weapon has raised concerns about its ethical implications and the need for further research.

AI responses may include mistakes. Learn more

Justia  Patents  US Patent for Apparatus and method for remotely monitoring and altering brain waves Patent (Patent # 3,951,134)

Apparatus and method for remotely monitoring and altering brain waves

Aug 5, 1974 - Dorne & Margolin Inc.

Apparatus for and method of sensing brain waves at a position remote from a subject whereby electromagnetic signals of different frequencies are simultaneously transmitted to the brain of the subject in which the signals interfere with one another to yield a waveform which is modulated by the subject's brain waves. The interference waveform which is representative of the brain wave activity is re-transmitted by the brain to a receiver where it is demodulated and amplified. The demodulated waveform is then displayed for visual viewing and routed to a computer for further processing and analysis. The demodulated waveform also can be used to produce a compensating signal which is transmitted back to the brain to effect a desired change in electrical activity therein.

https://patents.justia.com/patent/3951134

The Sopranos - Are you wearing a wire? Compilation

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6yaJqnAKdUE

Alien Nation is a science fiction police procedural television series in the Alien Nation franchise that aired on Fox from September 18, 1989 to May 7, 1990. Adapted from the 1988 Alien Nation film, it stars Gary Graham as Detective Matthew Sikes, an officer of the Los Angeles Police Department reluctantly working with "Newcomer" alien Sam "George" Francisco, played by Eric Pierpoint. Sikes also has an on again-off again flirtation with a female Newcomer, Cathy Frankel, played by Terri Treas.

TV Guide included the series in their 2013 list of 60 shows that were "Cancelled Too Soon".[1]

Plot

The series is set in the near future in the United States. In 1990, a flying saucer crashes in the Mojave Desert containing a race of extraterrestrials, the Tenctonese, escaping from slavery under a cruel Overseer race. They are humanoid but have certain anatomical differences and have been bred with greater physical strength and intelligence. These Newcomers, as they are called, are accepted as the latest immigrants to the US. The series explores issues around their integration into the multicultural society of the US.

The storylines often are morality plays on the evils of racism and bigotry, using Newcomers as the discriminated minority. As fictional extraterrestrial immigrants, the Newcomers could stand in for social issues about various races, as well as sexual minorities such as gays and lesbians, and would invert the usual expectations. For instance, mid-way through the series, George becomes pregnant (the male of his species carrying the fetus for part of its gestation), and during much of the episode, dialog included lines like, "If you females had to feel the pain we males feel during pregnancy, there wouldn't be any babies." The series offers social commentary by illustrating what it means to be human and the often bizarre rituals we observe.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alien_Nation_(TV_series)

Starlink is a satellite internet constellation operated by Starlink Services, LLC, an international telecommunications provider that is a wholly owned subsidiary of American aerospace company SpaceX,[5] providing coverage to around 130 countries and territories.[6] It also aims to provide global mobile broadband.[7] Starlink has been instrumental to SpaceX's growth.[8]

SpaceX began launching Starlink satellites in 2019. As of May 2025, the constellation consists of over 7,600 mass-produced small satellites in low Earth orbit (LEO)[9] that communicate with designated ground transceivers, and Starlink comprises 65% of all active satellites.[10] Nearly 12,000 satellites are planned, with a possible later extension to 34,400. SpaceX announced reaching over 1 million subscribers in December 2022[11] and 4 million subscribers in September 2024.[12]

The SpaceX satellite development facility in Redmond, Washington, houses Starlink research, development, manufacturing, and orbit control facilities. In May 2018, SpaceX estimated the cost of designing, building and deploying the constellation would be at least US$10 billion.[1] Revenues from Starlink in 2022 were reportedly $1.4 billion with a net loss. A small profit began only in 2023.[13][failed verification – see discussion] In May 2024 that year's revenue was expected to reach $6.6 billion[14] but by December the prediction was raised to $7.7 billion.[15] Revenue was then expected to reach $11.8 billion in 2025.[15]

Starlink has been extensively used in the Russo-Ukrainian War, a role for which it has been contracted by the United States Department of Defense.[16] Starshield, a military version of Starlink, is designed for government use.[17][18]

Astronomers raised concerns about the effect the constellation would have on ground-based astronomy, and how the satellites contribute to an already congested orbital environment.[19][20] SpaceX has attempted to mitigate astronometric interference concerns with measures to reduce the satellites' brightness during operation.[21] The satellites are equipped with Hall-effect thrusters allowing them to raise their orbit, station-keep, and de-orbit at the end of their lives. They are also designed to autonomously and smoothly avoid collisions based on uplinked tracking data.[22]

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

SpaceX Roadster is not a natural celestial object, but rather a man-made object launched by SpaceX in February 2018 as part of the Falcon Heavy test flight. It is a red sports car owned by SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, and was launched as a demonstration of the Falcon Heavy's capabilities. The Roadster is not in a stable orbit around the Sun, but is instead on a heliocentric orbit that will take it to the asteroid belt and then back to the inner Solar System in the future. The Roadster also carries a mannequin named Starman, dressed in a spacesuit, in the driver's seat. The name "Roadster" refers to the type of car that is used as the payload for the Falcon Heavy, while "SpaceX" is the name of the private space exploration company founded by Elon Musk in 2002.

https://theskylive.com/roadster-info

A red giant is a luminous giant star of low or intermediate mass (roughly 0.3–8 solar masses (M☉)) in a late phase of stellar evolution. The outer atmosphere is inflated and tenuous, making the radius large and the surface temperature around 5,000 K [K] (4,700 °C; 8,500 °F) or lower. The appearance of the red giant is from yellow-white to reddish-orange, including the spectral types K and M, sometimes G, but also class S stars and most carbon stars.

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

Mercury is the first planet from the Sun. It is a rocky planet with a trace atmosphere. While it is the smallest and least massive planet of the Solar System, its surface gravity is slightly higher than that of Mars. The surface of Mercury is similar to Earth's Moon, heavily cratered, with expansive rupes system, generated from thrust faults, and bright ray systems, formed by ejecta. Its largest crater, Caloris Planitia, has a diameter of 1,550 km (960 mi), which is about one-third the diameter of the planet (4,880 km or 3,030 mi). Being the most inferior orbiting planet it appears in Earth's sky, always close to the Sun, either as a "morning star" or an "evening star". It stays most of the time the closest to all other planets and is the planet with the highest delta-v needed to travel to from all other planets of the Solar System.

Mercury's sidereal year (88.0 Earth days) and sidereal day (58.65 Earth days) are in a 3:2 ratio. This relationship is called spin–orbit resonance, and sidereal here means "relative to the stars". Consequently, one solar day (sunrise to sunrise) on Mercury lasts for around 176 Earth days: twice the planet's sidereal year. This means that one side of Mercury will remain in sunlight for one Mercurian year of 88 Earth days; while during the next orbit, that side will be in darkness all the time until the next sunrise after another 88 Earth days. Above the planet's surface is an extremely tenuous exosphere and a faint magnetic field that is strong enough to deflect solar winds. Combined with its high orbital eccentricity, the planet's surface has widely varying sunlight intensity and temperature, with the equatorial regions ranging from −170 °C (−270 °F) at night to 420 °C (790 °F) during sunlight. Due to the very small axial tilt, the planet's poles are permanently shadowed. This strongly suggests that water ice could be present in the craters.

Like the other planets in the Solar System, Mercury formed approximately 4.5 billion years ago. There are many competing hypotheses about Mercury's origins and development, some of which incorporate collision with planetesimals and rock vaporization; as of the early 2020s, many broad details of Mercury's geological history are still under investigation or pending data from space probes. Its mantle is highly homogeneous, which suggests that Mercury had a magma ocean early in its history, like the Moon. According to current models, Mercury may have a solid silicate crust and mantle overlying a solid outer core, a deeper liquid core layer, and a solid inner core.

Mercury is a classical planet that has been observed throughout history and recognized as a planet (or wandering star). In English, it is named after the ancient Roman god Mercurius (Mercury), god of commerce and communication, and the messenger of the gods. The first successful flyby of Mercury was conducted by Mariner 10 in 1974, and it has since been visited and explored by the MESSENGER and BepiColombo orbiters.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercury_(planet)

Freddie Mercury (born Farrokh Bulsara; 5 September 1946 – 24 November 1991) was a British singer and songwriter who achieved global fame as the lead vocalist and pianist of the rock band Queen. Regarded as one of the greatest singers in the history of rock music, he was known for his flamboyant stage persona and four-octave vocal range. Mercury defied the conventions of a rock frontman with his theatrical style, influencing the artistic direction of Queen.

Born in 1946 in Zanzibar to Parsi-Indian parents, Mercury attended British boarding schools in India from the age of eight and returned to Zanzibar after secondary school. In 1964, his family fled the Zanzibar Revolution, moving to Middlesex, England. Having previously studied and written music, he formed Queen in 1970 with guitarist Brian May and drummer Roger Taylor. Mercury wrote numerous hits for Queen, including "Killer Queen", "Bohemian Rhapsody", "Somebody to Love", "We Are the Champions", "Don't Stop Me Now" and "Crazy Little Thing Called Love". His charismatic stage performances often saw him interact with the audience, as displayed at the 1985 Live Aid concert. He also led a solo career and was a producer and guest musician for other artists.

Mercury was diagnosed with AIDS in 1987. He continued to record with Queen, and was posthumously featured on their final album, Made in Heaven (1995). In 1991, the day after publicly announcing his diagnosis, he died from complications of the disease at the age of 45. In 1992, a concert in tribute to him was held at Wembley Stadium, in benefit of AIDS awareness.

As a member of Queen, Mercury was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2001, the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2003, and the UK Music Hall of Fame in 2004. In 1990, he and the other Queen members received the Brit Award for Outstanding Contribution to British Music. One year after his death, Mercury received the same award individually. In 2005, Queen were awarded an Ivor Novello Award for Outstanding Song Collection from the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers, and Authors. In 2002, Mercury was voted number 58 in the BBC's poll of the 100 Greatest Britons.

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

A nova (pl. novae or novas) is a transient astronomical event that causes the sudden appearance of a bright, apparently "new" star (hence the name "nova", Latin for "new") that slowly fades over weeks or months. All observed novae involve white dwarfs in close binary systems, but causes of the dramatic appearance of a nova vary, depending on the circumstances of the two progenitor stars. The main sub-classes of novae are classical novae, recurrent novae (RNe), and dwarf novae. They are all considered to be cataclysmic variable stars.

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

"Champagne Supernova" is a song by English rock band Oasis, written by Noel Gallagher. It is the closing track on the band's second studio album, (What's the Story) Morning Glory? (1995), and was released as the sixth and final single from the album in Australia and New Zealand on 13 May 1996 by Helter Skelter. Paul Weller appears as a guest guitarist and backing vocalist on the track. A music video for the song, directed by Nigel Dick, was released in 1996. The single was not released in the United Kingdom.[3]

Described by Gallagher himself as “probably as psychedelic as I'll ever get", it features a dreamy, anthemic sound characterized by its expansive instrumentation and atmospheric production. The song begins with a gentle, arpeggiated guitar riff that sets a reflective mood, gradually building in intensity. As it progresses, layered guitars and lush strings create a rich soundscape, complemented by a steady drum beat that drives the song forward, accompanied with the vocals of Liam Gallagher, conveying a sense of longing and nostalgia, with lyrics that are both evocative and somewhat abstract.[4][5]

Although much debate surrounds the meaning of the song, Noel Gallagher originally described how "Champagne Supernova" resonates with him depending on his mood. However, in later interviews, he has stated that he does not really know what the song means and how "it means something different" to everyone.[6][7]

"Champagne Supernova" is considered by fans and music journalists alike as one of the most defining songs of Oasis and of Britpop. Alexis Petridis, the chief critic of The Guardian, called it the band's greatest song, claiming it was the "perfect epitaph for swaggering mid-90s hedonism."[8] Upon its release, the song became a radio single in the United States, becoming the band's second No. 1 single on the Modern Rock Tracks chart. It also peaked at No. 20 on the Billboard Hot 100 Airplay, becoming the band's third top 40 single on that chart. The song is included on the band's greatest hits album Stop the Clocks and on the US release of Time Flies... 1994–2009. "Champagne Supernova" has also topped several ranked lists of the band's best songs, including from Consequence of Sound, Medium, Uproxx, and Variety.[9][10][11][12] Supernova SN 2003fg was nicknamed "Champagne Supernova" after the song.[13]

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

Hugh (c. 1074 – c. 1130) was a French noble who was the first count of Champagne. He was known for donating the valley that was used as the site for the Clairvaux Abbey and going on several pilgrimages to the Holy Land. During his second visit, Hugh de Paynes, a knight in his service, stayed in Jerusalem and established the Knights Templar. Hugh later gave up his wealth and lands to join the Templar Order.

Biography

Hugh was the third son of Count Theobald III of Blois and Countess Adele of Valois,[1] bearing the title count of Bar-sur-Aube. His older brother Count Odo died in 1093,[2] leaving him master of Troyes, where he centred his court, Bar-sur-Aube and Vitry-le-François. In this way the three contiguous countships that formed the core of an emerging Champagne[2] were united in his person, and though he preferred "Count of Troyes", the oldest of his lordships and site of the only bishopric in his domains, many contemporary documents call him the count of Champagne, the title preferred by his descendants.[3]

His first recorded act, a monastic gift in 1094, became the oldest document of the comital archive.[2] The act of his that resonated longest in history was his grant of lands in 1115 to the monk Bernard of the reformed Benedictines at Cîteaux—the Cistercians—in order to found Clairvaux Abbey, a Cistercian monastery at Clairvaux (in the present Ville-sous-la-Ferté), in a wild valley of a tributary of the Aube, where Bernard was appointed abbot and became famous as Bernard of Clairvaux. Hugh's charter makes over to the new foundation Clairvaux and its dependencies, fields, meadows, vineyards, woods and water. A deeply affectionate letter from Bernard to Hugh survives,[4] written in 1125, as Hugh went off for a third time to fight in the Holy Land, joining the Knights Templar, leaving his pregnant wife, and disinheriting his son Odo – according to later sources, Hugh believed himself impotent and never acknowledged his son. Instead, he transferred his titles to his nephew, who became Theobald II of Champagne. Odo's two sons, Odo II of Champlitte and William of Champlitte were important figures in the Fourth Crusade.[5]

Hugh married first Constance,[1] daughter of King Philip I of France and Bertha of Holland. Their only child, a son called Manasses, died young. He married second Isabella,[1] daughter of Stephen I, Count of Burgundy and niece of Pope Callixtus II and they had issue:

Eudes/Odo I, married to Sibylle de La Ferte-sur-L'Aube and had two sons:

Odo II of Champlitte died 1204, one of the leaders of the IV Crusade.

William I 1160s - 1209, prince of Achaea and founder of the Principality.

When Hugh became a Knight Templar himself in 1125,[6] the Order comprised few more than a dozen knights, and the first Grand Master of the Templars was a vassal of his, Hugues de Payens, who had been with him at Jerusalem in 1114.[7] While in the kingdom of Jerusalem, Hugh appeared with the king, Baldwin II, in two documents, but there is no trace of him after 1130.[8]

Hugh was also the generous patron of the abbeys of Montieramey Abbey and of Molesme, making grants from his castle of Isle-Aumont, south of Troyes. In a surviving letter to him from Ivo of Chartres (Letter CCCXLV), the Bishop of Chartres reminds him of his obligations of marriage, perhaps to deter him from making vows of continence.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hugh,_Count_of_Champagne

Nova music festival massacre

On 7 October 2023, the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of the Palestinian nationalist organization Hamas, initiated a sudden attack on Israel from the Gaza Strip. As part of the attack, 364 individuals, mostly civilians, were killed and many more wounded at the Supernova Sukkot Gathering, an open-air music festival during the Jewish holiday of Shemini Atzeret near kibbutz Re'im. Hamas also took 40 people hostage, and men and women were reportedly subject to sexual and gender-based violence.[4][5][6][7][8][9][10]

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

CHAPTER SEVEN – SHABTAI, SHIMON AND SHARON – DESTROYING THE JEWS

ALM 1 - THE DEUTSCH DEVILS

Rabbi Marvin Antelman was right all along. Way back in 1974, he identified the source of all the evil against Jews and humanity but his message and style were too unaccessible to get through to anyone but the most advanced students of antisemitism. What he lacked most was simplicity, a common enough failure of thinkers decades in advance of their contemporaries. What he needed was someone to put out a Cliff's Notes simplified explanation of his thesis...and someone, without intention, just did. The name of the book is, 50 Jewish Messiahs by Jerry Rabow (Gefen Publishing, Jerusalem). It is an informative but shallow overview of just what the title says, but in its shallowness lies vital depth. We begin with Chapter 17, about the "most damaging messiah to the Jewish people," Shabbatai Zvi. First we'll read Rabow and then add commentary opening Rabbi Antelman's work to the wide world. Recall that there are various accepted English spellings for Shabtai Tzvi, and the Sabbataians. The spelling presented depends on the writer:

pp 91 - Shabbatai Zvi was born in Smyrna, Turkey on the ninth of Av, 1626. The ninth day of Av is the day of a triple tragedy for the Jewish nation. According to tradition, the First Temple, the Second Temple and Bar Kokhba's Betar fortress all fell on this day.

pp 93 - He changed the holiday celebrations and violated the dietary prohibitions. All of this followed from his declaration that the usual rules were inapplicable to messianic times.

pp 95 - He declared that the coming of the messianic era meant that the biblical commandments were no longer binding. He proclaimed that God now permitted everything. ** This is Rabbi Antelman's central assertion; that Shabbataism was the polar opposite of Judaism. That Shabbatai Zvi's program was to destroy all the tenets of the Torah and replace them with their opposites. Incredibly, more than half the Jews of the world at the time, believed he would be revealed as their promised messiah: **

pp 101 - Then he finally made the announcement for which the Jewish community had been waiting for 1600 years - he would begin the Redemption on the 15th day of the month of Sivan, June 18, 1666. ** There are many who will recognize the significance of the date. June is the sixth month, 18 divided by three is 6+6+6 and 1666 is clear enough. Either he knew what he was doing or the prophesies of the emergence of an evil false messiah or anti-Christ are right, and Shabbatai Zvi was him. **

pp 110 - Through all of this, Shabbatai continued to issue proclamations of the theological changes wrought by the coming of the messianic age. Shabbatai's new prayer was, "Praised be He who permits the forbidden." Since all things would be permitted in the age of the messiah, Shabbatai declared many of the old restrictions of the Torah no longer applicable. He abolished the laws concerning sexual relationships. He eventually declared that all of the thirty six major biblical sins were now permitted and instructed some of his followers that it was their duty to perform such sins in order to hasten the Redemption.

Shabtai Tzvi, Labor Zionism and the Holocaust

by Barry Chamish

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B66Pc9x2hkIrV2Y3QWxPbkpKYWc/view?usp=sharing&resourcekey=0-5ak831cRNQohyyjZYfFKvw

In physics, string theory is a theoretical framework in which the point-like particles of particle physics are replaced by one-dimensional objects called strings. String theory describes how these strings propagate through space and interact with each other. On distance scales larger than the string scale, a string acts like a particle, with its mass, charge, and other properties determined by the vibrational state of the string. In string theory, one of the many vibrational states of the string corresponds to the graviton, a quantum mechanical particle that carries the gravitational force. Thus, string theory is a theory of quantum gravity.

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

A chain reaction is a sequence of reactions where a reactive product or by-product causes additional reactions to take place. In a chain reaction, positive feedback leads to a self-amplifying chain of events.

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

2 Peter 3:10

1599 Geneva Bible

10 [a]But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in the which the heavens shall pass away with a [b]noise, and the elements shall melt with heat, and the earth with the works that are therein shall be burnt up.

Read full chapter

Footnotes

2 Peter 3:10 A very short description of the least distinction of the world, but in such sort as nothing could be spoken more gravely.

2 Peter 3:10 With the violence as it were of a hissing storm.

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2%20Peter%203%3A10&version=GNV

NASA's Greeting to Aliens Has Been Floating in Space for 40 Years

February 21, 2017

If extraterrestrial life encounters the Voyager space probes, they would be greeted by a series of Golden Records programmed by NASA in 1977 to explain the story of Earth.

https://www.nbcnews.com/mach/space/nasa-s-greeting-aliens-has-been-floating-space-40-years-n723586

Countdown to the Messiah

Daniel 9:24 gives the Hebrew Nation a 483 year countdown to the year that the Messiah would arrive on the scene (column 2 row 3 of our next table). Luke records that Jesus began to be about 30 years old when he was revealed as the Messiah at the Jordan River baptism.

Three and a half years later the Messiah is crucified, by no coincidence it is forty years before the total Desolation of the Temple and the Nation by the Roman army, the people of the prince that shall come, as foretold by Daniel and Jesus. If any period of time deserves the title, “Time of Jacob’s Trouble” it would be this forty years. And if those days had not been shortened no flesh (Jacob) would have been saved, but for the Elect's sake (those obedient Hebrew's who would spread the gospel) those days of persecution were shortened to prevent the annihilation of even the elect. Many try to apply this verse to the days preceding the return of Messiah but this is not logical because the elect will all be resurrected at that time so those days will not need to be shortened for their sake. Because first century Christians were a sect of the Jews it was necessary for the Elect to survive the desolation of the Hebrew Nation at the end of that century.

The Rapture Will Be Cancelled

by Nicklas Arthur

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1hwvsMLXT7Z35KlbSdXw6x5EH0VLHPZsM/view?usp=sharing

1989 (MCMLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar, the 1989th year of the Common Era (CE) and Anno Domini (AD) designations, the 989th year of the 2nd millennium, the 89th year of the 20th century, and the 10th and last year of the 1980s decade.

1989 was a turning point in political history with the "Revolutions of 1989" which ended communism in Eastern Bloc of Europe, starting in Poland and Hungary, with experiments in power-sharing coming to a head with the opening of the Berlin Wall in November, the Velvet Revolution in Czechoslovakia and the overthrow of the communist dictatorship in Romania in December; the movement ended in December 1991 with the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Revolutions against communist governments in Eastern Europe mainly succeeded, but the year also saw the suppression by the Chinese government of the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests in Beijing.

It was the year of the first Brazilian direct presidential election in 29 years, since the end of the military government in 1985 that ruled the country for more than twenty years, and marked the redemocratization process's final point.

F. W. de Klerk was elected as State President of South Africa, and his regime gradually dismantled the apartheid system over the next five years, culminating with the 1994 election that brought jailed African National Congress leader Nelson Mandela to power.

The first commercial Internet service providers surfaced in this year,[1][2] as well as the first written proposal for the World Wide Web and New Zealand, Japan and Australia's first Internet connections. The first babies born after preimplantation genetic diagnosis were conceived in late 1989.[3]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1989

Note: Inauguration Day, January 20, 2029, falls on a Saturday.  Federal employees in the Washington, DC, area are entitled to a holiday on the day a President is inaugurated on January 20th for each fourth year after 1965. Only employees scheduled to work on Saturday, January 20th, may be excused from duty and provided with paid holiday time off. In this instance, Inauguration Day is not observed on another day.  There is no in-lieu-of holiday for employees who are not regularly scheduled to work on Inauguration Day (5 U.S.C. 6103(c)).  Employees who are required to perform work on a holiday are entitled to holiday premium pay.

https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/federal-holidays/#url=2029

The other 9/11: George H.W. Bush's 1990 New World Order speech

Out of these troubled times, a new world order can emerge.

By George H.W. Bush|Contributor

12:41 PM on Sep 8, 2017 CDT

Editor's note: The following is an excerpt of George H.W. Bush's speech before a joint session of Congress on Sept. 11, 1990, in which he describes his vision of a new world order amid the Persian Gulf crisis. Read the full speech here.

We stand today at a unique and extraordinary moment. The crisis in the Persian Gulf, as grave as it is, also offers a rare opportunity to move toward an historic period of cooperation. Out of these troubled times, our fifth objective — a new world order — can emerge: a new era — freer from the threat of terror, stronger in the pursuit of justice, and more secure in the quest for peace. An era in which the nations of the world, East and West, North and South, can prosper and live in harmony.

A hundred generations have searched for this elusive path to peace, while a thousand wars raged across the span of human endeavor. Today that new world is struggling to be born, a world quite different from the one we've known. A world where the rule of law supplants the rule of the jungle. A world in which nations recognize the shared responsibility for freedom and justice. A world where the strong respect the rights of the weak. This is the vision that I shared with President Gorbachev in Helsinki. He and other leaders from Europe, the Gulf, and around the world understand that how we manage this crisis today could shape the future for generations to come.

The test we face is great, and so are the stakes. This is the first assault on the new world that we seek, the first test of our mettle. Had we not responded to this first provocation with clarity of purpose, if we do not continue to demonstrate our determination, it would be a signal to actual and potential despots around the world. America and the world must defend common vital interests — and we will. America and the world must support the rule of law — and we will. America and the world must stand up to aggression — and we will. And one thing more: In the pursuit of these goals, America will not be intimidated.

President George Bush and first lady Barbara Bush welcomed Soviet President Mikhail...

President George Bush and first lady Barbara Bush welcomed Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev and his wife, Raisa, for a state dinner at the White House in May 1990. (File Photo/The Associated Press)

Vital issues of principle are at stake. Saddam Hussein is literally trying to wipe a country off the face of the Earth. We do not exaggerate. Nor do we exaggerate when we say Saddam Hussein will fail. Vital economic interests are at risk as well. Iraq itself controls some 10 percent of the world's proven oil reserves. Iraq plus Kuwait controls twice that. An Iraq permitted to swallow Kuwait would have the economic and military power, as well as the arrogance, to intimidate and coerce its neighbors — neighbors who control the lion's share of the world's remaining oil reserves. We cannot permit a resource so vital to be dominated by one so ruthless. And we won't.

Recent events have surely proven that there is no substitute for American leadership. In the face of tyranny, let no one doubt American credibility and reliability. Let no one doubt our staying power. We will stand by our friends. One way or another, the leader of Iraq must learn this fundamental truth. From the outset, acting hand in hand with others, we've sought to fashion the broadest possible international response to Iraq's aggression. The level of world cooperation and condemnation of Iraq is unprecedented. Armed forces from countries spanning four continents are there at the request of King Fahd of Saudi Arabia to deter and, if need be, to defend against attack. Moslems and non-Moslems, Arabs and non-Arabs, soldiers from many nations stand shoulder to shoulder, resolute against Saddam Hussein's ambitions. ...

I cannot predict just how long it will take to convince Iraq to withdraw from Kuwait. Sanctions will take time to have their full intended effect. We will continue to review all options with our allies, but let it be clear: We will not let this aggression stand.

George H.W. Bush was the 41st president of the United States.

https://web.archive.org/web/20230306211151/https://www.dallasnews.com/opinion/commentary/2017/09/08/the-other-9-11-george-h-w-bush-s-1990-new-world-order-speech/

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, adopted by all United Nations (UN) members in 2015, created 17 world Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The aim of these global goals is "peace and prosperity for people and the planet"[1][2] – while tackling climate change and working to preserve oceans and forests. The SDGs highlight the connections between the environmental, social and economic aspects of sustainable development. Sustainability is at the center of the SDGs, as the term sustainable development implies.

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

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

Chaldean Catholic Church

Classical Syriac: ܥܕܬܐ ܟܠܕܝܬܐ ܩܬܘܠܝܩܝܬܐ

Interior of the Cathedral of Our Lady of Sorrows in Baghdad, Iraq

Type Particular church (sui iuris)

Classification Christian

Orientation

Eastern Catholic

Syriac

Scripture Peshitta[1]

Theology Catholic theology

Governance Holy Synod of the Chaldean Church[2]

Pope Leo XIV

Patriarch Louis Raphaël I Sako

Region Iraq, Iran, Turkey, Syria, Lebanon; diaspora in North America, Europe, and Australia

Language Liturgical: Syriac[3]

Liturgy East Syriac Rite

Headquarters Cathedral of Mary Mother of Sorrows, Baghdad, Iraq

Founder Traditionally traced to Thomas the Apostle via Addai and Mari; established in 1552 under Shimun VIII Yohannan Sulaqa

Origin 1552

Ottoman Iraq

Separated from Church of the East

Members 616,639 (2018)[4]

Other name Chaldean Patriarchate

Official website chaldeanpatriarchate.com

The Chaldean Catholic Church (Classical Syriac: ܥܕܬܐ ܟܠܕܝܬܐ ܩܬܘܠܝܩܝܬܐ, ʿĒdtā Kalḏāytā Qāṯōlīqāytā; الكنيسة الكلدانية, al-Kanīsa al-Kaldāniyya; Latin: Ecclesia Chaldaeorum Catholica) is an Eastern Catholic particular church (sui iuris) in full communion with the Holy See and the worldwide Catholic Church. It uses the East Syriac Rite in the Syriac language and forms part of the Syriac tradition.

The church is headed by the patriarch of Babylon of the Chaldeans, currently Louis Raphaël I Sako, and is based in the Cathedral of Our Lady of Sorrows in Baghdad, Iraq. As of 2018, it counted approximately 616,639 members globally, with most residing in Iraq and significant diasporic communities in North America, Europe, and Australia.[4]

The Chaldean Catholic Church emerged following the Schism of 1552, when a faction of the Church of the East sought to restore communion with the Roman Catholic Church. Shimun VIII Yohannan Sulaqa was elected patriarch and traveled to Rome, where Pope Julius III confirmed his position in 1553.

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

Trump, Vance meet with Pope Leo's Florida brother, 'a major MAGA fan', at White House

Kim Luciani

USA TODAY NETWORK - Florida

May 22, 2025, 12:58 p.m. ET

Key Points AI-assisted summary

President Donald Trump met with Pope Leo XIV's brother, Louis Prevost, at the White House.

Trump publicly praised Prevost, a Florida resident, for being a "major MAGA fan."

Louis Prevost acknowledged his political views and stated his intention to "tone it down" to avoid causing issues for the pope.

President Donald Trump met with Pope Leo XIV's Florida brother Louis Prevost at the White House on May 20, after praising Prevost to reporters at the Capitol earlier in the day, calling him a "major MAGA fan."

Trump told reporters he likes the pope and both of his brothers, but spotlighted the eldest brother, Navy veteran and Port Charlotte resident Louis Prevost.

"I like the new pope and I like the pope's brother. You know, one of the pope's brothers – actually both of them – but one in particular is a major MAGA fan. Did you know that? He lives in Florida," Trump said.

"And I look forward to getting him to the White House. I want to shake his hand, I want to give him a big hug."

Later that day, the White House visit happened. Louis Prevost and his wife Deborah met with Trump and Vice President JD Vance in the Oval Office.

"Great meeting between President Trump, Vice President Vance, and @Pontifex’s brother, Louis Prevost and his wife Deborah," Special Assistant to the President and Communications Advisor Margo Martin posted on X, along with a photo of the meeting.

Louis Prevost excited and happy about brother Pope Leo XVI's papacy

The Prevost brothers — Louis, John and Robert (Pope Leo XIV) — grew up in Chicago in a traditional Catholic family.

Louis Prevost said his youngest brother Robert wanted to "play priest" when he was 6 and set his sights on the priesthood as a freshman in high school. Their parents, neighbors and even strangers told Robert, "You're going to be pope someday," he said.

Robert Prevost's election as Pope Leo XIV left Louis Prevost excited, happy, mind blown and a little worried about how the papacy would impact their relationship.

“I just freaked out and said ‘It’s Rob, OMG.’ I was up, dressed, out, just going nuts,” he told WBBH.

“We can only hope that we can maintain that closeness, and we don't do anything to embarrass him,” he said.

Louis Prevost attended Pope Leo's inaugural mass at the Vatican on May 18. The brothers shared a hug after the service.

Pope Leo's Florida brother Louis Prevost is a MAGA, Trump supporter

Trump told reporters Louis Prevost is a "major MAGA fan."

In an interview with Piers Morgan, Louis Prevost said, "I don’t want to create waves that don’t need to be there because I’m a MAGA type and I have my beliefs,” he said. “I don’t need to create heat for him. He’s going to have enough to handle as it is without the press going ‘the pope’s brother says this.’ He doesn’t need that.”

Asked about his reposts of controversial social media memes, including one calling Nancy Pelosi a drunk (expletive), and how they might affect the pope, Louis Prevost said he will "tone it down."

"He knows I am who I am," he said of the pope. "He's well aware of my position. He knows I'm probably not going to change and I don't think I will, other than to, just like you say, tone it down."

Contributing: Melissa Pérez-Carrillo, Herald-Tribune, Ashley Ferrer, USA TODAY Network-Florida

https://www.heraldtribune.com/story/news/2025/05/22/trump-pope-leo-florida-maga-brother-louis-prevost-white-house-visit/83773944007/

All historians acknowledge the ascendancy of the popes began in 308 A.D., when King Clovis of the Salian or Merovingian Franks (later France), won the decisive battle in the Catholic and Arian religious war, thereby settling the dispute in favor of the Catholics. But the popes' temporal reign officially began in the year 538 A.D. when Roman Emperor Justinian subdued the last of the three kingdoms, or "horns," that opposed the rise of the Papacy."

-page 137

Chapter 19 "Exposed (Again): 1260 Years of World Domination

Codeword Barbelon book 2

by P.D. Stuart

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)

Louis Raphaël I Sako (Arabic: لويس روفائيل ساكو;[1] born 4 July 1948) is a Chaldean Catholic prelate who has served as Patriarch of Baghdad since 1 February 2013. Pope Francis made him a cardinal on 28 June 2018.

Biography

Early life

Sako was born in the city of Zakho, Iraq, on 4 July 1948.[2] He comes from an ethnic Assyrian family of the Chaldean Catholic Church that has roots in a religious community that has had a presence in the city of his birth since the 5th century AD.[3]

He completed his early studies in Mosul and then attended the Dominican-run Saint Jean’s Seminary there. He was ordained a priest on 1 June 1974 and filled his first pastoral assignment at the Cathedral of Mosul until 1979. He then earned a doctorate in Eastern patrology at the Pontifical Oriental Institute. When denied a license to teach because he was only qualified for religious instruction, he earned a second doctorate in history from the Sorbonne in Paris.[4] With this he secured his teaching license and was able to provide religious instruction. From 1997 to 2002 he was rector of the Patriarchal Seminary in Baghdad. He then returned to Mosul and guided the parish of Perpetual Help for a year.[5][6]

Sako speaks Neo-Aramaic, German, French, English, Italian, Kurdish and Arabic.[2]

Archeparch

A synod of the bishops of the Chaldean Catholic Church meeting in Baghdad elected Sako Archeparch of Kirkuk on 24 October 2002. Pope John Paul II gave his assent on 27 September 2003.[7] He received his episcopal consecration on 14 November 2003 from his predecessor in Kirkuk, André Sana.[8]

In August 2009, and at the beginning of Ramadan, Sako organized an appeal for national peace, reconciliation and end to violence on the part of more than fifty religious leaders in Kirkuk. He called it "a gesture of closeness to our Muslim brothers. We are all brothers, sons of the same God we must respect and cooperate for the good of the people and our country." The participants included representatives of Ali Sistani and Muqtada al Sadr.[9]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_Rapha%C3%ABl_I_Sako

Lethal Weapon 2 is a 1989 American buddy cop action comedy film directed by Richard Donner, and starring Mel Gibson, Danny Glover, Joe Pesci, Joss Ackland, Derrick O'Connor and Patsy Kensit. It is a sequel to the 1987 film Lethal Weapon and the second installment in the Lethal Weapon film series.

Gibson and Glover respectively reprise their roles as LAPD officers Martin Riggs and Roger Murtaugh, who protect an irritating federal witness (Pesci), while taking on a gang of South African drug dealers hiding behind diplomatic immunity.

The film was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Sound Editing (for Robert G. Henderson). The film received mostly positive reviews and earned more than $227 million worldwide. The film is followed by Lethal Weapon 3.

Plot

Two years after the events of the first film, LAPD sergeants Martin Riggs and Roger Murtaugh are pursuing unidentified suspects suspected of drug trafficking. However, they discover they have been transporting an illegal shipment of gold in the form of Krugerrand coins from the Afrikaner apartheid government of South Africa. Later, consul-general Arjen Rudd and security agent Pieter Vorstedt kill Hans, their man who lost the shipment of Krugerrands, and debate how to steer the police away from their activities. Pieter suggests warning Murtaugh off the investigation, so commits a home invasion on his residence, causing Captain Murphy to reassign Riggs and Murtaugh to protecting an obnoxious federal witness, Leo Getz.

It soon becomes clear that both cases are related; after an attempt on Leo's life, Riggs and Murtaugh learn of the former's murky past laundering funds for vengeful drug smugglers. Leo explains how the laundering works and leads them to the gang, but upon dispatching his would-be assassin and returning with backup they are confronted by Rudd, who invokes diplomatic immunity on behalf of his "associates", leaving the LAPD powerless to take action against them.

Though instructed to leave the case alone, Riggs begins openly harassing Rudd and romances his secretary, Rika van den Haas, a liberal-minded Afrikaner who despises her boss and his racial philosophy. Murtaugh enlists Leo's help in creating a scene at the consulate that wins the support of anti-apartheid protesters outside. Vorstedt is dispatched to murder all of the officers investigating them while Murtaugh deduces that Rudd is attempting to ship funds from his smuggling ring in the United States to Cape Town via Los Angeles Harbor. Two assassins attack Murtaugh at his home, but he kills them both with his contractor's nail gun, though Leo is abducted in the process.

Meanwhile, Vorstedt seizes Riggs at van den Haas' apartment and discloses he was responsible for the death of Riggs's wife years earlier during a botched assassination attempt on him. He has his men kill Rika by drowning her and orders them to do the same to Riggs, who escapes and brutally kills both men. Riggs phones Murtaugh, declaring an intention to pursue Rudd and avenge his wife, Rika, and their fallen friends; Murtaugh willingly forsakes his badge to aid his partner. After rescuing Leo and destroying Rudd's house, they head for the Alba Varden, Rudd's freighter docked in the Port of Los Angeles, as the South Africans prepare their getaway with hundreds of millions in drug money.

While investigating a guarded cargo container at the docks, Riggs and Murtaugh discover Rudd's laundered drug money, but are locked inside by Rudd's men. They break out, scattering two pallets of the money into the harbor in the process. Riggs and Murtaugh engage in a firefight with Rudd's men aboard the Alba Varden before separating to hunt down Rudd. Riggs confronts and fights Vorstedt hand-to-hand, stabs the latter with his own knife and drops a container on him, crushing him to death. Rudd retaliates by shooting Riggs in the back multiple times and again invokes diplomatic immunity when Murtaugh aims his gun at him. However, Murtaugh fatally shoots him and declares that his immunity has "just been revoked". He then tends to Riggs, and they share a laugh as more LAPD personnel respond to the scene.

Cast

Mel Gibson as Martin Riggs

Danny Glover as Roger Murtaugh

Joe Pesci as Leo Getz

Joss Ackland as Arjen Rudd

Derrick O'Connor as Pieter Vorstedt

Patsy Kensit as Rika van den Haas

Darlene Love as Trish Murtaugh

Traci Wolfe as Rianne Murtaugh

Mark Rolston as Hans

Steve Kahan as Captain Murphy

In addition, series regulars – who appear in minor roles in all four films of the franchise – include: Damon Hines and Ebonie Smith as Murtaugh children Nick and Carrie, respectively; and Mary Ellen Trainor as psychologist Stephanie Woods.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lethal_Weapon_2

Elon Musk Is South African. It Explains a Lot.

Feb. 28, 2025, 1:00 a.m. ET

Elon Musk wearing sunglasses and looking to the right. The top half of the image is black and the rest is colored green and red.

Credit...Photo illustration by The New York Times. Source photograph: Eric Lee/The New York Times

By William Shoki

Mr. Shoki is a journalist and the editor of the Africa Is a Country website. He wrote from Cape Town.

Elon Musk is everywhere.

He is firing federal employees, gaining access to important government data, popping into the Oval Office, appearing on Fox News alongside President Trump and even attending a White House cabinet meeting. For some, his rampage through the institutions of the American state augurs a replacement by private interests; for others, it amounts to a Big Tech takeover. For many looking on, it’s above all a baffling bromance at the heart of power. However one understands Mr. Musk’s role in the Trump administration, it has cemented his reputation as one of the most powerful people on the planet.

But discussion of Mr. Musk, especially in the United States, often misses something: He is a white South African, part of a demographic that for centuries sat atop a racial hierarchy maintained by violent colonial rule. That history matters. For all the attempts to describe Mr. Musk as a self-made genius or a dispassionate technocrat, he is in fact a distinctly ideological figure, one whose worldview is inseparable from rearing in apartheid South Africa. More than just an eccentric billionaire, Mr. Musk represents an unresolved question: What happens when settler rule fails but settlers remain? That’s what is playing out in America today.

Born in Pretoria in 1971, Mr. Musk had an upbringing typical of the white South African elite. The family was wealthy, despite his parents divorcing when he was young, its economic standing shaped by a system designed to assist whites. Mr. Musk doesn’t appear to have enjoyed his private education — there are stories of bullying and loneliness — but he still benefited from the advantages it conferred. Though his father, an engineer, was for a time a member of the anti-apartheid Progressive Party, there is little evidence Mr. Musk inherited his political convictions. Like many white South Africans, Mr. Musk left the country before the collapse of racial rule, settling in Canada, where his mother was born, in 1989.

He never returned, but South Africa clearly stayed with him. Take his recent intervention into the debate over the country’s land reform as an example. In response to a bill passed in January that allows in specific circumstances the expropriation of land without compensation, Mr. Musk used his platform to suggest that white South Africans are uniquely persecuted. Never mind that land restitution is a broadly accepted norm in post-colonial societies or that eminent domain or compulsory purchase laws do something similar in the United States and elsewhere. The Trump administration — amplifying fringe voices, promoting distorted narratives of racial victimhood and using Mr. Musk’s claim as a symbolic cudgel — was only too happy to play along.

Mr. Musk’s role in the controversy suggests he has not so much moved beyond the logic of apartheid as absorbed it. His ideological commitments — deregulated markets, hostility to labor organizing and Trumpist nationalism — bear its trace. In effect, his politics reprise apartheid’s economic principles on a global scale: maintaining zones of privilege under the guise of “free enterprise” while resisting any moves toward redistribution as threats. You can hear it in his exhortations for others to work harder and his pleas for him and his businesses to receive special treatment.

Mr. Musk is one of a number of reactionary figures with roots in Southern Africa who found an unlikely home in Silicon Valley and now wield disproportionate influence in shaping American and global right-wing politics. These men, such as Peter Thiel and David Sacks, emerged from a historical tradition that revered hierarchy and sought to sustain racial and economic dominance, only to find themselves in a world where that order was unraveling. Their politics reflect an instinct to preserve elite rule, cloaked in the language of meritocracy and market freedom, while channeling resentment toward new power structures they view as threats to their position.

For them, Southern Africa is never very far away. They are part of a global right that has long been fascinated with Rhodesia and its successor, Zimbabwe. For them, the loss of white-minority rule in Zimbabwe represents the model of civilizational decay — a formerly “successful” colonial state plunged into chaos through decolonization. The specter of “Zimbabwefication” is wielded as a warning against any redistribution of power. Now South Africa — “openly pushing for genocide of white people,” according to Mr. Musk — is being made to take on the mantle of scare story. The implicit argument is that settler power, once displaced, leads only to ruin.

It doesn’t help that South Africa has stood against Israel’s genocidal aggression in Gaza, leading the charge in attempts to hold it to account under international law. This outspoken opposition has further alienated the country from the Western powers that support Israel, reinforcing the perception of South Africa as a rogue state in the eyes of the global right. One of the front-runners to be Mr. Trump’s pick for ambassador to the country, the South-African born Breitbart commentator Joel Pollak, certainly believes it is. For figures like Mr. Musk, South Africa’s stance against Israel no doubt confirms their view of the country as a lost cause — a once “civilized” outpost of white rule now succumbing to the chaos of majority rule and decolonization.

This reaction is both ideological and deeply personal. For all his vehement opposition to “woke” identity politics, Mr. Musk is actually an ardent identitarian. He has boosted claims from far-right South African groups that the government is “race mad,” with 142 “race laws” on its books. But their method for defining a “race law” is laughably broad: Any law that makes race legally relevant supposedly qualifies. By this metric, even laws that prohibit arbitrary racial discrimination or repeal apartheid-era discrimination would count. Given Mr. Musk’s aggressive dismantling of diversity, equity and inclusion programs, this obsession with one identity group is more than a little ironic.

It’s dangerous, too. The fixation has led to Mr. Trump ending, by executive order, America’s financial assistance to South Africa, with potentially devastating effect on treatment for H.I.V. and AIDS. South Africa is now anathema: Secretary of State Marco Rubio is refusing to travel there for the Group of 20 summit later in the year, saying that it is a hotbed of “anti-Americanism” that is “doing very bad things.” Given the administration’s fascination with old-style colonialism — epitomized most starkly by its putative plan to resettle Gaza with “the world’s people,” along with the desire to buy Greenland and annex the Panama Canal — it’s no surprise that it sees South Africa as a dystopian prophecy to be resisted.

Mr. Musk, ever the entrepreneur, is happy to supply the propaganda. But South Africa’s history tells a different story — one where white dominance was not inevitable, where settler rule did not last and where a different future, however uncertain, remains possible. From his exalted position of power, Mr. Musk may do all he can to reverse or subvert this story. But he won’t be able to. History, unlike Mars, is not his to colonize.

William Shoki is the editor at Africa Is a Country, an independent online publication.

The Times is committed to publishing a diversity of letters to the editor. We’d like to hear what you think about this or any of our articles. Here are some tips. And here’s our email: letters@nytimes.com.

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/28/opinion/elon-musk-south-africa.html

The De Beers Group is a South African–British corporation that specializes in the diamond industry, including mining, exploration, retail, inscription, grading, trading and industrial diamond manufacturing.[3] The company is active in open-pit, underground, large-scale alluvial and coastal mining. It operates in 35 countries with mining taking place in Botswana, Namibia, South Africa, and Canada. It also has an artisanal mining business, Gemfair, which operates in Sierra Leone.

From its inception in 1888 until the start of the 21st century, De Beers controlled 80% to 85% of rough diamond distribution and was considered a monopoly.[4] By 2000, the company's control of the world diamond supply decreased to 63%.[5]

The company was founded in 1888 by British businessman Cecil Rhodes, who was financed by the South African diamond magnate Alfred Beit and the London-based N M Rothschild & Sons bank.[6][7] In 1926, Ernest Oppenheimer, a German immigrant to Britain and later South Africa who had earlier founded mining company Anglo American with American financier J. P. Morgan,[8] was elected to the board of De Beers.[9] He built and consolidated the company's global monopoly over the diamond industry until his death in 1957. During this time, he was involved in several controversies, including price fixing and trust behaviour, and was accused of not releasing industrial diamonds for the US war effort during World War II.[10][11]

In 2011, Anglo American took control of De Beers after buying the Oppenheimers' family stake of 40% for US$5.1 billion (£3.2 billion) and increasing its stake to 85%, ending the 80-year Oppenheimer control of the company.[12] The company is currently owned 85% by Anglo American and 15% by the Government of Botswana.

In May 2024, Anglo American announced its intention to spin off or sell De Beers.[13]

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

l (/ɛl/ EL; also 'Il, Ugaritic: 𐎛𐎍 ʾīlu; Phoenician: 𐤀𐤋 ʾīl;[6] Hebrew: אֵל ʾēl; Syriac: ܐܺܝܠ ʾīyl; Arabic: إل ʾil or إله ʾilāh[clarification needed]; cognate to Akkadian: 𒀭, romanized: ilu) is a Northwest Semitic word meaning 'god' or 'deity', or referring (as a proper name) to any one of multiple major ancient Near Eastern deities. A rarer form, 'ila, represents the predicate form in the Old Akkadian and Amorite languages.[7] The word is derived from the Proto-Semitic *ʔil-.[8]

Specific deities known as 'El, 'Al or 'Il include the supreme god of the ancient Canaanite religion[9] and the supreme god of East Semitic speakers in Early Dynastic Period of Mesopotamia.[10] Among the Hittites, El was known as Elkunirsa (Hittite: 𒂖𒆪𒉌𒅕𒊭 Elkunīrša).

Although El gained different appearances and meanings in different languages over time, it continues to exist as -il or -el in compound proper noun phrases such as Ishmael, Israel, Samuel, Daniel, Raphael, Michael, and Gabriel.

Linguistic forms and meanings

Cognate forms of El are found throughout the Semitic languages. They include Ugaritic ʾilu, pl. ʾlm; Phoenician ʾl pl. ʾlm; Hebrew ʾēl, pl. ʾēlîm; Aramaic ʾl; Akkadian ilu, pl. ilānu.

In northwest Semitic use, ʼel was a generic word for any god as well as the special name or title of a particular god who was distinguished from other gods as being "the god".[11] El is listed at the head of many pantheons. In some Canaanite and Ugaritic sources, El played a role as father of the gods, of creation, or both.[12]

However, because the word el sometimes refers to a god other than the great god El, it is frequently ambiguous as to whether El followed by another name means the great god El with a particular epithet applied or refers to another god entirely. For example, in the Ugaritic texts, ʾil mlk is understood to mean "El the King" but ʾil hd as "the god Hadad".[13]

The Semitic root ʾlh (Arabic ʾilāh, Aramaic ʾAlāh, ʾElāh, Hebrew ʾelōah) may be ʾl with a parasitic h, and ʾl may be an abbreviated form of ʾlh. In Ugaritic the plural form meaning "gods" is ʾilhm, equivalent to Hebrew ʾelōhîm "powers". In the Hebrew texts this word is interpreted as being semantically singular for "god" by biblical commentators.[14] However, according to the documentary hypothesis, at least four different authors – the Jahwist (J), Elohist (E), Deuteronomist (D), and Priestly (P) sources – were responsible for editing stories from a polytheistic religion into those of a monotheistic religion. These sources were joined together at various points in time by a series of editors or "redactors". Inconsistencies that arise between monotheism and polytheism in the texts are reflective of this hypothesis.[15]

The stem ʾl is found prominently in the earliest strata of east Semitic, northwest Semitic, and south Semitic groups. Personal names including the stem ʾl are found with similar patterns in both the Amorite and Sabaic languages.[16]

Historical development

There is evidence that the Canaanite/Phoenician and Aramaic conception of El is essentially the same as the Amorite conception of El, which was popularized in the 18th century BCE but has origins in the Pre-Sargonic period. Any "changes" in El's status can be explained by the randomness of available data. Tribal organizations in West Semitic culture also influenced El's portrayal as a "treaty partner" in covenants, where the clan is seen as the "kin" of the deity.

Eventually, El’s cult became central to the ethnogenesis of Iron Age Israelites but so far, scholars are unable to determine how much of the population were El worshippers. It is more likely that different locales held different views of El.[17]

Proto-Sinaitic, Phoenician, Aramaic, and Hittite texts

The Egyptian god Ptah is given the title ḏū gitti 'Lord of Gath' in a prism from Tel Lachish which has on its opposite face the name of Amenhotep II (c. 1435 – c. 1420 BCE). The title ḏū gitti is also found in Serābitṭ text 353. Frank Moore Cross (1973, p. 19) points out that Ptah is often called the Lord (or one) of eternity and thinks it may be this identification of El with Ptah that lead to the epithet 'olam 'eternal' being applied to El so early and so consistently.[18] Yet another connection is seen with the Mandaean angel Ptahil, whose name combines both the terms Ptah and Il.[19] Wyatt, however, notes that in Ugaritic texts, Ptah is seemingly identified with the craftsman god Kothar-wa-Khasis, not El.[20]

In an inscription in the Proto-Sinaitic script, William F. Albright transcribed the phrase ʾL Ḏ ʿLM, which he translated as the appellation "El, (god) of eternity".[21]

The name Raphael or Rapha-El, meaning 'God has healed' in Ugarit, is attested to in approximately 1350 BCE in one of the Amarna Letters EA333, found in Tell-el-Hesi from the ruler of Lachish to 'The Great One'[22]

A Phoenician inscribed amulet of the seventh century BCE from Arslan Tash may refer to El. The text was translated by Rosenthal (1969, p. 658) as follows:

An eternal bond has been established for us.

Ashshur has established (it) for us,

and all the divine beings

and the majority of the group of all the holy ones,

through the bond of heaven and earth for ever, ...[23]

However, Cross (1973, p. 17) translated the text as follows:

The Eternal One ('Olam) has made a covenant oath with us,

Asherah has made (a pact) with us.

And all the sons of El,

And the great council of all the Holy Ones.

With oaths of Heaven and Ancient Earth.[24]

In some inscriptions, the name 'Ēl qōne 'arṣ (Punic: 𐤀𐤋 𐤒𐤍 𐤀𐤓𐤑 ʾl qn ʾrṣ) meaning "El creator of Earth" appears, even including a late inscription at Leptis Magna in Tripolitania dating to the second century.[25] In Hittite texts, the expression becomes the single name Ilkunirsa, this Ilkunirsa appearing as the husband of Asherdu (Asherah) and father of 77 or 88 sons.[26]

In a Hurrian hymn to El (published in Ugaritica V, text RS 24.278), he is called 'il brt and 'il dn, which Cross (p. 39) takes as 'El of the covenant' and 'El the judge' respectively.[27]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_(deity)

The ancient city of On

Abdel-Rahman Sherief

Last updated: February 12, 2013 2:34 pm

Abdel-Rahman Sherief

On, known today as Heliopolis or Ain-Shams, was considered the first Egyptian capital during the predynastic period and was the birthplace of the first ancient Egyptian mythology.

On was the place where creation itself was believed to take place, the spot where life began, according to Egyptian myths. On was the home of the first and the mightiest Egyptian god of all, Atum, who was believed to have risen from the Benben stone in the great temple of On to light up the dark and empty universe.

Atum was believed to be the source of all other gods, like Shu, the god of air, which he exhaled out of his nose and Tefnut, the god of moisture, which flew from his mouth, to name but a few.

According to the old beliefs people came from Atum’s tears when he cried as a result of his pain and exertions.

On’s priests and astronomers were believed, according to Herodotus and many other historians, to be the inventors of the annual calendar that we use today and the city was the centre of science, philosophy, mathematics, and astronomy. Students came from all over the world to study with its priests and scholars.

Even after the reunification of Egypt and the establishment of the city of Memphis by King Menes who wanted a new capital for Egypt, On retained its religious prestige and its priests were renowned for their skills in science and magic.

The magnificence of On gradually faded through the ages. The Greek philosopher Strabo mentioned that by the first century BC the temples were deserted and the town became uninhabited. Many of the city’s beautiful obelisks were taken to adorn European cities, including Rome and London.

The city is believed to have been razed by the Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar who attacked Egypt in 591BC and 567 BC but there are other theories; it may have been demolished a century earlier by the Assyrians or decades later by the Persians.

The destruction of the city of On meant the destruction of all traces of the existence of the temple of the sun god Ra, the birthplace of writing, and the centre of mathematics and astronomy where the finest philosopers of Greece studied.

The only thing that remains of On is an obelisk built by the pharaoh Sesostris I.

The obelisk was one of a pair built to commemorate the 13th jubilee of Sesostris in 1940 BC, but sometime in the 12th century its twin fell, leaving the Sesostris obelisk standing alone as the only evidence of On’s magnificence. In modern times the obelisk is a site of annual pilgrimage for Egyptian peasants who gather there to celebrate the spring festival of Sham El-Nesim.

Recent tomb discoveries made on the site of On relate to the priests of the great temple, but many of the city’s treasures and sites are hiding beneath the Al-Matariyya suburb, waiting for large-scale excavations projects that may reveal the secrets of the ancient Egyptian city of On.

https://www.dailynewsegypt.com/2013/02/11/the-ancient-city-of-on/

Elon (אֵילוֹן in Hebrew) is a masculine first name, or Jewish surname, which means "oak tree" in the Hebrew language. Variants of the name include Alon, Eilan, Eilon, and Elan; it can also be a variant spelling of Ilan and Ilon (Hebrew: אילן), of the similar meaning "tree".

The given name became more popular in the 2010s (from No. 3,310 in 2008 to No. 885 in 2018 for baby boys in the United States) due to the rise to fame of entrepreneur Elon Musk, though he is not Jewish.[1][2]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elon_(name)

mosque  (mŏsk)

n.

A building used as a place of Muslim worship.

[French mosquée, from Middle French mousquaie, from Old Italian moschea, variant of moscheta, alteration (possibly with influence from Old Italian mosco, musk, in reference to the perfuming of mosques with musk and the mixing of musk into the mortar used to build them) of meschita, from Old Spanish mezquita and Medieval Latin mezquita, from early Arabic (possibly Yemeni dialectal) masgida (attested in early Arabic documents written in the Greek alphabet; compare classical Arabic masjid and Berber tamasgida, mosque, an early borrowing from Arabic), from Aramaic masgədā, definite form (with -ā, suffixed definite article) of *masgid, place of worship, altar; see MASJID.]

https://www.ahdictionary.com/word/search.html?q=mosque

musk (n.)

odoriferous reddish-brown substance secreted by the male musk deer (dried and used in medicinal preparations and as a perfume), late 14c., from Old French musc (13c.) and directly from Medieval Latin muscus, from Late Greek moskhos, from Persian mushk, from Sanskrit muska-s "testicle," from mus "mouse" (so called, presumably, for resemblance; see muscle). The deer gland was thought to resemble a scrotum. German has Moschus, from a Medieval Latin form of the Late Greek word. Spanish has almizcle, from Arabic al misk "the musk," from Persian.

The musk-deer, the small ruminant of central Asia that produces the substance, is so called from 1680s. The name musk was applied to various plants and animals of similar smell, such as the Arctic musk-ox (1744). Musk-melon "the common melon" (1570s) probably originally was an oriental melon with a musky smell, the name transferred by error [OED]. Also compare Muscovy.

also from late 14c.

https://www.etymonline.com/word/musk

Herzl is a beautiful boy's name of Yiddish origin. Borrowed from the name Hirsh, Herzl means “deer,” making it a special way to dote on your little one's delicate nature."

Herzl - Baby Name Meaning, Origin and Popularity (thebump.com)

https://www.thebump.com/b/herzl-baby-name

The ancestral home of the Herzl family is in the German province of Bavaria. Herzl is a German nickname surname. Such names came from eke-names, or added names, that described their initial bearer through reference to a physical characteristic or other attribute. It is a name for a kindhearted or stalwart individual, and is derived from the German word herz, which means heart."

Herzl Name Meaning, Family History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms (houseofnames.com)

https://www.houseofnames.com/herzl-family-crest

The first member of the family who was known to use the name "Rothschild" was Isaak Elchanan Rothschild, born in 1577. The name is derived from the German zum rothen Schild (with the old spelling "th"), meaning "at the red shield", in reference to the house where the family lived for many generations (in those days, houses were designated not by numbers, but by signs displaying different symbols or colours). A red shield can still be seen at the centre of the Rothschild coat of arms. The family's ascent to international prominence began in 1744, with the birth of Mayer Amschel Rothschild in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. He was the son of Amschel Moses Rothschild (born circa 1710),[13] a money changer who had traded with the Prince of Hesse. Born in the "Judengasse", the ghetto of Frankfurt, Mayer developed a finance house and spread his empire by installing each of his five sons in the five main European financial centres to conduct business. The Rothschild coat of arms contains a clenched fist with five arrows symbolising the five dynasties established by the five sons of Mayer Rothschild, in a reference to Psalm 127: "Like arrows in the hands of a warrior, so are the children of one's youth." The family motto appears below the shield: Concordia, Integritas, Industria (Unity, Integrity, Industry).[14]

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

When his grandson, Naftali Hirz left the "House at the Red Shield" in 1664 and moved to the Hinterpfann (a tenement in the back of a house at the northern end of the Judengasse), he took the name Rothschild with him."

The Family ‹ Rothschild Name & Arms :: The Rothschild Archive

https://www.rothschildarchive.org/family/the_rothschild_name_and_arms/any_questions

The scutum (Classical Latin: [ˈskuːt̪ʊ̃]; pl.:scuta) was a type of shield used among Italic peoples in antiquity, most notably by the army of ancient Rome starting about the fourth century BC.[1]

The Romans adopted it when they switched from the military formation of the hoplite phalanx of the Greeks to the formation with maniples (Latin: manipuli). In the former, the soldiers carried a round shield, which the Romans called a clipeus. In the latter, they used the scutum, which was larger. Originally, it was oblong and convex, but by the first century BC, it had developed into the rectangular, semi-cylindrical shield that is popularly associated with the scutum in modern times. This was not the only kind the Romans used; Roman shields were of varying types depending on the role of the soldier who carried it. Oval, circular and rectangular shapes were used throughout Roman history.

History

Reproduction of an Iberian scutum

The first depictions of the scutum are by the Este culture in the 8th century BC, and subsequently spread to the Italians, Illyrians, and Celts.

In the early days of ancient Rome (from the late regal period to the first part of the early republican period) Roman soldiers wore clipeus, which were like the aspides (ἀσπίδες), smaller (than the scutum) round shields used in the Greek hoplite phalanx. The hoplites were heavy infantrymen who originally wore bronze shields and helmets. The phalanx was a compact, rectangular mass military formation. The soldiers lined up in very tight ranks in a formation that was eight lines deep. The phalanx advanced in unison, which encouraged cohesion among the troops. It formed a shield wall and a mass of spears pointing towards the enemy. Its compactness provided a thrusting force that had a great impact on the enemy and made frontal assaults against it very difficult. However, it worked only if the soldiers kept the formation tight and had the discipline needed to keep its compactness in the thick of the battle. It was a rigid form of fighting and its maneuverability was limited. The small shields provided less protection. However, their smaller size afforded more mobility. Their round shape enabled the soldiers to interlock them to hold the line together.

Sometime in the early fourth century BC, the Romans changed their military tactics from the hoplite phalanx to the manipular formation, which was much more flexible. This involved a change in military equipment. The scutum replaced the clipeus. Some ancient writers thought that the Romans had adopted the maniples and the scutum when they fought against the Samnites in the first or second Samnite War (343–341 BC, 327–304 BC).[2] However, Livy did not mention the scutum being a Samnite shield and wrote that the oblong shield and the manipular formation were introduced in the early fourth century BC, before the conflicts between the Romans and the Samnites.[3] Plutarch mentioned the use of the long shield in a battle that took place in 366 BC.[4] Couissin notes archaeological evidence shows that the scutum was in general use among Italic peoples long before the Samnite Wars and argues that it was not obtained from the Samnites.[5] In some parts of Italy the scutum had been used since pre-historical times.[6]

Polybius gave a description of the early second-century scutum BC:[7]

The Roman panoply consists firstly of a shield (scutum), the convex surface of which measures 2.5 ft (76 cm) in width and 4 ft (120 cm) in length, the thickness at the rim being a palm's breadth. It is made of two planks glued together, the outer surface being then covered first with canvas and then with calfskin. Its upper and lower rims are strengthened by an iron edging that protects it from descending blows and from injury when rested on the ground. It also has an iron shield boss (umbo) fixed to it which turns aside the most formidable blows from stones, spears, swords, and other heavy missiles.

Roman rectangular scutums of later eras were smaller than Republican oval scutums and often varied in length from approximately 37 to 42 in (94 to 107 cm) tall (approximately 3 to 3.5 Roman feet, covering the shoulder to top of knee), and 24 to 33 in (61 to 84 cm) wide (approximately 2 to 2.7 Roman feet).[8][9][10][11][12]

Section of the altar of Domitius Ahenobarbus, late 2nd century BC

Another section of the altar of Domitius Ahenobarbus

The oval scutum is depicted on the Altar of Domitius Ahenobarbus in Rome, the monument of Aemilius Paullus at Delphi, and there is an actual example found at Batn Harit in Egypt. Gradually the scutum evolved into the rectangular (or sub-rectangular) type of the early Roman Empire.

By the end of the 3rd century the rectangular scutum seems to have disappeared. Fourth century archaeological finds (especially from the fortress of Dura-Europos) indicate the subsequent use of oval or round shields which were not semi-cylindrical but were either dished (bowl-shaped) or flat. Roman artwork from the end of the 3rd century until the end of Antiquity show soldiers wielding oval or round shields.

The word "scutum" survived the Fall of the Western Empire and remained in the military vocabulary of the Byzantine Empire. Even in the 11th century, the Byzantines called their armoured soldiers skutatoi (Grk. σκυτατοί), and several modern Romance languages use derivatives of the word.

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

Elon Musk breaks silence on Twitter, posts a picture with the pope

By Reuters

July 2, 20226:13 AM PDT Updated 2 years ago

July 2 (Reuters) - Elon Musk on Friday night broke his nine-day silence on Twitter, the social media platform he is trying to buy for $44 billion, posting a picture of him meeting Pope Francis on Thursday.

The world's richest person tweeted a picture where he can be seen standing next to the pope, captioning it: "Honored to meet @pontifex yesterday."

Musk's four teenage boys are also pictured, but not his 18-year-old transgender daughter who, on June 20 sought to change her name and sever ties with him. Musk has a total of eight children. read more

The purpose and location of Musk's meeting with the pope were not immediately clear.

Last month, Musk said there were "still a few unresolved matters" on the deal to buy Twitter, including the number of spam users on the system and the coming together of the debt portion of the deal.

https://www.reuters.com/technology/musk-breaks-silence-twitter-posts-picture-with-pope-2022-07-02/

https://www.facebook.com/4williamdunn/posts/pfbid0wagVLsY99UcR6qiwSJNpDy529ropWuQwB419dtarfixQzQwS9AmHNS1gJuHfsSdXl

Joseph Anthony Marella (February 28, 1963 – July 4, 1994) was an American professional wrestling referee for the World Wrestling Federation and son of former wrestler and then WWF announcer Gorilla Monsoon (Robert Marella) from Willingboro Township, New Jersey.[1]

Career

Joey Marella joined the World Wrestling Federation in 1983,[2] and moved through the ranks until he was often assigned to referee feature promotion matches.[3] In 1987, he served as the referee for the much-hyped match between Hulk Hogan and André the Giant at WrestleMania III as well as their rematch in 1988 at WrestleMania IV.[4] 10 minutes prior to their WrestleMania III match, André had asked Vince McMahon to choose Marella to be the referee for that match.[5]

Marella was also the official for the 1992 SummerSlam main event of Bret Hart vs. Davey Boy Smith at London's famous Wembley Stadium.[6] Marella was briefly suspended for a substance abuse problem in 1993 and then later re-hired.[7]

He was also part of the controversy at the 1994 Royal Rumble match in which he and former WWF referee Earl Hebner couldn't decide between Lex Luger and Bret Hart as to who had won the match.[8][9][10]

During Marella's career as a WWF referee, while becoming one of the Federation's most respected in-ring officials, he also became the butt of jokes for heel based commentators especially when they were teamed with Marella's father Gorilla Monsoon with Monsoon regularly using one of his catch phrases "Will you stop" (mostly said to either Jesse "The Body" Ventura or Bobby "The Brain" Heenan) when they would criticize his performance. This was actually an inside joke, as the fact that Monsoon and Marella were actually father and son was not well known by fans until after Marella had died. Earl Hebner discussed in an interview how Marella was a good person. Hebner revealed that he was scheduled to referee the last match on a card, but Marella offered to referee the last match so Hebner could get out early and fly home from the nearby Newark Airport.[11]

Other media

Marella also appeared in the 1989 WWF produced movie No Holds Barred as a referee during a wrestling match.[12]

Death and legacy

He died in a car accident on July 4, 1994, at the age of 31, after he fell asleep at the wheel and crashed into a guardrail and a tree while driving home on the New Jersey Turnpike after a night of refereeing WWF matches in Ocean City, Maryland.[13][14][15] Bruno Lauer, better known by his ring name Harvey Wippleman, was with him at the time and was critically injured. Lauer was wearing a seatbelt, while Marella was not. Following his death, the WWF instituted rules that WWF personnel had to check into hotels when working late. Furthermore, they would no longer travel alone and everyone traveling together had to agree to travel.[16] Marella is buried next to his father Gorilla Monsoon (1937–1999) at Lakeview Memorial Park in Cinnaminson, New Jersey. Images of a baseball player and a golfer were placed on his headstone due to his love of the two sports.[2] As a tribute, WWE ring announcer Tony Chimel named his son after Marella. Marella's sister Valerie also named a son after her brother.[1]

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

Chaldean Catholic Church

Classical Syriac: ܥܕܬܐ ܟܠܕܝܬܐ ܩܬܘܠܝܩܝܬܐ

Interior of the Cathedral of Our Lady of Sorrows in Baghdad, Iraq

Type Particular church (sui iuris)

Classification Christian

Orientation 

Eastern Catholic

Syriac

Scripture Peshitta[1]

Theology Catholic theology

Governance Holy Synod of the Chaldean Church[2]

Pope Leo XIV

Patriarch Louis Raphaël I Sako

Region Iraq, Iran, Turkey, Syria, Lebanon; diaspora in North America, Europe, and Australia

Language Liturgical: Syriac[3]

Liturgy East Syriac Rite

Headquarters Cathedral of Mary Mother of Sorrows, Baghdad, Iraq

Founder Traditionally traced to Thomas the Apostle via Addai and Mari; established in 1552 under Shimun VIII Yohannan Sulaqa

Origin 1552

Ottoman Iraq

Separated from Church of the East

Members 616,639 (2018)[4]

Other name Chaldean Patriarchate

Official website chaldeanpatriarchate.com

The Chaldean Catholic Church (Classical Syriac: ܥܕܬܐ ܟܠܕܝܬܐ ܩܬܘܠܝܩܝܬܐ, ʿĒdtā Kalḏāytā Qāṯōlīqāytā; الكنيسة الكلدانية, al-Kanīsa al-Kaldāniyya; Latin: Ecclesia Chaldaeorum Catholica) is an Eastern Catholic particular church (sui iuris) in full communion with the Holy See and the worldwide Catholic Church. It uses the East Syriac Rite in the Syriac language and forms part of the Syriac tradition.

The church is headed by the patriarch of Babylon of the Chaldeans, currently Louis Raphaël I Sako, and is based in the Cathedral of Our Lady of Sorrows in Baghdad, Iraq. As of 2018, it counted approximately 616,639 members globally, with most residing in Iraq and significant diasporic communities in North America, Europe, and Australia.[4]

The Chaldean Catholic Church emerged following the Schism of 1552, when a faction of the Church of the East sought to restore communion with the Roman Catholic Church. Shimun VIII Yohannan Sulaqa was elected patriarch and traveled to Rome, where Pope Julius III confirmed his position in 1553.

Demographics

According to the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom, citing the Iraqi Christian Foundation, around 80% of Iraqi Christians are Chaldean Catholics.[5] A 2018 report by the U.S. Department of State estimated that 67% of Christians in Iraq belonged to the Chaldean Catholic Church.[6] The European Union Agency for Asylum cited similar figures in its 2019 country guidance.[7]

Ethnicity

The majority of adherents are ethnic Assyrians, also referred to as Chaldo-Assyrians.[8] Chaldean communities are primarily located in northern Iraq, especially in towns such as Alqosh, Ankawa, Araden, Tel Keppe, and Shaqlawa, as well as among diaspora populations.

Terminology

Neither before nor after the 15th century did the term "Chaldean" indicate a supposed ethnic connection of the Church of the East with ancient south Babylonian Chaldea and its inhabitants, which emerged during the 9th century BC after Chaldean tribes migrated from the Levant region of Urfa in Upper Mesopotamia to southeast Mesopotamia, and disappeared from history during the 6th century BC:[9] it referred instead to the use by Christians of that church of the Syriac language, a form of the biblical Aramaic language, which was then and indeed until the 19th century generally called Chaldean.[10][11][12][13]

Outside of Catholic Church usage, the term "Chaldean" continued to apply to all associated with the Church of the East tradition, whether they were in communion with Rome or not. It indicated not race or nationality, but only language or religion. Throughout the 19th century, it continued to be used of East Syriac Christians, whether "Nestorian" or Catholic,[14][15][16][17][18] and this usage continued into the 20th century.[19]

Historical usage

4th century

For many centuries, from at least the time of Jerome (c. 347 – 420),[10] the term "Chaldean" was a misnomer that indicated the Biblical Aramaic language[20] and was still the normal name in the nineteenth century. Jerome did know that Aramaic was in the Bible, where he designated the biblical Aramaic by the term "Chaldean". Jerome implied that one reason the books of Tobit and Judith are undeserving of inclusion within the biblical canon is because they were written in Chaldean. Because he translated the Hebrew Bible, he would naturally recognize each time which language would be much more difficult for him when the passages changed from Hebrew to Chaldean.[11][12][13]

In Porphyry's Philosophy from Oracles, quoted by Eusebius of Caesarea in Praeparatio Evangelica, from the early 4th century AD, the term "Chaldean" was mentioned as a synonym for "Assyrian": "The discovery was ascribed by the god to Egyptians, Phoenicians, Chaldeans (for these are the Assyrians), Lydians, and Hebrews."[21]

15th–16th century

Only in 1445 did it begin to be used to mean Aramaic speakers in communion with the Catholic Church, on the basis of a decree of the Council of Florence,[22] which accepted the profession of faith that Timothy, metropolitan of the Aramaic speakers in Cyprus, made in Aramaic, and which decreed that "nobody shall in future dare to call [...] Chaldeans, Nestorians".[23][24][25]

In the 16th century, Spanish cleric Francis Xavier used the term "Chaldean" for the Syriac language in this statement: "Not even the Caciz themselves understand the prayers which they recite: which are in a foreign language (I think Chaldean). They render special honours to the Apostle St. Thomas, claiming to be descendants of the Christians begotten to Jesus Christ by that Apostle in these countries."[26]

19th century

A letter from November 14, 1838, states: “The so-called “Chaldeans" of Mesopotamia received that title, as you know, from the pope, on their becoming Catholics.”[27] Previously, when there were as yet no Catholic Aramaic speakers of Mesopotamian origin, the term "Chaldean" was applied with explicit reference to their "Nestorian" religion. Thus Jacques de Vitry wrote of them in 1220/1 that "they denied that Mary was the Mother of God and claimed that Christ existed in two persons. They consecrated leavened bread and used the 'Chaldean' (Syriac) language".[28] The decree of the Council of Florence was directed against use of "Chaldean" to signify "non-Catholic."

In 1852 George Percy Badger distinguished those whom he called Chaldeans from those whom he called Nestorians, but by religion alone, never by language, race or nationality.[29]

The Assyrian ethnicity of Chaldean Catholics is also attested by Assyriology. In 1881, archeologist and author Hormuzd Rassam stated: “The inhabitants of Assyria consist now of mixed races, Arabs, Turkomans, Koords, Yezeedees, Jews, and Christians called Chaldeans and Syrians. The last two-named denominations doubtless belong to one nationality, the Assyrian, and they were only distinguished by these two names when they separated consequent upon the theological dispute of the age, namely, Monophisites or Jacobites, and Nestorians.”[30]

Contemporary

In 1920, Herbert Henry Austin stated: “It may not be out of place, therefore, to point out that there were exceedingly few Roman Catholic Assyrians or “Chaldeans" as they are generally termed when they embrace Rome, amongst the refugees at Baqubah. The very large majority of the Roman Catholic Assyrians in the Mosul vilayet did not join the mountaineers and fight against the Turks and in consequence were permitted by the Turks to continue to dwell practically unmolested in their homes about Mosul."[31][32]

Patriarch Raphael I Bidawid of the Chaldean Catholic Church (1989–2003), who accepted the term Assyrian as descriptive of his nationality and ethnicity, commented: "When a portion of the Church of the East became Catholic in the 17th Century, the name given to the church was 'Chaldean' based on the Magi kings who were believed by some to have come from what once had been the land of the Chaldean, to Bethlehem. The name 'Chaldean' does not represent an ethnicity, just a church [...] We have to separate what is ethnicity and what is religion [...] I myself, my sect is Chaldean, but ethnically, I am Assyrian."[33] Earlier, he said: "Before I became a priest I was an Assyrian, before I became a bishop I was an Assyrian, I am an Assyrian today, tomorrow, forever, and I am proud of it."[34]

Chaldean Catholic Archbishop of Urmia, Mar Toma Audo (1854-1918), considered the most elegant Syriac writer of his time,[35] also stressed the remnants of the ancient Assyrians were the East Syrians (Suryāyē Madənkhāyē). Commenting in his Syriac work The Selected Readings, published in 1906, he wrote: "We too, the East Syrians, descend from the aforementioned Assyrians, we are children of the Assyrians or Ashur son of Shem and on account of this we are also Semites. We have preserved until today the language of our ancestors with of course some changes which have entered it." He then continues and explains how "Syrian" (Surāyā) is simply a shortened abbreviation of "Assyrian," and notes that some scholars contemporary to him believed that the Assyrians adopted the name "Syrian" after converting to Christianity.[36]

History

The Church of the East

Main article: Church of the East

The Chaldean Catholic Church traces its beginnings to the Church of the East, which was founded in the Parthian Empire. The Acts of the Apostles mentions Parthians as among those to whom the apostles preached on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:9). Thomas the Apostle, Thaddeus of Edessa, and Bartholomew the Apostle are reputed to be its founders. One of the modern Churches that boast descent from it says it is "the Church in Babylon" spoken of in 1 Peter 5:13 and that he visited it.[37]

Under the rule of the Sasanian Empire, which overthrew the Parthians in 224, the Church of the East continued to develop its distinctive identity by use of the Syriac language and Syriac script. One "Persian" bishop was at the First Council of Nicaea (325).[38] There is no mention of Persian participation in the First Council of Constantinople (381), in which also the Western part of the Roman Empire was not involved.

The Council of Seleucia-Ctesiphon of 410, held in the Sasanian capital, recognized the city's bishop Isaac as Catholicos, with authority throughout the Church of the East. The persistent military conflicts between the Sasanians and the by then Christianized Roman Empire made the Persians suspect the Church of the East of sympathizing with the enemy. This in turn induced the Church of the East to distance itself increasingly from that in the Roman Empire. Although in a time of peace their 420 council explicitly accepted the decrees of some "western" councils, including that of Nicaea, in 424 they determined that thenceforth they would refer disciplinary or theological problems to no external power, especially not to any "western" bishop or council.[39][40]

The theological controversy that followed the Council of Ephesus in 431 was a turning point in the history of the Church of the East. The Council condemned as heretical the Christology of Nestorius, whose reluctance to accord the Virgin Mary the title Theotokos "God-bearer, Mother of God" was taken as evidence that he believed two separate persons (as opposed to two united natures) to be present within Christ. The Sasanian Emperor provided refuge for those who in the Nestorian schism rejected the decrees of the Council of Ephesus enforced in the Byzantine Empire.[41] In 484 he executed the pro-Roman Catholicos Babowai. Under the influence of Barsauma, Bishop of Nisibis, the Church of the East officially accepted as normative the teaching not of Nestorius himself, but of his teacher Theodore of Mopsuestia, whose writings the 553 Second Council of Constantinople condemned as Nestorian but some modern scholars view them as orthodox.[42] The position thus assigned to Theodore in the Church of the East was reinforced in several subsequent synods in spite of the opposing teaching of Henana of Adiabeme.[43]

After its split with the West and its adoption of a theology that some called Nestorianism, the Church of the East expanded rapidly in the medieval period due to missionary work. Between 500 and 1400, its geographical horizon extended well beyond its heartland in present-day northern Iraq, northeastern Syria, and southeastern Turkey, setting up communities throughout Central Asia and as far as China—as witnessed by the Xi'an Stele, a Tang dynasty tablet in Chinese script dating to 781 that documented 150 years of Christian history in China.[44] Their most lasting addition was of the Saint Thomas Christians of the Malabar Coast in India, where they had around 10 million followers.[45]

However, a decline had already set in at the time of Yahballaha III (1281–1317), when the Church of the East reached its greatest geographical extent, it had in south and central Iraq and in south, central and east Persia only four dioceses, where at the end of the ninth century it had at least 54.[46]

Around 1400, the Turco-Mongol nomadic conqueror Timur arose out of the Eurasian Steppe to lead military campaigns all across Western, Southern and Central Asia, ultimately seizing much of the Muslim world after defeating the Mamluks of Egypt and Syria, the emerging Ottoman Empire, and the declining Delhi Sultanate. Timur's conquests devastated most Assyrian bishoprics and destroyed the 4000-year-old cultural and religious capital of Assur. After the destruction brought on by Timur, the massive and organized Church of the East structure was largely reduced to its region of origin, with the exception of the Saint Thomas Christians in India.

1552 schism

Main articles: Shimun VIII Yohannan Sulaqa and Schism of 1552

The Church of the East has seen many disputes about the position of Catholicos. A synod in 539 decided that neither of the two claimants, Elisha and Narsai, who had been elected by rival groups of bishops in 524, was legitimate.[47] Similar conflicts occurred between Barsauma and Acacius of Seleucia-Ctesiphon and between Hnanisho I and Yohannan the Leper. The 1552 conflict was not merely between two individuals but extended to two rival lines of patriarchs, like the 1964 schism between what are now called the Assyrian and the Ancient Church of the East.

Credentials of Abdisho IV Maron, Sulaqa's successor, to the Council of Trent in 1562

Dissent over the practice of hereditary succession to the Patriarchate, usually from uncle to nephew, led to the action in 1552 by a group of bishops from the northern regions of Amid and Salmas who elected as a rival Patriarch the abbot of Rabban Hormizd Monastery (the patriarch's residence), Yohannan Sulaqa. To strengthen the position of their candidate, the bishops sent him to Rome to negotiate a new union with the pope.[48] By tradition, a patriarch could be ordained only by someone of archiepiscopal (metropolitan) rank, a rank to which only members of that one family were promoted. Sulaqa thus travelled to Rome, where, presented as the new patriarch-elect, he entered communion with the Catholic Church on 20 February 1553, was ordained by Pope Julius III and was recognized as patriarch on 9 April.[49]

The title or description under which Sulaqa was recognized as patriarch is given variously as "Patriarch of Mosul in Eastern Syria";[50] "Patriarch of the Church of the Chaldeans of Mosul";[51] "Patriarch of the Chaldeans";[48][52][53][54] "Patriarch of Mosul";[49][55][56] or "Patriarch of the Eastern Assyrians", this last being the version given by Pietro Strozzi on the second-last unnumbered page before page 1 of his De Dogmatibus Chaldaeorum,[57] of which an English translation is given in Adrian Fortescue's Lesser Eastern Churches.[58][59] The "Eastern Assyrians", who, if not Catholic, were presumed to be Nestorians, were distinguished from the "Western Assyrians" (those west of the Tigris River), who were looked on as Jacobites.[60][61][62] It was as Patriarch of the "Eastern Assyrians" that Sulaqa's successor, Abdisho IV Maron, was accredited for participation in the Council of Trent.[63]

The names already in use (except that of "Nestorian") were thus applied to the existing church (not a new one) for which the request to consecrate its patriarch was made by emissaries who gave the impression that the patriarchal see was vacant.[55][53][64]

Sulaqa returned home in the same year and, unable to take possession of the traditional patriarchal seat near Alqosh, resided in Amid. Before being put to death at the instigation of partisans supporting the patriarch from whom he had broken away, Shemon VII Ishoyahb, he ordained two metropolitans and three other bishops.[53][55][49] This initiated a new ecclesiastical hierarchy under what is known as the "Shimun line" of patriarchs, who soon moved from Amid eastward, settling, after many intervening places, in the isolated village of Qudshanis under Persian rule. Ishoyahb, meanwhile, was succeeded by his nephew Eliya VI, in what became known as the "Eliya Line".

Successive leaders of those in communion with Rome

Sulaqa's earliest successors entered into communion with the Catholic Church, but in the course of over a century, their link with Rome grew weak. The last to request and obtain formal papal recognition died in 1600. They adopted hereditary succession to the patriarchate, opposition to which had caused the 1552 schism. In 1672, Shimun XIII Dinkha formally broke communion with Rome, adopting a profession of faith that contradicted that of Rome, while he maintained his independence from the Alqosh-based "Eliya line" of patriarchs. The "Shimun line" eventually became the patriarchal line of what since 1976 is officially called the Assyrian Church of the East.[65][66][67][68]

Leadership of those who wished to be in communion with Rome then passed to Archbishop Joseph I of Amid. In 1677 his leadership was recognized first by the Turkish civil authorities, and then in 1681 by Rome. (Until then, the authority of the Alqosh patriarch over Amid, which had been Sulaqa's residence but which his successors abandoned on having to move eastward into Safavid Iran, had been accepted by the Turkish authorities.)

All the (non-hereditary) successors in Amid of Joseph I, who in 1696 resigned for health reasons and lived on in Rome until 1707, took the name Joseph: Joseph II (1696–1713), Joseph III (1713–1757), Joseph IV (1757–1781). For that reason, they are known as the "Josephite line". Joseph IV presented his resignation in 1780 and it was accepted in 1781, after which he handed over the administration of the patriarchate to his nephew, not yet a bishop, and retired to Rome, where he lived until 1791.[69]

Appointment of the nephew as patriarch would look like acceptance of the principle of hereditary succession. In addition, the Alqosh "Eliya line" was drawing closer to Rome, and the pro-Catholic faction within its followers was becoming predominant. For various reasons, including the ecclesiastical as well as political turbulence in Europe after the French Revolution, Rome was long unable to choose between two rival claimants to headship of the Chaldean Catholics.

The 1672 adoption by the "Shimun line" of patriarchs of Nestorian doctrine had been followed in some areas by widespread adoption of the opposing Christology upheld in Rome. This occurred not only in the Amid-Mardin area for which by Turkish decree Joseph I was patriarch, but also in the city of Mosul, where by 1700 nearly all the East Syrians were Catholics.[70] The Rabban Hormizd Monastery, which was the seat of the "Eliya line" of patriarchs is 2 km from the village of Alqosh and about 45 km north of the city of Mosul.

In view of this situation, Patriarch Eliya XI wrote to Pope Clement XII and his successor Benedict XIV in 1735, 1749 and 1756, asking for union. Then, in 1771, both he and his designated successor Ishoyabb made a profession of faith that Pope Clement XIV accepted, thus establishing communion in principle. When Eliya XI died in 1778, the metropolitans recognized as his successor Ishoyabb, who accordingly took the Eliya name (Eliya XII). To win support, Eliya made profession of the Catholic faith, but almost immediately renounced it and declared his support of the traditionalist (Nestorian) view.

Yohannan Hormizd, a member of the "Eliya line" family, opposed Eliya XII (1778–1804), the last of that line to be elected in the normal way as patriarch. In 1780 Yohannan was irregularly elected patriarch, as Sulaqa had been in 1552. He won over to communion with Rome most followers of the "Eliyya line". The Holy See did not recognize him as patriarch, but in 1791 Pope Pius VI appointed him archbishop of Amid and administrator of the Catholic patriarchate. The violent protests of Joseph IV's nephew, who was then in Rome, and suspicions raised by others about the sincerity of Yohannan's conversion prevented this being put into effect.[70]

In 1793 it was agreed that Yohannan should withdraw from Amid to Mosul, the metropolitan see that he already held, but that the post of patriarch would not be conferred on his rival, Joseph IV's nephew. In 1802 the latter was appointed metropolitan of Amid and administrator of the patriarchate, but not patriarch. Nonetheless, he became commonly known as Joseph V. He died in 1828. Yohannan's rival for the Alqosh title of patriarch had died in 1804, with his followers so reduced in number that they did not elect any successor for him, thus bringing the Alqosh or Eliya line to an end.[70]

Finally then, in 1830, a century and a half after the Holy See had conferred headship of the Chaldean Catholics on Joseph I of Amid, Pope Pius VIII granted recognition as Patriarch to Yohannan, whose (non-hereditary) patriarchal succession has since then lasted unbroken in the Chaldean Catholic Church.

Later history of the Chaldean Church

Cathedral of Saint Joseph, Ankawa, Archeparchy of Arbil.

St. Joseph Chaldean Catholic Church, Tehran

In 1838, the Kurds of Soran attacked the Rabban Hormizd Monastery and Alqosh, apparently thinking the villagers were Yazidis responsible for the murder of a Kurdish chieftain, and killed over 300 Chaldean Catholics, including Gabriel Dambo, the refounder of the monastery, and other monks.[71]

In 1846, the Ottoman Empire, which had previously classified as Nestorians those who called themselves Chaldeans, granted them recognition as a distinct millet.[72][73]

The most famous patriarch of the Chaldean Church in the 19th century was Joseph VI Audo who is remembered also for his clashes with Pope Pius IX mainly about his attempts to extend the Chaldean jurisdiction over the Malabar Catholics. This was a period of expansion for the Chaldean Catholic Church.

The activity of the Turkish army and their Kurdish and Arab allies, partly in response to armed support for Russia in the territory of the Qochanis patriarchate, brought ruin also to the Chaldean dioceses of Amid, Siirt and Gazarta and the metropolitans Addai Scher of Siirt and Philippe-Jacques Abraham of Gazarta were killed in 1915.[74]

Faisal I of Iraq with Mar Yousef VI Emmanuel II Thomas, Patriarch 1900–1947, and the Chaldean bishops

In the 21st century, Father Ragheed Aziz Ganni, the pastor of the Chaldean Church of the Holy Spirit in Mosul, who graduated from the Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas, Angelicum in Rome in 2003 with a licentiate in ecumenical theology, was killed on 3 June 2007 in Mosul alongside the subdeacons Basman Yousef Daud, Wahid Hanna Isho, and Gassan Isam Bidawed, after he celebrated mass.[75][76] Ganni has since been declared a Servant of God.[77]

Chaldean Archbishop Paulos Faraj Rahho and three companions were abducted on 29 February 2008, in Mosul, and murdered a few days later.[78]

21st century: international diaspora

A historic church and community center built in Chaldean Town, an Assyrian diaspora neighborhood in Detroit

There are many Chaldean Assyrians in diaspora in the Western world, primarily in the American states of Michigan, Illinois and California.[79]

In 2006, the Eparchy of Oceania, with the title of 'St Thomas the Apostle of Sydney of the Chaldeans' was set up with jurisdiction including the Chaldean Catholic communities of Australia and New Zealand.[80] Its first Bishop, named by Pope Benedict XVI on 21 October 2006, was Archbishop Djibrail (Jibrail) Kassab, until this date, Archbishop of Bassorah in Iraq.[81]

There has been a large immigration to the United States particularly to West Bloomfield and Oakland County in Southeast Michigan.[80] Although the largest population resides in Southeast Michigan, there are populations in parts of California and Arizona as well, which all fall under the Eparchy of Saint Thomas the Apostle of Detroit. In addition, Canada in recent years has shown growing communities in provinces such as Ontario.

In 2008, Bawai Soro of the Assyrian Church of the East and 1,000 Assyrian families were received into full communion with the Chaldean Catholic Church.[82]

On Friday, June 10, 2011, Pope Benedict XVI erected a new Chaldean Catholic eparchy in Toronto, Ontario, Canada and named Archbishop Yohannan Zora, who has worked alongside four priests with Catholics in Toronto (the largest community of Chaldeans) for nearly 20 years and who was previously an ad hominem Archbishop (he will retain this rank as head of the eparchy) and the Archbishop of the Archdiocese (Archeparchy) of Ahvaz (since 1974). The new eparchy, or diocese, will be known as the Chaldean Catholic Eparchy of Mar Addai. There are 38,000 Chaldean Catholics in Canada. Archbishop Zora was born in Batnaya, Iraq, on March 15, 1939. He was ordained in 1962 and worked in Iraqi parishes before being transferred to Iran in 1969.[83]

The 2006 Australian census counted a total of 4,498 Chaldean Catholics in that country.[84]

Historic membership censuses

Despite the internal discords of the reigns of Yohannan Hormizd (1830–1838), Nicholas I Zaya (1839–1847) and Joseph VI Audo (1847–1878), the 19th century was a period of considerable growth for the Chaldean church, in which its territorial jurisdiction was extended, its hierarchy strengthened and its membership nearly doubled. In 1850, the Anglican missionary George Percy Badger recorded the population of the Chaldean Catholic Church as 2,743 Chaldean families, or just under 20,000 persons.[85]

Badger's figures cannot be squared with the figure of just over 4,000 Chaldean families recorded by Fulgence de Sainte Marie in 1796 nor with slightly later figures provided by Paulin Martin in 1867. Badger is known to have classified as Nestorian a considerable number of villages in the Aqra district which were Chaldean at this period, and he also failed to include several important Chaldean villages in other dioceses. His estimate is almost certainly far too low.[85]

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

Trump, Vance meet with Pope Leo's Florida brother, 'a major MAGA fan', at White House

Kim Luciani

USA TODAY NETWORK - Florida

May 22, 2025, 12:58 p.m. ET

Key Points AI-assisted summary

President Donald Trump met with Pope Leo XIV's brother, Louis Prevost, at the White House.

Trump publicly praised Prevost, a Florida resident, for being a "major MAGA fan."

Louis Prevost acknowledged his political views and stated his intention to "tone it down" to avoid causing issues for the pope.

President Donald Trump met with Pope Leo XIV's Florida brother Louis Prevost at the White House on May 20, after praising Prevost to reporters at the Capitol earlier in the day, calling him a "major MAGA fan."

Trump told reporters he likes the pope and both of his brothers, but spotlighted the eldest brother, Navy veteran and Port Charlotte resident Louis Prevost.

"I like the new pope and I like the pope's brother. You know, one of the pope's brothers – actually both of them – but one in particular is a major MAGA fan. Did you know that? He lives in Florida," Trump said.

"And I look forward to getting him to the White House. I want to shake his hand, I want to give him a big hug."

Later that day, the White House visit happened. Louis Prevost and his wife Deborah met with Trump and Vice President JD Vance in the Oval Office.

"Great meeting between President Trump, Vice President Vance, and @Pontifex’s brother, Louis Prevost and his wife Deborah," Special Assistant to the President and Communications Advisor Margo Martin posted on X, along with a photo of the meeting.

Louis Prevost excited and happy about brother Pope Leo XVI's papacy

The Prevost brothers — Louis, John and Robert (Pope Leo XIV) — grew up in Chicago in a traditional Catholic family.

Louis Prevost said his youngest brother Robert wanted to "play priest" when he was 6 and set his sights on the priesthood as a freshman in high school. Their parents, neighbors and even strangers told Robert, "You're going to be pope someday," he said.

Robert Prevost's election as Pope Leo XIV left Louis Prevost excited, happy, mind blown and a little worried about how the papacy would impact their relationship.

“I just freaked out and said ‘It’s Rob, OMG.’ I was up, dressed, out, just going nuts,” he told WBBH.

“We can only hope that we can maintain that closeness, and we don't do anything to embarrass him,” he said.

Louis Prevost attended Pope Leo's inaugural mass at the Vatican on May 18. The brothers shared a hug after the service.

Pope Leo's Florida brother Louis Prevost is a MAGA, Trump supporter

Trump told reporters Louis Prevost is a "major MAGA fan."

In an interview with Piers Morgan, Louis Prevost said, "I don’t want to create waves that don’t need to be there because I’m a MAGA type and I have my beliefs,” he said. “I don’t need to create heat for him. He’s going to have enough to handle as it is without the press going ‘the pope’s brother says this.’ He doesn’t need that.”

Asked about his reposts of controversial social media memes, including one calling Nancy Pelosi a drunk (expletive), and how they might affect the pope, Louis Prevost said he will "tone it down."

"He knows I am who I am," he said of the pope. "He's well aware of my position. He knows I'm probably not going to change and I don't think I will, other than to, just like you say, tone it down."

Contributing: Melissa Pérez-Carrillo, Herald-Tribune, Ashley Ferrer, USA TODAY Network-Florida

https://www.heraldtribune.com/story/news/2025/05/22/trump-pope-leo-florida-maga-brother-louis-prevost-white-house-visit/83773944007/

All historians acknowledge the ascendancy of the popes began in 308 A.D., when King Clovis of the Salian or Merovingian Franks (later France), won the decisive battle in the Catholic and Arian religious war, thereby settling the dispute in favor of the Catholics. But the popes' temporal reign officially began in the year 538 A.D. when Roman Emperor Justinian subdued the last of the three kingdoms, or "horns," that opposed the rise of the Papacy."

-page 137

Chapter 19 "Exposed (Again): 1260 Years of World Domination

Codeword Barbelon book 2

by P.D. Stuart

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)

Louis Raphaël I Sako (Arabic: لويس روفائيل ساكو;[1] born 4 July 1948) is a Chaldean Catholic prelate who has served as Patriarch of Baghdad since 1 February 2013. Pope Francis made him a cardinal on 28 June 2018.

Biography

Early life

Sako was born in the city of Zakho, Iraq, on 4 July 1948.[2] He comes from an ethnic Assyrian family of the Chaldean Catholic Church that has roots in a religious community that has had a presence in the city of his birth since the 5th century AD.[3]

He completed his early studies in Mosul and then attended the Dominican-run Saint Jean’s Seminary there. He was ordained a priest on 1 June 1974 and filled his first pastoral assignment at the Cathedral of Mosul until 1979. He then earned a doctorate in Eastern patrology at the Pontifical Oriental Institute. When denied a license to teach because he was only qualified for religious instruction, he earned a second doctorate in history from the Sorbonne in Paris.[4] With this he secured his teaching license and was able to provide religious instruction. From 1997 to 2002 he was rector of the Patriarchal Seminary in Baghdad. He then returned to Mosul and guided the parish of Perpetual Help for a year.[5][6]

Sako speaks Neo-Aramaic, German, French, English, Italian, Kurdish and Arabic.[2]

Archeparch

A synod of the bishops of the Chaldean Catholic Church meeting in Baghdad elected Sako Archeparch of Kirkuk on 24 October 2002. Pope John Paul II gave his assent on 27 September 2003.[7] He received his episcopal consecration on 14 November 2003 from his predecessor in Kirkuk, André Sana.[8]

In August 2009, and at the beginning of Ramadan, Sako organized an appeal for national peace, reconciliation and end to violence on the part of more than fifty religious leaders in Kirkuk. He called it "a gesture of closeness to our Muslim brothers. We are all brothers, sons of the same God we must respect and cooperate for the good of the people and our country." The participants included representatives of Ali Sistani and Muqtada al Sadr.[9]

Patriarch

The Synod of Bishops of the Chaldean Catholic Church, convoked in Rome on 28 January 2013, elected Sako to succeed Emmanuel III Delly as Patriarch of Babylon. He chose Louis Raphael I as his regnal name. Pope Benedict XVI gave his assent to the election on 1 February[2] and granted him ecclesiastica communio (ecclesiastical communion) as required by the canon law for Eastern-rite Catholic churches in recognition of their unity with the wider Catholic church.[10]

That same year, Iraq's President Jalal Talabani issued a decree recognizing Sako as Patriarch of the Chaldean Church.[11]

In July 2014 Sako led a wave of condemnation for the Sunni Islamists who demanded Christians either convert, submit to their radical rule and pay a religious levy or face death by the sword.[12] In September 2014 Sako said “The U.S. is indirectly responsible for what is going on in Iraq as it said it would ensure democracy and the well-being of the people, but 10 years have passed and on the contrary we have gone backward." He was responding to a question following remarks attributed to him in the local daily Ad-Diyar in which he accused the U.S. of supporting ISIS. Sako had also criticized Muslim countries for lack of support: "Our Muslim neighbours did not help us." He urged Muslim preachers to issue a religious ruling against the killing of all innocent people and said that "Issuing a fatwa preventing Muslims from killing fellow Muslims is not enough."[13]

In 2014, Sako ordered ten priests who had fled Iraq to return there by 22 October; he suspended them when they failed to comply. The priests, all living in the United States, some for as long as twenty years, appealed to Pope Francis for relief from the order.[14] In January 2015, Pope Francis granted them permission to remain in the United States.[15] Sako later renewed his order despite the pope's decision.[16]

In 2015, Sako proposed a "merger" or reunion of his own Chaldean Catholic Church with the Ancient Church of the East and the Assyrian Church of the East to create one united "Church of the East" with a single patriarch in union with the pope. His proposal would have required both his own resignation and that of Mar Addai II, followed by a joint synod of the bishops of all three churches to elect a new patriarch for the reunited Church of the East. (The patriarchate of the Assyrian Church of the East was vacant at the time, following the death of Mar Dinkha IV.)[17] He wrote that "Unity does not mean uniformity, nor the melting of our own church identity into one style, but it maintains unity in diversity and we remain one apostolic universal church, the Oriental Church, that maintains its independence of administration, laws and liturgies, traditions and support."[18] The Assyrian Church of the East respectfully declined this proposal citing "ecclesiological divergences still remaining" and proceeded with its election of a new patriarch.[19]

On 14 November 2015, the Synod of Bishops announced that Pope Francis had named Sako as one of his three appointments to that body's council.[20]

Cardinal

Pope Francis made Sako a cardinal in a consistory on 28 June 2018.[21] Later that year, Pope Francis named him one of the four cardinals to preside over sessions of the Synod of Bishops on Youth in October.[22]

On 6 October 2018 Sako was named a member of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches,[23] on 22 February 2019 a member of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue,[24] and on 29 September 2021 a member of the Congregation for Catholic Education.[25] On 4 January 2022, Pope Francis made him a member of the Council for the Economy.[26]

Sako was a cardinal elector in the 2025 papal conclave that elected Pope Leo XIV.[27] Patriarch Sako was also the first Chaldean Catholic Patriarch ever to participate in a papal conclave.[28][a] Sako opted not to wear the shash, the traditional headgear of East Syriac Christian bishops, and wore only his scarlet zucchetto.[32]

Government recognition dispute

On 15 July 2023, Iraq's President Abdul Latif Rashid announced the revocation of the government's 2013 decree recognizing Sako as Patriarch. In response that same day Sako announced he was leaving Baghdad to take up residence in Iraqi Kurdistan. He called the revocation "unprecedented in the history of Iraq".[11] Rashid said his action "does not affect the religious or legal status of patriarch Sako" and said it was based on the fact that Sako's office is not recognized by the Iraqi Constitution; Sako viewed as an extension of the government's ongoing "deliberate and humiliating campaign" against him and its wider failure to protect Iraqi Christians.[33] Rashid had recently rejected requests for comparable decrees from the Patriarchs of the Assyrian Church and the Old Assyrian Church. Others cited complex political manoeuvering.[34]

On 15 July 2023, Sako announced his intention to "retire from the Patriarchal See in Baghdad and move to a church, a mission, in one of the monasteries of Iraqi Kurdistan". His announcement followed a decision by the President of Iraq, Abdul Latif Rashid, to revoke a decree established in 2013 by the former Iraq's President, Jalal Talabani, recognising Sako as Patriarch of the Chaldean Church. The revocation "is unprecedented in Iraq's history," Sako said, highlighting "the government's silence" about the incident and the suffering of the Christian community.[35] For months, Sako had been embroiled in a war of words with a Shia lawmaker and militia leader, Rayan al-Kildani. Both accused each other of exploiting their influence to illegally seize Christian-owned properties. Al-Kildani is the leader of the Babylon Movement, whose militia fought ISIS within the state-linked Popular Mobilisation Forces, a network of largely pro-Iran paramilitaries. Since then, al-Kildani forged strong alliances with powerful Tehran-allied Shiite militias. Sako criticized the Babylon Movement as falsely Christian, noting most of its members and supporters are Shia Muslims using the label for political gain.[36][37] Furthermore, the Babylon Movement, led by al-Kildani, is accused of pillaging homes, unlawful confiscation of land, coercion, extortion, abuse of women, persecution of religious minorities, and torture of detainees. As a result, in 2019, the US imposed sanctions on al-Kildani and another Shiite militia leader, calling them "perpetrators of serious human rights abuse and corruption", and penalizing entities that interact with them.[38]

Cardinal Sako has accused Archbishop Bashar Warda of collaborating and conspiring with Rayan al-Kildani in an effort to subvert his authority and push for his resignation as head of the Chaldean Church. Warda is criticized for supporting al-Kildani despite his horrendous actions, and for not supporting Sako's efforts to counter the Babylon Movement's seizure of Christian assets. This has led to accusations that Warda prioritizes benefits from al-Kildani's support over protecting church interests. Sako has referred to Warda as the "Godfather" of the Babylon Movement.[39][40][41]

On 7 August 2023, Sako told an interviewer that "Withdrawing the decree is very bad. For 15 centuries, there were decrees recognising the Patriarch as head of the Church and administrator of the properties of the Church. Revoking it is a humiliation for the Church. Those behind this move want to put their hands on the properties of the Church and administer them separately from the ecclesiastical authorities. We cannot accept that."[42]

In April 2024, after nine months of exile, Sako returned to Baghdad with the assistance of Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' Al Sudani.[43][44]

On 28 August 2024, Sako demanded a public apology from five bishops based on perceived disunity in the Chaldean Catholic Church, including absence from a mandatory July episcopal synod, setting a deadline of September 5. The five bishops, led by Bashar Warda, the Archbishop of Erbil, also withdrew from an August spiritual retreat and pulled their students from the Chaldean Seminary. The bishops refused to apologize, citing dissatisfaction with Sako's leadership style and unilateral decision-making. As a result, he would suspend them and ask Pope Francis to impose canonical penalties, including excommunication.[45][46] The actions of Bashar Warda and the other bishops have been described by the Chaldean Patriarchate as a "dangerous precedent" that goes against their episcopal vows to support the patriarch. The 17 bishops who attended the July 2024 synod issued a communiqué, calling for "appropriate legal measures" against the "clear violations" committed by the boycotting group of Warda.[47]

The rivalry between Louis Sako and Bashar Warda is driven by a fierce personal conflict, with Sako perceiving Warda as ruthlessly ambitious to seize the patriarchate. This perception has led Sako to backtrack on his initial plans to retire at 75, driven by a determination to thwart Warda's power grab. Warda's actions are seen as a betrayal of Sako's leadership.[48]

Honours

Defensor Fidei Prize, 2008

Pax Christi International Peace Award, 2010

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_Rapha%C3%ABl_I_Sako  

Say Hello To Mr. Socko is an episode of Three Faces of Foley which is a part of the WWE Network Collections. It was added to the Network on August 1, 2016.

Summary

RAW 280 - One of the most beloved mascots in WWE history makes his debut when Mankind and Mr. Socko visit Mr. McMahon in the hospital.

https://prowrestling.fandom.com/wiki/Say_Hello_To_Mr._Socko

Word play or wordplay[1] (also: play-on-words) is a literary technique and a form of wit in which words used become the main subject of the work, primarily for the purpose of intended effect or amusement. Examples of word play include puns, phonetic mix-ups such as spoonerisms, obscure words and meanings, clever rhetorical excursions, oddly formed sentences, double entendres, and telling character names (such as in the play The Importance of Being Earnest, Ernest being a given name that sounds exactly like the adjective earnest)."

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

Fulcanelli’s main strategy, the key to unraveling the mystery, lies in an understanding of what he calls the “phonetic law” of the “spoken cabala,” or the “language of the birds.” This punning, multilingual wordplay can be used to reveal unusual and, according to Fulcanelli, meaningful associations between ideas. “What unsuspected marvels we should find, if we knew how to dissect words, to strip them of their bark and liberate the spirit, the divine light which is within,” Fulcanelli writes. He claims that in our day this is the natural language of the outsiders, the outlaws and heretics at the fringes of society. (See appendix A, “Fulcanelli on the Green Language,” for the complete text of this chapter.) 6 This spoken cabala was also the “green language” of the Freemasons (“All the Initiates expressed themselves in cant,” Fulcanelli reminds us) who built the art gothique of the cathedrals. “Gothic art is in fact the art got or art cot —χοτ—the art of light or of the spirit,” Fulcanelli informs us. Ultimately the “art got,” or the “art of light,” is derived from the language of the birds, which seems to be a sort of Ur-language taught by both Jesus and the ancients."

The Mysteries of the Great Cross

by Jay Weidner

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1vrxcBcn4h7RRM2SA3X1SS1DsooSxfitI/view?usp=sharing

How to Speak Ignatian: Common words and phrases of the Society of Jesus

Adapted from “How to Speak Loyola,” a glossary developed by the Office of Mission &

Identity, Loyola University, Chicago.

Microsoft Word - How to Speak Ignatian.doc (jesuithighschool.org)

https://www.jesuithighschool.org/sites/main/files/file-attachments/how_to_speak_ignatian_0.pdf

IF WE LOOK AGAIN TO THE BOOK OF DANIEL, this time to chapter 8, verse 25, the prophet foretold that Anti-Christ would cause "craft" to prosper: "And through his policy also he shall cause 'craft" to prosper in his hand: and he shall magnify himself..." What is "kraft"? Strong's Concordance defines the word craft (#4820) as meaning "fraud, deceit, and treachery." Thus, Anti-Christ "through" craft, deceit and treachery (viz., deception) would advance  its position, influence and agenda.

But how do we know that this entity (referred to by Daniel) is indeed the dreaded Anti-Christ? We know this entity is Anti-Christ because it opposes and magnifies itself against Jesus Christ: "he shall magnify in his heart, and by peace shall destroy many: he shall also stand up against the Prince of princes" (latter part of Dan. 8: 25).

Earlier in verse 23 of Daniel 8 it says "he" shall also understand dark sentences." Strong's Concordance tells us that the word for dark is the same word for sentences (#2420). Both words mean "a puzzle," or "trick" saying. The expression "dark  sentences" comes from the root word meaning "to put forth (#2330)." Thus, Antichrist would put forth, or utter dark sentences-language not readily understood by the unintiated, which language will have a double meaning designed to trick or mislead the hearer. The "puzzle, or trick" in these "dark sentence" will be the issuing of double meaning in the same statements. In other words, reader, Anti-Christ would have a double rule-"one for its private and particular use, and another to flaunt with before the world."

The agents, or spokesmen of Anti-Christ will speak with mental reservation and amphibologies. That is to say, with double sensed or ambigous words, or to use the words of Constantine Labarum "justification of the means by the end, and many other maxims,

+I say agents of Anti-Christ, because no sensible individual could really believe that Anti-Christ is a single man, for Paul says Anti-Christ (its early manifestation) was already in existence in his day and would continue till the end of time.+

subversive of honesty and morality." In short, Anti-Christ would be a system of unscrupulous duplicity, of impostors, of wolves in sheep's clothing!

Have we any example in the long anals of history of such a duplicitous system using "craft" "deceit" "fraud" and "treachery" as it crept into power over the world? William Tyndale, the great English Reformer, in his Practice of Prelates, speaks of the rise of this phenomenon by the following graphic parable:-

"To see how the holy father came up, mark the ensample of the ivy. First it springeth up out of the earth, and then awhile CREEPETH ALONG BY THE GROUND, till it finds a great tree, and creepeth up a little and a little, fair, and softly. At the begininning, while it is yet thin and small, the burden is not perceived; it seemeth glorious to garnish the tree in the winter. BUT IT HOLDETH FAST WITHAL, AND CEASETH NOT TO CLIMB UP TILL IT BE AT THE TOP, AND EVEN ABOVE ALL. And then it sendeth its branches along by the branches of the tree, and overgroweth all, and waxeth great, heavy, and thich : and sucketh the moisture so sore out of the tree and his branches that choaketh and stifleth them. And then THE FOUL, STINKING IVY waxeth MIGHTY in the stump of the tree, and becometh a seat and a nest for all unclean birds, and for blind owls, which hawk in the dark, and dare not come to the light. EVEN SO THE BISHOP OF ROME, NOW CALLED THE POPE, AT THE BEGINNING CROPE ALONG UPON THE EARTH...."

How accurate is William Tyndale's description of the rise of the pope and the popedome as predicted by prophet Daniel: "in the latter time... a king.. understanding dark sentences, shall stan up... and shall he cause craft to prosper" "and shall prosper, practice, and shall destroy..." (Dan. 8:23,24,25).

Yeah, with what clearness and boldness, and considerable amount of historical learning, does Tyndale trace the way by which the supremacy of the pope arose. It has been said of this passage by one learned author that there is "probably nowhere in the English language any passage superior in force and graphic skill o the well-known description of the rise of the Pope." And we may add here that like the stinking ivy-which plant is almost impossible to entirely kill-it is also very difficult to rid our world of popery: this requires a lot of hard work, courage and persistence, and still the dead stump may yet shoot up again.

Said historian Henry Grattan Guinness, "In the fourth century, with the the fall of paganism, began a worldly, imperial Christianity, wholly unlike primitive apostolic Christianity, a sort of Christianized  heathenism: and in the fifth and sixth centuries sprang up the Papacy, in those career the apostasy culminated later on. The mighty Caesars had fallen; Augustus, Domitian, Hadrian, Diocletian were gone; even the Constantines and Julians had passed away. The seat of sovereignty had been removed from Rome to Constantinople. Goths and Vandals' had overthrown the western empire; the once mighty political structure lay delivered into broken fragments. The imperial government was slain by the Gothic sword. The Czesars were no more, and Rome was an actual desolation Then slowly on the ruins of old imperial Rome an actual desolation. Then slowly on the ruins of an old imperial Rome rose another power and another monarchy-a monarchy of loftier aspirations and more resistless might, claiming dominion, not only within the omits of the fallen empire, but throughout the entire world. Higher and higher [like the stinking ivy] rose the Papacy, till in the dark ages all Christendom was subject to its sway...."

The 'craft' of Rome, both in medieval times and today, is the art of fabrication and daring falsehoods: "Like the successive strata of the earth covering one another, SO LAYER AFTER LAYER OF FORGERIES AND FABRICATIONS HAS BEEN PILED UP IN THE CHURCH |OF ROME|," bolstered by a Jesuitical "literaryand academic flexibility and elastic versatality of pen hitherto confined to journalism."

"Anti-Christ Would Use "Craft" And Deceit To Prosper"

Codeword Barbelon book Two

by P.D. Stuart

Lee Harvey Oswald (October 18, 1939 – November 24, 1963) was a U.S. Marine veteran who assassinated John F. Kennedy, the 35th president of the United States, on November 22, 1963.

Oswald was placed in juvenile detention at the age of 12 for truancy, during which time he was assessed by a psychiatrist as "emotionally disturbed", due to a lack of normal family life. After attending 12 schools in his youth, he quit repeatedly, and finally when he was 17, joined the Marines. Oswald was court-martialed twice while in the Marines, and jailed. He was honorably released from active duty in the Marine Corps into the Marine Corps Reserve, then flew to Europe and defected to the Soviet Union in October 1959. He lived in Minsk, Belarusian Soviet Socialist Republic, married a Russian woman named Marina, and had a daughter. In June 1962, he returned to the United States with his wife, and eventually settled in Dallas, Texas, where their second daughter was born.

Oswald shot and killed Kennedy on November 22, 1963, from a sixth-floor window of the Texas School Book Depository as Kennedy traveled by motorcade through Dealey Plaza in Dallas. About 45 minutes after assassinating Kennedy, Oswald shot and killed Dallas police officer J. D. Tippit on a local street. He then slipped into a movie theater, where he was arrested for Tippit's murder. Oswald was charged with the assassination of Kennedy, but he denied responsibility for the killing, claiming that he was a "patsy". Two days later, Oswald was fatally shot by local nightclub owner Jack Ruby on live television in the basement of Dallas Police Headquarters.

In September 1964, the Warren Commission concluded that Oswald had acted alone when assassinating Kennedy. This conclusion, though controversial, was supported by investigations from the Dallas Police Department, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the United States Secret Service, and the House Select Committee on Assassinations (HSCA).[n 1][1][2] Despite forensic, ballistic, and eyewitness accounts supporting the official findings, public opinion polls have shown that most Americans still do not believe that the official version tells the whole truth of the events,[3] and the assassination spawned numerous conspiracy theories.

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

Accused sniper jailed in Charlie Kirk killing awaits formal charges in Utah

By Andrew Hay, Jonathan Allen and Andrea Shalal

September 16, 2025 9:49 AM PDT Updated September 16, 2025

Police mugshot of Charlie Kirk shooting suspect

A police mugshot shows Tyler Robinson, the suspect in the fatal shooting of U.S. conservative commentator Charlie Kirk during an event at Utah Valley University, in Orem, Utah, U.S., in this photo released by the Utah Department of Public Safety on September 12, 2025. Utah Department of Public Safety/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights, opens new tab

Summary

Companies

Tyler Robinson had enrolled in electrical apprenticeship

Governor credits suspect's family with bringing him to justice

Republicans, Democrats point fingers across partisan divide

Ideological label of suspect, if any, hard to define

OREM, Utah, Sept 13 (Reuters) - (This Sept 13 story has been corrected to remove the inaccurate reference to Kleinfeld saying that the symbology on bullet casings suggests that the shooter was a part of the so-called Groyper movement, in paragraph 21)

The Utah trade school student jailed on suspicion of fatally shooting conservative activist Charlie Kirk faces formal charges next week, according to the governor, from an act of violence widely seen as a foreboding inflection point in U.S. politics.

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Tyler Robinson, 22, was arrested on Thursday night after relatives and a family friend alerted authorities that he had implicated himself in the crime, Governor Spencer Cox said on Friday, opening a press conference with the words, "We got him."

The arrest capped a 33-hour manhunt for the lone suspect in Wednesday's killing, which President Donald Trump has called a "heinous assassination."

Kirk, co-founder of the conservative student group Turning Point USA and a staunch Trump ally, was gunned down by a single rifle shot fired from a rooftop during an outdoor event attended by 3,000 people at Utah Valley University in Orem, about 40 miles south (65 km) of Salt Lake City.

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The sniper made his getaway in the ensuing pandemonium, captured in graphic detail in video clips that circulated widely on the internet and television news reports.

A bolt-action rifle believed to be the murder weapon was found nearby, and police released images from surveillance cameras showing a "person of interest" wearing dark clothing and sunglasses.

A break in the case came when a relative and a family friend alerted the local sheriff's office that he had "confessed to them or implied that he had committed" the murder, Cox said.

"I want to thank the family members of Tyler Robinson, who did the right thing in this case and were able to bring him into law enforcement," the governor said.

Security camera footage and evidence gathered from the suspect's profile on the chat and streaming platform Discord also helped investigators link him to the crime, Cox said.

Robinson, a third-year student in the electrical apprenticeship program at Dixie Technical College, part of Utah's public university system, was taken into custody at his parents' house, about 260 miles (420 km) southwest of the crime scene.

Investigators on Friday evening collected additional forensic evidence from Robinson's apartment in St. George, about 5 miles (8 km) from his parents' home near the Arizona border.

He was held on suspicion of aggravated murder and other charges that were expected to be formally filed in court early next week, the governor said.

'WATERSHED IN AMERICAN HISTORY'

The killing has stirred outrage among Kirk's supporters and condemnation of political violence from across the ideological spectrum.

"It is an attack on all of us," Governor Cox said, calling Kirk's murder a "watershed in American history" and comparing it to the rash of U.S. political assassinations of the 1960s.

Cox declined to discuss possible motives for the killing. But in describing inscriptions investigators found on ammunition recovered from the scene, he said one of the casings bore the message: "Here fascist! CATCH!"

"I think that speaks for itself," he said in response to reporters' questions.

State records show Robinson was a registered voter but not affiliated with any political party. But a relative told investigators that Robinson had grown more political in recent years and had once discussed with another family member their dislike for Kirk and his viewpoints, according to an arrest warrant affidavit.

Many Republicans, including Trump, have been quick to lash out at the political left, accusing liberals of fomenting anti-conservative vitriol that would encourage a kindred spirit to cross the line into violence.

Democrats, decrying political violence more generally while calling for stronger gun laws, have countered that Trump himself routinely uses inflammatory rhetoric to demonize his political foes, judges and the mainstream media.

RIGHT, LEFT OR CRAZY?

"In a way, the ideological beliefs of the shooter don't matter," said Rachel Kleinfeld, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

"What matters is how they're taken by society. And if our society chooses to keep pointing fingers, whether the person turns out to be right, left or just unstable, then the violence will grow from the pointing of fingers, regardless of the act itself."

Kleinfeld said most perpetrators of political violence were not clearly on one ideological side or another, but typically driven by "a hodgepodge of conspiracy beliefs and mental illness."

"So it wouldn't be surprising at all if this person was a person of the far right, if this person was a person who held a variety of different beliefs and was sort of unclassifiable," she added.

Kirk's murder comes amid the most sustained period of U.S. political violence in decades. Reuters has documented more than 300 cases of politically motivated violent acts across the ideological spectrum since Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021.

Trump himself has survived two attempts on his life, one that left him with a grazed ear during a campaign event in July 2024 and another two months later foiled by federal agents.

Democrats have fallen victim, too. In April, an arsonist broke into Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro's residence and set it on fire while the family was inside.

Earlier this year, a gunman posing as a police officer in Minnesota murdered Democratic state lawmaker Melissa Hortman and her husband and shot Democratic state Senator John Hoffman and his wife.

In her first public comments since her spouse was slain, Erika Kirk vowed in a tearful but defiant video message on Friday evening that "the movement built by my husband will not die" but grow stronger.

Speaking from the studio of his radio-podcast show, she urged young people to join Turning Point, exalting her husband as a fallen political hero who "now and for all eternity will stand at his savior's side wearing the glorious crown of a martyr."

Reporting by Andrew Hay in Orem, Utah, Jonathan Allen in New York and Andrea Shalal in Washington; Writing and additional reporting by Steve Gorman in Los Angeles; additional reporting by Jarrett Rendaw, Kat Jackson, Doina Chiacu, Brendan O'Brien, Sarah N Lynch, Jana Winter, James Oliphant and Joseph Ax; Editing by William Mallard

https://www.reuters.com/world/us/accused-sniper-jailed-charlie-kirk-killing-awaits-formal-charges-utah-2025-09-14/

Sako Limited (natively Sako Oy)[1] is a Finnish firearm and ammunition manufacturer located in Riihimäki, Kanta-Häme in southern Finland. It also has owned the Tikka brand of bolt-action rifles since 1983, and is now owned by the Italian firearm holding company Beretta Holding. The name Sako comes from the company's former name Suojeluskuntain Ase- ja Konepaja Oy (lit. 'Civil Guard Gun and Machining Works Ltd').

History

In 1919, two years after Finland declared independence from the Russian Empire, the Suojeluskuntain Yliesikunnan Asepaja (Civil Guard Supreme Staff Gun Works) opened in a former Helsinki brewery to repair private arms and recondition Russian military rifles for Finnish service.[2] The rifle repair shop became financially independent of the civil guard in 1921. The Suojeluskuntain Yliesikunnan Asepaja moved from Helsinki to an ammunition factory in Riihimäki on 1 June 1927, and reorganized as SAKO in the 1930s. Sako started exporting pistol cartridges to Sweden in the 1930s and continued manufacturing submachine gun cartridges through World War II.[3]

Another Finnish firearms manufacturer Tikkakoski, which owned the Tikka brand, was merged into SAKO in 1983.[4] In 1986, the arms manufacturing division of the government-owned Valmet conglomerate (which itself had been derived from the Valtion Kivääritehdas, VKT) was merged with Sako and called Sako-Valmet, with ownership split evenly between Nokia and Valmet. After further organizational shifts in state ownership, the company was sold to the Italian Beretta Holding in 2000.[5]

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

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

Early Female Transgender Identity after Prenatal Exposure to Diethylstilbestrol: Report from a French National Diethylstilbestrol (DES) Cohort

by Laura Gaspari 1,2,3,†,Marie-Odile Soyer-Gobillard 4,5,†ORCID,Scott Kerlin 6,Françoise Paris 1,2,3 andCharles Sultan 1,*

All DES sons who identified as transgender women underwent karyotyping at their local hospital at the moment of transition.

https://www.mdpi.com/2039-4713/14/1/10

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

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

Raphael Gamaliel Warnock[1] (/ˈrɑːfiɛl ˈwɔːrnɒk/ RAH-fee-el WOR-nok; born July 23, 1969) is an American politician and Baptist pastor serving as the junior United States senator from Georgia, a seat he has held since 2021. A member of the Democratic Party, Warnock has been the senior pastor of Atlanta's Ebenezer Baptist Church since 2005.[2][3]

Warnock was the senior pastor of Douglas Memorial Community Church from 2001 to 2005.[4] He came to prominence in Georgia politics as a leading activist in the campaign to expand Medicaid in the state under the Affordable Care Act. He was the Democratic nominee in the 2020 United States Senate special election in Georgia, defeating incumbent Republican Kelly Loeffler in a runoff election.[5]

Warnock and Jon Ossoff are the first Democrats elected to the U.S. Senate from Georgia since Zell Miller in 2000.[6][7] Their elections were critical in securing a 50–50 Senate majority for Democrats, with Vice President Kamala Harris serving as the tie-breaking vote.[8] Warnock was a reliable supporter of Joe Biden's legislative efforts during his presidency.[9][10] He was reelected to a full term in 2022, defeating Republican nominee Herschel Walker.

Warnock is the first African American to represent Georgia in the Senate, the first Black Democrat elected to the Senate from a Southern state, and the second black U.S. Senator directly elected from a Southern state, after Tim Scott.[11][12][13]

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

Martin and Lewis were an American comedy duo, comprising singer Dean Martin and comedian Jerry Lewis. They met in 1944 and debuted at Atlantic City's 500 Club on July 25, 1946; the team lasted ten years to the day. Before they teamed up, Martin was a nightclub singer, while Lewis performed a comedy act lip-synching to records.

They performed in nightclubs, and, starting in 1949, on radio. Later they branched out into television and films. In their early radio days they performed as Martin and Lewis but later became hugely popular as Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis. These full names helped them launch successful solo careers after parting.

Nightclubs performers

Martin and Lewis on Ed Sullivan's The Toast of the Town in 1948

In 1944, Dean Martin met a young Jerry Lewis at the Glass Hat Club at the Belmont Plaza Hotel in New York City, where both men were performing.[1] Martin and Lewis debuted at Atlantic City's 500 Club on July 25, 1946, when Lewis suggested to the club owner that Martin would be a good replacement for the scheduled singer who was unavailable.

The duo was not well received. The owner, Skinny D'Amato, threatened to terminate their contract if the act did not improve. Martin and Lewis disposed of pre-scripted gags and began improvising. Martin sang, and Lewis dressed as a busboy, dropping plates and making a shambles of Martin's songs and a mockery of the club's decorum. They performed slapstick and delivered vaudeville jokes to great fanfare. Their success at the 500 Club led to a series of well-paying engagements along the Eastern Seaboard, culminating with a run at New York's Copacabana Club.[2]

The highlights of their act included Lewis interrupting and heckling Martin while he was trying to sing, which ultimately led to the two of them chasing each other around the stage.

Radio, television, and films

Main article: The Martin and Lewis Show

Martin and Lewis in an episode of The Colgate Comedy Hour

An NBC radio series, The Martin and Lewis Show, ran from 1948 to 1953. Martin and Lewis made a key appearance on the first episode of Ed Sullivan's show, Toast of the Town, in June 1948, although they may have appeared on TV earlier on Hour Glass, the first TV variety show which aired from May 1946 – March 1947, during the time the duo first paired up formally. On October 3 and 10, 1948, the team were stars on the first two episodes of the NBC live television variety show Welcome Aboard – a kinescope survives of this live TV broadcast in the UCLA Film and Television Archive.

On April 3, 1949, they debuted on their TV version of their "Martin & Lewis" radio show on the NBC-TV network, with guest Bob Hope, with their inaugural program drawing lackluster reviews in the April 30, 1949, issue of Billboard magazine. Lewis hired young comedy writers Norman Lear and Ed Simmons to improve their act.[3] By 1950, Lear and Simmons were the main writers for Martin and Lewis.[4]

Also in 1949, Martin and Lewis were signed by Paramount Pictures producer Hal Wallis as comedy relief for the film My Friend Irma.

Lewis and Martin in 1950

Martin was thrilled to be out of New York City, a place he had developed a lifelong discomfort with, and he also had a dislike of tall buildings. Martin mostly avoided elevators due to claustrophobia. He did not like climbing multiple flights of stairs in tall buildings or taking the elevator if he needed to go to a high floor. Even when his success allowed him to lease an apartment in a Manhattan highrise building, he chose one on the third floor. He liked Los Angeles and the fact that it had few tall buildings at the time.

Their agent, Abby Greshler, negotiated for them one of Hollywood's best deals. They received $75,000 between them for their films with Wallis, a respectable film salary in the 1940s. Martin and Lewis were also free to do one outside film a year, which they would co-produce through their own York Productions. Their first starring feature was the independently produced At War with the Army (1950). They also had complete control of their club, radio, and television appearances, as well as their recording contracts. These collectively earned Martin and Lewis millions of dollars. They made regular appearances on NBC's Colgate Comedy Hour during the 1950s.

The Colgate Comedy Hour

Their Comedy Hour shows consisted of musical song and dance from their nightclub act or movies, with Dick Stabile's big band, sketch comedy with slapstick or satires of current films and TV shows, Martin's solo songs, and Lewis's solo pantomimes, physical numbers or conducting the orchestra. Martin and Lewis often broke out of character, ad-libbing and breaking the fourth wall. This early television show established their popularity nationwide.

Although there had been a number of hugely successful film teams before, Martin and Lewis were a new kind of duo. Both were talented entertainers, but the fact that they were such good friends on and off stage took their act to a new level. Lewis later offered an explanation for their success:

Who were Dean's fans? Men, women, the Italians. Who were Jerry's fans? Women, Jews, kids. Who were Martin and Lewis' fans? All of them... You had fans that didn't care that Lewis was on or that Martin was singing. Because if Dean was singing, that was Martin and Lewis. If Jerry was goin' nuts, that was Martin and Lewis.[5]

Martin and Lewis were the hottest act in America during the early '50s, as well as the highest paid act in show business, according to a 1951 Life magazine article. The duo was featured in that magazine while on its most-successful movie tour, promoting That's My Boy. The tour was so successful, audience members would not leave their seats, so Martin and Lewis began doing "free shows" afterwards on fire escapes or out their dressing room windows, jamming the streets with adoring fans hoping to catch a prize – a hat, a shoe, maybe an autograph. However, the pace and the pressure soon took their toll. Martin usually had the thankless job of the straight man, and his singing had yet to develop into the unique style of his later years. The critics praised Lewis, and while they admitted that Martin was the best partner he could have, most of them claimed that Lewis was the real talent of the team and could succeed with anyone.[citation needed] Lewis praised Martin in his book Dean & Me, where he called Martin one of the great comic geniuses of all time.

Breakup

Over the course of their contract with Hal Wallis, during which they co-starred in sixteen feature films, all released through Paramount, the pair's relationship became increasingly strained, with Martin chafing under his perennial straight-man roles, as Lewis's comic antics came to dominate their films. During the shooting of what was to be their final film together, Hollywood or Bust, during the spring and early summer of 1956, their mutual animosity reached the point where, as Lewis later related, "I wouldn't tell Dean what I thought of him, so [director] Frank Tashlin took all the flack."[6] For his part, Martin at one point angrily told Lewis that he was "nothing to me but a fucking dollar sign."[7] After the film completed principal photography on June 19, their professional breakup was widely reported in the press, although they subsequently fulfilled a contractual obligation with a farewell engagement at the Copacabana Club, which ended on July 25, 1956, ten years to the day from their first official teaming in Atlantic City. Hollywood or Bust was released that December. Lewis later stated that it was the only one of his films he had never seen, citing it as too painful to watch.

After the split

Dean Martin in Rio Bravo (1959)

According to Lewis, the two did not speak to each other privately for twenty years, about which Lewis later commented, "the stupidity of that, I cannot expound on. The ignorance of that is something I hope I'll always forget."

Martin's career arguably reached new heights after the team split up, as a recording artist for the Capitol and Reprise labels, as a movie actor both on his own (Rio Bravo, The Young Lions, the Matt Helm series) and as a member of the Rat Pack (Ocean's 11, Sergeants 3, Robin and the 7 Hoods), and with his own hugely successful 1965–1974 television variety series, The Dean Martin Show.

Lewis remained with Paramount Pictures, appearing in and directing a succession of commercially successful films on his own (The Bellboy, The Nutty Professor), at one point becoming Paramount's biggest star. He also continued with his philanthropic work, which had begun while still partnered with Martin, hosting telethons for muscular dystrophy research until 2010.

In 1958, Lewis was the guest on an episode of NBC's The Eddie Fisher Show and was bantering with the host when Martin emerged from behind the curtain and said, "Don't sing. Do what you want but don't sing!" Martin was then immediately "pulled back" by singer Bing Crosby. Martin said something else, but the rest of his words were drowned out by the wildly excited reaction from the audience. Martin's entire appearance was just eight seconds long, and Crosby was on camera for two seconds. When the applause died down, Lewis crooned the title of Martin's then-current hit "Return to Me" after which Fisher sang a few bars of Crosby's theme song "Where the Blue of the Night (Meets the Gold of the Day)".

In 1960, four years after they broke up, Martin and Lewis briefly reunited, seemingly without prearrangement. Both were performing separate acts at the Sands Hotel in Las Vegas, a club they frequently played while they were together. Lewis caught Martin's closing act and Martin introduced his former partner to the audience, bringing him on stage. For about 15 minutes, they joked a bit and sang a duet of "Come Back to Me". However, the reunion was never duplicated. Later in 1960, when Lewis was rushing to finish The Bellboy and was too exhausted to perform his stage act, Martin replaced him. The two were also filmed laughing together in 1961 outside Eddie Fisher's opening at the Cocoanut Grove nightclub in Los Angeles.

The two men reconciled in September 1976, after Frank Sinatra orchestrated a surprise appearance by Martin on Lewis's annual Labor Day telethon for the Muscular Dystrophy Association, saying only "I have a friend who loves what you do every year." The pair beamed and embraced, and then had a few minutes of friendly banter, during which Lewis asked Martin, "Uh, so, you workin'?" According to Dean's daughter, Deana Martin, Frank had hidden Dean in Ed McMahon's dressing room where he was then briefly spotted by Jerry's son, Gary Lewis. To be safe, he didn't say anything to his father and the surprise went off without a hitch.[8] The brief reunion was national news and, according to Lewis, the two spoke "every day after that".

In 1987, when Martin's son, Dean Paul Martin, was killed in an airplane crash, Lewis attended the funeral unannounced, sat in the back, and did not reveal his presence to Martin. According to Lewis's 2005 memoir Dean & Me and Deana Martin's 2004 book Memories Are Made of This,[citation needed] when Martin found out about it soon after the funeral, he called Lewis and talked to him for about an hour.[9] In 1989, the two reunited for the last time on Martin's 72nd birthday at Bally's Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, where Martin was doing a week of shows. Lewis presented him with a birthday cake, thanked him for all the years he gave joy to the world, and finally joked, "Why we broke up, I'll never know."[10] This would be the last public reunion of the duo before Martin's death on Christmas Day 1995.

Despite their animosity after the split, Lewis published an affectionate memoir of his partnership with Martin called Dean & Me: A Love Story in 2005.

Biopic

Main article: Martin and Lewis (film)

Martin and Lewis is a 2002 biographical CBS television movie which portrays the lives of Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis. Directed by John Gray and starring Jeremy Northam as Martin and Sean Hayes as Lewis, the film depicts the years from 1946 to 1956, spanning the entirety of their partnership from the beginning until the end.

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

Martin may either be a given name or surname. In Scotland, Martin or McMartin is a common surname of Scottish Gaelic origin. Martin is, however, more common as a masculine given name in many languages and cultures. It comes from the Latin name Martinus, which is a late derived form of the name of the Roman god Mars, protective godhead of the Latins and, therefore, god of war.[1] The meaning is usually rendered in reference to the god as "of Mars" or "of war/warlike" ("martial"). Alternatively, it may also be derived from the Proto-Germanic elements "mar", meaning famous and "tank", meaning thought, counsel.

It has remained a popular given name in Christian times, in honor of Saint Martin of Tours. Along with its historic Catholic popularity, it has also been popular among Protestants due to Martin Luther. In addition, African American children are often given the name in honor of Martin Luther King Jr.

Martin, along with a range of variant forms mostly of patronymic origin, borne by families descended from someone with the given name of Martin, are seen throughout Europe, though in some instances the Martin surname in England are instead of toponymic origin, coming from one of numerous places called Merton. Martin is the most common French surname and also frequent in Belgium.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_(name)

On October 31, 1517, legend has it that the priest and scholar Martin Luther approaches the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany, and nails a piece of paper to it containing the 95 revolutionary opinions that would begin the Protestant Reformation.

In his theses, Luther condemned the excesses and corruption of the Roman Catholic Church, especially the papal practice of asking payment—called “indulgences”—for the forgiveness of sins. At the time, a Dominican priest named Johann Tetzel, commissioned by the Archbishop of Mainz and Pope Leo X, was in the midst of a major fundraising campaign in Germany to finance the renovation of St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome. Though Prince Frederick III the Wise had banned the sale of indulgences in Wittenberg, many church members traveled to purchase them. When they returned, they showed the pardons they had bought to Luther, claiming they no longer had to repent for their sins.

https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/martin-luther-posts-95-theses

Martin Luther OSA (/ˈluːθər/ LOO-thər;[1] German: [ˈmaʁtiːn ˈlʊtɐ] ⓘ; 10 November 1483[2] – 18 February 1546) was a German priest, theologian, author, hymnwriter, professor, and Augustinian friar.[3] Luther was the seminal figure of the Protestant Reformation, and his theological beliefs form the basis of Lutheranism. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in Western and Christian history.[4]

Luther was ordained to the priesthood in 1507. He came to reject several teachings and practices of the Roman Catholic Church, in particular the view on indulgences. Luther attempted to resolve these differences amicably, first proposing an academic discussion of the practice and efficacy of indulgences in Ninety-five Theses, which he authored in 1517. In 1520, Pope Leo X demanded that Luther renounce all of his writings, and when Luther refused to do so, excommunicated him in January 1521. Later that year, Holy Roman Emperor Charles V condemned Luther as an outlaw at the Diet of Worms. When Luther died in 1546, Pope Leo X's excommunication was still in effect.

Luther taught that salvation and, consequently, eternal life are not earned by good deeds; rather, they are received only as the free gift of God's grace through the believer's faith in Jesus Christ. Luther's theology challenged the authority and office of the pope by teaching that the Bible is the only source of divinely revealed knowledge,[5] and opposed sacerdotalism by considering all baptized Christians to be a holy priesthood.[6] Luther's translation of the Bible into German from Latin made the Bible vastly more accessible to the laity, which had a tremendous impact on both the church and German culture. It fostered the development of a standard version of the German language, added several principles to the art of translation,[7] and influenced the writing of an English translation, the Tyndale Bible.[8] His hymns influenced the development of singing in Protestant churches.[9] His marriage to Katharina von Bora, a former nun, set a model for the practice of clerical marriage, allowing Protestant clergy to marry.[10]

In two later works, Luther expressed anti-Judaistic views, calling for the expulsion of Jews and the burning of synagogues.[11] These works also targeted Roman Catholics, Anabaptists, and nontrinitarian Christians.[12] Based upon his teachings, despite the fact that Luther did not directly advocate the murder of Jews,[13][14][15] some historians contend that his rhetoric contributed to the development of antisemitism in Germany and the emergence, centuries later, of the Nazi Party.[16][17][18]

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

The Teutonic Order, or Teutonic Knights of St. Mary’s Hospital at Jerusalem, grew out of the establishment of a field hospital during the siege of Acre in the winter of 1190-91, by pious merchants of Bremen and Lubeck. When these merchants returned to Germany in 1191 they turned over the hospital to the chaplain Conrad and the chamberlain Burkhard.

With the model of the Hospitallers or Knights of St. John the Baptist, later known as Knights of Malta, before them, these men together with other Germans, formed a brotherhood, adopted the rules of the Hospitallers, and named their hospital “The Hospital of St. Mary of the Germans in Jerusalem” “in the hope and confidence that when the Holy City was reconquered they would there establish a house which should become the mother, head and mistress of the entire Order.” The new Order was confirmed by popes Clement III in 1191 and Celestine in 1196; it won as a patron the emperor, Henry VI, who bestowed upon it its first possessions in the West. In 1198 it was changed into a military Order by the adoption of the rules of the Knights Templars in addition to those of the Hospitallers. Unlike both of these older Orders, the Teutonic Knights were a strictly national organization, none but Germans of noble birth being admitted to it. “Like the knights of other orders, the Teutonic Knights lived a semimonastic life under the Augustinian rule, and in the same way they admitted priests and half-brothers (servientes) into their ranks. Like the other two orders, the Teutonic Order began as a charitable society, developed into a military club, and ended as something of a chartered company, exercising rights of sovereignty on the troubled confines of Christianity. Even in its last phase the Order did not forget its original purpose: it maintained several great hospitals in its new home on the southeast shore of the Baltic, in addition to an hotel des invalides at Marienburg for its sick or aged brethren.” F550 Under its fourth grand master, Hermann von Salza, 1210-39, the Order grew rapidly and made the most important advance in its history. After having aided the king of Hungary against the Comans, and receiving from the king the district of Burzenland in Transylvania, which it did not long retain, the Order was invited to assist in subduing the heathen Prussians. A Cistercian monk named Christian had succeeded in establishing the Church among the Prussians, and in 1212 was made bishop of Prussia. When the heathen arose and destroyed his churches, Christian called upon the Teutonic Knights for help and bestowed upon them Kulm, some of the frontier towns and such lands as they should conquer (1228). After driving the enemy out of Kulm and founding the cities of Kulm, Thorn and Marienwerder, the Order began the task of conquering and Christianizing Prussia. In 1235 it absorbed the Order of Dobrzin, which had been founded by bishop Christian, and in 1237 the Knights of the Sword of Livonia, founded by Albert, bishop of Riga, became a province of the Order.

Its successes in Prussia changed the character of the Teutonic Order. It lost all connection with the East, its grand master moved his seat from Acre, first to Venice in 1291, then in 1308 to Marienburg on the Vistula. The Order became a governing aristocracy, its statutes were altered to suit the new conditions. “The Order was at once supreme ecclesiastical and political authority .... The lay subjects of the Order consisted of two classes: on the one hand there were the conquered Prussians, in a position of serfdom, bound in time of war to serve the brethren in foreign expeditions; on the other hand there were the German immigrants, both urban and rural, along with the free Prussians, who had voluntarily submitted and remained faithful.” f551 By the middle of the fourteenth century the Teutonic Knights had become a world power. Their cities belonged to the Hanseatic League and shared in its power; Poland had been deprived of its outlet on the Baltic; the ships of the Order were a power on the sea; Marienburg with its brilliant court was not merely a school of chivalry, but for a time a literary center. Yet the downfall of the Order was close at hand. It alienated its subjects, who allied themselves with Poland; its missionary work was completed when the Lithuanians became Christians and also made common cause with Poland; the Slav reaction made the Germanizing efforts of the Knights still more unpopular. Internally the success of the Order brought with it a secularization which was disastrous. Poland regained a foothold on the Baltic. The Prussian League was formed in 1440 with the real purpose of opposing the Knights, and in 1454 offered Prussia to the Polish king. The peace of Thorn, 1466, left to the Order only East Prussia and made the knights vassals of Poland. But the German master and the Landmeister for Livonia would not serve Poland, and the Order in East Prussia adopted the policy of electing German princes as grand masters in the hope of again regaining independence, without success. The first of these German grand masters was Frederick of Saxony, 1498 to 1511. He was succeeded by Albert of Brandenburg. f552 Albert became involved in a devastating war with Poland, which was provisionally ended by a four years’ truce made in 1521. In September of that year Albert suggested the possibility of a revision of the statutes of the Order by Luther, probably in harmony with the plans outlined in the Open Letter to the German Nobility. So far as known Luther was not consulted at that time. Albert continued to take his place with the Roman Catholic princes. But when in April, 1522, he returned to Germany he came under the influence of Lazarus Spengler and Andreas Osiander and was won for the evangelical party. During the Diet at Nuremberg, 1522- 23, he protested that it was not the proper way to proceed against Luther, “if evident truth be condemned and books burned.”

Pope Hadrian VI urged upon Albert a reformation of the Order. In June, 1523, Albert secretly turned to Luther for advice concerning the reformation of the Order in head and members. On November 29th the two met at Wittenberg, and Luther advised Albert “to throw aside the foolish and absurd rules of the Order, to marry, and to convert the religious state into a secular state, either a principality or a duchy.” Melanchthon, who was present at the interview, gave the same advice. The grand master smiled and said nothing. But “with that evangelical protestant advice Luther laid the foundations for the development of the Prussian state, of the Prussian kingdom, and of the German empire which is inseparable from the development of the Prussian kingdom.” f554 Soon after this meeting Luther prepared the following treatise, intended, as Kawerau suggests, to be a “feeler, which should test the attitude of the knights of the Order as well as of the Prussian bishops, and prepare them for coming events.” The older collected editions of Luther’s works date the treatise March 28, 1523. But, as Kawerau points out, it is improbable that the treatise was written before the last month of 1523, and the date may be a mistake for December 12th. The original prints are undated; the editors may have confused the festivals of the Annunciation and of the Conception of the Virgin Mary, the latter of which may have been the date attached to the manuscript.

After the evangelical principles had been gradually introduced into Prussia by the two bishops, Georg von Polentz and Erhard von Queiss, the grand master returned to Prussia and carried out Luther’s suggestion. Peace was made with Poland, Prussia was converted into a duchy held as fief of the king of Poland and hereditary in the family of Albert. July 1, 1526, Albert was married to Dorothea, the daughter of the Danish king, and thus was founded the evangelical house of the Hohenzollern.

The progress of the Gospel in Prussia gave Luther much joy. In 1525 he wrote to the Bishop of Samland, Georg von Polentz: “Behold the wonder!

In rapid course, with full sails, the Gospel hastens to Prussia, whither it was not called, and where it was not sought after, while in Upper and Lower Germany, whither it came of its own accord, it is blasphemed, repelled and put to flight with all rage and madness.” f556 The Teutonic Order in its German and Livonian branches continued to exist, and laid claim to the rights of the Order in Prussia. It was finally suppressed in 1809, and its lands passed into the hands of the secular princes within whose territories they lay. But in 1840 the Order was resuscitated in Austria, and again engaged in hospital service, in which it is presumably active during the present war. But this Teutonic Order is not the same as that which became secularized at the time of the Reformation.

The Prussian branch passed into the Prussian kingdom, not into the restored Order. A Protestant branch exists in the ancient bailiwick of Utrecht, the members of which must profess the Calvinistic faith, and are dispensed from celibacy. See Catholic Encyclopedia, xiv, 542.

The subject of the monastic vows and of the marriage of monks had been discussed at great length before this treatise was written. For the development of that discussion we must refer here to the introduction to the Treatise on Monastic Vows, which was excluded from this volume because of its size. But the careful student will find that Luther has not merely repeated older arguments nor restated older positions. He has gone farther, his position is more advanced. In fact, upon the advance beyond the position taken in the Formula Missae Kawerau bases an argument for the later date of our treatise. “For the writing of this treatise immediately after the FormuIa Missae we find an argument in the remarkable agreement between the statements in the two concerning those who want to wait for decrees of a council and desire permission to be given them (to use the two kinds in the Lord’s Supper, or, in the later treatise, to marry) by such decrees. He who reads the analogous portions in the two treatises will easily recognize in the Exhortation to the Teutonic Knights the bold heightening of the thought to a paradox, and thus see in the Formula Missae the older form.” f558 The German text is found in Weimar Ed., xii, 232-244; Walch Ed., xix, 2157-76; Erlangen Ed., xxix 16-33; St. Louis Ed., xix, 1730-45; Berlin Ed., iv, 32-47. Literature : Introduction by KAWERAU in Weimar Ed., xii, 228-31; Prot. Realencyklopadie, 3d ed., Arts., Albrecht von Preussen, I, 310-23; Deutschorden, iv, 589-95; Encyclopedia Britannica, 11th ed., Arts., Albert, i, 497, and Teutonic Order, xxvi, 676-9. The literature is given fully in all these articles. Compare also Schaff, Church History, vi, 588-600, and Kostlin-Kawerau, Martin Luther, i, 620-623. W. A. LAMBERT. LEBANON,PA.

WORKS OF MARTIN LUTHER - TO THE KNIGHTS OF THE TEUTONIC ORDER AN EXHORTATION THAT THEY LAY ASIDE FALSE CHASTITY AND TAKE UPON THEM THE TRUE CHASTITY OF WEDLOCK (godrules.net)

https://www.godrules.net/library/luther/NEW1luther_c8.htm

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]

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

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

Wrestling Throwbacks

Saturday, November 8, 2025 at 10:13 AM

The early hours of July 4th, 1994, brought a tragedy that shook the wrestling world to its core and forever altered the lives of those connected to the Marella family and the WWF. Joey Marella, a respected referee and son of legendary wrestler Gorilla Monsoon, was travelling with WWF manager Bruno “Harvey Wippleman” Lauer after a series of television tapings in Ocean City, Maryland, en route to a show in Newark, New Jersey, when disaster struck. While driving on the New Jersey Turnpike, Joey fell asleep at the wheel, causing the car to veer off the road, smash through a guardrail, and collide with a tree. Marella was not wearing a seat belt, and the impact proved fatal. Lauer, who had been restrained by his seat belt, survived the crash but was confronted with an eerie and harrowing silence. In the moments after the collision, he frantically called out to Joey, asking if he was alive, only to realise with crushing horror that Joey had succumbed instantly to the impact. At just 31 years old, Joey Marella’s life and promising career in professional wrestling were abruptly cut short. The incident sent shockwaves through the WWF community, as colleagues, wrestlers, and fans mourned the sudden loss of a man known for his professionalism, dedication, and the respect he commanded inside the ring. Joey’s death not only marked a heartbreaking personal tragedy for his family but also served as a stark reminder of the fragility of life and the unexpected dangers that can arise, even amid the rigours of a wrestling career. The reverberations of that night lingered for years, leaving an indelible mark on the industry and the Marella legacy.

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Bruno Lauer (born October 27, 1965) is an American professional wrestling manager, referee, and occasional wrestler, better known by his ring names, Harvey Wippleman and Downtown Bruno.

Wippleman began his career working in professional wrestling promotions in the Southern United States, especially Memphis. In the 1990s, he debuted in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), where he managed wrestlers such as Sid Justice, Kamala, Giant Gonzalez and Bertha Faye.

In 2000, Wippleman became the first and only man to win the WWF Women's Championship, thus, technically making him a one time wrestling world champion. He works backstage in WWE (formerly the WWF) and occasionally manages in the Memphis area as Downtown Bruno.

Professional wrestling career

Early career (1979–1991)

In 1979, Lauer attended an independent wrestling show at a circus in Pennsylvania.[1] In exchange for helping to tear down the ring after the show, he was given free admission.[1] He later joined the company and toured Ohio.[1] During this time, The Royal Kangaroos' Jonathan Boyd became his mentor.[1] Back in Pennsylvania, Geeto Mongol trained Lauer and gave him the ring name Dr. Lennerd Spazzinsky.[1]

He then moved to Memphis, where he performed under the name Downtown Bruno.[1][3] In 1986, he became the most prominent villainous manager in Memphis.[1] In addition, wrestlers like Jerry Lawler and Sid Eudy helped his career.[1] He continued to work in the Southern promotions for the rest of the late 1980s.[1] He also worked briefly in Central States Wrestling territory in 1987. In September 1989, he won the Continental Wrestling Federation's Southeastern United States Junior Heavyweight Championship and held it until the promotion closed in November. It was in Continental in 1987 that he first teamed with Eudy, while Eudy was under a mask as an incarnation of Lord Humongous.[4]

World Wrestling Federation/Entertainment (1991–present)

Manager (1991–1995)

In 1991, Sid Eudy helped bring Lauer to the World Wrestling Federation (WWF).[1][3] He debuted as Harvey Wippleman, a Pee-wee Herman esque character wearing a pin-striped suit with slacks cut at his shins, a red bow-tie, and a flat cap. He first managed Big Bully Busick.[5] When Busick left the company and Slick turned face, Wippleman took over managing The Warlord. His greatest acquisition was his real-life friend, Sid Justice. When Sid turned heel, working a program with Hulk Hogan leading to Wrestlemania, Wippleman became Sid Justice's manager and became "Dr. Harvey Wippleman". Wippleman would begin carrying a doctor's bag to the ring containing medical equipment. After Sid's matches against jobbers, Wippleman would retrieve a stethoscope from his bag and listen to the defeated wrestler's hearts.

Shortly after Sid left the company, Wippleman began managing Kamala who returned to the WWF for the first time since 1987 and was also paired with Kim Chee (played by Wippleman's real life best friend Steve Lombardi). It was during this time that Wippleman began a year long feud with The Undertaker.[6] After Kamala was defeated by Undertaker in a Coffin match at Survivor Series in 1992, Kamala left Wippleman and Reverend Slick became his new manager.[7][8] Afterwards, Wippleman dropped the Dr. gimmick. He continued to feud with the Undertaker and brought a new wrestler to the WWF, the nearly eight-foot-tall Giant González. The feud culminated in a Rest in Peace match at SummerSlam, which Undertaker won.[9] During this period, Wippleman also briefly managed Mr. Hughes, who left the WWF after a few months. Wippleman was also the manager of Adam Bomb from October 1993 until June 1994, when Bomb turned face, and feuded with Kwang, who was also being managed by Wippleman. Wippleman also managed Well Dunn, who faced the Rock 'n' Roll Express in the RnR's WWF debut on October 10, 1993.[10]

Since debuting in the WWF, Wippleman was always at odds with ring announcer Howard Finkel, whom Wippleman believed introduced him in a condescending manner. At WrestleMania X, Wippleman tore up Finkel's tuxedo, and Finkel shoved him to the mat. The feud culminated in a tuxedo match on the January 9, 1995 edition of Monday Night RAW, which Finkel won.[11]

Wippleman's next high-profile storyline was later in 1995, when he managed his on-screen girlfriend Bertha Faye.[2][12] Faye, with Wippleman in her corner, won the WWF Women's Championship by defeating Alundra Blayze at SummerSlam 1995.[13][14] After losing the WWF Women's Championship in late 1995, Faye was dropped from the WWF roster and Wippleman disappeared from television. According to Lauer, he and Bertha didn't get along.[15]

Referee and road agent (1996–present)

By spring 1996, Wippleman began making appearances on WWF Superstars, critiquing the referees during the matches in preparation to make a full report to WWF President Gorilla Monsoon about the apparent lack of consistency amongst the officials. Monsoon rewarded Wippleman for his efforts by making him an official referee. One of Wippleman's last appearances as a regular WWF referee during this time came on the March 10, 1997 episode of Raw when Chyna gorilla pressed him into a group of referees. On the May 19, 1997 episode of Raw Wippleman appeared in a backstage segment with Stone Cold Steve Austin telling Wippleman that he was going to be his tag team partner with Wippleman responding that he was scared. Wippleman also appeared as "Handsome Harvey," introducing D-Generation-X on Raw on November 24, 1997. This was to make fun of Rick Rude. Rude had been a member of DX and had just left the company a week earlier to go to WCW. This resulted in Rude being on both Raw and WCW Monday Nitro on the same night. (At the time, Raw was taped every other week while Nitro was live every week).

In June 1999, after another period of absence from television broadcasts, Wippleman resurfaced on the June 13 episode of Sunday Night Heat as a referee in a match between then-Intercontinental Champion Jeff Jarrett and Test. Test won the match after outside interference, thus being named the new champion, but he was persuaded by Jarrett's valet Debra to overturn the result and return the belt. He also served as a scab official during the WWF referee strike in September 1999, including at the Unforgiven PPV, again refereeing a match with Jarrett defending the Intercontinental title against Chyna.

On January 31, 2000, Wippleman won the WWF Women's Championship from The Kat while he was in a disguise and used the name "Hervina" in a "Lumberjill Snow Bunny" match, which took place in a snow-filled pool surrounded by female wrestlers who kept the competitors from leaving the pool.[2][16] The win made him the first male to hold the Women's Championship.[16] He lost the title the following day (but broadcast on February 3) to Jacqueline in a match that lasted under a minute,[17] thus ending the shortest reign in the title's history. Through the remainder of 2000, Wippleman appeared in backstage and non-match segments of the WWF's television programming, including a segment on the April 23, 2000 episode of Sunday Night Heat where he appeared dressed up as a rabbit as part of a segment with Al Snow and Steve Blackman.

At WrestleMania X-Seven on April 1, 2001, Wippleman managed Kamala during the gimmick battle royal.[18]

At the point the Invasion storyline began in 2001, he had disappeared from WWF programming, and was then working as a road agent for the company.[19]

On November 15, 2010, for WWE's old school episode of Raw, Wippleman returned to WWE, managing the Brooklyn Brawler in a squash loss to Ezekiel Jackson.

As of 2011, Lauer was working with the WWE in backstage roles at television and pay-per-view events. In an interview with Jim Korderas, Lauer described his role as "concierge", taking care of details such as food, rental cars and the like.[20]

On January 22, 2018, Harvey made a brief backstage appearance during Raw 25 Years.

In 2020, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson named Lauer as the "GOAT" (greatest of all time) for assisting Johnson early in his career and providing him a place to stay.[21]

Personal life

Lauer grew up in Walls, Mississippi, near Memphis. According to Lauer, he spent his teenage years "sprawling on car hoods, smoking cigarettes, and drinking beer with no particular ambition in mind".[1] His drinking eventually caused Lauer to serve jail time in Memphis.[1]

In 1994, Lauer was in a car accident with Joey Marella, which claimed Marella's life and injured Lauer.[1] The crash occurred as a result of Marella falling asleep at the wheel while driving on the way to Newark.[22] Marella was not wearing his seat belt, but Lauer–the passenger–was wearing his.[22] Because of the severity of his injuries, Lauer incurred approximately $10,000 in medical expenses.[1] He wrote an autobiography Wrestling with the Truth, which was released in 2008.[1][3] Lauer is Roman Catholic. Lauer was elected as a member of the board of aldermen for a four-year term on June 8, 2021, in his hometown of Walls, Mississippi.[23]

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

AI Overview

Timothy McVeigh, the perpetrator of the Oklahoma City bombing, was raised in the Catholic faith and baptized in the Catholic Church. However, he stopped practicing later in life and described himself as agnostic. He was also quoted as saying his only religion was science.

Despite his later agnosticism, according to CNN and The Oklahoman, he did request and receive last rites from a priest before his execution. Father Ron Ashmore of St. Margaret Mary Church in Terre Haute stated that McVeigh knew the significance of the sacrament, interpreting it as an act of asking God's forgiveness. However, he remained publicly unrepentant at the time of his execution, choosing to issue a defiant statement rather than express remorse.

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Explore the SOSA Neighborhood in Oklahoma City

South of St Anthony, referred to as SOSA by those who live there, offers a modern take on neighborhoods in Oklahoma City.

Welcome to SOSA - South of St Anthony

South of St Anthony, referred to as SOSA by those who live there, offers a modern take on neighborhoods in Oklahoma City. With an urban and hip environment and many eclectic restaurants and shops to visit, this community is fun and inviting. There are many modern-style homes that have been built in recent years, increasing their size and bringing more members into the fold.

 

What to Love

Many new builds allowing for growth

An inviting and fun atmosphere

Many eclectic shops and eateries

Extremely close to the midtown area of Oklahoma City

Local Lifestyle

The nearby St. Anthony Hospital helped give this neighborhood its namesake. This inner-city community is home to many urban influencers, developers, and prominent architects, which is why you will find many interesting and creative modern architecture in the homes and buildings here. Make your way through the Cottage District and see the beauty that surrounds you.

 

Dining, Entertainment & Shopping

Many eclectic eateries fill the community, including places like McNellie's OKC. This Irish pub offers more than 350 beer choices and sometimes hosts tasting events.

 

Brown's Bakery nearby has a seating area so you can enjoy a donut, bread slice, cake, cookie, or another treat. Insomnia Cookies is known for its delightful desserts and is open late. Neighborhood JAM is a hip spot for breakfast and lunch.

 

Visit Elemental Coffee when you want a brew that's roasted in-house. Craft coffee, tea, and pastries fill the menu. The Collective Kitchens and Cocktails allows you to dine on a rooftop terrace. With a trendy food court and bar, you have an assortment of menu options.

 

Fassler Hall is a highly-rated German restaurant, while Barrios serves fine Mexican dishes. Many make their way to the Midtown Plaza Court for shopping. You get more options, however, if you make your North to Penn Square Mall past Uptown. Various department stores, service centers, and a food court make up the vicinity.

 

Things to Do

Red Andrews Park provides a place to play and relax for residents of the area. Provided benches give you a space to sit as you watch your kids enjoy their time on the play structure. The Johnie L. Williams Municipal Gymnasium is located here. It's a great spot for basketball. Many prefer to make their way Northeast of SOSA to Oklahoma City's Midtown Mutts Dog Park. The fenced-in area gives your pup a safe place to play. You get a great view of Midtown from here.

 

Right outside of SOSA, you'll find the Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum. This can't-miss locale features a memorial sculpture garden for the 1995 bombing that hit the Murrah Building. The outside space is complete with a scenic water backdrop. While the grounds are gorgeous to look at, the interior of the space offers various collections and archives, as well as video explanations to learn about what happened.

 

Schools

The Millwood School District operates in the area.

John W Rex Charter Elementary School, Pre-K-4th Grade

Oklahoma School of Science and Mathematics, Grades 11-12

https://westrealestatecompany.com/neighborhoods/sosa-south-of-st-anthony

Arturo Marcelino Sosa Abascal SJ (born 12 November 1948) is a Venezuelan Catholic priest who has served as the 31st superior general of the Society of Jesus since 2016. He was elected by the Society's 36th General Congregation to succeed Adolfo Nicolás. He is the first person born in Latin America to lead the Jesuits.

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

Etymology of Arturo

What does the name Arturo mean?

The surname Arturo is an Italian patronymic surname; that is, it was a name created from the first name of the father. Arturo is derived from the Breton given names Artuir and Arthur. This personal name is of very ancient origin and is derived from the Celtic word art, which means bear. The name Arthur is also related to the Greek Arcturus, which means bear or guardian and is the name of the bright star in the constellation Bootes.

Arturo Spelling Variations

Italian surnames come in far more variations than the names of most other nationalities. Regional traditions and dialects are a decisive factor in this characteristic. For example, northern names tend to end in "o", while southern in "i". Also important, but not unique to Italy, was the fact that before dictionaries and the printing press most scribes simply spelled words according to their sounds. The predictable result was an enormous number of spelling variations. The recorded spellings of Arturo include and others.

https://www.houseofnames.com/arturo-family-crest

Arcturus is a red giant star in the northern constellation of Boötes, and the brightest star in the constellation. It has the Bayer designation α Boötis, which is Latinized to Alpha Boötis and abbreviated Alf Boo or α Boo. With an apparent visual magnitude of −0.05,[2] it is the fourth-brightest star in the night sky and the brightest in the northern celestial hemisphere. Arcturus forms one corner of the Spring Triangle asterism.

Located relatively close at 36.7 light-years from the Sun, Arcturus is a red giant of spectral type K1.5III—an aging star around 7.1 billion years old that has used up its core hydrogen and evolved off the main sequence. It is about the same mass as the Sun, but has expanded to 25 times its size (around 35 million kilometers) and is around 170 times as luminous.

Nomenclature

The traditional name Arcturus is Latinised from the ancient Greek Ἀρκτοῦρος (Arktouros) and means "Guardian of the Bear",[9] ultimately from ἄρκτος (arktos), "bear"[10] and οὖρος (ouros), "watcher, guardian".[11] As ἄρκτος also came to mean "north", the name can also translate to "Guardian of the North".[12]

The designation of Arcturus as α Boötis (Latinised to Alpha Boötis) was made by Johann Bayer in 1603. In 2016, the International Astronomical Union organized a Working Group on Star Names (WGSN) to catalog and standardize proper names for stars. The WGSN's first bulletin of July 2016 included a table of the first two batches of names approved by the WGSN, which included Arcturus for α Boötis.[13][14]

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

BULL of Pope Boniface VIII promulgated November 18, 1302

For, according to the Blessed Dionysius, it is a law of the divinity that the lowest things reach the highest place by intermediaries. Then, according to the order of the universe, all things are not led back to order equally and immediately, but the lowest by the intermediary, and the inferior by the superior. Hence we must recognize the more clearly that spiritual power surpasses in dignity and in nobility any temporal power whatever, as spiritual things surpass the temporal. This we see very clearly also by the payment, benediction, and consecration of the tithes, but the acceptance of power itself and by the government even of things. For with truth as our witness, it belongs to spiritual power to establish the terrestrial power and to pass judgement if it has not been good. Thus is accomplished the prophecy of Jeremias concerning the Church and the ecclesiastical power: ‘Behold to-day I have placed you over nations, and over kingdoms‘ and the rest. Therefore, if the terrestrial power err, it will be judged by the spiritual power; but if a minor spiritual power err, it will be judged by a superior spiritual power; but if the highest power of all err, it can be judged only by God, and not by man, according to the testimony of the Apostle: ‘The spiritual man judgeth of all things and he himself is judged by no man‘ [1 Cor 2:15]. This authority, however, (though it has been given to man and is exercised by man), is not human but rather divine, granted to Peter by a divine word and reaffirmed to him (Peter) and his successors by the One Whom Peter confessed, the Lord saying to Peter himself, ‘Whatsoever you shall bind on earth, shall be bound also in Heaven‘ etc., [Mt 16:19]. Therefore whoever resists this power thus ordained by God, resists the ordinance of God [Rom 13:2], unless he invent like Manicheus two beginnings, which is false and judged by us heretical, since according to the testimony of Moses, it is not in the beginnings but in the beginning that God created heaven and earth [Gen 1:1]. Furthermore, we declare, we proclaim, we define that it is absolutely necessary for salvation that every human creature be subject to the Roman Pontiff."

https://www.papalencyclicals.net/bon08/b8unam.htm

Head:

1. See Illness, mental

2. The superior general, head of the Society [666]

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

Revelation 13:16-18

New International Version

16 It also forced all people, great and small, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hands or on their foreheads, 17 so that they could not buy or sell unless they had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of its name.

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%3A16-18&version=NIV

Star Trek Generations is a 1994 American science fiction film and the seventh film in the Star Trek film series. Malcolm McDowell joins cast members from the 1960s television show Star Trek and the 1987 sequel series The Next Generation, including William Shatner and Patrick Stewart. In the film, Captain Jean-Luc Picard of the USS Enterprise-D joins forces with Captain James T. Kirk to stop the villain Tolian Soran from destroying a planetary system in his attempt to return to an extra-dimensional realm known as the Nexus.

Generations was conceived as a transition from the original cast of the Star Trek films to the cast of The Next Generation. After developing several film ideas concurrently, the producers chose a script written by Ronald D. Moore and Brannon Braga. Production began while the final season of the television series was being made. The director was David Carson, who previously directed episodes of the television series; photography was by franchise newcomer John A. Alonzo. Filming took place on the Paramount Studios lots, and on location in Valley of Fire State Park, Nevada, and Lone Pine, California. The film's climax was revised and reshot following poor reception from test audiences. The film uses a mix of traditional optical effects alongside computer-generated imagery and was scored by regular Star Trek composer Dennis McCarthy.

Star Trek Generations was released in the United States on November 18, 1994. Paramount promoted the film with merchandising tie-ins, including toys, books, games, and a website—a first for a major motion picture. The film opened at the top of the United States box office its first week of release and grossed a total of $118 million worldwide. Critical reception was mixed, with critics divided on the film's characters and comprehensibility to a casual viewer. It was followed by Star Trek: First Contact in 1996.

Plot

In 2293, retired Starfleet officers James T. Kirk, Montgomery Scott, and Pavel Chekov attend the maiden voyage of the USS Enterprise-B. During the shakedown cruise, the starship is pressed into a rescue mission to save two El-Aurian refugee ships that a massive energy ribbon has snared. Enterprise saves some of the refugees before their ships are destroyed, but becomes trapped by the ribbon, and Kirk goes to a control room to help the ship escape. While Enterprise is freed, Kirk is presumed lost in space and dead after the trailing end of the ribbon tears open the ship's hull.

In 2371, the crew of the USS Enterprise-D is in a holodeck computer simulation, celebrating the promotion of shipmate Worf to lieutenant commander. Captain Jean-Luc Picard learns his brother and nephew have been killed in a fire, and is distraught that the Picard family line will end with him. Enterprise receives a distress call from a stellar observatory, where an El-Aurian, Dr. Tolian Soran, launches a probe at the nearby star. The probe causes the star to implode, creating a shockwave that destroys its planetary system. Soran kidnaps Enterprise engineer Geordi La Forge and is transported off the station by a Klingon Bird of Prey belonging to the Duras sisters.

Enterprise crewmember Guinan tells Picard that she and Soran were among the El-Aurians rescued in 2293. Soran—who lost his family when their homeworld was destroyed—is obsessed with returning to the energy ribbon to reach the "Nexus", an extra-dimensional realm of wish fulfillment outside normal space-time. Picard and Data determine that Soran, unable to safely fly a ship directly into the ribbon, is altering its path by removing the gravitational effects of nearby stars. Soran plans to destroy another star to bring the ribbon to the planet Veridian III, consequently killing millions on a nearby inhabited planet.

Upon entering the Veridian system, Picard offers himself to the Duras sisters in exchange for La Forge but insists on being transported to Soran directly. La Forge is returned to Enterprise, but unwittingly exposes the ship's defense details through the transmitter installed in his VISOR device. The Duras sisters attack, and Enterprise sustains critical damage before destroying the Bird of Prey by triggering its cloaking device, and firing photon torpedoes when its shields drop. When La Forge reports that the starship is about to suffer a warp-core breach as a result of the attack, Commander William Riker evacuates everyone to the forward saucer section of the starship, which separates from the engineering section just before the breach occurs. The resulting shockwave sends the saucer-section crashing onto the surface of Veridian III.

Picard fails to stop Soran from launching another probe. The Veridian star's resulting destruction alters the ribbon's course, and Picard and Soran enter the Nexus before the shockwave destroys Veridian III. Picard is surrounded by an idealized family, but realizes it is an illusion. He is confronted by an "echo" of Guinan left behind in the Nexus. Guinan sends him to meet James T. Kirk, who is safe in the Nexus. Though Kirk is initially entranced by the opportunity the Nexus offers to atone for past regrets, he realizes it lacks danger and excitement. Having learned that they can travel whenever and wherever desired through the Nexus, Picard convinces Kirk to return with him to Veridian III, shortly before Soran launches the probe.

Working together, Kirk and Picard distract Soran long enough for Picard to lock the probe in place; it explodes on the launchpad and kills Soran. Kirk is fatally injured in the effort, and Picard buries him at the site. Three Federation starships arrive to retrieve the Enterprise survivors from Veridian III. Picard muses that, given the ship's legacy, the Enterprise-D will not be the last vessel to carry the name.

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

Nova music festival massacre

On 7 October 2023, the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of the Palestinian nationalist organization Hamas, initiated a sudden attack on Israel from the Gaza Strip. As part of the attack, 364 individuals, mostly civilians, were killed and many more wounded at the Supernova Sukkot Gathering, an open-air music festival during the Jewish holiday of Shemini Atzeret near kibbutz Re'im. Hamas also took 40 people hostage, and men and women were reportedly subject to sexual and gender-based violence.[4][5][6][7][8][9][10]

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

A nova (pl. novae or novas) is a transient astronomical event that causes the sudden appearance of a bright, apparently "new" star (hence the name "nova", Latin for "new") that slowly fades over weeks or months. All observed novae involve white dwarfs in close binary systems, but causes of the dramatic appearance of a nova vary, depending on the circumstances of the two progenitor stars. The main sub-classes of novae are classical novae, recurrent novae (RNe), and dwarf novae. They are all considered to be cataclysmic variable stars.

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

Revelation 16:8

1599 Geneva Bible

8 [a]And the fourth Angel poured out his vial on the sun, and it was given to him to torment men with heat of fire,

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Revelation%2016%3A8-10&version=GNV

SpaceX Roadster is not a natural celestial object, but rather a man-made object launched by SpaceX in February 2018 as part of the Falcon Heavy test flight. It is a red sports car owned by SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, and was launched as a demonstration of the Falcon Heavy's capabilities. The Roadster is not in a stable orbit around the Sun, but is instead on a heliocentric orbit that will take it to the asteroid belt and then back to the inner Solar System in the future. The Roadster also carries a mannequin named Starman, dressed in a spacesuit, in the driver's seat. The name "Roadster" refers to the type of car that is used as the payload for the Falcon Heavy, while "SpaceX" is the name of the private space exploration company founded by Elon Musk in 2002.

https://theskylive.com/roadster-info

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

A red giant is a luminous giant star of low or intermediate mass (roughly 0.3–8 solar masses (M☉)) in a late phase of stellar evolution. The outer atmosphere is inflated and tenuous, making the radius large and the surface temperature around 5,000 K [K] (4,700 °C; 8,500 °F) or lower. The appearance of the red giant is from yellow-white to reddish-orange, including the spectral types K and M, sometimes G, but also class S stars and most carbon stars.

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

Revelation 16:8

1599 Geneva Bible

8 [a]And the fourth Angel poured out his vial on the sun, and it was given to him to torment men with heat of fire,

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Revelation%2016%3A8-10&version=GNV

CHAPTER SEVEN – SHABTAI, SHIMON AND SHARON – DESTROYING THE JEWS

ALM 1 - THE DEUTSCH DEVILS

Rabbi Marvin Antelman was right all along. Way back in 1974, he identified the source of all the evil against Jews and humanity but his message and style were too unaccessible to get through to anyone but the most advanced students of antisemitism. What he lacked most was simplicity, a common enough failure of thinkers decades in advance of their contemporaries. What he needed was someone to put out a Cliff's Notes simplified explanation of his thesis...and someone, without intention, just did. The name of the book is, 50 Jewish Messiahs by Jerry Rabow (Gefen Publishing, Jerusalem). It is an informative but shallow overview of just what the title says, but in its shallowness lies vital depth. We begin with Chapter 17, about the "most damaging messiah to the Jewish people," Shabbatai Zvi. First we'll read Rabow and then add commentary opening Rabbi Antelman's work to the wide world. Recall that there are various accepted English spellings for Shabtai Tzvi, and the Sabbataians. The spelling presented depends on the writer:

pp 91 - Shabbatai Zvi was born in Smyrna, Turkey on the ninth of Av, 1626. The ninth day of Av is the day of a triple tragedy for the Jewish nation. According to tradition, the First Temple, the Second Temple and Bar Kokhba's Betar fortress all fell on this day.

pp 93 - He changed the holiday celebrations and violated the dietary prohibitions. All of this followed from his declaration that the usual rules were inapplicable to messianic times.

pp 95 - He declared that the coming of the messianic era meant that the biblical commandments were no longer binding. He proclaimed that God now permitted everything. ** This is Rabbi Antelman's central assertion; that Shabbataism was the polar opposite of Judaism. That Shabbatai Zvi's program was to destroy all the tenets of the Torah and replace them with their opposites. Incredibly, more than half the Jews of the world at the time, believed he would be revealed as their promised messiah: **

pp 101 - Then he finally made the announcement for which the Jewish community had been waiting for 1600 years - he would begin the Redemption on the 15th day of the month of Sivan, June 18, 1666. ** There are many who will recognize the significance of the date. June is the sixth month, 18 divided by three is 6+6+6 and 1666 is clear enough. Either he knew what he was doing or the prophesies of the emergence of an evil false messiah or anti-Christ are right, and Shabbatai Zvi was him. **

pp 110 - Through all of this, Shabbatai continued to issue proclamations of the theological changes wrought by the coming of the messianic age. Shabbatai's new prayer was, "Praised be He who permits the forbidden." Since all things would be permitted in the age of the messiah, Shabbatai declared many of the old restrictions of the Torah no longer applicable. He abolished the laws concerning sexual relationships. He eventually declared that all of the thirty six major biblical sins were now permitted and instructed some of his followers that it was their duty to perform such sins in order to hasten the Redemption.

Shabtai Tzvi, Labor Zionism and the Holocaust

by Barry Chamish

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B66Pc9x2hkIrV2Y3QWxPbkpKYWc/view?usp=sharing&resourcekey=0-5ak831cRNQohyyjZYfFKvw

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, adopted by all United Nations (UN) members in 2015, created 17 world Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The aim of these global goals is "peace and prosperity for people and the planet"[1][2] – while tackling climate change and working to preserve oceans and forests. The SDGs highlight the connections between the environmental, social and economic aspects of sustainable development. Sustainability is at the center of the SDGs, as the term sustainable development implies.

These goals are ambitious,[according to whom?] and the reports and outcomes to date indicate a challenging path. Most, if not all, of the goals are unlikely to be met by 2030. Rising inequalities, climate change, and biodiversity loss are topics of concerns threatening progress. The COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 to 2023 made these challenges worse, and some regions, such as Asia, have experienced significant setbacks during that time.

There are cross-cutting issues and synergies between the different goals; for example, for SDG 13 on climate action, the IPCC sees robust synergies with SDGs 3 (health), 7 (clean energy), 11 (cities and communities), 12 (responsible consumption and production) and 14 (oceans).[3][4]: 70  On the other hand, critics and observers have also identified trade-offs between the goals,[4]: 67  such as between ending hunger and promoting environmental sustainability.[5]: 26  Furthermore, concerns have arisen over the high number of goals (compared to the eight Millennium Development Goals), leading to compounded trade-offs, a weak emphasis on environmental sustainability, and difficulties tracking qualitative indicators.

The political impact of the SDGs has been rather limited, and the SDGs have struggled to achieve transformative changes in policy and institutional structures.[6] Also, funding remains a critical issue for achieving the SDGs. Significant financial resources would be required worldwide. The role of private investment and a shift towards sustainable financing are also essential for realizing the SDGs. Examples of progress from some countries demonstrate that achieving sustainable development through concerted global action is possible. The global effort for the SDGs calls for prioritizing environmental sustainability, understanding the indivisible nature of the goals, and seeking synergies across sectors.

The short titles of the 17 SDGs are: No poverty (SDG 1), Zero hunger (SDG 2), Good health and well-being (SDG 3), Quality education (SDG 4), Gender equality (SDG 5), Clean water and sanitation (SDG 6), Affordable and clean energy (SDG 7), Decent work and economic growth (SDG 8), Industry, innovation and infrastructure (SDG 9), Reduced inequalities (SDG 10), Sustainable cities and communities (SDG 11), Responsible consumption and production (SDG 12), Climate action (SDG 13), Life below water (SDG 14), Life on land (SDG 15), Peace, justice, and strong institutions (SDG 16), and Partnerships for the goals (SDG 17).

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

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).

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

Easter in 2030

Date: April 21, 2030

Day: Sunday

Pope Francis[b] (born Jorge Mario Bergoglio;[c] 17 December 1936 – 21 April 2025) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 13 March 2013 until his death in 2025. He was the first Jesuit pope, the first Latin American, and the first born or raised outside Europe since the 8th-century Syrian pope Gregory III.

Born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, to a family of Italian origin, Bergoglio was inspired to join the Jesuits in 1958 after recovering from a severe illness. He was ordained a Catholic priest in 1969, and 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. Following the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI, the 2013 papal conclave elected Bergoglio as pope on 13 March. He chose Francis as his papal name in honor of Saint Francis of Assisi.

Throughout his papacy, Francis was noted for his humility, emphasis on God's mercy, international visibility, commitment to interreligious dialogue, and concern for the poor, migrants, and refugees. Francis believed the Catholic Church should demonstrate more inclusivity to LGBTQ people, and stated that although blessings of same-sex unions are not permitted, individuals in same-sex relationships can be blessed as long as the blessing is not given in a liturgical context.[2] Francis made women full members of dicasteries in the Roman Curia.[3][4] Francis convened 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][5][6] Francis was known for having a less formal approach to the papacy than his predecessors by, for instance, choosing to reside in the Domus Sanctae Marthae guesthouse rather than in the papal apartments of the Apostolic Palace used by previous popes. In addition, due to both his Jesuit and Ignatian aesthetic, he was known for favoring simpler vestments devoid of ornamentation, including refusing the traditional papal mozzetta cape upon his election, choosing silver instead of gold for his piscatory ring, and keeping the same pectoral cross he had as cardinal.

Concerning global governance, Francis was a critic of trickle-down economics, consumerism, and overdevelopment;[7] he made action on climate change a leading focus of his papacy.[8] He viewed capital punishment as inadmissible in all cases,[9] and committed the Catholic Church to its worldwide abolition.[10] Francis criticized the rise of right-wing populism and anti-immigration politics, calling the protection of migrants a "duty of civilization".[11] Francis supported the decriminalization of homosexuality.[12] In international diplomacy, Francis helped to restore full diplomatic relations between Cuba and the United States, negotiated a deal with the People's Republic of China to define Communist Party influence in appointing Chinese bishops, and encouraged peace between Israel and Palestinians, signing the Vatican's first treaty with the State of Palestine. In 2022 he apologized for the Church's role in the cultural genocide of Canadian Indigenous peoples in residential schools. From 2023 he condemned Israel's military operations in Gaza, calling for investigations of war crimes. Francis made his last public appearance on Easter Sunday before dying on 21 April 2025, Easter Monday.[13][14] The 2025 papal conclave elected Leo XIV as Francis's successor on 8 May. Leo XIV became the second pope from the Americas, after Francis.[15]

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

Avril Ramona Lavigne CM (/ˈævrɪl ləˈviːn/ AV-ril lə-VEEN; French: [avʁil ʁamɔna laviɲ]; born September 27, 1984) is a Canadian singer and songwriter. She is a key musician in popularizing pop-punk music, as she paved the way for female-driven, punk-influenced pop music in the early 2000s. Her accolades include ten Juno Awards and eight Grammy Awards nominations.

At age 16, Lavigne signed a two-album recording contract with Arista Records. Her debut album, Let Go (2002), is the best-selling album of the 21st century by a Canadian artist. It yielded the successful singles "Complicated" and "Sk8er Boi", which emphasized a skate punk persona and earned her the title "Pop-Punk Queen", "Pop Punk Princess" and "Teen-Pop Slayer" from music publications.[1] Her second album, Under My Skin (2004), became Lavigne's first to reach the top of the Billboard 200 chart in the United States, going on to sell 10 million copies worldwide.

Lavigne's third album, The Best Damn Thing (2007), reached number one in seven countries worldwide and saw the international success of its lead single "Girlfriend", which became her first single to reach the top of the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States. Her next two albums, Goodbye Lullaby (2011) and Avril Lavigne (2013), saw continued commercial success and were both certified gold in Canada, the United States, and other territories. After releasing her sixth album, Head Above Water (2019), she returned to her pop punk roots with her seventh album, Love Sux (2022).

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

Regimini militantis Ecclesiae (Latin for To the Government of the Church Militant) was the papal bull promulgated by Pope Paul III on September 27, 1540, which gave a first approval to the Society of Jesus, also known as the Jesuits, but limited the number of its members to sixty.

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

"The Day Called 'X' is a dramatized CBS documentary film set in Portland, Oregon, in which the entire city is evacuated in anticipation of a nuclear air raid, after Soviet bombers had been detected by radar stations to the north; it details the activation of the city's civil defense protocols and leads up to the moment before the attack (the ending is left intentionally unknown). The operations were run from the Kelly Butte Bunker, which was the emergency operations center at that time. It was filmed in September 1957[1] and aired December 8 of that year.[2][3] Apart from presenter/narrator Glenn Ford, none of the people shown are actors. They are locals of Portland shown in their real jobs, including Mayor Terry Schrunk.

Its local re-broadcast in 2004[4] and appearance in the on-line Prelinger Archives attracted interest among local history buffs due to its extensive outside shots of the city, and the use of non-actor participants (local officials and broadcasters). Whenever one of these individuals is heard uttering warnings or statements regarding attack, the words "AN ATTACK IS NOT TAKING PLACE" are superimposed over the picture.[2]

On September 27, 1955, Portland actually conducted an exercise evacuation of downtown called "Operation Greenlight",[5][6] and the film is often misattributed to that year. Ford's narration, however, does make direct reference to the 1955 exercise.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Day_Called_%27X%27

PART X THE PRESERVATION AND INCREASE OF THE SOCIETY

410 §1. As a sign of gratitude and devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, let that feast be solemnly celebrated; and on that day is to be renewed the consecration by which the Society on January 1, 1872, dedicated and consecrated itself totally and perpetually.

§2. The consecration to the Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary is to be renewed each year on the feast of the Immaculate Heart.[1]

411 The sense of belonging and responsibility that each individual one of Ours has toward the whole Society should be manifested in a knowledge of our spirituality, our history, our saints, our apostolic labors, and our men, especially of those who are suffering difficulties for the sake of Christ; it is to be manifested as well by maintaining Ignatian mobility and flexibility with a view to helping any region of the Society whatsoever.[2]

412 §1. All our members should have at heart a shared concern for attracting new members to the Society, especially by prayer and the example of their lives as individuals and in community.[3]

§2. Therefore, we must do everything possible actively to present the Society in such a way that those whom God calls will know and appreciate who and what we are and what is our distinctive way of proceeding in the following of Christ.[4]

§3. We must also promote vocations as widely as possible, in order to reflect the culture and experience of those we seek to serve, including minority cultures, immigrants, and indigenous people.[5]

413 The Society should always show itself bound to its benefactors in charity and gratitude. Superiors should ensure that prayers are offered for them and other appropriate signs of our gratitude are shown them.[6]

414 In the perfect observance of all the Constitutions and in the particular fulfillment of our Institute, our formed members should excel, setting a good example and spreading the good odor of Christ, keeping before their eyes the serious obligation they have of giving edification especially to our younger members.[ 7]

415 All by earnest reading and meditation (in particular, at the time of the annual Spiritual Exercises, renewal of vows, monthly recollection, beginning of the year, and so forth) should strive ever to know, esteem, and love better our Constitutions and the special nature of our Institute,[ 8] which are to be faithfully observed, and which for each and all of us are the one, true, and safe way that surely leads to the perfection to which our Lord calls and invites all sons of the Society.[9] §2. Major superiors, especially at the time of the annual visitation, should see that this is faithfully observed.

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

https://www.facebook.com/4williamdunn/posts/pfbid025EQHgK2T7SjdKYcFbp4NDV87QU6FXvAZn7dL1vCiWhDSuUoFtfvCjRwxw44nbfAvl

Recusal and Order of Appointment - Court on 10.28.2028

Info Brock Law

Attachments

Mon, Oct 20, 12:40 PM (7 days ago)

to me

Good Morning,

Mr. Dunn, we hope this email finds you well.

This email serves to inform you that your case has been transferred to the Fernley Justice Court and you are scheduled to appear on Tuesday, October 28, 2025, at 8:00 a.m.

Can you confirm that you have received this email?

--

Kind Regards,

Brock Law, LTD.

phone: (775)993-9683

email: info@brocklawnevada.com

Mailing Address: P.O. Box 222

Winnemucca, Nevada 89446

NOTICE:  This communication, including any attachments, may contain confidential information and is intended only for the individual or entity to whom it is addressed.  Any review, dissemination, or copying of this communication by anyone other than the recipient is strictly prohibited by the electronic Communications Privacy Act, 18 U.S.C. 2510-2521.  If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender by reply email, delete and destroy all copies of the original message.

Case No. 25-CR-276 3G

FILED

2025 OCT 15 PM 12:37

JUSTICE OF THE PEACE

IN THE JUSTICE COURT OF DAYTON TOWNSHIP

IN AND FOR THE COUNTY OF LYON, STATE OF NEVADA

a

CLERK

9 THE STATE OF NEVADA,

Plaintiff,

10

VS.

RECUSAL AND ORDER

WILLIAM FRANCIS DUNN IV

OF APPOINTMENT

Defendant.

Pursuant to the provisions of Nevada Revised Statutes 1.230 and inasmuch as there may be actual or implied bias, the undersigned Judge of Dayton Township Justice Court, County of Lyon, State of Nevada, does hereby recues herself from the above-entitled matter.

IT IS HEREBY ORDERED that Judge Lori Matheus be, and hereby appointed to preside over the above-entitled matter. The case is hereby transferred to Canal Township Justice Court for further proceedings. The next court date will be held at 595 Silver Lace Blvd, Fernley, Nevada on October 28, 2025 at 8:00 am.

DATED this 15th day of October, 2025.

Camille Vecchiarelli Justice of the Peace

Judge temporary suspends case in Fernley kidnapping, killing

Driver’s lawyers continue to argue he can’t legally be tried in Lyon County

Troy Driver Mugshot(Lyon County Sheriff's Office)

By Scott Sonner

Published: Aug. 24, 2022 at 2:17 PM PDT

RENO, Nev. (AP) - A rural justice of the peace has suspended proceedings in justice court for a man accused of kidnapping and killing a Fernley teenager until a state judge can decide whether he should undergo a competency examination.

Canal Township Justice of the Peace Lori Matheus originally ordered Troy Driver of Fallon to appear in Lyon County District Court for a competency hearing before a preliminary hearing is scheduled in her Fernley courtroom next month.

Her new ruling says that state law requires her to suspend further proceedings “if a doubt arises as to the competency of the defendant.”

“The district court can make the necessary orders regarding any required examinations in this case,” Matheus wrote Aug. 22.

Meanwhile, Driver’s lawyers continue to argue he can’t legally be tried in Lyon County for the fatal shooting of 18-year-old Naomi Irion, which occurred in neighboring Churchill County.

Matheus earlier set a preliminary hearing Sept. 13-15 to determine if there’s enough evidence to bound him over for trial. She also had planned to hear jurisdictional arguments then.

Driver faces six charges in addition to first-degree murder, including sexual assault, robbery and destroying evidence.

Prosecutors maintain he can be tried in Lyon County on all charges because he kidnapped Irion from a Walmart there before he shot and buried her “all as one continuous course of conduct.”

Copyright 2022 KOLO. All rights reserved.

https://www.kolotv.com/2022/08/24/judge-temporary-suspends-case-fernley-kidnapping-killing/

Lori Ann Matheus (age 56) is listed at 1449 Mill Creek Rd Fernley, Nv 89408 and is affiliated with the Non-Partisan Party. Lori is registered to vote in Lyon County, Nevada.

Lori Matheus's Voter Registration

Party Affiliation: Non-Partisan

Registered to Vote In:  Lyon County, Nevada

Registration Date:  05/18/2002

Voter Status: ActivePrecinct: 27.01

Congressional District: Cd2

House District: Ad38

Senate District: Sd17

School Board District: Ed2

https://voterrecords.com/voter/73052433/lori-matheus

Meet Your DA – Stephen Rye

Stephen Rye

Lyon County District Attorney

Yerington Office

31 S. Main Street

Yerington, NV 89447

Office: (775) 463-6511 or (775) 246-6130

Fax: (775) 463-6516

Email:    stephenbrye@yahoo.com  

Kashyap Pramod "Kash" Patel (born February 25, 1980) is an American lawyer and former federal prosecutor serving since 2025 as the director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Patel also served as acting director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives from February to April 2025.

Patel studied criminal justice and history at the University of Richmond and graduated from the Pace University School of Law. In 2005, he began working as a public defender in Miami-Dade County, Florida, and later as a federal public defender for the Southern District of Florida. Patel began working as a junior staff member at the Department of Justice in 2012, becoming a prosecutor in the National Security Division in 2013 and working in the Counterterrorism Division in 2014. In 2017, he became a senior aide to Devin Nunes, the chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, where he was the primary author of the Nunes memo, alleging that Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) officials abused their authority in the FBI investigation into links between associates of Donald Trump and Russian officials.

In February 2019, Patel joined the National Security Council's International Organizations and Alliances directorate. In 2020, he was named as an aide to Richard Grenell, the acting director of national intelligence, becoming the principal deputy director of national intelligence until May, when he returned to the National Security Council. In November, after President Donald Trump dismissed Mark Esper as secretary of defense, Patel was named as the chief of staff to acting secretary of defense Christopher C. Miller. That year, Trump was involved in a plan to oust FBI director Christopher A. Wray and a separate effort to oust Central Intelligence Agency director Gina Haspel that would have seen Patel become deputy director of either agency.

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

The Rōshānī movement (Pashto: روښاني غورځنګ, lit. 'The enlightened movement') was a populist, nonsectarian Sufi movement that was founded in the mid-16th century, in the Pashtunistan region of present-day Pakistan and Afghanistan, and arose among the Pashtun tribes. The movement was founded by Pir Roshan, an Ormur warrior, Sufi poet and revolutionary.[1] Roshan challenged the inequality and social injustice that he saw being practiced by the ruling powers of the Mughal Empire. He advocated for a system of egalitarian codes and tenets that his followers, the Roshaniyya, promulgated within Islam.[2] Pir Roshan educated and instructed followers of the movement through new and radical teachings that questioned basic Islamic canons during that time, and propagated egalitarian principles.[3] His teachings resonated among the Afridi, Orakzai, Khalil, Mohmand, and Bangash tribes.[3]

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

Alumbrado, (Spanish: “Enlightened”, ) Italian Illuminato, plural Illuminati, a follower of a mystical movement in Spain during the 16th and 17th centuries. Its adherents claimed that the human soul, having attained a certain degree of perfection, was permitted a vision of the divine and entered into direct communication with the Holy Spirit. From this state the soul could neither advance nor retrogress. Consequently, participation in the liturgy, good works, and observance of the exterior forms of religious life were unnecessary for those who had received the “light.” The Alumbrados came primarily from among the reformed Franciscans and the Jesuits, but their doctrines seem to have influenced all classes of people. The extravagant claims made for their visions and revelations caused them to be relentlessly persecuted. The Inquisition issued edicts against them on three occasions (1568, 1574, and 1623)."

https://www.britannica.com/event/Alumbrado

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Pali Buddha (“the Awakened One, the Enlightened One”), from buddha (“awakened, enlightened”), from Sanskrit बुद्ध (buddha, “awakened, enlightened”), past participle of बोधति (bodhati, “to wake, to awaken”). Distantly related to English bid and bede. Also cognate with Russian будить (buditʹ, “to wake up”)."

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

Gautama

surname of the Buddha, from Sanskrit Gotamah, properly a patronymic, literally "descendant of the greatest ox," from superlative of gauh "ox, bull, cow."

https://www.etymonline.com/word/buddha

Unam Sanctam

One God, One Faith, One Spiritual Authority

Pope Boniface VIII - 1302

Bull of Pope Boniface VIII promulgated November 18, 1302

https://www.papalencyclicals.net/bon08/b8unam.htm

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. He was also the first pope to have been born in the 20th century.

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

Pedro Arrupe y Gondra, SJ (14 November 1907 – 5 February 1991) was a Spanish Catholic priest who served as the 28th superior general of the Society of Jesus from 1965 to 1983.[3] He has been called a second founder of the Society, which he led in the implementation of the Second Vatican Council, especially with regard to faith that does justice and preferential option for the poor.[4][3]

Born in 1907 in Bilbao, Arrupe joined the Jesuits in 1927 and was ordained to the priesthood in 1936. While serving as a novice master outside Hiroshima in 1945, Arrupe used his medical background as a first responder to the atomic bombing of Hiroshima.[5]

In 1983, paralysis from a stroke caused Arrupe to resign from office. He lived on until 1991, when he died in the local Jesuit infirmary.[5] His cause for sainthood was opened by the Jesuits and the Diocese of Rome in 2018.

Later life

On 7 August 1981, after a long and tiring trip throughout the Far East, Arrupe suffered a stroke just after his plane landed at Rome's Fiumicino Airport. He was paralysed on his right side and was able to speak only a few words. This ability gradually deteriorated until he was completely mute. From that time on he lived in the infirmary at the Jesuit headquarters in Rome. He then became the first-ever Jesuit superior general to resign. Pope John Paul II appointed Paolo Dezza as his personal delegate and interim Father General of the Society, passing over Arrupe's own choice (his vicar general). Many Jesuits saw this as an unwarranted papal interference in Jesuit affairs. For his part, Arrupe never expressed any disagreement or resentment.[13] Jesuit disobedience to the pope that was expected by some at the Roman Curia never came about.[27] With new respect for the Jesuits, Pope John Paul allowed Dezza to call the thirty-third General Congregation and elect a successor to Arrupe, whose resignation was accepted on 3 September 1983 during the Congregation. He was succeeded by Peter Hans Kolvenbach. During the opening Session of the Congregation, Arrupe was wheeled into the hall, and a prayer which he had written was read aloud:

"More than ever I find myself in the hands of God. This is what I have wanted all my life from my youth. But now there is a difference; the initiative is entirely with God. It is indeed a profound spiritual experience to know and feel myself so totally in God's hands."[9]

During his ten years in the infirmary, Arrupe received many and frequent well-wishers, including Pope John Paul II. Arrupe had earlier expressed what some regard as the key to his life: "Nowadays the world does not need words but lives that cannot be explained except through faith and love for Christ's poor."[4]

Death and burial

Arrupe died at 7:45pm on 5 February 1991, the anniversary of the 26 Martyrs of Japan. His final words had been: "For the present, Amen; for the future, Alleluia."[28]

His funeral was held in the Church of the Gesu, Rome, on February 9 and was attended by crowds that filled the piazza outside the church. Also in attendance were 10 cardinals, 20 bishops, Giulio Andreotti (the Prime Minister of Italy), as well as other religious and civil dignitaries. His body, first interred in the Jesuit mausoleum at Campo Verano, was brought back into the Church of the Gesù where it currently lies in a side chapel.[29]

Beatification process

On 11 July 2018, the Father General of the Society of Jesus, Arturo Sosa, announced the beginning of Arrupe's beatification process by the Diocese of Rome.[30] On 14 November 2018, a website was established with testimonials and archival material on his life.[31] On 14 November 2024, Cardinal-elect Baldassare Reina presided over the diocesan tribunal's termination of its inquiry at the Lateran Palace. The Dicastery for the Causes of Saints will next determine whether Arrupe should be declared Venerable.[32]

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

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

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

AI Overview

A spy satellite's line of sight (LOS) refers to a direct, unobstructed path between the satellite and its target or a ground station. This LOS is crucial for both communication and imagery acquisition, but can be limited by the Earth's curvature, which means a satellite can only see a specific area at a given time, and by objects on the ground that block signals. To overcome these limitations, spy satellites can use networks of relay satellites to extend their communication range and avoid being out of sight for too long, explains Euro-sd. 

How LOS works for spy satellites

For communication: A ground station needs a clear LOS to send and receive signals from a satellite. For example, some satellites might need to relay their imagery to a different satellite in a higher orbit if there's no ground station in sight. 

For observation: A satellite must have a direct line of sight to its target to capture images or other data. Because of the Earth's curvature, a satellite in a low Earth orbit can only see a specific area for a short time before moving out of view. 

For real-time applications: Some satellites can transmit data in real-time to provide intelligence, but they must also have a line of sight to a ground station or a relay satellite to get that data to users on the ground. 

Overcoming LOS limitations:

Relay networks: Many spy satellites use networks like the Satellite Data System to transmit data to relay satellites in higher orbits, which can then transmit the data to ground stations that are not in direct line of sight of the original satellite, says Euro-sd. 

Ground station networks: Satellites can also be equipped to talk to multiple ground stations around the world to ensure that data is always transmitted as soon as possible, according to WIRED. 

Key considerations

Orbit altitude: A satellite's altitude affects its line of sight. A higher orbit gives the satellite a wider view of the Earth, while a lower orbit provides a higher resolution image but a more limited field of view. 

Blocking factors: On the ground, things like buildings, trees, and even weather can block the line of sight between a satellite and its target or ground station. 

Real-time versus snapshot: Many spy satellites only capture images as they pass over a target, though there are some capabilities for real-time data collection. 

Physics limitations: Even with advanced technology, the ability to see fine details is limited by physics. While some satellites have resolutions of a few centimeters, they cannot read a person's license plate from space, according to Quora. 

AI responses may include mistakes. Learn more

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. "

https://www.nature.com/articles/383471a0

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

Daniel 2

1599 Geneva Bible

2 1 The dreams of Nebuchadnezzar. 13 The king commandeth all the wise men of Babylon to be slain, because they could not interpret his dream. 16 Daniel requireth time to solute the question. 24 Daniel is brought unto the king, and showeth him his dream, and the interpretation thereof. 44 Of the everlasting kingdom of Christ.

1 And in the [a]second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, Nebuchadnezzar dreamed [b]dreams wherewith his spirit was [c]troubled, and his [d]sleep was upon him.

2 Then the king commanded to call the enchanters, and the astrologians, and the sorcerers, and the [e]Chaldeans for to show the king his dreams: so they came and stood before the King.

3 And the king said unto them, I have dreamed a dream, and my spirit was troubled to know the dream.

4 Then spake the Chaldeans to the king in the [f]Aramite’s language, O king, live forever: show thy servants thy dream, and we shall show the interpretation.

5 And the King answered and said to the Chaldeans, The thing is gone from me. If ye will not make me understand the dream with the interpretation thereof, ye [g]shall be drawn in pieces, and your houses shall be made a jakes.

6 But if ye declare the dream and the interpretation thereof, ye shall receive of me gifts and rewards, and great honor: therefore show me the dream and the interpretation of it.

7 They answered again, and said, Let the king show [h]his servants the dream, and we will declare the interpretation thereof.

8 Then the king answered, and said, I know certainly that ye [i]would gain the time, because ye see the thing is gone from me.

9 But if ye will not declare me the dream, there is but one judgment for you: for ye have prepared lying and corrupt words, to speak before me till the time be changed: therefore tell me the dream, that I may know, if ye can declare me the interpretation thereof.

10 Then the Chaldeans answered before the king, and said, There is no man upon earth that can declare the king’s matter: yea, there is neither King nor Prince nor lord that asked such things at an enchanter, or astrologian, or Chaldean.

11 For it is a rare thing that the king requireth, and there is none other that can declare it before the king, except the gods whose dwelling is not with flesh.

12 For this cause the king was angry and in great fury, and commanded to destroy all the wise men of Babel.

13 ¶ And when sentence was given, the wise men were slain: and they [j]sought Daniel and his fellows to be put to death.

14 Then Daniel answered with counsel and wisdom to Arioch the king’s [k]chief steward, which was gone forth to put to death the wise men of Babel.

15 Yea, he answered and said unto Arioch the king’s captain, Why is the sentence so hasty from the king? Then Arioch declared the thing to Daniel.

16 So Daniel went and desired the king that he would give him leisure, and that he would show the king the interpretation thereof.

17 ¶ Then Daniel went to his house, and showed the matter to Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah his companions,

18 That they should beseech the God of heaven for grace in this secret, that Daniel and his fellows should not perish with the rest of the wise men of Babel.

19 Then was the secret revealed unto Daniel in a vision by night: therefore Daniel praised the God of heaven.

20 And Daniel answered and said, The Name of God be praised forever and ever: for wisdom and strength are his.

21 And he changeth the times and seasons: he taketh away kings: he setteth up kings: he giveth wisdom unto the wise, and understanding to those that understand.

22 He discovereth the deep and secret things: he knoweth what is in darkness, and the [l]light dwelleth with him.

23 I thank thee and praise thee, O thou God of my [m]fathers, that thou hast given me wisdom and [n]strength, and hast showed me now the thing that we desired of thee: for thou hast declared unto us the king’s matter.

24 ¶ Therefore Daniel went unto Arioch, whom the King had ordained to destroy the wise men of Babel: he went and said thus unto him, Destroy not [o]the wise men of Babel, but bring me before the king, and I will declare unto the king the interpretation.

25 Then Arioch brought Daniel before the king in all haste, and said thus unto him, I have found a man of the children of Judah that were brought captives, that will declare unto the king the interpretation.

26 Then answered the king, and said unto Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, Art thou able to show me the dream which I have seen, and the interpretation thereof?

27 Daniel answered in the presence of the king, and said, The secret which the king hath demanded, can neither the wise, the astrologians, the enchanters, nor the soothsayers declare unto the king.

28 But there is a God in [p]heaven that revealeth secrets, and showeth the king Nebuchadnezzar what shall be in the latter days. Thy dream, and the things which thou hast seen in thine head upon thy bed, is this:

29 O king, when thou wast in thy bed, thoughts came into thy mind, what should come to pass hereafter, and he that revealeth secrets, telleth thee what shall come.

30 As [q]for me, this secret is not showed me for any wisdom that I have more than any other living, but only to show the king the interpretation, and that thou mightest know the thoughts of thine heart.

31 O king, thou sawest, and behold, there was a great image: this great image whose glory was so excellent, stood before thee, and the form therefore was terrible.

32 This image’s head was of fine [r]gold, his breast, and his arms of silver, his belly and his thighs of brass,

33 His legs of iron, and his feet were part of iron, and part of clay.

34 Thou beheldest it till a stone was cut without hands, which smote the image upon his feet, that were of iron and clay, and brake them to pieces.

35 Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver and the gold broken all together, and became like the chaff of the summer flowers, and the wind carried them away, that no place was found for them: and the stone that smote the image, became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth.

36 This is the dream, and we will declare before the king the interpretation thereof.

37 ¶ O king, thou art a king of kings: for the God of heaven hath given thee a kingdom, power, and strength, and glory.

38 And in all places where the children of men dwell, the beasts of the field, and the fowls of the heaven hath he given into thine hand, and hath made thee ruler over them all: thou art [s]this head of gold.

39 And after thee shall rise another kingdom, [t]inferior to thee, of silver, and another [u]third kingdom shall be of brass, which shall bear rule over all the earth.

40 And the fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron: for as iron breaketh in pieces, and subdueth all things, and as iron bruiseth all these things, so shall it break in [v]pieces, and bruise all.

41 Whereas thou sawest the feet and toes, part of potter’s clay, and part of iron: the kingdom shall be [w]divided, but there shall be in it of the strength of the iron, as thou sawest the iron mixed with the clay, and earth.

42 And as the toes of the feet were part of iron, and part of clay, so shall the kingdom be partly strong, and partly broken.

43 And whereas thou sawest iron mixed with clay and earth, they shall mingle themselves with [x]the seed of men: but they shall not join one with another, as iron cannot be mixed with clay.

44 And in the days of these kings, shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which [y]shall never be destroyed: and this kingdom shall not be given to another people, but it shall break, and destroy all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever.

45 Whereas thou sawest, that the [z]stone was cut of the mountain without hands, and that it brake in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold: so the great God hath showed the king, what shall come to pass hereafter, and the dream is true, and the interpretation thereof is sure.

46 ¶ Then the king Nebuchadnezzar fell upon his face, and [aa]bowed himself unto Daniel, and commanded that they should offer meat offerings, and sweet odors unto him.

47 Also the King answered unto Daniel, and said, I know of a truth that your [ab]God is a God of gods, and the Lord of kings, and the revealer of secrets, seeing thou couldest open this secret.

48 So the king made Daniel a great man, and gave him many and great [ac]gifts. He made him governor over the whole province of Babel, and chief of the rulers, and above all the wise men of Babel.

49 Then Daniel [ad]made request to the King, and he set Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego over the charge of the province of Babel: but Daniel sat in the [ae]gate of the king.

Footnotes

Daniel 2:1 The father and the son were both called by this name, so that this is meant of the son, when he reigned alone: for he reigned also after a sort with his father.

Daniel 2:1 Not that he had many dreams, but because many matters were contained in this dream.

Daniel 2:1 Because it was so rare and strange a dream: that he had not had the like.

Daniel 2:1 He was so heavy with sleep, that he began to sleep again. Some read, and his sleep was broken from him.

Daniel 2:2 For all these Astrologers and sorcerers called themselves by this name of honor, as though all the wisdom and knowledge of the country depended upon them, and that all other countries were void of the same.

Daniel 2:4 That is, in the Syrian tongue which differed not much from the Chaldeans, save it seemed to be more eloquent, and therefore the learned used to speak it, as the Jewish writers do to this day.

Daniel 2:5 This is a just reward of their arrogance (which vaunted of themselves that they had the knowledge of all things) that they should be proved fools, and that to their perpetual shame and confusion.

Daniel 2:7 Herein appeared their ignorance, that notwithstanding their brags, yet were they not able to tell the dream, except he entered them into the matter, and therefore they would pretend knowledge where was but mere ignorance, and so as deluders of the people, they were worthy to die.

Daniel 2:8 Hebrew, redeem the time.

Daniel 2:13 Which declareth that God would not have his servant joined in the company of these sorcerers and Astrologers, whose arts were wicked, and therefore justly ought to die, though the king did it upon a rage and no zeal.

Daniel 2:14 Or, the captain of the guards.

Daniel 2:22 He showeth that man hath neither wisdom nor knowledge, but very dark blindness and ignorance of himself: for it cometh only of God, that man understandeth anything.

Daniel 2:23 To whom thou madest thy promise, and who lived in thy fear: whereby he excludeth all other gods.

Daniel 2:23 Meaning, power to interpret it.

Daniel 2:24 Whereby appeareth that many were slain, as verse 13, and the rest at Daniel’s offer were preserved on condition: not that Daniel favored their wicked profession, but that he had respect to equity, because the King proceeded according to his wicked affection, and not considering if their science were lawful or no.

Daniel 2:28 He affirmeth that man by reason and art is not able to attain to the cause of God’s secrets, but the understanding only thereof must come of God: whereby he smiteth the king with a certain fear and reverence of God, that he might be the more apt to receive the high mysteries, that should be revealed.

Daniel 2:30 Because he had said that God only must reveal the signification of this dream, the King might have asked, why Daniel did enterprise to interpret it, and therefore he showeth that he was but God’s minister and had no gifts, but such as God had given him to set forth his glory.

Daniel 2:32 By gold, silver, brass and iron, are meant the Chaldean, Persian, Macedonian and Roman kingdoms, which should successively rule all the world till Christ (which is here called the stone) come himself, and destroy the last: and this was to assure the Jews, that their affliction should not end with the empire of the Chaldeans, but that they should patiently abide the coming of Messiah, which should be at the end of this fourth monarchy.

Daniel 2:38 Daniel leaveth out the kingdom of the Assyrians, which was before the Babylonian, both because it was not a Monarchy and general empire, and also because he would declare the things that were to come, to the coming of Christ, for the comfort of the elect among these wonderful alterations, and he calleth the Babylonian kingdom the golden head, because in respect of the other three, it was the best, and yet it was of itself wicked and cruel.

Daniel 2:39 Meaning, the Persians which were not inferior in dignity, power, and riches, but were worse touching ambition, cruelty, and all kind of vice, showing that the world should grow worse and worse, till it was restored by Christ.

Daniel 2:39 That is, of the Macedonians shall be of brass, not alluding to the hardness thereof, but to the vileness in respect of silver.

Daniel 2:40 That is, the Roman empire shall subdue all these other aforenamed, which after Alexander were divided into the Macedonians, Grecians, Syrians and Egyptians.

Daniel 2:41 They shall have civil wars, and continual discords among themselves.

Daniel 2:43 They shall by marriages and affinities think to make themselves strong: yet shall they never be joined in hearts.

Daniel 2:44 His purpose is to show, that all the kingdoms of the world are transitory, and that the kingdom of Christ shall only remain forever.

Daniel 2:45 Meaning Christ, who was sent of God, and not set up by man, whose kingdom at the beginning should be small and without beauty to man’s judgment, but should at length grow and fill the whole earth, which he calleth a great mountain, as verse 35. And this kingdom which is not only referred to the person of Christ, but also to the whole body of his Church, and to every member thereof, shall be eternal: for the Spirit that is in them is life eternal, Rom. 8:10.

Daniel 2:46 Though this humbling of the king seemed to deserve commendation, yet because he joined God’s honor with the Prophet’s, it is to be reproved, and Daniel herein erred, if he suffered it: but it is credible that Daniel admonished him of his fault, and did not suffer it.

Daniel 2:47 This confession was but a sudden motion, as it was also in Pharaoh, Exod. 9:28, but his heart was not touched, as appeared soon afterward.

Daniel 2:48 Not that the Prophet was desirous of gifts or honor, but because by this means he might relieve his poor brethren, which were grievously oppressed in this their captivity, and also he received them, lest he should offend this cruel king, which willingly gave them.

Daniel 2:49 He did not this for their private profit: but that the whole Church, which was then there in affliction, might have some release and ease by this benefit.

Daniel 2:49 Meaning, that either he was a judge, or that he had the whole authority, so than none could be admitted to the king’s presence, but by him.

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Daniel%202&version=GNV 

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/

A police dog, also known as a K-9 (phonemic abbreviation of canine),[1] is a dog that is trained to assist police and other law enforcement officers. Their duties may include searching for drugs and explosives, locating missing people, finding crime scene evidence, protecting officers and other people, and attacking suspects who flee from officers. The breeds most commonly used by law enforcement are the German Shepherd, Belgian Malinois, Bloodhound, Dutch Shepherd, and Labrador Retriever.[2] In recent years, the Belgian Malinois has become the leading choice for police and military work due to their intense drive, focus, agility, and smaller size, though German Shepherds remain the breed most associated with law enforcement.[3]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Police_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).

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

...And Justice for All is the fourth studio album by American heavy metal band Metallica, released on September 7, 1988,[1] by Elektra Records. It was Metallica's first full-length studio album to feature bassist Jason Newsted following the death of Cliff Burton in 1986. Burton received posthumous co-writing credit on "To Live Is to Die" as Newsted followed bass lines Burton had recorded prior to his death.[6]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...And_Justice_for_All_(album)

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

The University of California College of the Law, San Francisco (abbreviated as UC Law SF or UC Law) is a public law school in San Francisco, California, United States. It was known as the University of California, Hastings College of the Law (abbreviated as UC Hastings) from 1878 to 2023.

Founded in 1878 by Serranus Clinton Hastings, UC Law SF was the first law school of the University of California as well as one of the first law schools established in California. Although part of the University of California, UC Law SF is not directly governed by the Regents of the University of California. UC Law SF is also one of the few prominent university-affiliated law schools in the United States that does not share a campus with the university's undergraduates or other postgraduate programs.

The Battle of Hastings (1066) as depicted on a stained glass window over the main entrance of 100 McAllister Street.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_California_College_of_the_Law,_San_Francisco

The Battle of Hastings[a] was fought on 14 October 1066 between the Norman-French army of William, Duke of Normandy, and an English army under the Anglo-Saxon King Harold Godwinson, beginning the Norman Conquest of England. It took place approximately 7 mi (11 km) northwest of Hastings, close to the present-day town of Battle, East Sussex, and was a decisive Norman victory.

The background to the battle was the death of the childless King Edward the Confessor in January 1066, which set up a succession struggle between several claimants to his throne. Harold was crowned king shortly after Edward's death but faced invasions by William, his own brother Tostig, and the Norwegian king Harald Hardrada (Harold III of Norway). Hardrada and Tostig defeated a hastily gathered army of Englishmen at the Battle of Fulford on 20 September 1066. They were in turn defeated by Harold at the Battle of Stamford Bridge on 25 September. The deaths of Tostig and Hardrada at Stamford Bridge left William as Harold's only serious opponent. While Harold and his forces were recovering, William landed his invasion forces in the south of England at Pevensey on 28 September and established a beachhead for his conquest of the kingdom. Harold was forced to march south swiftly, gathering forces as he went.

The numbers present at the battle are unknown as even modern estimates vary considerably. The composition of the forces is clearer: the English army was composed almost entirely of infantry and had few archers, whereas only about half of the invading force was infantry, the rest split equally between cavalry and archers. Harold appears to have tried to surprise William, but scouts found his army and reported its arrival to William, who marched from Hastings to the battlefield to confront Harold. The battle lasted from about 9 am to dusk. Early efforts of the invaders to break the English battle lines had little effect. Therefore, the Normans adopted the tactic of pretending to flee in panic and then turning on their pursuers. Harold's death, probably near the end of the battle, led to the retreat and defeat of most of his army. After further marching and some skirmishes, William was crowned as king on Christmas Day 1066.

There continued to be rebellions and resistance to William's rule, but Hastings effectively marked the culmination of William's conquest of England. Casualty figures are difficult to assess, but some historians estimate that 2,000 invaders died along with about twice that number of Englishmen. William founded a monastery at the site of the battle, the high altar of the abbey church supposedly placed at the spot where Harold died.

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

Spitfire is the third album by American rock band Jefferson Starship. Released in 1976, a year after the chart-topping Red Octopus, it quickly scaled the charts, peaking for six consecutive weeks at No. 3 in Billboard and attaining an RIAA platinum certification. Stereo and quadraphonic mixes of the album were released.

Background

By early 1976, Jefferson Starship had become one of America's biggest rock bands thanks to the multiplatinum success of 1975's Red Octopus and its smash hit "Miracles". They were playing arenas and stadiums as well as headlining big festivals, and money was pouring in.[1] All seemed well within the group, although the beginnings of dissent began to appear when singer Grace Slick broke up her seven-year relationship with guitarist Paul Kantner, choosing to hook up instead with the group's lighting director Skip Johnson (Johnson was quickly fired from that position, although he would be re-hired in 1978).[1] There were also lingering problems with Marty Balin, who had refused to sign a long-term contract with RCA/Grunt and was working on an album-by-album basis, which gave him much leverage now that he was writing the hit singles.[2] Although he was enjoying his return to prominence within the group, the pressure was now on Balin to come up with another hit that would equal or surpass "Miracles".

In the meantime, there were also increasing charges that the group had betrayed their earlier underground credentials as Jefferson Airplane and "sold out" to corporate rock interests. Slick complained that Grunt kept sending her out to silly publicity stunts like cake-judging contests, later reasoning "I was smiling and going along with it because we had to keep the publicity machine oiled while we were waiting for Marty to decide whether or not he was going to go on the road".[2]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spitfire_(Jefferson_Starship_album)

Templar Military Lodges

The Templars also stealthily entered America through military lodges. Of particular significance are those chartered by the Irish Grand Lodge, which offered the higher degrees of Jacobite Masonry. Later these lodges incorporated the French Templar Scottish Rite degrees, further dividing colonial America between two rival forms of Freemasonry. While British politics in the colonies was dominated by English Masons in the Northeast, her military was under the influence of French Templar Field Lodges throughout the colonies - not a stable union for governing "13" rebellious colonies.25

European Templars Settle America

Another identifying characteristic of the Beast's revived Roman empire, according to our analysis of Daniel 7:7-8 in chapter 26, is that it must be populated by immigrants from the territory governed by the old Roman empire. Of course colonial America was populated by peoples from a Europe shaped by ancient Rome and later by the Holy Roman Empire. Templar influence in America began after Prince Charles Edward, the Young Stuart Pretender, failed to regain his British throne. As you recall, in 1746 he was soundly defeated, forever dashing the hopes of Scottish Templars recapturing England. As a result, many Irish and Scottish Templar Jacobites who had fought with Charles Stuart fled to America. Those who returned to France with the Prince founded the Scottish Rite of Freemasonry. Between 1745 and 1753, the British and European Templar population in the New World had increased dramatically. In 1754 Benjamin Franklin attempted to relieve population pressure by proposing a plan for the union of all 13 colonies. The British government rejected Franklin's proposal, fearing a united America would be difficult to control. Subsequently, the exploding population was forced to move west into French territory, which precipitated the French and Indian War in America, a phase of the Seven Years War on the continent of Europe. During this war the French military brought to the New World the Templar Scottish Rite, first setting up base at Boston, then Charleston, S.C.26 Michael Baigent, in The Temple and The Lodge, explains: 565 Prior to the Seven Years War, most of the Freemasonry in North America was orthodox pro- Hanoverian, warranted by Grand Lodge [London]. During the Seven Years War, however, "higher degree" [Templar] Freemasonry, by means of regimental field lodges, was transplanted on a large scale to the American colonies and quickly took root. Boston - the soil from which the American Revolution was to spring - exemplifies the process of transplantation and the friction that sometimes arose from it.27

Scarlet and the Beast

by John Daniel

https://ia803001.us.archive.org/28/items/ScarletAndTheBeastJohnDaniel1995/Scarlet%20and%20the%20Beast,%20John%20Daniel%20(1995).pdf

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

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

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."

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

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

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

Bill Clinton ‘Encouraged’ Trump to Run

SLICK WILLY

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

Published Aug. 05, 2015 3:33PM EDT

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

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

Trump and Harris neck-and-neck as she prepares to announce VP pick after meeting candidates Sunday: Live

Harris met with top running mate contenders Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, Arizona Senator Mark Kelly and Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro at her Washington DC residence

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/kamala-harris-vp-pick-trump-polls-news-b2591106.html

San Francisco's 555 California St., co-owned by Trump, on lender watchlist

The beautiful, very great, big league skyscraper, still allegedly 30% owned by Donald Trump, is on a lender watchlist, according to Bloomberg

By Alex Shultz,

Politics editor, SFGATE

Updated Feb 23, 2023 3:40 p.m.

https://www.sfgate.com/local/article/san-francisco-building-trump-stake-on-watchlist-17801816.php

Early life and education

Harris's childhood home at 1227 Bancroft Way in Berkeley, August 2020

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 

Kamala returned to the WWF on May 9, 1992, with Lombardi reprising the Kim Chee character and Harvey Wippleman acting as his managers. In June 1992, he unsuccessfully challenged Randy Savage for the WWF World Heavyweight Championship. Throughout mid-1992, he wrestled primarily in house shows, with his regular opponents including The Undertaker, Bret Hart, The Texas Tornado, and The Ultimate Warrior.[9][19] Kamala lost to The Undertaker by disqualification at SummerSlam in August 1992. Kamala later claimed that he was paid $13,000 for the bout while The Undertaker was paid $500,000. Professional wrestling journalist Dave Meltzer questioned this claim, saying: "I'm not saying he's lying, but that's hard to believe [...] for there to be that big of a disparity wouldn't make any sense."[8][16] In November 1992, Kamala lost to The Undertaker at Survivor Series in the first ever televised casket match.[33][34][35] In January 1993, Kim Chee and Wippleman began mistreating Kamala, leading him to break away from them and align himself with Reverend Slick, turning face for the first time in his WWF career.

Slick set out to humanize Kamala, leading to a series of skits in which he introduced him to activities such as ten-pin bowling.[8][33][36][37] Kamala feuded with Kim Chee throughout early 1993. In March 1993, he began a series of matches with Bam Bam Bigelow. The two were scheduled to face one another at WrestleMania IX, but the match was canceled.[8] In May 1993, Kamala lost a King of the Ring tournament qualifying match via countout to Mr. Hughes on an episode of WWF Wrestling Challenge. He went on to compete primarily at house shows until being released by the WWF that July.[19][16] In December 1993, Kamala was announced as a participant in the 1994 Royal Rumble Match. During the bout the announcers noted that Virgil, as an alternate participant, had replaced him.[38]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kamala_(wrestler)

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 

Early Female Transgender Identity after Prenatal Exposure to Diethylstilbestrol: Report from a French National Diethylstilbestrol (DES) Cohort

by Laura Gaspari 1,2,3,†,Marie-Odile Soyer-Gobillard 4,5,†ORCID,Scott Kerlin 6,Françoise Paris 1,2,3 andCharles Sultan 1,*

All DES sons who identified as transgender women underwent karyotyping at their local hospital at the moment of transition.

https://www.mdpi.com/2039-4713/14/1/10

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

Prince Hall Freemasonry, Born From A House Divided

As freemasons grew in popularity among white colonists, African Americans in early America took an interest in the order, too. The story of African American freemasonry began in 1775, when abolitionist Prince Hall and 14 other free Black men sought initiation into the all-white St. John’s Lodge in Boston. Hall, who owned his own leather shop and fought in the Revolutionary War, championed the scholastic rights of Black children in Boston as a means toward achieving equality. He viewed Freemasonry as another path toward racial parity, a way for his fellow free Black men to organize and push for their rights through education and activism.

Despite Freemasonic doctrine stating that all men are equal, the members of St. John’s Lodge rejected Prince Hall and his cohort. Undaunted, they sought international recognition from an older Lodge overseas. They successfully petitioned the Grand Lodge of Ireland, and on March 6, 1775, founded the African Lodge №1, today known as African Lodge 459.

Prince Hall

Prince Hall was a black abolitionist who founded the African Grand Lodge of North America.

“When he began to look at the way people were being treated in the Boston area, he saw the usefulness of Freemasonry, and how it brought men together of different diasporas to work towards a common goal,” Wardally said of Hall. “He sought that same sort of thing for his folks in order to push them forward socially and civically.”

From the start, the African Lodge no. 459 and other African American Lodges that followed in its footsteps faced adversity from the Grand Lodges governing each individual state. At the time, members of most stateside Grand Lodges rejected the international recognition granted by the Grand Lodge of Ireland, and the subsequent recognition granted by the United Grand Lodge of England (UGLE). This meant that in the United States, African American lodges were considered illegitimate, or clandestine, by their fellow white lodges.

Freemasonry wasn’t the only fraternal organization during this time that kept African Americans out of its order. Blacks seeking membership to groups like the Odd Fellows, the Elks Lodge, and the Shriners faced the same discrimination as Prince Hall and were rejected on the basis of race, compelling them to create their own versions. The Grand United Order of Odd Fellows (established in 1843) is one example, as is The Improved Benevolent Protective Order of Elks of the World (established in 1898).

Still, Prince Hall Freemasonry, as it came to be called in honor of its founder, was the highest-profile of these groups. And despite the lack of official recognition, its members continued to push forward in their quest for legitimacy of their Lodges and for their rights as African Americans.

“The Prince Hall organization became very independently recognized within the Black community,” said Christopher Hodapp, Masonic historian and author of several books on Freemasonry. “Very well respected within the Black community, and remains so to this day.”

Although Prince Hall and mainstream branches alike hold the betterment of both one’s self and community as a core value, working towards this goal can have a deeper resonance within African American communities.

When Prince Hall Freemasons Richard Allen and Absalom Jones were relegated to the back of the church where they worshipped in Philadelphia, the men left the congregation in protest and founded their own. The land Allen purchased in 1791 to build his church, the first African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church, is the oldest piece of land continually owned by African Americans in the United States. Mother Bethel AME served as a stop on the Underground Railroad, which helped formerly enslaved people from Southern States escape to the North in pursuit of freedom.

Abolitionists working on the Underground Railroad “would pick up the slaves in North Carolina in a cove, and unload them in Philadelphia,” Crawford Wilson, Mother Bethel AME’s historian, explained. “And then they would come to Mother Bethel.”

Branching out, the AME church established congregations throughout the Union. Like its mother congregation in Philadelphia, other AME churches also served as stops on the Underground Railroad. Like Allen in Philadelphia and James Varick in New York, the pastors and congregants were often Prince Hall Masons. The church, along with the Prince Hall Lodges many of its members belonged to, developed into some of the few safe spaces for African Americans to assemble.

“The idea of organizing in any and all ways was appealing to free African Americans. Whether it was church-based, or Masonic-based,” said Harold Holzer, director of Hunter College’s Roosevelt House Public Policy Institute and a leading authority on the culture of the Civil War Era. “It was an order. It was a place. Black people couldn’t even meet without arousing suspicion and crackdowns.”

“The idea of organizing in any and all ways was appealing to free African Americans, whether it was church-based or Masonic-based."

When hopes for abolishing slavery started to become a reality, President Abraham Lincoln, unable to imagine a United States where formerly enslaved people lived harmoniously side by side with white Americans, proposed emancipated blacks be sent abroad to colonize regions today known Liberia and Panama. In an attempt to push this plan forward, in 1862, Lincoln invited a delegation of five free black men, four of which were members of Prince Hall Lodges, to meet with him at the Capitol to discuss the colonization of Panama.

Describing the meeting, Holzer explained that Lincoln “basically said, I want you to know that, in my view, you people are the cause of the war. And that, if it wasn’t for your presence here in this country, there would be no war.”

masonic symbol

A 19th Century Masonic Jewel on display at the Masonic Museum and Library in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The museum houses a large collection on Masonic literature and paraphernalia, including this square and compass associated with the Batavia Lodge in New York. Ann Seymour

The five-man delegation rejected the idea, and Lincoln abandoned his plan. “They wrote a formal letter back,” Holzer said, “pointing out gently, but pointedly, not to be redundant, that their ancestors have lived in the Washington area for a long time and they weren’t going anywhere.”

Alonsa Tehuti Evans, author and past Grand Historian and Archivist of the Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge of the District of Columbia, saw the delegation’s rejection as even more crucial to the perseverance of African Americans in the United States.

“Saying no to the president, they wouldn’t support the plan, I assert is one of the reasons there is a Black Washington D.C. community today,” said Evans at a speech given at the Library of Congress in 2017.

“Because if Lincoln had gotten his way, there would be no African Americans in the country today,” Evans continued. “They all would have been shipped out.”

https://www.americanheritage.com/secret-history-prince-hall-freemasonry

Dub mac Maíl Coluim (Modern Gaelic: Dubh mac Mhaoil Chaluim, Scottish Gaelic pronunciation: [ˈt̪uˈmaʰkˈvɯːlˈxaɫ̪ɯm]), Dub mac Maíl Coluim is the Mediaeval Gaelic form. The modern form, Dubh, has the sense of "dark" or "black". Sometimes anglicised as Duff MacMalcolm, this form was used in older histories, but is not commonly used today called Dén, "the Vehement" Duan Albanach,[1] and "the Black"[2] a direct translation of his name to modern English is Black Malcolmson (c. 928–967) was king of Alba. He was son of Malcolm I and succeeded to the throne when Indulf was killed in 962.

While later chroniclers such as John of Fordun supplied a great deal of information on Dub's life and reign, and Hector Boece in his The history and chronicles of Scotland tell tales of witchcraft and treason, almost all of them are rejected by modern historians. There are very few sources for the reign of Dub, of which the Chronicle of the Kings of Alba and a single entry in the Annals of Ulster are the closest to contemporary.

The Chronicle records that during Dub's reign bishop Fothach, most likely bishop of St Andrews or of Dunkeld, died. The remaining report is of a battle between Dub and Cuilén, son of king Ildulb. Dub won the battle, fought "upon the ridge of Crup", in which Dunchad (Duncan), abbot of Dunkeld, sometimes supposed to be an ancestor of Crínán of Dunkeld, and Dubdon, the mormaer of Atholl, died.

Drawing of the Sueno's Stone (1861)

The various accounts differ on what happened afterwards. The Chronicle claims that Dub was driven out of the kingdom. The Latin material interpolated in Andrew of Wyntoun's Orygynale Cronykl states that he was murdered at Forres, and links this to an eclipse of the sun which can be dated to 20 July 966. The Annals of Ulster report only: "Dub mac Maíl Coluim, king of Alba, was killed by the Scots themselves"; the usual way of reporting a death in internal strife, and place the death in 967. It has been suggested that Sueno's Stone, near Forres, may be a monument to Dub, erected by his brother Kenneth II (Cináed mac Maíl Coluim). It is presumed that Dub was killed or driven out by Cuilén, who became king after Dub's death, or by his supporters.

It is related that his body was hidden under the bridge of Kinloss, and the sun did not shine till it was found and buried. An eclipse on 10 July 967 may have originated or confirmed this story.[3]

Dub left at least one son, Kenneth III (Cináed mac Dub). Although his descendants did not compete successfully for the kingship of Alba after Kenneth was killed in 1005, Dub is likely an ancestor of the MacDuib (MacDuff) family who held the mormaerdom, and later earldom of Fife, until 1371.[4]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dub,_King_of_Scotland

Malcolm Little, alias “Malcolm X,” 1925 – 1965

Unknowingly controlled by the Order through the mulatto and “the honorable” Elijah Muhammad—the absolute Masonic dictator of the Nation of Islam (NOI) who was the obedient servant of the White Archbishop of Chicago, Albert Cardinal Meyer and later John Cardinal Cody—Malcolm bore all the marks of a Jesuit agitator including his detestation of Jews, White Anglo Saxon Protestants, the U.S. Constitution and the King James Bible. Surnamed “Big Red” due to his reddish-brown hair inherited from a White forefather, Malcolm’s racial views had been born out of deplorable crimes of White Catholic and White Masonic violence, including intolerable, hate-filled racism experienced in the Northern, Mafia-dominated, Jesuit-controlled, White Roman Catholic cities of Boston, Baltimore, Philadelphia, New York and Washington, D.C., as well as the Second Ku Klux Klan’s gruesome murder of his father, Earl Little—an influential Baptist preacher and an outspoken advocate of Marcus Garvey’s Back-to-Africa Movement. In opposition to the Jesuit Order’s intended plan for a totally integrated North America thereby destroying the “heretic and liberal” White races, both Garvey and Malcolm seriously pursued the same policy of final separation and repatriation, as did Presidents Jefferson, Monroe and Lincoln. Malcolm advocated that Blacks should break away from Whites either by returning to Africa or by establishing a separate Black North American nation, which indeed is the correct and Biblical solution to the Black Pope’s international anti-White, Negro Agitation! Upon publicizing Elijah Muhammad’s fathering of nine illegitimate children to six teenage girls, and for exposing the collusion between the NOI and KKK leaders (whose cooperative extremism created “collective guilt” among all Whites—cunningly calculated to unite Catholics and Protestants pursuant to the ecumenical doctrines of the Second Vatican Council while destroying the God-given preference to one’s own race thus ensuring the success of the Civil Rights Movement), Malcolm became a threat to the Black Pope’s NOI and was silenced for ninety days. This resulted in his trip to Mecca during which: he was carefully watched by Cardinal Spellman’s CIA; he was converted to Orthodox Islam in spite of the brutal enslavement of African Blacks by Arab Muslims for centuries; he ceased to advocate Black separatism; and he finally broke with the NOI’s Masonic leadership which included FBI informers Wallace Muhammad and Louis Farrakhan. The eloquent and independent Malcolm X who was now preaching against the NOI could not be allowed to live, as the genocidal race-mixing plot of the Order’s Socialist-Communist Second Reconstruction, led by the wicked Black Martin Luther (Lucifer) King, Jr., championing the Order’s doctrine of “universal equality” as perfected on the Reductions of Paraguay, could not be allowed to fail again. Therefore, Malcolm became another victim of the Order’s Jesuit Oath and “leaden bullet,” savagely shot down on stage at Harlem’s Audubon Ballroom by three NOI assassins, all of whom were aided by Cardinal Spellman’s CIA, FBI and New York City police.

Vatican Assassins

Wounded In The House of My Friends

Third Edition

by Eric Jon Phelps

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1uQl1CmWeLL87RWVtzKttGFKm0frSNR8D/view?usp=sharing

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

Louis Raphaël I Sako (Arabic: لويس روفائيل ساكو;[1] born 4 July 1948) is a Chaldean Catholic prelate who has served as Patriarch of Baghdad since 1 February 2013. Pope Francis made him a cardinal on 28 June 2018.

Biography

Early life

Sako was born in the city of Zakho, Iraq, on 4 July 1948.[2] He comes from an ethnic Assyrian family of the Chaldean Catholic Church that has roots in a religious community that has had a presence in the city of his birth since the 5th century AD.[3]

He completed his early studies in Mosul and then attended the Dominican-run Saint Jean’s Seminary there. He was ordained a priest on 1 June 1974 and filled his first pastoral assignment at the Cathedral of Mosul until 1979. He then earned a doctorate in Eastern patrology at the Pontifical Oriental Institute. When denied a license to teach because he was only qualified for religious instruction, he earned a second doctorate in history from the Sorbonne in Paris.[4] With this he secured his teaching license and was able to provide religious instruction. From 1997 to 2002 he was rector of the Patriarchal Seminary in Baghdad. He then returned to Mosul and guided the parish of Perpetual Help for a year.[5][6]

Sako speaks Neo-Aramaic, German, French, English, Italian, Kurdish and Arabic.[2]

Archeparch

A synod of the bishops of the Chaldean Catholic Church meeting in Baghdad elected Sako Archeparch of Kirkuk on 24 October 2002. Pope John Paul II gave his assent on 27 September 2003.[7] He received his episcopal consecration on 14 November 2003 from his predecessor in Kirkuk, André Sana.[8]

In August 2009, and at the beginning of Ramadan, Sako organized an appeal for national peace, reconciliation and end to violence on the part of more than fifty religious leaders in Kirkuk. He called it "a gesture of closeness to our Muslim brothers. We are all brothers, sons of the same God we must respect and cooperate for the good of the people and our country." The participants included representatives of Ali Sistani and Muqtada al Sadr.[9]

Patriarch

The Synod of Bishops of the Chaldean Catholic Church, convoked in Rome on 28 January 2013, elected Sako to succeed Emmanuel III Delly as Patriarch of Babylon. He chose Louis Raphael I as his regnal name. Pope Benedict XVI gave his assent to the election on 1 February[2] and granted him ecclesiastica communio (ecclesiastical communion) as required by the canon law for Eastern-rite Catholic churches in recognition of their unity with the wider Catholic church.[10]

That same year, Iraq's President Jalal Talabani issued a decree recognizing Sako as Patriarch of the Chaldean Church.[11]

In July 2014 Sako led a wave of condemnation for the Sunni Islamists who demanded Christians either convert, submit to their radical rule and pay a religious levy or face death by the sword.[12] In September 2014 Sako said “The U.S. is indirectly responsible for what is going on in Iraq as it said it would ensure democracy and the well-being of the people, but 10 years have passed and on the contrary we have gone backward." He was responding to a question following remarks attributed to him in the local daily Ad-Diyar in which he accused the U.S. of supporting ISIS. Sako had also criticized Muslim countries for lack of support: "Our Muslim neighbours did not help us." He urged Muslim preachers to issue a religious ruling against the killing of all innocent people and said that "Issuing a fatwa preventing Muslims from killing fellow Muslims is not enough."[13]

In 2014, Sako ordered ten priests who had fled Iraq to return there by 22 October; he suspended them when they failed to comply. The priests, all living in the United States, some for as long as twenty years, appealed to Pope Francis for relief from the order.[14] In January 2015, Pope Francis granted them permission to remain in the United States.[15] Sako later renewed his order despite the pope's decision.[16]

In 2015, Sako proposed a "merger" or reunion of his own Chaldean Catholic Church with the Ancient Church of the East and the Assyrian Church of the East to create one united "Church of the East" with a single patriarch in union with the pope. His proposal would have required both his own resignation and that of Mar Addai II, followed by a joint synod of the bishops of all three churches to elect a new patriarch for the reunited Church of the East. (The patriarchate of the Assyrian Church of the East was vacant at the time, following the death of Mar Dinkha IV.)[17] He wrote that "Unity does not mean uniformity, nor the melting of our own church identity into one style, but it maintains unity in diversity and we remain one apostolic universal church, the Oriental Church, that maintains its independence of administration, laws and liturgies, traditions and support."[18] The Assyrian Church of the East respectfully declined this proposal citing "ecclesiological divergences still remaining" and proceeded with its election of a new patriarch.[19]

On 14 November 2015, the Synod of Bishops announced that Pope Francis had named Sako as one of his three appointments to that body's council.[20]

Cardinal

Pope Francis made Sako a cardinal in a consistory on 28 June 2018.[21] Later that year, Pope Francis named him one of the four cardinals to preside over sessions of the Synod of Bishops on Youth in October.[22]

On 6 October 2018 Sako was named a member of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches,[23] on 22 February 2019 a member of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue,[24] and on 29 September 2021 a member of the Congregation for Catholic Education.[25] On 4 January 2022, Pope Francis made him a member of the Council for the Economy.[26]

Sako was a cardinal elector in the 2025 papal conclave that elected Pope Leo XIV.[27] Patriarch Sako was also the first Chaldean Catholic Patriarch ever to participate in a papal conclave.[28][a] Sako opted not to wear the shash, the traditional headgear of East Syriac Christian bishops, and wore only his scarlet zucchetto.[32]

Government recognition dispute

On 15 July 2023, Iraq's President Abdul Latif Rashid announced the revocation of the government's 2013 decree recognizing Sako as Patriarch. In response that same day Sako announced he was leaving Baghdad to take up residence in Iraqi Kurdistan. He called the revocation "unprecedented in the history of Iraq".[11] Rashid said his action "does not affect the religious or legal status of patriarch Sako" and said it was based on the fact that Sako's office is not recognized by the Iraqi Constitution; Sako viewed as an extension of the government's ongoing "deliberate and humiliating campaign" against him and its wider failure to protect Iraqi Christians.[33] Rashid had recently rejected requests for comparable decrees from the Patriarchs of the Assyrian Church and the Old Assyrian Church. Others cited complex political manoeuvering.[34]

On 15 July 2023, Sako announced his intention to "retire from the Patriarchal See in Baghdad and move to a church, a mission, in one of the monasteries of Iraqi Kurdistan". His announcement followed a decision by the President of Iraq, Abdul Latif Rashid, to revoke a decree established in 2013 by the former Iraq's President, Jalal Talabani, recognising Sako as Patriarch of the Chaldean Church. The revocation "is unprecedented in Iraq's history," Sako said, highlighting "the government's silence" about the incident and the suffering of the Christian community.[35] For months, Sako had been embroiled in a war of words with a Shia lawmaker and militia leader, Rayan al-Kildani. Both accused each other of exploiting their influence to illegally seize Christian-owned properties. Al-Kildani is the leader of the Babylon Movement, whose militia fought ISIS within the state-linked Popular Mobilisation Forces, a network of largely pro-Iran paramilitaries. Since then, al-Kildani forged strong alliances with powerful Tehran-allied Shiite militias. Sako criticized the Babylon Movement as falsely Christian, noting most of its members and supporters are Shia Muslims using the label for political gain.[36][37] Furthermore, the Babylon Movement, led by al-Kildani, is accused of pillaging homes, unlawful confiscation of land, coercion, extortion, abuse of women, persecution of religious minorities, and torture of detainees. As a result, in 2019, the US imposed sanctions on al-Kildani and another Shiite militia leader, calling them "perpetrators of serious human rights abuse and corruption", and penalizing entities that interact with them.[38]

Cardinal Sako has accused Archbishop Bashar Warda of collaborating and conspiring with Rayan al-Kildani in an effort to subvert his authority and push for his resignation as head of the Chaldean Church. Warda is criticized for supporting al-Kildani despite his horrendous actions, and for not supporting Sako's efforts to counter the Babylon Movement's seizure of Christian assets. This has led to accusations that Warda prioritizes benefits from al-Kildani's support over protecting church interests. Sako has referred to Warda as the "Godfather" of the Babylon Movement.[39][40][41]

On 7 August 2023, Sako told an interviewer that "Withdrawing the decree is very bad. For 15 centuries, there were decrees recognising the Patriarch as head of the Church and administrator of the properties of the Church. Revoking it is a humiliation for the Church. Those behind this move want to put their hands on the properties of the Church and administer them separately from the ecclesiastical authorities. We cannot accept that."[42]

In April 2024, after nine months of exile, Sako returned to Baghdad with the assistance of Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' Al Sudani.[43][44]

On 28 August 2024, Sako demanded a public apology from five bishops based on perceived disunity in the Chaldean Catholic Church, including absence from a mandatory July episcopal synod, setting a deadline of September 5. The five bishops, led by Bashar Warda, the Archbishop of Erbil, also withdrew from an August spiritual retreat and pulled their students from the Chaldean Seminary. The bishops refused to apologize, citing dissatisfaction with Sako's leadership style and unilateral decision-making. As a result, he would suspend them and ask Pope Francis to impose canonical penalties, including excommunication.[45][46] The actions of Bashar Warda and the other bishops have been described by the Chaldean Patriarchate as a "dangerous precedent" that goes against their episcopal vows to support the patriarch. The 17 bishops who attended the July 2024 synod issued a communiqué, calling for "appropriate legal measures" against the "clear violations" committed by the boycotting group of Warda.[47]

The rivalry between Louis Sako and Bashar Warda is driven by a fierce personal conflict, with Sako perceiving Warda as ruthlessly ambitious to seize the patriarchate. This perception has led Sako to backtrack on his initial plans to retire at 75, driven by a determination to thwart Warda's power grab. Warda's actions are seen as a betrayal of Sako's leadership.[48]

Honours

Defensor Fidei Prize, 2008

Pax Christi International Peace Award, 2010

See also

Cardinals created by Francis

Chaldean Catholics

Notes

 Patriarch Sako is the second Chaldean Catholic patriarch to be made cardinal, the first being his predecessor Emmanuel III Delly who was created cardinal-patriarch in 2007.[29][30][31] Cardinal Delly however had already turned 80 at the time he was made cardinal and thus was never a cardinal elector.[31]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_Rapha%C3%ABl_I_Sako

Raphael Gamaliel Warnock[1] (/ˈrɑːfiɛl ˈwɔːrnɒk/ RAH-fee-el WOR-nok; born July 23, 1969) is an American politician and Baptist pastor serving as the junior United States senator from Georgia, a seat he has held since 2021. A member of the Democratic Party, Warnock has been the senior pastor of Atlanta's Ebenezer Baptist Church since 2005.[2][3]

Warnock was the senior pastor of Douglas Memorial Community Church from 2001 to 2005.[4] He came to prominence in Georgia politics as a leading activist in the campaign to expand Medicaid in the state under the Affordable Care Act. He was the Democratic nominee in the 2020 United States Senate special election in Georgia, defeating incumbent Republican Kelly Loeffler in a runoff election.[5]

Warnock and Jon Ossoff are the first Democrats elected to the U.S. Senate from Georgia since Zell Miller in 2000.[6][7] Their elections were critical in securing a 50–50 Senate majority for Democrats, with Vice President Kamala Harris serving as the tie-breaking vote.[8] Warnock was a reliable supporter of Joe Biden's legislative efforts during his presidency.[9][10] He was reelected to a full term in 2022, defeating Republican nominee Herschel Walker.

Warnock is the first African American to represent Georgia in the Senate, the first Black Democrat elected to the Senate from a Southern state, and the second black U.S. Senator directly elected from a Southern state, after Tim Scott.[11][12][13]

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

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

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.[11] 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.[12] A brokered convention occurs when a candidate does not receive a majority of votes on the first round of voting,[13] or when a candidate withdraws.[14]

Election Day in the United States is held on the first Tuesday that falls after the first Monday in November.[15] The 2028 presidential election will occur on November 7, 2028.

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

https://www.facebook.com/4williamdunn/posts/pfbid03w3jaTX28PtwvhRc5AzX1WMRVjnACNbHAaTyMNLHoWYiUX5dbbR6mrT7C715Jyadl

The Hitcher is a 1986 American horror thriller[2][3][4][5] film directed by Robert Harmon and written by Eric Red. It stars Rutger Hauer as the title character, a murderous hitchhiker who stalks a young motorist (C. Thomas Howell) across the highways of West Texas. Jeffrey DeMunn and Jennifer Jason Leigh appear in supporting roles.

Released in the United States on February 21, 1986, the film was originally met with tepid critical and commercial response, grossing $5.8 million on a $7.9 million budget. In later years, it has been reappraised as a cult classic. The film was followed by a 2003 sequel, The Hitcher II: I've Been Waiting, which featured Howell reprising his role, and a 2007 remake.

Plot

Jim Halsey, a young man delivering a car from Chicago to San Diego, spots a man hitchhiking in the West Texas desert and gives him a ride. The hitchhiker, who calls himself John Ryder, forces Jim's leg down on the accelerator when they pass a stranded car. Ryder states he murdered and dismembered the driver and intends to do the same to Jim, threatening him with a switchblade. Terrified, Jim asks what Ryder wants. He replies, "I want you to stop me." When Jim notices that Ryder's seat belt is unbuckled and the passenger door is ajar, he shoves Ryder out of the moving car.

Relieved, Jim continues his journey. When he sees Ryder in the back of a family car, Jim tries to warn the occupants, but has a minor accident. He comes across the family's blood-soaked car and vomits. Ryder corners Jim but simply tosses him the keys from Jim's car. Ryder leaves with a trucker and nearly runs Jim down with the truck, which crashes into the pumps of a gas station. As Jim flees, Ryder causes the station to explode.

At a roadside diner, Jim meets Nash, a waitress who cooks him lunch while he calls the police. He finds a severed finger among his French fries, indicating Ryder's proximity. The police arrive and arrest Jim, whom Ryder is framing for his murders. Though the police doubt his guilt, they lock him up overnight as protocol. Jim wakes to find the cell door unlocked and the officers murdered. He panics and flees with a revolver. At a gas station, he sees two officers, takes them hostage, and forces one of them to drive. Jim speaks on the radio to Captain Esteridge, the officer in charge of the manhunt. As Esteridge convinces Jim to surrender, Ryder pulls alongside and kills the two officers.

The patrol car crashes, and Ryder disappears again. After briefly considering suicide, Jim reaches a cafe, where Ryder confronts him. He points out Jim's revolver is unloaded. Ryder leaves him several bullets and departs. Jim boards a bus, where he meets Nash and explains his situation. After a police car pulls the bus over, Jim surrenders. The furious officers accuse him of killing their colleagues and are about to kill him. Nash appears with Jim's revolver, disarms the officers, and flees with Jim in their patrol car. As the police chase after them, Ryder joins the chase and murders the officers by causing a massive car accident and shooting down a police helicopter.

Jim and Nash abandon the patrol car and hike to a motel. While Jim is in the shower, Ryder abducts Nash. Jim searches for her. Captain Esteridge discovers Jim and enlists him to negotiate with Ryder, who is at the wheel of a large Mack truck. Ryder has gagged and tied Nash between the truck and its trailer hitch, and is threatening to tear her apart. Esteridge tells Jim that his men cannot shoot Ryder because his foot would slip off the clutch, causing the truck to roll. Jim enters the cab with Ryder, who gives him a revolver and tells him to shoot, but Jim is unable to do so. Ryder, disappointed, releases the clutch, killing Nash.

Ryder is taken into custody. Esteridge gives Jim a ride, but Jim, believing the police cannot hold Ryder, takes Esteridge's revolver and vehicle to chase down Ryder's prison bus. Ryder kills the deputies and leaps through Jim's windshield as the bus crashes. Jim slams on his brakes, sending Ryder through the windshield and onto the road. Ryder challenges Jim to run him over, which he does. When Jim leaves his car to look at Ryder's body, Ryder jumps up, but Jim shoots him repeatedly with a shotgun, killing him. Jim leans against Esteridge's car in a daze and smokes a cigarette as the sun sets.

Cast

Rutger Hauer as John Ryder

C. Thomas Howell as Jim Halsey

Jennifer Jason Leigh as Nash

Jeffrey DeMunn as Captain Esteridge

John M. Jackson as Sergeant Starr

Billy Greenbush as Trooper Donner

Jack Thibeau as Trooper Prestone

Armin Shimerman as Interrogation Sergeant

Gene Davis as Trooper Dodge

Jon Van Ness as Trooper Hapscomb

Henry Darrow as Trooper Hancock

Tony Epper as Trooper Conners

Tom Spratley as Proprietor[6]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hitcher_(1986_film)

Roger de Flor (c. 1267 – 30 April 1305), also known as Ruggero/Ruggiero da Fiore or Rutger von Blum or Ruggero Flores, was an Italian military adventurer and condottiere active in Aragonese Sicily, Italy, and the Byzantine Empire. He was the commander of the Great Catalan Company and held the title Count of Malta.

Biography

Roger de Flor was born in Brindisi in the Kingdom of Sicily, the second son of an Italian noblewoman of Brindisi and a German falconer named Richard von Blum (Blume means flower in German) in the service of Emperor Frederick II. Richard von Blum was killed fighting at the Battle of Tagliacozzo in 1268.

At eight years old Roger de Flor was sent to sea in a galley belonging to the Knights Templars. He entered the order[1] and became captain of a galley called "El falcó".[citation needed] After rescuing wealthy survivors during the siege of Acre by the Mamluk Sultan Al-Ashraf Khalil in 1291, he went to Cyprus. Following intrigues and personal disputes he was accused of robbery and denounced by the Pope Boniface VIII as a thief and an apostate. This resulted in his relegation from the order. Roger fled to Genoa, where he borrowed a considerable sum from Ticino Doria, purchased a new vessel, and began a career in piracy.[1]

The struggle between the Aragonese kings of Aragon and the French kings of Naples for the possession of Sicily was in progress at that time and Roger, by then one of the most experienced military commanders of his time, was called to the service of Frederick, King of Sicily, who gave him the rank of vice-admiral. Roger conducted a series of effective naval raids with his fleet of privateers, striking at Angevin, Aragonese, and French shipping. In 1301 a flotilla of supply ships under his command was vital to lifting the second siege of Messina.[2]

When the Peace of Caltabellotta brought the war to an end in 1302, Frederick was unwilling and unable to keep a mercenary army and was anxious to free the island from troops (called "Almogavars"), whom he no longer had the means of paying. Given the political and military situation, Roger found an opportunity to make his services useful in the East fighting the Ottoman Turks, who were ravaging the Byzantine Empire.

Emperor Andronicus II Palaeologus of the Byzantine Empire was facing siege by the Ottoman Turks, an Islamic Beylic approaching the capital of his empire after defeating his armies and ransacking most of his domains. Looking for assistance from the European kingdoms, Andronicus II made Roger an offer of service along with the Almogavar army under his command. In September 1302, Roger with his fleet and army, now known as the Catalan Company, 6,500 strong, arrived at Constantinople.[3] He was adopted into the imperial family, married to the emperor's niece Maria Asenina (daughter of Ivan Asen III of Bulgaria and Irene Palaiologina),[4] and made grand duke (megas doux) and commander-in-chief of the army and the fleet.

Facing strong opposition from the powerful Genoese, some weeks passed lost in dissipation, intrigues, and bloody quarrels against the Genoese who were intent on keeping him out of the circles of power. Roger and his men were sent into Asia, and reportedly beat the Turks back as far as Armenia and Iran.[citation needed] After these successful encounters with the Turks, Roger and his army went into winter quarters at Cyzicus. In May 1304 they again took the field, defeated the Turks at Germe along with Byzantine forces under Hranislav and rendered the important service of relieving Philadelphia, then invested and reduced to extremities by the Turks.[5] Given his position of unchallenged military power, he was accused of serving his own interest instead of those of the emperor because he was determined to create a principality in the East for himself. He sent his treasures to Magnesia, but the people slew his Catalans and seized the treasures. He then laid siege to the town, but his attacks were repulsed, and he was compelled to retire.

Being recalled to Europe, he settled his troops in Gallipoli and other towns, and visited Constantinople to demand pay for the Almogavars. Roger was created Caesar, perhaps in December 1304; other sources indicate that the date was shortly before Roger's death ("in 1305 the title of Caesar, which conferred great ceremonial status, though less real power")[6] and even days before ("Flor being promoted kaisar in April 1305").[7]

In April 1305, he was assassinated in Adrianople by Andronikos' son Michael IX.[8] The Catalan Company later avenged itself, plundering from Macedonia to Thrace in what has been called the "Catalan Vengeance".[a]

He was fluent in Greek.[9]

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

The Kingdom of Jerusalem was created in 1098, when the members of the First Crusade captured Jerusalem and elected Godfrey of Boulogne, or Godefroi de Bouillon, duke of Lower-Lorraine, as king of Jerusalem. The city was itself finally taken back by the Muslims in 1291, although the title continued to be claimed for centuries.

The Corpus Inscriptionum Crucesignatorum is online, listing inscriptions from the Crusader times that have been found in the Middle East.

The Arms

The Arms of the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem are well-known: Argent a cross potent between four crosses or. It is the most well-known violation of the rule of tinctures.

Insignia or the Order of the Holy Sepulchre

Insignia of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre (from Diderot's Encyclopédie. They are A cross potent between four crosslets gules.

Whether these arms were ever used by the kings of Jerusalem is another matter. According to an article by Hervé Pinoteau in the Cahiers d'Héraldique, vol. 4, the earliest representation of the cross potents between crosslets is on the seal of a nephew and ward of John of Brienne, king from 1210 (the seal is from 1227). The arms of Jerusalem also appear on a reliquary called "la cassette de Saint-Louis" which he dates to 1236. (See also an article by Elliot Nesterman on early evidence of the Cross of Jerusalem).

Claimants to the Throne

The arms of Jerusalem pop up in a number of places. The reason for this is the rather tortuous history of the throne and title. The short version is this: three lines stemmed from Queen Isabeau (d. 1206), the eldest of which ruled in absentia until 1268, at which time the two other lines entered in dispute over the succession. From this dispute stems the claims of (1) the kings of Cyprus and (2) the kings of Sicily. The claim to Cyprus (1) became object of dispute in 1474 as the result of an usurpation: the claims of the usurper (1a) passed to Venice, while those of the displaced ruler (1b) passed to Savoy. As for the claims of the kings of Sicily (2), it became part of the dispute in 1434 between the duke of Anjou and the king of Aragon. The claims of the former (2a) passed briefly to the kings of France (1494-1515) and were later resurrected by the dukes of Lorraine in 1700 (whose descendants became emperors of Austria), while the the claims of the latter (2b) passed along with Sicily itself to the kings of Spain (1506-1700), then becoming the object of yet another dispute until returning to a younger son of the king of Spain in 1738; henceforth the title was used both by the kings of Spain and those of the Two Sicilies.

The kingdom of Jerusalem was founded as a consequence of the 1st crusade of 1099. Godefroi de Bouillon died in 1100 and was succeeded by his brother Baudoin I (+ 1118) and a great-nephew Baudoin II (+ 1131), who left an eldest daughter Mélissende. She passed the throne to her husband Foulques d'Anjou (+ 1147), and to her sons Baudoin III (+ 1163) and Amaury or Amalric (+ 1173). Amaury had a son and successor Baudoin IV (d. 1185), and two daughters, Sybille and Isabeau (1169-1206).

Sybille married in 1176 William of Montferrat (+ 1177), by whom she had a posthumous son Baudoin. She was then married in 1180 to Guy de Lusignan (d. 1194), count of Jaffa and Ascalon who was also appointed regent of the kingdom by the invalid Baudoin IV. But Baudoin IV then changed his mind, took away the regency, and abdicated in 1182 in favor of Sybille's son Baudoin V. This child died in 1186, soon after his uncle, and Sybille became queen of Jerusalem, and was crowned with her husband Guy de Lusignan. However, a rival in the person of Conrad of Montferrat, brother of Sybille's first husband, rose up. In the end an agreement was reached: Guy would retain the title for his life, Conrad would marry Sybille's sister Isabeau and succeed as well as his posterity. By that time, the city itself had actually been lost. Sybille had died in 1190, Conrad was murdered in 1192, leaving only a daughter Marie (1191-1212), and Guy renounced his claim in 1192 and bought the island of Cyprus from Richard Lionheart who had just conquered it from the Byzantine empire.

This left only Isabeau as the heir, and she became queen in 1192. All subsequent claims to the throne of Jerusalem stem from her. She married the same year Henri de Champagne (1166-97), who became king with her and died in 1197, leaving two daughters Alix and Philippa. Queen Isabeau next married Amaury de Lusignan (1145-1205), elder brother of Guy and his successor as king of Cyprus, by whom she had Sybille (married to Leo II of Armenia) and Mélissande. Isabeau died in 1205 and was succeeded by her eldest daughter Marie (1191-1212), married to Jean de Brienne (d. 1237) in 1209. Their only daughter Isabeau (1211-28) was married to the Emperor Frederic II who forced his parents-in-law to turn over the throne to him in 1225. Frederic was succeeded as Emperor and king of Jerusalem by his only child of that marriage, Conrad (1228-54), himself succeeded by his only child Conradin of Hohenstaufen 1252-68), who lost his throne of Naples and his life to Charles of Anjou. With him the issue of queen Isabeau's first daughter died out.

The Hohenstaufens were ruling in absentia, and their rule was not liked. The local barons managed to induce various people to claim the regency. Alix de Brienne, second daughter of queen Isabeau, had married Hughes de Lusignan (d. 1218), son of Amaury by a previous wife, and king of Cyprus. Alix died in 1246 and her son Henri (1218-53) succeeded her as regent of Jerusalem. At his death, his son grandson Hugues II (1252-67) was a minor and the widow Plaisance (d. 1261) was regent of both Cyprus and Jerusalem. At her death, a new regent was required; the late king Henri had two sisters Marie (d. 1252) married to Gauthier de Brienne, and Isabelle (d. 1264), married to Henri de Poitiers. The elder one's son, Hugues de Brienne, was passed over in favor of the younger one's son Hugues d'Antioche as regent of Cyprus, while Isabelle herself was accepted as regent for Jerusalem. On her death in 1267, Hugues de Brienne's attempt to claim his rights was rebuffed and the throne of Cyprus, along with the regency of Jerusalem, passed to Hugues d'Antioche, whose descendants assumed the name of Lusignan and reigned over Cyprus.

At the death of Conradin, the issue of Queen Isabeau's eldest daughter became extinct. Hugues III of Cyprus, descended from her second daughter and already regent, now claimed the throne. But another claim emerged through the third daughter of Queen Isabeau, Mélissende, who married Bohémond IV of Antioch (uncle of Hugues III) and whose only daughter Marie of Antioch claimed the throne as being closer in kinship to Isabeau. She was unsuccessful and Hugues III was crowned king of Jerusalem in 1269. She went to Rome to plead her case with the Pope, and was eventually induced to cede her rights in 1277 to Charles of Anjou, whom the pope had established as king of Naples and Sicily (the same who had defeated Conradin in 1268). Henceforth there were two lines of claimants, the kings of Cyprus and the kings of Naples.

The kings of Cyprus continued to be crowned kings of Jerusalem, although from 1277 to 1282 the remnants of the kingdom (Acre) were actually under Charles d'Anjou's control, and the kings of Cyprus only gradually restored their authority. But soon after, with the fall of Acre in 1291, there was nothing left of the kingdom of Jerusalem. In 1458 Jean III, last male of the line, died without male heirs. His only sister Anne had (d. 1462) married Louis I de Savoie. His only daughter Charlotte (d. 1487) was recognized as queen of Cyprus, Armenia and Jerusalem, and married to her first cousin Louis de Savoie. But she was dethroned in 1460 by a bastard son of her father, namely Jacques II (d. 1473), and fled to Italy. Ultimately, in 1485, she ceded her rights to her husband's nephew Charles I, duke of Savoie, and his successors; at that point the dukes of Savoie (later kings of Sardinia and kings of Italy) added the title of king of Jerusalem, Cyprus and Armenia to their titles and the arms to their achievement. The kings of Italy used the title until 1946.

Jacques II died in 1473, leaving a widow Caterina Cornero (1454-1510), from the Venitian aristocracy. His posthumous son Jacques III soon died. The city of Venice turned Cyprus into a protectorate, and, in 1489, forced Caterina Cornero to return to Venice and cede her rights to the Republic. From then on, the Republic of Venice also added the title and arms of Jerusalem, Cyprus and Armenia to its own, until 1797 when the Republic was abolished and its territories handed over to Austria by the Treaty of Campo-Formio. Cyprus was under Venetian control until 1571 when it was conquered by the Turks. Venice became part of the kingdom of Italy in 1866.

Meanwhile, the kings of Sicily also claimed the title of king of Jerusalem. In 1282, Charles d'Anjou lost Sicily and his descendants reigned in Naples only (albeit under the title of kings of Sicily) while Sicily itself was ruled by branches of the house of Aragon. When the descendants of Charles d'Anjou became extinct in 1434, the two claimants were René d'Anjou and Alfonso, king of Aragon and Sicily, and the latter won, at which point his successors the kings of both Sicilies added the claim of Jerusalem to their own. René's claim was resurrected by his grand-nephew king Charles VIII of France in 1494, who managed to conquer and briefly hold Naples, and who used the title of Jerusalem, as did his successor Louis XII (but no other French king did so). In 1506 the Two Sicilies was finally regained by king Ferdinand of Aragon, and henceforth possessed, along with the claim to Jerusalem, by the kings of Spain, descendants of Fernando's daughter Juana and her husband Philip of Habsburg, until their extinction in male line in 1700.

As a result of the war of Spanish Succession (1701-13), Naples and Sicily were ceded by Spain to the Habsburg emperor Charles VI in 1720, and the pope duly invested the emperor with the titles of king of Sicily and Jerusalem on June 5, 1722 (the kingdom being a papal fief). In the course of the war of Polish Succession (1733-38), the younger son of the king of Spain, Don Carlos, managed to conquer the Two Sicilies, a conquest recognized by the peace of Vienna of 1738, and by the pope in the same year. Carlos became king of Spain in 1759 and left Naples and Sicily to his younger son Ferdinand, whose descendants reigned until 1860. The kings of Spain continued to use the title of Jerusalem until 1931, as did the kings of Two-Sicilies.

On the other hand, René's daughter Yolande married Ferry de Vaudémont, one of whose sons became duke of Lorraine. The modern house of Lorraine took up the claim to Jerusalem in 1700 (although it wasn't the best claimant from a genealogical point of view, as pointed out by W. A. Reitwiesner) when duke Leopold returned to his duchy after 28 years of French occupation, and adopted a closed royal crown and the style of king of Jerusalem. His son François, duke of Lorraine, married the Empress Maria-Theresa, and their descendants as rulers of Austria inherited the claim. The arms of Jerusalem could be seen in the grand arms of State of the Austrian Empire in the 19th century and the title was used until 1918.

Other Crusader States

There is very little evidence on the arms of the Crusader states. The traditional arms of the kingdom of Jerusalem are not known before the 1230s, when the city had already been lost. Numismatic evidence is scant, epigraphic evidence even more so (there are very little heraldic traces of the Crusaders in the Middle East, outside Cyprus; see an interesting exception).

Numismatic evidence

The best work is Gustave Schlumberger's Numismatique de l'Orient Latin (Paris, 1878; reprint Graz 1954). In a coin auction catalogue I recently received, coins from Tripoli feature:

Obverse: horse with cross above, Reverse: a cross between four roundels (bronze, Raymond II 1137-52)

Obv: cross patty, Rev: eight-point star (Bohemond VI, 1251-75, silver gros)

Obv: cross slightly patty, Rev: three-towered castle (Bohemond VII, 1275-87, silver gros)

I believe the 8-pt star was a recurrent motif on Tripoli coins.

Coins of Antioch feature:

Raymond Roupen (1216-19): helmeted head between crescent and 5-pt star, Rev: cross patty with crescent in one quarter. (coins from early 12th c. have a bust of St Peter and inscriptions, or the Mother of God facing nimbate).

Interestingly, coins from Cyprus (1306-1473) constantly feature on the reverse a cross potent between four crosses, never crosslets but sometimes patty or formy. But what is peculiar is that the main cross is "quadrat in the centre", that is, its center is thickened by a square. This is, according to Parker's Glossary, called a cross of S. Chad, because it features in the arms of the see of Lichfield and Coventry, of which S. Chad was the first bishop. The quadrating on the Cyprus coins is much less pronounced than in the drawing in Parker, but this is nevertheless quite intriguing.

Other evidence

monuments (carved arms, epitaphs, etc): two or three epitaphs with arms are known; some graffiti carved on marble columns of the church of the Nativity in Bethleem were made by 14th-15th c. pilgrims. That's all that survived. One notable exception: the tomb of Philippe d'Aubigni in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, Jerusalem.

Monuments in the West: Marguerite, daughter of Louis d'Acre, vicomte de Beaumont, himself son of Jean de Brienne, king of Jerusalem, was married to Bohemond VII, count of Tripoli (d. 1287) and eldest son of Bohemond VI, last prince of Antioch. She died in France in 1328, and her tomb in the abbey of Maubuisson was described as "parsemée de croix de Jérusalem dans des losanges de gueules, et de lions rampants dans des losanges de sable fleurdelisés" in Du Cange's Familles d'Outremer (Paris, 1869, p. 486). The tomb was destroyed in 1793 (reference to Dulaure, Environs de Paris, vol. 2, p. 331, n. 2, which I have not checked).

objects: a handful survive, mainly from Cyprus.

seals: Gustave Schlumberger's Sigillographie de l'Orient Latin (Paris, 1943) is probably quite comprehensive, and there is little heraldry to glean from it. Lots of seals of the kings of Jerusalem, princes of Antioch, counts of Tripoli are known, but they bear no arms. See for example the seals of Baudoin II (1118-31), Amalric (1162-75), Jean de Brienne (1212-37). In Antioch, Raymond of Poitiers (1136-49) is shown riding a horse and bearing a cross on his shield and banner, but that's it. Among lesser barons, the Ibelin family, lords of Arsur and Beyrut apparently had "Or a cross patty gules". The device certainly appears on their shields and banners as shown on their seals. Aside from that, there are arms here and there: Hugues de Giblet (Biblos) has a 8-pointed star, the Porcellet family has a boar passant, the lordship of Loron or Thoron was a lion rampant.

There is more armory from Cyprus and Constantinople; but then, those arms are well known. The Courtenay arms appear on Philippe de Courtenay's seal (d. 1283). Interestingly, the earlier emperors of Constantinople, Baudoin of Flanders (d. 1205), Henri I (d. 1216), Baudoin II (d. 1261) all use the lion of Flanders, although one contemporary cronicler describes Henri riding in battle with a coat-armour gules semy of crosses or. Villehardouin, princes of Achaia, use the family arms of a cross recercelee; later, Louis a cadet of Burgundy who claimed Achaia added a quarter of Villehardouin to his arms of Burgundy ancient (14th c.). Achaia was also claimed by a junior branch of Savoy, who differenced with a bend.

https://www.heraldica.org/topics/national/jerusale.htm

Fred McFeely Rogers (March 20, 1928 – February 27, 2003), better known as Mister Rogers, was an American television personality, Presbyterian minister, and author. He was the creator, showrunner, and host of the preschool television series Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, which ran from 1968 to 2001.

Born in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, Rogers earned a bachelor's degree in music from Rollins College in 1951. He began his television career at NBC in New York City, returning to Pittsburgh in 1953 to work for children's programming at NET (later PBS) television station WQED. He graduated from Pittsburgh Theological Seminary with a bachelor's degree in divinity in 1962 and became a Presbyterian minister in 1963. He attended the University of Pittsburgh's Graduate School of Child Development, where he began his thirty-year collaboration with child psychologist Margaret McFarland. He also helped develop the children's shows The Children's Corner (1955) for WQED in Pittsburgh and Misterogers (1963) in Canada for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. In 1968, he returned to Pittsburgh and adapted the format of his Canadian series to create Mister Rogers' Neighborhood. It ran for 33 years and was critically acclaimed for focusing on children's emotional and physical concerns, such as death, sibling rivalry, school enrollment, and divorce.

Rogers died of stomach cancer in 2003, aged 74. His work in children's television has been widely lauded, and he received more than forty honorary degrees and several awards, including a Lifetime Achievement Emmy in 1997 and the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2002. He was inducted into the Television Hall of Fame in 1999. Rogers influenced many writers and producers of children's television shows, and his broadcasts provided comfort during tragic events, even after his death.

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

1THE FIRST AND GENERAL EXAMEN WHICH

SHOULD BE PROPOSED [A]

TO ALL WHO ASK FOR ADMISSION INTO

THE SOCIETY OF JESUS

CHAPTER 1

2THE INSTITUTE OF THE SOCIETY OF JESUS

AND THE DIVERSITY OF ITS MEMBERS

[1] 3This least congregation, which at its earliest foundation was named

the Society of Jesus by the Holy See, 4was first approved by Pope Paul III,

of HAPPY memory, in the year 1540. Later it was confirmed by the same

Holy Father in 1543 and by his successor Julius III in 1550. 5On other occa- sions too it is mentioned in different briefs and apostolic letters granting

it various favors, after highly approving and confirming it. [2] A. 1This Examen is usually proposed to all[1] after they enter the house of

the first probation. 2Nevertheless, if in a particular case discretion should suggest

that another and more summary examen be proposed, or that the present text be

handed out to be read without asking for replies about its contents, or if the

knowledge possessed about some candidate is already suf icient, it would not be

The Examen is a document of an informative character, offering information

on the Society to its candidates. Hence, most of what is contained in the Examen

is later proposed as norms in the Constitutions, but is recorded here merely as

information. But it does contain some points that are truly normative and are not

found later in the Constitutions. Therefore, by decree of General Congregation 34 notes are added to the

Examen that for the most part simply refer to the corresponding place in the

Constitutions or the Complementary Norms, and as such these editorial notes

are not approved by the general congregation. But there are other notes, fewer in

number, added to normative points, that are not repeated in the Constitutions;

these have been expressly approved by General Congregation 34 and as such are

added here. As is the case elsewhere in this book, these points are distinguished by

boldface t ype. But what is proposed in the Constitutions as abolished is here

enclosed in braces ({}) in the text of the Examen. (ED.)

[1](See CN 26, 31.)

23

24 General Examen

necessary to examine him by means of this present text. 3The examiner, however, ought to discuss this with the superior and follow his opinion. 4

In most instances,

it is before the candidates enter the house that they will be examined about cer-

tain essential matters, especially those which bar admission. [3] 2. 1The end of this Society is to devote itself with God s grace not only

to the salvation and perfection of the members own souls, 2

but also with

that same grace to labor strenuously in giving aid toward the salvation

and perfection of the souls of their neighbors. [4] 3. 1To achieve this end more effectively, the three vows of obedience, poverty, and chastity are taken in the Society. 2Poverty is understood to

mean that the Society neither wishes nor is able to possess any fixed rev- enues for its living expenses

[2] or for any other purpose.[3] This holds

true not only for the individual members but also for the churches or

houses of the professed Society.[4] 3Neither may the members accept any

stipend or alms for Masses, sermons, lectures, the administration of any

of the sacraments, or for any other pious function among those which the

Society may exercise in accordance with its institute (even though such

acceptance would be permissible for others). 4Such stipends or alms are

customarily given in recompense for the ministries mentioned; but5

the

Society s members may not accept them from anyone other than God our

Lord; and it is purely for his service that they ought to do all things.[5]

[5] 4. 1Furthermore, although the Society owns colleges and houses of

probation [B] which have fixed revenues for the living expenses of the

scholastics before they enter into the professed Society or its houses, 2

nev- ertheless, in conformity with the bull which is explained in the

Constitutions, these revenues may not be used for another purpose. Neither the houses of the professed nor anyone of the professed or their

coadjutors may use these revenues for themselves.[6]

[6] B. 1These houses of probation are like branches of the colleges where those

who will later be placed in the colleges are received and tested for a time. [2] (See note 10 to [555].)

[3] (See CN 199, for apostolic institutes; 204, for the Society; 205, for provinces and regions.)

[4] (See note 9 to [555].)

[5] (See note 17 to [565].)

[6] (See CN 197; 205, 1°.)

Paragraphs [3-12] 25

[7] 5. 1

In addition to the three vows mentioned, the professed Society

also makes an explicit vow to the present or future sovereign pontiff as

the vicar of Christ our Lord. This is a vow to go anywhere His Holiness

will order, whether among the faithful or the infidels, 2without pleading

an excuse and without requesting any expenses for the journey, for the

sake of matters pertaining to the worship of God and the good of the

Christian religion. [8] 6. 1

In other respects, for sound reasons and with attention always

paid to the greater service of God, in regard to what is exterior the man- ner of living is ordinary. It does not have any regular penances or auster-

ities which are to be practiced through obligation. 2But those may be taken

up which each one, with the superior s approval, thinks likely to be more

helpful for his spiritual progress, as well as those which the superiors

have authority to impose upon the members for the same purpose. [9] C. 1This decision will be left within the superior s power; and he may dele- gate his authority to the confessor or other persons when he thinks this expedient.

[10] 7. 1The persons who are received into this Society of Jesus, consid- ered as a whole, are of four classes [D][7] in view of the end which the

Society pursues. But on the side of those who enter, all ought to be mem- bers of the FOURTH class which will be described below. [11] D. 1

In addition to these four classes of members, some are accept ed for

solemn profession of three vows, in conformit y with the bull of Julius

III.[8]

[12] 8. 1First, some are received to make the profession in the Society with

four solemn vows (as has been stated), after they have undergone the

required experiences and probations.[9] 2These members should possess

sufficient learning, as is explained later on in the Constitutions [518, 519],

and they should be tested at length in their life and habits, in conformity

with what such a vocation requires. 3Also, all of them must be priests

before their profession. [7] (See CN 6.)

[8] (See note 17 to [520]; CN 6, §1, 3°.)

[9] (No one is now admitted to make profession immediately after he has undergone the probations of the novitiate: see CN 6, §2; 119.)

26 General Examen

(13] 9. 1The second class consists of those who are received to become

coadjutors[10] in the service of God and to aid the Society in either spiritu- al or temporal matters. 2After their experiments and probations these are

to take three simple vows of obedience, poverty, and chastity, without tak-

ing the fourth vow of obedience to the pope or any other solemn vow. 3They should be content with their grade, knowing that in the eyes of our

Creator and Lord those gain greater merit who with greater charity give

help and service to all persons through love of his Divine Majesty, whether they serve in matters of greater moment or in others more lowly

and humble. [14] 10. 1The third class consists of those who are received to become

scholastics,[11] since they seem to have the ability and other qualifications

suitable for studies. They are received so that after being educated they

may be able to enter the Society either as professed or as coadjutors, as

will be judged expedient. 2To become approved as scholastics of the

Society, these too must undergo their experiments and probations and

then pronounce the same three simple vows of poverty, chastity, and obe- dience, 3

along with a promise that they will enter the Society[12] in one of

the two manners just mentioned (as will be seen later in the Constitutions

[537-41]), for the greater glory of God. [15] 11. 1The fourth class consists of those who are received indeter- minately for whatever they will in time be found fit.[13] The Society does

not yet determine for which of the aforementioned grades their talent is

best suited. 2They in turn should enter as still indifferent with respect to

whichever of the previously mentioned grades the superior will think

best. In fact all, as far as they themselves are concerned, ought to enter

with a disposition of this kind, as has been said. [16] 12. 1Furthermore, before anyone is admitted to profession or is

required according to our institute to take the previously mentioned sim- ple vows of a coadjutor or of a scholastic, he will have two complete

years of probation [E].[14] 2Further still, to be ad mitted to eith er of th e

[10] (No one is now admitted to take the vows of formed coadjutors immedi- ately after he has undergone the probations of the novitiate: see CN 6, §2, 119.)

[11] (Approved brothers are considered in the same way as approved scholas-

tics: see CN 6, §1, 2°.)

[12] (See note 28 to [541]; CN 131, §2.)

[13] (See CN 6, §1, 1°.)

[14] (Moreover one who is to take final vows must have spent at least ten com- plete years in the Society: see CN 119.)

Paragraphs [13-19] 27

first two grades, the professed or the formed coadjutors, the scholastics

will have an additional year after the completion of their studies.[15] This

time may be prolonged when the superior thinks it advisable. [17] E. 1Although they have an appointed period of two years, those who desire

to take their vows before the two years expire are not deprived of the freedom, devotion, spiritual profit, and merit which are found in binding oneself to Christ

our Lord. However, it is good that they not take these vows without the superi- or s permission. 2Nor will they through taking them be admitted before the ordi- nary time either as professed, or as formed coadjutors, or as approved scholastics.

[18] 13. 1During this two-year period (in which no special habit of the

Society is received [F]), and before the time when they ought to bind

themselves by vows in the Society, 2

each one ought on several occasions

to see and ponder the bulls of the Institute of the Society, and the

Constitutions and rules which he must observe in it [G]. 3The first time is

when he is in the house of the first probation,[16] where those desiring to

enter the Society are customarily received as guests for twelve or fifteen

days so that they may reflect more carefully upon their whole situation, before they enter a house or college of the Society to live and associate

with the others [H]. 4The second time is upon completing their six months

of experiments and probations. 5The third is after another six months, {and similarly afterwards until the one who is to become a professed at

the end of his studies makes his profession, and the one who is to

become a coadjutor takes his three vows},[17] and the one who is to be an

approved scholastic pronounces his three vows with his promise. 6This is

done so that both sides may proceed with greater clarity and knowledge

in our Lord, and also that the more the subjects constancy has been test- ed, the more stable and firm they may be in the divine service and in their

original vocation, for the glory and honor of his Divine Majesty. [19] F. 1Although there is no specified habit, it will be left to the discretion of the

one in charge of the house to decide whether he will allow the novices to go about

in the same clothes which they brought from the world or have them wear others; 2

or again, when the garments become worn, whether he will give to the novices

others more suitable for their own needs and for their service of the house. [15] (See note 8 to [514].)

[16] (See CN 31.)

[17] Abolished by CC 34, as regards the reading of the bulls; this obligation

now applies only to the time of novitiate and of tertianship.

28 General Examen

[20] G. 1

It will not be necessary for the novices to see all of the Constitutions, but

only an extract showing what they need to observe, 2

unless for special reasons the

superior may think that some person should be shown all of them. [21] H. The phrase to live and associate with the others is used because at the

first entrance the candidates are kept apart from the rest for twelve or fifteen days,

or even as long as twenty, in the house of the first probation, as will be seen in

Part I of the Constitutions.

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

In 1129 the Master, accompanied by three hundred knights, recruited from the noblest houses of Europe, led a huge train

of pilgrims to the Holy Land. It was at this time that the Templars formed part of the Christian contingent which, allied with

the Assassins, tried to take Damascus. [And it wasn't the first time nor the last that the Christian Knights Templar, or

supposedly Christian Knights Templar (they really weren't Christian at all) were allied with the Assassins.] Were they (as the

Orientalist von Hammer alleges)109

 

 connected in some secret way with the Assassins? [Yes, our research shows that it is a

historical fact. And it is also a historical fact that the Assassins were prepared to adopt Christianity if they could gain greater

power thereby (Christianity, that is, on the surface, just as the Knights Templar had done)]. Hammer points to the similarities

of the two organizations. The followers of Hasan Ibn Sabah were in contact with the Templars, and had a similar method of

organization. They were in existence before the Templars were formed: “The Ismailians ([or] Assassins) was the original, and

[folks] the Order of the Templars, [was] the copy.”

The Templars and the Assassins (aired March 2nd, 1993)

https://viefag.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/transcripts-of-william-cooper-s-mystery-babylon-series.pdf

1236

June 29 – Siege of Córdoba: Castilian forces under King Ferdinand III (the Saint) capture Muslim Córdoba from Emir Ibn Hud, as part of the Reconquista of the Iberian Peninsula.[2]

July – At a diet (princely convention) in Piacenza, Emperor Frederick II proclaims his wish to recover all Italy for the Holy Roman Empire.[3]

Pope Gregory IX condemned the links that both the Knights Templer and Knights Hospitaller have with the Assassin fighters in the Middle East. He issues a bull, a formal proclamation issued by the pope, preventing further contact with the Assassins.

May 6 – Roger of Wendover, English Benedictine monk and chronicler, dies at St. Albans Abbey. His chronicle is continued by Matthew of Paris.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1236

Atheism: resisting it with all our forces is a special mission given to the Society by the supreme pontiff, 253 2°; a mission which should permeate all forms of our apostolate, 254; our efforts are to be directed toward nonbelievers, ibid.; toward that end, an experience of God must be fostered in ourselves, 223 §§3-4, 224, 247

1° 2° 3° 6°;

and also in others, by means of the Spiritual Exercises, 271

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

Al-Andalus[a] (Arabic: الأَنْدَلُس) was the Muslim-ruled area of the Iberian Peninsula. The term is used by modern historians for the former Islamic states in modern Spain, Portugal[1] and France. The name describes the different Muslim[2][3] states that controlled these territories at various times between 711 and 1492. At its greatest geographical extent, it occupied most of the peninsula[4][5][6] and part of present-day southern France (Septimania) under Umayyad rule. These boundaries changed constantly through a series of conquests Western historiography has traditionally characterized as the Reconquista,[2][3][7][8][9] eventually shrinking to the south and finally to the Emirate of Granada.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al-Andalus

CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION AND HISTORICAL BACKGROUND

The alumbrados of Castile were a movement that caused much trouble during the first three decades of the sixteenth century. Their ideas were represented by the “Big Three” beatas who, under noble patronage, for at least a decade previous to the arrest in 1524 of the “mother” of the movement (Isabel de la Cruz) had successfully proselytized and spread their ideas throughout Old and New Castile.1

The alumbrados certainly were a charismatic bunch; they enjoyed success with the elites of Castilian society, comuneros, but above all with women and conversos. As a religious movement led by women the alumbrados were part of a growing trend of individual, charismatic female piety. By the time of Cardinal Cisneros’s death in 1517, however, the era of the alumbrados and their grassroots converso spirituality was nearing its end. While the actual heyday of their movement was short-lived the alumbrados made a huge impact upon the minds Prospering in the environment of Catholic spiritual exploration fostered by the personal theological interests of the Archbishop of Toledo Cardinal Ximenez de Cisneros the alumbrados presented an interiorized approach to Christianity. Equipped with the meditational practice of dejamiento the alumbrados stressed the importance of an individual, pseudo-mystical “abandonment” to God and His will. They also emphasized the insignificance of external rituals and works, calling them ataduras or “shackles” to the material world, ties that only served to hinder one’s abandonment to God.

of the Inquisitors who prosecuted them and upon the Spanish religious imagination, an impact that would last across seas and time."

EL SABOR DE HEREJIA: THE EDICT OF 1525, THE ALUMBRADOS

AND THE INQUISITORS’ USAGE OF LOCURA

By

JAVIER A. MONTOYA

http://etd.fcla.edu/UF/UFE0041385/montoya_j.pdf

Alumbrado, (Spanish: “Enlightened”, ) Italian Illuminato, plural Illuminati, a follower of a mystical movement in Spain during the 16th and 17th centuries. Its adherents claimed that the human soul, having attained a certain degree of perfection, was permitted a vision of the divine and entered into direct communication with the Holy Spirit. From this state the soul could neither advance nor retrogress. Consequently, participation in the liturgy, good works, and observance of the exterior forms of religious life were unnecessary for those who had received the “light.” The Alumbrados came primarily from among the reformed Franciscans and the Jesuits, but their doctrines seem to have influenced all classes of people. The extravagant claims made for their visions and revelations caused them to be relentlessly persecuted. The Inquisition issued edicts against them on three occasions (1568, 1574, and 1623)."

https://www.britannica.com/event/Alumbrado

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Pali Buddha (“the Awakened One, the Enlightened One”), from buddha (“awakened, enlightened”), from Sanskrit बुद्ध (buddha, “awakened, enlightened”), past participle of बोधति (bodhati, “to wake, to awaken”). Distantly related to English bid and bede. Also cognate with Russian будить (buditʹ, “to wake up”)."

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

Gautama

surname of the Buddha, from Sanskrit Gotamah, properly a patronymic, literally "descendant of the greatest ox," from superlative of gauh "ox, bull, cow."

https://www.etymonline.com/word/buddha

Unam Sanctam

One God, One Faith, One Spiritual Authority

Pope Boniface VIII - 1302

Bull of Pope Boniface VIII promulgated November 18, 1302

Urged by faith, we are obliged to believe and to maintain that the Church is one, holy, catholic, and also apostolic. We believe in her firmly and we confess with simplicity that outside of her there is neither salvation nor the remission of sins, as the Spouse in the Canticles [Sgs 6:8] proclaims: ‘One is my dove, my perfect one. She is the only one, the chosen of her who bore her,‘ and she represents one sole mystical body whose Head is Christ and the head of Christ is God [1 Cor 11:3]. In her then is one Lord, one faith, one baptism [Eph 4:5]. There had been at the time of the deluge only one ark of Noah, prefiguring the one Church, which ark, having been finished to a single cubit, had only one pilot and guide, i.e., Noah, and we read that, outside of this ark, all that subsisted on the earth was destroyed.

We venerate this Church as one, the Lord having said by the mouth of the prophet: ‘Deliver, O God, my soul from the sword and my only one from the hand of the dog.’ [Ps 21:20] He has prayed for his soul, that is for himself, heart and body; and this body, that is to say, the Church, He has called one because of the unity of the Spouse, of the faith, of the sacraments, and of the charity of the Church. This is the tunic of the Lord, the seamless tunic, which was not rent but which was cast by lot [Jn 19:23- 24]. Therefore, of the one and only Church there is one body and one head, not two heads like a monster; that is, Christ and the Vicar of Christ, Peter and the successor of Peter, since the Lord speaking to Peter Himself said: ‘Feed my sheep‘ [Jn 21:17], meaning, my sheep in general, not these, nor those in particular, whence we understand that He entrusted all to him [Peter]. Therefore, if the Greeks or others should say that they are not confided to Peter and to his successors, they must confess not being the sheep of Christ, since Our Lord says in John ‘there is one sheepfold and one shepherd.’ We are informed by the texts of the gospels that in this Church and in its power are two swords; namely, the spiritual and the temporal. For when the Apostles say: ‘Behold, here are two swords‘ [Lk 22:38] that is to say, in the Church, since the Apostles were speaking, the Lord did not reply that there were too many, but sufficient. Certainly the one who denies that the temporal sword is in the power of Peter has not listened well to the word of the Lord commanding: ‘Put up thy sword into thy scabbard‘ [Mt 26:52]. Therefore, both are in the power of the Church, namely, the spiritual sword and the material. But indeed, the latter is to be exercised on behalf of the Church; and truly, the former is to be exercised by the Church. The former is of the priest; the latter is by the hand of kings and soldiers, but at the will and sufferance of the priest.

However, one sword ought to be subordinated to the other and temporal authority, subjected to spiritual power. For since the Apostle said: ‘There is no power except from God and the things that are, are ordained of God‘ [Rom 13:1-2], but they would not be ordained if one sword were not subordinated to the other and if the inferior one, as it were, were not led upwards by the other.

For, according to the Blessed Dionysius, it is a law of the divinity that the lowest things reach the highest place by intermediaries. Then, according to the order of the universe, all things are not led back to order equally and immediately, but the lowest by the intermediary, and the inferior by the superior. Hence we must recognize the more clearly that spiritual power surpasses in dignity and in nobility any temporal power whatever, as spiritual things surpass the temporal. This we see very clearly also by the payment, benediction, and consecration of the tithes, but the acceptance of power itself and by the government even of things. For with truth as our witness, it belongs to spiritual power to establish the terrestrial power and to pass judgement if it has not been good. Thus is accomplished the prophecy of Jeremias concerning the Church and the ecclesiastical power: ‘Behold to-day I have placed you over nations, and over kingdoms‘ and the rest. Therefore, if the terrestrial power err, it will be judged by the spiritual power; but if a minor spiritual power err, it will be judged by a superior spiritual power; but if the highest power of all err, it can be judged only by God, and not by man, according to the testimony of the Apostle: ‘The spiritual man judgeth of all things and he himself is judged by no man‘ [1 Cor 2:15]. This authority, however, (though it has been given to man and is exercised by man), is not human but rather divine, granted to Peter by a divine word and reaffirmed to him (Peter) and his successors by the One Whom Peter confessed, the Lord saying to Peter himself, ‘Whatsoever you shall bind on earth, shall be bound also in Heaven‘ etc., [Mt 16:19]. Therefore whoever resists this power thus ordained by God, resists the ordinance of God [Rom 13:2], unless he invent like Manicheus two beginnings, which is false and judged by us heretical, since according to the testimony of Moses, it is not in the beginnings but in the beginning that God created heaven and earth [Gen 1:1]. Furthermore, we declare, we proclaim, we define that it is absolutely necessary for salvation that every human creature be subject to the Roman Pontiff.

https://www.papalencyclicals.net/bon08/b8unam.htm

Chinon Parchment

Main article: Chinon Parchment

In September 2001, Barbara Frale found a copy of the Chinon Parchment in the Vatican Secret Archives, a document which explicitly confirms that in 1308 Pope Clement V absolved Jacques de Molay and other leaders of the Order including Geoffroi de Charney and Hugues de Pairaud. She published her findings in the Journal of Medieval History in 2004.[26] Another Chinon parchment dated 20 August 1308 addressed to Philip IV of France, well known to historians,[27][28][29] stated that absolution had been granted to all those Templars that had confessed to heresy "and restored them to the Sacraments and to the unity of the Church".[30][31]

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

Jeffrey S. Burwell, SJ, Named Next Provincial of the Jesuits of Canada

March 15, 2024 — The Society of Jesus (the Jesuits) announced the appointment of Fr. Jeffrey S. Burwell, SJ, as the next provincial of the Jesuits of Canada. This appointment is the culmination of a thoughtful, prayerful process of consultation and discernment, marking a significant milestone for the Canadian Province.

Fr. Jeffrey Burwell, SJ

Fr. Burwell will succeed Fr. Erik Oland, SJ, assuming his new responsibilities on July 31, 2024, with an inaugural Mass at Our Lady of Lourdes Parish in Toronto. A special celebration will also take place at the Jesuit infirmary in Richelieu, Quebec, on the Feast of the Assumption, August 15, 2024.

Fr. Burwell, 48, is an educational specialist whose doctoral research took him to the Holy Land, where he focused on Catholic schools in East Jerusalem and the West Bank. A lecturer in Catholic studies, first St. Paul’s College at the University of Manitoba and now Campion College at the University of Regina, he balances university work with pastoral service as a chaplain to police (RCMP) and to prisoners. He dedicates his university holidays to ministering in the Dene and Cree Indigenous communities of Saskatchewan and Manitoba.

Holding positions as a local superior since 2017 and a province consultor since 2021, Fr. Burwell brings a profound understanding of the Jesuit mission and a significant appreciation for Canada and Haiti’s diverse cultures.

This leadership change comes at a time when the Society of Jesus seeks to deepen its engagement with contemporary challenges, oriented by their Universal Apostolic Preferences: showing the way to God through the Spiritual Exercises and discernment; walking with the excluded; journeying with youth; and caring for our common home.

A Jesuit provincial leads a specific geographic region. This role is deeply spiritual, with responsibilities that extend beyond administrative tasks to include guiding the province’s mission and providing spiritual and pastoral care for its members. Provincials generally serve a six-year term.

There are five provinces within the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States. The Canadian Province of the Society of Jesus encompasses a wide range of works, including colleges/universities, secondary and pre-secondary schools, parishes, retreat houses, formation in spirituality, Indigenous ministries, social justice center and ecological endeavors.

The Jesuits of Canada, together with their partners, look forward to supporting Fr. Burwell in his new role as they continue to serve the mission of the Church and society in Canada and beyond.

https://www.jesuits.org/stories/jeffrey-s-burwell-sj-named-next-provincial-of-the-jesuits-of-canada/

Louis Raphaël I Sako (Arabic: لويس روفائيل ساكو;[1] born 4 July 1948) is a Chaldean Catholic prelate who has served as Patriarch of Baghdad since 1 February 2013. Pope Francis made him a cardinal on 28 June 2018.

Biography

Early life

Sako was born in the city of Zakho, Iraq, on 4 July 1948.[2] He comes from an ethnic Assyrian family of the Chaldean Catholic Church that has roots in a religious community that has had a presence in the city of his birth since the 5th century AD.[3]

He completed his early studies in Mosul and then attended the Dominican-run Saint Jean’s Seminary there. He was ordained a priest on 1 June 1974 and filled his first pastoral assignment at the Cathedral of Mosul until 1979. He then earned a doctorate in Eastern patrology at the Pontifical Oriental Institute. When denied a license to teach because he was only qualified for religious instruction, he earned a second doctorate in history from the Sorbonne in Paris.[4] With this he secured his teaching license and was able to provide religious instruction. From 1997 to 2002 he was rector of the Patriarchal Seminary in Baghdad. He then returned to Mosul and guided the parish of Perpetual Help for a year.[5][6]

Sako speaks Neo-Aramaic, German, French, English, Italian, Kurdish and Arabic.[2]

Archeparch

A synod of the bishops of the Chaldean Catholic Church meeting in Baghdad elected Sako Archeparch of Kirkuk on 24 October 2002. Pope John Paul II gave his assent on 27 September 2003.[7] He received his episcopal consecration on 14 November 2003 from his predecessor in Kirkuk, André Sana.[8]

In August 2009, and at the beginning of Ramadan, Sako organized an appeal for national peace, reconciliation and end to violence on the part of more than fifty religious leaders in Kirkuk. He called it "a gesture of closeness to our Muslim brothers. We are all brothers, sons of the same God we must respect and cooperate for the good of the people and our country." The participants included representatives of Ali Sistani and Muqtada al Sadr.[9]

Patriarch

The Synod of Bishops of the Chaldean Catholic Church, convoked in Rome on 28 January 2013, elected Sako to succeed Emmanuel III Delly as Patriarch of Babylon. He chose Louis Raphael I as his regnal name. Pope Benedict XVI gave his assent to the election on 1 February[2] and granted him ecclesiastica communio (ecclesiastical communion) as required by the canon law for Eastern-rite Catholic churches in recognition of their unity with the wider Catholic church.[10]

That same year, Iraq's President Jalal Talabani issued a decree recognizing Sako as Patriarch of the Chaldean Church.[11]

In July 2014 Sako led a wave of condemnation for the Sunni Islamists who demanded Christians either convert, submit to their radical rule and pay a religious levy or face death by the sword.[12] In September 2014 Sako said “The U.S. is indirectly responsible for what is going on in Iraq as it said it would ensure democracy and the well-being of the people, but 10 years have passed and on the contrary we have gone backward." He was responding to a question following remarks attributed to him in the local daily Ad-Diyar in which he accused the U.S. of supporting ISIS. Sako had also criticized Muslim countries for lack of support: "Our Muslim neighbours did not help us." He urged Muslim preachers to issue a religious ruling against the killing of all innocent people and said that "Issuing a fatwa preventing Muslims from killing fellow Muslims is not enough."[13]

In 2014, Sako ordered ten priests who had fled Iraq to return there by 22 October; he suspended them when they failed to comply. The priests, all living in the United States, some for as long as twenty years, appealed to Pope Francis for relief from the order.[14] In January 2015, Pope Francis granted them permission to remain in the United States.[15] Sako later renewed his order despite the pope's decision.[16]

In 2015, Sako proposed a "merger" or reunion of his own Chaldean Catholic Church with the Ancient Church of the East and the Assyrian Church of the East to create one united "Church of the East" with a single patriarch in union with the pope. His proposal would have required both his own resignation and that of Mar Addai II, followed by a joint synod of the bishops of all three churches to elect a new patriarch for the reunited Church of the East. (The patriarchate of the Assyrian Church of the East was vacant at the time, following the death of Mar Dinkha IV.)[17] He wrote that "Unity does not mean uniformity, nor the melting of our own church identity into one style, but it maintains unity in diversity and we remain one apostolic universal church, the Oriental Church, that maintains its independence of administration, laws and liturgies, traditions and support."[18] The Assyrian Church of the East respectfully declined this proposal citing "ecclesiological divergences still remaining" and proceeded with its election of a new patriarch.[19]

On 14 November 2015, the Synod of Bishops announced that Pope Francis had named Sako as one of his three appointments to that body's council.[20]

Cardinal

Pope Francis made Sako a cardinal in a consistory on 28 June 2018.[21] Later that year, Pope Francis named him one of the four cardinals to preside over sessions of the Synod of Bishops on Youth in October.[22]

On 6 October 2018 Sako was named a member of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches,[23] on 22 February 2019 a member of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue,[24] and on 29 September 2021 a member of the Congregation for Catholic Education.[25] On 4 January 2022, Pope Francis made him a member of the Council for the Economy.[26]

Sako was a cardinal elector in the 2025 papal conclave that elected Pope Leo XIV.[27] Patriarch Sako was also the first Chaldean Catholic Patriarch ever to participate in a papal conclave.[28][a] Sako opted not to wear the shash, the traditional headgear of East Syriac Christian bishops, and wore only his scarlet zucchetto.[32]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_Rapha%C3%ABl_I_Sako

Falcon Crest is an American prime time television soap opera created by Earl Hamner Jr. that aired for nine seasons on CBS from December 4, 1981, to May 17, 1990. The series revolves around the feuding factions of the wealthy Gioberti/Channing family in the California wine industry set in the fictitious Tuscany Valley, located northeast of San Francisco and modeled after the real Napa Valley.

Jane Wyman stars as Angela Channing, the tyrannical matriarch of the Falcon Crest Winery, opposite Robert Foxworth as Chase Gioberti, Angela's nephew, and later David Selby as Richard Channing, the illegitimate son of Angela's ex-husband.[a] Other notable series regulars include Abby Dalton and Margaret Ladd as Angela's daughters Julia and Emma, Lorenzo Lamas as Angela's grandson Lance, Susan Sullivan as Chase's wife Maggie, William R. Moses as their son Cole, and Ana Alicia as heiress Melissa Agretti.

Jane Wyman won a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress for her role as Angela Channing out of two nominations. Series regular Lorenzo Lamas and guest star Gina Lollobrigida were also nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor/Actress.

Production

Creation

The show was created by Earl Hamner Jr., who had previously created The Waltons. Hamner wanted to create a family drama involving the wine industry entitled The Vintage Years. He offered Wyman the lead role of Angela Channing.[1] She said, "I told him I'd heard Barbara Stanwyck had turned it down. And he said that was an untrue rumor. It had never been offered to her."[1] Hamner said he was looking for a "sympathetic actress" for the role.[1] He called Wyman "one of the legendary stars ... a great actress", and insisted that though she was the ex-wife of US President Ronald Reagan who was elected as president in 1980, her casting had nothing to do with her connection to Reagan.[2] Hamner said Wyman was chosen to add credibility to the role, and noted "The character is a harsh one. Miss Wyman's nice-lady image gives Angie more dimension and sympathy."[2]

Hamner's concept was "the flip side of The Waltons—this family was infected by wealth, whereas poverty had threatened his Depression story [in The Waltons]".[1] After shooting the original pilot episode of the series, called The Vintage Years in the spring of 1981, featuring Wyman in a silver wig, the actress pushed for changes in Angela.[1] Hamner had warned Wyman that the press would call Angela a female J. R. Ewing, the amoral oil baron from Falcon Crest's lead-in series, Dallas, played by Larry Hagman.[1] Not wanting her character to simply be a J.R. clone, Wyman said, "I feel I'm representing all women in business. I may come off as a hard, tough character, but I want Angie to show she's also capable of love."[3][4]

CBS requested that Hamner make the show more like Dallas, which was the network's biggest hit at that time, and the show was retooled and the pilot reshot.[1] The script was rewritten and several cast members changed for what became Falcon Crest.[1] The series first aired in December 1981, when CBS scheduled Falcon Crest at 10 pm on Friday nights, right after Dallas. The Dallas-Falcon Crest double bill proved lucrative for the network and Falcon Crest was a top-20 show in the Nielsen ratings for several years. Both shows (like The Waltons) were produced for CBS by the same company, Lorimar Productions.

By 1986, each episode of the series cost around $1 million to produce.[5]

Casting

Opposite Wyman, Robert Foxworth was cast as Chase Gioberti, Angela's nephew, and later David Selby as Richard Channing, the illegitimate son of Angela's ex-husband. Other notable series regular cast include Abby Dalton and Margaret Ladd as Angela's daughters Julia and Emma, Lorenzo Lamas as Angela's grandson Lance, Susan Sullivan as Chase's wife Maggie, William R. Moses as their son Cole, and Ana Alicia as heiress Melissa Agretti.

The series also frequently cast former Hollywood royalty in guest roles: Lana Turner, Dana Andrews, Celeste Holm, Gina Lollobrigida, Kim Novak, Cliff Robertson, Cesar Romero, and Robert Stack all appeared on Falcon Crest. This aspect to the series seemed to be well-embraced by the producers, who at one stage instituted a rotating guest-star policy. Eddie Albert, Ursula Andress, Eve Arden, Roscoe Lee Browne, Leslie Caron and Lauren Hutton all made appearances during the 1987–1988 season, as did Rod Taylor, who would remain with the series until its end in 1990. After producer Jeff Freilich left the series at the end of the 1988 season, fewer special guest stars appeared to boost ratings, one of them being Susan Blakely in the final year.

Wyman reportedly had had a long-running feud with fellow movie star legend Lana Turner, which dated back years.[6] The two actresses supposedly refused to speak to each other and the producers had to film their confrontational scenes separately and then edit them together. Turner appeared on The Phil Donahue Show in 1982 and emphatically denied the rumors of the reported feud. "It's a bunch of bull. It's all publicity trying to drum up a feud between us. I adore Ms. Wyman. I respect her as a lady and an artist, and there is no feud."[7] A few years after she appeared on the show, Turner stated that she believed Wyman was negative in demeanor because her ex-husband, Ronald Reagan, was elected president during the 1980s, something that Turner believed Wyman could not reconcile within herself.

In 1984, Sophia Loren was set to star in the role of Francesca Gioberti, Angela's secret half-sister, who comes to the valley to threaten Angela's control of Falcon Crest. Loren was to play 13 episodes, and producers promised a fabulous wardrobe and a dynamic character that would rival Dynasty's Alexis Carrington. At the last minute, negotiations with Loren fell through and Gina Lollobrigida (a longtime rival of Loren's[8]) was then cast in the role, but only signed on for five episodes. Lollobrigida earned a Golden Globe nomination for her guest role.[9] Three years earlier, Loren had also been Aaron Spelling's first choice for the role of Alexis Carrington on Dynasty, but was passed over when she demanded too much money and the role instead went to Joan Collins.[citation needed]

According to Dallas creator David Jacobs, before auditioning for Falcon Crest, Robert Foxworth turned down the role of J. R. Ewing on Dallas because he did not want to play such an unsympathetic character. The role ultimately went to Larry Hagman.[10]

Filming and locations

Searching for a location to use as the principal backdrop for the show, Lorimar producers decided upon Spring Mountain Vineyard, a winery located in St. Helena, in California's Napa Valley. This site contained the 1884 Victorian mansion "Villa Miravalle", the exterior of which was used as the Falcon Crest mansion where Angela lived with her daughters and grandson, as well as the winery building which had just been constructed in the mid-1970s.[11] As a tie-in, the Spring Mountain Winery also produced a "Falcon Crest" wine during the show's run.

Theme music

Falcon Crest's theme tune was composed by Bill Conti, who also composed the themes to Dynasty, The Colbys and Cagney & Lacey. Several variations of the main title theme were commissioned throughout the series' run. The most noticeable change to the main title theme was the version for season nine, which was done in a heavily synthetic, new-age style by musician Patrick O'Hearn. Stylistic changes were also made to the incidental music. During seasons 1 to 5, the music was performed by an orchestra in a classical style, composed mainly by Dana Kaproff and Peter Myers. Beginning midway through season 5, the background music became electronic-based and was performed by single artists using a synclavier, a high-tech programmable synthesizer; Mark Snow, who later composed the theme of The X-Files, was the main composer and performing musician from 1986 to 1988. During season 8, the music returned to a more classical style, before the composers returned to the electronic style for the final season with the score provided by new-age composer Patrick O'Hearn.

Pilot episode

A pilot episode for the series entitled The Vintage Years was filmed in the spring of 1981, but never aired.[12] The character of Richard Channing was present in the original pilot, played by Michael Swan; this alternate Richard was Angela's biological son fighting for his domineering mother's favor. Abby Dalton's character, Julia, was called Dorcas, Jane Wyman wore a grey wig as Angela, and Chase and Maggie were played by Clu Gulager and Samantha Eggar, respectively. Emma was not seen, but a subplot concerning a mysterious woman crying for her mother while locked away in one of the upstairs rooms was seen. Lamas, Moses, and Rose appeared in the same roles, and Chao-Li Chi's character was named Lee Fong.

The pilot was written by Hamner and directed by Alexander Singer. Though never broadcast or released on DVD, it was made available for download on the AOL video-on-demand service In2TV in 2007.

Cast and characters

Main article: List of Falcon Crest characters

Original cast (1981)

At the center of the action is Angela Channing (Jane Wyman), an overbearing, tyrannical matriarch who rules the Falcon Crest vineyards with an iron fist. When her brother Jason Gioberti (Harry Townes) dies from a fall in the winery, his son Chase Gioberti (Robert Foxworth) arrives to claim his inherited portion of Falcon Crest. The rivalry between Angela and Chase — whom Angela sees as an interloper — sets the tone for much of the series.

Surrounding Angela are her daughters, Julia (Abby Dalton) and Emma (Margaret Ladd), and her lazy playboy grandson, Lance Cumson (Lorenzo Lamas), who aids her in her battles against Chase. Julia is chief winemaker, though often feels oppressed by her domineering mother. Kind-natured Emma does not work in the family business, but is emotionally troubled. Julia's son Lance loves money and yearns for power, but lacks Angela's discipline and determination. Her ever-tightening grip on him eventually sends him to work for his grandfather's newspaper, The San Francisco Globe, although he soon returns to the fold. Aiding Angela in her quest for more power is her crooked lawyer, Phillip Erikson (Mel Ferrer), who would later become her second husband.

Chase's wife Maggie (Susan Sullivan) is a freelance writer who later works at The New Globe newspaper; their grown son Cole (William R. Moses) works at the winery with Chase, and daughter Vickie (Jamie Rose, later Dana Sparks) is just finishing school. Eventually realizing that she would not gain control over Chase's land anytime soon, Angela hopes to enlarge her empire by forcing Lance into an arranged marriage with Melissa Agretti (briefly played by Delores Cantú, later by Ana Alicia), heiress to the much-coveted Agretti Vineyards. Scheming Melissa becomes embroiled in a love triangle with Lance and Cole, even marrying Lance while pregnant with Cole's child.

In the second season, a true rival for Angela arrives in the form of conniving Richard Channing (David Selby), the illegitimate son of Angela's ex-husband Douglas Channing and Chase's mother. He inherits most of his father's shares in the family newspaper after Douglas dies, and uses his new wealth and power to seek retribution against both Angela and Chase for always treating him like an outcast. Richard crosses them at every turn and makes several attempts at gaining control of Falcon Crest.

Series overview

Early seasons

Despite its reputation as merely being "Dallas with grapes", Falcon Crest soon found its niche among the primetime soap dramas of the 1980s, occupying the middle ground between the two genre extremes — being more glamorous than Dallas, yet not quite as outrageous as Dynasty. The distinctive location filming in the Napa Valley and the dry, wryly humorous tone of the scripts gave the series a personality of its own.

The rivalry between Angela, Chase, and Richard stayed at the core of the show for several years, as more romantic entanglements spun around them. Lance and Cole found themselves not only caught up in their family battles for control of Falcon Crest, but were also competing for Melissa's affections.

Like its counterparts, Falcon Crest employed memorable end-of-season cliffhangers to boost ratings. The 1982–83 season ended with the resolution of a murder mystery "whodunit" plot (surrounding the death of Melissa's father, Carlo Agretti) that had spanned most of the season. The killer was revealed in front of the entire cast, only to produce a handgun. Shots were fired as the camera panned away from the mansion, fading into the final scene of a rose-draped coffin being lowered into the ground, leaving the audience to wonder who had been killed.

The third-season cliffhanger in 1984 involved a plane crash carrying most of the major characters, resulting in three of their deaths. A bomb explosion which ended the fourth season left Richard and Maggie in peril, and an earthquake that rippled through the valley ended the fifth season. The cliffhanger of the sixth season put Chase, Melissa, Richard, newcomer Dan Fixx and Maggie's baby in danger of drowning in the San Francisco Bay area. At the end of the seventh season, Melissa had finally wrested complete control of Falcon Crest away from Angela, while Richard was apparently murdered by "The Thirteen", a powerful group of shady businessmen whom he had turned against.

Falcon Crest was a top ten series from 1982 to 1985 (peaking at No. 7 in the 1983–84 season), airing after Dallas on Friday nights at 10:00 p.m.

Later seasons

With the departures of many of the core cast, coupled with the shifting tastes of the public in the mid-1980s, ratings began to drop (as had ratings for all of the primetime soaps of that era). By the late 1980s, U.S. ratings were dominated by sitcoms and more realistic legal/crime dramas such as L.A. Law and In the Heat of the Night. During its eighth season, Soap Opera Digest gave Falcon Crest the title of "Most Ruined Show"[13] (that season finished 52nd in the annual ratings). The series attempted to revitalize like Knots Landing had successfully done the previous year, but by the beginning of the ninth and final season in 1989, Angela, Lance, and Emma were the only three characters left from the original cast. Jane Wyman was absent for most of that season due to her own health concerns; storylines had Angela attacked and fall into a coma for several months. The final season then revolved around a battle between Richard and newcomer Michael Sharpe for control of Falcon Crest.

CBS executives made the decision to end Falcon Crest when ratings during the ninth season dropped to 63rd place. Jane Wyman returned to the series for the last three episodes. The show ended happily with a family wedding taking place on the grounds of the mansion. Taking a walk outside, Angela delivered a soliloquy (written by Wyman herself) that brought the series to a conclusion, mentioning past characters and events, but looking forward to the future. The final scene of the series shows her raising her glass to the land: "A toast to you, Falcon Crest, and long may you live."

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

Edith Falco (born July 5, 1963) is an American actress. A prominent figure in American television, she is known for her roles on stage and screen and has received numerous accolades including four Primetime Emmy Awards, two Golden Globe Awards, and five Screen Actors Guild Awards, as well as a nomination for a Tony Award.

Her role as mob wife Carmela Soprano on the HBO series The Sopranos garnered widespread acclaim, and is often regarded as one of the greatest performances in television history, with Falco winning three Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series.[1][2][3][4][5][6][7] She also received a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for playing the title role in the Showtime series Nurse Jackie (2009–2015). She was Emmy-nominated for her roles as C.C. Cunningham in 30 Rock (2008) and Leslie Abramson in Law & Order True Crime: The Menendez Murders (2018). She also has acted in the NBC series Homicide: Life on the Street (1993–1997), the HBO prison drama Oz (1997–2000), the web series Horace and Pete (2016), and the FX series Impeachment: American Crime Story (2021).

On film, she made her film debut in the drama Sweet Lorraine (1987). Her film work includes lead roles in Laws of Gravity (1992), for which she was nominated for the Independent Spirit Award for Best Female Lead, and Judy Berlin (1999), and supporting roles in films including Bullets Over Broadway (1994), Sunshine State (2002), Freedomland (2006), The Comedian (2016), and Avatar: The Way of Water (2022).

She made her Broadway debut in the Warren Leight play Side Man (1999). For her role as Bananas Shaughnessy in the Broadway revival of the John Guare play The House of Blue Leaves (2011) she received a nomination for a Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play. She has acted in the Broadway revivals of the plays Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune (2002), and 'night, Mother (2004).

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

Early Female Transgender Identity after Prenatal Exposure to Diethylstilbestrol: Report from a French National Diethylstilbestrol (DES) Cohort

by Laura Gaspari 1,2,3,†,Marie-Odile Soyer-Gobillard 4,5,†ORCID,Scott Kerlin 6,Françoise Paris 1,2,3 andCharles Sultan 1,*

1

Unité d’Endocrinologie-Gynécologie Pédiatrique, CHU Montpellier, University Montpellier, 34090 Montpellier, France

2

INSERM 1203, Développement Embryonnaire Fertilité Environnement, University of Montpellier, 34295 Montpellier, France

3

CHU Montpellier, University Montpellier, Centre de Référence Maladies Rares du Développement Génital, Constitutif Sud, Hôpital Lapeyronie, 34295 Montpellier, France

4

Laboratoire Arago, Observatoire Océanologique, Sorbonne University, CNRS, 75016 Paris, France

5

Association HHORAGES-France, 66100 Perpignan, France

6

DES International Information and Research Network, Livermore, CA 94551, USA

*

Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.

†

These authors contributed equally to this work.

J. Xenobiot. 2024, 14(1), 166-175; https://doi.org/10.3390/jox14010010

Submission received: 28 November 2023 / Revised: 8 January 2024 / Accepted: 10 January 2024 / Published: 12 January 2024

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Role of Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals in the Human Health)

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Abstract

Diagnostic of transsexualism and gender incongruence are terms to describe individuals whose self-identity does not match their sex assignment at birth. A transgender woman is an individual assigned male at birth (AMAB) on the basis of the external or internal genitalia who identifies and lives as a woman. In recent decades, a significant increase in the number of transgender people has been reported. Although, its etiology is unknown, biological, anatomical, genetic, environmental and cultural factors have been suggested to contribute to gender variation. In XY animals, it has been shown that environmental endocrine disruptors, through their anti-androgenic activity, induce a female identity. In this work, we described four XY individuals who were exposed in utero to the xenoestrogen diethylstilbesterol (DES) and were part of the French HHORAGES cohort. They all reported a female transgender identity starting from childhood and adolescence. This high prevalence of male to female transgenderism (1.58%) in our cohort of 253 DES sons suggests that exposure to chemicals with xenoestrogen activity during fetal life may affect the male sex identity and behavior.

Keywords: sexual identity; diethylstilbestrol (DES); prenatal exposure

1. Introduction

Gender identity defines each individual’s deeply held personal sense of their own gender as male or female or something else [1]. Moreover, gender diversity and variance are umbrella terms used to describe the wide range of gender identifications outside the conventional gender categories [2]. Gender dysphoria [3] relates to the distress and unease experienced by individuals who are discontent with their assigned gender and identify with a gender other than the one associated with their birth sex [4]. A transgender man or woman is a person born phenotypically female or male, assigned female or male at birth on the basis of their external or internal genitalia, who identifies and lives as a male or a female. Actually, for many experts [5] this definition should be enlarged to Transgender and Gender Non-Conforming (TGNC) individuals, people with disorders of sex development (DSDs) and people assigned male (AMAB) or female at birth (AFAB) [6].

All studies on secular trends have reported a dramatic increase in the number of transgender people in recent decades [7]. A temporal change in the age of presentation is another notable phenomenon [8]. Quoting Hassler et al. [8] in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition, Text Revision (DSM-5), signs of transgender in children include: “A repeated desire to be the other sex or an assertion that they are the other sex; a belief that their assigned sex will change on its own (e.g., thinking they will grow a penis or that their penis will come off when they get older); wanting to change their name to a name typically associated with another gender, or a gender-neutral name; a preference for presenting as another gender (e.g., a child assigned male at birth who prefers long hair and wearing dresses, or a child assigned female at birth who prefers short hair and wearing gender-neutral clothing); resistance or distress when made to present as a gender they do not identify with (such as a ‘girl’ throwing a tantrum over having to wear a dress or a ‘boy’ crying after having to get a haircut); assuming the role of another gender in fantasy games or make-believe; an intense desire to participate in the games and activities typical of the other gender (such as an assigned-male child playing with Barbie and an assigned-female child playing contact sports); a preference for playmates of another gender”.

Hassler et al. also wrote [8]: “In adolescence, signs of transgender includes: feelings of panic or severe discomfort concerning puberty and body changes (e.g., refusing to acknowledge or admit that changes are occurring, refusing to look at their body, or becoming distressed or uncomfortable with body development, menstruation, or ejaculation); discomfort or distress with certain forms of gender presentation, such as disliking long hair or certain types of clothing; increased bullying at school due to differences in acting out one’s perceived gender or lack of self-confidence; isolation from peers due to lack of connection or fear of bullying; depression and/or anxiety as a result of confusion over gender identity or not fitting in with peers; be aware that some adolescents may try to repress their true gender due to outside pressure, such as from family and peers, even if they previously expressed their true gender as a child”.

The literature on the prevalence of transgender people is heterogeneous, depending on the geographic area, inclusion criteria and age at presentation [9]. Specialized centers that manage transgender people estimate a prevalence between 17 and 33/100,000 individuals [10]. Actually, people who identify as transgender represent a sizable proportion of the general population, from 0.1% to 2% [11,12].

Although the biological basis of transgenderism/incongruence is unknown, biological, anatomical, genetic and environmental factors have been suggested to contribute to gender identity [13,14]. The role of sex hormones and genetics in sexual development was described by studies published between 1948 and 2019, and the implication of endogenous steroids in brain sexual differentiation has been widely studied [14,15,16,17,18]. According to the accepted dogma, high levels of fetal testosterone organize the brain towards a male phenotype [19]. Any exogenous chemical that can reduce testosterone action during fetal life can affect the differentiation of genitalia and sex behavior.

Diethylstilbestrol (DES) is a molecule that has strengthened the concepts of endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) and the fetal basis of adult diseases [20]. It is well known that in utero exposure to DES, a compound with estrogenic and anti-androgenic activity, induces a wide range of reproductive tract/function abnormalities in the so-called ‘DES daughters’, e.g., alterations to Müllerian duct development, fertility problems, ectopic pregnancies, miscarriages, premature births and cancers, especially clear cell adenocarcinoma (CCA) of the vagina and cervix in girls and young women [21]. In ‘DES sons’, epididymal cysts, hypospadias, cryptorchidism, hypoplastic testes and micropenises have been observed [22,23,24,25,26]. In addition, although less studied, in utero exposure to synthetic sex hormones, particularly DES, can cause psychological disorders, such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorders, eating disorders and suicidal behavior [27]. Interestingly, some studies in patients exposed in utero to DES with psychotic disorders identified methylome changes that affect the expression of ZFP57 and ADAMTS9, two genes implicated in neurodevelopment regulation [28], with potential multigenerational and transgenerational effects [29,30].

In this work, we first describe four transgender women identified among the 253 sons exposed in utero to DES included in the HHORAGES-France cohort (a French National patient association). This high prevalence of male-to-female transgender individuals among DES sons (1.58%) strongly suggests that exposure of male fetuses to this xenoestrogen during fetal life may affect future male sex identity and behavior.

2. Patients and Methods

This study was based on a French national retrospective cohort of DES-treated women (HHORAGES-France Association) (n = 1200) and their families. Detailed standard questionnaires were obtained from all DES mothers when they joined the HHORAGES-France Association and all DES children were already adults at this time. The answers to this online questionnaire were used to select women who met the following inclusion criteria: (1) at least two pregnancies with two viable male babies (same father) among whom the first child was not exposed in utero to DES (pre-DES), followed by one or more children with fetal exposure to DES (DES); (2) confirmed data on the total DES dose (health record or physician’s observation). The cumulative dose D administered to the French pregnant mothers was 4050 mg < D < 7300 mg. This is considered a medium-low-dose cohort, in accordance with the observations by Tournaire et al. [31] and compared with the higher doses administered in the United States (7550 mg < D < 12,742 mg). The answers to the questionnaires were also used to identify women with a DES son who presented female gender variance. We then contacted all DES sons with female gender variance and we carried out an individual interview with them.

The local university hospital ethics committee approved this study (ID IRB No. 202301531), and all patients gave their informed consent through the HHORAGES-France Association (CNIL: J B/EM/DC042793, N° 1006460).

All DES sons who identified as transgender women underwent karyotyping at their local hospital at the moment of transition.

https://www.mdpi.com/2039-4713/14/1/10

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

Rosa Jesuitica, oder Jesuitische Rottgesellen, das ist, Eine Frag ob die Zween Orden, der ganandten Ritter von der Neerscharen Jesu, und der Rosen-Creuzer ein einiger Ordensen: per J. P. D. a S. Jesuitarum Protectorum. Prague, 1620.” (4to).

This is a truly curious tract upon the “relations of the Jesuits and the Rosicrucians."

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1dT28PyPUPfqDfC0iVg7nGFsle8vYBXLf/view?usp=sharing

James John Gandolfini (Italian: [ɡandolˈfiːni]; September 18, 1961 – June 19, 2013) was an American actor. He was best known for his portrayal of Tony Soprano, the Italian-American Mafia crime boss in HBO's television series The Sopranos (1999–2007). For this role, he won three Emmy Awards, five Screen Actors Guild Awards, and one Golden Globe Award. His role as Tony Soprano has been described as one of the greatest and most influential performances in television history.

Gandolfini was featured in numerous films including True Romance (1993), Crimson Tide (1995), Get Shorty (1995), A Civil Action (1998), The Last Castle (2001), Romance & Cigarettes (2005), All the King's Men (2006), In the Loop (2009), Where the Wild Things Are (2009), The Taking of Pelham 123 (2009), Not Fade Away (2012), and Zero Dark Thirty (2012). He received acclaim for playing against type starring in the romantic comedy Enough Said (2013). For the role, he earned numerous critics awards including a Screen Actors Guild Award nomination.

Gandolfini is also known for his roles on Broadway in A Streetcar Named Desire (1992), On the Waterfront (1995), and God of Carnage (2009), the latter earning him a Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play nomination. He also produced the war documentaries Alive Day Memories: Home from Iraq (2007) and Wartorn: 1861–2010 (2011) as well as the HBO film Hemingway & Gellhorn (2012), which earned him a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Miniseries or Movie nomination.

In 2013, Gandolfini died of a heart attack in Rome at the age of 51.

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

NEW AGE MOVEMENT UNITES ENGLISH AND FRENCH FREEMASONRY

The government of the O.T.O.. . .combines monarchy with democracy; it includes aristocracy,

and conceals even the seeds of revolution, by which alone progress can be effected. Thus we

balance the Triads, uniting the Three in One....

Book of Equinox

When the hierarchy of the Templar Palladium failed to unite permanently the three Masonic

obediences, it was Sion's turn. Miller confirms the story told in the Book of Equinox, of which a

portion is cited above. The word "monarchy" refers to English Freemasonry; "democracy"

represents both French and American Freemasonry; and "uniting the Three in One" alludes to all

three Masonic obediences.

All three must come to agreement both religiously and politically if world government is to be a

reality. However, unity among contradictory religious organizations is impossible. Likewise,

unity among opposing political viewpoints is unrealistic. The war between English and French

Freemasonry turns on differences of opinion on both these issues. The conflict? Which religious

and political system will eventually rule the New World Order?

Atheistic Templar Grand Orient Masonry desired a dictatorship of the proletariat - the lower

class - with communism guaranteeing equal distribution of wealth. While awaiting the fruition of

this dream, the Grand Orient encouraged laborers to form unions and, with the might of worker

strikes, gain their share of the wealth. With this ideology, French Freemasonry was thus able to

win the lower classes.

In contrast, Pantheistic Sionist English Freemasonry, whose sovereigns shared power with an

elected parliament, desired a New World Order dominated by an aristocracy. For two centuries

English Freemasons had kept their society aristocratic, capitalistic, and monopolistic. They had

dismissed and forgotten the common laborer, losing him politically to their adversary.

To remedy this divisive stalemate, English Freemasonry attacked the problem by creating dual

fronts where commonality could be predicated. First they established political-economic fronts,

called "think tanks," where the intelligentsia from both sides of the Channel could discuss a

coefficient for politics.2 Second they created mystic front organizations intended to appeal to and

gratify man's baser instincts, and thus reach and destabilize all levels of society.

English Freemasonry assigned the latter task to the Quatuor Coronati Lodge of Masonic

Research, which, as we have seen, in turn developed a variety of degenerate sub-Masonic fronts

known as co-Masonry.3

To win the confidence of the French atheists who believed that individuals were endowed with

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equal, inalienable rights founded upon natural law, the English expanded the concept of natural

law to include mythological law.4 The Quatuor Coronati Lodge discovered that pagan religions,

in harmony with their cyclical world outlook, had long ago interwoven into their political society

mythological law, through which they maintained control of the populace. The dominant figure

in these prevailing myths was usually a goddess who symbolized "Mother Earth" and who thus

provided the basis for an ideology that man and earth were one.5

Pagan religions taught that Mother Earth required the continuation of creation through

procreation, with periodic demands for population control. These myths were carefully cultivated

and applied by a designated caste of priests, who designed licentious rituals in their worship as a

sacrament to Mother Earth. These rituals, of course, appealed to the base nature of man.

Therefore, these mythologies, created by man, became mythological law.

In this religion Mother Earth could become "angry." When she did so it meant that man was

multiplying too rapidly. To appease the mother goddess, mythological law demanded human

sacrifices, usually of the very young. Paul deParrie, in Unholy Sacrtfices of the New Age, says,

"Whether known as Kali (the many-armed Hindu goddess Kali, who wears for a necklace a chain

of human skulls), Diana, Isis, or Astarte, Mother Earth or her dark mirror image consistently

required blood as an appropriate offering; she who created (or procreated) also destroyed and

devoured her own young in bloody ritual."6

The purpose of the sacrifice was to "save the earth." Nigel Davies, in Human Sacnfice in History

and Today, confirms: "Both sacrificer and victim knew that the act was required, to save the

people from calamity and the cosmos from collapse. Their object was, therefore, more to

preserve than to destroy life."7

Mythological law required mothers to willingly give up their children to the flame or to the

knife. With the Arioio in Tahiti, "status was based entirely on one's devotion to killing one's own

children."8 The North American and Mexican Indians "both stressed the belief that the victim

would profit from his own sacrifice, thus allowing the executioner to feel no guilt and denying

the victim the opportunity to protest his own sacrifice."9 Thus, legalized murder became a part of

Mother Earth's mythological law of population control.

The Quatuor Coronati Lodge of Masonic Research set out to apply mythological law to presentday

Masonic work. In the same manner in which a designated caste of priests had in ancient

times designed rituals of human destruction to appease both Mother Earth and degenerate man,

the 33rd degree hierarchy of both English and French Freemasonry (Masons who had already

delved into witchcraft), duplicated the system for their budding mystic fronts. By catering to the

baser instincts of man, the two Freemasonries found it a simple task to unite under a political

system that permitted the free exercise of mythological law.

Diametrically opposed to the Judeo-Christian teaching, it should be no surprise that these sub-

Masonic societies became anti-Semitic and anti-Christian. Today they are known as white

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supremacists. Their plan to "save the earth" through a process of earth purification was, and still

is, to annihilate the dark-skinned races, which include the Jews. From this ideology was born the

Nazi movement. The homicidal O.T.O. and Thule Society played the most significant role in

grooming Hitler for power. The Order of the Golden Dawn became the connecting link between

the German branch of the OTO-Thule and English Freemasonry.10

When English Freemasonry agreed to cooperate with French Freemasonry, the paltry Grand

Orient was no match for the suave and wealthy Whore of Babylon at London. Hence, the French

method of destruction by brute force was set aside for a more acceptable approach. English

Freemasonry planned for a gradual and more scientific depopulation of earth.

During the 1920s and 1930s, British conspiracy researchers realized that the destructive

doctrines of French Freemasonry had crossed the English Channel. Several revisionists set out to

warn English Freemasonry of what they perceived was penetration by the Grand Orient. They

had not yet discovered that the hierarchy in both Freemasonries had united in the Ordo Templi

Orientis in 1905.

So secret was the O.T.O. that the majority of Masons are still unaware of its existence today.

Yet, this Order is documented as the most evil of Freemasonry, executing the destructive bidding

of the hierarchy on a grand scale.11 Its creed is "Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the

Law." Its rituals include the use of mind-altering drugs and human sacrifice.

The Priory of Sion and Witchcraft

Claude Debussy, Grand Master of Sion (GM 1885-1918), was intimate with the English

Freemasons who founded the Order of the Golden Dawn, which in turn produced the O.T.O. and

Thule Society. He was especially close to Dr. Gerard Encausse (Papus), Grand Master of four

Rosicrucian orders in France - Martin, Memphis, Mizraim, and the O.T.O.12 At the behest of

Debussy, Papus took Martinism and the O.T.O. to Russia to prepare for the destruction of that

Christian nation.13

Miller lists the following Masons who were involved in the 19th Century revival of witchcraft,

which led to founding the O.T.O.: Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832), Eliphas Levi (1810-

1875), Richard Wagner (1813-1890), Hargrave Jennings (1817-1890), Friedrich Nietzsche

(1844- 1900), Franz Hartmann (1838-1912), Cardinal Rampolla (1843-1913), Papus (Dr.

Encausse 1865-1916), and Karl Kellner (-1905), cofounder (with Theodore Reuss) of the

O.T.O.14

Goethe, Levi, Wagner, and Papus are listed in Holy Blood, Holy Grail as also being connected to

the Priory of Sion. The others were Rosicrucian Masons. Kellner was also a Grand Orient

Mason, as was Reuss.

In 1895 the Quatuor Coronati Lodge of Masonic Research shared with Karl Kellner its discovery

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that pagans had controlled population through human sacrifice. When Kellner informed the

German Grand Orient and Grand Lodge hierarchy of this, Friedrich Nietzsche commented, "The

20th Century will be the bloodiest on earth."

In 1902 Kellner organized the homicidal Ordo Templi Orientis and began initiating Freemasons

on both sides of the Channel. The original members of the O.T.O. were German Grand Orient

Theodore Reuss; and English Masons John Yarker (1833-1913), William Wynn Westcott (1848-

1925), and MacGregor Mathers. All but Mathers held the 33rd degree.'5

Theodore Reuss became head of the O.T.O. upon Kellner's death in 1905. In 1902 Reuss had

already named Westcott regent of the O.T.O. in England, thus establishing the interlocking

directorate between English and Continental Freemasonry.'6 In 1912 Reuss initiated Aleister

Crowley into the O.T.O. By the time World War I had started, Crowley, a member of both

English and French Freemasonry, was at the head of the British branch of the O.T.O.

The O.T.O. drew membership from a wide range of occult organizations: the Gnostic Catholic

Church; the Order of the Knights of the Holy Ghost; the Order of the Illuminati; the Order of the

Knights of St. John; the Order of the Knights of Malta; the Order of the Knights of the Holy

Sepulchre; the Hermetic Brotherhood of Light; the Holy Order of Rose Croix of Heredom; the

Order of the Holy Royal Arch of Enoch; the Order of the Knights Templar; the Hidden Church

of the Holy Grail; the Ancient and Primitive Rite of Masonry; the Rite of Memphis; the Rite of

Mizraim; the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Masonry; the Swedenborgian Rite of

Masonry; the Order of the Martinists; the Order of Sat Bhai; and many other orders of equal

merit, or of less fame.17

What is most significant about these organizations is that they are recognized as a mixture of

Knights Templar and Priory of Sion secret societies.18 As suggested in the Book of Equinox,

Scarlet and the Beast, for a time at least, united in the Ordo Templi Orientis.

The Oriental Templars operated in the same manner as did Albert Pike's Palladian Templars.

Although the O.T.O. incorporated the Templar aura by name, it was not a Templar creation;

rather it was Sion's link to the international network of secret societies. Unlike the Palladian,

which recruited from only the Templar orders, the O.T.O. recruited from all occult bodies

throughout the ~ This network was controlled by the Sovereign Grand Inspectors General of the

33rd Degree in both obediences, who were periodically required to tour and inspect the O.T.O.

Lodges.20

The O.T.O. in America

The Ordo Templi Orientis was English Freemasonry's most effective psychological warfare unit.

Its duties were twofold: (1) to unite all occult bodies under the Luciferian Doctrine; and (2) to

destroy the Judeo-Christian culture worldwide with an onslaught of Satanism. The two Christian

nations first targeted for destruction were Czarist Russia and the United States.

356

Maury Terry, an American investigative journalist, tells in The ultimate Evil how the O.T.O. got

started in our country:

After internal dissension, elements of the Golden Dawn more or less merged into the Ordo

Templi Orientis. Aleister Crowley won permission to head a British OTO branch, and the

teachings of the OTO entered the United States with Crowley in 1916, during World War I in

Europe.

Later, during World War II, Crowley helped establish an OTO lodge in Pasadena,

California, and OTO branches subsequently sprouted in a number of U.S. cities, including

New York and Houston. In effect, a loose network was formed and already functioning via

occult shops and bookstores, newsletters, ads in the underground press and other methods....

In fact, many believe that the entire occult underground in America today can be traced back

to the formation of that Crowley OTO operation in Pasadena.21

The Law of the Ordo Templi Orientis is "Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law.

"22 For the pleasure of its members, this "Law" was practiced to its fullest in brothels

established throughout Europe and the United States. A segment of the Manifesto of the

O.T.O. explains the meaning of that "Law":

[The O.T.O.] embodies the whole of the secret knowledge of all oriental Orders; and its

chiefs are initiates of the highest rank, and recognized as such by all capable of such

recognition in every country in the world.

The Order is international, and has existing branches in every civilized country of the world.

The aims of the O.T.O. can only be understood fully by its highest initiates; but it may be

said openly that it teaches Hermetic Science or Occult Knowledge, the Pure and Holy

Magick of Light, the Secrets of Mystic attainment, Yoga of all forms; Gnana Yoga, Raja

Yoga, Bhakta Yoga and Hatha Yoga, and all other branches of the secret Wisdom of the

Ancients.

It also possesses in every important centre of population a hidden Retreat (Collegium ad

Spiritum Sanctum) where members may conceal themselves in order to pursue the Great

Work without hindrance.

These houses are secret fortresses of Truth, Light, Power and Love, and their position is

only disclosed under an oath of secrecy to those entitled to make use of them.

They are also temples of true worship, specially consecrated by Nature to bring out of a man

all that is best in him.23

357

Prior to, and during World War II, Pasadena, California, was the O.T.O.'s west coast

headquarters in America, while Nyack, New York, was the center of its east coast operation.24

More information is written about the O.T.O. brothel - one of the houses of "Truth, Light, Power

and Love" referred to above - in Nyack than other locations. It was called Clarkstown Country

Club (C.C.C.). At its head was Freemason Dr. Pierre Arnold Bernard (1875-1955), initiated into

the O.T.O. in 1916 by Aleister Crowley himself, soon after Crowley arrived in the United States.

Bernard's occult library at the C.C.C. was the largest of its kind in America, consisting of an

array of pornographic movies and literature, as well as the finest collection of Sanskrit lore.

During its prosperous years, the 1930s, talks on the Veda, its writings and philosophy, were

regularly given by Dr. Bernard. The C.C.C.'s promotional literature stated that "[t]he core of this

subject [Veda] when reduced to practice is the Yoga System of Patanjali, a scientific scheme of

mental and physical development evolved and recorded by the early Indo-Aryans.

Nowhere else in the world with the exception of a few places in India is this work to be found

carried to such a degree of perfection. "25

Dr. Bernard was nicknamed "Oom," short for "Omnipotent." Women called him "Loving Guru."

Often the women told him they felt the need to walk around him three times and then reach out

and touch his "lotus."

The lotus flower of India is of course a phallic symbol. An Oom disciple once confided to an

outsider:

Sex is discussed as naturally as hypnosis or reincarnation. Dr. Bernard believes that men and

women can learn a lot about living by learning a lot about playing and loving. He teaches the

Oriental view of love as opposed to the restrained Western idea. Love, in its physical aspects,

is akin to music and poetry. It unites men and women with the infinite.26

Both male and female members of the C.C.C. practiced the mystic Hindu art of Tantrik. A true

Tantrik is a practitioner of Tantra, a ritualistic system in certain religions of the Orient. The rites

are grossly licentious and are most often invoked in veneration of the Sakti, the Hindu goddesses

of female energy.27

When the C.C.C. went into decline and finally sold its property, paranormal activity began to

manifest itself in several of its buildings. For example, part of the C.C.C. estate was purchased

by the Christian and Missionary Alliance, which is now the campus of Nyack College. Students

who attended Nyack in the earlier years may recall the demonic activity in one of the buildings

before exorcism.28 Today, another dwelling, not associated with the College, but on the original

C.C.C. estate, is still manifesting demonic activity. (See picture of house and brief story in

Appendix 2, Fig. 31.)

358

The Pasadena and Nyack centers rapidly networked with other O.T.O. Lodges across North

America. The O.T.O.'s publication, Duties of the Brethren, confirms the purpose of these

retreats:

Special Profess-Houses for the care of women of the Order, or those whose husbands or

lovers are members of the Order, will be instituted, so that the frontal duty of womankind may

be carried out in all comfort and honour.29

It is also probable that within this licentious Order, homosexual activity was practiced, for Duties

of the Brethren also states:

Every Brother shall seek constantly to give pleasure to all Brethren with whom he is

acquainted, whether by entertainment or conversation, or in any other manner that may

suggest itself. It will frequently and naturally arise that love itself springs up between

members of the Order, for that they have so many and so sacred interests in common. Such

love is peculiarly holy, and is to be encouraged.30

According to the O.T.O. Manifesto, the O.T.O. also provides "safe houses" for its criminal

element:

Any injury done by any person without the Order to any person within it may be brought

before the Grand Tribunal, which will, if it deem right and fit, use all its power to redress or

to avenge it.

Public enemies of the country of any Brother shall be treated as such while in the field, and

slain or captured as the officer of the Brother may command.

The perfect freedom and security afforded by the Law ["Do what thou wilt shall be the whole

of the Law"] allows the characters of all Brethren to expand to the very limits of their nature.

The secrecy of the Order provides its members with an inviolable shroud of concealment.

They obtain the right to sojourn in the secret houses of the O.T.O., permanently or for a

greater or lesser period of the year according to their rank in the Order... 31

The O.T.O. did not go into decline after Aleister Crowley's death in 1947. Maury Terry has

discovered its network thriving stronger than ever in America, and connects it to the recent surge

of Satanic ritual murders. Included in this network are the drug counterculture operatives, motor

cycle gangs, common criminals and rock groups.

In Occult Theocrasy, Miller explains that music is an essential tool in this conspiracy, because it

renders an otherwise positive mind passive and negative. Miller states that occult music tends to

induce confusion. Lyrics in rock music are prime examples. Minds that are confused will obey

and bow to the hidden masters! A person who does not listen to this music, replacing it with

uplifting activity, remains positive. A positive mind cannot be controlled.32

359

You may recall that this brainwashing technique was first practiced by French Freemasonry prior

to, and during, the French Revolution. Mozart's music, Mesmer's animal magnetism, and

Cagliostro's drugs and witchcraft, are all examples of how the O.T.O. operates today.

The O.T.O. and the Church of Scientology

After Crowley's death, Freemason L. Ron Hubbard acquired the O.T.O. leadership in America.

Robert Anton Wilson, co-author with Timothy Leary of Neuropolitics in 1977, explains that

"Hubbard's system is derived largely from Aleister Crowley.... Hubbard was a member of

Crowley's Ordo Templi Orientis in the 1940s; and Hubbard later... invented a system which

seems, to those of us who know both, very similar to the system taught by Crowley in the

O.T.O."33

Hubbard was initiated into the O.T.O. in 1944 by Aleister Crowley himself. After Crowley's

death, the O.T.O. was headquartered for a time in Hubbard's Church of Scientology. In 1992 The

Auditor, the journal of Scientology, reports that there are 146 Scientology centers worldwide,

with 54 of them in the United States and Canada alone.34 Time Magazine, May 6, 1991, reports

"700 centers in 65 countries...."35

This greater number includes Scientology affiliates, many of which are front organizations. Time

lists them, along with their frightening implications. Sterling Management Systems (SMS),

formed in 1983, recruits dentists, chiropractors, podiatrists and veterinarians, guaranteeing them

increased income if they attend seminars and take courses that typically cost $10,000. SMS's true

aim is to hook these professionals for Scientology, who in turn will recruit their patients. Another

such group, Citizens Commission on Human Rights, is at war with psychiatry, its primary

competitor. The Commission typically issues reports aimed at discrediting particular

psychiatrists and the field in general. HealthMed, a chain of clinics run by Scientologists,

promotes a grueling and excessive system of saunas, exercise and vitamins designed by Hubbard

to purify the body. It solicits unions and public agencies for contracts. Narconon is a chain of 33

alcohol and drug rehabilitation centers in twelve countries. Some of these centers operate in

prisons under the name "Criminon." Both are classic vehicles for drawing addicts and cons into

the cult. Concerned Businessmen's Association of America holds anti-drug contests and awards

$5,000 grants to schools as a way to recruit students and curry favor with education officials.

Way to Happiness Foundation has distributed more than 3.5 million copies of Hubbard's booklet

on morality to children in thousands of the nation's public schools. Applied Scholastics is

attempting to install a Hubbard tutorial program in public schools. The group also plans a 1,000-

acre campus, where it will train educators to teach various Hubbard methods.36

The title Church of Scientology is a deception. It is neither Christian nor scientific. Speaking to

Hubbard's theology, Time says, "In the 1960s the guru decreed that humans are made of clusters

of spirits [thetans] who were banished to earth some 75 million years ago by a cruel galactic

ruler named Xenu."37

360

In 1967 the Internal Revenue Service stripped the Church of Scientology of its tax-exempt status.

The Masonic-dominated American Civil Liberties Union and the Masonic-created National

Council of Churches supported Scientology's position that it is being "persecuted" by antireligionists.

Time countered by confirming that Scientologist defectors and critics are themselves

continually persecuted by this so-called church. For example, L. Ron Hubbard taught his

hierarchy how to use the law against its enemies. The law can be used very easily to harass," he

said, "and enough harassment on somebody who is simply on the thin edge anyway.. will

generally be sufficient to cause his professional decrease. If possible, of course, ruin him

utterly."~ Another time Hubbard warned his followers in writing to "beware of attorneys who tell

you not to sue.. .the purpose of the suit is to harass and discourage rather than to win."39 The

legal goal of Scientology is to bankrupt the opposition or bury it under paper.

Time says that defectors and critics find themselves "engulfed in litigation, stalked by private

eyes, framed for fictional crimes, beaten up or threatened with death." Time reports for example,

that two defectors, one a common criminal, the other his hypnotist, were ordered killed by the

Church. Oddly enough, the common criminal was to pull the trigger. He was ordered to kill the

hypnotist, then do an "EOC," (end of cycle), which is church jargon for suicide.40

Scientology Recruits for the O.T.O.

In 1967, the O.T.O. in England founded the Process Church of the Final Judgement soon after

the rise of The Beatles rock group. In the late sixties and early seventies, the Process set up cells

in a number of U.S. cities. Maury Terry says that the Process Church took over the O.T.O. in the

United States. The Church of Scientology reverted to the position of Blavatsky's Theosophical

Society a century earlier - that of a recruiting agency for the O.T.O. Terry said of Michael Carr,

who, before his violent death was one of the leaders in the Process Church and a ranking

Scientologist:

If he's counselling lost souls for Scientology, allegedly helping them discover themselves, he

could certainly be working both sides of the street and plucking a few out for recruitment in

the Satan stuff. That Scientology movement is fertile ground for latching onto confused

people. He'd have his pick of candidates.41

The O.T.O. and Psychological Warfare

The counterculture, which today has permeated our whole society, provided and still provides

recruits to the Church of Scientology which spots and selects the confused and drug addicted

candidates for the homicidal O.T.O.-Process Church. One such candidate was found in Charlie

Manson, who was first recruited by Scientology before he joined the Process Church. At that

time the Process Church in America was led by Robert Moore (alias Robert DeGrimston), who,

like Manson, was first a Scientologist. Process members worship both Satan and Christ, as did

the Priory of Sion and the Templars in medieval days.42

361

Charlie Manson taught his "family" that he was Jesus Christ returned to bring judgement on

America through a race war. "Helter Skelter" was his plan. He believed his instructions were

concealed in the lyrics of songs sung by The Beatles.43 What Manson taught his "family" about

hidden messages in rock music may well be true. Aleister Crowley himself taught such a

technique to his initiates - that of writing messages backwards as a means of secret

communication.

William Sutton, in The New Age Movement and The Illuminati 666. states that Manson was also

a Freemason. In support of this he writes that "[d]uring the Tate-LaBianca trials - with Susan

Atkins testifying to how good it felt when the knife went into Sharon Tate – Manson was

flashing Masonic hand signals to the Judge."44 Sutton not only links Manson to Freemasonry, but

to Scientology, the Process Church, the O.T.O. and the New Age Movement.45

Likewise, Maury Terry documents that the Charlie Manson murders in California and the David

Berkowitz - Son of Sam - murders in New York, were both ordered by the same organization,

the O.T.O.- Process Church.46 One of Terry's first clues of this connection was the use of

common terms by Berkowitz's "Sam" cult and the O.TO.-Process Church. For example, the term

"German shepherds" was used by both as an allusion to their Nazi heritage. Both killers wore the

same Nazi symbols - HT and HH for Hitler, the German SS lighting bolts for Satan and 666 for

the mark of the beast. Both were white Aryan, anti. Christian, anti-black, and anti-Semitic.47

Berkowitz, whose murders followed some six years after Manson's, often mentioned Manson in

his notes. Berkowitz himself admitted to joining the Process Church in New York in 1975, just

six years after Manson's arrest. Process members openly mingling with existing O.T.O. factions

were seen in New York City as late as 1973. People such as Berkowitz, Man son and members of

the Process Church, and its cells around the United States, make up the current O.T.O. network.

All are sub-Masonic and linked as part of an underground web of murder. The "Sam" cult,

according to Terry, is headquartered near Los Angeles and has branches in Bismarck, Minot,

Houston and New York. These branches shuttle killers and "contracts" back and forth.48

From evidence presented by both Terry and Sutton, there is sufficient documentation to convince

the reader that the Ordo Templi Orientis was carried to the United States by English Freemason

Aleister Crowley for the express purpose of preparing Christian America for destruction through

mass and serial murder, drugs, licentious living, witchcraft, and the psychological terror and

social chaos caused by the same. The O.T.O. continues its assault on our society to this day. The

O.T.O. is English Freemasonry's psychological warfare unit targeted against Christian America.

O.T.O., Mother of the New Age

The O.T.O. membership was so vast that the Order boasted having knowledge of all the secrets

of occultism on both sides of the English Channel. Miller reports that after Karl Kellner founded

the O.T.O., the organization produced a manifesto called Manifesto of the 0.7:0. Under the

heading "Liber III" is proof that all Masonic and non-Masonic occult orders were under its direct

362

control:

Karl Keliner revived the exoteric49 organization of the O.T.O. and initiated the plan now

happily complete of bringing all occult bodies again under one governance.... The order is

international, and has existing branches in every civilized country of the world.

In its bosom repose the Great Mysteries; its brain has resolved all the problems of

philosophy and life. Moreover, it possesses a Secret capable of realizing the world-old

dream of the Brotherhood of Man.50

The "Secret" it possessed, and is now manifesting, is the program followed by the New Age

Movement. From this point we are able to trace the present New Age Movement to

Freemasonry.

Female Freemasons and the New Age Movement

All European Masonic Orders, including the French Grand Orient and many of the British

Masonic sub-orders, permitted female membership. Two of the most renowned female Masons

were Helena Petrovna Blavatsky and her protege' Annie Besant.51 Miller has stated that the

names of women members of the O.T.O. are never divulged publicly. It is assumed, however,

that Besant was an initiate, since she was frequently seen in the company of O.T.O. male

membership. Miller did find mention of Blavatsky in Freemasonry Universal, Volume V, part 2,

"Autumn Equinox," 1929, an O.T.O. publication which states:

"'Madame Blavatsky's masonic [sic] certificate in the Ancient and Primitive Rite of Masonry was

issued in the year 1877.'"52 This fact is also confirmed in Mackey's Encyclopedia of

Freemasonry.53

At the end of the nineteenth century, when English Freemasonry established front organizations

to act as conduits of Masonic thought, Madame Blavatsky's Theosophical Society had already

been flourishing since 1875. We have seen earlier how Blavatsky had come under the influence

and teachings of Joseph Mazzini, who encouraged her to put her revolutionary beliefs into

practice by fighting alongside Italian Freemason Garibaldi. Many Masons joined her society,

including Albert Pike. The Society, however, was open to Lucifer worshiping non-Masons as

well.54

In 1887, one year after the Quatuor Coronati Research Lodge was founded, Blavatsky settled in

London and started a Theosophical magazine called Lucifer the Light-bringer. While in London

she also published two books - Secret Doctrine and Isis Unveiled. Annie Besant was presented to

Madame Blavatsky in 1889 by the socialist, Freemason Herbert Burrows. Besant immediately

succumbed to Blavatsky's irresistible magnetism and formidable power of suggestion. After

Blavatsky died on May 8, 1891, members in the Theosophical Society battled over leadership for

the next sixteen years. Finally, in 1907, at the behest of Freemason Sir Walter Besant, the

363

Quatuor Coronati Lodge appointed his sister, Annie Besant, as President.

Miss Besant was affiliated with a number of sub-Masonic societies and fronts, such as the Fabian

Society, the O.T.O. and Aleister Crowley's Masonic Stella Matutina. She had joined the Stella

Matutina after it splintered from the Golden Dawn. The two orders were again united in 1912

under the original name Golden Dawn. At that time, Aleister Crowley was one of its leaders.

That same year Crowley was initiated into the O.T.O. In 1913 a schism in Besant's Theosophical

Society occurred, resulting in 33rd degree Freemason Rudolph Steiner founding the

Anthroposophical Society, which also was Luciferian.55 Steiner's society became the first link

between the Bolshevik Revolution and Freemasonry.56

Besant's Masonic assignment in the Theosophical Society was to find a world leader. Not only

was she to find him, but prepare him as the Christ Lord Maitreya - and then announce his

coming. Her first attempt in 1908 met with failure. Her second try was better known. On

December28, 1911, a 16-year-old Hindu boy was allegedly found to be possessed by the spirit of

Krishna and the Christ. In 1926 the Society presented him as Krishnamurti, the "World Teacher."

Thirty-third degree Mason C.W. Leadbeater, a Masonic author at the turn of the century, was

selected to train Krishnamurti as Messiah.57

In the 1920s, when Annie Besant was introducing to the world the Christ Lord Maitreya in the

body of Krishnamurti, there was heavy drug consumption in her tent meetings. The London

Patriot, August 29, 1929, reported that "this drug, according to some occultists, [was] one of the

most powerful in 'liberating the spirit from the body."'58

Besant's second attempt, however, also failed when in 1929 Krishnamurti became bored with the

scheme and retired.59 By then Hitler's star was on the rise, and the New Agers were looking to

him as their redeemer.60

Funding the New Age Movement: The Lucis Trust

Another follower of Madame Blavatsky and member of the Theosophical Society was Alice

Bailey. Bailey, a self-proclaimed witch whose husband was a Freemason, founded in 1922 the

Lucifer Publishing Company of New York, which name has since been changed to Lucis mist to

disguise its real origins and identity. (Lucis is Latin for Lucifer.) Lucifer Publishing marketed

Bailey's first book, Initiation Humcm and Solar.61 Later she published Externalization of the

Hierarchy, in which she claimed the hierarchy in Freemasonry was responsible for the New Age

Movement. She said the "work of destruction" [social destabilization] began in the year

1775.~'62

Bailey was probably referring to the Illuminati. Seventy years later Albert Pike revived the

conspiracy in the Palladian. At the turn of the century the hierarchy became domiciled in the

O.T.O. Today the hierarchy resides in Bailey's Lucis Trust. In 1982 Lucis Trust was

headquartered at 866 United Nations Plaza, Suite 566/7, New York, NY 10017-1888. It has since

364

moved to another location in New York. At its helm in 1982 was Freemason Robert S.

McNamara, Secretary of Defense under Kennedy and past president of the World Bank. Today

McNamara meets regularly with the World Federalist Movement to read Blavatsky and Besant.

On a clear midnight he is noted for bathing in moonbeams.63

A few other prominent members of Lucis Trust are David Rockefeller, major stockholder in

Chase Manhattan Bank and Exxon; his brother John D. Rockefeller iv; an avowed Buddhist;

Cyrus Vance, Secretary of State under Jimmy Carter; Rabbi Marc Tannebaum, head of the

American Jewish Committee; the Marshall Field family: Anglican Bishop Paul Moore, founder

of a school of witchcraft in the Anglican Church of St. John the Divine, New York; Walter

Cronkite, retired news anchor of CBS News; Ted Turner, owner of Cable News Network, who

promotes the Church of Scientology on his network; and Barbara Marx Hubbard, a prominent

speaker for the New Age Movement and the once-considered-running-mate of Presidential

candidate Walter Mondale. Last, but not least, is 33rd degree Freemason Henry Clausen, Past

Supreme Grand Commander of the Supreme Council, Southern Jurisdiction of Scottish Rite

Freemasonry.64

The Lucis Trust also accepts corporate memberships. Among them are the following prestigious

organizations: the Rockefeller Foundation, the Carnegie Endowment Fund, the United Nations

Association, the Theosophical Order of Service, the Findhorn Foundation, Greenpeace USA,

Greenpeace UK, Amnesty International, and the Southern Jurisdiction of Scottish Rite

Freemasonry. 65

Under McNamara's administration, Lucis Trust paid for a full-page ad promoting the New Age

in Reader's Digest, October 1982, page 203. In December 1991 Reader's Digest ran the ad again

on page 201. Both ads are reproduced in Appendix 2, Fig. 11. Deceptively written to appeal to

all religions, the ads contain the New Age prayer to bring in Lord Maitreya, the New Age Christ.

With such corporate and individual wealth at its disposal the New Age Movement can easily buy

multi-million dollar advertising across the nation. The Lucis Trust has undoubtedly taken the

place of Weishaupt's Illuminati, Pike's Palladian and Kellner's O.T.O. Its dominant position and

purpose are identical to the previous three.

The Lucis Trust has sponsored many Masonic programs, such as the now defunct television talk

show, "Faith Focus" of Dallas, Texas. During the period that Faith Focus was on the air (1982-

1985), advertising at program breaks was identical to the Reader's Digest ad - the prayer to bring

in Lord Maitreya.

Host of "Faith Focus" was Freemason Rev. Walker Railey, a Methodist minister. In 1987 the city

of Dallas was shocked when Railey was suspected of strangling his wife. Finally, in September

1992 he was arrested and is now awaiting trial.

In 1987, as Railey was preparing his alibi, he admitted in a recording of being attacked by

365

demons, a not unusual occurrence with those who tamper with the occult.66 Alice Bailey would

be proud of this "earth purifier."

In reference to the Lucis Trust, Bailey states in Externalization of the Hierarchy, that

Freemasonry "will meet the need of those who can, and should wield power." She further

informs us that Masonry is the "seat of initiation" and "under the All-Seeing Eye the work can go

forward."67

The various divines and gurus of the New Age continue to announce the arrival of the world

teacher and proclaim the movement's Luciferian doctrines. Among them, Benjamin Creme, a

New Age guru, writes in Share International, that "Freemasonry, as one of the Paths to

Initiation, will be open to all those men and women who fit themselves for entry to the New

Age." Creme is today the Masonic New Age Movement's torch-bearer for the emergence of

"Maitreya the Christ"" Apparently the Movement has found another body for their "World

Teacher" to possess.

Another New Age leader, David Spangler, is author of Reflection on the Christ. In this book he,

too, proclaims the Masonic Luciferian Doctrine:

When man entered upon the pathway to self, he entered into a great creative adventure.. of

learning the meaning of divinity by accepting to himself the responsibility of a microcosmic

world unto whom he is the god.... The being that helps man to reach this point is Lucifer.. .the

angel of man's evolution.. the spirit of light in the microcosmic world.69

Spangler goes on to blasphemously state that "Christ is the same force as Lucifer." Finally he

says:

Lucifer prepares man for the experience of Christhood... [he is] the great Initiator.... Lucifer

works within each of us to bring us to wholeness, and as we move into a New Age.. .each of us

in some way is brought to that point which I term the Luciferic Initiation.. that many people

now, and in the days ahead, will be facing, for it is an initiation into the new age.70

Finally, 33rd degree Mason Manly P. Hall, one of the first New Age speakers in America, has

informed the occult world of the power of the Blue Lodge Mason. In The Lost Keys of

Freemasonry, Manly wrote, "The seething energies of Lucifer are in his hands... "71

Freemasonry's New Age fronts have expanded to such magnitude that there are now over 10,000

affiliates in the United States alone ,72 all controlled directly or indirectly by Freemasonry. As

far back as 1930, Stoddard explained the Masonic purpose behind these New Age fronts:

Secretly here and there individuals are prepared; these again form groups or centres from

which influences spread until they form a veritable magnetic network covering the entire

world. Like rays from a hidden sun these groups are apparently divergent and detached, but

in reality all issue from the same central body. Studying all these different groups and

366

movements the system is seen to be an insidious and secret dissemination of ideas, orienting

and creating the required outlook on life, etc., eventually breaking down all barriers of

family, religion, morality, nationality, and all self-initiated thought, always under the cloak of

a new and more modern religion, new thought, new morality, a new heaven and a new earth;

until it evolves a gigantic robot merely answering to the will and commands of a secret

Master Mind.73

The secret "Master Mind" controlling Freemasonry today is, of course, Satan through the Lucis

mist. In its hierarchy are members of the Supreme Council of the 33rd degree. Rev. Jim Shaw, a

former 33rd degree Mason, tells how the Supreme Council controls this network of occult fronts:

"Every thirty-third degree Supreme Council member carries a certificate allowing him presiding

entry into all occult bodies in the world."74 These high Masons are titled "Sovereign Grand

Inspectors General." They quietly move in and out of thousands of front societies to "inspect"

them, insuring that Masonry's goal of establishing a one-world government, ruled over by its

own created false Christ, is on track.

Freemasonry had an Inspector General on hand during the United Nations' New Age University

of Peace conference held on the Island of Malta, March 2-7, 1985. The theme of the conference

was "Spirit of Peace." The Inspector General was 33rd degree Prince Bernhardt of the

Netherlands, one of the most powerful Masons in the world. Bernhardt is known to conspiracy

researchers as the founder of the Bildebergers, precursor of the Trilateral Commission.

Also present at this gathering was Marilyn Fergusson, author of The Aquarian Conspiracy. The

fourteenth Dalai Lama of Tibet, "His Holiness" Tenzin Gyatso, was there. Coretta Scott King,

wife of the late Martin Luther King and a leading proponent of world peace was registered as a

guest. Robert Muller, assistant Secretary General of the U.N. and member of the Board of

Planetary Citizens, was at the conference. It was Muller, in 1982, who said, "The Human person

and planetary citizenship must be given absolute priority over national citizen ship." Freemason

Desmond Tutu, Nobel Peace Prize winner in 1984, was also hobnobbing with the occult elite on

Malta.75

Thtu is the Anglican Bishop of South Africa. He was deliberately elevated to his position by the

Anglican Church in London, so that he could be ready and in place to foment revolution while

hiding behind his clerical robes. "This should not surprise our readers," writes the editor of

World Economic Review, "since it is a well known fact that the Anglican Church leadership in

England is riddled with 33rd degree Freemasons. Thus we can now tell you that it was NOT the

people of the Anglican Church who gave Thtu his position, it was the Mason-riddled hierarchy

inside the Anglican Church that did so.'"76

A branch of the Anglican Church in America is the Episcopal Church. It too is controlled by

English Freemasonry. The World Economic Review reports that Lucis Trust member, Bishop

Paul Moore of the Episcopal Church of St. John The Divine in New York City, "runs several

367

witchcraft schools on Long Island, the most notable being the Foxfire school. Moore is

controlled by the ultra-secret Masonic Quatuor Coronati Lodge in London, which always has as

a 'Member of Forty' the head of the Anglican Church."77

The Great "Falling Away" in America

How successful has Freemasonry been in furthering her New Age philosophy in the United

States? The answer is given in the Omega Letter which calls the New Age Movement the fastest

growing religious belief system in the United States today. The Omega-Letter quotes an article

on a recent American Health magazine survey which revealed that 69 percent of Americans

claim to believe some or all of the New Age Movement's central teachings.78

Scripture of course prophesies this apostasy. The apostle Paul wrote in II Thessalonians 2:1 & 3:

"Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering

together unto him that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first..."

The Greek word for "falling away" is apostasia, from where we receive our English word

apostasy. Strong's Concordance defines it as a "defection from truth."79 Christ will not return

until after there is a "defection from truth."

Christian brother in Freemasonry, you are in fellowship with an order that has caused the great

"falling away." And according to Scripture, Jesus Christ will return soon afterward. Before His

return He is calling you out of Freemasonry. Hear His voice in Revelation 18:4: "Come out of

her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues."

Scarlet and the Beast

by John Daniel

https://ia803001.us.archive.org/28/items/ScarletAndTheBeastJohnDaniel1995/Scarlet%20and%20the%20Beast,%20John%20Daniel%20(1995).pdf

Meghan, Duchess of Sussex (/ˈmɛɡən/; born Rachel Meghan Markle, August 4, 1981), is an American member of the British royal family, media personality, entrepreneur, and former actress. She is married to Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, the younger son of King Charles III.

Meghan was born and raised in Los Angeles, California. Her acting career began at Northwestern University. She played the part of Rachel Zane for seven seasons (2011–2018) in the legal drama series Suits. She also developed a social media presence, which included The Tig (2014–2017), a lifestyle blog. During The Tig period, Meghan became involved in charity work focused primarily on women's issues and social justice. She was married to the film producer Trevor Engelson from 2011 until their divorce in 2014.

Meghan retired from acting upon her marriage to Prince Harry in 2018 and became known as the Duchess of Sussex. They have two children: Archie and Lilibet. The couple stepped down as working royals in January 2020, moved to Meghan's native Southern California and launched Archewell Inc., a Beverly Hills-based mix of for-profit and not-for-profit (charitable) business organizations. In March 2021, she and her husband participated in Oprah with Meghan and Harry, a much-publicized American television interview by Oprah Winfrey. She has written the children's book The Bench, hosted a podcast Archetypes (2022), and has starred in the Netflix series Harry & Meghan (2022) and With Love, Meghan (2025). Her lifestyle and cooking brand, As Ever, was officially launched in April 2025.

Early life and education

Further information: Family of Meghan, Duchess of Sussex

Rachel Meghan Markle was born on August 4, 1981, at West Park Hospital in Canoga Park, Los Angeles, California. She identifies as mixed race; "My dad is Caucasian and my mom is African American. I'm half black and half white."[1] Her parents – the former makeup artist Doria Ragland (born 1956) and Thomas Markle Sr. (born 1944), a television lighting director and director of photography[2] – separated when she was two years old and divorced four years later.[3][4][5]

Markle reportedly has a close relationship with her mother.[6][7] Until the age of nine, both parents contributed to raising her; then, her father was left in charge of caring for her (while her mother pursued a career) so Meghan lived with him full-time before commencing university at age eighteen.[8][9] Markle Sr. worked as a director of photography and lighting for General Hospital and Married... with Children, and Meghan occasionally visited the set of Married... with Children as a child.[10][11] In later life, she became estranged from her father and paternal half-siblings, Samantha Markle and Thomas Markle Jr.[12][13]

Growing up in View Park–Windsor Hills, Los Angeles,[14] Markle attended Hollywood Little Red Schoolhouse.[15][16] At age eleven, she and her classmates wrote to Procter & Gamble to gender-neutralize a dishwashing soap commercial on national television.[17] She was raised as a Christian, though conflicting reports indicate she was raised either Catholic or Protestant.[18][19][20] She graduated from Immaculate Heart High School (Los Angeles), a fee-charging all-girls Catholic school.[21] Markle took part in plays and musicals at the school, where her father helped with lighting.[22] During her teenage years, she worked at a local frozen yogurt shop and a donut shop and later as a nanny and waitress.[23][24][25] She also volunteered at a soup kitchen in Skid Row, Los Angeles.[26][27]

In 1999, she was admitted to Northwestern University (NU) in Evanston, Illinois, where she joined Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority.[28][29][30] With other members of Kappa Kappa Gamma, Markle did volunteer work with the Glass Slipper Project. After her junior year, her uncle Michael Markle helped secure her an internship as a junior press officer at the American embassy in Buenos Aires,[31] and she considered a political career.[32][33] However, she did not score high enough in the Foreign Service Officer test to proceed further with the US State Department[34] and returned to NU. She also attended a study abroad program in Madrid.[29] In 2003, Markle earned her bachelor's degree with a double major in theater and international studies from Northwestern's School of Communication.[32][34]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meghan,_Duchess_of_Sussex

California

name of an imaginary realm in "Las sergas de Esplandián" ("Exploits of Espladán"), a romance by Spanish writer Garci Ordóñez de Montalvo, published in 1510. It was a sequel to his "Amadis de Gaula," and was said to have been influential among Spanish explorers of the New World. It could have led them to misidentify Baja California as this mythical land and to mistake it for an island. The Amadis tales are the Iberian equivalent of the Arthurian romances; they are older than 1510 (traces of them have been found mid-14c.) and were wildly popular. That conquistadors and sailors would have known the story in all its imaginative detail is hardly surprising.

Amadis de Gaula ... set a fashion: all later Spanish writers of books of chivalry adopted the machinery of Amadis de Gaula. Later knights were not less brave (they could not be braver than) Amadis; heroines were not less lovely (they could not be lovelier) than Oriana; there was nothing for it but to make the dragons more appalling, the giants larger, the wizards craftier, the magic castles more inaccessible, the enchanted lakes deeper. Subsequent books of chivalry are simple variants of the types in Amadis de Gaula: Cervantes made his barber describe it as 'the best of all books of this kind.' This verdict is essentially just. Amadis de Gaula was read everywhere, especially in the French version of Herberay des Essarts. It was done into Hebrew during the sixteenth century, and attracted readers as different as St Ignatius of Loyola and Henry of Navarre. Its vogue perhaps somewhat exceeded its merit, but its merits are not inconsiderable. [James Fitzmaurice-Kelly, "Spanish Literature," 1922 edition]

Where Montalvo got the name and what it means, if anything, is a mystery. In reference to the native inhabitants, Californian is attested from 1785 as an adjective, 1789 as a noun. The element Californium (1950) was named in reference to University of California, where it was discovered.

also from 1510

https://www.etymonline.com/word/California

Ignatius Loyola, a Catholic Priest, theologian and founder of the Jesuit Order of the Catholic Church in the 16th Century, said, among his many inspiring sayings, “Go forth and set the world on fire."

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

Kali (/ˈkɑːliː/; Sanskrit: काली, IAST: Kālī), also called Kalika, is a major goddess in Hinduism, primarily associated with time, death and destruction. The origins of Kali can be traced to the pre-Vedic and Vedic era Goddess worship traditions in Ancient India.[1] Kali is the first of the ten Mahavidyas in the Hindu tantric tradition and is the supreme deity in the Kalikula worship tradition.[2]

The first major appearance of Kali in the Sanskrit literature was in the sixth-century CE text Devi Mahatmya.[1] Kali appears in numerous stories, with her most famous being when she sprang from the goddess Durga's fury to defeat the demon Raktabija. She is stated to destroy evil and defend the innocent. Kali is worshipped as the Divine Mother, Mother of the Universe, and Divine feminine energy.[3][4][5]

Shakta and Tantric sects additionally worship Kali as the ultimate reality or Brahman.[5] She is also seen as the divine protector and bestower of moksha (liberation).[3] Worshipped throughout South Asia but particularly in Nepal, Southern India, Bengal, and Assam, Kali is a central figure in the goddess-centric traditions of Hinduism as well as in Shaivism.[1][6]

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

Kahramanmaraş (Turkish pronunciation: [kahɾaˈmanmaɾaʃ]), historically Marash (Turkish: Maraş; Armenian: Մարաշ) and Germanicea (Greek: Γερμανίκεια), is a city in the Mediterranean region of Turkey and the administrative centre of Kahramanmaraş province. After 1973, Maraş was officially named Kahramanmaraş with the prefix kahraman (Turkish word meaning "heroic") to commemorate the Battle of Marash. The city lies on a plain at the foot of Mount Ahır.

On 6 February 2023, much of the city was destroyed in the 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquakes[2] which had their epicentre in Pazarcık and Elbistan in Kahramanmaraş province.[3]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kahramanmara%C5%9F

AI Overview

Meghan Markle has revealed she is partly Nigerian, with a genealogy test showing she is 43% Nigerian. She discovered this heritage through a DNA test and discussed it on her podcast, Archetypes. She later visited Nigeria with Prince Harry to promote mental health initiatives and was welcomed as an embrace of her newfound heritage, with some Nigerians bestowing a new royal title upon her.  

The Discovery

Genealogy Test: Markle discovered her Nigerian heritage in 2022 by taking a DNA test.

Podcast Revelation: She shared this discovery on her podcast, Archetypes, where she referred to the experience as "eye-opening and humbling".

Family Connection: She also contacted her mother, Doria Ragland, who was also unaware of their specific Nigerian lineage.

Visit to Nigeria

Purpose: Markle and Prince Harry visited Nigeria in May 2024 for a three-day trip to promote mental health for soldiers and young girls.

Royal Title: During the visit, she was named Princess of Arochukwu Ancient Kingdom and given the new Nigerian name Adetokunbo.

Embracing Heritage: Markle expressed her excitement about the discovery and her appreciation for the warm welcome she received in Nigeria, even referring to the country as "my country".

AI responses may include mistakes. Learn more

Peter Kodwo Appiah Turkson (born 11 October 1948) is a Ghanaian Catholic prelate who has been a cardinal since 2003 and has served as chancellor of the Pontifical Academies of Sciences since 2022.[1]

He was president of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace from 2009 to 2017 and the inaugural prefect of the Dicastery for the Promotion of Integral Human Development from 2017 to 2021.[2] Turkson was previously Archbishop of Cape Coast from 1992 to 2009, and was made a cardinal by Pope John Paul II in 2003. He has been viewed as papabile, a likely candidate for election to the papacy, both during the 2013 papal conclave which elected Pope Francis, as well as the 2025 papal conclave, which elected Pope Leo XIV.

Early life and priesthood

Turkson is an ethnic Fante and was born in Wassa Nsuta in Western Ghana to a Methodist Protestant mother and a Roman Catholic father.[3] He is the fourth child of ten children. His mother sold vegetables in the open market while his father worked as a carpenter. He had a paternal uncle who was a Muslim.[4] He studied at St. Teresa's Minor Seminary in Amisano and St. Peter's Regional Seminary in Pedu, Cape Coast, before attending St. Anthony-on-Hudson Seminary in Rensselaer, New York, where he graduated with an M.A. in Theology and a Master of Divinity. He was ordained to the priesthood by Archbishop John Amissah on 20 July 1975. Additionally, he earned a licentiate in Sacred Scripture from the Pontifical Biblical Institute in Rome in 1980. He returned to St Teresa's for a year, 1980–81, and became vice-rector at St Peter's Seminary in 1981. He also did pastoral work in a parish annexed to the seminary. From 1987 to 1992, he pursued doctoral studies in Sacred Scripture at the Pontifical Biblical Institute but his work on his thesis was interrupted by his appointment as archbishop of Cape Coast.

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

https://www.facebook.com/4williamdunn/posts/pfbid0HtjR8GmCuEWiicUcyFHMYpiK9a9DVXcTd2muUDKhQExpLn9zqWt9JY4Hre4twoYPl

New Jack City is a 1991 American crime action film directed by Mario Van Peebles (in his feature film directorial debut) and written by Thomas Lee Wright and Barry Michael Cooper, based on a story by Wright. The film stars Wesley Snipes, Ice-T, Allen Payne, Chris Rock, Judd Nelson, Bill Cobbs, Bill Nunn, and Van Peebles. Its plot follows Nino Brown, a drug lord in New York City during the crack epidemic, and Scotty Appleton, an NYPD detective who vows to end Nino's rise to power by going undercover to work for Nino's gang.[2]

New Jack City premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on January 17, 1991, and was released in the United States by Warner Bros. Pictures on March 8, 1991.

Plot

In the New York City neighborhood of Harlem, Nino Brown and his gang, the Cash Money Brothers (CMB), become the dominant drug ring once crack cocaine is introduced to the streets. His gang consists of Gerald "Gee Money" Wells, his best friend since childhood; enforcer and personal bodyguard Duh Duh Duh Man; gun moll Keisha; Nino's girlfriend, Selina Thomas; and her tech-savvy cousin, ex-bank teller Kareem Akbar.

Nino converts the Carter apartment complex into a crack house. Gee Money and Keisha kill rival Fat Smitty, and the CMB forces out the tenants and landlord. Meanwhile, Scotty Appleton, an undercover police detective working with the NYPD, attempts to make a deal with stick-up kid Pookie, who absconds with the money. Appleton chases and shoots Pookie in the leg, but released on bail. As the years pass, Nino's gang successfully run the streets of Harlem with absolute power.

When Stone, the leader of the CMB police operation, comes under pressure from NYPD Commissioner Fred R. Price, Appleton, currently on suspension for shooting Pookie, volunteers to infiltrate Nino's gang and is partnered with loose-cannon Nick Peretti. Elsewhere, mobster and tax collector Frankie Needles attempts to get protection money from Nino, who refuses to pay. While Appleton and Peretti observe Nino and his gang handing out Thanksgiving turkeys to the poor, Appleton spots Pookie, now a crack addict, and soon gets him into rehab.

Later, Pookie offers to help bring down Nino. Against his better judgment and the disapproval of Stone and Peretti, Appleton recruits Pookie as an informant. When Pookie relapses, Gee Money realizes that he is wired and orders the Carter destroyed. The cops find Pookie's booby-trapped corpse; Peretti defuses the explosives seconds before it explodes. Nino angrily warns Gee Money against repeating such a costly mistake.

After Pookie's funeral, Appleton and Peretti, no longer needed by Stone, go undercover as drug dealers. After bribing Frankie, Appleton infiltrates the CMB, partly due to Gee Money's increasing ambition and drug use. Though Nino distrusts them, he agrees to do business. After relating an anecdote about his own violent initiation into a gang in 1974, Nino warns that he will kill both Appleton and Gee Money if any problems occur. Appleton gains Nino's trust when he reveals information about Gee Money's side deal and saves him from a gun-toting "Old Man" who had earlier appealed to police for help against Nino.

While Nino, Appleton, and the CMB attend a wedding, Peretti sneaks into Nino's mansion to collect evidence. Don Armeteo, Frankie's boss, sends mobsters to kill Nino, and a massive shootout erupts. When Nino uses a child as a shield, Appleton attempts to shoot Nino in the back; Keisha is killed. Later, Nino throws Selina out when she condemns his nature, before killing Don Armeteo and his crew single-handedly.

Stone, Appleton and Peretti arrange a sting operation to nab Nino. Kareem, aware of Appleton and Pookie's connection, exposes Appleton, and a shootout ensues. Peretti saves Appleton by killing the Duh Duh Duh Man, and Nino escapes. That night, Nino confronts and regretfully kills Gee Money. After the gang's collapse, Nino holes up in an apartment and continues his criminal empire solo. Appleton, Peretti, and the police assault the complex, where Appleton brutally beats Nino, revealing that it was his mother whom Nino killed in his gang initiation. Peretti dissuades Appleton from killing Nino, who is taken into custody.

At his trial, Nino pleads guilty to a lesser charge, claims to have been forced to help the gang due to threats, and identifies Kareem as the leader. He is sentenced to only a year in jail. As Nino speaks with reporters outside the courtroom, the Old Man confronts and fatally shoots him in the chest, causing Nino to fall over a balcony to his death. Appleton and Peretti leave satisfied as onlookers look down at Nino's dead body.

In the closing moments, an epilogue states that the crack epidemic is still ongoing and decisive action must be taken to stop real-life Nino Brown analogs.

Cast

Wesley Snipes as Nino Brown

Ice-T as Det. Scotty Appleton

Allen Payne as Gerald "Gee Money" Wells

Chris Rock as Benny "Pookie" Robinson

Judd Nelson as Det. Nick Peretti

Mario Van Peebles as Det. Stone

Michael Michele as Selina Thomas

Bill Nunn as the "Duh Duh Duh Man"

Russell Wong as Park

Bill Cobbs as the "Old Man"

Christopher Williams as Kareem Akbar

Vanessa Estelle Williams as Keisha, a female gang member of the CMB.

Tracy Camilla Johns as Uniqua, Gee Money's ex-girlfriend who falls for Nino.

Anthony DeSando as Frankie Needles

Nick Ashford as Reverend Oates

Thalmus Rasulala as Commissioner Fred R. Price

Phyllis Yvonne Stickney as Prosecuting Attorney Hawkins

John Aprea as Don Armeteo

Fab Five Freddy as the Master of Ceremonies

Flavor Flav as a DJ

Eek-A-Mouse as a drug-dealing Rastafarian

Keith Sweat as singer at the wedding

Production

The film is based upon an original story and screenplay written by Thomas Lee Wright, who had worked as a story editor at The Walt Disney Company and Columbia Pictures before moving to creative executive at Paramount Pictures.[3] According to Carl Hart, who corresponded with Wright following Hart's criticism of New Jack City, the screenplay was originally written as The Godfather: Part III, and featured a protagonist who sold heroin rather than cocaine.[4] Wright wrote a treatment for Paramount on the idea, which they liked enough to have him try to do a first draft. Wright based his script to interviews he had with people from Little Italy in New York along with the story of Nicky Barnes, the black kingpin that had modeled his criminal organization in Harlem after the Mafia. Wright later wrote, directed and produced Eight Tray Gangster: The Making of a Crip, a documentary of gang life in South Central Los Angeles.[5][citation needed]

The screenplay was co-written by Barry Michael Cooper, a former investigative reporter with the Village Voice who would later write the screenplays for the 1994 dramatic films Above the Rim and Sugar Hill, the latter of which also starred Snipes. Cooper's rewrite was adapted from his December 1987 Village Voice cover story entitled "Kids Killing Kids: New Jack City Eats Its Young," about the drug war in Detroit.[6] The account referred to the 20th anniversary of the 1967 riots in Detroit, and in its wake, the rise of crack cocaine gangs in the late 1980s, such as Young Boys Inc., and the Chambers Brothers. The original story received notice from Quincy Jones, who sought a meeting with Cooper. He was then tasked with re-writes on a screenplay that had been done about the life of Nicky Barnes.[7]

Filming took place in New York City between April 16 and June 6, 1990.

Reception

Harlem's real life Graham Court, known in the film as the "Carter"

New Jack City was favorably received by film critics for its cast, storyline, and soundtrack.[8] Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave the film three and a half stars out of four, writing:

Truffaut once said it was impossible to make an anti-war movie, because the war sequences would inevitably be exciting and get the audience involved on one side or the other. It is almost as difficult to make an anti-drug movie, since the lifestyle and money of the drug dealers looks like fun, at least until they're killed. This movie pulls off that tricky achievement. Nino, who looks at the dead body of Scarface and laughs, does not get the last laugh.[9]

Time Out London described the film as "a superior example of what used to be called blaxploitation."[10]

The film initially premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on January 17, 1991, before being released nationally on March 8, 1991. The film, produced with an estimated $8,000,000 budget, grossed $7,039,622 during its opening weekend. It became the highest-grossing independent film of 1991, grossing a total of $47,624,253 domestically. The film holds an 81% on Rotten Tomatoes based on 36 reviews, with an average rating of 6.7 out of 10. The site's consensus states: "Stylishly directed by Mario Van Peebles, New Jack City offsets its melodramatic streak with electrifying action and a cavalcade of effective performances."[11] On Metacritic the film has a weighted average score of 61 out of 100, based on 13 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[12]

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

Pedro Arrupe y Gondra, SJ (14 November 1907 – 5 February 1991) was a Spanish Catholic priest who served as the 28th superior general of the Society of Jesus from 1965 to 1983.[3] He has been called a second founder of the Society, which he led in the implementation of the Second Vatican Council, especially with regard to faith that does justice and preferential option for the poor.[4][3]

Born in 1907 in Bilbao, Arrupe joined the Jesuits in 1927 and was ordained to the priesthood in 1936. While serving as a novice master outside Hiroshima in 1945, Arrupe used his medical background as a first responder to the atomic bombing of Hiroshima.[5]

In 1983, paralysis from a stroke caused Arrupe to resign from office. He lived on until 1991, when he died in the local Jesuit infirmary.[5] His cause for sainthood was opened by the Jesuits and the Diocese of Rome in 2018.

Later life

On 7 August 1981, after a long and tiring trip throughout the Far East, Arrupe suffered a stroke just after his plane landed at Rome's Fiumicino Airport. He was paralysed on his right side and was able to speak only a few words. This ability gradually deteriorated until he was completely mute. From that time on he lived in the infirmary at the Jesuit headquarters in Rome. He then became the first-ever Jesuit superior general to resign. Pope John Paul II appointed Paolo Dezza as his personal delegate and interim Father General of the Society, passing over Arrupe's own choice (his vicar general). Many Jesuits saw this as an unwarranted papal interference in Jesuit affairs. For his part, Arrupe never expressed any disagreement or resentment.[13] Jesuit disobedience to the pope that was expected by some at the Roman Curia never came about.[27] With new respect for the Jesuits, Pope John Paul allowed Dezza to call the thirty-third General Congregation and elect a successor to Arrupe, whose resignation was accepted on 3 September 1983 during the Congregation. He was succeeded by Peter Hans Kolvenbach. During the opening Session of the Congregation, Arrupe was wheeled into the hall, and a prayer which he had written was read aloud:

"More than ever I find myself in the hands of God. This is what I have wanted all my life from my youth. But now there is a difference; the initiative is entirely with God. It is indeed a profound spiritual experience to know and feel myself so totally in God's hands."[9]

During his ten years in the infirmary, Arrupe received many and frequent well-wishers, including Pope John Paul II. Arrupe had earlier expressed what some regard as the key to his life: "Nowadays the world does not need words but lives that cannot be explained except through faith and love for Christ's poor."[4]

Death and burial

Arrupe died at 7:45pm on 5 February 1991, the anniversary of the 26 Martyrs of Japan. His final words had been: "For the present, Amen; for the future, Alleluia."[28]

His funeral was held in the Church of the Gesu, Rome, on February 9 and was attended by crowds that filled the piazza outside the church. Also in attendance were 10 cardinals, 20 bishops, Giulio Andreotti (the Prime Minister of Italy), as well as other religious and civil dignitaries. His body, first interred in the Jesuit mausoleum at Campo Verano, was brought back into the Church of the Gesù where it currently lies in a side chapel.[29]

Beatification process

On 11 July 2018, the Father General of the Society of Jesus, Arturo Sosa, announced the beginning of Arrupe's beatification process by the Diocese of Rome.[30] On 14 November 2018, a website was established with testimonials and archival material on his life.[31] On 14 November 2024, Cardinal-elect Baldassare Reina presided over the diocesan tribunal's termination of its inquiry at the Lateran Palace. The Dicastery for the Causes of Saints will next determine whether Arrupe should be declared Venerable.[32]

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

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

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

Earthquake Promo [1991-01-26]

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

Weather as a Force Multiplier: Owning the Weather in 2025

In 2025, US aerospace forces can own the weather by capitalizing on emerging technologies and focusing development of those technologies to war fighting applications. Such a capability offers the war fighter tools to shape the battlespace in ways never before possible. It provides opportunities to impact operations across the full spectrum of conflict and is pertinent to all possible futures. The purpose of this paper is to outline a strategy for the use of a future weather modification system to achieve military objectives rather than to provide a detailed technical road map. A high risk, high reward endeavor, weather modification offers a dilemma not unlike the splitting of the atom While some segments of society will always be reluctant to examine controversial issues such as weather modification, the tremendous military capabilities that could result from this field are ignored at our own peril. From enhancing friendly operations or disrupting those of the enemy via small scale tailoring of natural weather patterns to complete dominance of global communications and counterspace control, weather modification offers the war fighter a wide range of possible options to defeat or coerce an adversary. Some of the potential capabilities a weather modification system could provide to a war fighting commander in chief CINC are listed in table 1. Technology advancements in five major areas are necessary for an integrated weather modification capability 1 advanced nonlinear modeling techniques, 2 computational capability, 3 information gathering and transmission, 4 a global sensor array, and 5 weather intervention techniques. Some intervention tools exist today and others may be developed and refined in the future."

Weather as a Force Multiplier: Owning the Weather in 2025 (dtic.mil)

As early as 1990, weather force specialists at the U.S. Air Force Academy were hard at work studying how to chemically mix and lay “aerial obscuration” they called “chemtrails.” Project Cloverleaf began quietly enough (as all classified projects do) with the 1994 Hughes Aircraft patent for Welsbach Seeding For Reduction of Global Warming. Welsbach seeding called for spreading highly reflective materials in the atmosphere to reflect back into space 1–2 percent of incoming sunlight and thus slow down “global warming.” However, it was also about beginning to create a more conductive atmosphere in preparation for Bernard Eastlund’s High-frequency Active Auroral Research Project (HAARP) already under construction in Alaska. The reflective material (~10 microns) to be added to jet auxiliary fuel tanks was the highly conductive compound aluminum oxide (Al2O3). The jet’s main tanks would be reserved for takeoff and landing, and the auxiliary loaded with Al2O3 for cruising altitude. Lawrence Livermore National Labs priced the program at US$1 billion per annum (in 1994 dollars). By the late 1990s, aerial grids were being laid over chosen regions and cities of the U.S. and other NATO nations. In 1996, the military went public with two documents that obliquely referenced what Cloverleaf was up to: the Pentagon paper “Weather as a Force Multiplier: Owning the Weather in 2025” in Air Force 2025,1 which called the chemical whitening effect “cirrus shielding”; and U.S. Space Command’s Vision for 2020 calling for full spectrum dominance of space, land, sea, and air.2 Air traffic controllers (ATC) at major airports were coached to re-route commercial air traffic around military craft engaged in “classified aerial operations” at 37,000–40,000 feet. ATC radar revealed a haze of aluminum and barium—Al2O3 for solar radiation management (SRM) geoengineering, barium stearate Ba(C18H35O2)2 for lubrication, radar imaging, and highpowered RF-microwave beam weapons.

A wide range of particles could be released into the stratosphere to achieve the SRM objective of scattering sunlight back to space. Sulfates and nanoparticles currently favored for SRM include sulfur dioxide, hydrogen sulfide, carbonyl sulfide, black carbon, and specially engineered discs composed of metallic aluminum, aluminum oxide and barium titanate. In particular, engineered nanoparticles are considered very promising. The particles would utilize photophoretic and electromagnetic forces to self-levitate above the stratosphere. These nanoparticles would remain suspended longer than sulfate particles, would not interfere with stratospheric chemistry, and would not produce acid rain. However, while promising, the self-levitating nanodisc has not been tested to verify efficacy, may increase ocean acidification due to atmospheric CO2 entrapment, has uncharacterized human health and environmental impacts, and may be prohibitively expensive.3

The truth is that the 10 billion SRM discs 10 micrometers across and 50 nanometers thick are engineered with a core of aluminum, a top layer of aluminum oxide, and a bottom layer of barium titanate—aluminum to reflect heat up, heavier barium purportedly to push the discs up (photophoresis). Introduce a magnetic component, then spray, and the nanoparticles will follow the Earth’s magnetic field into the upper atmosphere. By 1998, the Ontario Ministry of Environment (Canada) found 7X the safe limit for aluminum in rainwater samples. More and more citizens complained of sudden headaches, joint pains, dizziness, fatigue, acute asthma, gastrointestinal pain, coughs, and feverless flu symptoms. In 2000, Cloverleaf went public in an offhand way with a comment from an anonymous airline executive to independent scientist Clifford Carnicom, then the most visible scientist collecting data on the aerosol fallout over northern New Mexico. According to this “Deep Throat,” the purpose of Cloverleaf was “to allow commercial airlines to assist in releasing these chemicals into the atmosphere.”4 Military jets simply could not keep up with the “global dimming” now called solar radiation management (SRM), so the entire airline industry was being drafted in the name of national security."

Under An Ionized Sky: From Chemtrails To Space Fence Lockdown

by Elana Freeland

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1oneu_kEMMH5AeAffiWOR_7NJ0HptHJrC/view?usp=sharing

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

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.[11] 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.[12] A brokered convention occurs when a candidate does not receive a majority of votes on the first round of voting,[13] or when a candidate withdraws.[14]

Election Day in the United States is held on the first Tuesday that falls after the first Monday in November.[15] The 2028 presidential election will occur on November 7, 2028.

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.[16] For instance, Elon Musk, most well known for his leadership of Tesla, SpaceX, and X (formerly Twitter), is ineligible to serve as president as he is a naturalized citizen who was born in South Africa.[17] 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;[18] 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.[19] A convicted felon may serve as president.[20]

Incumbent president Trump along with former presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama are ineligible to be elected to a third term, as the Twenty-second Amendment forbids any person from being elected president more than twice.[21] Nonetheless, Trump has repeatedly suggested running for a third term, an idea supported by several of his allies, including Steve Bannon.[22] 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 amendment would not permit living presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, or Barack Obama to run for a third term, due to the allowed third term being contingent on the first two being served non-consecutively.[23] At CPAC 2025, conservative groups, such as the Third Term Project, supported Ogles' resolution and promoted the idea of Trump running for an as-yet unconstitutional third term.[24][25] In response, New York Democratic representative Dan Goldman planned to introduce a resolution affirming the Twenty-second Amendment.[26]

Trump meeting with Jeffries and Schumer on September 30, 2025, with Trump 2028 hats displayed

In March, Trump floated the possibility of serving a third term in an interview with NBC News, saying "A lot of people want me to do it. But, I mean, I basically tell them we have a long way to go, you know, it's very early in the administration. I'm focused on the current." He added that "there are methods" to run for a third term and that he was "not joking".[27] On April 24, 2025, multiple news outlets reported that the Trump store was selling "Trump 2028" hats.[28][29] In a May interview with NBC News, Trump said he would make it his goal to only serve two terms and named JD Vance and Marco Rubio as potential successors.[30] Trump said in an August interview on CNBC's Squawk Box that he would "probably not" run for a third term, though he would like to.[31] Later that month, Trump quipped that he could cancel the 2028 elections if the United States was at war.[32] During a meeting before the 2025 government shutdown with Hakeem Jeffries and Chuck Schumer, Trump had red hats with Trump 2028 emblazoned on the front. Jeffries later spoke after Trump posted a AI generated video to Truth Social of him throwing the hats at Jeffries, indicating the hats had appeared on the desk during the meeting and when he asked JD Vance if Vance had a problem with it, Vance responded "No comment".[33]

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

Raphael Gamaliel Warnock[1] (/ˈrɑːfiɛl ˈwɔːrnɒk/ RAH-fee-el WOR-nok; born July 23, 1969) is an American politician and Baptist pastor serving as the junior United States senator from Georgia, a seat he has held since 2021. A member of the Democratic Party, Warnock has been the senior pastor of Atlanta's Ebenezer Baptist Church since 2005.[2][3]

Warnock was the senior pastor of Douglas Memorial Community Church from 2001 to 2005.[4] He came to prominence in Georgia politics as a leading activist in the campaign to expand Medicaid in the state under the Affordable Care Act. He was the Democratic nominee in the 2020 United States Senate special election in Georgia, defeating incumbent Republican Kelly Loeffler in a runoff election.[5]

Warnock and Jon Ossoff are the first Democrats elected to the U.S. Senate from Georgia since Zell Miller in 2000.[6][7] Their elections were critical in securing a 50–50 Senate majority for Democrats, with Vice President Kamala Harris serving as the tie-breaking vote.[8] Warnock was a reliable supporter of Joe Biden's legislative efforts during his presidency.[9][10] He was reelected to a full term in 2022, defeating Republican nominee Herschel Walker.

Warnock is the first African American to represent Georgia in the Senate, the first Black Democrat elected to the Senate from a Southern state, and the second black U.S. Senator directly elected from a Southern state, after Tim Scott.[11][12][13]

Early life and education

Warnock was born in Savannah, Georgia, on July 23, 1969.[14] He grew up in public housing as the eleventh of twelve children born to Verlene and Jonathan Warnock, both Pentecostal pastors.[15][16] His father served in the U.S. Army during World War II, where he learned automobile mechanics and welding, and subsequently opened a small car restoration business where he restored junked cars for resale.[17] His mother picked cotton and tobacco in the summers in Waycross, Georgia, as a teenager and became a pastor.[18]

Warnock graduated from Sol C. Johnson High School in 1987,[19] and having wanted to follow in the footsteps of Martin Luther King Jr., attended Morehouse College, from which he graduated cum laude in 1991 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology.[20][21] He credits his participation in the Upward Bound program for making him college-ready, as he was able to enroll in early college courses through Savannah State University.[19][21] He then earned Master of Divinity, Master of Philosophy, and Doctor of Philosophy degrees from Union Theological Seminary, a school affiliated with Columbia University.[22][23][17]

Religious work

Warnock with John Lewis at a "Souls to the Polls" event. Warnock later officiated Lewis's funeral at Ebenezer Baptist Church.[24]

Warnock began his ministry as an intern and licentiate at the Sixth Avenue Baptist church in Birmingham, Alabama,[25] under the civil rights movement leader John Thomas Porter.[25][26] In the 1990s, he served as youth pastor and then assistant pastor at Abyssinian Baptist Church in New York.[27][28] While Warnock was pastor at Abyssinian, the church declined to hire workfare recipients as part of organized opposition to then-mayor Rudy Giuliani's workfare program.[29] The church also hosted Fidel Castro on October 22, 1995, while Warnock was youth pastor. There is no evidence Warnock was involved in that decision. During the 2020–21 United States Senate special election in Georgia, his campaign refused to say whether Warnock attended the event.[30]

In January 2001, Warnock was elected senior pastor of Douglas Memorial Community Church in Baltimore, Maryland.[31][32] He and an assistant minister were arrested and charged with obstructing a 2002 police investigation into suspected child abuse at a summer camp run by the church. The police report called Warnock "extremely uncooperative and disruptive". Warnock had demanded that the counselors have lawyers present when being interviewed by police.[33] The charges were later dropped with the deputy state's attorney's acknowledgment that it had been a "miscommunication", adding that Warnock had aided the investigation and that prosecution would be a waste of resources.[34][35] Warnock said he was merely asserting that lawyers should be present during the interviews[36] and that he had intervened to ensure that an adult was present while a juvenile suspect was being questioned.[37] Warnock stepped down as the church's senior pastor in 2005.[4]

On Father's Day 2005, Warnock was named senior pastor of the Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, Georgia, Martin Luther King Jr.'s former congregation;[38] he is the fifth and the youngest person to serve as Ebenezer's senior pastor since its founding.[19][39][40] He has continued in the post while serving in the Senate.[41][42]

As pastor, Warnock advocated for clemency for Troy Davis, who was executed in 2011.[43] In 2013, he delivered the benediction at the public prayer service at the second inauguration of Barack Obama.[44] After Fidel Castro died in 2016, Warnock told his church to pray for the Cuban people, calling Castro's legacy "complex, kind of like America's legacy is complex".[30] In March 2019, Warnock hosted an interfaith meeting on climate change at his church, featuring Al Gore and William Barber II.[45] He presided at Representative John Lewis's funeral at Ebenezer Church in July 2020.[46][24]

On Easter Sunday 2021, Warnock's Twitter account tweeted, "The meaning of Easter is more transcendent than the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Whether you are a Christian or not, through a commitment to helping others we are able to save ourselves." Some conservative Christians and political commentators criticized the tweet, including Benjamin Watson, Allie Beth Stuckey, and Jenna Ellis, who called it "heretical". The tweet was deleted that afternoon, with a spokesperson for Warnock saying, "the tweet was posted by staff and was not approved" but declining to say whether it reflected Warnock's beliefs.[47][48]

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

In the religion of Thelema, it is believed that the history of humanity can be divided into a series of aeons, each of which was accompanied by its own forms of "magical and religious expression".[1]

The first of these was the Aeon of Isis, which Thelemites believed occurred during prehistory and which saw mankind worshipping a Great Goddess, symbolised by the ancient Egyptian deity Isis. In Thelemite beliefs, this was followed by the Aeon of Osiris, a period that took place in the classical and mediaeval centuries, when humanity worshipped a singular male god, symbolised by the Egyptian god Osiris, and was therefore dominated by patriarchal values.[2] The third aeon is the Aeon of Horus, controlled by the child god, symbolised by Horus.[2]

In the New Aeon, prophesied by Aleister Crowley during his lifetime throughout his esoteric and occult writings, Thelemites believe that humanity shall leave behind the tyranny of Abrahamic religions and enter a time of greater consciousness and self-actualization.[2] Within the Thelemite religion, each of these aeons is believed to be "characterized by their [own specific] magical formula", the use of which "is very important and fundamental to the understanding of Thelemic Magick".[3]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aeon_(Thelema)

According to ancient and medieval science, aether (/ˈiːθər/, alternative spellings include æther, aither, and ether), also known as the fifth element or quintessence, is the material that fills the region of the universe beyond the terrestrial sphere.[1] The concept of aether was used in several theories to explain several natural phenomena, such as the propagation of light and gravity. In the late 19th century, physicists postulated that aether permeated space, providing a medium through which light could travel in a vacuum, but evidence for the presence of such a medium was not found in the Michelson–Morley experiment, and this result has been interpreted to mean that no luminiferous aether exists.[2]

The word αἰθήρ (aithḗr) in Homeric Greek means "pure, fresh air" or "clear sky".[3] In Greek mythology, it was thought to be the pure essence that the gods breathed, filling the space where they lived, analogous to the air breathed by mortals.[4] It is also personified as a deity, Aether, the son of Erebus and Nyx in traditional Greek mythology.[5] Aether is related to αἴθω "to incinerate",[6] and intransitive "to burn, to shine" (related is the name Aithiopes (Ethiopians; see Aethiopia), meaning "people with a burnt (black) visage").[7][8]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aether_(classical_element)

Latium is a 1669 work by the Jesuit scholar Athanasius Kircher. It was dedicated to Pope Clement X and a 1671 edition was published in Amsterdam by Johannes van Waesbergen.[1] The work was the first to discuss the topography, archeology and history of the Lazio region.[2] It was based partly on Kircher's extensive walks in the countryside around Rome, although it included sites that he had probably not visited in person.[3] The work included many illustrations of the contemporary countryside, as well as reconstructions of ancient buildings.[4]: 92  It also included an account of his discovery of the ruined sanctuary at Mentorella, which he had already recounted in his 1665 work Historia Eustachio Mariana.[4]: 94

Contents

Kircher’s stated purpose in Latium was to use the physical remains of ancient Latium as illustrations of human mutability and transience.[5] It was divided into five books. The first covered the origins and ancient history of the Latins. The second contained chapters describing (I) the region of Monte Cavo, Lake Albano and the ancient town of Alba Longa; (II) Tusculum; (III) the ancient Praeneste and the modern town of Palestrina, and (IV) the region of Labici and the ancient Hernici tribe. The third book examined the ancient history of Tivoli and the fourth, the countryside and ancient remains around it. The fifth book was devoted to the Pontine marshes.[1][6] The Pontine Marshes to the southeast of Rome had been discussed by Kircher in his 1658 work Scrutinium Physico-Medicum because they were a source of malaria that prevented the agricultural development of the neighbouring region and imposed a heavy burden of disease on its population. Kircher was probably one of the first people to recommend the taking of quinine in Rome to counter malaria. Pope Urban VIII had brought in the Dutch engineer De Wit to begin draining the marshes and in Latium Kircher noted these efforts approvingly, illustrating the devices used to pump out the water.[7]

Ancient history of Latium

In Book I, Kircher advanced the theory that Latium had been populated after the time of the Tower of Babel, or possibly before. Indeed he held that it had originally been settled by Noah, and that this was supported by local legends about Saturn and Janus, who he believed were in fact Noah himself.[5] Thus, he held, the mythological account of the castration of Saturn was a variant of the Biblical story of the discovery of Noah's nakedness by Ham. Such speculative theories were to be developed in his later works Turris Babel and Arca Noë.[8]: 44

During his countryside walks, Kircher was searching for evidence that would allow him to reconstruct the history of the region from its earliest times right up to the pontificate of Pope Alexander VII. Although the timeline he constructed was highly inaccurate, the evidence he gathered was the first attempt at a complete chronological reconstruction of the region’s history.[9]

The Nile mosaic

Around 1600 a Roman mosaic was discovered at the Temple of Fortuna Primigenia at Praeneste. It is known to modern scholarship as "the Nile mosaic" because it is understood to represent the course of the River Nile from the mountains of Ethiopia through Sudan and Egypt to the sea. However in Book III of Latium Kircher offered a completely different interpretation of the piece, based on the idea that it depicted ceremonies in honour of the goddess of fortune. The upper part, he said, depicted wild animals, representing fortune's dangers. He noted that the people of ancient Praeneste were devotees of Hercules, who was famous for having destroyed monsters and overcome ill fortune. Beneath this, he said, was depicted the veneration of the goddess and consultation of her oracle. He correctly identified the temple of Serapis but this did not serve as a clue of the mosaic's real subject. At the bottom there are festivals and processions in honour of the goddess.[4]: 87–88

Illustrations

Latium was published in folio with 27 engraved plates. These included illustrations, maps, and plans, including 15 double-page foldouts.[10] The illustrations included views of the countryside, sculptures, mosaics, coins and mechanical devices such as watermills.[6]

The frontispiece was by Romeyn de Hooghe. It depicted a seated figure of the genius loci Latia. On one side of her stands a mountain on which Atlas hold up the world, and on the other figures a volcano. These emblems represent, perhaps, the temporal and spiritual power of Rome respectively. Above her hang both ancient and contemporary arms. Romulus and Remus and their she-wolf adopted mother play behind her back while a putto presents her with the papal tiara and the keys of Saint Peter. She is wearing regalia that show that her presence and her power are intimately connected with the Catholic Church.[3] Her crown identifies her as the protector of a city, and the star above it is the symbols of the Chigi family to which Pope Alexander VII belonged. She holds a long sceptre topped with the hand of justice and her eyes fall on a mitre, a cardinal's hat, and other Catholic religious objects. Her robe covers the imperial eagle and her foot rests on the orb of temporal power, indicating her primacy over the Holy Roman Emperor. Beneath Latia is inscribed the Latin motto 'Latium cui par nihil est, nihil Secundu' ('Latium, to which none is equal, and second to none'). At the bottom of the illustration the male figures are the gods of the river Tiber and its Tivoli tributary the Aniene. The female figure with butterfly wings is the goddess of the Aniene, otherwise Ino, resting on symbols of her mythological shipwreck.[4]: 39

The imagery of the frontispiece was intended to emphasise the purpose of Kircher’s claim that his contemporary Rome was connected not just to the ancient city that preceded it, but to a both the ancient classical and biblical worlds. The figure of Latia was Etruscan, the sceptre she hold resembled the regalia of ancient Egypt, while Greece was represented by the winged figure of Ino.[9]

The illustration depicting the apotheosis of Homer was signed by Giovanni Battista Galestruzzi. The aerial view of Palestrina and the plate of the Nile mosaic were signed by Agapito de Bernardini.[6]: 178 [4]: 51  The maps in the book were the work of Innocenzo Mattei.[11] The book also reused a number of earlier illustrations from previously published works, by Étienne Dupérac, Daniele Stoopendahl and Matteo Greuter. The image of the reconstruction of Hadrian’s villa was a replica of the illustration by Francesco Contini and the image of the temple of Fortune was a replica of a piece by Domenico Castelli.[6]: 182

Critical reception

The work was criticised by many scholars of Kircher’s time for its inaccuracies and speculations about ancient history. Raffaello Fabretti pointed out that Kircher’s text was full of mistakes,[5] his images of aqueducts were inaccurate and his map wrongly located the source of the Aqua Virgo near Colonna.[12] Kircher intended to write a similar work on Etruria, entitled Iter Etruscum, but this was never published, because the Jesuit censors would not approve it.[3][13]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Latium_(1669)

Saturn at opposition

This event is visible to the naked eye from Ottawa.

Wed, 27 Nov 2030 at 10:47 EST (15:47 UTC)

1,963 days away

Dominic Ford, Editor

From the Outer Planets feed

Tags: Opposition Objects: Saturn

Ottawa

The sky at 00:00 EST on 27 Nov 2030

Saturn »

Saturn finder chart »

Saturn orbit diagram »

Saturn ephemeris »

Saturn will reach opposition, when it lies opposite to the Sun in the sky. Lying in the constellation Taurus, it will be visible for much of the night, reaching its highest point in the sky around midnight local time.

From Ottawa, it will be visible between 17:22 and 06:13. It will become accessible at around 17:22, when it rises to an altitude of 9° above your eastern horizon. It will reach its highest point in the sky at 23:48, 63° above your southern horizon. It will become inaccessible at around 06:13 when it sinks below 9° above your western horizon.

2030–2031 apparition of Saturn

20 Sep 2030  –  Saturn enters retrograde motion

27 Nov 2030  –  Saturn at opposition

01 Feb 2031  –  Saturn ends retrograde motion

A close approach to the Earth

At around the same time that Saturn passes opposition, it also makes its closest approach to the Earth – termed its perigee – making it appear at its brightest and largest.

This happens because when Saturn lies opposite to the Sun in the sky, the Earth passes between Saturn and the Sun. The solar system is lined up with Saturn and the Earth on the same side of the Sun, as shown by the configuration labelled perigee in the diagram below:

When a planet is at opposition, the solar system is aligned such that the planet lies on the same side of the Sun as the Earth. At this time, the planet makes its perigee, or closest approach to the Earth. Not drawn to scale.

The panels below show a comparison of the apparent size of Saturn when seen at opposition in 2030, and when it is most distant from the Earth at solar conjunction.

Saturn

Saturn at 2030 opposition

 Saturn

Saturn at solar conjunction

A comparison of the size of Saturn as seen at 2030 opposition and at solar conjunction.

In practice, however, Saturn orbits much further out in the solar system than the Earth – at an average distance from the Sun of 9.54 times that of the Earth, and so its angular size does not vary much as it cycles between opposition and solar conjunction.

The rings of Saturn

Saturn will be angled to show its southern hemisphere at this opposition, and the rings will be inclined at an angle of 25° to our line of sight, which is almost the maximum inclination they can have. This means they will be very well presented.

The graph below shows the changing inclination of Saturn's rings over time. The black line indicates their inclination to our line of sight from the Earth. A negative angle indicates that the north pole is tipped towards us, while a positive angle indicates that we see the south pole. An angle close to zero means that Saturn's rings appear close to edge on.

The red line indicates the inclination of the rings to the Sun's line of sight to the planet. Interesting phenomena can occur when the rings are very close to edge-on, if the Sun illuminates one side of the rings, while we see the other. At such times, we see the unilluminated side of the rings.

The inclination of Saturn's rings around the time of its opposition in November 2030. The inclination of Saturn's rings around the time of its opposition in November 2030.

The data used to generate these plots can be downloaded here.

The Seeliger Effect

For a few hours around the exact moment of opposition, it may be possible to discern a marked brightening of Saturn's rings in comparison to the planet's disk, known as the Seeliger Effect.

This occurs because Saturn's rings are made of a fine sea of ice particles which are normally illuminated by the Sun at a slightly different angle from our viewing angle, so that we see some illuminated particles and some which are in the shadow of others.

At around the time of opposition, however, the ice particles are illuminated from almost exactly the same direction from which we view them, meaning that we see very few which are in shadow.

Observing Saturn

At opposition, Saturn is visible for much of the night. When it lies opposite to the Sun in the sky, this means that it rises at around the time the Sun sets, and it sets at around the time the Sun rises. It reaches its highest point in the sky at around midnight local time.

But even when it is at its closest point to the Earth, it is not possible to distinguish it as more than a star-like point of light without the aid of a telescope.

A chart of the path of Saturn across the sky in 2030 can be found here, and a chart of its rising and setting times here.

At the moment of opposition, Saturn will lie at a distance of 8.08 AU, and its disk will measure 20.6 arcsec in diameter, shining at magnitude -0.4. Its celestial coordinates at the moment it passes opposition will be:

Object Right Ascension Declination Constellation Magnitude Angular Size

Saturn 04h13m50s 19°04'N Taurus -0.4 20.6"

The coordinates above are given in J2000.0.

Over the weeks following its opposition, Saturn will reach its highest point in the sky four minutes earlier each night, gradually receding from the pre-dawn morning sky while remaining visible in the evening sky for a few months.

The sky on 27 Nov 2030

The sky on 27 November 2030

Sunrise

07:14

Sunset

16:22

Twilight ends

18:07

Twilight begins

05:29

2-day old moon

Waxing Crescent

11%

2 days old

Planets

Rise Culm. Set

Mercury 09:14 13:21 17:28

Venus 08:06 12:29 16:51

Moon 09:45 14:20 19:01

Mars 01:47 07:51 13:55

Jupiter 07:26 11:58 16:31

Saturn 16:22 23:48 07:13

All times shown in EST.

Source

The circumstances of this event were computed using the DE430 planetary ephemeris published by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL).

This event was automatically generated by searching the ephemeris for planetary alignments which are of interest to amateur astronomers, and the text above was generated based on an estimate of your location.

Related news

27 Nov 2030   –  Saturn at opposition

01 Feb 2031   –  Saturn ends retrograde motion

05 Oct 2031   –  Saturn enters retrograde motion

11 Dec 2031   –  Saturn at opposition

Image credit

© NASA/Cassini

https://in-the-sky.org/news.php?id=20301127_12_100

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, adopted by all United Nations (UN) members in 2015, created 17 world Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The aim of these global goals is "peace and prosperity for people and the planet"[1][2] – while tackling climate change and working to preserve oceans and forests. The SDGs highlight the connections between the environmental, social and economic aspects of sustainable development. Sustainability is at the center of the SDGs, as the term sustainable development implies.

These goals are ambitious,[according to whom?] and the reports and outcomes to date indicate a challenging path. Most, if not all, of the goals are unlikely to be met by 2030. Rising inequalities, climate change, and biodiversity loss are topics of concerns threatening progress. The COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 to 2023 made these challenges worse, and some regions, such as Asia, have experienced significant setbacks during that time.

There are cross-cutting issues and synergies between the different goals; for example, for SDG 13 on climate action, the IPCC sees robust synergies with SDGs 3 (health), 7 (clean energy), 11 (cities and communities), 12 (responsible consumption and production) and 14 (oceans).[3][4]: 70  On the other hand, critics and observers have also identified trade-offs between the goals,[4]: 67  such as between ending hunger and promoting environmental sustainability.[5]: 26  Furthermore, concerns have arisen over the high number of goals (compared to the eight Millennium Development Goals), leading to compounded trade-offs, a weak emphasis on environmental sustainability, and difficulties tracking qualitative indicators.

The political impact of the SDGs has been rather limited, and the SDGs have struggled to achieve transformative changes in policy and institutional structures.[6] Also, funding remains a critical issue for achieving the SDGs. Significant financial resources would be required worldwide. The role of private investment and a shift towards sustainable financing are also essential for realizing the SDGs. Examples of progress from some countries demonstrate that achieving sustainable development through concerted global action is possible. The global effort for the SDGs calls for prioritizing environmental sustainability, understanding the indivisible nature of the goals, and seeking synergies across sectors.

The short titles of the 17 SDGs are: No poverty (SDG 1), Zero hunger (SDG 2), Good health and well-being (SDG 3), Quality education (SDG 4), Gender equality (SDG 5), Clean water and sanitation (SDG 6), Affordable and clean energy (SDG 7), Decent work and economic growth (SDG 8), Industry, innovation and infrastructure (SDG 9), Reduced inequalities (SDG 10), Sustainable cities and communities (SDG 11), Responsible consumption and production (SDG 12), Climate action (SDG 13), Life below water (SDG 14), Life on land (SDG 15), Peace, justice, and strong institutions (SDG 16), and Partnerships for the goals (SDG 17).

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

In the fictional universe of Star Trek, Section 31 is an autonomous intelligence and defense organization that carries out covert operations for the United Federation of Planets. Created by Ira Steven Behr for the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode "Inquisition", the organization was intended to act as a counterbalance to the utopian portrayal of the Federation.[1]

Section 31 settings and characters have appeared in dozens of episodes, novels and comics,[2]: 551  including the 2025 television film, Star Trek: Section 31.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Section_31_(Star_Trek)

Roger de Moulins was the master of the Knights Hospitaller from 1177 until his death in 1187.[1] He succeeded Jobert of Syria.[2] His successors were two interim masters, William Borrel and then Armengol de Aspa, before Garnier of Nablus was selected in 1190.[3]

Biography

Roger de Moulins was little known to history before his elevation to the magistracy of the Order. He may have been a Norman knight from Moulins, but there is no proof of that. His first concern, after his installation in the Holy Land, was to urge Baldwin IV of Jerusalem and the principal lords of the kingdom to continue the war against Saladin with vigor. On 25 November 1177, he participated in the Battle of Montgisard, winning "the most beautiful victory of the crusades" against the Ayyubids. Saladin's defeat is regarded as so severe that it was only redeemed by his victory ten years later at the Battle of Hattin in 1187.[4]

The Hospitallers formed one of the strongest military organizations of the kingdom, but this was contrary to the spirit of the Order, distancing them from the works of hospitality for which it had been founded. Pope Alexander III called them back to the observance of the rule of Raymond du Puy between 1178 and 1180, issuing a bull that forbade them to take up arms unless they were attacked and urged them not to abandon the care of those sick and in poverty.[5]

The Hospitallers were clear rivals of the Knights Templar. Alexander III persuaded Roger de Moulins to make a truce in 1179 with Odo de St Amand, then Grand Master and also a veteran of Montgisard. The pope instituted an arbitration process. Three brothers from each order were chosen as arbiters, each of whom had the right to appoint two other brothers. If the arbitration was insufficient, the friars were to call upon persons outside the orders. If there was still a disagreement, the matter would be submitted in the last resort to the two Grand Masters. The agreement with the Templars was not a good one. They were in constant conflict over their rights and possessions.[5]

On one point, the Templars and the Hospitallers were in perfect agreement. The grievances that diocesan authority harbored against the privileges of the orders. The secular clergy did not accept the immunities and privileges that the two orders held from the Holy See. In March 1179, the prelates appealed to the Third Lateran Council, which reformed the abuses and forbade the orders to receive churches and tithes from the laity without the agreement of the diocesan authority, and cancelled the recent moderno temporen donations. This decision, while reforming the abuses, left the privileges of the orders intact. Vexed, the clergy redoubled their attacks and it took two papal bulls, 26 August 1180 and 14 August 1182, to bring the clergy back to respecting the decisions of the council, as well as the persons and property of the Hospitallers, and prescribing the excommunication of anyone who would attack the Hospitallers and the Templars with an armed hand.[5]

In 1184, he toured Europe with Arnold of Torroja, the Grand Master of the Templars, and Heraclius, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem. One objective was to plead with kings and pope Lucius III to send a new crusade to strengthen the Latin states in the East, which were at the mercy of the growing power of Saladin and established the Hospitaller Order in England, France and Germany. On his way back he helped the Kingdom of Sicily attack Thessalonica in 1185. In his time, he established the tradition of the Grand Master of the Hospitallers involvement in the politics of the Kingdom of Jerusalem. After the death of Baldwin V of Jerusalem in August 1186, Roger ended up at conflict with Gerard de Ridefort, Arnold's successor as Grand Master, and with Raynald de Châtillon due to his having opposed Guy of Lusignan - he at first refused to hand over his key to the royal treasury when Guy was crowned King of Jerusalem in 1186.[6]

The Battle of Cresson

At the end of 1186, Raynald de Châtillon, in defiance of the truce with Saladin, had captured a caravan going from Cairo to Damascus with the sister of the emir. The barons, gathered in Jerusalem by Guy de Lusignan, on 27 March 1187, had demanded that before anything else a reconciliation take place between Lusignan and Raymond III of Tripoli. The masters of the Templars and Hospitallers, Joscius, the archbishop of Tyre, Balian of Ibelin, lord of Nablus, and Renaud Grenier, lord of Sidon, were appointed to negotiate with the count of Tripoli in Tiberias when they had to face Muslim troops. A victim of the foolish pride of Gerard de Ridefort, Roger took part in the Battle of Cresson against Saladin near Nazareth on 1 May 1187, where he was killed by a spear wound. Roger was succeeded by William Borrel, who served as custodian of the Hospitallers for a brief time in 1187, and then by Armengol de Aspa, who served as provisor (custodian) until 1190. A new Grand Master was not chosen until Garnier of Nablus was elected in 1190 during the Third Crusade.[7]

The status of the Order

On 14 March 1182, the new statutes of the Hospitaller under the leadership of Roger de Moulins marked an essential turning point for the Order on several points. In the spiritual domain, as early as 21 October 1154, a category of brother priests or chaplains was established, granted by pope Anastasius IV. In the hospital and military domain, it was not until these statutes that doctors and surgeons appeared among the Order's medical personnel. And in the military field, brothers in arms (noted for the first time in a text, even though they already existed in practice): "It was on this date, therefore, that the order became, in law, a religious-military order." It was also specified that on the death of a brother, a mass will be dedicated to it in addition to the daily mass, and that "the brothers' biers, and be covered with a red sheet with white cross.[8]

These are the only statutes to mention charity in a normative text. Three articles refer to it, all of them dealing with the reception and care of the sick: (1) To welcome thirty poor people at table each day; (2) To give alms to all those who come to the door of the establishment three days a week; and, (3_Wash the feet of thirteen poor people on the Saturday of Lent, and provide them with new clothes and shoes. Roger was the originator of the bull issued on 22 August 1185, Quanto per gratiam Dei, and it was this one that officially made the Order a charitable order. These are the ones that give the most information about care. Whether it be on the full-time recruitment (in the hospital or on the battlefield) and binding by oath of the four physicians and four surgeons employed by the Order, "because of the scientific and practical deficiency of the friars." The only normative texts which give an account of the reception of all pregnant women in a specific room, and of the future of abandoned children, whom the hospital must then provide for and feed.[9]

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

Dawn of the Dead [b] is a 1978 zombie horror film written, directed, and edited by George A. Romero, and produced by Richard P. Rubinstein. An American-Italian international co-production,[11] it is the second film in Romero's series of zombie films, and though it contains no characters or settings from the preceding film Night of the Living Dead (1968), it shows the larger-scale effects of a zombie apocalypse on society. In the film, a phenomenon of unidentified origin has caused the reanimation of the dead, who prey on human flesh. David Emge, Ken Foree, Scott Reiniger, and Gaylen Ross star as survivors of the outbreak who barricade themselves inside a suburban shopping mall during mass hysteria.

Romero waited to make another zombie film after Night of the Living Dead for several years to avoid being stereotyped as a horror director. Upon visiting Monroeville Mall in Monroeville, Pennsylvania with a friend whose company managed the complex, he decided to use the location as the basis for the film's story. The project came to the attention of Italian filmmaker Dario Argento who, along with his brother Claudio and producer Alfredo Cuomo, agreed to co-finance the film in exchange for its international distribution rights. Argento also consulted with Romero during the scriptwriting phase. Principal photography on Dawn of the Dead took place between November 1977 and February 1978 on location in Monroeville and Pittsburgh.[12] The special make-up effects were created by Tom Savini, whose work on the film led to an extensive career creating similar effects for other horror films. In post-production, Romero and Argento edited separate versions of the film for their respective markets. Argento's version features a progressive rock score composed and performed by his frequent collaborators Goblin, while Romero's cut primarily favors stock cues from the De Wolfe Music Library.

Following its Italian premiere on September 1, 1978, Dawn of the Dead was released in other markets the following year. Despite facing difficulties with various national censorship boards – in the United States, it was released unrated to improve its commercial prospects after it was given an X by the Motion Picture Association of America, and in Britain it was liable for seizure during the 1980s "video nasties" moral panic – the film proved to be a major success at the box office, grossing $66 million worldwide against its estimated budget of $640,000. Noted for its satirical portrayal of consumerism, Dawn of the Dead has received widespread critical acclaim since its initial release, and is widely considered to be one of the greatest horror films ever made, as well as the greatest zombie film. Like its predecessor, it has garnered a large, international cult following.[2][13] In 2008, it was chosen by Empire magazine as one of The 500 Greatest Movies of All Time, along with Night of the Living Dead.[14]

Dawn of the Dead was followed by four official sequels, beginning with 1985's Day of the Dead, and a separate series of unofficial Italian-made sequels, beginning with 1979's Zombi 2. It has also inspired a 2004 remake film directed by Zack Snyder, as well as numerous parodies and pop culture references in other media such as Shaun of the Dead, Dead Rising, and Left 4 Dead.

Plot

The United States is devastated by a mysterious plague that reanimates recently-dead human beings as flesh-eating zombies. At the dawn of the crisis, it has been reported that millions of people have died and reanimated. Despite the government's best efforts, social order is collapsing. While rural communities have natural barriers, such as Johnstown, and the National Guard have been effective in fighting the zombie hordes in open country, urban centers have descended into chaos.

At WGON-TV, a television studio in Philadelphia, traffic reporter Stephen Andrews and his pregnant girlfriend, producer Fran Parker, are planning to steal the station's helicopter to escape the city. Across town, Philadelphia Police Department SWAT officer Roger DeMarco and his team raid a low-income housing project, whose mostly black and Latino tenants are defying the martial law of delivering their dead to the National Guard. The tenants and the officers exchange gunfire as the officers try to gain entry, and indiscriminate attacks by racist officers and the reanimated dead exacerbate the resulting chaos. Roger encounters an officer from another unit, Peter Washington. As the SWAT team successfully dispatch the zombies, a disillusioned Roger suggests that he and Peter desert and join up with Stephen (who is Roger's friend) in escaping the city.

Roger and Peter join Fran and Stephen at a police dock and then leave Philadelphia in a stolen WGON-TV news helicopter. Following some close calls while stopping for fuel, the group comes across a shopping mall, and decide to remain there since there is plenty of food, medicine, and all kinds of consumables. Roger, Peter and Stephen camouflage the entrance to the stairwell leading to their safe room and block the mall entrances with trucks to keep the undead from penetrating. This involves driving through crowds of zombies, who attack the trucks. Roger becomes reckless and is soon bitten by the zombies.

After clearing the mall of zombies, the group builds a hidden safe room as a fallback in case of future attacks, before settling into a hedonistic lifestyle with all the goods available to them. Roger eventually succumbs to his wounds and dies; when he reanimates, Peter shoots him in the head and buries his body in the mall. Months later, all emergency broadcast transmissions cease, suggesting that the government has collapsed. Now isolated, the three load some supplies into the helicopter, in case they might need to leave suddenly. Fran gets Stephen to teach her how to fly in case he is killed or incapacitated.

A nomadic biker gang sees the helicopter in flight and breaks into the mall, destroying the barriers and allowing hundreds of zombies back inside. Despite having a fallback plan should the mall be attacked, Stephen, consumed by territorial rage, takes matters into his own hands by firing on the looters, beginning a protracted battle. On their way out, straggling bikers are overwhelmed and eaten by the zombies. Stephen tries to hide in the elevator shaft, but gets shot and subsequently mauled by roaming zombies. When Stephen reanimates, he instinctively returns to the safe room and leads the undead to Fran and Peter. Peter kills the undead Stephen while Fran escapes to the roof. Peter, not wanting to leave, locks himself in a room and contemplates suicide. When the zombies burst in, he has a change of heart and fights his way up to the roof, where he joins Fran. Having escaped and low on fuel, the two then fly away in the helicopter to an uncertain future.

Cast

Ken Foree as Peter Washington

Gaylen Ross as Francine "Fran Flygirl" Parker

David Emge as Stephen "Flyboy" Andrews

Scott Reiniger as Roger "Trooper" DeMarco

Director George A. Romero makes an uncredited appearance as a WGON TV director. Assistant director and Romero's future-wife—Christine Forrest—portrays his assistant. Also featured at the WGON TV station are David Crawford as Dr. James Foster, David Early as commentator Sidney Berman and Daniel Dietrich as station manager Dan Givens. Future Romper Room hostess Molly McClosky makes an uncredited appearance as a station worker. Later sequences depicting an emergency TV network feature Howard Smith as an unnamed commentator and recurring Romero collaborator Richard France as Dr. Millard Rausch, referred to in the credits as "Scientist".

Featured among the motorcycle raiders are Rudy Ricci as their leader, brothers and frequent Romero collaborators Tony and Pasquale Buba, and Taso N. Stavrakis. Tom Savini, the film's make-up artist, also appears as Blades, a machete-wielding raider. Joseph Pilato, who would later be cast in Romero's Day of the Dead, plays the leader of group of police officers evacuating by boat, although most of his performance was cut from the theatrical release. Other police officers in the film include James A. Baffico as Wooley, with his wife Joey Baffico having an uncredited role as a zombie who attacks Roger. Longtime Romero collaborator John Amplas, who also served as the film's casting director, makes an uncredited appearance as one of the apartment tenants who engages in a gunfight with the police.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dawn_of_the_Dead_(1978_film)

November 4, 2025

Warnock Highlights False Choice Between Health Care and Food Access During Government Shutdown

Senator Reverend Warnock visited Goodr Grocery in the Sweet Auburn neighborhood to highlight the harm of the Trump Administration’s attempt to block SNAP benefits for 1.4 million Georgians

The Trump Administration attempted to cut off food access for working families to gain political leverage in shutdown negotiations

The visit follows recent federal court rulings demanding the administration use available funding to continue food aid for 42 million Americans during the shutdown

Senator Warnock: “I’ll tell you who was not in this [shutdown] fight. SNAP recipients… They were dragged into this fight by the administration, and so I want you to think about this. They are literally pitting sick people against hungry people… And so, as a voice for Georgia, I’m going to continue to fight for health care because it’s a matter of life and death, and I’m going to keep fighting for these SNAP recipients, because food is a matter of life and death”

 Above: Senator Warnock meets with Goodr founder and owner Jasmine Crowe-Houston

Atlanta, GA – Today, U.S. Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock (D-GA) visited Goodr Community Market in the Sweet Auburn neighborhood to highlight the consequences of the Trump Administration’s attempt to cut off SNAP access in order to gain leverage in shutdown negotiations. Senator Warnock met with owner Jasmine Crowe-Houston to discuss the impacts that the confusion over SNAP funding during the shutdown is having on her small business and on members of the community relying on this critical aid.

“As I stand here, this reminds me of the human costs of the public policy we make so often in Washington, D.C. People have made the politics about the politicians, and in no place do you see that clearer than when you have something like a government shutdown. Too often, the media wants to know who’s winning, Democrats or Republicans, who’s up and who’s down. I can tell you that the people who live in this neighborhood, who sit in the pews of my church, aren’t thinking about the politicians. They’re thinking about their families. And what’s at stake right now is that we have some 1.2 million Georgians who are opening the portal, and they’re seeing that their health care costs have doubled on average, and for some it has tripled and quadrupled. That’s what this fight was about, and that’s what it is about,” said Senator Warnock.

Above: Senator Warnock and Jasmine discuss how Goodr helps connect vulnerable Georgians to fresh food options

“I hate government shutdowns. I hate to see federal workers furloughed. All of that is challenging stuff, but I’ll tell you who was not in this fight. SNAP recipients. SNAP recipients were not in this fight. They were dragged into this fight by the administration, and so I want you to think about this. They are literally pitting sick people against hungry people. I can’t think of anything more craven than that, and it shows that the politicians are centering themselves rather than the concerns of ordinary people. And so, as a voice for Georgia, I’m going to continue to fight for health care because it’s a matter of life and death, and I’m going to keep fighting for these SNAP recipients, because food is a matter of life and death. And in the meantime, I’m grateful for people like Jasmine, just ordinary citizens who find creative ways to give poor people dignity and to remind us all that Dr. King was right. We’re tied in a single garment of destiny,” said Senator Warnock.

Earlier this year, Washington Republicans passed the One Big Beautiful Bill. That legislation allowed for catastrophic cuts to health care funding for the 1.2 million Georgians who get their health care from Georgia Access (the ACA Marketplace). Because of Republican inaction, 1.2 million Georgians will see their monthly health care premiums double on average. Senator Warnock has voted seven times to both fund the government and avoid catastrophic health care cuts. Republicans killed that legislation all seven times.

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) should not have been affected by a government shutdown. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has always continued SNAP during government shutdowns and there is a SNAP contingency fund for these very circumstances. The Trump Administration has flip-flopped its position on continuing SNAP during a shutdown and falsely claimed that they did not have the authority to use the SNAP contingency fund. A plan outlining how the USDA could continue to fund SNAP during a government shutdown was removed from its website. Two federal judges have since required the Trump Administration to use these funds to continue funding for SNAP. Simply put: This Administration attempted to withhold food assistance from 42 million Americans in a cynical attempt to pit working people who struggle to afford health care against working people who struggle to afford groceries.

###

https://www.warnock.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/warnock-highlights-false-choice-between-health-care-and-food-access-during-government-shutdown/

(Thus he declared all foods clean) Part 2: Peter’s Vision | Acts 10:13

 Richard L. Wheeler  (Thus, he declared all foods clean), Acts 10:13, Christian apologetics, Rise, Peter; kill and eat., unclean animals June 17, 2019 11 Minutes

Acts 10:13 And there came a voice to him: “Rise, Peter; kill and eat.”

In ‘Acts of the Apostles’ chapter 10 Peter saw a vision in which different kinds of animals came down from heaven in a sheet. Then he heard a voice telling him, ‘Rise, kill and eat’, not once but 3 times.

However, Peter refused…

What does the text say?

Acts 10:14, 16 14But Peter said, “By no means, Lord; for I have never eaten anything that is common or unclean.” 16This happened three times, and the thing was taken up at once to heaven.

Stop and think about that for a minute… Straight to His face, Peter said “No” to God Almighty! He clearly was ‘NOT’ going to eat anything “unclean”!

This next point is critical; the documented fact is, Peter was “inwardly perplexed” as to the meaning of this vision. After the vision, Peter is confused, he’s baffled as to what it meant…

What does the text say?

Acts 10:17 Now while Peter was inwardly perplexed as to what the vision that he had seen might mean

The Word of God states he did NOT know the ‘meaning of the vision’, yet mainstream theology has cast aside the ‘apostle Peter’ and interprets its meaning without reading the rest of the discourse! Today’s mainstream Christian System teaches that the meaning of Peter’s vision is about food, and that all animals of every kind are now ‘clean’ to eat. However, Peter obviously is having issues with an “apparent” change in the Food-Laws. So, shouldn’t we see how all this plays out in the rest of the chapter, before just stopping at verse 13 and ‘declare all foods are now clean’? At this point in the discourse, Peter didn’t know what the vision meant… How arrogant is it of us to assume that we could know better than Peter?

From Mark 7:19, mainstream Christianity teaches that Jesus ‘declared all foods clean‘; please read, ‘(Thus he declared all foods clean) Part 1‘and ‘Nothing Outside a Person can Defile Them… Nothing?‘ to understand the misinterpretations of Mark 7. Wasn’t Peter with Jesus during that ‘Mark’ 7 event? ‘If’ he learned from the Master Himself that ‘all foods had been declared clean’, Why would Peter adamantly claim that he was not going to eat, nor had ever eaten anything “unclean” years later, here in Acts 10:14? Why would he be confused about the meaning of the vision if he already knew that Jesus had ‘declared all foods clean’??? Didn’t Peter get the memo?

Think logically, not emotionally.

This vision takes place years after the ascension of Jesus, and Peter still believes there are “unclean” animals that he cannot eat, that he will not eat! He still believes the Mosaic food Laws are current and valid!

‘If’ Jesus did ‘declare all foods clean’ in ‘Mark’ 7, then Peter is contradicting the Son of God.

‘If’ Acts 10:14 contradicts Mark 7:19 then we have to throw out both ‘Books’ from the Bible, because Scripture cannot contradict itself.

Today’s mainstream Christian System teaches that the whole context of the Acts 10 vision is about food, and food alone. If you will allow, the Scriptures alone will prove that the purpose of the vision has nothing to do with food.

What no one is being taught in mainstream churches today is that the ‘interpretation’ of Peter’s “vision“ is given to us, twice. Right there in the dialog of chapters 10 and 11, the visions interpretation is given to us, twice; and it has nothing to do with food.

What does the text say?

Acts 10:28 And he said to them, “You yourselves know how unlawful it is for a Jew to associate with or to visit anyone of another nation, but God has “shown” me that I should not call “any person” common or unclean.

Acts 11:4-18 4But Peter began and explained it to them in order: 5“I was in the city of Joppa praying, and in a trance, I saw a vision, something like a great sheet descending, being let down from heaven by its four corners, and it came down to me. 6Looking at it closely, I observed animals and beasts of prey and reptiles and birds of the air. 7And I heard a voice saying to me, ‘Rise, Peter; kill and eat.’ 8But I said, ‘By no means, Lord; for nothing common or unclean has ever entered my mouth.’ 9But the voice answered a second time from heaven, ‘What God has made clean, do not call common.’ 10This happened three times, and all was drawn up again into heaven. 11And behold, at that very moment three men arrived at the house in which we were, sent to me from Caesarea. 12And the Spirit told me to Go with “them”, making no distinction. These six brothers also accompanied me, and we entered the man’s house. 13And he told us how he had seen the angel stand in his house and say, ‘Send to Joppa and bring Simon who is called Peter; 14he will declare to you a message by which you will be saved, you and all your household.’ 15As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell on them just as on us at the beginning. 16And I remembered the word of the Lord, how he said, John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’ 17If then God gave the same gift to them as he gave to us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could stand in God’s way?” 18When they heard these things they fell silent. And they glorified God, saying, “Then to the Gentiles also God has granted repentance that leads to life.”

Shouldn’t we just accept the fact that God knew what He was talking about when He revealed to the disciples this ‘interpretation’?

Peter made it very clear, that for ALL of his life, even up to and through the time of this vision he had never eaten an “unclean” animal, and that he had no intentions of eating those “unclean” animals that he saw in the vision.

Peter saw that vision three times and “Behold”, a funny thing happened, three men came looking for him; coincidence???

What does the text say?

Acts 10:13-20 13And there came a voice to him: “Rise, Peter; kill and eat.” 14But Peter said, “By no means, Lord; for I have never eaten anything that is common or unclean.” 15And the voice came to him again a second time, “What God has made clean, do not call common.” 16This happened three times, and the thing was taken up at once to heaven. 17Now while Peter was inwardly perplexed as to what the vision that he had seen might mean, behold, the men who were sent by Cornelius, having made inquiry for Simon’s house, stood at the gate 18and called out to ask whether Simon who was called Peter was lodging there. 19And while Peter was pondering the vision, the Spirit said to him, “Behold, three men are looking for you. 20Rise and go down and accompany them without hesitation, for I have sent them.”

After the metaphorical word “eat” in verse 13, and “eaten” in verse 14 in the vision, food is never discussed again, ever. Yet, mainstream Christianity teaches that the whole context of Acts 10 is about food, and that somehow without any Scriptural documentation, God’s Instructions regarding clean and unclean animals are now null and void.?.?.

After the vision that mentions “unclean“, we see that Peter stated ‘God showed’ him something that actually refers to “unclean“…

What does the text say?

Acts 10:28 …but God has shown me (via the metaphorical vision) that I should not call any person common or unclean.

When Peter finally explains this interpretation of the vision to his brothers in Jerusalem in chapter 11, nothing is mentioned regarding a change in the food Laws, nothing.

Stop and think for second; it would have been “Front-Page” news to hear that unclean-animals were now considered “food”! If this was the meaning of the vision, why is it never mentioned anywhere in the Scriptures??? It’s because that was not the meaning of, nor the purpose of the vision. The purpose of the vision was to get these 1st-Century-believers-in-Jesus to quit following “doctrines/laws of men”.

What does the text say?

Acts 10:28 And he said to them, “You yourselves know how unlawful it is for a Jew to associate with or to visit anyone of another nation, but God has shown me that I should not call any person common or unclean.

Nowhere in the Law of God given through Moses do we find this underlined statement above to be true. This was not God’s Law, it was man’s law.

The Talmud, in the Gemara discussions, makes two claims on why the Goim (gentiles/nations) are thought/considered to be unclean: because they themselves were not cleansed on Mount Sinai, and because they eat unclean things.

In ‘Gemara – Abhodah Zarah, (22b)’ it says:

“Why are the Goim (gentiles/nations) unclean? Because they were not present at Mount Sinai. For when the serpent entered into Eve he infused her with uncleanness. But the Jews were cleansed from this when they stood on Mount Sinai; the Goim, however, who were not on Mount Sinai were not cleansed.”

Likewise, in ‘Gemara – Schabbath, (145b)’ it says:

“Why are the Goim (gentiles/nations) unclean? Because they eat abominable things and animals that crawl on their belly.”

These understandings were put into practical application in the first century when the governing council of Judea, which was under the control of the House of Shammai, declared numerous edicts that made associating with and eating with non-Jews forbidden.

It was a “man-made law” that claimed the Jews could not associate with or eat with the nations/gentiles. The council did have authority and jurisdiction to rule on/interpret the Law, BUT this edict contradicted the Law of God given through Moses.

The Law of God given through Moses actually ‘forbids‘ the Israelites to show “enmity” towards the gentiles/nations. The Law of Moses ‘forbids‘ Israelites from excluding, dissociating with, or treating as “enemies” any stranger or foreigner from other nations/gentiles.

What does the text say?

You shall not wrong a H1616sojourner or oppress him, for you were sojourners in the land of Egypt. | Exodus 22:21

You shall not oppress a H1616sojourner. You know the heart of a sojourner, for you were sojourners in the land of Egypt. | Exodus 23:9

Love the H1616sojourner, therefore, for you were sojourners in the land of Egypt. | Deuteronomy 10:19

You shall not pervert the justice due to the H1616sojourner or the fatherless | Deuteronomy 24:17

“‘Cursed be anyone who perverts the justice due to the H1616sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’ | Deuteronomy 27:19

‘Sojourner’ in all of these verses is Strong’s H1616, ger/גָּר in Hebrew, according to Gesenius’ Hebrew-Chaldee Lexicon it means: a stranger, foreigner, one who is living outside his own country.

There are many other verses like these from the Law of God, as well as the Prophets and the Writings, and they all instruct the Israelite to engage with the stranger/foreigner, as well as treat them with respect, love and compassion, not enmity! Israel, with the Law of God as it’s foundation, was to be an example, to persuade all of the nations to fear and follow the Instructions of the Almighty; to be a light to the nations ~

What does the text say?

6Keep them and do them (The Commandments), for that will be your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the peoples, who, when they hear all these statutes, will say, ‘Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.’7For what great nation is there that has a god so near to it as the LORD our God is to us, whenever we call upon him? 8And what great nation is there, that has statutes and rules so righteous as all this law that I set before you today? | Deuteronomy 4:6-8

“It is too light a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to bring back the preserved of Israel, I will make you as a light for the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.” | Isaiah 49:6

In addition, the Scriptures prophesy that in the End-Times ‘all of the nations will learn the Law of God ~

2It shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the house of the LORD shall be established as the highest of the mountains, and shall be lifted up above the hills; and all the nations shall flow to it, 3and many peoples shall come, and say: “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob, that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths. ”For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. | Isaiah 2:2-3

A second witness ~

1It shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the house of the LORD shall be established as the highest of the mountains, and it shall be lifted up above the hills; and peoples shall flow to it, 2and many nations shall come, and say: “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob, that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths.” For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. | Micah 4:1-2

‘Peter’s Vision’ corrects the false understanding that Jews were not allowed to associate with the gentiles/nations because they were considered to be unclean. The religious leaders routinely put up “fences” around the Law of God given through Moses, in order to help ensure that it was not violated. In general, these fences were not bad or wrong, however, this “man-made fence” actually contradicted the Law of God.

The ‘Acts 10’ vision “showed” Peter that this man-made law was wrong, in order to remove any reluctance that he might have had in entering the house of Cornelius.

So, one more time here are both references of the interpretation of the vision given to us straight from the Scriptures ~

Acts 10:28 And he said to them, “You yourselves know how unlawful (man’s law) it is for a Jew to associate with or to visit anyone of another nation, but God has shown me that I should not call any person common or unclean.

Acts 11:18 When they heard these things they fell silent. And they glorified God, saying, “Then to the Gentiles also God has granted repentance that leads to life.”

Hallelu Yah!

As I mentioned in ‘(Thus he declared all foods clean) Part 1’, there has been a HUGE disconnect in the understanding of God’s Law/Instructions, especially regarding His Food Laws ~

Here is the disconnect: we have been taught for centuries that anything you can shove into your mouth is ‘food’, and that in times past, some of it was considered ‘clean-food’ and some of it was considered ‘unclean-food’.

That premise is 100% Scripturally wrong! God never said, ‘pig, crab, dog, snake, vulture, etc. were ‘unclean-food’; He said, they were “unclean animals” and “not to be eaten” | Leviticus 11.

In the eyes of the Almighty, the unclean creatures of Leviticus 11 are not what most people today call “food”!

The mainstream Christian System has plucked out the single sentence of ‘Acts 10:13’ and ignored the context of the surrounding verses, in order to change the meaning of the vision so it will fit into their false man-made denominational dogma that the Laws of God given through Moses, more specifically God’s Food Laws, have been abolished.

We are being lied to; whether it is deliberate or in ignorance is irrelevant, it’s still deception.

Final Thought: What many have not considered, is that this vision that the LORD gave in ‘Acts 10’, is actually a stern ‘Heavenly–reminder’ to finally initiate the instruction He had already given Peter ~

What does the text say?

Matthew 28:19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations

Mark 16:15 And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation.

For further study of the Scriptures see the ‘Links’ at the top of this page or blog posts at the bottom. Be like the Bereans, and test mainstream Christianity’s doctrines to the “Scriptures”; look up for yourself more than 60 of the “forever verses” listed directly below. Please ‘share’ this study. Thank you for your time!

https://apaulogetic.com/2019/06/17/thus-he-declared-all-foods-clean-part-2-peters-vision-acts-1013/

What was the reason behind Peter’s denial of Jesus?

Answer

The story of Peter’s threefold denial of Christ is found in all four Gospel accounts: Matthew 26:69–74, Mark 14:66–72, Luke 22:55–62, and John 18:15–18, 25–27. But why would the chief of the disciples deny even knowing Him? There were two main reasons why Peter denied Jesus: weakness and fear.

Peter’s denial was based partially on weakness, the weakness born of human frailty. After the Last Supper, Jesus took His disciples to the Garden of Gethsemane to await His arrest. He told them to stay awake and pray while He went off to pray alone. When He returned to them, He found them sleeping. He warned Peter to stay awake and pray because, although his spirit might be willing, his flesh was weak. But he fell asleep again, and, by the time the soldiers had come to arrest Jesus, it was too late to pray for the strength to endure the ordeal to come. No doubt his failure to appropriate the only means to shore up his own weakness—prayer—occurred to him as he was weeping bitterly after his denials. But Peter learned his lesson about being watchful, and he exhorts us in 1 Peter 5:8, “Be on the alert, because your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” Peter’s weakness had caused him to be “devoured” momentarily as he denied his Lord because he hadn’t been prepared through prayer and he underestimated his own weakness.

A second reason for Peter’s failure was fear. To his credit, although all the others had fled (Mark 14:50), Peter still followed Jesus after His arrest, but he kept his distance so as not to be identified with Him (Mark 14:54). There’s no question that fear gripped him. From the courtyard, he watched Jesus being falsely accused, beaten, and insulted (Mark 14:57–66). Peter was afraid Jesus would die, and he was fearful for his own life as well. The world hated Jesus, and Peter found that he was not prepared to face the ridicule and persecution that Jesus was suffering. Earlier, Jesus had warned His disciples as well as us today, “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first” (John 15:18; cf. Matthew 24:9). Peter quickly found he wasn’t nearly as bold and courageous as he had proclaimed, and in fear he denied the One who had loved him.

We might well wonder why Jesus allowed Peter to fail so miserably and deny his Lord three times that night. Jesus revealed to Peter that Satan had asked for permission to sift Peter like wheat (Luke 22:31). Jesus could have easily protected Peter and not allowed Satan to sift him, but Jesus had a higher goal. He was equipping Peter to strengthen his brothers (Luke 22:32). Not only did Peter strengthen the other disciples, but he became the pillar of the early church in Jerusalem, exhorting and training others to follow the Lord Jesus (Acts 2). And he continues to this day to strengthen us through his epistles, 1 and 2 Peter. As with all our failures, God used Peter’s many failures, including his three denials of Christ, to turn him from Simon, a common man with a common name, into Peter, the Rock.

https://www.gotquestions.org/Peters-denial.html

Jesuit Priest John LaFarge (1880 – 1963), 1938 #606

Father of the Black American Socialist Civil Rights Movement

In accordance with Metternich’s Holy Alliance and the Black Pope’s Council of

Trent, the Society of Jesus has been committed to the destruction of our

Protestant Republic and our AV1611 Bible-reading, “heretic and liberal”

American people—both White and Black. Therefore it began “the Negro/Black

Agitation” in the early 1930s with Jesuit John LaFarge hypocritically accusing

Protestants of instigating slavery and inventing racism when the Jesuits were the

largest slaveholders in Maryland from 1650 to 1838. This calculated agitation,

coordinated through obedient Masonic leaders within every racial and political

faction, culminated in the violent “Civil Rights Movement” of the 1960s. Led by

Jesuit-controlled socialist Martin Luther King, the Order’s purpose expressed by

Emanuel Josephson was to “use the Negro to destroy our Republic by inciting

them to savagery to effect a complete breakdown of law and order that will serve

as a perfect pretext for establishing a [White neo-Nazi fascist] dictatorship under

themselves that will be welcomed by a terrified nation.” Remembering Malcolm

X had boldly declared “the Ku Klux Klan and the Nation of Islam have the same

paymasters,” Jesuit New Dealers Robert Hartnett and Georgetown University’s

Richard McSorley continued America’s Second Reconstruction culminating in

the 1965 Voting Rights Act and forced integration of our hated Public Schools

leading to amalgamation, which always results in moral corruption and violence

(Genesis 6), making America a weakened nation of color like Castro’s Cuba.

Men Astutely Trained, Peter McDonough, (New York: The Free Press, 1992).

Chapter 43

The Jesuits — 1960 – 1963

1451

Cardinal Spellman with Advisor, Jesuit John LaFarge, 1960 #607

The Black Pope’s socialist-communist American Civil Rights Movement was a

masterpiece of Jesuit duplicity as it secured full legal integration not only among

Whites and Blacks, but also among Protestants and Roman Catholics. Now, no

priest-ruled Roman Catholic can be refused any position in government or

industry even though his first allegiance is to a foreign sovereign—the Pope—

whose Temporal Power every Roman Catholic must uphold: Blacks were merely

used to further Papal Supremacy! Apostate Methodist Masonic Randolph knew

this was the Order’s secret agenda, therefore he opposed all Black separatism—

and by inference, Biblical Protestant separatism—which movement would never

have spawned the integrationist and ecumenical Civil Rights Acts of the 1960s.

Above we have (L-R): Henry Seeger, Sr.; Francis Cardinal Spellman; Lester

Granger, director of the Archbishop’s Urban League financed by the Order’s

Ford Foundation; and Jesuit John LaFarge. As the Cardinal’s advisor, “Uncle

John” LaFarge (whose brother Oliver was an executive at General Motors and a

personal friend of GM’s Knight of Malta John J. Raskob) received his seminary

training in Innsbruck, Austria, through the influence of President Theodore

Roosevelt. There, he became acquainted with Jesuit fascists who later brought

Hitler to power and Nazism into Austria; he also supported fascists Franco and

Mussolini. Calling communism “the new Calvinism,” he worked with openly

anti-communist Georgetown Jesuit Edmund Walsh and backed FDR’s New Deal.

After WWII, he aided Spellman’s FBI director in bringing thousands of Nazis

into America through the Pope’s “Vatican Ratlines” via “Operation Paperclip.”

The guiding hand in Spellman’s assassination of President Kennedy, LaFarge

died two days later in a theatrical grief over the death of JFK, “the usurper.”

John LaFarge and the Limits of Catholic Interracialism, 1919–1963, David W. Southern, (Baton Rouge,

Louisiana: Louisiana State Press, 1996).

Vatican Assassins

The Jesuits — 1960 – 1963

1452

Freemason A. Philip Randolph with Jesuit Priest John LaFarge, 1960 #608

Prince Hall Rite Black Freemason A. Philip Randolph was LaFarge’s favorite

Civil Rights leader. Since American Blacks had fought valiantly in the Pope’s

Second Thirty Years’ War (1914-1945), this deliberately misguided “patriotism”

was used as a justification to amalgamate the races via a series of legal events.

With the backing of the Jesuit Order and Cardinal Spellman of New York City,

Randolph was the secret guiding counsel of all Black and mulatto leaders in the

CFR/limelight of the Black Pope’s Rockefeller and Ford-financed, Black socialistcommunist

revolution from the twenties through the sixties. He opposed all

movements towards Black separatism, from the historic positions of mulatto

Booker T. Washington, to Jamaican Black Freemason Marcus Garvey, to the

irrefutable separatist logic of the Masonic Black Nation of Islam’s non-Masonic

mulatto, Minister Malcolm X. Randolph openly “threatened” to march on

Washington in 1941 at which time he and Masonic FDR, both overseen by the

Jesuits, agreed to integrating the defense industries, Roosevelt issuing executive

order 8802. He orchestrated the huge Civil Rights March on Washington, D.C.,

in August of 1963 (backed by the Order’s pro-communist, Rockefeller-financed,

apostate Protestant, anti-Reformation, anti-AV1611 Bible, pro-Masonic, National

Council of Churches) at which Martin Luther King, Jr., gave his immortalized

integrative speech, “I Have A Dream.” Lafarge (seated second from right) is

next to Randolph pictured with the Catholic Interracial Council of New York.

John LaFarge and the Limits of Catholic Interracialism, 1919–1963, David W. Southern, (Baton Rouge,

Louisiana: Louisiana State Press, 1996).

Chapter 43

The Jesuits — 1960 – 1963

1453

Randolph with President Kennedy At the White House, 1963 #609

Again we see Masonic Randolph acting as the chief Civil-Rights-leader-in-charge

with Knight of Columbus President Kennedy at the White House. Next to JFK is

the sinister Walter P. Reuther, President of the United Automobile Workers,

Vice-President of the AFL-CIO, and a member of the Black Pope’s United World

Federalists along with CFR member, Civil Rights Commission-member and

President of Notre Dame University, Priest Theodore Hesburgh. To Randolph’s

right is Rabbi Joachim Prinz, a personal acquaintance of SS/SD Adolf Eichmann

while in Vienna and chairman of the American Jewish Congress which, under

Reformed Rabbi Stephen S. Wise, betrayed European Jews by refusing to aid in

their escape from Nazi-occupied Europe. On the extreme left is Martin Luther

King, Jr., holding a plagiarized doctorate in systematic theology from Boston

University’s School of Theology heavily influenced by Jesuits at nearby Boston

College. In 1964 the Order would use its powerful papists in Congress, including

Speaker of the House John McCormick and Senate Minority Leader Everett

Dirksen, to force passage of the interracial Civil Rights Act. In 1965 the Voting

Rights Act would be passed after King’s Selma-to-Montgomery marchers were

given aid and comfort by Monsignor Paul J. Mullaney’s City of St. Jude. Yet,

both King and JFK would be executed by Cardinal Spellman’s Army Intel and

CIA/Mafia for opposing “Spelly’s War” and its lucrative drug trade in Vietnam.

Like the Bolshevik Revolution, notorious influence of Masonic Jews in the Civil

Rights Movement would result in Jesuit-incited, anti-Jewish fury at a later date.

Mr. Black Labor: The Story of A. Philip Randolph, Father of the Civil Rights Movement, Daniel S. Davis,

(New York: E. P. Dutton & Co., 1972).

Vatican Assassins

The Jesuits — 1960 – 1963

1454

A. Philip Randolph and President Johnson at the White House, 1965 #610

Masonic Black Randolph with his Masonic White master, President Lyndon B.

Johnson, discussing their tactics of amalgamating the races inspired by the late

Jesuit John LaFarge. This secret collusion further communized the nation, the

Civil Rights Movement furthering the quest of the Black Pope and his Knights of

Malta promoting Black crime, “White Flight” and a White neo-fascist backlash.

A. Philip Randolph (2R) Leading Black Civil Rights Leaders, 1964 #611

A. Philip Randolph: A Biographical Portrait, Jervis Anderson, (NY: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, Inc., 1973).

Mr. Black Labor: The Story of A. Philip Randolph, Father of the Civil Rights Movement, Daniel S. Davis,

(New York: E. P. Dutton & Co., 1972).

Chapter 43

The Jesuits — 1960 – 1963

1455

A. Philip Randolph Leading Black Civil Rights Leaders, 1964

Here sit the greatest traitors to American Black People who ever disgraced the

sad, tragic history of this generally servile and downtrodden race. With no true

Black men loyal to their race allowed to advocate a “Back to Africa” movement

or the establishment of a new Black nation in North America—to the exclusion of

all White people—, these Jesuit-ruled, Masonic “Uncle Toms” of the Black Pope

championed an integrationist agitation that has only antagonized the relationship

between American Whites and Blacks for the last sixty years—while further

centralizing executive power in Washington! Massive unconstitutional socialism,

such as President Johnson’s “War on [Black] Poverty” igniting a sky-rocketing

national debt, has given rise to huge, easily-agitated, welfare-dependent, savage,

inner-city, Black populations whose bent to illegitimacy, vice and Black-on-

White crime has been continually stoked by the Company’s CIA/Mafia gunrunners,

illicit drug trade, Jesuit/Knight of Malta-controlled Hollywood theater

movies and now “gangster rap.” From the Order’s NAACP headquarters in

New York City we see (L-R): Bayard Rustin, co-founder of the Rockefellerfunded

University of Chicago’s Congress of Racial Equality (CORE); Jewish

Jack Greenberg, NAACP New York lawyer; Masonic Whitney M. Young, Jr.,

National Urban League executive director; James Farmer, cofounder and

national CORE director; Roy Wilkins, executive secretary of the NAACP later

awarded St. Louis University’s “Sword of Ignatius Loyola” in 1976; Martin

Luther King, Jr. (groomed for the movement while a student at the all-Blackmale

Morehouse College by its Masonic president, Benjamin Elijah Mays)

president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference; John Lewis, radical

chairman of the Student Non-violent Coordinating Committee; Masonic A.

Philip Randolph, “the Chief;” and Courtney Young of Lewis’ student group.

Socialist Martin King with his White Master, Pope Paul VI, 1964 #612

Archbishop Paul Marcinkus gazes at King after an “audience” with the Pope.

SMOM Henry R. Luce’s Time magazine named King “Man of the Year” in 1964

on orders from Cardinal Spellman, furthering Rome’s Civil Rights agitation.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4737372.stm

Vatican Assassins

The Jesuits — 1960 – 1963

1456

RandolphWith Pro-Nazi President Johnson, White House, 1966 #613

Viewing the above Civil Rights leaders and their betrayal of American Blacks

who genuinely sought to be delivered from the hateful racism of White Roman

Catholic-ruled cities of the North, as well as White, apostate Protestant and

Baptist, Masonically-ruled cities of the South, the words of our socialist Masonic

Jesuit Temporal Coadjutor, W. E. B. Du Bois (though said by him to be “an old

and specious argument”), truly declare the intended plan of the Order: “Don’t

segregate yourselves! Let’s all get together, whites and blacks—and let the wise

whites lead you!” This indeed has been the outcome of the Black Pope’s Civil

Rights Movement peaking with the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Without question,

Masons Randolph and Johnson both knew that Jesuit-advised, New York City

Archbishop Francis Cardinal Spellman, via his Council on Foreign Relations in

command of the CIA, the Mafia, the FBI and Military Intelligence, executed

President Kennedy in 1963 and Malcolm X in 1965. JFK opposed his masters in

the CFR; Malcolm opposed his masters in the NOI. Both men did not promote

“Spelly’s War” in Vietnam: JFK intended to pull out all troops by the end of

1965 and Malcolm rightly called the Cardinal’s Crusade a “White man’s war.”

Seated below: (clockwise from bottom left) Clarence Mitchell, Jr., lobbyist and

director of the NAACP Washington Bureau; AFL-CIO official Andrew

Biemiller; Dorothy Height; Masonic Randolph; Roy Wilkins; Joseph L. Rauh;

Floyd McKissick; John Lewis; CFR member and Masonic V. President Hubert

Humphrey; Jewish CFR member and Attorney General Nicholas Katzenbach

who publicly opposed Masonic Alabama Governor George Wallace’s refusal to

integrate (for which Wallace’s assassination was attempted in 1968); Masonic

President Lyndon B. Johnson; and apostate Baptist Martin “Lucifer” King, Jr.

A Philip Randolph: A Biographical Portrait, Jervis Anderson, (NY: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, Inc., 1973).

Chapter 43

The Jesuits — 1960 – 1963

1457

Randolph with Masonic NY Governor, Nelson A. Rockefeller, 1969 #614

Indeed, this picture speaks a thousand words! Celebrating Randolph’s 80th

birthday dinner at New York City’s luxurious Waldorf Astoria Hotel, we see (LR):

the illegitimate Bayard Rustin, a former pro-Bolshevik communist turned

pro-papacy, anti-communist Democratic Socialist, a notorious sodomite and later

“gay rights” activist, and organizer of Masonic Randolph’s 250,000-man, 1963

Civil Rights March attended by the Archbishop of Washington, D.C., Patrick A.

O’Boyle with Randolph’s aged Jesuit LaFarge; Irish Roman Catholic George

Meany, president of the Black Pope’s socialist labor monopoly—the American

Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO)—with

ties to the CIA and SMOM J. Peter Grace, Jr., Meany later advocating the

Jesuit-led impeachment of President Nixon; Coretta King, the obedient, CFR

Press-friendly, mulatto Negress who refused to expose the Jesuit-ruled Masonic

murderers of her husband; Randolph, former vice president of the AFL-CIO,

Democratic Socialist (conforming with the Order’s anti-communist Crusade) and

co-conspirator in the King assassination; and New York Governor Nelson A.

Rockefeller, a supra-national, cartel-capitalist and co-financier of the Order’s

socialist Civil Rights Movement illustrating the collusion between the Company’s

monopoly on labor (Unions) and its monopoly on capital (New York Banks), the

Order having leveled America into one race-mixed, socialist, Jesuit Reduction.

Mr. Black Labor: The Story of A. Philip Randolph, Father of the Civil Rights Movement, Daniel S. Davis,

(New York: E. P. Dutton & Co., 1972).

Vatican Assassins:

“Wounded In The House Of My Friends”

Third Edition

by Eric Jon Phelps

https://ia802505.us.archive.org/28/items/EricJonPhelpsVaticanAssassins3rdEdition/Eric%20Jon%20Phelps%20-%20Vatican%20Assassins%203rd%20Edition.pdf

https://www.facebook.com/4williamdunn/posts/pfbid02QFRYa2D5od3AzsNQiK2UfxPBvC3QgJ6Z3v6b2MKFHg8Y61p8ukksZuxpBq7qBDdml

Solstice: The Quest for the Staff of Demnos, or simply Solstice, is a 1990 puzzle video game developed by Software Creations. It was published by CSG Imagesoft in North America and Nintendo in Europe, for the Nintendo Entertainment System. The game focuses on the wizard Shadax's bid to defeat the evil baron Morbius and rescue Princess Eleanor, whom Morbius plans to sacrifice. Shadax aims to gather the six pieces of the titular Staff of Demnos hidden within the fortress of Kâstleröck. The setting is non-linear, and consists of 250 rooms, each with a particular puzzle to solve.

Solstice is the first original game to be developed by Software Creations, which had previously only worked on converted titles between 8-bit consoles. The game features a musical score by Tim Follin, who has named the title track as his favourite among his compositions. Solstice was received positively by critics for its puzzles and graphics, and the audio was also praised. A sequel, titled Equinox, was released for the Super NES in 1993.

Gameplay

An example of gameplay in Solstice. One of the many hazards is the large translucent tiles pictured here, which vanish quickly after being jumped on and risk sending the player character Shadax plummeting to the floor of spikes below.

Solstice is an isometric-perspective puzzle game in which the player controls the wizard Shadax, who must navigate 250 rooms within the fortress Kâstleröck and assemble the six pieces of the Staff of Demnos to defeat the baron Morbius and rescue the princess Eleanor.[4][5] Shadax's basic abilities consist of jumping, and picking up and dropping objects.[6] Early in the game, Shadax can obtain a pair of magic elfin boots that augment his jumping height. He is additionally equipped with a few beakers that can be used to store four different varieties of potions. These potions can either grant temporary invincibility, destroy all moving objects in a room, freeze time, or make invisible objects visible. At the beginning of the game, the beakers hold two doses of a potion each, though refills can be obtained later on. Any number of potions can be cast simultaneously in a given room, but the spell(s) will only last as long as Shadax remains within that room. Any effects from the potion(s) will disappear when the player departs from the room.[4]

Many of the fortress's rooms feature hazards such as floors covered in spikes, conveyor belts, vanishing bridges and tiles, and floating mines, and may also be inhabited by antagonistic creatures like trolls, giant spiders and demons. The rooms often include movable blocks that can be found either lying on the floor or falling from above. These blocks can be used to move safely around the rooms and bypass enemies and hazards. Falling blocks can be frozen in mid-air with the time-freezing potion and be used as steps. There are also hovering crystal balls that can be pushed through the air and ridden as transportation, but cannot be picked up and carried. In some rooms, bombs can be detonated to create an entrance to a previously blocked-off passageway, though the detonators are hidden within nearby rooms. Other rooms contain portals that provide the only access to certain rooms within the fortress. Some rooms can only be cleared or accessed after finding and using one of four hidden magic keys.[4]

Extra lives can be obtained by collecting blue pointed hats scattered throughout the fortress. Although the screen only registers ten lives at one time, the player can continue to accumulate more lives from that point. The player can also collect coins that allow them to return to a certain room when all lives are lost instead of having to restart the game from the beginning. At any point in the game, the player can access a map which chronicles every room that they have entered and indicates all possible exits. Some of these exits appear on the map, but will not appear in-game until a certain task is performed. Aside from the map, the player can view an inventory listing a percentage of the total number of rooms they have visited, as well as the total number of magic items they have found.[4]

Plot

On the eve of the winter solstice, Morbius the Malevolent kidnaps Eleanor, Princess of Arcadia, to sacrifice her ritually and become the Evil Baron of Darkness. Shadax the wizard, after witnessing the kidnapping, heads to Morbius' stronghold, the fortress Kâstleröck, to rescue Eleanor. Once while researching Kâstleröck in the Library of Arcadia to find a way to overthrow Morbius, Shadax learned of a secret entrance into Kâstleröck and the whereabouts of the Staff of Demnos, an ancient weapon with the power to defeat Morbius. The staff was hidden in Kâstleröck because that was where Morbius would least expect to find it. Morbius' spies searched for the Staff, but did not find it because it was broken into six pieces and made invisible. However, every one hundred years on the winter solstice, all six pieces become visible. Knowing a way in, Shadax enters Kâstleröck to reassemble the Staff of Demnos, overthrow Morbius' forces of darkness, and save Princess Eleanor.[7] Upon restoring the Staff of Demnos, Shadax seeks out and frees Eleanor from imprisonment and destroys Morbius with the Staff.

Development and release

Conception and design

The development of Solstice was initiated by the programmer Mike Webb of Software Creations,[8][9] who desired to create a Knight Lore-style isometric title for the NES.[10] Solstice is the first original game to be developed within the company, which had previously only developed converted titles between 8-bit consoles. Mark Wilson, having previously worked as a programmer and a graphics artist for the company, saw Webb's proposal as an opportunity to attempt the role of a video game designer.[10]

In spite of his personal dislike of isometric games up to that point, Wilson thought it was sensible to create an isometric title as the company's first original work, as no such format had previously been attempted on the NES. Over the course of four weeks, Wilson designed the entire game as sketches and notes on paper, often within a McDonald's on Oxford Road. All of the game's item positions and events were placed on a "master map" hand-drawn on a very large sheet of graph paper, and were based on Wilson's understanding of what the player might think or need at any particular point. This detailed approach put Wilson at odds with Webb, who failed to see why such an amount of time would be taken to design a game as opposed to expediently inserting rooms into a map at random. At one point, Webb presented Wilson with an alternate map created by his girlfriend the previous night, which consisted of 255 randomly-connected empty rooms. Out of guilt for their furious arguments and pleasure with the final product, Wilson would ultimately give Webb a co-designer credit in the game's attract mode screens. Wilson would later regret this action. During a subsequent interview with Wilson at MicroProse, one of the interviewers falsely identified Webb as the game's sole designer.[10]

Visuals and audio

During the game's early stages of development, the player character Shadax appeared as an undistinguished purple rectangle; the Shadax sprite was eventually designed by Wilson.[8][11] In creating the game's setting and aesthetic, Wilson acknowledged the slim capacity for storytelling on Nintendo's cheapest available cartridge, and thus focused on the atmosphere, which he says "traded on the simplest and most basic of fantasy ideas". On stylistic influences, Wilson cited "all of the usual suspects [...] from The Lord of the Rings to Excalibur".[10]

More information

A sample of the opening theme of Solstice, composed by Tim Follin.

The game's music was composed by Tim Follin.[8] The primary background music was made to be atmospheric and dark, while the opening theme was made to be powerful.[11] On his approach to the score, Follin commented that the "folk" melody style he had previously used for Ghouls 'n Ghosts was particularly suited for Solstice due to the game's fantasy-oriented title and setting. The title theme's changing moods and phases were an attempt by Follin to keep the track interesting; Follin felt that the constant evolution required to keep music generally interesting was imperative in video game music due to its lack of vocals and performance at the time. During development, a colleague of Follin played for him several works of game composer Rob Hubbard, which convinced Follin that the technical boundaries of the contemporary generation of hardware have been reached, and refocused his attention from the score's technique to the composition.[10] While Follin retrospectively identified the title theme to be his favourite among his own compositions,[12] he felt that his work on the in-game music could have been improved to be "a lot more spacious and interesting", as it "looped too short and became irritating quite quickly".[10]

Publishing and release

The game's development spanned the course of 20 months.[11] While Solstice was given an early demonstration to Nintendo,[9] Software Creations owner Richard Kay grew impatient and quickly sold the game's North American publishing rights to CSG Imagesoft. After a response from Nintendo stating their desire to publish the title, Nintendo was given the publishing rights for all other regions,[10] and the resulting contract with Nintendo would lead to other high-profile NES and SNES games.[9] Upon receiving the game's publishing rights, CSG demanded that Shadax be changed from a wizard to a bodybuilder in a loincloth. When Wilson refused to make the change, CSG then requested that Shadax's beard in the cutscenes be shortened, and the alteration was implemented against Wilson's protest.[10]

The cover art and encased poster were created by Mike Winterbauer, who credited the job with getting him more high-profile work. Upon observing Shadax's small appearance in the game, Winterbauer decided to create an impressive and muscular wizard for the cover art. He considered posing for the painting himself, but decided that a bodybuilder would be a more suitable model, and called upon one he had met while grocery shopping in Pasadena. The poster depicts a cutaway view of the castle with different levels and creatures in several rooms. To Winterbauer's disappointment, a princess perched in the castle's tower was covered by the Solstice logo in the final printed poster.[13] The cover art was lambasted by Wilson as having nothing to do with the game that was written. He deemed it inferior to a proposed cover created by Neal Sutton that had already been supplied to CSG. He also derided the instruction booklet written by CSG as "a mass of illiterate and asinine drivel".[10]

Wilson spent the game's development time attempting to obtain a contract from Software Creations covering his work on Solstice, only to be given verbal promises about the percentage of the profits he would receive. Following the game's completion, these promises were casually broken, and Wilson would not receive any monetary gain from the title's sales. Wilson left Software Creations following this development, and struggled to obtain work for the next two years.[10]

Solstice was announced in April 1990,[14][15] and was released that July in North America,[2] and then a full year later in Europe.[3] It was also published by Epic/Sony Records in Japan on July 20 of the same year under the subtitle Sanjigen Meikyū no Kyō Jū.[1] CSG's advertisement campaign for Solstice in North America consisted of a photograph of what Wilson described as "an oiled-up bodybuilder with long hair wearing dayglo pink posing trunks", which he called "embarrassingly bad".[10] The first 5,000 customers to order Solstice from CSG Imagesoft received a free "Player's Pak", consisting of an 8 mm video tape on the making of Solstice, a player's score card, trading cards and coloured stickers. Solstice was featured in the 1990 Nintendo World Championships,[16] with the first press coverage in March by The Dallas Morning News as part of the Championships.[17]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solstice_(1990_video_game)

The kings of Cyprus continued to be crowned kings of Jerusalem, although from 1277 to 1282 the remnants of the kingdom (Acre) were actually under Charles d'Anjou's control, and the kings of Cyprus only gradually restored their authority. But soon after, with the fall of Acre in 1291, there was nothing left of the kingdom of Jerusalem. In 1458 Jean III, last male of the line, died without male heirs. His only sister Anne had (d. 1462) married Louis I de Savoie. His only daughter Charlotte (d. 1487) was recognized as queen of Cyprus, Armenia and Jerusalem, and married to her first cousin Louis de Savoie. But she was dethroned in 1460 by a bastard son of her father, namely Jacques II (d. 1473), and fled to Italy. Ultimately, in 1485, she ceded her rights to her husband's nephew Charles I, duke of Savoie, and his successors; at that point the dukes of Savoie (later kings of Sardinia and kings of Italy) added the title of king of Jerusalem, Cyprus and Armenia to their titles and the arms to their achievement. The kings of Italy used the title until 1946.

Jacques II died in 1473, leaving a widow Caterina Cornero (1454-1510), from the Venitian aristocracy. His posthumous son Jacques III soon died. The city of Venice turned Cyprus into a protectorate, and, in 1489, forced Caterina Cornero to return to Venice and cede her rights to the Republic. From then on, the Republic of Venice also added the title and arms of Jerusalem, Cyprus and Armenia to its own, until 1797 when the Republic was abolished and its territories handed over to Austria by the Treaty of Campo-Formio. Cyprus was under Venetian control until 1571 when it was conquered by the Turks. Venice became part of the kingdom of Italy in 1866.

Meanwhile, the kings of Sicily also claimed the title of king of Jerusalem. In 1282, Charles d'Anjou lost Sicily and his descendants reigned in Naples only (albeit under the title of kings of Sicily) while Sicily itself was ruled by branches of the house of Aragon. When the descendants of Charles d'Anjou became extinct in 1434, the two claimants were René d'Anjou and Alfonso, king of Aragon and Sicily, and the latter won, at which point his successors the kings of both Sicilies added the claim of Jerusalem to their own. René's claim was resurrected by his grand-nephew king Charles VIII of France in 1494, who managed to conquer and briefly hold Naples, and who used the title of Jerusalem, as did his successor Louis XII (but no other French king did so). In 1506 the Two Sicilies was finally regained by king Ferdinand of Aragon, and henceforth possessed, along with the claim to Jerusalem, by the kings of Spain, descendants of Fernando's daughter Juana and her husband Philip of Habsburg, until their extinction in male line in 1700.

As a result of the war of Spanish Succession (1701-13), Naples and Sicily were ceded by Spain to the Habsburg emperor Charles VI in 1720, and the pope duly invested the emperor with the titles of king of Sicily and Jerusalem on June 5, 1722 (the kingdom being a papal fief). In the course of the war of Polish Succession (1733-38), the younger son of the king of Spain, Don Carlos, managed to conquer the Two Sicilies, a conquest recognized by the peace of Vienna of 1738, and by the pope in the same year. Carlos became king of Spain in 1759 and left Naples and Sicily to his younger son Ferdinand, whose descendants reigned until 1860. The kings of Spain continued to use the title of Jerusalem until 1931, as did the kings of Two-Sicilies.

On the other hand, René's daughter Yolande married Ferry de Vaudémont, one of whose sons became duke of Lorraine. The modern house of Lorraine took up the claim to Jerusalem in 1700 (although it wasn't the best claimant from a genealogical point of view, as pointed out by W. A. Reitwiesner) when duke Leopold returned to his duchy after 28 years of French occupation, and adopted a closed royal crown and the style of king of Jerusalem. His son François, duke of Lorraine, married the Empress Maria-Theresa, and their descendants as rulers of Austria inherited the claim. The arms of Jerusalem could be seen in the grand arms of State of the Austrian Empire in the 19th century and the title was used until 1918.

Other Crusader States

There is very little evidence on the arms of the Crusader states. The traditional arms of the kingdom of Jerusalem are not known before the 1230s, when the city had already been lost. Numismatic evidence is scant, epigraphic evidence even more so (there are very little heraldic traces of the Crusaders in the Middle East, outside Cyprus; see an interesting exception).

Numismatic evidence

The best work is Gustave Schlumberger's Numismatique de l'Orient Latin (Paris, 1878; reprint Graz 1954). In a coin auction catalogue I recently received, coins from Tripoli feature:

Obverse: horse with cross above, Reverse: a cross between four roundels (bronze, Raymond II 1137-52)

Obv: cross patty, Rev: eight-point star (Bohemond VI, 1251-75, silver gros)

Obv: cross slightly patty, Rev: three-towered castle (Bohemond VII, 1275-87, silver gros)

I believe the 8-pt star was a recurrent motif on Tripoli coins.

Coins of Antioch feature:

Raymond Roupen (1216-19): helmeted head between crescent and 5-pt star, Rev: cross patty with crescent in one quarter. (coins from early 12th c. have a bust of St Peter and inscriptions, or the Mother of God facing nimbate).

Interestingly, coins from Cyprus (1306-1473) constantly feature on the reverse a cross potent between four crosses, never crosslets but sometimes patty or formy. But what is peculiar is that the main cross is "quadrat in the centre", that is, its center is thickened by a square. This is, according to Parker's Glossary, called a cross of S. Chad, because it features in the arms of the see of Lichfield and Coventry, of which S. Chad was the first bishop. The quadrating on the Cyprus coins is much less pronounced than in the drawing in Parker, but this is nevertheless quite intriguing.

Other evidence

monuments (carved arms, epitaphs, etc): two or three epitaphs with arms are known; some graffiti carved on marble columns of the church of the Nativity in Bethleem were made by 14th-15th c. pilgrims. That's all that survived. One notable exception: the tomb of Philippe d'Aubigni in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, Jerusalem.

Monuments in the West: Marguerite, daughter of Louis d'Acre, vicomte de Beaumont, himself son of Jean de Brienne, king of Jerusalem, was married to Bohemond VII, count of Tripoli (d. 1287) and eldest son of Bohemond VI, last prince of Antioch. She died in France in 1328, and her tomb in the abbey of Maubuisson was described as "parsemée de croix de Jérusalem dans des losanges de gueules, et de lions rampants dans des losanges de sable fleurdelisés" in Du Cange's Familles d'Outremer (Paris, 1869, p. 486). The tomb was destroyed in 1793 (reference to Dulaure, Environs de Paris, vol. 2, p. 331, n. 2, which I have not checked).

objects: a handful survive, mainly from Cyprus.

seals: Gustave Schlumberger's Sigillographie de l'Orient Latin (Paris, 1943) is probably quite comprehensive, and there is little heraldry to glean from it. Lots of seals of the kings of Jerusalem, princes of Antioch, counts of Tripoli are known, but they bear no arms. See for example the seals of Baudoin II (1118-31), Amalric (1162-75), Jean de Brienne (1212-37). In Antioch, Raymond of Poitiers (1136-49) is shown riding a horse and bearing a cross on his shield and banner, but that's it. Among lesser barons, the Ibelin family, lords of Arsur and Beyrut apparently had "Or a cross patty gules". The device certainly appears on their shields and banners as shown on their seals. Aside from that, there are arms here and there: Hugues de Giblet (Biblos) has a 8-pointed star, the Porcellet family has a boar passant, the lordship of Loron or Thoron was a lion rampant.

There is more armory from Cyprus and Constantinople; but then, those arms are well known. The Courtenay arms appear on Philippe de Courtenay's seal (d. 1283). Interestingly, the earlier emperors of Constantinople, Baudoin of Flanders (d. 1205), Henri I (d. 1216), Baudoin II (d. 1261) all use the lion of Flanders, although one contemporary cronicler describes Henri riding in battle with a coat-armour gules semy of crosses or. Villehardouin, princes of Achaia, use the family arms of a cross recercelee; later, Louis a cadet of Burgundy who claimed Achaia added a quarter of Villehardouin to his arms of Burgundy ancient (14th c.). Achaia was also claimed by a junior branch of Savoy, who differenced with a bend.

https://www.heraldica.org/topics/national/jerusale.htm

Prince Louis of Wales (/ˈluːi/ LOO-ee;[1] Louis Arthur Charles; born 23 April 2018) is a member of the British royal family. He is the third and youngest child of William, Prince of Wales, and Catherine, Princess of Wales, and a grandson of King Charles III and Diana, Princess of Wales. He is fourth in the line of succession to the British throne.

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

Trump, Vance meet with Pope Leo's Florida brother, 'a major MAGA fan', at White House

Kim Luciani

USA TODAY NETWORK - Florida

May 22, 2025, 12:58 p.m. ET

Key Points AI-assisted summary

President Donald Trump met with Pope Leo XIV's brother, Louis Prevost, at the White House.

Trump publicly praised Prevost, a Florida resident, for being a "major MAGA fan."

Louis Prevost acknowledged his political views and stated his intention to "tone it down" to avoid causing issues for the pope.

President Donald Trump met with Pope Leo XIV's Florida brother Louis Prevost at the White House on May 20, after praising Prevost to reporters at the Capitol earlier in the day, calling him a "major MAGA fan."

Trump told reporters he likes the pope and both of his brothers, but spotlighted the eldest brother, Navy veteran and Port Charlotte resident Louis Prevost.

"I like the new pope and I like the pope's brother. You know, one of the pope's brothers – actually both of them – but one in particular is a major MAGA fan. Did you know that? He lives in Florida," Trump said.

"And I look forward to getting him to the White House. I want to shake his hand, I want to give him a big hug."

Later that day, the White House visit happened. Louis Prevost and his wife Deborah met with Trump and Vice President JD Vance in the Oval Office.

"Great meeting between President Trump, Vice President Vance, and @Pontifex’s brother, Louis Prevost and his wife Deborah," Special Assistant to the President and Communications Advisor Margo Martin posted on X, along with a photo of the meeting.

Louis Prevost excited and happy about brother Pope Leo XVI's papacy

The Prevost brothers — Louis, John and Robert (Pope Leo XIV) — grew up in Chicago in a traditional Catholic family.

Louis Prevost said his youngest brother Robert wanted to "play priest" when he was 6 and set his sights on the priesthood as a freshman in high school. Their parents, neighbors and even strangers told Robert, "You're going to be pope someday," he said.

Robert Prevost's election as Pope Leo XIV left Louis Prevost excited, happy, mind blown and a little worried about how the papacy would impact their relationship.

“I just freaked out and said ‘It’s Rob, OMG.’ I was up, dressed, out, just going nuts,” he told WBBH.

“We can only hope that we can maintain that closeness, and we don't do anything to embarrass him,” he said.

Louis Prevost attended Pope Leo's inaugural mass at the Vatican on May 18. The brothers shared a hug after the service.

Pope Leo's Florida brother Louis Prevost is a MAGA, Trump supporter

Trump told reporters Louis Prevost is a "major MAGA fan."

In an interview with Piers Morgan, Louis Prevost said, "I don’t want to create waves that don’t need to be there because I’m a MAGA type and I have my beliefs,” he said. “I don’t need to create heat for him. He’s going to have enough to handle as it is without the press going ‘the pope’s brother says this.’ He doesn’t need that.”

Asked about his reposts of controversial social media memes, including one calling Nancy Pelosi a drunk (expletive), and how they might affect the pope, Louis Prevost said he will "tone it down."

"He knows I am who I am," he said of the pope. "He's well aware of my position. He knows I'm probably not going to change and I don't think I will, other than to, just like you say, tone it down."

Contributing: Melissa Pérez-Carrillo, Herald-Tribune, Ashley Ferrer, USA TODAY Network-Florida

https://www.heraldtribune.com/story/news/2025/05/22/trump-pope-leo-florida-maga-brother-louis-prevost-white-house-visit/83773944007/

Louis Raphaël I Sako (Arabic: لويس روفائيل ساكو;[1] born 4 July 1948) is a Chaldean Catholic prelate who has served as Patriarch of Baghdad since 1 February 2013. Pope Francis made him a cardinal on 28 June 2018.

Biography

Early life

Sako was born in the city of Zakho, Iraq, on 4 July 1948.[2] He comes from an ethnic Assyrian family of the Chaldean Catholic Church that has roots in a religious community that has had a presence in the city of his birth since the 5th century AD.[3]

He completed his early studies in Mosul and then attended the Dominican-run Saint Jean’s Seminary there. He was ordained a priest on 1 June 1974 and filled his first pastoral assignment at the Cathedral of Mosul until 1979. He then earned a doctorate in Eastern patrology at the Pontifical Oriental Institute. When denied a license to teach because he was only qualified for religious instruction, he earned a second doctorate in history from the Sorbonne in Paris.[4] With this he secured his teaching license and was able to provide religious instruction. From 1997 to 2002 he was rector of the Patriarchal Seminary in Baghdad. He then returned to Mosul and guided the parish of Perpetual Help for a year.[5][6]

Sako speaks Neo-Aramaic, German, French, English, Italian, Kurdish and Arabic.[2]

Archeparch

A synod of the bishops of the Chaldean Catholic Church meeting in Baghdad elected Sako Archeparch of Kirkuk on 24 October 2002. Pope John Paul II gave his assent on 27 September 2003.[7] He received his episcopal consecration on 14 November 2003 from his predecessor in Kirkuk, André Sana.[8]

In August 2009, and at the beginning of Ramadan, Sako organized an appeal for national peace, reconciliation and end to violence on the part of more than fifty religious leaders in Kirkuk. He called it "a gesture of closeness to our Muslim brothers. We are all brothers, sons of the same God we must respect and cooperate for the good of the people and our country." The participants included representatives of Ali Sistani and Muqtada al Sadr.[9]

Patriarch

The Synod of Bishops of the Chaldean Catholic Church, convoked in Rome on 28 January 2013, elected Sako to succeed Emmanuel III Delly as Patriarch of Babylon. He chose Louis Raphael I as his regnal name. Pope Benedict XVI gave his assent to the election on 1 February[2] and granted him ecclesiastica communio (ecclesiastical communion) as required by the canon law for Eastern-rite Catholic churches in recognition of their unity with the wider Catholic church.[10]

That same year, Iraq's President Jalal Talabani issued a decree recognizing Sako as Patriarch of the Chaldean Church.[11]

In July 2014 Sako led a wave of condemnation for the Sunni Islamists who demanded Christians either convert, submit to their radical rule and pay a religious levy or face death by the sword.[12] In September 2014 Sako said “The U.S. is indirectly responsible for what is going on in Iraq as it said it would ensure democracy and the well-being of the people, but 10 years have passed and on the contrary we have gone backward." He was responding to a question following remarks attributed to him in the local daily Ad-Diyar in which he accused the U.S. of supporting ISIS. Sako had also criticized Muslim countries for lack of support: "Our Muslim neighbours did not help us." He urged Muslim preachers to issue a religious ruling against the killing of all innocent people and said that "Issuing a fatwa preventing Muslims from killing fellow Muslims is not enough."[13]

In 2014, Sako ordered ten priests who had fled Iraq to return there by 22 October; he suspended them when they failed to comply. The priests, all living in the United States, some for as long as twenty years, appealed to Pope Francis for relief from the order.[14] In January 2015, Pope Francis granted them permission to remain in the United States.[15] Sako later renewed his order despite the pope's decision.[16]

In 2015, Sako proposed a "merger" or reunion of his own Chaldean Catholic Church with the Ancient Church of the East and the Assyrian Church of the East to create one united "Church of the East" with a single patriarch in union with the pope. His proposal would have required both his own resignation and that of Mar Addai II, followed by a joint synod of the bishops of all three churches to elect a new patriarch for the reunited Church of the East. (The patriarchate of the Assyrian Church of the East was vacant at the time, following the death of Mar Dinkha IV.)[17] He wrote that "Unity does not mean uniformity, nor the melting of our own church identity into one style, but it maintains unity in diversity and we remain one apostolic universal church, the Oriental Church, that maintains its independence of administration, laws and liturgies, traditions and support."[18] The Assyrian Church of the East respectfully declined this proposal citing "ecclesiological divergences still remaining" and proceeded with its election of a new patriarch.[19]

On 14 November 2015, the Synod of Bishops announced that Pope Francis had named Sako as one of his three appointments to that body's council.[20]

Cardinal

Pope Francis made Sako a cardinal in a consistory on 28 June 2018.[21] Later that year, Pope Francis named him one of the four cardinals to preside over sessions of the Synod of Bishops on Youth in October.[22]

On 6 October 2018 Sako was named a member of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches,[23] on 22 February 2019 a member of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue,[24] and on 29 September 2021 a member of the Congregation for Catholic Education.[25] On 4 January 2022, Pope Francis made him a member of the Council for the Economy.[26]

Sako was a cardinal elector in the 2025 papal conclave that elected Pope Leo XIV.[27] Patriarch Sako was also the first Chaldean Catholic Patriarch ever to participate in a papal conclave.[28][a] Sako opted not to wear the shash, the traditional headgear of East Syriac Christian bishops, and wore only his scarlet zucchetto.[32]

Government recognition dispute

On 15 July 2023, Iraq's President Abdul Latif Rashid announced the revocation of the government's 2013 decree recognizing Sako as Patriarch. In response that same day Sako announced he was leaving Baghdad to take up residence in Iraqi Kurdistan. He called the revocation "unprecedented in the history of Iraq".[11] Rashid said his action "does not affect the religious or legal status of patriarch Sako" and said it was based on the fact that Sako's office is not recognized by the Iraqi Constitution; Sako viewed as an extension of the government's ongoing "deliberate and humiliating campaign" against him and its wider failure to protect Iraqi Christians.[33] Rashid had recently rejected requests for comparable decrees from the Patriarchs of the Assyrian Church and the Old Assyrian Church. Others cited complex political manoeuvering.[34]

On 15 July 2023, Sako announced his intention to "retire from the Patriarchal See in Baghdad and move to a church, a mission, in one of the monasteries of Iraqi Kurdistan". His announcement followed a decision by the President of Iraq, Abdul Latif Rashid, to revoke a decree established in 2013 by the former Iraq's President, Jalal Talabani, recognising Sako as Patriarch of the Chaldean Church. The revocation "is unprecedented in Iraq's history," Sako said, highlighting "the government's silence" about the incident and the suffering of the Christian community.[35] For months, Sako had been embroiled in a war of words with a Shia lawmaker and militia leader, Rayan al-Kildani. Both accused each other of exploiting their influence to illegally seize Christian-owned properties. Al-Kildani is the leader of the Babylon Movement, whose militia fought ISIS within the state-linked Popular Mobilisation Forces, a network of largely pro-Iran paramilitaries. Since then, al-Kildani forged strong alliances with powerful Tehran-allied Shiite militias. Sako criticized the Babylon Movement as falsely Christian, noting most of its members and supporters are Shia Muslims using the label for political gain.[36][37] Furthermore, the Babylon Movement, led by al-Kildani, is accused of pillaging homes, unlawful confiscation of land, coercion, extortion, abuse of women, persecution of religious minorities, and torture of detainees. As a result, in 2019, the US imposed sanctions on al-Kildani and another Shiite militia leader, calling them "perpetrators of serious human rights abuse and corruption", and penalizing entities that interact with them.[38]

Cardinal Sako has accused Archbishop Bashar Warda of collaborating and conspiring with Rayan al-Kildani in an effort to subvert his authority and push for his resignation as head of the Chaldean Church. Warda is criticized for supporting al-Kildani despite his horrendous actions, and for not supporting Sako's efforts to counter the Babylon Movement's seizure of Christian assets. This has led to accusations that Warda prioritizes benefits from al-Kildani's support over protecting church interests. Sako has referred to Warda as the "Godfather" of the Babylon Movement.[39][40][41]

On 7 August 2023, Sako told an interviewer that "Withdrawing the decree is very bad. For 15 centuries, there were decrees recognising the Patriarch as head of the Church and administrator of the properties of the Church. Revoking it is a humiliation for the Church. Those behind this move want to put their hands on the properties of the Church and administer them separately from the ecclesiastical authorities. We cannot accept that."[42]

In April 2024, after nine months of exile, Sako returned to Baghdad with the assistance of Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' Al Sudani.[43][44]

On 28 August 2024, Sako demanded a public apology from five bishops based on perceived disunity in the Chaldean Catholic Church, including absence from a mandatory July episcopal synod, setting a deadline of September 5. The five bishops, led by Bashar Warda, the Archbishop of Erbil, also withdrew from an August spiritual retreat and pulled their students from the Chaldean Seminary. The bishops refused to apologize, citing dissatisfaction with Sako's leadership style and unilateral decision-making. As a result, he would suspend them and ask Pope Francis to impose canonical penalties, including excommunication.[45][46] The actions of Bashar Warda and the other bishops have been described by the Chaldean Patriarchate as a "dangerous precedent" that goes against their episcopal vows to support the patriarch. The 17 bishops who attended the July 2024 synod issued a communiqué, calling for "appropriate legal measures" against the "clear violations" committed by the boycotting group of Warda.[47]

The rivalry between Louis Sako and Bashar Warda is driven by a fierce personal conflict, with Sako perceiving Warda as ruthlessly ambitious to seize the patriarchate. This perception has led Sako to backtrack on his initial plans to retire at 75, driven by a determination to thwart Warda's power grab. Warda's actions are seen as a betrayal of Sako's leadership.[48]

Honours

Defensor Fidei Prize, 2008

Pax Christi International Peace Award, 2010

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_Rapha%C3%ABl_I_Sako

Illuminati: A Contingency Plan

Our research concludes that the Illuminati was initially formed as a cooperative venture between

the hierarchies of Sion and the Templars to finish the task of two centuries ago - that of

dethroning the Bourbons. The Templars were seeking revenge for the death of Jacques de Molay.

Sion was seeking the French throne for the Merovingian Lorraine-Habsburg dynasty. Should

Sion fail in its bid for a universal monarchy, it would transform its strategy to bring about a New

World Order of republicanism. In either case the British crown was no longer necessary for the

protection of the Merovingian kings. The Templars would again assume that function, for

Templar military lodges were already forming throughout the French forces.

Weishaupt's Handler: Kolmer or Charles of Lorraine?

Nesta Webster reports that Weishaupt did not receive the inspiration on his own for forming the

Illuminati. In 1771, she claims, a mysterious Jutland merchant named Kolmer, who supposedly

had spent many years in Egypt, returned to Europe to initiate Weishaupt into the Rose-Croix rites

of Egyptian mysticism. On his way to Germany from Egypt, Kolmer stopped at Malta, where a

remnant of the English competitors of the Knights Templar existed under the name Knights of

Malta. There Kolmer rendezvoused with a famous Freemason and magician named Cagliostro.

Together they displayed their magic to the crowds, nearly bringing about an insurrection among

the people. Both men were driven off the island by the Knights of Malta and Kolmer promptly

went to Germany for a rendezvous with Adam Weishaupt. During the next five years, Kolmer

initiated Weishaupt in all the mysteries of his secret doctrine, ending his instruction in the spring

of 1776. On May 1, 1776, Weishaupt founded the Illuminati.43

Kolmer is not mentioned in the Priory documents. In fact, Nesta Webster says he is the most

mysterious man in this whole plot. Before he met Weishaupt, there was no previous history of

him, other than his encounter on Malta with Cagliostro. Afterwards he disappeared. Yet,

Cagliostro described Kolmer with respect and admiration, calling him "this universal genius,

almost divine."44

Subsequent events suggest that Kolmer was none other than the Grand Master of the Priory of

Sion - Charles of Lorraine. But who is this mysterious Freemason, Cagliostro?

Cagliostro and Egyptian Freemasonry

Mackey's Encyclopedia of Freemasonry acknowledges the importance of Cagliostro in the

spread of Freemasonry throughout Europe:

"The history of Freemasonry in that century would not be complete without a reference to this

personage. To write the history of Freemasonry in the eighteenth century and to leave out

Cagliostro, would be like enacting the play of Hamlet and leaving out the part of the Prince of

Denmark."45

Cagliostro established more Masonic Lodges throughout Europe than did any single man then or

since. On Malta he was appointed by Charles of Lorraine (disguised as the Jutland merchant

Kolmer) to act in his behalf - as the link between the Grand Master of Sion and Weishaupt.

Mackey's Encyclopedia of Freemasonry says Cagliostro's real name was Joseph Balsamo,46 the

man mentioned in the Priory documents as a figure in the Sionist conspiracy along with several

Grand Masters of Sion. This man had the power of a Grand Master of Sion, yet, was never a

Grand Master himself. The Priory documents say of such men:

"Custodians of a secret, one can only exalt them or destroy them. Thus people like...Joseph

Balsamo, the dukes of Nevers and Gonzaga, whose wake is attended by a perfume of magic in

which sulphur is mingled with incense- the perfume of the Magdalen."47

Five years after Joseph Balsamo/Cagliostro met Kolmer at Malta we find Cagliostro in London

126

where he becomes connected with Rosicrucian English Freemasonry. According to Mackey's

Encyclopedia of Freemasonry, in April, 1776, one month before Adam Weishaupt officially

founded the Illuminati, Cagliostro was initiated as an English Mason "in Esperance Lodge,

No.289, which then met at the King's Head Tavern."48 In 1777, the year Weishaupt was initiated

into French Grand Orient Freemasonry, Cagliostro "was subsidized," according to Mackey, "by

several extremely wealthy men, who, themselves dissatisfied by the state of affairs in Europe,

did not hesitate to place their riches at his disposal for the purpose of undermining the tyrannic

powers which then wielded sway."49

The "tyrannic powers" in Europe undoubtedly refer to the French throne. And the wealthy men

in England may well have been Sionist Rosicrucians. Since Mackey does not mention them by

name, we cannot positively connect them with Sion, nor can we speculate on who these

individuals may have been. Yet, with substantial funds from England, Sionist Cagliostro returned

to the Continent and founded Egyptian Freemasonry, which played a significant role in the

Sionist plot against France, not only in the French Revolution, but for a century and a half

beyond. The coat of arms Cagliostro adopted for his Order was the six pointed star, identical to

that created by the Merovingian Dagobert H at the Rennes-le-Chateau, and later adopted by the

Priory of Sion. This six-pointed-star later became the herald of the future genuine Jewish Zionist

movement, which insignia has mistakenly led many conspiracy researchers to believe the

conspiracy of Jewish origin.

Nesta Webster tells us that when Cagliostro returned to the Continent, he joined the Illuminati.

She reports that "Cagliostro had also been initiated into the [Templar] Strict Observance near

Frankfurt and was now employed as agent of the combined order. According to his own

confession his mission 'was to work so as to turn Freemasonry in the direction of Weishaupt's

projects'... Cagliostro also formed a link with the Martinistes who [followed] in the footsteps of

the Rosicrucians...."50

Cagliostro received orders from and acted in behalf of Charles of Lorraine, the reigning Grand

Master of Sion, who was relieved of his military command for failing to defeat Frederick the

Great. Disguised as the Jutland merchant Kolmer, the Grand Master met Cagliostro on Malta

where they planned their strategy. Cagliostro was to join the Illuminati with two conspicuous

goals in mind: (1) turn French Freemasons into insurrectionists through drug addiction,

prostitution, and witchcraft; and (2) unite Rosicrucian and Templar Freemasonry on the

Continent. The ostensible purpose of the latter will not be evident until later. Yet from

Cagliostro's day forward we find a mixture of Rosicrucian and Templar ceremonies in both

Masonic orders.

It is undeniable that the frenzy leading up to the French Revolution was created by Cagliostro's

esoteric Egyptian Freemasonry. At the same time, Weishaupt and his Illuminati operated in the

political arena.

127

A Summary

Sion had not altered its plan to capture the French throne for the House of Lorraine since its

failure during the Religious Wars. It met only with partial success under Weishaupt. The French

Revolution did dethrone the Bourbons, as Sion desired. The King of Jerusalem dynasty,

however, was unable to ascend the French throne after the Revolution destroyed the monarchy.

This intrigue, with its counter-intrigues, seemed to blend Rosicrucianism and Templarism.

Hence, conspiracy researchers have not understood the dual conflict within the French

Revolution and they have misconstrued the French Masonic conspiracy as a continuation of

Adam Weishaupt's Illuminati plot. On the other hand, opponents of conspiracy theory view the

Illuminati as non-existent after 1785, since in that year it was exposed by the Bavarian

government and ordered to disband. What actually happened is not immediately apparent. Sion

and the Temple, however, had other plans for the Illuminati on another continent in a new world.

Scarlet and the Beast

by John Daniel

https://ia803001.us.archive.org/28/items/ScarletAndTheBeastJohnDaniel1995/Scarlet%20and%20the%20Beast,%20John%20Daniel%20(1995).pdf

Princess Charlotte of Wales (Charlotte Elizabeth Diana; born 2 May 2015) is a member of the British royal family. She is the second child and only daughter of William, Prince of Wales, and Catherine, Princess of Wales, and a granddaughter of King Charles III and Diana, Princess of Wales. She is third in the line of succession to the British throne.

Infancy

Charlotte was born at 8:34 am on 2 May 2015 at St Mary's Hospital, London, during the reign of her paternal great-grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, as the second child of Prince William and Catherine, then known as Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.[1] Her birth was marked by gun salutes[2] and illuminating London landmarks pink.[3] On 4 May her name was announced as Charlotte Elizabeth Diana,[4] honouring her grandfather Charles, her great-grandmother, and her grandmother Diana.[5][6] Charlotte was christened on 5 July by the archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, at St Mary Magdalene Church, Sandringham.[7]

Upbringing

The family lived at Anmer Hall in Norfolk during Charlotte's infancy, before relocating to Kensington Palace in 2017.[8][9] Charlotte started at Willcocks Nursery School in January 2018.[10] She joined her elder brother George at Thomas's School in Battersea in September 2019, where she was known as Charlotte Cambridge.[11] In 2022 the family relocated to Adelaide Cottage in Windsor Home Park,[12] after which she and her brothers, George and Louis, began attending Lambrook, an independent preparatory school in Berkshire.[13][14]

see caption

Charlotte with her parents, siblings and other senior royals on the balcony of Buckingham Palace following the Platinum Jubilee Pageant, June 2022

Following the death of Elizabeth II on 8 September 2022, Charlotte's grandfather acceded to the throne as Charles III, and Charlotte became third in line to the throne.[15][16] She and her brothers occasionally accompany their parents on royal engagements,[17] overseas tours, and diplomatic visits.[18][19]

Public image

Despite the efforts of her parents to keep their children from public view,[20] photographs and public appearances of Charlotte continue to cause media frenzies.[21] Shopping statistics and polls among parents show that Charlotte is a major children's style icon.[21][22][23] Brand Finance previously estimated that she will be worth more than £3 billion to the British economy throughout her lifetime.[21] In August 2023, Reader's Digest estimated her lifetime worth to the British economy at $4.6 billion or £3.6 billion.[24]

Title and styles

Charlotte is a British princess with the official style and title "Her Royal Highness Princess Charlotte of Wales".[25] Before her father was created Prince of Wales on 9 September 2022, Charlotte was styled "Her Royal Highness Princess Charlotte of Cambridge".[26]

Succession

Charlotte is third in the line of succession to the British throne, behind her father and elder brother.[27][28] Because of the implementation of the Perth Agreement, which replaced male-preference primogeniture with absolute primogeniture, she did not move down the line of succession upon the birth of her younger brother Louis in April 2018, making her the first British princess in history to rank above a brother in the line of succession.[29]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Princess_Charlotte_of_Wales_(born_2015)

The Priory of Sion is an initiatory Order of chivalry, founded on July 15 1099 in Jerusalem, by Godfrey of Bouillon, at the Abbey "Our Lady of Mount Sion" as "Order of our Lady of Mount Sion."The Order, after being registered for the first time in history, in 1956, and then being dissolved in 1993, was newly registered in 2015, perpetuating the legitimate Pierre Plantard de Saint-Clair's lineage, through the actual Grand Master, Marco Rigamonti.The Priory of Sion is characterized by a gnostic and rosicrucian influence, who sets himself the task of supporting and nurturing personal growth, moral and spiritual, with respect and in harmony with the personal objectives that each of us, by nature, has to carry through in life experience.It's also our purpose the esoteric research as the study and experience related to the transcendent and mystical in an environment of communion with our Brothers and Sisters, Members of the Order.The Priory of Sion today inherits a tradition of esoteric, philosophical, spiritual and cultural legacy, which favors the cultivation of values and principles that offers the way to live a more aware and noble personal dimension.We work through symbols, ancient rituals, theurgic practice and traditions, in order to live a personal and collective sprirituality in communion with our Brothers and Sisters.The Order is apolitical and forbids its members to be made a place of political debate, or even worse, to be exploited for such purposes."

http://www.prieure-de-sion.com/

In 603, Pope Gregory I commissioned the Ravennate Abbot Probus, who was previously Gregory's emissary at the Lombard court, to build a hospital in Jerusalem to treat and care for Christian pilgrims to the Holy Land.[4] In 800, Emperor Charlemagne enlarged Probus' hospital and added a library to it. About 200 years later, in 1009, the Fatimid caliph al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah destroyed the hospital and three thousand other buildings in Jerusalem.

Merchants from Amalfi in southern Italy were given permission by the Egyptian Fatimid Caliph al-Mustansir Billah (r. 1036–1094) to build a monastery in Jerusalem, near the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. The monastery, known as the abbey of St Mary of the Latins (to distinguish them from local Syriac Orthodox Church hierarchy), was served by the Order of Saint Benedict and took in Christian pilgrims travelling to visit the Christian holy sites. The increase in the number of pilgrims led the Benedictine monks to establish two hospitals in the late 1060s, one for men and one for women, with the former known as the Hospital of St John. They did this with the support of a wealthy Amalfian named Mauro of Pantaleone. In the early 1070s the hospital was visited by Archbishop John of Amalfi during his pilgrimage. In later centuries, to help raise money in Europe, the Order of St John made claims that the hospital had been founded more than a century before Christ by the high priest Menelaus and the Greek King Antiochus of Jerusalem, with financing from Judas Maccabeus, and that it was first headed by Saint Stephen and had been visited by Christ and the Apostles. A historian of the Order in the 13th century wrote that this version was not true.[5][6] In any case, the Hospitallers rose to fame and prestige in a short amount of time.[7]

By the time of the success of the First Crusade in 1099, the Hospital of St John was already well known among pilgrims and was regarded as a separate organization from the monastery of St Mary. The monastic brothers at the hospital saw it as their duty to provide the best possible treatment to the poor. They were given an endowment by Godfrey of Bouillon, the leader of the First Crusade, before he died in 1100. The Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Ghibbelin of Arles, formally recognized it as a separate entity from the monastery when he reformed the Catholic hierarchy in Palestine, and a step towards this was taken by Pope Paschal II when he recognized the abbey of St Mary as a church of the Holy See, placing it under his protection and exempting it from paying tithes on its land, on 19 June 1112. The monastic Hospitaller Order was formally created when the Pope issued the papal bull Pie postulatio voluntatis on 15 February 1113 to the head of the Hospital of St John, Blessed Gerard de Martigues. The Pope subordinated the hospital to his own authority and exempted it from paying tithes on the lands it owned, and gave the right to its professed brothers to elect their master. He also placed several other hospitals and hospices in southern Italy under the governance of the Hospital of St John in Jerusalem, as they were located at port cities from which pilgrims traveled to the Holy Land.[7][8][9]

Knights Hospitaller in Jerusalem

Gerard acquired territory and revenues for his order throughout the Kingdom of Jerusalem and beyond. Under his successor, Raymond du Puy, the original hospice was expanded to an infirmary[10] and by then was subordinated to the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Around this time the Hospital of St John became connected with that Church, and documents often referred to "the Holy Sepulchre and the Hospital of St John of Jerusalem."[11] Initially, the Hospitallers cared for pilgrims as well as others (including Muslims and Jews) in Jerusalem,[7] but the order soon extended to provide pilgrims with an armed escort before eventually becoming a significant military force. Thus, the Order of St. John imperceptibly became militaristic without losing its charitable character.[10]

It is possible that the Hospital of St John hired knights or foot soldiers after the First Crusade to provide security, before it formally established its own military organization. Knights in western Europe left their horses and weapons to the Hospitallers in their wills in the 1120s, and in the early 1140s Pope Innocent II mentioned that the Hospitallers had "servants" to protect pilgrims. An account from a Hospitaller priest in 16th century stated that as the Order of St John became more wealthy it hired knights to defend its hospitals and pilgrims, and these knights eventually became Hospitallers themselves. It is known that secular knights and soldiers were hired by institutions in Jerusalem to provide protection after 1099, including churches, and some of them later joined military orders. The Order of Knights Templar was founded around 1119-1120 and it is likely that the Hospitallers were inspired by them to have their own knights. A charter made for a gift to the Hospital of St John in a Christian army on 17 January 1126 recorded that a brother from the Order was present as a witness and that he held a military title.[12]

Krak des Chevaliers, a castle acquired by the Hospitallers in Syria

Raymond du Puy, who succeeded Gerard as master of the hospital in 1120,[11] is credited with establishing the military element of the Order.[13] Raymond decided some time before 1136 that Hospitallers could fight to defend the kingdom or to besiege a pagan city.[14] The Knights Hospitaller, like the other military orders, organized its fighting members into the ranks of knight and sergeant.[15] In 1130, Pope Innocent II gave the order its coat of arms, a plain silver cross in a field of red, to differentiate them from the Templars.[16] The other symbol of the Hospitallers, the "eight-pointed cross", is said to have originated in the Byzantine Empire before reaching the Duchy of Amalfi in Italy, and it was later used in Jerusalem by the monks that founded the Hospital of St John. After the Hospitallers moved to Malta, it became known as the Maltese cross.[17]

Maronite archer guiding a Knights Hospitaller and Northern Italian Crusader through Wadi Numeira to the Kerak plateau

King Fulk of Jerusalem constructed several castles to defend the kingdom's southern border from attacks by the Fatimid garrison at Ascalon, and allowed the Hospitallers to manage one of them in 1136, the castle of Bethgibelin.[14] This castle also allowed them to defend the pilgrim route between Jaffa and Jerusalem.[18] Later in the century, the Hospitallers were given control over more castles in Syria than they had in the Kingdom of Jerusalem.[19] In the next several decades after 1136 the Order was granted more castles and towns by nobles that needed assistance in defending them, especially in the County of Tripoli and the Principality of Antioch. Those notably included the Krak des Chevaliers in 1142, which they received from Raymond II, Count of Tripoli.[14][19] According to one estimate the Hospitallers had 25 castles as of 1180.[19] In addition to defending them, the Hospitallers also undertook construction projects to build new castles or repair and expand existing ones, with an example of the latter being Krak des Chevaliers.[20]

One of the first battles that the Knights Hospitaller fought in was the Siege of Ascalon in 1153. After a group of Knights Templar, led by their Grand Master, Bernard de Tremelay, entered the besieged fortress and were all killed, King Baldwin III of Jerusalem wanted to withdraw, but Raymond du Puy convinced him to continue, and the fort surrendered to the Crusaders on 22 August 1153.[21][22] It is not clear if the role of the Hospitallers was only advisory or if they were involved in the fighting at Ascalon.[23]

The Hospitallers and the Knights Templar became the most formidable military orders in the Holy Land. Frederick Barbarossa, the Holy Roman Emperor, pledged his protection to the Knights of St. John in a charter of privileges granted in 1185.[24][25] In order to protect the road of the Camino de Santiago, the Order of Saint John generously received the hospital, commandery and convent of San Juan de Acre in Navarrete, La Rioja, founded in 1185 by María Ramírez de Medrano, Lady of Fuenmayor, built by her son Martín de Baztán y Medrano, bishop of Osma in Soria.[26] Active in the Kingdom of Toledo (a border area with Islam from the 12th to the 13th centuries) since 1144, the order had their largest holding in the kingdom in the Campo de San Juan.[27]

A Hospitaller depicted in a church painting

The statutes of Roger de Moulins (1187) deal only with the service of the sick; the first mention of military service is in the statutes of the ninth grand master, Fernando Afonso of Portugal (about 1200). In the latter, a marked distinction is made between secular knights, externs to the order, who served only for a time, and the professed knights, attached to the order by a perpetual vow, and who alone enjoyed the same spiritual privileges as the other religious. The order numbered three distinct classes of membership: the military brothers, the brothers infirmarians, and the brothers chaplains, to whom was entrusted the divine service.[10]

In 1248, Pope Innocent IV (1243–1254) approved a standard military dress for the Hospitallers to be worn during battle. Instead of a closed cape over their armour (which restricted their movements), they wore a red surcoat with a white cross emblazoned on it.[28]

Many of the more substantial Christian fortifications in the Holy Land were built by the Templars and the Hospitallers. At the height of the Kingdom of Jerusalem, the Hospitallers held seven great forts and 140 other estates in the area. The two largest of these, their bases of power in the Kingdom and in the Principality of Antioch, were the Krak des Chevaliers and Margat in Syria.[8] The property of the Order was divided into priories, subdivided into bailiwicks, which in turn were divided into commanderies.

As early as the late 12th century, the order had begun to achieve recognition in the Kingdom of England and Duchy of Normandy. As a result, buildings such as St John's Jerusalem and the Knights Gate, Quenington in England were built on land donated to the order by local nobility.[29] An Irish house was established at Kilmainham, near Dublin, and the Irish Prior was usually a key figure in Irish public life.

The Knights also received the "Land of Severin" (Terra de Zeurino), along with the nearby mountains, from Béla IV of Hungary, as shown by a charter of grant issued on 2 June 1247. The Banate of Severin was a march, or border province, of the Kingdom of Hungary between the Lower Danube and the Olt River, today part of Romania, and back then bordered across the Danube by a powerful Bulgarian Empire. The Hospitaller hold on the Banate was only brief.[30]

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

The Carolingian dynasty ceased to rule France upon the death of Louis V (d. 987). After the death of Louis, the son of Hugh the Great, Hugh Capet was chosen as king of the Franks, nominally the last ruler of West Francia. Given the resurgence of the Holy Roman Empire title and dignities in the West Francian kingdom, Europe was later believed to have entered a new age, so Hugh came to be known in historiography as the first king of France, as western civilization was perceived to have entered the High Middle Ages period. Hugh was crowned at Noyon on July 3, 987 with the full support of Holy Roman Emperor Otto III. With Hugh's coronation, a new era began for France, and his descendants came to be named, after him, the Capetians. They ruled France as the Capetians, Valois, and Bourbons until the French Revolution. They returned after 1815 and ruled until Louis Philippe was deposed in 1848.

However, they have continued to rule Spain, with two republican interruptions, through the Bourbon Dynasty right down to the current king Felipe VI.

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

When were the Jesuits restored?

August 7, 1814

Pressured by the royal courts of Portugal, France and Spain, Pope Clement XIV suppressed the Society, causing Jesuits throughout the world to renounce their vows and go into exile. Pope Pius VII, a Benedictine, restored the Society on August 7, 1814."

https://www.xavier.edu/jesuitresource/online-resources/video-resources/jesuit-values-videos/suppression-of-the-society-of-jesus

On September 10, 2025, Charlie Kirk, an American right-wing political activist, was assassinated while addressing an audience on the campus of Utah Valley University (UVU) in Orem, Utah, United States. The outdoor event was the first stop of the Fall 2025 season for the American Comeback Tour, a speaking and debate series planned by Turning Point USA, a conservative youth organization that he co-founded.

Kirk was fatally shot in the neck while engaging with an audience member about mass shootings in the United States by a sniper on the roof of a building approximately 142 yards (130 m) away from him. The next day, 22-year-old Tyler James Robinson surrendered himself to the local sheriff. Prosecutors charged Robinson with murder on September 16 and announced they would seek the death penalty, alleging the attack was politically motivated.[2][3][4]

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

Sako Limited (natively Sako Oy)[1] is a Finnish firearm and ammunition manufacturer located in Riihimäki, Kanta-Häme in southern Finland. It also has owned the Tikka brand of bolt-action rifles since 1983, and is now owned by the Italian firearm holding company Beretta Holding. The name Sako comes from the company's former name Suojeluskuntain Ase- ja Konepaja Oy (lit. 'Civil Guard Gun and Machining Works Ltd').

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

https://www.facebook.com/4williamdunn/posts/pfbid02L9g2Cp9ik66sZkjkS9juKr2EBpFukT5zFeEgqPNBGBJCWVexa1EZUuX5UCzr68LKl

The Rose and the Pentagram

Posted by Roger Norling | Jul 17, 2012 | Articles, Fencing Culture, Research articles, Study Articles | 

This article is written to accompany the recent article about the mysticist, and possibly even fencer and a Freyfechter, Heinrich Agrippa. If you haven’t read the article, it is suggested you do so, before reading this article.

“Children of the Sun” from the Italian manuscript “De Sphaera”, owned by the Sforza family and dated to ca 1460AD. Heinrich Agrippa served as a captain under Maximilian Sforza in 1513-1515AD

Die Rose (the Rose) is a longsword, dussack, rappier and quarterstaff technique described by fencing masters starting from about 1516AD. This striking sequence, as used by several masters including, Andre Paurnfeindt, Paul Hektor Mair [1] and Joachim Meyer [2], and several later derivative works [3], has confused some of us as we try to understand the relationship between the name and the application of the technique.

To be able to understand Die Rose I believe we need to understand what connotations the renaissance man had to the word rose and with that understanding we can apply it to our interpretations of the technique. The following article might seem like a novel by Dan Brown, but explores some of the ideas the men and women of the Renaissance shared, sometimes in more or less secret societies.

The weak and strong parts of the body for Grappling. From J.A. Schmidt, 1713.

The Tudor Rose, combining the white rose of the House of York and the red rose of the House of Lancaster.

Symbolism regarding the human body and strength & weakness, geometrics, angles and actions all tie together in the various illustrations of many fencing treatises of the Renaissance and we need to examine this topic both broadly and deeply. Here, the relationship between the Rose, the Pentagon and the Pentagram are crucial to our interpretations.

Having studied the topic for some time, I would suggest that the execution of this particular striking sequence should be thought of as following the shape of the open-petaled, wild rose rather than that of the cultivated romantic rose that we generally think of today, as the modern type of cultivated roses weren’t introduced into Europe until the late eighteenth century, and up until the mid 16th century the only two roses cultivated were Rosa Gallica and Rosa Alba [4].

Furthermore, from a symbolical outset, with the word rose the renaissance man would more commonly have thought of the kind of heraldic and symbolical rose that Henry VII combined from the roses of the House of York and the House of Lancaster into the Tudor Rose. Consequently, I would suggest that the symbolism of the five petals and the angles are of great importance for us to understand in our attempts at understanding Die Rose.

But before exploring this more deeply I would briefly like to expand on the symbolism of the rose as it goes much farther back than this, even as far back as to the ancient Greeks and beyond.

From Aurora Consurgens, 1400s.

Kitab al-Mawalid,1300s, based on treatise from 900s.

Kitab al-Bulhan From late 1300s.

St. Vitus from the Nuremberg Chronicle, 1493.

Frontispice d’un livre d’escrime, 1618.

Date and source unknown.

Pisani-Dossi MS, 16r (1409) Fiore Dei Liberi

Codex.1324, 15r (1482-1487) by Fillippo Vadi, heavily influenced by Fiore Dei Liberi.

Quote about Die Sonne in the Astrological section of Talhoffer’s “Thott” treatise of 1459.

Sol, Leo, Löwe, 1520-1550. Hans Sebald Beham.

“De Sphaera”, 15th century. Biblioteca Estense, Modena, Italy.

“De Sphaera”, 15th century. Biblioteca Estense, Modena, Italy.

Planetenkinder Sonne, 1475

Planetenkinder from the late 1400s.

Die Kinder der Sonne, 1477. From Cod.lat.4394.

From Hausbuch Wolfegg (after 1480).

Planetenkinder Luna, from Hausbuch Wolfegg (after 1480).

Planetenkinder Sol, from Hausbuch Wolfegg (after 1480).

Planetenkinder: Sonne, 1530-1540. Georg Pencz.

Planetenkinder Sol Harmen Jansz Muller (1540-1617)

Planetenkinder Sol Harmen Jansz Muller (1540-1617)

Splendor Solis, mid 1500s.

“Planetenkinder und die Freien Künst” 1560. Jobst Amman.

Sol und seine Kinder, dated to 1551-1600. Maarten de Vos.

Achille Marozzo writing alchemical symbols. From Opera Nova, 1536.

Tripus Aureus Sonne-Luna, 1618 Michael Meier.

Tripus Aureus, 1618. Michael Meier.

Tripus Aureus, 1618. Michael Meier.

Die Melancholie im Garten des Lebens, 1558. By Matthias Gerung.

Die Melancholie im Garten des Lebens, 1558. By Matthias Gerung.

Die Melancholie im Garten des Lebens, 1558. By Matthias Gerung.

Die Melancholie im Garten des Lebens, 1558. By Matthias Gerung.

The wappen of the Marxbrüder fencing guild. The winged lion is the symbol of St. Mark.

Mater Dolorosa,dated to 1513.

Photo from St. Petri Church in Malmoe, Sweden.

 

The gallery above shows a glimpse of the early roots and wide connections surrounding Christian symbolism in relation to the early fencing culture. The picture is quite complex as it is constituted of parts that are quite separated both in time and place, as we will see as we continue.

The passage of Venus from James Ferguson’s “Astronomy Explained Upon Sir Isaac Newton’s Principles”, 1799.

To begin with an interesting astrological and astronomical connection to the Rose is the fact that the passage of Venus over an eight year period, as perceived from Earth, describes the shape of a Rose and a pentagram, a discovery which has been claimed to go as far back as the Akkadians’, with the world’s oldest astrological text, a Venus-tablet from Ninevehand dated to the 17th century BC, and the later Babylonians’, understanding of Ishtar. However, this claim should be taken with a pinch of salt as the Akkadian noting of the eight-year rythm and five synodic periods of Venus do not equate to a proper understanding of the Earth-centric Venus Pentagram. Still, this astronomical curiousity possibly explains her common association with the Rose and the pentagram, but it is difficult to properly trace how early this discovery really was made, despite the numerous theories on the topic.

Regardless, Venus was also called the morning star and the light bringer, in Roman “Lucifer“, and not until ca 200AD was Satan connected to the name Lucifer by Christian thinkers like Tertullianus and Origenes, perhaps partly due to her also being the evening star.

Horus – Egyptian Sun, Moon & Sky God, God of War, Hunting and Secrecy, depicted with a Falcon head.

Furthermore, as early as in ancient Egypt we can trace the roots of the concept of Sub Rosa, as it dates back to the Egyptian Sky God Horus in about 3000BC. Being the Sky God, Horus was also the God of the Sun and the Moon and one of his emblems was the rose. Horus was also the God of War and Hunting and was represented by the falcon.

The Romans and the Greek regarded Horus as the God of Silence, which led to him, and the rose being associated with secrecy. With this in mind Roman banquets often had roses hanging from, or depictions of roses painted, in the ceiling, implying that what was said under the influence of wine, should remain “sub rosa” ie secret. The same custom was used in the medieval councils where a rose hanging from the ceiling pledged all present to secrecy. The same can even be seen on some Catholic Confession Chairs that are adorned with five-petaled roses.

The early teachings of Kunst des Fechten was of course all meant to be kept secret, all the way up until the time of the printing press, where freyfechter Paurnfeindt is one of the first masters to spread his teachings widely in 1516. This was followed quite successfully by freyfechter Meyer with his treatise of 1570 and possibly we can trace a difference in the attitude towards keeping the Art secret between the two guilds, as few Marxbrüdere ever published printed treatises.

Regardless, here we can’t really apply the meaning of secrecy in the same sense for Die Rose. However, The Rose could be considered to be a deceitful technique where you hide your intentions, similar to the Stürtzhauw or the Fehler, something which Meyer was very fond of, as is apparent from his treatises.

Continuing with the shared symbolism between early Euro-Asian religions, their ties to Christian mysticism and symbolism and the fencing guilds, we see the Persian Sun God Mithra, depicted with a Lion ca 1400BC. Mithra was also the God of Justice and War and he was particularly popular with the Roman soldiers in the form of Mithras who was their patron. Mithras is often equated with Phanes, then depicted as a lion-headed man with golden wings.

The symbols of the Four Evangelists, from the Book of Kells (late 6th to 9th cent.)

Greek and Roman mythology continues with the Hellenistic Sun God Apollo Helios, brother of Moon God Artemis, sometimes depicted riding a griffin and Dionysos depicted in a chariot pulled by a panther, a gryp and a bull, quite similar to the symbols of the Four Evangelists; a lion, an eagle, an ox and an angel. Dionysos has also been claimed to be part of the roots for the mythology surrounding Christ [5].

At about 50BC-350AD we see various depictions of the Egyptian Sun God Horus, the Greek/Roman Sun God Helios, and the Roman Sun God Sol Invictus surrounded by the Zodiac, symbolizing the twelve months and the four seasons. These type of depictions are also seen in Persian books on alchemy and astrology in the 1200-1300s and in Europe with Christ in the centre, replacing Helios, at about 1000-1400AD.

It is also interesting to note that Horus’ mother Isis was also associated with the rose and she was often depicted nursing baby Horus, very similar to the imagery of Virgin Mary and baby Jesus who was also strongly associated with the rose [5]. There are numerous more similarities between Christian mythology and the Egyptian, Greek and Roman religions and there is quite obviously a lot of similar content, as was noted already in antiquity [6].

In the early Renaissance we also see the first images of the masculine Sun and the feminine Moon connected to the opposites of the Lion and the Griffin, locked in eternal struggle with each other.

The Sun and the Moon fighting, riding a Lion and a Griffin, the symbols chosen by the Marxbrüder and the Freyfechter. – From a Renaissance Rosicrucian Compendium on Alchemy

Partially due to the Renaissance admiration of the ancient Egyptians, Romans and Greeks, a belief in astrology, alchemy and magic was common in all stratas of society. Referencing to the older pantheons, history and use of symbolism was quite common, as can be seen in the image depicting the Children of the Sun below, a scene that comes in many variants from the mid 1400s to the 1600s, as previously shown.

Planetenkinder der Sonne, by Hans Sebald Beham, ca 1530-40AD.

Not so surprisingly, considering the Renaissance fascination with astrology and alchemy, several fencing masters are known to have included religious, astrological and magical symbols in their treatises, including for instance; Hans Talhoffer who wrote briefly about astrology and the Sun and who showed St. Mark as his patron saint and Achille Marozzo depicted in a circle of magical symbols, as seen below.

Fencing Master Achille Marozzo writing down magical symbols for St. Michael and steel, among other things, in the preface of his fencing treatise Opera Nova of 1536.

A pentagram in a carving from the baptistery of the St. John (Šibenik) Cathedral in Split, Croatia, dated to the 1100s.

Decoration of a pentagram inside a rose, from the Knights Templar church Santa Maria do Olival, built around ca 1150AD in Portugal.

Returning to the pentagram the Greek mathematician and philosopher Pythagoras, considered five to be the number of man, due to the fivefold division of the body, and the division of the soul. He also considered the five points of the pentagram to each represent one of the five elements that make up man: fire, water, air, earth, and psyche. This symbolism, as with much other symbolism has remained both in use and has acted as a great influence on later thinkers, not least in the Renaissance, when the admiration and celebration of the ancient Romans and Greeks was flourishing in the Arts and Sciences.

Furthermore, going at least as far back as the Templar Knights of the 1100s we see the pentagram associated with the rose, symbolically attached to the five wounds of Christ, as well as the idea of Christ being the Alpha and the Omega, since one can draw a pentagram from beginning to end in one continuous (and perpetuous) movement, thus symbolising both eternity and rebirth. [7]

The English are said to have called the pentagram the Endless Knot which is examplified by the quote below and again we see the notion of a single but complex and potentially endless movement that crosses several lines.

It is a symbol which Solomon conceived once To betoken holy truth, by its intrinsic right, For it is a figure which has five points, And each line overlaps and is locked with another; And it is endless everywhere, and the English call it, In all the land, I hear, the Endless Knot.” [8]

Legend of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Stanzas 27-28 (1380 c.

Through all this the rose and the pentagram have strong ties to Christian Renaissance symbolism, Kabbalism and not least Martin Luther and the early Rosicrucians who were strongly associated with Lutheranism. And perhaps here is where we can understand the Cutting Rose a bit clearer.

Design for a Stained Glass Window for Christoph von Eberstein, by Hans Holbein the Younger, 1522. The rose is part of the Coat of Arms of the Ebersteins. Joachim Meyer dedicated parts of his Ms.82 Rostock-treatise of 1570 to Heinrich von Eberstein.

With Fechtmeister and Freyfechter Joachim Meyer being a prime example, we know that several of the freyfechtere had strong ties to the Protestant Reformation and especially the Calvinist movement, but even the Marxbrüdere (The Brotherhood of Our dear lady and pure Virgin Mary and the Holy and warlike heavenly prince Saint Mark) were members of a deeply religious organization and both fencing guilds carefully chose their respective identifying crests, each with obvious Christian symbolism; the Winged Lion of St. Mark and the Griffin, respectively. Two distinct opposites in earlier symbolical history, as previously shown.

A marxbrüder praying to his patron saint Saint Mark.

A collage of artwork by Virgil Solis and unknown artist, depicting Freyfechtere with their symbol the Griffin. Dated to the mid 1500s.

The seal of Martin Luther in a church in Cobstadt, Thüringen.

With the connections between the Freyfechtere and the Protestant Reformation in mind, it is also interesting to note that the seal of the Protestant reformist Martin Luther was based on a five-petaled Rosa Alba, a heart and a cross, where the various elements and colours have specific symbolical meanings regarding Christian virtues and vice.

Furthermore, a deep interest in mathematics and geometry was common during the Renaissance, as evidenced by daVinci’s Vitruvian Man from ca 1487AD. This drawing was made to visualize the ideal human proportions with geometry as described by the Roman architect Vitruvius in his treatise De Archietectura, where he described the human figure as being the chief source of proportion for architecture. The human body, as created by God was simply seen as the ultimate perfection and a synthesis of  Divinity and Humanity.

This has also been connected to the idea of the Golden Ratio as can be seen in Agrippa’s human pentagram below and this concept has been used extensively in various aspects of society.

So, what about the pentagram and sword cuts then? Well, historically the pentagram has been drawn both point up and point down and neither related to Satanism as many believe today. But, what is interesting for when interpreting the fencing treatises, is that when a pentagram is overlaid upon a body, it gives diagonal and horisontal lines that pass outside of the body contour with a starting and ending point at the head and corner points that work with several of the guards and cuts.

A pentagram overlaid over a human body, by Heinrich Agrippa.

A cutting “rose” from Meyer’s von Solms-treatise.

Perhaps this is what we are taught when the Rose technique is described – a movement where the point is moved offline, but still, more or less, follows a geometrical line in the shape of the pentagram rose, a movement that is complex and passes more than one line, ending with a blow to the head where the pentagram starts and ends?

Alternately, it is also possible that the name is meant to cause us to associate our cuts with the shape of the five petals of a rose. Meyer even says this explicitly in his treatise of 1570, when he speaks of the secondary cuts for the dussack, although his notion of the Rose is not necessarily exactly the same as that of his predecessors:

Also some receive their names from the shape they resemble in cutting, like the Rose Cut.” [9]

Meyer, Gründtliche Beschreibung der freyen Ritterlichen und Adelichen Kunst des Fechtens, 1570

We can keep this in mind when we read the following excerpts from Andre Paurnfeindt, Paul Hektor Mair and Joachim Meyer.

Durch ſchiſſen. Durchſchiſſen magſtu auch nemen anſʒ dem hohenort / hav von oben nider vnden durch die Roſen / mit verkertñ henden vnd kurcʒer ſchneid in ſein geſicht / laſʒ kurcʒ ablauffen / mit der langen ſchneidt nachtretten.

Shooting Through. You may also take the shooting through from the high guard, hew from above downwards through the Rose, with reversed hands and short edge in his face, allow this quickly to run off, work after with the long edge.

– – –

Von Anpindñ. Pind dir eyner obñ an prueff ob er herdt oder waych leyt / ligt er herde ſo wind vndñ durch auſʒ der roſñ gegñ ſeinem gſicht / an daſʒ linck or / ſo windeſtu im ſein ſchwerdt auſʒ vñ pleſt in dar mit / ʒuckt er aber vnd ſclecht / vervar obñ mit der verſacʒung

From Binding-on. When one has bound with you from above, then test if he lays on hard or soft, if he lays hard, thus wind under and through the Rose to his face, to the left ear, thus you have wound out on his sword and opened there with, but if he pulls and strikes, drive above with the displacing.

– – –

Hau von obñ auſʒ dem oxſen gegen ym / vnden durch die roſen vnd leg ym die kurcʒ ſchneid in ſein gſicht / wendt kurcʒ ab vnd ſchlach mit der langen ſchneidt nach

Hew from above in the Ox against him, under, through the Rose, and put the short edge in his face, turn away slightly and strike after with the long edge. [10]

Paurnfeindt, Ergrundung Ritterlicher Kunst der Fechterey, 51V, 1516

And here is how Mair describes the use of the Rose:

…so trit mit deinem lincken fuoss hinnach unnd halt das gehültz für dem haupt, das der ort zuruckh stee, mit gecreitzgiten aremn unnd haw Im zu seinner rechten seiten. Versetzt er dir das, so raiss Im zu seinner linncker seiten mit deinner kurtzen schneid. Indes winnd dich ubersich auf in der Rosen an seinnen schwert und haw dich inn die zwirch mit gecreitzgiten aremn zu seinner rechten seiten seinnes kopffs.

… then step outward with your left foot and hold the hilt in front of your head such that the point stands to the rear with crossed arms, and strike to his right side. If he displaces this, then travel to his left side with your short edge and then immediately wind upward with the Rose on his sword and strike with the Zwirch with crossed arms to the right side of his head. (Stucke 15)

Legt er sich also inn das sprechfenster, so winnd auss der Rosen den ort inn sein gesicht, das dem Rechter fuoss vorstee, unnd winnd Im mit der kurtzen schneide zu seinnem Haupt. Indes haw mit lanngen schneid nach seinem Rechten Arm.

If he lies in the Prechfennster like this, wind the point in his face out of the Rosen (Rose) such that your right foot stands forward, then step outward with your left leg, set your right foot behind his left and wind with the short edge to his head. Then immediately strike with the long edge to his right arm. (Stucke 24)

Item schick dich allso mit dem einwinnden: stannd mit deinnem lincken fuoss vor und halt dit kurtz schneide gögen dem Mann mit creytzweisen hennden, die linnck hannd uber dein rechten arm unnd winnd dich durch Inn der Rosen. Inn dem verfal auf dein linncken seiten, trit mit deinnem Rechten schennckel hinnein und winnd Im zu seinem gesicht.

It happens like this with the Winding In: stand with your left foot forward and hold the short edge opposite the opponent with crossed hands with your left hand over your right arm (as in illustration). Wind through in the Rose and then immediately drop down at your left side, step in with your right leg and wind towards his face. (Stucke 47) [11]

Paul Hektor Mair, Opus Amplissimum de Arte Athletica, ca 1550

Turning to Meyer here are some of his variations of the Rose:

[Longsword]

And note when an opponent comes before you who holds his sword extended before him in the Longpoint, or else in Straight Parrying, then send your blade in a circle around from the Middle Guard right around his blade, so that your blade comes almost back to your initial Middle Guard; from there swing the foible powerfully from outside over his arms at his head.(1.40v.1)

Or when you have thus gone around his blade with the Rose, if he meanwhile should fall in down from above to your opening, then take his blade out with the short edge, that is when you have come for the second time in the Middle Guard; for he will not come so quickly as if by surprise to your opening, but that you will meanwhile come around with the Rose, such that you will come to take him out in plenty of time. And after you have thus taken him out, then let your weapon run around in the air over your head (in order to deceive him), looping for a Circle to the next opening, etc.(1.40v.2)

Or in the Onset when you have cut into the Middle Guard on your left, and meanwhile your opponent cuts at you from above, then step well out from his cut toward his right side, and cast your short edge over or outside his right arm at his head; and as you cast in, let your blade shoot well in, either at his head or over his arms. Afterwards pull your sword quickly back up, and cut from your left with the long edge strongly upward at his right arm. From there, attack him further as you will, with such techniques as you will find above or below in this treatise. (1.40v.3)

Item, bind him as before, and as soon as the swords connect in the bind, then break through below with the Rose between you and him, and cast the short edge in at his head on the other side.(1.41r.2)

Or after you have broken through below from the bind with the Rose, then wrench his sword sideways from the other side with the short edge, so that your hands cross over one another in the air; strike deep with the short edge over at his head. (1.41r.3)

Item, bind against his incoming cut, and as soon as the blades connect, push your pommel through under your right arm, stepping at the same time well out toward his left side; and go up with crossed hands, and cut with the long edge through the Rose sideways from below behind his arm at his head.(1.41r.4)

Item, when you see that your opponent will bind or cut at you, then send your sword in against him, as if you also intended to bind, and just when the blades are about to connect, push your pommel up quickly, and turn your blade up from below through the Rose, catching his stroke on your long edge, as is shown in the small scene on the right in Image N. After you have thus caught his cut, you can finish this device in two ways. Firstly thus: when the swords have connected, then go right through below with your blade, and wrench his blade toward your right, and let your hands snap around in the air again, or cross over one another, and cut with the short edge strongly at his head.

For the second, when you have caught his sword, then as the swords clash together, step well to his left side, and cut back with the long edge from outside over his left arm at his head.(1.42r.2- 1.42r.3)

[Dussack]

Rose Cut. If you find an opponent waiting in the Bow, then act as if you intended to cut from above at his head; do not let the cut connect, but go outside his right arm and through below, so that you come around in a circle around his dusack, and let it run off again in the air beside his right, and cut at his face. (2.11r.2)

[Rappier]

Deceitful Thrust. In the Onset, send a powerful thrust from the right High Guard of the Ox at his face; but as you thrust in, turn your thrust up from below with a broad step forward on your foot, and thrust under his hilt up at his belly. When you correctly reverse this High Thrust into a Low Thrust through the Rose, then it seems at first as if you were thrusting from above, then before he realizes it, you have hit below.(2.64r.3)

[Quarterstaff]

How you shall take him out upward with the long edge from your left) and thrust through the Rose back up from below from your right at his face: In the Onset, position yourself in the Low Guard on the left as before; if he thrusts in at you, then go up with both arms, and strike out his thrust with the foible of your staff up from your left toward your right with the long edge, so that in striking him out your staff comes right up through; then turn your staff back by your right side up from below, and thrust from that side back up at his face (3.20v.1) [12]

Meyer, Gründtliche Beschreibung der freyen Ritterlichen und Adelichen Kunst des Fechtens, 1570

*

Finally, and perhaps not as distinctly relevant to the topic of the Rose and the Pentagram, it is also interesting to compare the images of Heinrich Agrippa to those of Fechtmeister Joachim Meyer, the treatise Codex Wallerstein and the treatises of Fiore dei Liberi, Achille Marozzo and Salvator Fabris, where cutting lines, divisions and weak and strong areas are displayed.

A diagram by Heinrich Agrippa

Cutting lines and the man’s divisions from Codex Wallerstein, from the 1400s. Note the name of Paulus Hector Mair and the 1556 date inbetween the legs

Cutting lines from Meyer’s 1570 treatise.

The similarities between the images in the treatises of Fiore Dei Liberi and Filippo Vadi and the images showing the correlations between the signs of the Zodiac and the organs (called Melothesia, astrological medicine), for instance in Ketcham’s Fasciculus Medecinae from 1495AD is striking, but there are likely no deeper relations involved here other than a common pictographical form of expression, as the idea of dividing a man into different sections and attaching symbolism to the various body parts and organs can be seen in both astrological and medical treatises as well as in illustrations in fencing treatises, going all the way back to the Middle Ages.

It is noteworthy though, that Tobias Stimmer, one of the illustrators of Fechtmeister Joachim Meyer’s 1570 treatise Gründtliche Beschreibung der freyen Ritterlichen und Adelichen Kunst des Fechtens also made a portrait of the aforementioned Heinrich Agrippa in 1587.

Still, we should also keep in mind that this is a time when mathematics and geometry were highly influential on warfare, artillery, architecture, geometrics, city & fortification planning and not least in the Art of Fencing.

This can also be seen in Meyer’s illustrations where the geometrically decorated floor patterns teach us correct stepping and use of angles in our fencing. This geometrical approach to the Art of Fencing would soon be a very common tool for teaching as can be seen in many treatises of the Verdada Destreza tradition, but also fencing masters like the Dutch Gerard Thibault with his Academie de l’Espée of 1630 and many others.

From the Fiore dei Liberi treatise Pisani-Dossi MS (page 16r,) dated to 1409AD.

Finally, if we are to fully understand the medieval and renaissance fencing treatises and especially the culture of the fencers and the fencing guilds and the mentality of the fencers, then concepts like the four humours & the four temperaments, astrology & the planetenkinder, and many other important Christian, hermetical, mystical and even alchemical symbols are important to understand. And when we understand these we will be better equipped to understand the concepts behind the techniques and their terminology at a more profound level, thus hopefully being more likely to succeed in what we aspire to do; make the Historical European Fighting Arts come alive again.

I would like to thank Chris Vanslambrouck of the Meyer Frei Fechter Guild for the delightful conversations we have had regarding Meyer, the Freyfechtere, alchemy and many other related topics, and for his insightful comments on this article while proofreading it. I owe you.

https://hroarr.com/article/the-rose-and-the-pentagram/

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

Early Female Transgender Identity after Prenatal Exposure to Diethylstilbestrol: Report from a French National Diethylstilbestrol (DES) Cohort

by Laura Gaspari 1,2,3,†,Marie-Odile Soyer-Gobillard 4,5,†ORCID,Scott Kerlin 6,Françoise Paris 1,2,3 andCharles Sultan 1,*

All DES sons who identified as transgender women underwent karyotyping at their local hospital at the moment of transition.

https://www.mdpi.com/2039-4713/14/1/10

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

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

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.[11] 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.[12] A brokered convention occurs when a candidate does not receive a majority of votes on the first round of voting,[13] or when a candidate withdraws.[14]

Election Day in the United States is held on the first Tuesday that falls after the first Monday in November.[15] The 2028 presidential election will occur on November 7, 2028.

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

Raphael Gamaliel Warnock[1] (/ˈrɑːfiɛl ˈwɔːrnɒk/ RAH-fee-el WOR-nok; born July 23, 1969) is an American politician and Baptist pastor serving as the junior United States senator from Georgia, a seat he has held since 2021. A member of the Democratic Party, Warnock has been the senior pastor of Atlanta's Ebenezer Baptist Church since 2005.[2][3]

Warnock was the senior pastor of Douglas Memorial Community Church from 2001 to 2005.[4] He came to prominence in Georgia politics as a leading activist in the campaign to expand Medicaid in the state under the Affordable Care Act. He was the Democratic nominee in the 2020 United States Senate special election in Georgia, defeating incumbent Republican Kelly Loeffler in a runoff election.[5]

Warnock and Jon Ossoff are the first Democrats elected to the U.S. Senate from Georgia since Zell Miller in 2000.[6][7] Their elections were critical in securing a 50–50 Senate majority for Democrats, with Vice President Kamala Harris serving as the tie-breaking vote.[8] Warnock was a reliable supporter of Joe Biden's legislative efforts during his presidency.[9][10] He was reelected to a full term in 2022, defeating Republican nominee Herschel Walker.

Warnock is the first African American to represent Georgia in the Senate, the first Black Democrat elected to the Senate from a Southern state, and the second black U.S. Senator directly elected from a Southern state, after Tim Scott.[11][12][13]

Early life and education

Warnock was born in Savannah, Georgia, on July 23, 1969.[14] He grew up in public housing as the eleventh of twelve children born to Verlene and Jonathan Warnock, both Pentecostal pastors.[15][16] His father served in the U.S. Army during World War II, where he learned automobile mechanics and welding, and subsequently opened a small car restoration business where he restored junked cars for resale.[17] His mother picked cotton and tobacco in the summers in Waycross, Georgia, as a teenager and became a pastor.[18]

Warnock graduated from Sol C. Johnson High School in 1987,[19] and having wanted to follow in the footsteps of Martin Luther King Jr., attended Morehouse College, from which he graduated cum laude in 1991 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology.[20][21] He credits his participation in the Upward Bound program for making him college-ready, as he was able to enroll in early college courses through Savannah State University.[19][21] He then earned Master of Divinity, Master of Philosophy, and Doctor of Philosophy degrees from Union Theological Seminary, a school affiliated with Columbia University.[22][23][17]

Religious work

Warnock with John Lewis at a "Souls to the Polls" event. Warnock later officiated Lewis's funeral at Ebenezer Baptist Church.[24]

Warnock began his ministry as an intern and licentiate at the Sixth Avenue Baptist church in Birmingham, Alabama,[25] under the civil rights movement leader John Thomas Porter.[25][26] In the 1990s, he served as youth pastor and then assistant pastor at Abyssinian Baptist Church in New York.[27][28] While Warnock was pastor at Abyssinian, the church declined to hire workfare recipients as part of organized opposition to then-mayor Rudy Giuliani's workfare program.[29] The church also hosted Fidel Castro on October 22, 1995, while Warnock was youth pastor. There is no evidence Warnock was involved in that decision. During the 2020–21 United States Senate special election in Georgia, his campaign refused to say whether Warnock attended the event.[30]

In January 2001, Warnock was elected senior pastor of Douglas Memorial Community Church in Baltimore, Maryland.[31][32] He and an assistant minister were arrested and charged with obstructing a 2002 police investigation into suspected child abuse at a summer camp run by the church. The police report called Warnock "extremely uncooperative and disruptive". Warnock had demanded that the counselors have lawyers present when being interviewed by police.[33] The charges were later dropped with the deputy state's attorney's acknowledgment that it had been a "miscommunication", adding that Warnock had aided the investigation and that prosecution would be a waste of resources.[34][35] Warnock said he was merely asserting that lawyers should be present during the interviews[36] and that he had intervened to ensure that an adult was present while a juvenile suspect was being questioned.[37] Warnock stepped down as the church's senior pastor in 2005.[4]

On Father's Day 2005, Warnock was named senior pastor of the Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, Georgia, Martin Luther King Jr.'s former congregation;[38] he is the fifth and the youngest person to serve as Ebenezer's senior pastor since its founding.[19][39][40] He has continued in the post while serving in the Senate.[41][42]

As pastor, Warnock advocated for clemency for Troy Davis, who was executed in 2011.[43] In 2013, he delivered the benediction at the public prayer service at the second inauguration of Barack Obama.[44] After Fidel Castro died in 2016, Warnock told his church to pray for the Cuban people, calling Castro's legacy "complex, kind of like America's legacy is complex".[30] In March 2019, Warnock hosted an interfaith meeting on climate change at his church, featuring Al Gore and William Barber II.[45] He presided at Representative John Lewis's funeral at Ebenezer Church in July 2020.[46][24]

On Easter Sunday 2021, Warnock's Twitter account tweeted, "The meaning of Easter is more transcendent than the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Whether you are a Christian or not, through a commitment to helping others we are able to save ourselves." Some conservative Christians and political commentators criticized the tweet, including Benjamin Watson, Allie Beth Stuckey, and Jenna Ellis, who called it "heretical". The tweet was deleted that afternoon, with a spokesperson for Warnock saying, "the tweet was posted by staff and was not approved" but declining to say whether it reflected Warnock's beliefs.[47][48]

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

Easter in 2030

Date: April 21, 2030

Day: Sunday

Nova music festival massacre

On 7 October 2023, the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of the Palestinian nationalist organization Hamas, initiated a sudden attack on Israel from the Gaza Strip. As part of the attack, 364 individuals, mostly civilians, were killed and many more wounded at the Supernova Sukkot Gathering, an open-air music festival during the Jewish holiday of Shemini Atzeret near kibbutz Re'im. Hamas also took 40 people hostage, and men and women were reportedly subject to sexual and gender-based violence.[4][5][6][7][8][9][10]

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

A nova (pl. novae or novas) is a transient astronomical event that causes the sudden appearance of a bright, apparently "new" star (hence the name "nova", Latin for "new") that slowly fades over weeks or months. All observed novae involve white dwarfs in close binary systems, but causes of the dramatic appearance of a nova vary, depending on the circumstances of the two progenitor stars. The main sub-classes of novae are classical novae, recurrent novae (RNe), and dwarf novae. They are all considered to be cataclysmic variable stars.

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

Revelation 16:8

1599 Geneva Bible

8 [a]And the fourth Angel poured out his vial on the sun, and it was given to him to torment men with heat of fire,

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Revelation%2016%3A8-10&version=GNV

SpaceX Roadster is not a natural celestial object, but rather a man-made object launched by SpaceX in February 2018 as part of the Falcon Heavy test flight. It is a red sports car owned by SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, and was launched as a demonstration of the Falcon Heavy's capabilities. The Roadster is not in a stable orbit around the Sun, but is instead on a heliocentric orbit that will take it to the asteroid belt and then back to the inner Solar System in the future. The Roadster also carries a mannequin named Starman, dressed in a spacesuit, in the driver's seat. The name "Roadster" refers to the type of car that is used as the payload for the Falcon Heavy, while "SpaceX" is the name of the private space exploration company founded by Elon Musk in 2002.

https://theskylive.com/roadster-info

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

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

A red giant is a luminous giant star of low or intermediate mass (roughly 0.3–8 solar masses (M☉)) in a late phase of stellar evolution. The outer atmosphere is inflated and tenuous, making the radius large and the surface temperature around 5,000 K [K] (4,700 °C; 8,500 °F) or lower. The appearance of the red giant is from yellow-white to reddish-orange, including the spectral types K and M, sometimes G, but also class S stars and most carbon stars.

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

Revelation 16:8

1599 Geneva Bible

8 [a]And the fourth Angel poured out his vial on the sun, and it was given to him to torment men with heat of fire,

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Revelation%2016%3A8-10&version=GNV

"Medley: Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In" (commonly called "Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In", "The Age of Aquarius" or "Let the Sunshine In") is a medley of two songs written for the 1967 musical Hair by James Rado and Gerome Ragni (lyrics), and Galt MacDermot (music), released as a single by American R&B group the 5th Dimension. The song spent six weeks at number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 pop singles chart in the spring of 1969 and was eventually certified platinum in the US by the RIAA.[3] Instrumental backing was written by Bill Holman and provided by a group of session musicians commonly known as the Wrecking Crew.[4]

The song is listed at number 66 on Billboard's "Greatest Songs of All Time".[5]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aquarius/Let_the_Sunshine_In

THE SALAMANDER OF LISIEUX VI

Sculpted above the group of the man with the griffin, we notice an enormous grimacing head

adorned with a pointed beard. Its cheeks, ears, and forehead are stretched out to the extent that

they take on the appearance of flaming expansions. This blazing mask, with an unfriendly

grin, seems crowned and provided with horned, ribboned appendices which are resting on a

twisted cord in the background of the cornice (Plate IX). With its horns and its crown, the

solar symbol takes on the meaning of a genuine Baphomet; in other words, of the synthetic

image in which Templar Initiates had assembled all the elements of high science and tradition.

Truly a complex figure under its apparent simplicity, an eloquent figure, pregnant with

teaching in spite of its rude and primitive aesthetic. If we recognize at first the mystic fusion

of the natures of the Work, symbolized by the horns of the lunar crescent placed on the solar

head, we are no less surprised by the strange expression, reflection of a devouring ardor

emanating from the inhuman face, specter of the last judgment. Even the beard, hieroglyph of

a luminous and fiery beam projected toward the earth, justifies the exact knowledge of our

destiny that the scientist possessed.

Could we possibly be facing the dwelling of some affiliate of the sets of the Illuminati or of

the Rosicrucians, descendants of the old Templars? The cyclical theory, concurrent with the

doctrine of Hermes, is so clearly exposed here, that except for ignorance or dishonesty we

could not suspect the knowledge of our Adept. As for us, our conviction is firm; we are

certain not to be mistaken in front of so many categorical assertions: we indeed have before

our eyes a baphomet, renewed from the one of the Templars. This image, about which we

possess but vague indications or simple hypotheses, never was an idol, as some believed, but

rather a complete emblem of the secret traditions of the Order, especially used outwardly as

an esoteric paradigm, a seal of chivalry, and a sign of recognition. It was composed of an

isosceles triangle, its apex pointed down, hieroglyph for water, first created element,

according to Thales of Miletus, who maintained that "God is the Spirit which has formed all

things from water" (1). A second similar triangle, inverted in relationship to the first, but

smaller, was inscribed in its center and seemed to occupy the position reserved for the nose on

the human face. It symbolized fire and more precisely, fire enclosed in water, or the divine

spark, soul incarnate, life infused in matter. On the inverted base of the large triangle of water,

there was a graphic sign similar to the Latin letter H or Greek [*158-1] (eta), but wider whose

central bar was cut with a median circle. This sign in hermetic steganographiy indicates the

universal Spirit, the Creative Spirit, God. Inside the large triangle, slightly above and on each

side of the triangle of fire, one could see on the left the lunar circle with an inscribed crescent

and on the right the solar circle with a visible center. These small circles were arranged in the

manner of eyes. Finally, welded to the base of the small inner triangle, the cross, placed on the

globe, thus realized the double hieroglyph of sulphur, active principle, associated to mercury,

passive principle and solvent of all metals. A longer or shorter segment often located at the

apex of the triangle was carved with lines of a vertical tendency where the layman could

recognize not the expression of luminous radiation but a sort of goatee.

Thus presented, the baphomet assumed a gross animal form, imprecise and uneasy to identify.

This would probably explain the diversity of descriptions it inspired, where the baphomet is

seen as a haloed death head or a bucrane, sometimes the head of the Egyptian Hapi, of a goat,

and, even better, the horrifying face of Satan himself! Simple impressions, far removed from

reality, but images so unorthodox that they, alas, contributed to spread the accusation of

demonology and sorcery upon the learned Knights Templar and became one of the

foundations of their trial, one of the causes of their condemnation.

We have just seen what the baphomet was; now we must try to discover the meaning hidden

behind this name.

In the pure hermetic expression corresponding to the labor of the Work, Baphomet comes

from the Greek roots [*158-2] (Bapheus), dyer, and [*159-1], standing for [*159-2], the

moon; unless we want to use [*159-3], [*159-4], in the genetive case, mother or matrix,

which leads to the same lunar meaning, since the moon is truly the mother or the mercurial

matrix which receives the tincture or seed of sulphur, representing the male, the dyer ---

[*159-5] (Bapheus) --- in metallic generation. [*159-6] has the meaning of immersion and of

tincture. And it can be said, without revealing too much, that sulphur, father and dyer of the

stone, fertilizes the mercurial moon through immersion, which brings us back to the symbolic

baptism of Mete, expressed again by the word baphomet (2). It appears as the complete

hieroglyph of science, represented elsewhere in the personality of the god Pan, mythical

image of nature in full activity.

The Latin word Bapheus, dyer, and the verb meto, to gather, collect, harvest, also indicate the

special quality possessed by mercury or the moon of the sages, of collecting the tincture

gradually as it emitted during the immersion or the king’s bath, and which the mother keeps in

her bosom for the required time. It is the Grail containing the eucharistic wine, liquor of

spiritual fire, vegetative liquor, living and vivifying, introduced into material things.

As for the origin of the Order, its lineage, the knowledge and beliefs of the Templars, we

could not do better than to literally quote a fragment of the study which Pierre Dujols, the

erudite and learned philosopher, devotes to the brother knights in his Bibliographie Generale

des Sciences Occultes (3).

"The brothers of the Temple", says the author, "--- and we could no longer uphold the

opposite view --- were truly affiliated to Manichaeism". Furthermore, Baron de Hammer’s

thesis conforms to this opinion. For him, the sectarians of Mardeck, the Ismaelians, the

Albigensians, the Templars, the Freemasons, the Illuminati, etc., depend on the same secret

tradition emanating from this House of Wisdom (Dar-el-hickmet) founded by Hakem in Cairo

around the 11th century. The German academician Nicolai concludes in the same sense and

adds that the famous baphomet, which he derives from the Greek word [*159-7]

(Baphometos), was a Pythagorean symbol. We will not spend any time with the divergent

opinions of Anton, Herder, Munter, etc., but we will dwell for a moment on the etymology of

the word baphomet. The idea of Nicolai is acceptable if we admit, with Hammer, this slight

variation: [*160-1](Baphe Meteos), which could be translated as "baptism of Mete". Precisely

a rite of this name has been established among the Ophites. Mete was an androgynous divinity

representing naturing Nature. Proclus says verbatim that Metis, also called [*160-2]

(Erikarpaios) or Germinating Nature, was the hermaphroditic god of the Snake worshippers.

We also know that the Greeks venerated Prudence, designated by the word Metis, as Jupiter’s

wife. In a word, this philological discussion indisputably confirms that the Baphomet was the

pagan expression of Pan. And like the Templars, the Ophites had two baptisms: one, exoteric,

the baptism of water, the other esoteric, that of the spirit, or fire. The latter was called the

Baptism of Mete. St Justin and St Irenaeus called it illumination. It is the Freemasons’

baptism of Light. This purification --- the word is truly appropriate here --- is found on one of

the Gnostic idols discovered by Monsieur de Hammer, which he illustrated. It holds in its lap

--- mark well the gesture as it is very revealing --- a fire-filled basin. This fact, which should

have struck the learned German and with him all of the symbolists, seems to have revealed

nothing to them. And yet it is from this allegory that the famous myth of the Grail takes its

origin. Indeed, the erudite baron talks abundantly about this mysterious vessel, whose exact

meaning is still being sought. Everyone knows that in the ancient Germanic legend Titurel

raises a temple to the Holy Grail at Montsalvat and entrusts its guard to twelve Knights

Templar. Monsieur de Hammer would like to recognize in it the symbol of gnostic Wisdom, a

very vague conclusion after having burned (4) for so long. Forgive us of we dare to suggest

another point of view. The Grail --- who doubts it today? --- is the most elevated mystery of

mystical Chivalry and of Masonry which degenerated from it; it is the veil of the Fire creator,

the Deus absconditus (5) in the word INRI, engraved above Jesus’ head on the cross. When

Titurel erected his mystical temple, it was to light the sacred fire of the Vestals, of the

Mazadaens, and even of the Hebrews, for the Jews kept a perpetual fire in the temple of

Jerusalem. The twelve custodians recall the twelve signs of the Zodiac annually crossed by

the sun, a symbol of living fire. The vase of Baron de Hammer’s idol is identical with the

pyrogenous vase of the Parsees, which is represented full of flames. The Egyptians also

possessed this attribute: On the banks of the Nile, Serapis is often represented with the same

object on his head, named Gardal. In this Gardal the priests kept the material fire, while the

priestesses kept therein the celestial fire of Ptah. For the initiates of Isis, the Gardal was the

hieroglyph of divine fire. And this Fire-god, this Love-God eternally incarnates into each

being since everything in the universe contains his vital spark. It is the Lamb sacrificed since

the beginning of the world, which the Catholic church offers to its faithful in the form of the

Eucharist enclosed in the ciborium, like the Sacrament of Love. The ciborium --- honni soit

qui mal y pense! (6) --- as well as the Grail and the sacred craters of all religions, represents the

female reproductive organ and corresponds to the cosmogonic vessel of Plato, the cup of

Hermes and Solomon, and the urn of the ancient Mysteries. The Gardal of the Egyptians is

therefore the key of the Grail. It is, in short, the same word. Indeed, from distortion to

distortion Gardal became Gradal, and then, with a sort of aspiration, Graal. The blood boiling

in the holy chalice is the igneous fermentation of life or of the generating mixture. We can

only deplore the blindness of those who are so obstinate as to only see in this symbol, stripped

of its veils to the point of nudity, a profanation of the divine. The Bread and the Wine of the

mystical Sacrifice are the spirit or the fire in matter, which, through their union, produce life.

For this reason, all the Christian initiatic handbooks, called Gospels, cause Christ to say

allegorically: "I am the Life; I am the living Brad; I have come to set things on fire, and

surround him in the sweet exoteric sign of the ideal nourishment".

(1) Cicero: On the Nature of the Gods, I, 10, p. 38.

(2) As mentioned, the baphomet sometimes exhibited the outer characteristic and appearance of ox skulls. Presented in this

manner, it is identified with the watery nature represented by Neptune, the greatest sea divinity of Olympus. Poseidon is

indeed veiled under the icon of the ox, bull, or cow, which are lunar symbols. The Greek name for Neptune come from

[*159-6], [*159-7] (Bous, bos) in the genetive case, ox, bull, and from [*159-8], [*159-9] (eydos, eydolon), image, specter, or

simulacrum.

(3) With regard to the Dictionnaire des Controverses Historiques by S.-F. Jehan, Paris, 1866.

(4) Translator’s Note: reference to a children’s game in which one child hides an object and answers the others’ questions by

"you are cold", if they are far from the object or "you are burning", if they are close to it.

(5) The God hidden...

(6) Honni soit qui mal y pense --- The English device --- Shame unto him who thinks ill of this.

The Dwellings

of the

Philosophers

FULCANELLI

With 39 Illustrations by Julien Champagne

Translated by Brigitte Donvez and Lionel Perrin

https://ia600803.us.archive.org/20/items/FulcanelliDwellingsOfThePhilosophers/Fulcanelli%20-%20Dwellings%20of%20the%20Philosophers.pdf

WWE Hall Of Famer Booker T breaks down how his signature ‘5-Time!’ catchphrase was started by accident #wwe #wrestling #bookert

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/zdQHc_7KuDw

Emma E. Booker Elementary School is a public elementary school in Sarasota, Florida, which opened in the fall of 1989. It is one of the Booker Schools, with a middle and high school of the same name nearby. It is a part of Sarasota County Schools. The school is best known as the school where United States President George W. Bush was visiting on September 11, 2001, when he learned of the terrorist attacks that were unfolding that day. These events caused the school to receive national attention.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emma_E._Booker_Elementary_School

On 9/11 Trump bragged he now had tallest building in Manhattan

‘Forty Wall Street actually was the second-tallest building in downtown Manhattan,’ Mr Trump said erroneously on 9/11. ‘Now it’s the tallest.’

Nathan Place

New York

Saturday 10 September 2022 10:03 EDT

Twenty-one years after 9/11, we can still hear Donald Trump’s reaction to the terrorist attacks – and it was a strange one.

That’s because on 11 September, 2001, the future US president called into the TV station WWOR to talk about the day’s tragic events. Then, oddly, he turned his attention to the height of one of his properties, which he falsely claimed was now the tallest building in lower Manhattan.

“Well, it was an amazing phone call,” Mr Trump told WWOR. “I mean, 40 Wall Street actually was the second-tallest building in downtown Manhattan. And it was actually – before the World Trade Center – was the tallest. And then when they built the World Trade Center, it became known as the second-tallest, and now it’s the tallest.”

As multiple fact checks later pointed out, this was not true. The Wall Street building had not been the tallest building in lower Manhattan in the 1970s, when the Twin Towers were constructed, nor was it the tallest in the area after 2001.

By the time of Mr Trump’s interview, both buildings of the World Trade Center had collapsed after planes hijacked by Al Qaeda terrorists had smashed into them. Two other planes had also crashed into the Pentagon in Washington, DC, and into a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, killing everyone onboard. In total, nearly 3,000 people died in the attacks.

But Mr Trump’s attention was elsewhere. Later in the interview, he complained about the closing of the New York Stock Exchange.

“I was so disappointed when they closed the stock exchange, but of course, at some point, you have no choice,” the real estate mogul said. “You want to just say, ‘The hell with it, you’re going forward, nothing’s gonna change.’ But the fact is, something has changed very dramatically.”

The interview had begun with a more predictable focus, as Mr Trump explained how he witnessed part of the attacks.

“I have a window that looks directly at the World Trade Center and I saw this huge explosion,” he said, apparently referring to his view from Trump Tower. “I was with a group of people. I really couldn’t even believe it.

“And even, I think, worse than that, for years I’ve looked right directly at the building. I’d see the Empire State Building in the foreground and the World Trade Center in the background. And now I’m looking at absolutely nothing. It’s just gone. And it’s just hard to believe.”

https://www.the-independent.com/news/world/americas/9-11-trump-tallest-building-manhattan-b2164420.html

Entertainment

Predicting 9/11 was an ‘insane coincidence,’ says ‘The Simpsons’ showrunner

By Hannah Frishberg

Published Nov. 18, 2021

Updated Nov. 18, 2021, 3:55 p.m. ET

One of the original writers for “The Simpsons” has revealed why he believes the show has such an uncanny ability to accurately guess the future.

Indeed, in its over 30 years on air, the animated Nostradamus has been credited with predicting everything from Roy Horn being mauled by a tiger to fish having three eyes, Apple’s keyboards having a glitch, the big “Game of Thrones” surprise ending, European beef being contaminated with horse meat and, perhaps most famously, the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

The showrunner of “The Simpsons,” Al Jean, who has been writing for the show since it premiered in 1989, believes the trick to its correct prognostications is both luck and the sheer quantity of episodes produced.

“One of our writers, the guy whose episode predicted Donald Trump as president, said it best: ‘If you write 700 episodes, and you don’t predict anything, then you’re pretty bad. If you throw enough darts, you’re going to get some bullseyes,” Jean recently told NME. Still, he notes that he finds the show’s unintentional 9/11 prediction particularly strange.

“The 9/11 one is so bizarre,” said Jean of the episode. “In the World Trade Center episode, [‘The City of New York vs. Homer Simpson’], there was a brochure reading $9 a day with an 11 styled up like the towers. That was in ’96, which was crazy, like this insane coincidence.”

It’s not just Providence that makes “The Simpsons” writers so good at randomly seeing beyond the present, though — it’s also intelligence.

See Also

"The Simpsons" showrunner Al Jean has revealed how he would like the iconic Fox sitcom to end.

‘The Simpsons’ showrunner dishes on how the iconic sitcom will end

“[Mostly] it’s just educated guesses,” Jean continued. “Stanley Kubrick made the movie ‘2001: A Space Odyssey’ in 1968, and there’s Zoom and iPads in it — but that’s because he had futurologists helping him construct what the world might look like in 30 years time.”

As for the show’s own future, Jean says that another “Simpsons” movie may be down the line, although animators already have more than enough on their plates creating the TV show.

“We’re cursed by high ratings,” Jean said. “We’re still on the air as a TV show, and that takes up a lot of time. I worked on the [first] movie simultaneous to the show, and it nearly killed the animators. But we have an idea, it’s just that we’re waiting to see what the environment is.”

Filed under september 11  the simpsons  11/18/21

https://nypost.com/2021/11/18/predicting-9-11-an-insane-coincidence-simpsons-showrunner/

Trump, Vance meet with Pope Leo's Florida brother, 'a major MAGA fan', at White House

Kim Luciani

USA TODAY NETWORK - Florida

May 22, 2025, 12:58 p.m. ET

Key Points AI-assisted summary

President Donald Trump met with Pope Leo XIV's brother, Louis Prevost, at the White House.

Trump publicly praised Prevost, a Florida resident, for being a "major MAGA fan."

Louis Prevost acknowledged his political views and stated his intention to "tone it down" to avoid causing issues for the pope.

President Donald Trump met with Pope Leo XIV's Florida brother Louis Prevost at the White House on May 20, after praising Prevost to reporters at the Capitol earlier in the day, calling him a "major MAGA fan."

Trump told reporters he likes the pope and both of his brothers, but spotlighted the eldest brother, Navy veteran and Port Charlotte resident Louis Prevost.

"I like the new pope and I like the pope's brother. You know, one of the pope's brothers – actually both of them – but one in particular is a major MAGA fan. Did you know that? He lives in Florida," Trump said.

"And I look forward to getting him to the White House. I want to shake his hand, I want to give him a big hug."

Later that day, the White House visit happened. Louis Prevost and his wife Deborah met with Trump and Vice President JD Vance in the Oval Office.

"Great meeting between President Trump, Vice President Vance, and @Pontifex’s brother, Louis Prevost and his wife Deborah," Special Assistant to the President and Communications Advisor Margo Martin posted on X, along with a photo of the meeting.

Louis Prevost excited and happy about brother Pope Leo XVI's papacy

The Prevost brothers — Louis, John and Robert (Pope Leo XIV) — grew up in Chicago in a traditional Catholic family.

Louis Prevost said his youngest brother Robert wanted to "play priest" when he was 6 and set his sights on the priesthood as a freshman in high school. Their parents, neighbors and even strangers told Robert, "You're going to be pope someday," he said.

Robert Prevost's election as Pope Leo XIV left Louis Prevost excited, happy, mind blown and a little worried about how the papacy would impact their relationship.

“I just freaked out and said ‘It’s Rob, OMG.’ I was up, dressed, out, just going nuts,” he told WBBH.

“We can only hope that we can maintain that closeness, and we don't do anything to embarrass him,” he said.

Louis Prevost attended Pope Leo's inaugural mass at the Vatican on May 18. The brothers shared a hug after the service.

Pope Leo's Florida brother Louis Prevost is a MAGA, Trump supporter

Trump told reporters Louis Prevost is a "major MAGA fan."

In an interview with Piers Morgan, Louis Prevost said, "I don’t want to create waves that don’t need to be there because I’m a MAGA type and I have my beliefs,” he said. “I don’t need to create heat for him. He’s going to have enough to handle as it is without the press going ‘the pope’s brother says this.’ He doesn’t need that.”

Asked about his reposts of controversial social media memes, including one calling Nancy Pelosi a drunk (expletive), and how they might affect the pope, Louis Prevost said he will "tone it down."

"He knows I am who I am," he said of the pope. "He's well aware of my position. He knows I'm probably not going to change and I don't think I will, other than to, just like you say, tone it down."

Contributing: Melissa Pérez-Carrillo, Herald-Tribune, Ashley Ferrer, USA TODAY Network-Florida

https://www.heraldtribune.com/story/news/2025/05/22/trump-pope-leo-florida-maga-brother-louis-prevost-white-house-visit/83773944007/

Louis Raphaël I Sako (Arabic: لويس روفائيل ساكو;[1] born 4 July 1948) is a Chaldean Catholic prelate who has served as Patriarch of Baghdad since 1 February 2013. Pope Francis made him a cardinal on 28 June 2018.

Biography

Early life

Sako was born in the city of Zakho, Iraq, on 4 July 1948.[2] He comes from an ethnic Assyrian family of the Chaldean Catholic Church that has roots in a religious community that has had a presence in the city of his birth since the 5th century AD.[3]

He completed his early studies in Mosul and then attended the Dominican-run Saint Jean’s Seminary there. He was ordained a priest on 1 June 1974 and filled his first pastoral assignment at the Cathedral of Mosul until 1979. He then earned a doctorate in Eastern patrology at the Pontifical Oriental Institute. When denied a license to teach because he was only qualified for religious instruction, he earned a second doctorate in history from the Sorbonne in Paris.[4] With this he secured his teaching license and was able to provide religious instruction. From 1997 to 2002 he was rector of the Patriarchal Seminary in Baghdad. He then returned to Mosul and guided the parish of Perpetual Help for a year.[5][6]

Sako speaks Neo-Aramaic, German, French, English, Italian, Kurdish and Arabic.[2]

Archeparch

A synod of the bishops of the Chaldean Catholic Church meeting in Baghdad elected Sako Archeparch of Kirkuk on 24 October 2002. Pope John Paul II gave his assent on 27 September 2003.[7] He received his episcopal consecration on 14 November 2003 from his predecessor in Kirkuk, André Sana.[8]

In August 2009, and at the beginning of Ramadan, Sako organized an appeal for national peace, reconciliation and end to violence on the part of more than fifty religious leaders in Kirkuk. He called it "a gesture of closeness to our Muslim brothers. We are all brothers, sons of the same God we must respect and cooperate for the good of the people and our country." The participants included representatives of Ali Sistani and Muqtada al Sadr.[9]

Patriarch

The Synod of Bishops of the Chaldean Catholic Church, convoked in Rome on 28 January 2013, elected Sako to succeed Emmanuel III Delly as Patriarch of Babylon. He chose Louis Raphael I as his regnal name. Pope Benedict XVI gave his assent to the election on 1 February[2] and granted him ecclesiastica communio (ecclesiastical communion) as required by the canon law for Eastern-rite Catholic churches in recognition of their unity with the wider Catholic church.[10]

That same year, Iraq's President Jalal Talabani issued a decree recognizing Sako as Patriarch of the Chaldean Church.[11]

In July 2014 Sako led a wave of condemnation for the Sunni Islamists who demanded Christians either convert, submit to their radical rule and pay a religious levy or face death by the sword.[12] In September 2014 Sako said “The U.S. is indirectly responsible for what is going on in Iraq as it said it would ensure democracy and the well-being of the people, but 10 years have passed and on the contrary we have gone backward." He was responding to a question following remarks attributed to him in the local daily Ad-Diyar in which he accused the U.S. of supporting ISIS. Sako had also criticized Muslim countries for lack of support: "Our Muslim neighbours did not help us." He urged Muslim preachers to issue a religious ruling against the killing of all innocent people and said that "Issuing a fatwa preventing Muslims from killing fellow Muslims is not enough."[13]

In 2014, Sako ordered ten priests who had fled Iraq to return there by 22 October; he suspended them when they failed to comply. The priests, all living in the United States, some for as long as twenty years, appealed to Pope Francis for relief from the order.[14] In January 2015, Pope Francis granted them permission to remain in the United States.[15] Sako later renewed his order despite the pope's decision.[16]

In 2015, Sako proposed a "merger" or reunion of his own Chaldean Catholic Church with the Ancient Church of the East and the Assyrian Church of the East to create one united "Church of the East" with a single patriarch in union with the pope. His proposal would have required both his own resignation and that of Mar Addai II, followed by a joint synod of the bishops of all three churches to elect a new patriarch for the reunited Church of the East. (The patriarchate of the Assyrian Church of the East was vacant at the time, following the death of Mar Dinkha IV.)[17] He wrote that "Unity does not mean uniformity, nor the melting of our own church identity into one style, but it maintains unity in diversity and we remain one apostolic universal church, the Oriental Church, that maintains its independence of administration, laws and liturgies, traditions and support."[18] The Assyrian Church of the East respectfully declined this proposal citing "ecclesiological divergences still remaining" and proceeded with its election of a new patriarch.[19]

On 14 November 2015, the Synod of Bishops announced that Pope Francis had named Sako as one of his three appointments to that body's council.[20]

Cardinal

Pope Francis made Sako a cardinal in a consistory on 28 June 2018.[21] Later that year, Pope Francis named him one of the four cardinals to preside over sessions of the Synod of Bishops on Youth in October.[22]

On 6 October 2018 Sako was named a member of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches,[23] on 22 February 2019 a member of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue,[24] and on 29 September 2021 a member of the Congregation for Catholic Education.[25] On 4 January 2022, Pope Francis made him a member of the Council for the Economy.[26]

Sako was a cardinal elector in the 2025 papal conclave that elected Pope Leo XIV.[27] Patriarch Sako was also the first Chaldean Catholic Patriarch ever to participate in a papal conclave.[28][a] Sako opted not to wear the shash, the traditional headgear of East Syriac Christian bishops, and wore only his scarlet zucchetto.[32]

Government recognition dispute

On 15 July 2023, Iraq's President Abdul Latif Rashid announced the revocation of the government's 2013 decree recognizing Sako as Patriarch. In response that same day Sako announced he was leaving Baghdad to take up residence in Iraqi Kurdistan. He called the revocation "unprecedented in the history of Iraq".[11] Rashid said his action "does not affect the religious or legal status of patriarch Sako" and said it was based on the fact that Sako's office is not recognized by the Iraqi Constitution; Sako viewed as an extension of the government's ongoing "deliberate and humiliating campaign" against him and its wider failure to protect Iraqi Christians.[33] Rashid had recently rejected requests for comparable decrees from the Patriarchs of the Assyrian Church and the Old Assyrian Church. Others cited complex political manoeuvering.[34]

On 15 July 2023, Sako announced his intention to "retire from the Patriarchal See in Baghdad and move to a church, a mission, in one of the monasteries of Iraqi Kurdistan". His announcement followed a decision by the President of Iraq, Abdul Latif Rashid, to revoke a decree established in 2013 by the former Iraq's President, Jalal Talabani, recognising Sako as Patriarch of the Chaldean Church. The revocation "is unprecedented in Iraq's history," Sako said, highlighting "the government's silence" about the incident and the suffering of the Christian community.[35] For months, Sako had been embroiled in a war of words with a Shia lawmaker and militia leader, Rayan al-Kildani. Both accused each other of exploiting their influence to illegally seize Christian-owned properties. Al-Kildani is the leader of the Babylon Movement, whose militia fought ISIS within the state-linked Popular Mobilisation Forces, a network of largely pro-Iran paramilitaries. Since then, al-Kildani forged strong alliances with powerful Tehran-allied Shiite militias. Sako criticized the Babylon Movement as falsely Christian, noting most of its members and supporters are Shia Muslims using the label for political gain.[36][37] Furthermore, the Babylon Movement, led by al-Kildani, is accused of pillaging homes, unlawful confiscation of land, coercion, extortion, abuse of women, persecution of religious minorities, and torture of detainees. As a result, in 2019, the US imposed sanctions on al-Kildani and another Shiite militia leader, calling them "perpetrators of serious human rights abuse and corruption", and penalizing entities that interact with them.[38]

Cardinal Sako has accused Archbishop Bashar Warda of collaborating and conspiring with Rayan al-Kildani in an effort to subvert his authority and push for his resignation as head of the Chaldean Church. Warda is criticized for supporting al-Kildani despite his horrendous actions, and for not supporting Sako's efforts to counter the Babylon Movement's seizure of Christian assets. This has led to accusations that Warda prioritizes benefits from al-Kildani's support over protecting church interests. Sako has referred to Warda as the "Godfather" of the Babylon Movement.[39][40][41]

On 7 August 2023, Sako told an interviewer that "Withdrawing the decree is very bad. For 15 centuries, there were decrees recognising the Patriarch as head of the Church and administrator of the properties of the Church. Revoking it is a humiliation for the Church. Those behind this move want to put their hands on the properties of the Church and administer them separately from the ecclesiastical authorities. We cannot accept that."[42]

In April 2024, after nine months of exile, Sako returned to Baghdad with the assistance of Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' Al Sudani.[43][44]

On 28 August 2024, Sako demanded a public apology from five bishops based on perceived disunity in the Chaldean Catholic Church, including absence from a mandatory July episcopal synod, setting a deadline of September 5. The five bishops, led by Bashar Warda, the Archbishop of Erbil, also withdrew from an August spiritual retreat and pulled their students from the Chaldean Seminary. The bishops refused to apologize, citing dissatisfaction with Sako's leadership style and unilateral decision-making. As a result, he would suspend them and ask Pope Francis to impose canonical penalties, including excommunication.[45][46] The actions of Bashar Warda and the other bishops have been described by the Chaldean Patriarchate as a "dangerous precedent" that goes against their episcopal vows to support the patriarch. The 17 bishops who attended the July 2024 synod issued a communiqué, calling for "appropriate legal measures" against the "clear violations" committed by the boycotting group of Warda.[47]

The rivalry between Louis Sako and Bashar Warda is driven by a fierce personal conflict, with Sako perceiving Warda as ruthlessly ambitious to seize the patriarchate. This perception has led Sako to backtrack on his initial plans to retire at 75, driven by a determination to thwart Warda's power grab. Warda's actions are seen as a betrayal of Sako's leadership.[48]

Honours

Defensor Fidei Prize, 2008

Pax Christi International Peace Award, 2010

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_Rapha%C3%ABl_I_Sako

What does Revelation 18:6 mean?

Romans 6:23 mentions the "wages of sin," meaning the expected outcome one "earns" from evil and immorality. God will give Babylon exactly what it deserves when He destroys it and all it stands for. This set of references to "Babylon" focuses on an ungodly political and economic entity. Similarly judged nations in the Bible had treated others viciously: swindled, stolen, plundered, and even murdered to accumulate wealth and fame, impoverishing multitudes to live in luxury (Exodus 1:8–14; Isaiah 1:9–17). Now God pays her back. He repays her double for her deeds. She must drink the full cup of God's wrath. John hears these words spoken by a voice from heaven.

Jeremiah predicted judgment on Babylon. He wrote in Jeremiah 51:25–26: "Behold, I am against you, O destroying mountain, declares the LORD, which destroys the whole earth; I will stretch out my hand against you, and roll you down from the crags, and make you a burnt mountain. No stone shall be taken from you for a corner and no stone for a foundation, but you shall be a perpetual waste, declares the LORD."

https://www.bibleref.com/Revelation/18/Revelation-18-6.html

https://www.facebook.com/4williamdunn/posts/pfbid02L6wfdkHMXqjXUoynykuGdMZwCuuqVRmK3X3QvaXXesc6X2zzgYajwFNviTSsascwl

Charles Edward Louis John Sylvester Maria Casimir Stuart[1] (31 December 1720[b] – 30 January 1788) was the elder son of James Francis Edward Stuart, making him the grandson of James VII and II, and the Stuart claimant to the thrones of England, Scotland, and Ireland from 1766 as Charles III.[c] He is also known as the Young Pretender, the Young Chevalier and Bonnie Prince Charlie.

Born in Rome to the exiled Stuart court, he spent much of his early and later life in Italy. In 1744, he travelled to France to take part in a planned invasion of England to restore the Stuart monarchy under his father. When storms partly wrecked the French fleet, Charles resolved to proceed to Scotland following discussion with leading Jacobites. This resulted in Charles landing by ship on the west coast of Scotland, leading to the Jacobite rising of 1745. The Jacobite forces under Charles initially achieved several victories in the field, including the Battle of Prestonpans in September 1745 and the Battle of Falkirk Muir in January 1746. However, by April 1746, Charles was defeated at Culloden, effectively ending the Stuart cause. Although there were subsequent attempts such as a planned French invasion in 1759, Charles was unable to restore the Stuart monarchy.[4]

With the Jacobite cause lost, Charles spent the remainder of his life on the continent, except for one secret visit to London.[5] On his return, Charles lived briefly in France before he was exiled in 1748 under the terms of the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle. Charles eventually returned to Italy, where he spent much of his later life living in Florence and Rome. He had a number of mistresses before marrying Princess Louise of Stolberg-Gedern in 1772. In his later life, Charles's health declined greatly, and he was said to be an alcoholic. However, his escapades during the 1745 and 1746 uprisings and his escape from Scotland led to his portrayal as a romantic figure of heroic failure.[6][7] His life and the once possible prospects of a restored Stuart monarchy have left an enduring historical legend that continues to have a legacy today.[8][7]

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

Baron Rothschild, of Tring in the County of Hertfordshire, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom.[1] It was created in 1885 for Sir Nathan Rothschild, 2nd Baronet, a member of the Rothschild banking family.[2] He was the first Jewish member of the House of Lords not to have previously converted to Christianity. The current holder of the title is Jacob Rothschild, 4th Baron Rothschild, who inherited the barony in 1990."

In 1822, the hereditary title of Freiherr (baron) of the Austrian Empire was granted in the Austrian nobility by Emperor Francis I of Austria to the five sons of Mayer Amschel Rothschild.[5] In 1838, Queen Victoria authorized the use of this Austrian baronial title in the United Kingdom by Lionel de Rothschild and certain other members of the Rothschild family.[6][7] However, the use of such foreign titles in the United Kingdom was subsequently limited by a warrant of 27 April 1932.[8]"

Baron Rothschild - Wikipedia

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

The family of Donald Trump, the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021 and owner of The Trump Organization, is a prominent American family active in real estate, entertainment, business, and politics. Trump, his wife Melania, and son BARRON were the first family of the United States for the duration of his presidency. Trump's paternal grandparents, Frederick Trump and Elizabeth Christ Trump, had immigrated to the United States from Germany. Donald Trump's mother, Mary Anne MacLeod, came from the Hebridean Isle of Lewis, off the west coast of Scotland.[1] Trump has five children from three wives, and 10 grandchildren.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Family_of_Donald_Trump#Barron_Trump

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  

The Crowns of America

So often one hears politicians quoting the British Constitution as if it actually exists by way of adocumentary privilege — but it does not. It is simply an accumulation of old customs and precedents concerning parliamentary sanctions, together with a number of specific laws defining certain aspects. Since Scotland's 1320 Declaration of Arbroath was nullified by England's Treaty of Union in 1707, the oldest Written Constitution now in force is that of the United States of America. It was adopted in 1787, ratified in 1788, and effected in 1789. In that same year began the French Revolution, which abolished feudalism and ‘absolute’ monarchy in France, thereby influencing politics in much of Europe. In close to 200 years since the Revolution, France and other European States (with Britain as a noticeable exception) have adopted Written Constitutions to protect the rights and liberties of individuals — but who champions these Constitutions on behalf of the people? A popular alternative to absolute monarchy or dictatorship has been found in Republicanism. The Republic of the United States was created primarily to free the emergent nation from the despotism of Britain’s House of Hanover. Yet its citizens tend still to be fascinated by the concept of monarchy. No matter how Republican the spirit, the need for a central symbol remains. Neither a flag nor a president can fulfil this unifying role, for by virtue of the ‘party system’ presidents are always politically motivated. Republicanism was devised on the principle of fraternal status, yet an ideally classless society can never exist in an environment that promotes displays of eminence and superiority by degrees of wealth and possession. For the most part, those responsible for the United States’ morally inspired Constitution were Rosicrucians and Freemasons, notable characters such as George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams and Charles Thompson. The last, who designed the Great Seal of the United States of America, was a member of Franklin’s American Philosophical Society — a counterpart of Britain’s Invisible College. The imagery of the Seal is directly related to alchemical tradition, inherited from the allegory of the ancient Egyptian Therapeutate. The eagle, the olive branch, the arrows, and the pentagrams are all occult symbols of opposites: good and evil, male and female, war and peace, darkness and light. On the reverse (as repeated on the dollar bill) is the truncated pyramid, indicating the loss of the Old Wisdom, severed and forced underground by the Church establishment. But above this are the rays of ever-hopeful light, incorporating the ‘all-seeing eye’, used as a symbol during the French Revolution.

In establishing their Republic, the Americans could still not escape the ideal of a parallel monarchy — a central focus of non-political, patriotic attachment. George Washington was actually offered kingship, but declined because he had no immediately qualifying heritage. Instead he turned to the Royal House of Stuart. In November 1782 four Americans arrived at the San Clemente Palazzo in Florence, the residence of Charles III Stuart in exile. They were Mr Galloway of Maryland, two brothers named Sylvester from Pennsylvania, and Mr Fish, a lawyer from New York. They were taken to Charles Edward by his secretary, John Stewart. Also present was the Hon Charles Hervey-Townshend (later Britain’s ambassador to The Hague) and the Prince's future wife, Marguerite, Comtesse de Massillan. The interview — which revolved around the contemporary transatlantic dilemma — is doctimented in the US Senate archives and in the Manorwater Papers. Writers such as Sir Compton Mackenzie and Sir Charles Petrie have also described the occasion when Charles Edward Stuart was invited to become ‘King of the Americans’. Some years earlier, Charles had been similarly approached by the men of Boston, but once the War of Independence was over George Washington sent his own envoys. It would have been a great irony for the House of Hanover to lose the North American colonies to the Stuarts. But Charles declined the offer for a number of reasons, not the least of which was his lack of a legitimate male heir at the time. He knew that without a due successor the United States could easily fall to Hanover again at his death, thereby defeating the whole Independence effort. Since those days, many other radical events have taken place: the French Revolution, the Russian Revolution, two major World Wars, and a host of changes as countries have swapped one style of government for another. Meanwhile, civil and international disputes continue just as they did in the Middle Ages. They are motivated by trade, politics, religion, and whatever other banners are flown to justify the constant struggle for territorial and economic control. The Holy Roman Empire has disappeared, the German Reichs have failed, and the British Empire has collapsed. The Russian Empire fell to Communism, which has itself been disgraced and crumbled to ruin, while Capitalism teeters on the very brink of acceptability. 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  

Trump, Vance meet with Pope Leo's Florida brother, 'a major MAGA fan', at White House

Kim Luciani

USA TODAY NETWORK - Florida

May 22, 2025, 12:58 p.m. ET

Key Points AI-assisted summary

President Donald Trump met with Pope Leo XIV's brother, Louis Prevost, at the White House.

https://www.heraldtribune.com/story/news/2025/05/22/trump-pope-leo-florida-maga-brother-louis-prevost-white-house-visit/83773944007/

All historians acknowledge the ascendancy of the popes began in 308 A.D., when King Clovis of the Salian or Merovingian Franks (later France), won the decisive battle in the Catholic and Arian religious war, thereby settling the dispute in favor of the Catholics. But the popes' temporal reign officially began in the year 538 A.D. when Roman Emperor Justinian subdued the last of the three kingdoms, or "horns," that opposed the rise of the Papacy."

-page 137

Chapter 19 "Exposed (Again): 1260 Years of World Domination

Codeword Barbelon book 2

by P.D. Stuart

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)

Louis Raphaël I Sako (Arabic: لويس روفائيل ساكو;[1] born 4 July 1948) is a Chaldean Catholic prelate who has served as Patriarch of Baghdad since 1 February 2013. Pope Francis made him a cardinal on 28 June 2018.

Biography

Early life

Sako was born in the city of Zakho, Iraq, on 4 July 1948.[2] He comes from an ethnic Assyrian family of the Chaldean Catholic Church that has roots in a religious community that has had a presence in the city of his birth since the 5th century AD.[3]

He completed his early studies in Mosul and then attended the Dominican-run Saint Jean’s Seminary there. He was ordained a priest on 1 June 1974 and filled his first pastoral assignment at the Cathedral of Mosul until 1979. He then earned a doctorate in Eastern patrology at the Pontifical Oriental Institute. When denied a license to teach because he was only qualified for religious instruction, he earned a second doctorate in history from the Sorbonne in Paris.[4] With this he secured his teaching license and was able to provide religious instruction. From 1997 to 2002 he was rector of the Patriarchal Seminary in Baghdad. He then returned to Mosul and guided the parish of Perpetual Help for a year.[5][6]

Sako speaks Neo-Aramaic, German, French, English, Italian, Kurdish and Arabic.[2]

Archeparch

A synod of the bishops of the Chaldean Catholic Church meeting in Baghdad elected Sako Archeparch of Kirkuk on 24 October 2002. Pope John Paul II gave his assent on 27 September 2003.[7] He received his episcopal consecration on 14 November 2003 from his predecessor in Kirkuk, André Sana.[8]

In August 2009, and at the beginning of Ramadan, Sako organized an appeal for national peace, reconciliation and end to violence on the part of more than fifty religious leaders in Kirkuk. He called it "a gesture of closeness to our Muslim brothers. We are all brothers, sons of the same God we must respect and cooperate for the good of the people and our country." The participants included representatives of Ali Sistani and Muqtada al Sadr.[9]

Patriarch

The Synod of Bishops of the Chaldean Catholic Church, convoked in Rome on 28 January 2013, elected Sako to succeed Emmanuel III Delly as Patriarch of Babylon. He chose Louis Raphael I as his regnal name. Pope Benedict XVI gave his assent to the election on 1 February[2] and granted him ecclesiastica communio (ecclesiastical communion) as required by the canon law for Eastern-rite Catholic churches in recognition of their unity with the wider Catholic church.[10]

That same year, Iraq's President Jalal Talabani issued a decree recognizing Sako as Patriarch of the Chaldean Church.[11]

In July 2014 Sako led a wave of condemnation for the Sunni Islamists who demanded Christians either convert, submit to their radical rule and pay a religious levy or face death by the sword.[12] In September 2014 Sako said “The U.S. is indirectly responsible for what is going on in Iraq as it said it would ensure democracy and the well-being of the people, but 10 years have passed and on the contrary we have gone backward." He was responding to a question following remarks attributed to him in the local daily Ad-Diyar in which he accused the U.S. of supporting ISIS. Sako had also criticized Muslim countries for lack of support: "Our Muslim neighbours did not help us." He urged Muslim preachers to issue a religious ruling against the killing of all innocent people and said that "Issuing a fatwa preventing Muslims from killing fellow Muslims is not enough."[13]

In 2014, Sako ordered ten priests who had fled Iraq to return there by 22 October; he suspended them when they failed to comply. The priests, all living in the United States, some for as long as twenty years, appealed to Pope Francis for relief from the order.[14] In January 2015, Pope Francis granted them permission to remain in the United States.[15] Sako later renewed his order despite the pope's decision.[16]

In 2015, Sako proposed a "merger" or reunion of his own Chaldean Catholic Church with the Ancient Church of the East and the Assyrian Church of the East to create one united "Church of the East" with a single patriarch in union with the pope. His proposal would have required both his own resignation and that of Mar Addai II, followed by a joint synod of the bishops of all three churches to elect a new patriarch for the reunited Church of the East. (The patriarchate of the Assyrian Church of the East was vacant at the time, following the death of Mar Dinkha IV.)[17] He wrote that "Unity does not mean uniformity, nor the melting of our own church identity into one style, but it maintains unity in diversity and we remain one apostolic universal church, the Oriental Church, that maintains its independence of administration, laws and liturgies, traditions and support."[18] The Assyrian Church of the East respectfully declined this proposal citing "ecclesiological divergences still remaining" and proceeded with its election of a new patriarch.[19]

On 14 November 2015, the Synod of Bishops announced that Pope Francis had named Sako as one of his three appointments to that body's council.[20]

Cardinal

Pope Francis made Sako a cardinal in a consistory on 28 June 2018.[21] Later that year, Pope Francis named him one of the four cardinals to preside over sessions of the Synod of Bishops on Youth in October.[22]

On 6 October 2018 Sako was named a member of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches,[23] on 22 February 2019 a member of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue,[24] and on 29 September 2021 a member of the Congregation for Catholic Education.[25] On 4 January 2022, Pope Francis made him a member of the Council for the Economy.[26]

Sako was a cardinal elector in the 2025 papal conclave that elected Pope Leo XIV.[27] Patriarch Sako was also the first Chaldean Catholic Patriarch ever to participate in a papal conclave.[28][a] Sako opted not to wear the shash, the traditional headgear of East Syriac Christian bishops, and wore only his scarlet zucchetto.[32]

Government recognition dispute

On 15 July 2023, Iraq's President Abdul Latif Rashid announced the revocation of the government's 2013 decree recognizing Sako as Patriarch. In response that same day Sako announced he was leaving Baghdad to take up residence in Iraqi Kurdistan. He called the revocation "unprecedented in the history of Iraq".[11] Rashid said his action "does not affect the religious or legal status of patriarch Sako" and said it was based on the fact that Sako's office is not recognized by the Iraqi Constitution; Sako viewed as an extension of the government's ongoing "deliberate and humiliating campaign" against him and its wider failure to protect Iraqi Christians.[33] Rashid had recently rejected requests for comparable decrees from the Patriarchs of the Assyrian Church and the Old Assyrian Church. Others cited complex political manoeuvering.[34]

On 15 July 2023, Sako announced his intention to "retire from the Patriarchal See in Baghdad and move to a church, a mission, in one of the monasteries of Iraqi Kurdistan". His announcement followed a decision by the President of Iraq, Abdul Latif Rashid, to revoke a decree established in 2013 by the former Iraq's President, Jalal Talabani, recognising Sako as Patriarch of the Chaldean Church. The revocation "is unprecedented in Iraq's history," Sako said, highlighting "the government's silence" about the incident and the suffering of the Christian community.[35] For months, Sako had been embroiled in a war of words with a Shia lawmaker and militia leader, Rayan al-Kildani. Both accused each other of exploiting their influence to illegally seize Christian-owned properties. Al-Kildani is the leader of the Babylon Movement, whose militia fought ISIS within the state-linked Popular Mobilisation Forces, a network of largely pro-Iran paramilitaries. Since then, al-Kildani forged strong alliances with powerful Tehran-allied Shiite militias. Sako criticized the Babylon Movement as falsely Christian, noting most of its members and supporters are Shia Muslims using the label for political gain.[36][37] Furthermore, the Babylon Movement, led by al-Kildani, is accused of pillaging homes, unlawful confiscation of land, coercion, extortion, abuse of women, persecution of religious minorities, and torture of detainees. As a result, in 2019, the US imposed sanctions on al-Kildani and another Shiite militia leader, calling them "perpetrators of serious human rights abuse and corruption", and penalizing entities that interact with them.[38]

Cardinal Sako has accused Archbishop Bashar Warda of collaborating and conspiring with Rayan al-Kildani in an effort to subvert his authority and push for his resignation as head of the Chaldean Church. Warda is criticized for supporting al-Kildani despite his horrendous actions, and for not supporting Sako's efforts to counter the Babylon Movement's seizure of Christian assets. This has led to accusations that Warda prioritizes benefits from al-Kildani's support over protecting church interests. Sako has referred to Warda as the "Godfather" of the Babylon Movement.[39][40][41]

On 7 August 2023, Sako told an interviewer that "Withdrawing the decree is very bad. For 15 centuries, there were decrees recognising the Patriarch as head of the Church and administrator of the properties of the Church. Revoking it is a humiliation for the Church. Those behind this move want to put their hands on the properties of the Church and administer them separately from the ecclesiastical authorities. We cannot accept that."[42]

In April 2024, after nine months of exile, Sako returned to Baghdad with the assistance of Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' Al Sudani.[43][44]

On 28 August 2024, Sako demanded a public apology from five bishops based on perceived disunity in the Chaldean Catholic Church, including absence from a mandatory July episcopal synod, setting a deadline of September 5. The five bishops, led by Bashar Warda, the Archbishop of Erbil, also withdrew from an August spiritual retreat and pulled their students from the Chaldean Seminary. The bishops refused to apologize, citing dissatisfaction with Sako's leadership style and unilateral decision-making. As a result, he would suspend them and ask Pope Francis to impose canonical penalties, including excommunication.[45][46] The actions of Bashar Warda and the other bishops have been described by the Chaldean Patriarchate as a "dangerous precedent" that goes against their episcopal vows to support the patriarch. The 17 bishops who attended the July 2024 synod issued a communiqué, calling for "appropriate legal measures" against the "clear violations" committed by the boycotting group of Warda.[47]

The rivalry between Louis Sako and Bashar Warda is driven by a fierce personal conflict, with Sako perceiving Warda as ruthlessly ambitious to seize the patriarchate. This perception has led Sako to backtrack on his initial plans to retire at 75, driven by a determination to thwart Warda's power grab. Warda's actions are seen as a betrayal of Sako's leadership.[48]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_Rapha%C3%ABl_I_Sako

Bonn (German pronunciation: [bɔn] ⓘ) is a federal city in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, located on the banks of the Rhine. With a population exceeding 300,000, it lies about 24 km (15 mi) south-southeast of Cologne, in the southernmost part of the Rhine-Ruhr region.

Bonn served as the capital of West Germany from 1949 until 1990 and was the seat of government for reunified Germany until 1999, when the government relocated to Berlin. The city holds historical significance as the birthplace of Germany's current constitution, the Basic Law.

Founded in the 1st century BC as a settlement of the Ubii and later part of the Roman province Germania Inferior, Bonn is among Germany's oldest cities. It was the capital city of the Electorate of Cologne from 1597 to 1794 and served as the residence of the Archbishops and Prince-electors of Cologne. The period during which Bonn was the capital of West Germany is often referred to by historians as the Bonn Republic.[2]

Following the German reunification, a political compromise known as the Berlin-Bonn Act ensured that the German federal government retained a significant presence in Bonn. As of 2019, approximately one-third of all ministerial jobs remain in the city.[3] Bonn is considered an unofficial secondary capital of Germany and is the location of the secondary seats of the president, the chancellor, and the Bundesrat. Bonn is also the location of the primary seats of six federal ministries and twenty federal authorities. The city's title as Federal City (German: Bundesstadt) underscores its political importance.[4]

The global headquarters of Deutsche Post DHL and Deutsche Telekom, both DAX-listed corporations, are in Bonn. The city is home to the Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn university, and a total of 20 United Nations institutions, the highest number in all of Germany.[5] These institutions include the headquarters for Secretariat of the UN Framework Convention Climate Change (UNFCCC), the Secretariat of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), and the UN Volunteers programme.[6] Birthplace of composer Ludwig van Beethoven, a center of Rhenish carnival, and its geography by the Middle Rhine make it an important tourist destination. In Bonn the Bönnsch Platt, a dialect of the Ripuarian language is spoken by all generations, especially during carnival.

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

The New Age

MAGAZINE

Volume XXVI JUNE, 1918 Number

THE HIGHER DEGREES IN GERMANY

THEIR POLITY AND ORGANIZATION

By Cyrus Field Willard, 32°

THERE has been general feeling

among Freemasons that in some

way the order would at some

time have more or less influence

in bringing about peace. It was this

feeling that prompted the writer to

begin an investigation along this line as

to what organizations among the

Masons in Germany would possibly be

able to have influence in this direction.

But it was not until the editor of The

New Age had mentioned the lack of

general knowledge which existed in the

United States as to the polity and form

of organization of the higher degrees as

they exist today in Germany, and sug

gested that an article along this line

would be very acceptable to the readers

of the magazine, that serious effort

was made to obtain the desired infor

mation.

Let me say that the research work in

volved has been of the greatest value

to the one performing it, the more so as

it has been necessary to go into the

whole question of the organization and

modification of the order, not only in

Germany, but also in England and

Sweden. The foundations on which it

rests have also been examined.

It was the Scotch Presbyterian minis

ter, Rev. Dr. James Anderson, one who

helped to organize the first Grand Lodge

in London in 1717, whose report on the

Ancient Constitutions of the previously

existing lodges was adopted as the

famous "Book of the Constitutions" in

1723, and this has formed the constitu

tion and basic organic law of real Ma

sonry ever since. In the "Charges of

Freemason" in that document which

now lies before me under the first of

"The General Heads," viz "Of God and

Religion," it says:

1. Concerning God and Religion. Mason

is obliged by his Tenure to obey the Moral

Law; and if he rightly understands the Art,

he will never be stupid Atheist nor an irre

ligious Libertine. But though in ancient

times Masons were charg'd in every country

to be of the religion of that country or

nation, whatever it was, yet 'tis now thought

more expedient only to oblige them to that

Religion in which all men agree, leaving their

particular opinions to themselves that is to

be good men and true, or Men of Honour and

Honesty by whatever Denomination or Per

suasion they may be distinguished whereby

Masonry becomes the Center of Union and

the means of conciliating true Friendship

among Persons that must have remained at

perpetual distance.

This was considered, by Robert Freke

Gould, as involving the most important

change made by the Constitution, as it

took away the Christian and sectarian

character which had been given it in

accordance with the opportunism of the

second sentence and made it frankly

and openly tolerant of every religion.

As Brother Th. G. Valette, editor of

the Union Fraternelle of the Orient of

the Hague, truly says, "It was thus in

243

244 THE NEW AGE

the eighteenth century that Freema

sonry began the practice of tolerance,

the most difficult of all the arts. The

first Grand Lodge had an immense suc

cess because it started out with the prin

ciple that 'no man and no corporation

has the right to declare his personal

interpretation of the truth to be com

pulsory for others.'

This toleration admitted men of every

religion the Mohammedan, the Chris

tian, Jew, Brahman, Buddhist, and

Parsee, as so well told by Rudyard Kip

ling in his poem, "My Lodge," which

every Mason should read, and which

came to my mind recently when attend

ing one of those isolated consistories

which compel man to take the Chris-

tion degrees of Knight Templarism be

fore he can join the Scottish Rite which

alone is like the Blue Lodge in that it

admits men of every religion. It is this

universality of Masonry and its toler

ance that stands out in the original

Grand Lodge of 1717 and makes such

contrast with the Freemasonry of Ger

many as it exists today, narrow, aris

tocratic and Christian. This is why the

"Ancient Charges" are quoted in extenso

to show the exact wording, and how far

Masonry in Germany has departed from

the original. This is said with no feel

ing of bitterness, as the writer had ap

proached the subject with certain

degree of predisposition in favor of

German Masonry which has been en

tirely wiped out by the facts, for it can

be said again and again, "There is no

Religion higher than Truth."

In getting at the facts it has been

necessary to go through number of

German histories of which there are

many- and it is curious to see in all of

them how little Ger ^ans are disposed

to forgive England for being the birth

place of modern Freemasonry. Carp

ing criticism, innuendoes, belittling

statements, rank disbelief of historical

documents in England all characterize

the German historians, together with

disposition to exalt the German Stein-

metzen, or Masons, of Strassburg be

cause they were German. Begemann,

Kloss, Krause. Findcl, Nicolai, Schott-

muller, Cramer, Katsch, Keller all

seem to be imbued with the idea that

because it did not happen in Germany,

it therefore did not amount to so very

much, and at any rate it did not go

back to the Constitutions of York, even

although the Masons of that day said

that it did.

The most impartial source of infor

mation as to the constitution of Ma

sonry in Germany today is to be found

in the publications of the International

Bureau for Masonic Affairs, located at

Neuchatel, Switzerland, and of which

Ed. Quartier la Tente, formerly Grand

Master of the Swiss Grand Lodge

"Alpina," is the originator, head and

moving spirit. It is too bad that this

bureau is not better known and sup

ported in the United States, as every

Grand Lodge should be member of it.

In its bulletin for March, 1917, it says,

"German Masonry has broken obstrep

erously with Italian, French and Swiss

Masonries, and has suspended all rela

tions with English Masonry."

German Masonic newspaper con

tains the following: "In imitation of

the three Prussian Grand Lodges which

have broken their relations with the

Swiss Grand Lodge, the Grand Lodge

of Hungary, the Grand Lodge 'Zur

Sonne' of Bayreuth, and the Indepen

dent Grand Lodges of Leipsig have

done the same."

The bulletin asks, "What has the

Swiss Grand Lodge done that such

movement should have been set on foot

against it? It has continued to live in

peace. It has taken no one's part. It

has shown perfect neutrality, declin

ing every request compliance with which

might injure its relations; and yet, for

all that, it has incurred the excommu

nication of German Masonry.

If one admitted all that the German

Masonic newspapers have published

against the Masonries of other coun

tries, it would be necessary to believe

that there are no longer any groups

worthy of the name of Masons except

the Group of Germany."

It is necessary to quote at length fron

the pages of this recent bulletin from

the neutral country of Switzerland in

order to understand the arrogance and

THE HIGHER DEGREES IN GERMANY 245

self-conceit of German Masonry which

would almost pass belief were it not that

these same ideas of "Dcutschland ueber

Allcs" have lain behind all their destruc

tive criticism of years, and because it

explains the form of government and

polity of the higher degrees in Germany.

Therefore we quote from the bulletin

as follows:

The Masonry of Germany alone, writes

German newspaper, deserves esteem and re

spect English Masonry is perhaps grand

charity institution, that of Latin countries

is an instrument of politics and atheism; in

Germany, Sweden, and Norway, Masonry is

entirely free from politics, and concerns it

self with social and moral problems.

Ideas, however, vary somewhat as to the

international character of the association, the

fundamental principle of which is that of

fraternity.

The war, says German writer, has taught

us that the Masonry of our country must

become exclusively national. It must wear

German dress, and have German character.

It must renounce every connection with the

World's Masonry. The war, says another

German journalist, has destroyed all idea of

Masonic Internationalism. International Ma

sonry has become bankrupt. This opinion is

general in all German lodges. Masonic Cos

mopolitanism is, therefore, fiction. German

Freemasonry, has no need of the "Interna

tional," which has nothing to offer it. It

cannot entertain relations with Grand Lodges

that are only political instruments and which

make use of Freemasonry for political plots.

Others have been still more violent: The

so-called English Masonry, which made such

boisterous entrance into the world in 1717,

notwithstanding its unimportance, was very

different from what we German Masons rep

resent to ourselves as models of virtue. It

was very narrow and very English or

ganization which had absolutely no thought

of union of humanity, but which troubled

itself only about England and sought only to

favor the relations between Catholics and

Protestants, between Scotch and English.

The great extension of the idea to the

whole of mankind is the work of Interna

tional "Deutschtum ;" it is only the German

brain and the German heart that can carry

the enterprise to successful end, together

with the current of the World's Union. Let

us be frank for us Germans, our ideal dream

of internationalism has come to nought. In

stead of being figurants we have become

actors. In future we shall also continue to

practice the model of Masonic virtues, but

we shall not carry them out into the vast

world.

Latin Masonry does not possess single

spark of the Masonic spirit. Our Masonic

idea is truly German, or, in wider sense,

Germanic. English Masonry is nothing but

vanity and sport; in it there is no trace of

our spiritual comprehension. In France Ma

sonry works in politics to which it sacrifices

the greater part of its activity. International

Masonry is dead, and, notwithstanding all

efforts to the contrary, will remain dead. Let

us, therefore, be German Freemasons and

work in our own way.

And lastly here is the conclusion arrived

at by brother We German Freemasons

will have nothing more to do with interna

tional relations, and, above all, we will have

no official relations. Long live German Free

masonry Down with international fanati

cism It has deceived the world long enough

and now deserves to be struck down

We could multiply such declarations, for

they abound in the German Masonic news

papers.

This magazine concludes: "These

affirmations, coming from the Masonry

that calls itself the only one worthy to

live, are manifestation of pride which

must not disturb us, any more than the

insults which German Masonry pours

forth on everything that is not Ger

manic."

It is necessary to reprint these quota

tions in order that American Masons

may get some viewpoints concerning

the condition of the German mind,

drunk with egotism and arrogance, and

clear idea of the difficulties to be faced

before peace, which will endure, can be

attained. It must be admitted that the

writer has reached this standpoint re

luctantly after careful study of the

origin and feeling of German Freema

sonry. Just few more quotations.

"Were the whole world to be in ruins,

Germany must remain. It is of its will

to conquer that is born the call which

resounds today in the Masonic Temples

of our country. International Freema

sonry is dead Long live German Free

masonry!" Another adds, "Interna

tional Freemasonry has failed com

pletely. This is the opinion of German

Masonry, and it is fortunate that the

war has separated German Masonry,

the guardian of moral and religious cul

ture, and Latin Masonry, which is athe

istic and political." Its repetition of the

old jesuitical lie against Latin Masonry

we now recognize as being just as foun-

dationless as its assertion that "Ger

many is the guardian of moral and re

ligious culture." When we call to mind

246 THE NEW AGE

the ravishers of Belgium, well may we

exclaim, Heaven save the mark

The Freimciurer Zeitung, of Leipsig,

writes as follows "We, the German

Apostles of the Royal Art, are definitely

face to face with the obligation to be

henceforth what we already were as

matter of fact the true heirs and rep

resentatives of Freemasonry. More

over, it was only cum grano salis that

we have been able hitherto to consider

the Latins as Freemasons. Now for

pottage of lentils consisting of mo

mentary money market and promise of

the world's trade, the English have

thrown away their venerable rights to

Masonic primogeniture. Just as the na

tive country of Jesus is no longer Pales

tine (?), so the Royal Art is no longer

English. Both have taken up their

abodes in German hearts and German

consciences." Pretty small quarters

Let us see how big these high-crowing

lodges are.

The first German lodge was estab

lished at Hamburg on December 6, 1737.

On August 14, 1738, this lodge initiated

him who was afterwards Frederick the

Great. Frederick organized in his cas

tle private lodge which became the

starting point of Freemasonry in Prus

sia, as it was removed to Berlin in 1740,

and from thence the first German Grand

Lodge sprung.

There was lodge which, according

to Light, was known to meet at King's

Chapel in Boston, Mass., U. S. A., in

1720; and there was an account in news

papers there of Masonic activities on

May 25, 1727, ten years before there

was lodge in Germany, and the first

warrant from England to Prov. G. M.

Henry Price was dated July 30. 1733.

The National Mother Grand Lodge,

"The Three Globes," at Berlin, now has

1^1 lodges and 17,400 members. The

National Grand Lodge of German Ma

sons at Berlin now has 147 lodges and

16,303 members. The Grand Lodge of

Prussia, "Royal York of Friendship,"

at Berlin, has 81 lodges and 8,376 mem

bers. The Grand Lodge of Hamburg

has 63 lodges and 5,560 members.

The National Grand Lodge of Saxony

at Dresden has 38 lodges and 5,926

members. The Grand Lodge, "The

Sun," at Bayreuth, has 38 lodges and

3,914 members. The Eclectic Grand

Lodge at Frankfort on Main has 25

lodges and 3,786 members. The Grand

Lodge, "Concordia," at Darmstadt, has

lodges and 725 members.

The five independent lodges of Ger

many are not under the obedience of

any of the above Grand Lodges. They

are: "Minerva of the Three Palms" of

Leipsic, "Baldwin of the Linden" at

Leipsic, "Archimedes of the Three

Tracing Tables" at Altenburg, "Archi

medes of the Eternal Union" at Gera,

and "Charles of the Crown Rue;" and

these five lodges have total member

ship of 1,433, making grand total of

all Masons in Germany of 556 lodges

and 63,423 members.

In Chicago alone there are 70,000

Masons, or 7,000 more than there are

in the whole of Germany; while the

State of Missouri has 62,000 members

in 528 lodges and there are over 2,000,-

000 Masons in the United States. While

the same cannot be said of the Higher

Degrees in Germany that was said of

the snakes in Ireland ("There are no

snakes in Ireland"), yet the facts are

pretty much the same. In Frankfort

one is obliged, when he takes his Blue

Lodge Degrees, to take an obligation

not to take any of the Higher Degrees.

Five out of the eight Grand Lodges of

Germany permit only the three symbolic

degrees; these are: Hamburg, Saxony,

Bayreuth, Frankfort, and Darmstadt.

This leaves only the three Grand Lodges

of Prussia who have concurrent juris

diction in Berlin, to give the higher de

grees, which are thus centered in Berlin,

the capital of Prussia and militarism.

There is no Supreme Council of the

Scottish Rite in all Germany.

The National Grand Lodge of Ger

man Freemasons has 10 degTees; the

Grand Lodge of the Three Globes has

degrees, and the Grand Lodge of the

Royal York has degrees. In the Na

tional Grand Lodge the first three de

grees constitute the Lodge of St. John

the 4th and 5th, the Lodge of St. An

drew the next four, 6th to 9th, inclu

sive, compose the Chapter. The 10th

THE HIGHER DEGREES IN GERMANY 247

degree is conferred only at Berlin. It

is kind of honorary degree which

bears the name, "Apprentice of Per

fection." Its distinctive badge is red

cross hung saltier-wise around the neck

and the titulars of the degree are called

Knights of the Red Cross. special

interest is taken by the National Grand

Lodge in the first five degrees, and it

has at its head Grand Master assisted

by Grand Officers. The Chapter set

tles all questions concerning the degrees

from the 6th to the 10th and all matters

that affect the system or the Rite are

under its executive control. There are

four kinds of Chapters those that work

the 6th and 7th degrees those that work

the 6th, 7th and 8th; those that work

the 6th, 7th, 8th and 9th and, lastly,

the Grand Chapter Indissolubilis at Ber

lin. At the he;ul of the whole system

stands Master of the Order. This

was founded by Zinnendorf, partisan

of the "Strict Observance," and for

merly Grand Master of the Three

Globes, which station he left to found

these lodges which are modeled after

the Swedish Rite and are intensely

Christian, not permitting any Jews or

other religionists to take the degrees.

It was in lodge under this Grand

Lodge that Emperor William then

Prince William of Prussia—and his son,

Emperor Frederick III, were interested.

The system of the National Grand

Lodge. "The Three Globes," the first

grand lodge, comprises seven degrees.

The first three constitute the Lodge of

St. John, the fourth is the Scottish

General Lodge, and the next three form

the Chapter or the Intimate Orient.

The Grand Lodge of the Three Globes

cannot have more than 63 members, all

of whom must be chosen from among

the members residing in Berlin or in its

immediate neighborhood. Once year,

usually in May, all the Worshipful Mas

ters of the dependent lodges are con

vened at Berlin for the sitting of the

Grand Lodge. This is governed by

managing committee chosen from

among the brethren who are invested

with the 7th degree. It is to this man

aging committee that all questions of

ritualistic character are especially re

ferred, and it is officially designated

"Keeper, Reformer and Dispenser of

'The Masonic Science.' All decisions

taken on subjects connected therewith

are subject to its veto.

The Grand Lodge, "Royal York," has

three degrees, together with fourth

which exists in the Scottish Master

(Privy Orient). This degree is prac

ticed as kind of Royal Arch, and it is

the members invested with this degree

who compose the Privy Orient of the

Grand Lodge, which is entrusted with

the examination of all questions con

cerning rites and dogmas. It took this

name when organized in 1798 in conse

quence of the initiation of Edward Duke

of York, brother of King George III.

It is worthy of note that the German

high degrees form an integral part of

the Prussian Grand Lodge only, and

Christians alone may aspire to these

degrees.

Such is the polity and form of organi

zation of the higher degrees in Ger

many. It is to be emphasized that only

in Berlin are there any degrees higher

than the first three, and these are under

the influence and control of those Grand

Lodges which are essentially royal, aris

tocratic, autocratic and military; whose

whole history is bound up with the Prus

sian ruling and military classes. What

chance can there be for peace under

such circumstances? Is it any wonder

that the utterances of German Freerna-

onry are arrogant, conceited and bom

bastic, lacking the true spirit of frater

nity and universal brotherhood which

characterizes Masonry in other lands?

Not until Germany has received

crushing defeat on the field of battle,

such as Napoleon, himself Mason,

gave her in the beginning of the last

century, and the consequent humbling

of this arrogant, dictatorial spirit, can

it be possible to have true Masonry

in Germany and in bringing together

again of the Masons of the world in

world-wide, universal federation which

will bring about universal and lasting

peace. All the other Masonic bodies

of the world must unite against Ger

many—or rather without her in order

to bring about this great event.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/14x1JcHpdUQM2_R68_7eNR3o66lMRk8Fa/view?usp=sharing

The Hamburg cell (German: Hamburger Zelle) was, according to U.S. and German intelligence agencies, a group of radical Islamists based in Hamburg, Germany, that included students from different Arab countries who eventually came to be key operatives in the September 11 attacks. Important members included Mohamed Atta, who led the four hijacking teams in 2001 and piloted American Airlines Flight 11; Ramzi bin al-Shibh, who conspired with the other three members but was unable to enter the United States; Marwan al-Shehhi, who piloted United Airlines Flight 175; and Ziad Jarrah, who piloted United Airlines Flight 93 and failed to hit a target in Washington, D.C.. Other members included Said Bahaji, Zakariya Essabar, Mounir el-Motassadeq, and Abdelghani Mzoudi.

Background

On November 1, 1998, future-hijackers Mohamed Atta, Marwan al-Shehhi, and Ramzi bin al-Shibh moved into a spacious apartment (two bedrooms, one living room, one kitchen) together on Marienstraße. Here they formed the secretive Hamburg cell, which also included other minor participants in the 9/11 plot. They met together three or four times a week to discuss their anti-American and anti-Israeli views and to decide how best to fight for their cause.

As late as 1999, the four core members of the group had intended to wage jihad in Chechnya, where Islamic jihadists were rebelling against Russia. The 9/11 Commission Report notes in Chapter 5 that "according to bin al-Shibh [who is now in U.S. custody], a chance meeting on a train in Germany caused the group to travel to Afghanistan instead. An individual named Khalid al Masri (or Khalid al-Masri) approached bin al-Shibh and Shehhi (because they were Arabs with beards, bin al-Shibh thinks) and struck up a conversation about jihad in Chechnya. When they later called Masri and expressed interest in going to Chechnya, he told them to contact Abu Musab in Duisburg, Germany. Abu Musab turned out to be Mohamedou Ould Slahi, who was well known to U.S. and German intelligence.

Bin al-Shibh, Shehhi and Jarrah visited Slahi in Duisburg, where he convinced them that it would be best to train in Afghanistan first, because further experience would be useful, and anyway it was difficult at that time to get into Chechnya. Slahi instructed them to travel to Karachi, Pakistan, then to the Taliban office in Quetta, Pakistan, where they were to contact a man named Umar al-Masri. Atta and Jarrah left Hamburg during the last week of November 1999. Shehhi left by himself around the same time; bin al-Shibh followed two weeks later. Slahi denies any involvement with Al-Qaeda by 1999, having previously fought with the group against the Soviet Union in Afghanistan. He attests that he hosted the trio as an act of hospitality to fellow muslims.

"Umar al-Masri" turned out to be a nonexistent person. The name was a code word that instructed members of the Taliban office to escort the men to Kandahar, Afghanistan, where they were convinced to join the al-Qaeda network and wage jihad against America. They met with Osama bin Laden himself and swore their loyalty to him. Mohamed Atta was chosen by Bin Laden as the leader of the group that would attack America; Atta would contact Bin Laden several more times before the attacks. The men then returned to Germany to enroll in flight training school, and later moved on to flight training schools in the United States at the recommendation of one of their instructors based in Germany.

The members of the Hamburg Cell were a boon to the 9/11 plot, which Khalid Sheikh Mohammed had proposed to Bin Laden in 1996. The Hamburg students were fluent in English, educated, accustomed to the Western lifestyle, radically Islamic, and capable of learning to pilot aircraft. "Bin Laden and Mohammed Atef wasted no time in assigning the Hamburg group to the most ambitious operation yet planned by al-Qaeda," the 9/11 Commission Report says.

Many al-Qaeda members lived in the Hamburg apartment at various times. In all, 29 men listed the apartment as their home address while Mohamed Atta's name was on the lease. Reportedly, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed visited the apartment repeatedly.

German intelligence monitored the apartment, but did not find any evidence against the residents. Both the United States' Central Intelligence Agency and German Intelligence have received criticism for failing to share information on these and other al-Qaida members.

Hamburg Cell film

The film Hamburg Cell is a docudrama on the planning and execution of the attacks. A co-production between Channel 4 in the UK and CBC in Canada, it was shown in the UK during September 2004, amid criticism that this was too close to the anniversary of the attack. Using computer-generated imagery, the film's producers were able to show the twin towers of the World Trade Center, before the attack, in the background. Ziad Jarrah is featured calling his girlfriend, Aysel Sengün, from a public telephone at the airport, repeating the words 'I love you' over and over.

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

The Deutsche Bank Building (formerly Bankers Trust Plaza) was a 39-story office building located at 130 Liberty Street in Manhattan, New York City, adjacent to the World Trade Center site. The building opened in 1974 and closed following the September 11 attacks in 2001, due to contamination that spread from the collapse of the South Tower. The structure was designed by Shreve, Lamb & Harmon, which also designed the Empire State Building.

The building was purchased by Deutsche Bank when it acquired Bankers Trust in 1998. It was part of the skyline of Lower Manhattan, and was demolished between 2007 and 2011. 5 World Trade Center will eventually replace the building, expanding the ground space on which the World Trade Center stands, as this land was not part of the original World Trade Center.

September 11th

The collapse of the South Tower during the September 11 attacks tore a 24-story gash into the facade of the building, knocked out a load-bearing column,[3] and destroyed 158,000 square feet of floor space.[4] Additionally, an elevated plaza[5] that was located at the base of the building was destroyed by the collapse.[6]

One person is known to have died within the building during the attacks.[3]

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

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]

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

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

REGISTRATION DISTRICT NO.

610

REGISTRAR'S NUMBER

69

CERTIFICATE OF ADOPTION

The information in this section must be given as it was before adoption. It is needed to locate and seal the original certificate of birth. Without this data it may be impossible to file an amended certificate of PART I:

birth for this child.

1A. NAME OF CHILD-FIRST NAME

CHILD'S PERSONAL DATA

Susan

2. SEX

3. DATE OF BIRTH

Female

5/25/51

5A. NAME OF FATHER-FIRST NAME

NATURAL PARENTS DATA

Orville

6A. MAIDEN NAME OF MOTHER-FIRST NAME

Dorothy

11B. MIDDLE NAME

Louvinia

4. PLACE OF BIRTH-CITY OR TOWN. COUNTY

Greensburg

Rural

58. MIDDLE NAME

Gerald

16B. MIDDLE NAME

11c. LAST NAME

Emery

Kentucky

15c. LAST NAME

1

Emery

1 6c. LAST NAME

PART II:

Crouch

Adopting parents must furnish the following information concerning themselves as it was at the time of birth of the above child. This information is used in preparation of the amended certifi- cate of birth.

7A. NAME OF FATHER-FIRST NAME

17B. MIDDLE NAME

17c. LAST NAME

Melvin

FOSTER OR NATURAL FATHER

8. DATE OF BIRTH

8/25/24

11. OCCUPATION

9. PLACE OF BIRTH

Rocky Ford, Colorado

12. INDUSTRY

Lohrey

10. COLOR OR RACE

White

Warehouseman

13A. MAIDEN NAME OF MOTHER-FIRST NAME

113B. MIDDLE NAME

Thompson Diggs Company

113c. LAST NAME

FOSTER OR NATURAL MOTHER

Louesa

Jane

Manier

14. DATE OF BIRTH

15. PLACE OF BIRTH

16. COLOR OR RACE

9/12/27

Three Rivers, Michigan

White

VERIFICATION

OF PART II

AGENCY OR DEPARTMENT

HANDLING CASE

PART III:

17. USUAL RESIDENCE-STREET ADDRESS. CITY OR TOWN. AND STATE

2200 S Street, Sacramento, California

18. SIGNATURE OF PARENT VERIFYING DATA IN PART II

Melvin Louren

20. NAME OF AGENCY OR DEPARTMENT WHICH INVESTIGATED OR HANDLED CASE

State Department of Social Welfare

19. PRESENT ADDRESS OF VERIFYING PARENT

Same

21. ADDRESS OF AGENCY OR DEPARTMENT WHICH INVESTIGATED OR HANDLED CASE

1530 Capitol Avenue, Sacramento 1

The County Clerk should require that as much of the information as is available in Part I and II, above, be furnished before he completes Part III and forwards the certificate to the State Registrar of Vital Statistics. (The County Clerk may complete or verify any of Items 1 through 21 from the court record of adoption.)

22.

I hereby certify that the child described above was adopted by the above named foster parent(s) on the.

29th

day of

June

19

53

COUNTY CLERK

23. SIGNATURE AND SEAL OF COUNTY CLERK

and is now to bear the name of SUSAN JEAN LOHREY

C. C. La RUE

BY:

Las set forth in the decree of adoption made on that date, in Case No.. DATE SIGNED

34984

идет

June 29, 1953.

DATE REPORT SENT TO STATE REGISTRAR

SACRAMENTO

CLERK IN AND FOR THE COUNTY OF

STATE OF CALIFORNIA

June 29, 1953

STATE OF CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH

(REV. 7-1-49)

FORM R&S-44

Н

20

19

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13

Suite Soo

MCALLISTER & JOHNSON 409-15 Forum Building

the promises, and good cause appearing thar

Sacramento, California that said minor, SUSAN 1OUVINA EMERY, be, Telephone: G1 2 7614

and she is hereby declared adopted by the NDORSED Attorneys for Petitioners., as the chiFilet JUN 29 1950 or then C. CLARUE Clerk and that said child shall henceforth be pegar. CORN 1 Deputy Cien all respecte ea the child of each and both of thom, and that said.

nor ahi26 sad potitioners all austin sormed and other vine legal relation of paront and child, and have all the rights and be subject to all of the duties and responsibilities or that relation IN THE SUPERIOR COURT OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA the family name or IN AND FOR THE COUNTY OF SACRAMENTO as SUSAN JEAN LOMREY, the chi seid petitioners.

IN THE MATTER OF THE ADOPTION

No. 34984

14

345

OF

SUSAN LOUVINA EMERY,

DECREE OF ADOPTION

MCALLISTER &

JOHNSON

ATTORNEY AT LAW

FORUM BUILDING

16.

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29)

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SACRAMENTO, CALIF.

A Minor.

In the above entitled matter, a petition for the adoptio of SUSAN LOUVINA EMERY, the minor above named, having been duly presented and filed by MELVIN LOHREY and LOUESA J. LOHREY, husband and wife, the petitioners herein, and said matter coming on regula to be heard this date before the above entitled Court, the peti- tioners and said minor child being personally present, and it ap- pearing that the necessary consents there to have been duly given as required by law, and the petitioners having signed and executed their agreement that said child shall be adopted, and be treated in all respects as their lawful issue should be treated, and the Court having examined said petitioners, each separately, and the Court being satisfied there from and finding that the interests of said minor child will be promoted by the adoption, and that all the allegations contained in said petition are true, and the Court

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1 being fully advised in the premises, and good cause appearing there

02

IT IS ORDERED that said minor, SUSAN LOUVINA EMERY, be,

3 and she is hereby declared adopted by the petitioners, MELVIN

4

5

6

7

LOHREY and LOUESA J. LOHREY, as the child of each and both of them,

and that said child shall henceforth be regarded and treated in

all respects as the child of each and both of them, and that said

minor child and petitioners shall sustain toward each other the 8 legal relation of parent and child, and have all the rights and be subject to all of the duties and responsibilities of that relation

9

10

IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that said child shall take the 11 family name of petitioners, and he henceforth known as SUSAN JEAN LOHREY, the child of each and both of said petitioners.

Dated: June 29, 1953.

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JOHN QUINCY BROWN JUDGE OF THE SUPERIOR COURT 

CASE NO: 4P0116

FILED

2024 JUN 27 PM 2:47

IN THE JUSTICE COURT OF THE DAYTON TOWNSJUSTICE PRACE

COUNTY OF LYON, STATE OF NEVADA

JULIA ANN Byse Applicant (print your name above),

VS.

WILLIAM E DUNN IV

Adverse Party (print the name of the person you want protection from above).

1.

Your information (you are the "Applicant").

Your name:

JULIA

(first)

BY

CLERK

APPLICATION FOR PROTECTION

ORDER

Please choose which type of Order you are seeking (Only mark one)

Stalkin

Stalking, Aggravated Stalking and/or Harassment

Sexual Assault

Protection of Children

ANN

(middle)

Buse (Vast)

2.

Interpreter Needed? No Yes: (language?)_

Who do you want to be protected from (this person is the "Adverse Party")?

Name:

WILLIAM JULIA

(first)

DUNN IV

Buse

F. ANN (middle)

Yes (where?)

Is this person currently in jail or prison? No

last)

3.

Who needs protection (check all that apply)?

Me.

My minor child (enter the child's information on the bottom of page 2).

The following household members, not including minor children listed on page 2.

Name

Jean R. Malone

Duane J GROVE

Nathan R Grove

Date of Birth

Relationship to Applicant

12-23-1958 SISTER

5-3-2007 Grandson

Relationship

to Adverse NO Party

NO

6-15-2008 GRANDSON NO

©2022 Nevada Supreme Court

Application for Protection Order - S/H/SA/PM

Page 1 of 8

Name Bonnie

Born at Mercy

Our Baby

Lou MUNDORF

HOSPITAL

On Tues. Nov. 26-1957 Time

7:47 AM.

Weight I lbs. 1oz Lbs. 1 9 eine Long Dr.

1 TO 1/2 HOURS old

Leland

Parents

AND Louise

MUNDORF

Bonnie L Gilpin

Age 68 Carmichael, CAVerified

Also known as

Bonnie Lou Kessler Gilpin

Bonnie Lou Gilpin

Bonnie Kessler Gilpin

Bonnie J Gilpin

Bonnie Lou Kessler

Bonnie L Kessler

Bonnie L Gulpin

Bonnie Giltin

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Addresses

2107 Homewood Way, Carmichael, CA 95608 +6

Phones

916-489-8533 +5

Emails

bonnie_gilpin@address.com

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Related to

Katherine S Gilpin

Ernesto M Ortega

Stacey L Kessler

, 46

Julianna C Delacruz

, 43

Stacy Strand

Robert M Strand

James R Peterson

James L Peterson

, 94

Kevin J Gilpin

, 69

Ernesto Gilpin

Joshua L Kessler

, 47

Corning D Gilpin

, 93

Joshua R Lucchesi

, 39

Darlene L Strand

, 71

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Summary

Full Name

Bonnie L Gilpin

Known as

Bonnie Lou Kessler Gilpin

Bonnie Lou Gilpin

Bonnie Kessler Gilpin

Bonnie J Gilpin

Bonnie Lou Kessler

Bonnie L Kessler

Bonnie L Gulpin

Bonnie Giltin

Associates

Jessica Gevara

Phones

916-489-8533

916-489-2540

916-224-9471

916-224-9841

209-795-3527

562-489-8533

Addresses

2107 Homewood Way, Carmichael, CA 95608

4025 Carriebee Ct, North Highlands, CA 95660

2976 Wright St, Sacramento, CA 95821

3329 Bristol Rd, Sacramento, CA 95864

13312 Us Hwy UNIT 50, Kyburz, CA 95720

3321 Bristol Rd, Sacramento, CA 95864

3424 Tembrook Dr, Sacramento, CA 95864

Emails

bonnie_gilpin@address.com

Age

68 (Nov, 1957)

Occupation

Precision Production Occupations

Uncover Bonnie's photos, videos, and more 

Phones

916-489-8533 Primary Landline

916-489-2540 Landline

916-224-9471 Cell

916-224-9841 Cell

209-795-3527 Landline

562-489-8533 Landline

See Bonnie's contact info now 

Addresses

Carmichael, CA

2107 Homewood Way Carmichael, CA 95608

North Highlands, CA

4025 Carriebee Ct North Highlands, CA 95660

Sacramento, CA

2976 Wright St Sacramento, CA 95821

Sacramento, CA

3329 Bristol Rd Sacramento, CA 95864

Kyburz, CA

13312 Us Highway Unit 50 Kyburz, CA 95720

Sacramento, CA

3321 Bristol Rd Sacramento, CA 95864

Sacramento, CA

3424 Tembrook Dr Sacramento, CA 95864

See Bonnie's contact info now 

Associates

Can include friends, extended family, and current and past roommates

Jessica Gevara

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Email Addresses

bonnie_gilpin@address.com

Bonnie L Gilpin, 68

Carmichael, CA

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Bonnie R Gilpin, 45

Pomona, KS

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Bonnie S Gilpin, 73

Munford, AL

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Bonnie R Gilpin, 74

Hamilton, IL

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Bonnie C Gilpin, 84

Arnold, CA

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Bonnie S Gilpin, 69

Louisville, KY

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Bonnie J Gilvin, 78

Cottage Grove, OR

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Bonnie G Rye, 67

Adair, OK

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Bonnie L Gilpin

linkedin

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Work

Position

Precision Production Occupations

Education

Specialities

Graduate or professional degree

FAQ

How old is Bonnie Gilpin?

Bonnie Gilpin's date of birth is November 1957. Bonnie Gilpin is 68 years old.

Is Bonnie Gilpin married?

There are marriage records for Bonnie Gilpin in our database.

https://veripages.com/profile/Bonnie-Gilpin/FRGzA3HB 

The Li Family In writing about the Li family and Chinese secret societies, I am like the man who wakes up in the middle of the night while everyone else sleeps and then gropes around in the darkness trying to feel his way. I can share with you what I’ve learned, but undoubtedly there is a great deal more that can be learned. When the year started I knew only a little about the Li family, and that only from what I had heard. I didn’t even know how to spell their name right. I was spelling it Lee (Actually the Li family name is spelled Lee in some areas such as Hokkien, Teochew, Singapore and by some chinese Americans.) Because I knew so little about the family, it was one of my primary areas of focus when doing UNDERSTANDING HOW CHINESE NAMES ARE JOINED A Chinese is name is made up of a family name (surname), which is written first, and then comes the personal name. In the chinese way of things my name would be Springmeier Fritz. Family names are usually of one character each, although there are exceptions like Ouyong and Situ. There are over 6,000 Chinese surnames for about I billion Chinese. The more frequent chinese surnames in English speaking countries such as the U.S., U.K., & Aust. are Chan, Lin, Li, Wong, Huang, Mei, Yang, Chin, and Fong. In mainland China the 5 top families are Chen, Li, Zhang, He, and Huang. FAMILY NAMES ARE MORE MEANINGFUL FOR CHINESE (IN CHINA) THAN FOR AMERICANS The chinese surname Li is a very popular name in China, perhaps not as widespread as Smith in this country, but certainly used as much as the name Brown is in America. Chinese who have the same surname have much more loyalty to someone else who has the same surname. For instance, two chinese with the Li name would consider themselves relatives even if they were total strangers. Even if two people knew no blood ties, if they had the same surname it has generally been considered incestuous to marry each other in China. In the U.S. if two Browns without any apparent blood ties met each other, they would not feel as if they were close relatives which two Chinese with the same surname would. The Li surname has a long history which goes back to a specific person named Emperor Zhuanzu who was the first Li and lived before 2000 B.C. This is according to the Xing Zuan, the chinese dictionary of surnames. The Li family has a long history in China with many stories. During the Tang Dynasty about 15 different surnames were given the honor of having the Li surname. Li Yuan was the founder of the Tang Dynasty which lasted from 618 to 906 A.D. His son who ruled after him was Li Shimin. In their dynasty, printing and paper money were introduced to China. (It’s interesting that the Li’s are connected the introduction of paper money.) 2

ARE THE DIFFERENT IMPORTANT LI’S RELATED? In recent history three Li’s stand out as giants. · The billionaire and de facto ruler of Hong Kong Li Ka-shing. · Li Peng the ruler of Red China. · Lee Kuan Yew President (& dictator) of Singapore I don’t know which of the Li’s are closely related and which are not. I do know that Li’s control Red China, Hong Kong, and Singapore and have important positions in Taiwan. If the various Li’s which control these various nations are related, then we are certainly looking at one of the most powerful families in the world. In terms of power, they would be just as powerful as the Rockefellers. They also connect to secret occult societies, but the secret societies which the Li’s are major players in are the Chinese secret societies. Those will be covered elsewhere in this newsletter. WHICH ONES ARE PART OF THE ILLUMINATI? I have learned from a source that Li Ka-shing and the powerful Hong Kong Li’s are definitely part of the Satanic llluminati Li’s. in terms of whether the Li’s who run Red China are part of the Illuminati, I know nothing that directly connects them. However, there are clues that make one wonder. For instance, why do the Rockefellers and Rothschilds have such a cosy relationship with these Red Chinese Li’s. Why does the Premier (or Prime Minister) of the People’s Republic of China Li Peng visit with the Rockefellers and other capitalists when he comes to New York City, if he is such a hard-line communist? Haven’t the Communists named the CapitalIsts their major enemy? And then when we watch men who are In the Illuminati such as Skull & Bones George Bush treat the Chinese Li’s with such closeness, even when it was Li Peng that crushed innocent people at Tiennamen Square, it makes us wonder still. In fact, with other pieces of the puzzle that I have in place, I do know that Red China is already cooperating with and part of the New World Order. The only way that China could already be secretly part of the New World Order Is for it’s leaders who are the Li family to be in favor of the New World Order. This strongly suggests that the Li family In China is also part of the Illuminati. From what I know the range of possibilIties range from them being only sympathizers with the NWO elite to them being outright members of the Illuminati. I lean toward the latter view. Then there is Singapore. Singapore is lock stock and barrel in the New World Order. They went to a cashless Society before anyone else. One of the Li family who spells his name Lee, Lee Kuan Yew, a Cambridge-educated lawryer, was dictator of Singapore for decades. He has ties to the British elite. As an example of his dictatorship, Lee didn’t like long hair on men, and so men coming into Singapore with long hair would have their passports taken away and either got a haircut or went to jail. In 1959, when Brittain gave Singapore its Independence the Li family (In this case also spelled Lee) controlled the People’s Action Party which ruled the country. In 1976, the People’s Action Party monopolized politics so much that they won all 69 seats for Parliament. Lee Kuan Yew was placed into the all-powerful position of President in 1965, where he remained I belIeve until 1991. Singapore’s leaders made Singapore very anti-communist during the cold war, and when Nixon began his trips to woo China., Singapore began making goodwill political mission to China. In 1975, Lee’s henchman Foreign Minister S. Rajaratnam went to China and met with Chou En-lai. Chou Enlai was the mentor and friend of U Peng. U Peng’s early life.

Actually, to be more specific after Li Peng’s father, who was a leading communist, was shot by the nationalists In 1931, Chou Enlal more or less adopted Li Peng and raised him. Chou Enlal got U Peng into Moscow’s school system, where, when the Russians finally realized his brilliance wanted to keep Li Peng and train him for their own purposes, and U had to escape to back to China. For whatever reasons Li Peng was an advocate of the Soviet style of economics. Before being placed into his prominent position that he holds today, Li Peng managed China’s economy for many years. Lee met Mao In 1976, Lee Kuan Yew himself met with Mao Tse-Tung (then the leader of Red China). Mao Tsetuag himself is closely tied to the Li family. Li Ta-chao was the head of the communist party in Northern China during the fighting with the Nationalists. Mao’s bodyguard was a Li family member Li Yinqiao. Mao’s mentor was Li Ta-chao, who had ties to the Red Spears Secret Society. Other early high ranking communists such as Chu Teh, Ho Lung, and Liu Chib-tan had memberships in the Red Spears Secret Society and Li Ch’l-han an early communist leader was a member of the Green Gang Secret Society. We will cover more about the Li family and Its relationship to Chinese Secret Societies later, as weil as explaining some about the various powerful secret fraternities. It may well have been Li Ta-chao’s guidance that lead to Mao Tse-tung writing the first systematic attempt by a Chinese Marxist to characterize the class basis of secret societies, and emphasizing their importance for revolution. Mao cooperated with the Ko-Ino Hui, a secret society, that helped his revolution, but strangely the official collection of Mao’s works neglects to include Mao’s appeal to them for help. (This neglect is noted on pg. 4 of Popular Movements & Secret Societies in China. 1840-1950) Mao Tse-Tung is also a product of the Harlot Christian church. Mao as a boy had wanted to learn of Christ and attend a Missionary school, but when he went to it, they threw him rudely out because he was Chinese. Mao never forgot the bad treatment he received at the hands of Christians. That explains in part his hatred of Christianity. A CLOSER LOOK AT THE LI ILLUMINATI FAMILY IN HONG KONG The Rothschild, and the Rockefeller families have a very high respect for the Chinese and Japanese people in relation to some of the other peoples in the world. That is one reason why China and Japan are being given the chance to be important players in the New World Order. The powerful Li family in Hong Kong is part of the Illuminati This family maintains a good public reladons. They are philanthropists. Billionaire Li Ka-shing donated money to create a University in Shantou in South China. The cost of the University & its teaching hospital were reported at 85 million U.S. dollars In Fortune Magazine 7/13/92, p. 107. The following chart shows Li Kashing’s financial empire, which extends worldwide. 60 Broad Street New York City Li's share (with Olympia & York) Estimated value of building $100 million Star TV, countries in Asia and MidEast) Star’s capitalization: $300 million HUSKY OIL, Calgary Husky Oil, Calgary value: $1.3 billion CANADIAN IMPERIAL BANK OF COMMERCE Toronto Bank’s market value $4,3 billion - PACIFIC PLACE, Vancouver $2 billion property development SUNTEC CITY Singapore $1 billion property developmnent with partners According to Fortune Magazine, 7/13/92, p. 106, Li Ka-shing is worth 4 Billion Us. dollars. Another article motes that he made HK$13.4 billion from real estate sales in 1991 alone. Li Ka-shing has lived in the same house on a hill Hong Kong for 30 years. Li Ka-shing had little to no formal schooling. He is self-taught. His sons have been weil educated at Stanford. Victor became an engineer, and his other son Richard majored in computer science and is running Star TV In Hong Kong. Other wealthy friends of Li Kashing get together with him regularly to play poker games. U Ka-shing is chairman or chief executive of his four big companies in Hong Kong. He hires both chinese and western executives for day-to-day management. Simon Murray, a Dalton who served in the French Foreign Legion, is one of Li’s trusted managers. Murray had worked for Jardine Matheson, a business owned by one of the Committee of 300. U has built global alliances with British companies, and has part ol Pearson, a British holding company which in turn as interest in Lazard banking Arms In N.Y., London, and Parts. As one can see Li Ka-shing is doing business with the big boys of International Banking. Li also has Joint ventures with MTV, AT&T, Motorola, and Time- Warner. Li’s Star TV broadcast 5 channels to viewers all the way from Israel to Indonesia. The programming comes from the BBC news, and MTV, and some minor pardners. Li is giving Madonna and the rest of Hollywood to the Asians. Li also invested in Vancouver, B.C. He bought the Expo 86 site which Is 1/6th of downtown Vancouver. 27% of Vancouver’s 560000 citizens are of Chinese descent. Vancouver is a Triad stronghold. This will discuss elsewhere.

Bloodlines of Illuminati

by:

Fritz Springmeier, 1995

https://www.cia.gov/library/abbottabad-compound/FC/FC2F5371043C48FDD95AEDE7B8A49624_Springmeier.-.Bloodlines.of.the.Illuminati.R.pdf

Lee Harvey Oswald (October 18, 1939 – November 24, 1963) was a U.S. Marine veteran who assassinated John F. Kennedy, the 35th president of the United States, on November 22, 1963.

Oswald was placed in juvenile detention at the age of 12 for truancy, during which time he was assessed by a psychiatrist as "emotionally disturbed", due to a lack of normal family life. After attending 12 schools in his youth, he quit repeatedly, and finally when he was 17, joined the Marines. Oswald was court-martialed twice while in the Marines, and jailed. He was honorably released from active duty in the Marine Corps into the Marine Corps Reserve, then flew to Europe and defected to the Soviet Union in October 1959. He lived in Minsk, Belarusian Soviet Socialist Republic, married a Russian woman named Marina, and had a daughter. In June 1962, he returned to the United States with his wife, and eventually settled in Dallas, Texas, where their second daughter was born.

Oswald shot and killed Kennedy on November 22, 1963, from a sixth-floor window of the Texas School Book Depository as Kennedy traveled by motorcade through Dealey Plaza in Dallas. About 45 minutes after assassinating Kennedy, Oswald shot and killed Dallas police officer J. D. Tippit on a local street. He then slipped into a movie theater, where he was arrested for Tippit's murder. Oswald was charged with the assassination of Kennedy, but he denied responsibility for the killing, claiming that he was a "patsy". Two days later, Oswald was fatally shot by local nightclub owner Jack Ruby on live television in the basement of Dallas Police Headquarters.

In September 1964, the Warren Commission concluded that Oswald had acted alone when assassinating Kennedy. This conclusion, though controversial, was supported by investigations from the Dallas Police Department, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the United States Secret Service, and the House Select Committee on Assassinations (HSCA).[n 1][1][2] Despite forensic, ballistic, and eyewitness accounts supporting the official findings, public opinion polls have shown that most Americans still do not believe that the official version tells the whole truth of the events,[3] and the assassination spawned numerous conspiracy theories.

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

Bruce Lee[b] (born Lee Jun-fan;[c] November 27, 1940 – July 20, 1973) was a Hong Kong-American martial artist and actor. He was the founder of Jeet Kune Do, a hybrid martial arts philosophy drawing from different combat disciplines. Credited with helping popularize martial arts films in the 1970s,[3] Lee is considered by some commentators and martial artists to be the most influential martial artist of all time and a pop culture icon of the 20th century, who bridged the gap between East and West. He is credited with promoting Hong Kong action cinema and helping to change the way Chinese people were presented in American films.[4]

Born in San Francisco and raised in British Hong Kong, Lee was introduced to the Hong Kong film industry as a child actor by his father.[5] His early martial arts experience included Wing Chun (trained under Ip Man), tai chi, boxing (winning a Hong Kong boxing tournament), and frequent street fighting (neighborhood and rooftop fights). In 1959, Lee moved to Seattle, where he enrolled at the University of Washington in 1961.[6] It was during this time in the United States that he began considering making money by teaching martial arts, even though he aspired to have a career in acting. He opened his first martial arts school, operated out of home in Seattle. After later adding a second school in Oakland, California, he once drew significant attention at the 1964 Long Beach International Karate Championships of California by making demonstrations and speaking. He subsequently moved to Los Angeles to teach, where his students included Chuck Norris, Sharon Tate, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. In the 1970s, his Hong Kong and Hollywood-produced films elevated Hong Kong martial arts films to a new level of popularity and acclaim, sparking a surge of Western interest in Chinese martial arts. The direction and tone of his films dramatically influenced and changed martial arts and martial arts films worldwide.[7]

With a career spanning Hong Kong and the United States,[8][9][10] he is known for his roles in five feature-length Hong Kong martial arts films in the early 1970s: Lo Wei's The Big Boss (1971) and Fist of Fury (1972); Golden Harvest's The Way of the Dragon (1972), directed and written by Lee; and Golden Harvest and Warner Brothers' Enter the Dragon (1973) and The Game of Death (1978), both directed by Robert Clouse.[11] After Lee's death, his films gained a large cult following.[3] He became an iconic figure known throughout the world, particularly among the Chinese, based upon his portrayal of Cantonese culture in his films,[12] and among Asian Americans for defying Asian stereotypes in the United States.[13]

Lee died in July 1973, aged 32. Since his death, Lee has continued to be a prominent influence on modern combat sports, including judo, karate, mixed martial arts, and boxing, as well as modern popular culture, including film, television, comics, animation, and video games. Time named Lee one of the 100 most important people of the 20th century.

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

Brandon Bruce Lee (February 1, 1965 – March 31, 1993) was an American actor. Establishing himself as a rising action star in the early 1990s, he landed what was to be his breakthrough role as Eric Draven in the supernatural superhero film The Crow (1994). However, Lee's career and life were cut short by his accidental death during the film's production.

Lee was the son of martial artist and film star Bruce Lee, who died when Brandon was eight years old. Lee, who followed in his father's footsteps, trained in martial arts, including Jeet Kun Do, Wing Chun, Eskrima, Silat, and Muay Thai, and studied acting at Emerson College and the Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute. He started his career with leading roles in the Hong Kong action film Legacy of Rage (1986), and the straight-to-video Laser Mission (1989), which was a financial success on home video. Lee also appeared in two spin-offs of the 1970s series Kung Fu, the television film Kung Fu: The Movie (1986) and the pilot Kung Fu: The Next Generation (1987).

Transitioning to Hollywood productions, Lee first starred in the Warner Bros buddy cop film Showdown in Little Tokyo (1991), co-starring Dolph Lundgren. While it did not do well with audiences and critics upon its release, it later became a cult film. This was followed by a leading role in Rapid Fire (1992), produced by 20th Century Fox. Lee, alongside Jeff Imada, is also credited for the fight choreography, which contained elements of Jeet Kune Do. Though the film was not well-received, critics praised Lee's onscreen presence.

After being cast to headline The Crow, Lee had filmed nearly all of his scenes when he was fatally wounded on set by a prop gun. Lee posthumously received praise for his performance, while the film became a critical and commercial success. His career has drawn parallels with his father’s, both men having died young prior to the release of their breakthrough films.

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

Christie Lee Brinkley (née Hudson; born February 2, 1954) is an American model.[2] Brinkley appeared on an unprecedented three consecutive covers of Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issues in 1979, 1980, and 1981. She spent 25 years as the face of CoverGirl;[3] has appeared on over 500 magazine covers; and has signed contracts with major brands, both fashion and non-fashion.

Brinkley went on to work as an actress, illustrator, television personality, photographer, writer, designer, and activist for human and animal rights and the environment. Brinkley has been married four times, including to musician Billy Joel between 1985 and 1994, having appeared in several of his music videos. Her fourth marriage, to architect Peter Cook, ended in a much-publicized 2008 divorce. Magazines such as Allure and Men's Health have named Brinkley one of the most attractive women of all time.[4]

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

8 But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, they shall have their portion in the pool burning with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.

Revelation 21:8

Douay-Reims Bible

https://www.drbo.org/chapter/73021.htm

"Rosicrucianism is a theosophy advanced by an invisible order of spiritual knights who in spreading Christian Hermeticism, Kabbalah, and Gnosis seek to enliven and to preserve the memory of Divine Wisdom, understood as a feminine flame of love called Sofia or Shekhinah, exoterically given as a fresh unfolded rose, yet, more akin to the BLUE fire of alchemy, the BLUE virgin. Rosicrucians have no organisation and there are no recognizable Rosicrucian individuals, but the order makes its presence known by leaving behind engrammatic writings in the genre of Hermetic-Platonic Christianity.1 The historical roots of Hermeticism is to be located in Ancient Egypt. Long before the rise of Christianity, Hermetic texts were structured around the belief that organisms contain sparks of a Divine mind unto which they each strive to attend. Things easily transform into others, thereby generating certain cyclical patterns, cycles that periodically renew themselves on a cosmic scale. These transformations of life and death were enacted in the Hermetic Mysteries in Ancient Egypt through the gods Isis, Horus, and Osiris. In the Alexandrian period these myths were reshaped into Hermetic discourses on the transformations of the self with Thot, the scribal god. These discourses were introduced in the west in 1474 when Marsilio Ficino translated the Hermetic Pimander from the Greek. The story of Christian Rosencreutz can be seen as a new version of these mysteries, specifically tempered by German Paracelsian philosophy on the Lion of the darkest night, a biblical icon for how the higher self lies slumbering in consciousness.2"

Rose Cross Over The Baltic The Spread of Rosicrucianism In Northern Europe

by Suzanne Ackerman

CHAPTER TWO AT THE ORIGINS OF THE ROSICRUCIANS

Hye lygt begraben Venus, dye schon Fraw, so manchen Hoen Man umb Gluck, Ehr, Scgcn, und Wolfart gcbracht hatt. (in cipher, Chymische Hochzeit)

The universe of reference to the Rosicrucian fiction is the call for a brotherhood, a Christian kabbalist assembly of reformers prepared to spread support for a wave of illumination and religious change throughout Europe. But if the advance of Rosicrucian thinking is difficult to map after the printing of the Farm in Kassel 1614, the origin of these ideas is even more in dispute. It is often maintained that the exciting thesis set forth by Frances Yates in her book on the Rosicrucian Enlightenment is seriously flawed. First, Rosicrucianism never was the successive unfolding of a clearly held together programme o f scientific reform that she believed it to be. Second, a number of scholars point out that the early British influence on the Wiirtemberg Rosicrucians was overemphasized, particularly when Yates concentrated on John Dee and derived the Rosicrucian name from the red cross of St. George, taken together with the Tudor roses of England.1 While the poetic verse on the Red Cross knight in Edmund Spencer’s The Fairie Queen has some resemblance to the Rosicrucian chivalrous quest, and while Spencer’s Castle of Alma is a poetic microcosm of learning with some resemblance to the Rosicrucian tomb, there is little concrete evidence to support Yates’ explicitely stated hypotheses. If one looks closer at her arguments, however, beginning with her interest in the Valois tapestries, one sees that she was reaching for a connection to French court culture and dynastic politics. She felt that Spencer’s poetic passages convey the militant atmosphere of the Elizabethan Leicester-Sidney-circle. This militancy centered on forging a Protestant union with the German Princes in view of the British campaign in the United Provinces in 1586, the legacy of which wouJd be preserved in the legend of Christian Rosencreutz. In her focus on the interplay of poetry and culture, Yates staked much on the hope that more would be found out concerning Philip Sidney’s Dutch, German, and French contacts. As opposed to Yates’ view, recent scholars point out that although the Rosicrucian pamphlets first appeared in print in 1614—15, they were not specifically written in political support o f the marriage at Heidelberg in 1613 between Fredrik V of Wiirtemberg and Princess Elisabeth Stuart, a marriage calculated to eventually strengthen the Protestant presence in Central and Eastern Europe. Most interpreters do agree, however, that the Rosicrucian texts are part of a more profound central European context, a context rooted in late sixteenthcentury Paracelsism and enheartened by theosophy, magic, Christian Kabbalah, and alchemical ideas that at first glance have nothing to do with Dee’s British Imperialism."

Rose Cross Over The Baltic The Spread of Rosicrucianism In Northern Europe

by Suzanne Ackerman

[https://drive.google.com/file/d/1vWI_uTVg5lzNCDm16itq-PLSavozNR_F/view?usp=sharing](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1vWI_uTVg5lzNCDm16itq-PLSavozNR_F/view?usp=sharing)

“Rosa Jesuitica, oder Jesuitische Rottgesellen, das ist, Eine Frag ob die Zween Orden, der ganandten Ritter von der Neerscharen Jesu, und der Rosen-Creuzer ein einiger Ordensen: per J. P. D. a S. Jesuitarum Protectorum. Prague, 1620.” (4to). This is a truly curious tract upon the “relations of the Jesuits and the Rosicrucians."

[https://drive.google.com/file/d/1dT28PyPUPfqDfC0iVg7nGFsle8vYBXLf/view](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1dT28PyPUPfqDfC0iVg7nGFsle8vYBXLf/view)

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

"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." Article from: http://www.cloakanddagger .de/lenny/alberto_rivera.htm

How the Vatican created Islam (remnantofgod.org)

"A famous Jesuit General Michael Angelo Tambourini once boasted, in 1720, to the Duke of Brissac: " See, My Grace  [my Lord], from this room, I govern not only Paris, but China; not only China, but the whole world, without anyone knowing how it is managed."

"Andrew Steinmetz, History of the Jesuits, Vol. 1 (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Lea and Blanchard Publ.,/New York: Richard Bentley, 1848), pp.107, 168-169; see also, Constitution of the Jesuits, edited by Paris Paulin (1843); Eugene Sue (Marie Joseph), The Wandering Jew, (London: Chapman and Hall, 1844/ New York; Harper & Brothers,, 1845), Bk I, Chap. XV, P. 183; see also, p. 618, and Bk. II, p. 21; Abrige de I'Hist. Eccles. de Racine, Chap. xii. P. 77." page 129 Chapter XII "Unhesitating Obedience: The General And The Holy Office" Codeword Barbelon book One by P.D. Stuart

"Steinmetz was fourteen years a Jesuit; see also, Constitutions of the Jesuits, ed. by P. Paulin (1843); Morale Pratique Des Jesuites: Histoire De La Persecution De deux Saints, Vol. I (Cologne, 1669), pp. 50 and 51." "Epilogue-For Such A Time As This"

Pope Francis Lord of the World by P.D. Stuart

HARRY W. BUNDY Harry W. Bundy was a Mason, a Satanist and the chief adept (9°) of the Colorado part of the SRICF. To clarify to the reader what this all means allow me to inform you about the structures Satan has built. Pure Satanism in order to function easier has set up some branches which are secret, but if the public hears about these branches, they have a veneer of respectability. Dr. Wynn Westcott, a famous Satanist and the Supreme Magus of S.R.I.A. wrote the rare book History of The Societas Rosicruciana in Anglia. IX. It was privately printed by these Masonic Rosicruclans on Dec. 30, 1900, and later received the Br. Museum Press Mark of 0475 h54. Within this rare book the leader of the S.R.I.A. spells out the purpose of the organization to the Brotherhood, "The aim of the Society...searching out the secrets of Nature; to facilitate the study of the system of philosophy founded upon the Cabala and the doctrines of Hermes Trismegistus ..." Hermes Trismegistus (as many of you know) means "the trice greatest Hermes" who was the Egyptian scribe god who is claimed to be the author of all magical writing. Hermes is credited for the grossly evil Satanicwitchcraft rituals that the ancient Egyptians and modern Satanism continue to practice. For an excellent exposé of the connections between the Egyptian Book of the Dead, Masonic Rituals and modern Satanism, I suggest David Carrico’s book The Masonic Egyptian Satanic Connection. (obtainable from Followers of Jesus Christ, 5220 Ashley Dr., Evansville, IN 47711). As I was just writing, a number of branches of the Illuminati were created with the same pattern as the Bavarian Illuminati, and these branches sometimes refer to themselves as Illuminati-and rightly so since they are integral part of Satanism. One branch has been set up within . Freemasonry called Societas Rosicruciana. They coil themselves Rosicruciana and Christians. How they attach the aame of Christ to Satanism, is beyond my imagination. Perhaps the "Christ consciousness they seek justifies in their minds calling themselves "exclusively Christian." Whatever they want to coil themselves they practice magic and Satanism. A number of daughter organizations have sprung up from the S.R.I.A. such as the Golden Dawn, the Stella Matutina and the Ordo Templi Orientis (OTO). The S.R.I.A. also worked closely with German Illuminism and the Theosophical Society. In England the Societas Rosicruciana (S.R.) is named S.R. in Anglia, in Scotland it is S.R. in Scotia, in Greece it is S.R. in Graecia, in Canada it is S.R. in Canada, and in the US. it is S.R. in Civitatibus Foederatis. The membership is very exclusive. And my understanding that there are about a dozen US. lodges called "colleges" with about 40 members each, which lends me to guess they have an exclusive membership of about 500 in the United States. Membership in Societas Rosicruciana has included such notable Satanists such as A.L Waite, Eliphas Levi, and Kenneth Mackenzie. It has included that Luciferian Albert Pike too. Within a nation the arena are divided up into provinces, each of which has a "college"-their fancy word for a satanic lodge. On Apr. 20, 1948 Harry W. Bundy became the chief adept of the Colorado college. Two letters by the Supreme Magus of all the S.R. groups Win. Wynn Wescott are photocopied so that the reader can read for himself from the SRIA’s Supreme Magus (lending magician) that they are connected to the Illuminati. See for yourself!! An interesting point in light of what I have printed in other newsletters, the Mass. college in 1393 printed a book by its Supreme Magus Gould (9°) which declares that the Grand Central San of the Universe is Alcyone in the Pliades. Shades of Alice Dailey, and C.T. Russell!! One of the most knowledgeable people to try to expose the New World Order and the Satanic hierarchy behind it said, "It remains for the student to follow evvery line of enquiry to the point of concentration where nil threads are gathered and systematically manipulated for the eventual destruction of Christian civilization. It may lend to the B’nai B’rith, the Universal Israelite Alliance, India or Tibet, but in any case a thorough and complete study of Rosicrucianism embracing a minute one of Rosicruciana in Anglia and its various branches will be a great step taken in the direction of uncovering much of the political and moral chaos of present day history of mankind." p.510) 10 Interesting, that this expert would say this. The threads go buck to 13 Top Families, and wouldn’t you know, several of their people are lenders of the S.R.I.A. including Harry W. Bundy. The Bundy family has been a very powerful family in American history which has managed to keep itself out of the limelight. Often the members d the Bundy’s have had power by virtue of being advisors to those in powerful positions. P.s. Congressman Reece, a real hero tried to go farther & expose the connections between Hiss, tho Carnegie Endowment Found., the Morgan Bank, and the rest of the tax-exempt foundations. The Illuminati moved mightily against Reece. SIMPLIFIED BIBLIOGRAPHY Almanac of Famous People Census Records National Cyclopaedia d American Biography Sutton, Antony. America’s Order of Skull & Bones Voorhis, Harold (Sapreme Magus IX°). Masonic Rosicrucian Societies.

Bloodlines of Illuminati

by:

Fritz Springmeier, 1995

https://www.cia.gov/library/abbottabad-compound/FC/FC2F5371043C48FDD95AEDE7B8A49624_Springmeier.-.Bloodlines.of.the.Illuminati.R.pdf

Jesuit Matteo Ricci, Father of Communist China, 1583/1983 #572 The Order’s 16th Century’s conspiracy was to first conquer Japan and then China. Failing for over 200 years, the Order finally conquered Japan in 1868, Emperor Meiji to build an empire serving as “the Sword of the Church” during WWII. Using its American “Sword of the Church,” Japan was submitted to the rule of the Black Pope in 1945, as was China in 1949. Though Chairman Mao OPENLY expelled the Order in 1949, the Jesuits SECRETLY were Communist China’s masters, using their American Empire to both erect and support the Order’s Inquisition in the Far East. Since the “end of the Cold War,” the US has given high technology to Red China preparing her for America’s Sino invasion. The “Senior Honorary Advisor” for China’s COSCO, is SMOM Alexander Haig. Jesuits: A Multibiography, Jean Lacouture, (Collegeville, Minnesota: The Liturgical Press, 1995).

Vatican Assassins Wounded in The House of My Friends

Third Edition

by Eric Jon Phelps

https://ia802505.us.archive.org/28/items/EricJonPhelpsVaticanAssassins3rdEdition/Eric%20Jon%20Phelps%20-%20Vatican%20Assassins%203rd%20Edition.pdf

https://www.facebook.com/4williamdunn/posts/pfbid037T3sibZhTZMdMJ18DyHSaudbTzhESzqMd2cfNup1xpJUGNXnUGZ8qeXA7t7yiD8vl

Society|China

Yuchen Li | Bastian Hartig both in Orlando, Florida

06/01/2025 June 1, 2025

Months have passed since China closed its doors to international adoption, leaving hundreds of would-be adoptive families and their potential adoptees devastated. The Manns from Florida are still fighting to bring home a child from Xi'an. 

https://www.dw.com/en/chinas-ban-on-foreign-adoptions-leaves-children-in-limbo/video-72700809

What is the Spirit of adoption (Romans 8:15)?

Answer

Romans 8:15 says, “For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, ‘Abba! Father!’” (KJV). This verse contrasts two spirits: an impersonal “spirit of bondage” or “spirit of slavery” and the Holy Spirit, called here “the Spirit of adoption.” Other translations render the phrase the Spirit of adoption as “God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children” (NLT), “the Spirit makes you God’s children” (GNT), or “a Spirit that shows you are adopted as his children” (CEB).

Two different spirits. Two different mindsets that we can have in our approach to God: we can approach Him as slaves in bondage, or we can approach Him as adopted children. The Bible presents a high view of adoption and uses it to parallel the relationship God wants to have with us. The spirit of slavery views God has a slave owner and we His trembling subjects. The spirit of adoption views God as a loving Father and we His beloved sons and daughters.

A spirit of slavery is manifested in legalistic religion. Many cults and even some Christian denominations put such emphasis on rule-keeping that they instill fear and a sense of dread in their members. God is presented as a taskmaster who is never quite satisfied with anything we do. The bar is always set a bit too high, so people find religious activities to keep themselves busy in the hope that God will accept them for their effort. Even those who have been born again through faith in Christ’s sacrifice for their sin (John 3:3) can cling to a spirit of slavery, never realizing the freedom that is theirs with the Spirit of adoption.

This spirit of slavery was rampant within the Jewish culture when Jesus came to earth. He soundly rebuked the religious leaders for instilling such legalism in people with whom God desired to have a loving relationship (Mark 7:7–9; Matthew 23:15–16). Paul cautioned the early churches to be watchful for the return of that spirit of slavery. In Galatians 5:1 he wrote, “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.”

In startling contrast is the Spirit of adoption, the Holy Spirit of God who brings us into God’s family. Jesus invited believers to address God as “our Father” (Matthew 6:8–9). God explained His desire to treat His people as sons and daughters (2 Corinthians 6:18). God has made this spiritual adoption possible through faith in His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ (John 3:16–18; 1:12; 14:6; Romans 8:14). Based on our faith and confession of allegiance (Romans 10:9–10), God adopts us into His eternal family. He makes us joint heirs together with Jesus Christ (Romans 8:17). We receive the Spirit of adoption when we accept, by faith, the grace that has been offered to us in Christ (Ephesians 1:5; Romans 8:23; Luke 10:27). It is the Spirit of adoption who teaches us to call out to God as our “Abba, Father.”

There is a vast difference between the way sons serve their fathers and the way slaves serve their masters. Slaves may perform duties; sons perform acts of love. Slaves dutifully obey; sons gladly obey. Slaves are motivated by fear of punishment; sons are motivated by love of relationship. Slaves ask, “What is required?” Sons ask, “What else can I do for you?” The Spirit of adoption changes us from fearful slaves to joyful sons and daughters. The Spirit of adoption allows us to “come boldly before the throne of grace” (Hebrews 4:16) as a beloved child runs to his father in times of trouble. Because of the Spirit of adoption, we can enjoy serving God without fear or obligation. Serving in our Father’s kingdom becomes life’s highest ambition (2 Corinthians 5:20).

https://www.gotquestions.org/Spirit-of-adoption.html

Galatians 5

1599 Geneva Bible

5 1 Having declared that we came of the free woman, he showeth the price of that freedom, 13 and how we should use the same, 16 that we may obey the Spirit, 19 and resist the flesh.

1 Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.

2 [a]Behold, I Paul say unto you, that if ye be [b]circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing.

3 For I testify again to every man, which is circumcised, that he is bound to keep the whole Law.

4 Ye are [c]abolished from Christ: whosoever are [d]justified by the Law, ye are fallen from grace.

5 [e]For we through the [f]Spirit wait for the hope of righteousness through faith.

6 [g]For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth anything, neither [h]uncircumcision, [i]but [j]faith which worketh by love.

7 [k]Ye did run well: who did let you, that ye did not obey the truth?

8 [l]It is not the persuasion of [m]him that calleth you.

9 [n]A little leaven doth leaven the whole lump.

10 [o]I have trust in you through the Lord, that ye will be none otherwise minded: but he that troubleth you, shall bear his condemnation, whosoever he be.

11 [p]And brethren, if I yet preach circumcision, why do I yet suffer persecution? Then is the slander of the cross abolished.

12 [q]Would to God they were even cut off which do [r]disquiet you.

13 For brethren, ye have been called unto liberty: [s]only use not your liberty as an occasion unto the flesh, but by love serve one another.

14 [t]For [u]all the Law is fulfilled in one word, which is this, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.

15 [v]If ye bite and devour one another, take heed lest ye be consumed one of another.

16 [w]Then I say, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lusts of the flesh.

17 For the [x]flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary one to another, so that ye cannot do the same things that ye would.

18 And if ye be led by the Spirit, ye are not under the Law.

19 [y]Moreover the works of the flesh are manifest, which are adultery, fornication, uncleanness, wantonness,

20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, debate, emulations, wrath, contentions, seditions, heresies,

21 Envy, murders, drunkenness, gluttony, and such like, whereof I tell you before, as I also have told you before, that they which do such things, shall not inherit the kingdom of God.

22 But the [z]fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,

23 Meekness, temperancy: [aa]against such there is no law.

24 For they that are Christ’s, have crucified the flesh with the affections and the lusts.

25 If we [ab]live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.

26 [ac]Let us not be desirous of vainglory, provoking one another, envying one another.

Footnotes

Galatians 5:2 Another obtestation wherein he plainly witnesseth that justification of works, and justification of faith cannot stand together, because no man can be justified by the Law, but he that doth fully and perfectly fulfill it. And he taketh the example of circumcision, because it was the ground of all the service of the Law, and was chiefly urged of the false Apostles.

Galatians 5:2 Circumcision is in other places called the seal of righteousness, but here we must have consideration of the circumstance of the Baptism come in place of circumcision. And moreover Paul reasoneth according to the opinion that his enemies had of it, which made circumcision a piece of their salvation.

Galatians 5:4 That is, as he himself expoundeth it afterwards, ye are fallen from grace.

Galatians 5:4 That is, seek to be justified by the Law, for in deed no man is justified by the Law.

Galatians 5:5 He privily compareth the new people with the old: for it is certain that they also did ground all their hope of justification and life in faith and not in circumcision, but so, that their faith was wrapped in the external and ceremonial worship: but our faith is bare and content with spiritual worship.

Galatians 5:5 Through the Spirit, which engendereth faith.

Galatians 5:6 He addeth a reason for that now circumcision is abolished, seeing that Christ is exhibited unto us with full plenty of spiritual circumcision.

Galatians 5:6 He maketh mention also of uncircumcision, lest the Gentiles should please themselves in it, as the Jews do in circumcision.

Galatians 5:6 The taking away of an objection: If all that worship of the Law be taken away, wherein then shall we exercise ourselves? In charity, saith Paul: for faith, whereof we speak, cannot be idle, nay it bringeth forth daily fruits of charity.

Galatians 5:6 So is true faith distinguished from counterfeit faith: for charity is not joined to faith as a fellow cause, to help forward our justification with faith.

Galatians 5:7 Again he chideth the Galatians, but with an admiration, and therewithall a praise of their former race, to the end that he may make them more ashamed.

Galatians 5:8 He playeth the part of an Apostle with them, and useth his authority, denying that that doctrine can come from God which is contrary to his.

Galatians 5:8 Of God.

Galatians 5:9 He addeth this, that he may not seem to contend upon a trifle, warning them diligently (by a similitude which he borroweth of leaven, as Christ himself also did) not to suffer the purity of the Apostolical doctrine, to be infected with the least corruption that may be.

Galatians 5:10 He mitigateth the former reprehension, casting the fault upon the false Apostles, against whom he denounceth the horrible judgment of God.

Galatians 5:11 He willeth them to consider how that he seeketh not his own profit in this matter, seeing that he could eschew the hatred of men, if he would join Judaism with Christianity.

Galatians 5:12 An example of a true Pastor inflamed with the zeal of God’s glory and love of his flock.

Galatians 5:12 For they that preach the Law, cause men’s consciences always to tremble.

Galatians 5:13 The third part of this Epistle, showing that the right use of Christian liberty consisteth in this, that being delivered from the slavery of sin and the flesh, and being obedient to the Spirit, we should serve unto one another’s salvation through love.

Galatians 5:14 He propoundeth the love of our neighbor, as a mark whereunto all Christians ought to refer all their actions, and thereunto he citeth the testimony of the Law.

Galatians 5:14 This particle (All) must be restrained to the second table.

Galatians 5:15 An exhortation to the duties of charity, by the profit that ensueth thereof, because that no men provide worse for themselves, than they that hate one another.

Galatians 5:16 He acknowledgeth the great weakness of the godly, for that they are but in part regenerate: but he willeth them to remember that they are endued with the Spirit of God, which hath delivered them from the slavery of sin, and so of the Law so far forth as it is the virtue of sin, that they should not give themselves to lusts.

Galatians 5:17 For the flesh dwelleth even in the regenerate man, but the Spirit reigneth although not without great strife, as is largely set forth, Rom. 7.

Galatians 5:19 He setteth out that particularly, which he spake generally, reckoning up some chief effects of the flesh, and opposing them to the fruits of the Spirit, that no man may pretend ignorance.

Galatians 5:22 Therefore, they are not the fruits of free will, but so far forth as our will is made free by grace.

Galatians 5:23 Lest that any man should object, that Paul played the Sophister, as one who urging the Spirit, urgeth nothing but that which the Law commandeth, he showeth that he requireth not that liberal and outward obedience, but spiritual, which proceedeth not from the Law, but from the Spirit of Christ, which doth beget us again, and must and ought to be the ruler and guider of life.

Galatians 5:25 If we be indeed endued with the quickening Spirit, which causeth us to die to sin, and live to God, let us show it in our deeds, that is, by holiness of life.

Galatians 5:26 He addeth peculiar exhortations according as he knew the Galatians subject to divers vices: and first of all he warneth them to take heed of ambition, which vice hath two fellows, backbiting and envy, out of which two it cannot be but many contentions must needs arise.

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Galatians%205&version=GNV