by Tom Luongo‚ Tom Luongo: Where do we go from here Terror in Rue de St. Denis‚ murder on the periphery Someone else in someone else’s pocket Christ knows I don’t know how to stop it Poppies at the cenotaph‚ the cynics can’t afford to laugh I heard in on the telegraph there’s Uzis on […]

by Rhoda Wilson‚ Expose News: The question of how and why the United Nations is the crux of the great conspiracy to destroy the sovereignty of the United States and the enslavement of the American people within a UN one world dictatorship is a complete and unknown mystery to the vast majority of the American […]

from ITM TRADING‚ INC.: TRUTH LIVES on at https://sgtreport.tv/

by Ethan Huff‚ Natural News: Documentary filmmaker Jason Bermas‚ in partnership with Infowars‘ Alex Jones‚ has put together what the two are describing as “the deepest dive ever produced on what’s really happening” in the world of pedophile blackmail and honeypot operations. The infamous “list” that has come to light detailing all of the perverts in government‚ media‚ […]

Syracusia was an ancient ship that sailed out of Syracuse.  At that time‚ it was an independent colony located on the island of Sicily. Hiero II of Syracuse commissioned it in the third century BC and sent it to Ptolemy III Euergetes in Alexandria.  This ancient Greek ship was so massive that no Sicilian port could accommodate it. It sailed once‚ from Syracuse to Egypt‚ and then disappeared from the historical record.  A depiction of the Syracusia by Robert von Spalart‚ 1810 The Size of Syracusia  Syracusia was at least 180 feet long‚ 40 feet wide‚ and 40 feet tall. Other sources indicate that the ship might have been as much as 360 feet long.  This was gargantuan at the time‚ more than ten times larger than most ships of the era. At the time of its construction‚ it was the largest ship ever built. It took three hundred workers a full year to build Syracusia. The timber used in its construction could have built 60 standard trireme ships‚ the galleys used by ancient Greeks and Romans. Historians estimate that Syracusia could carry nearly two thousand passengers. Very nearly as many as the ill-fated Titanic.  In addition to these passengers‚ the ship could have carried over 1800 tons of cargo – ten times the amount of the average cargo ship at that time. There were also twenty stalls for horses. On its single voyage‚ Syracusia carried two hundred soldiers and a catapult. The cargo included ten thousand jars of pickled fish‚ huge quantities of grain‚ and piles of wool.  There was also a massive container full of fresh water. The cistern was able to hold an estimated 76 tons of water. There was also a cistern full of seawater and fish to ensure easy access for the ship’s cook. Ancient texts describe a huge top deck supported by intricately carved wooden columns in the shape of the Greek Titan Atlas‚ who held up the sky. There were 142 first-class cabins aboard the Syracusia and additional space for 400 soldiers below.  It boasted eight towers‚ each of which was designed to hold two archers and four armed men. In addition to masts and sails‚ the ship had twenty rows of oars. The upper deck was protected from attack by a palisade.  This opulent luxury vessel held recreational spaces such as a gymnasium‚ a library‚ extensive kitchens‚ a grand dining room‚ and an indoor bathroom equipped with hot water. It was decorated with luxury materials like marble and ivory floors that depicted scenes from the Iliad. Special casks of soil held living plants‚ including vines and flowers. Pathways through this elaborate garden led to a temple dedicated to Aphrodite. In the end‚ Syracusia was so enormous that no port in Sicily could accommodate her. The only known port that could host the enormous ship was in Alexandria‚ and so Hiero II decided to send the ship to the pharaoh of Egypt as an extravagant gift.  Hiero II and Archimedes  Hiero II ruled Syracuse from 275 to 215 BC. In his youth‚ he served as a general under the Greek king Pyrrhus of Epirus.  He became king of Syracuse after marrying the daughter of its leading citizen and successfully defending the island against a group of Campagnian mercenaries. His wife‚ Queen Philistis of Syracuse‚ featured on the island’s coins. Following the First Punic War‚ Hiero II entered into a treaty with Rome that allowed him to continue to rule over southeastern Sicily. This alliance continued until his death in 215 BC. Syracusia was commissioned by Hiero II and designed by the Greek mathematician Archimedes around 240 BC. He also devised a way to move the ship using a complex system of pulleys. Archimedes was born in Syracuse in 286 BC. Ten years prior to the construction of Syracusia‚ Archimedes wrote On Floating Bodies which described several principles of hydrostatics.  Archimedes Thoughtful (also known as Portrait of a Scholar) by Domenico Fetti‚ 1620. He wrote letters to Hiero II and in one letter pronounced‚ “Give me a place to stand and I will move the Earth!” Archimedes’ mastery of complex pulley systems was unmatched‚ and this attracted the attention of the king. Many theories and achievements have been attributed to this great mathematician‚ including the Archimedes Principle of buoyancy‚ the concept of the center of gravity‚ and an approximation of pi. He was a mechanical engineer whose inventions include compound pulleys and the Archimedean screw. He also invented stone-throwing war machines intended to protect Syracuse from the Romans. But in the end‚ the Romans killed him anyway.  During the Second Punic War‚ after the death of Hiero II‚ Syracuse switched its alliance from Rome to Carthage and was attacked by Rome. Leaders urged the soldiers not to kill Archimedes‚ but he was murdered during the siege of Syracuse in 212 BC. The island of Sicily was claimed by Rome. Ptolemy III Euergetes Ptolemaios Euergetes (translation: Ptolemy the Benefactor) was the third pharaoh of the Ptolemaic dynasty‚ which ended two centuries later with Cleopatra. This dynasty‚ which would become the longest-reigning dynasty in Egyptian history‚ was at its height during his lifetime.  Due to political infighting and his mother’s exile‚ Ptolemy Euergetes was raised on the Greek island of Thera. He was tutored by Apollonius of Rhodes‚ who eventually became the head of the Library of Alexandria. Ptolemy III succeeded his father in 246 BC. Ptolemy III married the queen of Cyrenaica (the eastern half of modern-day Libya) when he became pharaoh‚ thereby bringing her lands into the Ptolemaic Empire.  The Third Syrian War spanned the first five years of his reign‚ but he was forced to abandon this victorious campaign abroad due to uprisings back home. What became of Syracusia after its arrival in Egypt is unknown.  Ptolemy IV Philopator was a small child when the ship was given to his father. He tried to outdo it years later by commissioning a monstrous ship of his own.  Tessarakonteres was so enormous that it was almost immobile and completely useless. It was said to have carried nearly seven thousand men. If this is true‚ it was the largest ship to have existed in antiquity and the largest human-powered vessel ever constructed.The post The Syracusia‚ the largest ship in ancient history first appeared on History Defined.

It is not uncommon for fires to occur underground. In fact‚ they are a global phenomenon‚ from Pennsylvania to Germany to China.  The most common form of underground fire is a coal seam fire‚ where large underground deposits of coal catch flame. With such a large fuel source‚ endless oxygen‚ and a massive price tag on any attempt to extinguish them‚ these kinds of fires rage for years‚ decades‚ and even centuries.  Sometimes other flammable natural materials catch fire though. There are also commonly large deposits of natural gas located around the world.  Due to the toxic nature of natural gas to humans‚ it is not uncommon for people to intentionally set natural gas deposits on fire in an attempt to burn off the gas. This generally burns through its supply faster than a coal seam.  Unlike coal though‚ it is nearly impossible to determine how much natural gas is actually present beneath the earth. Therefore‚ lighting a natural gas supply is always a gamble.  This practice is what caused one of the most notable continuously burning fires in the world: the Darvaza gas crater.  The Door to Hell‚ a burning natural gas field in Derweze‚ Turkmenistan A Burning Pit The Darvaza gas crater‚ located in the Karakum Desert in Turkmenistan‚ is 229 feet (70m) across. It is 65 feet (20m) deep‚ and filled with fire.  Flames leap out from every nook and cranny in the rock all around the pit as natural gas slips through. It ignites from the existing fire and the collective flames create a roar equivalent to a jet engine.  Also known as the “Gates of Hell” because of the sheer size of the ever-burning flames‚ the pit has been alight for over 50 years. It has become a globally recognized spectacle and a tourist destination‚ bringing hundreds a year to Turkmenistan to see the pit.  Since the pit is in the desert‚ there is not much around besides a few small towns. But some locals have taken advantage of the rare tourism and set up yurts around the rim of the pit for travelers to stay overnight in.  These are used regularly by guests‚ especially since the scene is much more striking in the dead of night.   Origin of the Crater It is unclear how the crater itself was formed‚ as there are no recorded documents or eyewitness accounts of its inception. There are two main theories though‚ debated between popular lore and the hypotheses of local geologists.  Visiting the The Darvaza gas crater (also known as Hell’s Gate)  The most common explanation for the crater is that it is the site of a 1970s Soviet drilling collapse. As workers dug they realized they hit an underground cavern. They fled the scene as the ground began to give way beneath them‚ swallowing up their equipment.  Then‚ to prevent the flow of toxic gasses to the surrounding area‚ the engineers set the crater ablaze. They underestimated how long it would burn.  Geologists‚ on the other hand‚ believe that the crater was discovered in the 1960s. However‚ they believe that it was not ignited until the 1980s in a similar attempt to cut off the natural gas from leaking to the surrounding community.  Attempts to Put Out the Flames In the last decade‚ Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov‚ the president of Turkmenistan‚ has begun making efforts to extinguish the fire. In 2010 he asked scientists to find a way to extinguish the flames.  He is hopeful that it could minimize the impact of the pit on further development of gas mining in the region. However‚ it is nearly impossible to put out a fire this size fueled by natural gas. Even if the entire pit was filled or extinguished‚ the gas would only need to find another hole to escape from to become ignited again.  In 2022‚ Berdymukhamedov reasserted his desire to extinguish the pit. He cited the environmental impact of the pit and the health impact on local communities.  The burning of the gas is constantly releasing methane into the atmosphere. The nearby town of Darvaza (or Derweze) is close enough for the noxious fumes to affect the population.  Alongside the altruistic goals is Berdymukhamedov’s assertion that the pit is also wasting natural resources. Resources that could be used to further the economic goals of the nation.  By ending the constant burning of gas‚ the nation could instead start to harvest the natural gas for fuel and improve the country with the profit. Turkmenistan is known to have the fourth-largest reserve of natural gas in the world.  Door to Hell. Derweze‚ Turkmenistan. A photo of the gas crater burning since 1971 in the desert Investigating the Flames In 2013‚ George Kourounis was the first person to descend into the pit to investigate the microbiome of the crater. With a special suit made of kevlar that included a unique breathing apparatus‚ Kourounis descended to the bottom of the pit.  As he dug into the dirt to gather soil samples‚ new flames began to immediately appear. Even the smallest new dent in the crater immediately provided the gas with a new path to emerge from the earth and ignited the gas from the inferno around it.  The adventure was sponsored by National Geographic and Kourounis’ findings were shared in an episode of the series Die Trying. It seems that the Darvaza gas crater will continue to burn for the foreseeable future. After half a century‚ the flames have shown no sign of slowing. Without intervention‚ there is no telling how long it will burn or how much gas remains trapped underground.  Despite the best attempts by the president‚ it seems unlikely that Turkmenistan will be able to quell the fire anytime soon. So for now‚ the site will remain an obscure attraction to those willing to travel to the remote desert and witness the Gates to Hell themselves.  References Recker‚ Jane. “The Quest to Extinguish the Flames of Turkmenistan’s Terrifying ‘Gates of Hell’ Firepit.” Smithsonian Magazine‚ January 25. 2022. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/the-quest-to-extinguish-the-flames-of-turkmenistans-terrifying-gates-of-hell-firepit-180979458/.  “Turkmenistan plans to extinguish vast gas crater fire dubbed ‘Gateway to hell’” The Guardian‚ January 8‚ 2022. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jan/08/turkmenistan-plans-to-extinguish-vast-gas-crater-fire-dubbed-gateway-to-hell.  King‚ Hobart M. “Darvaza Gas Crater.” Geology.com. https://geology.com/oil-and-gas/darvaza-gas-crater/. The post The Gates of Hell: The Darvaza Gas Crater first appeared on History Defined.

The Eye of Horus is an ancient Egyptian symbol used for protection and good health. It was a popular symbol in the Old Kingdom‚ also called the Age of the Pyramids‚ and ever after.  Still a popular symbol today‚ the Eye of Horus has endured for five thousand years. Horus was the god of the sky. He was depicted as either a falcon – which was also his name in hieroglyphs – or a man with the head of a falcon. He was one of the most important deities of ancient Egypt. The name Horus came late‚ influenced by Greek mythology. Earlier forms of the name include Har‚ Heru‚ and Hor. In addition to ruling over the sky‚ he was associated with healing‚ protection‚ kingship‚ and the sun. The worship of Horus began in prehistoric Egypt sometime before 3000 BC. He was most commonly said to be the son of Osiris and Isis‚ the divine mother goddess. Osiris was the god of fertility and resurrection.  Edfu (Egypt)‚ temple of Horus: fragment of a statue‚ made of granite‚ of the Egyptian god Horus‚ represented as a falcon The Story of the God Horus In the myth of Osiris‚ he was both the god and king of Egypt‚ descended from Ra‚ creator of the world. Osiris was killed by his brother Set‚ the god of chaos and violence.  In early versions‚ Osiris was locked in a chest (the first sarcophagus) by Set and drowned in the Nile. In later versions of the myth‚ Set cut his brother’s body to pieces and scattered them across the land. For a time‚ Set ruled as the new king. But his sisters were busy seeking to restore Osiris. Isis and her sister took the form of falcons to find the body of Osiris.  With the help of other gods‚ they mummified his remains. They restored him to life long enough for Isis to conceive Horus‚ his son and heir. Isis spent years in exile‚ hiding her infant son from Set. Throughout his childhood‚ Horus was besieged by snakes and scorpions sent by his uncle‚ bitten and stung but healed by his mother. Horus as depicted in The Egyptian Book of the Dead: The Book of Going Forth by Day. Once grown‚ Horus competed against his uncle for decades in ritual trials witnessed by the other gods. A grand jury made up of the creator god‚ the god of wisdom‚ and the god of air watched to judge which of them was the rightful king. In some of these conflicts‚ Set tore out one or both of Horus’s eyes. This may have represented eclipses because one of Horus’s eyes represented the sun and the other represented the moon. Each time this happened‚ Horus had to reclaim his eyes from Set. In one story‚ Set stole Horus’s eye while he slept and divided it into six pieces. The god Thoth found them and pieced them back together‚ but he had only five.  He replaced the sixth piece with a divine fragment that allowed Horus to see beyond what is visible to the ordinary eye. Thus‚ creating the fabled Eye of Horus. In the end‚ Horus ruled over the fertile lands along the Nile. Set was banished to the barren desert beyond. An annual Egyptian festival celebrated the victory of Horus over Set. Horus often made offerings to his father Osiris. Once resurrected‚ Osiris ruled over the afterlife but still needed offerings to sustain him.  One of the most important things that Horus offered his father was his own eye‚ which Osiris then consumed. The eye had great restorative power that both restored Osiris to well-being and protected him from harm. Representations of the Eye of Horus Throughout History The Eye of Horus is usually drawn almond-shaped‚ like a human eye‚ with a huge black circle in the middle like the eye of a falcon. A thick line is drawn straight down from the center of the eye.  Another curves from the same spot and across the cheek towards the ear‚ usually ending in a curl or a spiral. Another line extends sideways from the outer corner of the eye.  The eye is usually accompanied by a thick‚ curving eyebrow. Shaved eyebrows in Egypt were often a ritual sign of mourning‚ so the inclusion of the eyebrow was an important feature in this protective talisman. People have been making and wearing amulets inscribed with the Eye of Horus for over four thousand years. In the Old Kingdom‚ they were worn by mummies to their final resting place. In ancient Egypt‚ these amulets were made out of a wide variety of materials: quartz‚ ceramics‚ glass‚ gold‚ and colorful stones such as lapis lazuli. A representation of The Eye of Horus as it was depicted in the Tomb of Pashedu Eye of Horus amulets became increasingly complex in New Kingdom Egypt (1550 to 1077 BC). Rearing cobras were often added in front of the eye‚ with a bird or feathers behind.  Human or feline body parts were sometimes used for the lower lines. In the Third Intermediate Period (1070–664 BC) other animals and even gods were incorporated into the designs. In addition to lasting amulets made with precious materials‚ temporary amulets were often drawn on papyrus or linen for protection in times of illness or during childbirth. This stylized eye came to represent any and all sustenance offered to the gods.  Ancient Egyptians also made offerings to the deceased during various monthly rituals. These coincided with the waxing of the moon‚ which symbolized the healing of the Eye of Horus.  Ritualistic Uses of the Eye of Horus The Eye of Horus was often used in healing rituals‚ which in ancient Egypt were a fundamental part of the practice of medicine. Ritual and practical treatments were woven together as part of the same fabric. Horus eyes were often painted on coffins in ancient Egypt. In the Middle Period‚ they were painted on the side of the coffin in the same direction that the mummy was facing. They were both protecting the deceased person and allowing them to see out the side.  They were also painted on or carved into the bows of ships to invoke the god Horus’s protection on voyages and help the ship see the way forward.  In the New Kingdom‚ the Eye of Horus was adopted by some as a tattoo. The Eye of Horus was still a common symbol throughout the Roman occupation of Egypt‚ which lasted until 641 AD.  Neighboring regions‚ including Nubia‚ Syria‚ and Canaan‚ also adopted the protective symbol. They are the most likely origin of the modern eye bead‚ or nazar‚ that is still popular today.  These blue glass eyes are used throughout the Middle East and the Mediterranean to shield their wearers from evil.  The post The Ancient Egyptian Symbol: Eye of Horus first appeared on History Defined.

Urban legends can be born from anything–a story passed down from generation to generation‚ a misunderstood occurrence that gets distorted each time the tale is told. Or‚ more rarely‚ something real. The legend of the Green Man‚ or Charlie No Face‚ falls into the last category. He was a phantom that was supposed to haunt a Pennsylvania road late at night. But the story of the Green Man is less frightening and more tragic than you might imagine.  A strange‚ visually frightening figure really did wander a highway in Beaver County for decades‚ and this figure truly did lack a face. But the Green Man wasn’t a monster. He was just a man who survived a terrible tragedy as a boy and lived to tell the tale.  An alleged photo of Charlie No-Face Raymond Theodore Robinson: The Green Man’s Early Life  Before he became a local legend‚ the Green Man was a young boy named Raymond Theodore Robinson. Like most kids his age‚ Raymond spent a lot of his time outside exploring the town in which he lived.  He had lost his father at the young age of 7‚ just a year before his own accident. This loss didn’t stop him from living life to the fullest‚ though. He spent many of his formative years swimming in the nearby river‚ playing in the woods‚ and hanging out with his friends.  It was during one of these hang-out sessions on June 18‚ 1919‚ that he and some of his friends were heading to a local swimming hole when they came upon the Wallace Run bridge. The bridge was used for a daily trolley service running between local cities‚ and as such‚ was electrified.  The trolleys were powered by 1200 volts DC‚ but despite this deadly charge‚ the wooden bridge was a regular haunt for youths. Raymond and his friends weren’t ignorant of the dangers of the electrified bridge. Only a year before‚ another young boy named Robert Littell had died from electrical burns received on the bridge.  Despite the clear danger‚ the group of boys were undeterred. Once they reached the Wallace Run bridge‚ the boys spotted a large bird nest on top of the wooden structure. One boy dared the others to climb up and see how many birds were inside the nest‚ and while the others declined‚ Raymond took up the challenge.  He climbed a girder on the side of the bridge but before he could reach the nest‚ Raymond was electrocuted and burned by the high voltage running through the structure.  Miraculous Recovery  Raymond Robinson was rushed to the hospital‚ but the horrible state of the boy’s body left little room for hope. The local newspaper‚ The Beaver Falls‚ reported the condition of Raymond and seemed to have a poor outlook on Raymond’s chances.  The first headline read‚ “Morado Lad‚ 8‚ Shocked By Live Wire‚ Will Die‚” The headline‚ while cruel-sounding‚ was the same expectation that almost everyone had at the time. Raymond Robinson was horribly injured‚ with extensive burns on both his face and body.  The doctors and nurses at the Providence Hospital cared for him day and night without ceasing. Incredibly‚ the boy slowly started to improve.  It took about a month for the outlook for Raymond to begin to change. After so many weeks of bleakness‚ Raymond’s condition starting to look up was deemed a miracle. But now that doctors were more optimistic about Raymond’s survival‚ they had to consider what his life would look like once he was healed. Raymond’s burns had left him crippled. His face was described as looking like it had been melted off. There was little left of the boy’s features. He had lost his eyes and nose‚ and his ears and lips were nearly gone as well.  It wasn’t just his face‚ either. Raymond had lost his left arm at the elbow‚ and suffered severe burns on his chest.  But despite all of that‚ Raymond was going to survive. Amazingly‚ he was in good spirits throughout his entire recovery.  No Face Charlie: The Man and the Legend Raymond healed‚ slowly but surely‚ but he was blind and disfigured for the rest of his days. His family never had a second thought about Raymond’s appearance‚ and he had a full life. Despite this acceptance‚ Raymond wanted more freedom‚ and that’s when his infamous walks began.  Raymond would wait until nighttime when there were fewer people out to see him. He would grab his walking stick and make his way down the highway running between Koppel and New Galilee.  Known as Route 351‚ there wasn’t much traffic on the road at night‚ which was what Raymond wanted. He feared that his disfigurement would scare others‚ and he wasn’t looking for attention. Photo of Ray from the late 1950s or early 1960s. Paul Bauer Despite the late hours of his excursions‚ Raymond began to garner legendary status from the few people who would see him on his travels. His admirers were mostly local teenagers. It became somewhat of a right of passage to find the figure they dubbed Charlie No Face‚ or the Green Man. These teens would give Raymond beer and cigarettes to get him to talk to them‚ but he was hard to understand. While some of the attention he garnered was cruel‚ others began to view Raymond as more than a legend–he was a friend. Raymond would stop and chat with his visitors‚ and as the years went by‚ his legend grew. The story of the Green Man spread further with each passing year. Raymond became folklore.  The stories would change from the truth of his electrocution to more dramatic tellings‚ like those of a man burned by acid. Those who would come to see him weren’t just coming from the local towns anymore but from as far as states away.  Everyone was fascinated with the faceless man who would walk the highways at night. Thanks to the fact that Raymond’s story was based in reality‚ he became one of the most well-known figures in all of Pennsylvania.  The Green Man‚ Ray Robinson‚ died on June 11‚ 1985‚ but his story lives on through folktales and stories told by locals. He was buried in Grandview Cemetery‚ overlooking the bridge where he was so terribly burned all those years before.  References  “Charlie No Face: The life and the legend” https://web.archive.org/web/20170825060124/http://www.timesonline.com/charlie-no-face-the-life-and-the-legend/article_b87c3f73-9069-5d83-9a83-e8f7a02cc5db.html “The Legend of the Green Man: Raymond Robinson” https://museumfacts.co.uk/green-man-raymond-robinson/The post Raymond Theodore Robinson: The Green Man of Pennsylvania first appeared on History Defined.