Rosary of Marie-Antoinette

 From NCR:

Marie Antoinette had given the rosary to an Irish missionary priest, Father Henry Essex Edgeworth, otherwise known as Abbé Edgeworth, who was then chaplain to her husband, King Louis XVI. When the king was guillotined in January 1793, Abbé Edgeworth fled to England for safety and took refuge at the home of the Earl of Shrewsbury. Abbé Edgeworth eventually returned to France to continue his missionary work and left the rosary with the Shrewsbury family. It was then handed down through the generations, eventually ending up with Mary Fortescue-Turville, a previous owner of Bosworth Hall who died at the property in 1906. The rosary, one of several Marie Antoinette is thought to have given away, was then kept at the hall and has remained there ever since. (Read more.)

Marie-Antoinette receiving Holy Communion in prison

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Lawsuit Against Amendment #1 Moves Forward

 From Virginia Medical Freedom Alliance:

Victoria Cobb published on October 26, 2026

“Late last week, our case challenging the legality of the proposed Abortion Amendment just got a big boost. The Tazewell Circuit Court denied the Commonwealth’s motions that sought to prevent our hearing from going forward the week after the election if the Abortion Amendment passes. Now, our FFLC attorneys will be in court on November 13 fighting this Amendment.

Please be in prayer for our legal team, and consider giving to help fund our lawsuit!

On behalf of our clients, the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons, Virginia Medical Freedom Alliance, and Meagan Kade, FFLC is asking the court for a preliminary injunction to prevent the certification of the election results. Our lawsuit alleges that the proposed amendment is procedurally defective and that the question posed to voters on the ballot is deceptive. (Learn more about the case here.) The hearing will be presided over by Judge Hurley, who made headlines earlier this year after he ruled that the redistricting amendment was unconstitutional on similar grounds.

According to Josh Hetzler, Executive Director of FFLC, “We are excited for the opportunity to get into court right after the election, if necessary. Not only would this proposed abortion amendment be a disaster for policy reasons, but it would also undermine trust in our democratic processes because of the flawed and deceptive means by which it will have passed. We cannot allow that to happen.”

And in other news, last week our legal team also filed a lawsuit in Prince William County Circuit Court challenging – on the identical procedural grounds – the lawfulness of the proposed state constitutional amendment that seeks to redefine marriage and insert gender ideology language, which is also set to be decided on the November 3 election. The lawsuit was brought on behalf of Pastor Ben Purves.

You can learn more about this case on our website here.

These are exciting and trying times in our Commonwealth. Thank you for supporting us as we fight for life and marriage on your behalf!”

This is important information as we continue the fight for freedom in Virginia.

The election is next week. Tuesday, November 3rd, the polls open at 6 am and close at 7 pm. Please vote on election day and encourage your friends and neighbors to vote. (Read more.)

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The True Origins of Halloween

From The Crossroads Initiative:

We’ve all heard the allegations. Halloween is a pagan rite dating back to some pre-Christian festival among the Celtic Druids that escaped Church suppression. Even today modern pagans and witches continue to celebrate this ancient festival. If you let your kids go trick-or-treating, they will be worshiping the devil and pagan gods.

Nothing could be further from the truth. The origins of Halloween are, in fact, very Christian and rather American. Halloween falls on October 31 because of a pope, and its observances are the result of medieval Catholic piety.

It’s true that the ancient Celts of Ireland and Britain celebrated a minor festival on Oct. 31 — as they did on the last day of most other months of the year. However, Halloween falls on the last day of October because the Feast of All Saints or “All Hallows” falls on Nov. 1. The feast in honor of all the saints in heaven used to be celebrated on May 13, but Pope Gregory III (d. 741) moved it to Nov. 1, the dedication day of All Saints Chapel in St. Peter’s at Rome. Later, in the 840s, Pope Gregory IV commanded that All Saints be observed everywhere. And so the holy day spread to Ireland. The day before was the feast’s evening vigil, “All Hallows Even” or “Hallowe’en.” In those days, Halloween didn’t have any special significance for Christians or for long-dead Celtic pagans. (Read more.)

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King James VI’s Witch Trials: Heresy They Say?

 

From Discover Britain:

“The Scottish state and church wanted Scotland to be a very Godly society and so were zealous in cracking down on ‘sin’ of all kinds,” says Yeoman, “and accused witches were one of many categories of ‘sinner’.” Following the creation of the Reformation Parliament in 1560, The Scottish Witchcraft Act of 1563 was passed, outlawing both the practice of witchcraft and the consulting of witches.

Into the mix, we have King James VI, who succeeded to the Scottish throne at just 13 months old, following the forced abdication of his mother, Mary, Queen of Scots. Baptised Catholic, but raised by regents as a Protestant, he ruled Scotland from 1567 and, after the death of Elizabeth I and the Union of the Crowns in 1603, England and Ireland as well. Among the controversies of his reign, one of his most enduring legacies was his fascination with witchcraft.

While belief in the existence of magic was common, James is remembered for his active involvement in the persecution of witches, something that, as a monarch, Goodare says, was “unusual but not unique.” Yeoman adds that for James, “it seems to have been about facing down what he saw as ‘un-Godly’ threats to his throne and dynasty and showing that he was the Lord’s anointed doing God’s work.”

Although not the worst of Scotland’s witch hunts, the North Berwick Witch Trials of 1590-91 were personal for James and marked an escalation. In 1590, the fleet carrying his bride-to-be, Anne of Denmark, across the North Sea had to turn back owing to a dangerous storm. James then set out to collect her and on their return voyage, hit another storm. This, he believed, was the work of spell-casting witches and invigorated his desire to expunge un-Godly threats to his rule while feeding public anxieties. (Read more.)

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Doomsday Bunkers?

Interesting. From Tierney's Real News:

Here is the short version of what my earlier reports established, so you don’t have to start from zero:

- Iran has already demonstrated ballistic missiles with ranges that can reach U.S. bases, Europe, and the U.S. East Coast. The next step is mating nuclear warheads to them. They have proven the delivery capability. Pretending they would never use it is the delusion.

- Iran’s leadership is driven by Twelver Shia eschatology. This is not ordinary great-power competition. Key elements of the regime view the destruction of the current world order (and the conditions that bring the return of the Mahdi) as a religious duty, not a last resort.

- The White House ballroom project is not primarily a party venue. It is a hardened military complex: multi-story underground facilities, drone-proof and missile-resistant construction, military hospital, secure command spaces, biodefense systems, and rooftop drone/air-defense capacity. Court filings and official statements have described it as essential for continuity of government and presidential protection against nuclear, missile, and drone threats. (Read more.)

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Dressing for Unpredictable Weather

 From Léonce:

1. Never Underestimate the Importance of a Good Umbrella

I realise an umbrella is hardly the most exciting place to begin a fashion conversation. But anyone who has spent an autumn in Amsterdam will understand. There is nothing quite like having your umbrella turn itself inside out in the middle of a downpour, preferably just as you’re crossing a busy street. I’ve come to believe that a good, wind-resistant umbrella is one of those rather unexciting purchases you’re eventually very grateful to have made.

2. Dress in Layers, but Don’t Overdo It

The difficulty with dressing for chilly, unpredictable weather is that the temperature outside rarely has much in common with the temperature inside. I’ve found that several lighter layers are generally much easier to live with than one particularly heavy one. A fine merino wool sweater, a cotton shirt, or a lovely cardigan worn beneath a jacket or coat allows you to adjust without too much fuss. I also tend to prefer natural fabrics that feel comfortable against the skin and are easy to layer without becoming too warm indoors.

3. Suede Is a Beautiful, Rather Impractical Love Affair

I have a particular weakness for suede. Shoes, bags, jackets, there is something about the softness of the material that makes almost everything look a little more beautiful. Unfortunately, I also happen to live in Amsterdam, where autumn and rain are practically inseparable. You would think that, after a few years here, I might have learned to stop buying suede. I haven’t. I still find myself admiring a beautiful chocolate-brown suede jacket or a pair of suede ankle boots, conveniently forgetting that there may be very few days when I can actually wear them. (Read more.)

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Royal Jewellery: From Coronations to Keepsakes

 

From Write Royalty:

Royal Jewellery: From Coronations to Keepsakes will feature “more than 300 pieces of jewellery from the 16th century to the present day, around two thirds on display for the first time,” the press release stated. “This unprecedented exhibition will bring together some of the most important and spectacular royal jewels in British history, many never exhibited publicly before,” explained Caroline de Guitaut and Kathryn Jones, co-curators of the exhibition, in the press release. “Each jewel carries with it a human story: of love and loss, power and politics, family and faith. Together, they have borne witness to the defining moments of royal lives and offer a deeply personal insight into the individuals and relationships that have shaped the monarchy across generations.”

As if to prove the exhibition’s bona fides, the Royal Collection accompanied that announcement with photos of 12 items that will be in the exhibition, which opens in June 2027. Some of the items are famous and have been publicly exhibited, such as the tiny diamond crown that Queen Victoria frequently wore perched on top of her head. (Read more.)

 

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Turn in the Fraud, Collect the Check

 From Tierney's Real News:

Today President Trump and Vice President JD Vance launched a new program called WHIP, the Fraud Whistleblower Incentive Program.

Here’s how it works. The Department of Justice is setting aside $25 million. If you send in a tip at fraud.gov and it leads to a conviction or a major enforcement action, you can get up to $30,000. The goal is simple: get ordinary people to report fraud in federal programs. Vance has led the administration’s fraud task force since March.

Trump also talked about a bigger idea. If a tipster helps recover a huge amount, like $1 billion or $10 billion, they could get a 1 percent “commission” cut, as long as they can prove the tip came from them. He said citizen journalists could qualify too.

Trump handed a $10,000 check to citizen journalist Nick Shirley for his work on Somali fraud. In 2025, Shirley made videos about Minnesota childcare centers that were getting federal money. His work led to investigations and arrests. Trump called the fraud in Minnesota a “horrible plague” in a “once beautiful state” and criticized Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, Peggy Flanagan and Ilhan Omar. I’ve been reporting on Somali election and immigration and welfare fraud in Minnesota since 2018 - I wish I could collect for that! I’d be a multi-millionaire!  (Read more.)

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New Light on Mysterious Rohonc Codex

 From The Greek Reporter:

A 16th-century letter has revealed new clues about the mysterious Rohonc Codex, a centuries-old manuscript whose unusual writing system puzzled scholars for generations. Dated June 28, 1571, the document offers evidence about the manuscript’s origins, its possible author, and its age. The discovery also challenges longstanding theories that the codex was a 19th-century forgery.

The findings come from research led by Benedek Láng, who examined the historical letter and four previously overlooked manuscript pages preserved in the Hungarian National Archives.

The Rohonc Codex contains 224 leaves and more than 80 illustrations, many depicting biblical scenes. Its unfamiliar symbols run from right to left. Like the mysterious Voynich manuscript, the Rohonc Codex attracted attention because of its unusual writing. It entered the Hungarian Academy of Sciences’ collection in 1838 through the Batthyány family library. (Read more.)

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