The Death of Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna

I just finished reading The Lives and Deaths of the Princesses of Hesse by Frances Welch. It clarified for me many things of which I had not been fully aware. The case of Mrs. Manahan aka "Anna Anderson" is described inaccurately but otherwise the historical research is superb. The deaths of two of the sisters in Russia is the central moment to which everything leads. After that the world is changed forever. Many details about Ella's final days I found deeply moving and so had to look for pictures. Ella or Elizabeth of Hesse, after becoming a widow when her husband Grand Duke Serge was blown up, established a active congregation of sisters to care for the poor and sick in Moscow, the first ever in Russia. In July of 1918 she was murdered by the Bolsheviks.

From Nicholas II:

The fact that Elizabeth Feodorovna was already dead when she fell into the mine is indicated by the position in which her body was found. Her body lay vertical, her arms folded over her body. If a living person falls down a depth of 15 metres (50 ft.), it would be impossible to fold ones arms so evenly.

It should also be noted that both hands of Elizabeth Feodorovna were tightly clenched, fingers bent, her nails sunk into the skin – this happens when a person is in severe pain.

In one hand, she clutched two laced bags containing some small items. Her head, eyes and nose were tied with a handkerchief folded in four layers. So, even if she remained alive in the mine, her position and the scarf on her face and head, from which she did not free herself, do not correspond to the version about bandaging the wounded grand duke.

All this speculation came about because Lubov Miller, who lived in Australia, came to Russia to work in the archives, but many archives were still closed at that time. The first edition of her book was published in 1988, therefore, she had no way of checking all the facts. (Read more.)

St Elizabeth and Companions

I have posted about St. Elizabeth before, HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE. Share

Judicial Coup

 From Tierney's Real News:

So, Trump’s plan bypassed Maduro’s nonsense and involved sending the TdA gangsters to El Salvador’s mega-prison, the Terrorism Confinement Center (CECOT), under an agreement with President Nayib Bukele, who accepted them for a fee, reportedly $6 million for 300 migrants over a year. If America were to keep the illegal alien gangsters here on American soil - instead of deporting them - the cost to American taxpayers would be over $200 million, not $6 million.

So far, the illegal alien TdA gang members have been arrested hundreds of times in the US - for crimes including drug trafficking, human trafficking, sexual assault, terrorism, theft, murder, attempted murder and kidnapping. The murder victims so far include 22-year old Laken Riley of Georgia, 33-year old Arneaud-Petit in Texas, a retired police officer in Florida and the attempted murder of 2 New York police officers. 

Tren de Aragua began in the early 2010s in Tocorón prison, located in Venezuela’s Aragua state, about 80 miles southwest of Caracas. It emerged under the leadership of “Niño Guerrero” who was imprisoned in 2005 for murdering a police officer. 

By 2014, Guerrero and his associates had transformed the gang into a powerful “megabanda” within the prison. Under the “pran” system - where crime bosses run prisons with Maduro’s approval - Tren de Aragua turned Tocorón into a criminal headquarters, complete with a zoo, nightclub, and pool, funded by extortion, drug trafficking, and kidnappings.

In other words, the Communist dictator of Venezuela let TdA run the prison and live like Kings within it.

In September 2023, Maduro’s forces allegedly raided Tocorón with 11,000 troops, but Guerrero and key leaders escaped, possibly tipped off, and the gang’s operations have continued unabated across borders, including into the U.S. (Read more.)

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Rare Medieval Scroll Discovered in York’s Bar Convent

 From Murrey and Blue:

An extremely rare medieval scroll has been found in York’s Bar Convent. Dr Hannah Thomas discovered the 15th-Century Arma Christi as she was cataloging the collection. It was rolled up in a shoebox, but once unrolled, Dr Thomas knew she had found something unique.

The scroll shows hand-drawn figures and calligraphy, and Dr Thomas considers it to be, itself, a work of art. Only eleven copies of it have survived, each handmade by skilled craftsmen.

The Bar Convent Arma Christi is thought to be one of the last examples produced and is one of the best-preserved ever found. It dates back to around 1475. The manuscript will be the centrepiece of an exhibition at the Bar Convent on Saturday 5 April. (Read more.)

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The First Spring Day

I wonder if the sap is stirring yet,
If wintry birds are dreaming of a mate,
If frozen snowdrops feel as yet the sun
And crocus fires are kindling one by one:
Sing, robin, sing!
I still am sore in doubt concerning Spring.

I wonder if the spring-tide of this year
Will bring another Spring both lost and dear;
If heart and spirit will find out their Spring,
Or if the world alone will bud and sing:
Sing, hope, to me!
Sweet notes, my hope, soft notes for memory.

The sap will surely quicken soon or late,
The tardiest bird will twitter to a mate;
So Spring must dawn again with warmth and bloom,
Or in this world, or in the world to come:
Sing, voice of Spring!
Till I too blossom and rejoice and sing.

By Christina Rossetti

(Artwork "The First Buds of Spring" by Lionel Percy Smythe, courtesy of Hermes.) Share

The Conspiracy Buried in the JFK Files

 From The Vigilant Fox:

Newsmax’s Rob Finnerty has introduced a bombshell revelation hidden within the newly released JFK files—one that raises serious questions about a likely CIA cover-up. The document, which Finnerty highlighted on air, lays out the chilling story of CIA agent Gary Underhill, a man who appeared to know too much about what really happened on November 22, 1963. According to the file, one day after JFK’s assassination, Underhill “left Washington in a hurry… Late in the evening, he showed up at the home of friends in New Jersey. He was very agitated.”

It goes on to say, “A small clique within the CIA was responsible for the [JFK] assassination, he [Gary Underhill] confided, and he was afraid for his life and would probably have to leave the country.” (Read more.)

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Queen of Scots

 From Pen and Sword Blog:

From the highly educated and pious Margaret of Wessex to the glamorous Margaret of Denmark, their lives and experiences tell the story of their nation. Some, such as Matilda de Senlis and Ermengarde de Beaumont, barely make an impression on history, though merely by producing a son, they each guaranteed that Scotland would persevere. And Isabella de Warenne, wife of John Balliol, who is a ghost on the pages of Scotland’s history. And it is not that these made no impression. Their influence was in the domestic sphere, raising children and supporting their husbands, rather than on the political or the international stage. Although Isabella’s story is even more obscure by the fact all mention of the Balliol dynasty was forbidden by the Bruce regime.

Marrying an English princess, for example, did not always guarantee the peace with England that was intended. As the wife of Alexander II, Joan of England did her best to maintain peaceful relations with her brother Henry III, often using private letters to broker diplomatic solutions. And Henry III’s own daughter Margaret, in marrying Alexander III, brought Scotland years of peace with England. Edward III’s sister Joan of the Tower was to have no such legacy, as her brother’s ambition would blight her marriage for years. Edward leant his support to the rival claimant to the Scottish throne, Edward Balliol. If he had not been so keen to exploit Scotland’s dynastic divisions, maybe Joan and David II would have had a happier marriage. We will never know. (Read more.)

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St. Joseph: The Model of Manhood

 From The Catholic Gentleman:

Why did God choose St. Joseph? Of all the thousands of Jewish men, many of whom no doubt were righteous, why was a humble carpenter chosen for the task of being the earthly father of the Savior? The answer is simple: God knew St. Joseph would immediately do anything that was asked of him, no matter how difficult.

The saints agree that conformity to the will of God through prompt obedience is one of the surest paths to holiness. St. Joseph exemplified this virtue, and a perfect example is the flight into Egypt. The angel of the Lord appeared to St. Joseph in a dream, warning him of the danger that was coming. Scripture then tells us that, “When he arose, he took the young Child and His mother by night and departed for Egypt.” Did you catch that? The minute he woke up, he obeyed. He didn’t let fear of uncertainty paralyze him, he didn’t spend weeks planning, and he didn’t save up some money first. He took Jesus and Mary and left for Egypt, entrusting his family to the providence of God. That is prompt obedience, and that is why  St. Joseph was entrusted with the greatest responsibility ever given to a man. (Read more.)

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Can Ireland Revive?

 From Charles Coulombe:

To be sure, after the successive victories of Cromwell and William III (who, to no one’s comfort, was an ally of the then-Pope when he defeated King James II at the Battle of the Boyne), Catholic Ireland was subjected to successive injustices.  I am certainly proud of Daniel O’Connell, whose work liberated not only his countrymen but his British co-religionists from the worst disabilities they had laboured under.  I certainly love the Irish rebel songs.  But I know – both being founded by members of the Masonic Order – that the Fenians and the Orange Lodges, despite their mutual hatred had the same grips and countersigns.  I know that the agitation for Home Rule ruined the work of men like George Wyndham and Horace Plunkett.  I know that DeValera’s overthrow of the 1922 Treaty ensured that the Ulstermen would not trust the South.  I know that Frs. Denis Fahey and Edward Cahill were prophetic as regards what would happen to Irish society.  I know that both the Provos and the UDA of my childhood and youth – while keen on kneecapping the unarmed, leaving bombs, and murdering single members of the other side – never indulged in pitched battles with each other, unlike the street gangs of LA, whose combats I witnessed growing up.  That Sinn Fein was instrumental in convincing the Southern Irish to vote in infanticide and sodomy was bad enough; but then they teamed up with the ministers of the Crown to enforce the former on Ulster.  Yet it is weirdly heartwarming to see Orangemen and Nats marching arm-in-arm to oppose immigration.

At any rate, given the heroic self-image Irishmen of every stripe have of their particular histories, modern Ireland presents a pathetic picture.  Whereas in most countries, the modern immoralities were imposed upon unwilling countries by judicial or parliamentary fiat (however much their decadent populations may love them now), in Ireland, overwhelming majorities endorsed them.  This, of course, is partly due to the perceived and real decadence of the Catholic Church in Ireland, which from 1932 to 1973 held a particular moral sway over the Island, the Irish Constitution of 1937 recognising “the special position of the Holy Catholic Apostolic and Roman Church as the guardian of the Faith professed by the great majority of the citizens.”  Of course, even as Frs. Cahill and Fahey predicted, this seemingly secure position was in reality a slippery slope that would one day end where we are.  A good barometre of spiritual power in Ireland has historically been the Chapel Royal in Dublin Castle, one time seat of the British Viceroys in Ireland.  Built in 1814 as an Anglican edifice, in 1942 it was consecrated as the Catholic Church of the Holy Trinity.  Since 1983 it has been a “nonsectarian meditation space,” thus reflecting the religiosity – if we may call it that – of Ireland’s current ruling elites.

Ireland surely presents a desperate picture to-day, to be sure.  But much remains.  Speaking at the Roundtower Association Conference in Galway last month, commemorating the 100^th anniversary of Quas Primas, I was impressed by the people that turned up.  These were not merely nostalgics, pining for the days of The Quiet Man.  They were resolutely looking to Ireland’s future – a Catholic future.  Among the attendees was an Anglo-Irish – and Anglican – college student from Wexford, currently attending university in Dublin.  He is being drawn to the Faith, not least because he has a deep understanding of Irish history.(Read more.)

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Irish Jacobites in the 45

 From The Mad Monarchist:

One of those who helped Prince Charles actually get to Scotland was Lord Charles O’Brien, Viscount Clare. A Jacobite with a long record of service in the French army he would eventually attain the rank of Marshal of France and be made a knight of the Holy Spirit. It was Lord Clare who put Prince Charles in touch with the Irish shipping magnates who helped arranged the gathering of the men, material and funds the Prince would need to launch his expedition. At the time, Lord Clare was the commander of the Irish Brigade in the army of His Most Christian Majesty King Louis XV. This was a unit originally formed for French service in exchange for a larger contingent of French troops that were sent to Ireland to fight for King James II. When Prince Charles finally set out for Scotland he was accompanied by the “Seven Men of Moidart” of whom four were Irishmen; Sir Thomas Sheridan, Parson George Kelly, Sir John Macdonald and Sir John William O’Sullivan. Sheridan had been the tutor of Prince Charles and was over seventy when the expedition launched. His age would have made campaigning difficult and he was soon sent back to Rome to keep Prince James informed of the progress of the uprising. Parson George Kelly, likewise, did not remain too long in Scotland as he was sent back to France after the battle of Prestonpans to spread the word of the stunning Jacobite victory. (Read more.)

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Historical American Art

Frederic Edwin Church, The Icebergs (1861). Courtesy: Dallas Museum of Art

 

George Washington by Gilbert Stuart

From Artnet:

When New York art dealer Marianne Boesky makes her debut at the TEFAF Maastricht fair in the Netherlands next week, she will present an intriguing pairing of two artists born a century apart. One is Danielle Mckinney, an emerging artist whom Boesky represents and whose prices are rising rapidly. (A 2021 canvas fetched about $340,000 at Christie’s in London this week.) The other is the great American realist Edward Hopper (1882-1967), whose painting Chop Suey (1929) sold for $91.9 million at Christie’s in 2018, a record for a historical American painting. Hopper is a logical choice for a fair that focuses on centuries-old treasures. Mckinney, a 43-year-old rising star, is a bit more surprising. But TEFAF, which is often termed the “grande dame of art fairs,” leaned into contemporary art in recent years, as wet paint became all the rage for the rich. (Read more.)

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Curbing Judicial Obstruction with Impeachment

 From Amuse on X:

The judiciary’s independence is sacrosanct, but it was never meant to be an unchecked autocracy. While Article III grants lifetime tenure to federal judges contingent on “good Behaviour,” it does not render them immune to consequences when they systematically abuse their power. Today, the increasing use of nationwide injunctions by activist judges has become a favored weapon of the Left to obstruct President Trump’s duly enacted policies, often without a clear constitutional or statutory basis. If unchecked, this trend threatens the balance of power between the branches of government. The Founders provided a remedy for judicial misconduct: impeachment. While removal by the Senate may be politically impossible, the process itself—lengthy, costly, and reputationally damaging—can serve as an effective deterrent against overreach. Republicans must be willing to wield impeachment strategically, not necessarily to remove but to punish and deter judges who act as unelected policymakers.

Hamilton, in Federalist No. 81, made clear that impeachment was intended as a check on judges who engage in “a series of deliberate usurpations” of the authority of the other branches. Judges who repeatedly issue nationwide injunctions against the executive branch are precisely such usurpers. A nationwide injunction is, in effect, a judicial veto on the president’s agenda. It allows a single unelected judge—often forum-shopped by left-wing litigants—to impose their policy preferences over the entire nation, circumventing the democratic process. While the Supreme Court has signaled skepticism toward this practice, lower courts continue to wield it aggressively.

A strategy of impeachment, even if the Senate does not convict, can curb this judicial activism. The moment a judge is impeached by the House, their professional life is consumed by defending their record. They must lawyer up, face grueling hearings, and endure the stain of impeachment on their legacy. Historically, even the threat of impeachment has influenced judicial behavior. In 1996, federal judge Harold Baer Jr. reversed his own controversial decision after bipartisan calls for his impeachment gained traction. Impeachment, therefore, serves as a powerful mechanism of accountability even without removal. (Read more.)

 

Alert the media. From Tierney's Real News:

If President Trump was a racist, why did he pick:

Marco Rubio, who is Cuban

Scott Turner, who is black

Kash Patel, who is Indian

Tulsi Gabbard, who is Samoan

Lori Chavez-DeRemer, who is Mexican

If Trump was a misogynist, why did he choose:

Pam Bondi

Lori Chavez-DeRemer

Brooke Rollins

Linda McMahon

Kristi Noem

Tulsi Gabbard

Kelly Loeffler

Elise Stefanik

Susie Wiles

Karoline Leavitt

(Read more.)

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The Big "Travel" Lie

Foreign travel isn't for everyone. To appreciate foreign countries one has to have read something of them and be curious. Otherwise, Disney World will suffice. From Helen Roy:

The real problem isn’t that the quote is likely misattributed—it’s that the sentiment itself has been absorbed uncritically, as if travel was inherently a signal of personal enlightenment, rather than a lifestyle commodity, as it now is. The concept of travel has become a meme, similar to what I’ve written about regarding religion, tradition, and fertility. And like all such things, it relies on a convenient caricature of those who don’t participate in the ritual: the pitiable, provincial, unwashed, unsophisticated American, hopelessly trapped on a single, unread page.

Wrapped up in the meme of modern travel, it is given that:

• Travel makes you a good person, because by observing the “exotic” practices of “exotic” people, one is meant to loosen their grasp on their own petty, provincial notions of How Things Are Done. (Ironic, of course, that the Observer must regard his or her own local customs as fundamentally abandonable, never those of the Observed.)

• Travel makes you a smart person. This seems to be an elaboration on the belief that novelty equals profundity. I guess it’s true that a mind trained to absorb only the superficial can be deepened by a mere change of scenery.

• Travel makes you an interesting person. The absurdity of this one should be obvious to anyone who has ever met, say, a Frenchman, or a twenty-one year old political science major fresh off his semester abroad. He who harbors a sense of himself as “interesting” and “cultured” is usually betrayed by the incongruent inability to let another person get a word in edgewise.

Talking to a European (I am including many Australians here, who clearly share the one-sided beef) as an American abroad can feel like a 2003 time capsule, where the EU passport breaux pictures himself as Jon Stewart, clowning on the specter of the Toby Keith Republican, forever. They regard Americans as uncultured swine—neither good, smart, nor interesting— precisely because most have not “traveled” in the way that Europeans do. Our tube socks and lack of taste for shawarma betray us as evidence of the capital sin of provincialism!1 (Read more.)

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Boxty

As featured in my novel The Paradise Tree. From Irish Central:

It is thought that boxty dates back to the days or the Irish famine, presumably to make the potatoes stretch further. There are a couple of different recipes, but all contain finely grated, raw potatoes served fried.

There are some variations on the classic recipe, such as boiling the patty like a dumpling or baking it like a loaf. With the modern palette being more diverse, some people add spices or vegetables into the mix. However, the plain old griddled style is the original and traditional and wonderfully tasty.

Over the last couple of years, as the Irish became more interested in their own cuisine, the popularity of boxty has risen. It's now quite normal to see boxty on a menu in a restaurant in Ireland, whereas a decade ago it would have been considered a 'peasant dish.' However, boxty has always been popular as part of Irish home cooking. (Read more.)

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Trump's Triumphant Return to American Prosperity

 From Amuse on X:

Perhaps the most tangible relief arrived on the economic front. Americans weary of Biden-era inflationary pressures finally began experiencing genuine reprieve. Consumer inflation notably eased in February, with core inflation reaching its lowest ebb in nearly four years, thanks in large measure to declining airfare prices—a boon just in time for spring travel. Wholesale inflation followed suit, dropping well below expectations and demonstrating a firm market confidence rekindled under Trump's stewardship.

Mortgage rates, a persistent thorn under previous administrations, fell to their lowest since December, stimulating a renewed vigor in the housing market. This fresh vitality was underscored by home purchase applications surging to their highest since January. Even the everyday cost-of-living items such as eggs, emblematic of inflation's strain, saw a remarkable 36.6% price drop since Trump's inauguration. Gasoline, another bellwether of economic stress, dropped below $3 per gallon across thirty-one states for the third consecutive week, while oil prices themselves fell nearly 15% under Trump's calculated economic maneuvers.

Border security, one of President Trump's hallmark policies, also demonstrated astonishing progress. Illegal crossings plunged to historically low levels, underscoring the effectiveness of Secretary Kristi Noem's strategies at the Department of Homeland Security. In merely his first fifty days, Trump's ICE agents made 32,809 arrests, nearly matching the entirety of Biden's final year. Remarkably, only seventy-seven "gotaways" were recorded in recent weeks—a stark 95% reduction from Biden-era averages. Most symbolically, migration through the perilous Darien Gap plummeted 99%, as would-be border crossers abandoned their journey in the face of Trump's resolute immigration stance.

On trade, President Trump again displayed keen strategic foresight. The implementation of Section 232 tariffs on steel and aluminum reinvigorated domestic industries previously languishing under the weight of foreign dumping practices. The Steel Manufacturers Association heralded Trump's actions, proclaiming an end to America serving as a repository for subsidized, subpar foreign steel. This robust stance catalyzed manufacturing rejuvenation, exemplified vividly as Cra-Z-Art, GE Aerospace, Asahi Group Holdings, Angel Aligner, Pegatron Corp., Merck, Saica Group, Saint Gobain Ceramics, and LGM Pharma announced substantial investments and expansions across the United States, marking an emphatic shift from offshore dependence to domestic dynamism. (Read more.)

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Disco Hedonism

 From Tierney's Real News:

If you haven’t read Chapter 1 yet - Abort Abort - you can do that here. Here’s Chapter 2.

After my abortion, I started working harder at a new advertising agency - which was a much larger firm than my first job. I was hired by the Media Director because of my experience with the Telmar system - that I mentioned earlier.

At that time I was pretty much the only person in the Twin Cities who was trained on the Telmar system - so I had that going for me.

My boss was a male this time - a tiny Arabic man named Ahmed. He was recently hired by the agency owners (Larry & Leonard) from a large, famous New York advertising agency and was allegedly brought to Minneapolis to help make the Twin Cities more sophisticated and turn it into a hub for advertising agencies.

There were NO men in the media department except for Ahmed - the Director. There were 2 female supervisors (Becky & Bonnie) and I was just a research lackey.

Ahmed asked me to attend a Telmar conference in New York and I was thrilled. I had never been to New York and never even flown on a commercial plane. Ahmed told me that he planned to be in New York BEFORE the conference and AFTER the conference because he was meeting with people from his OLD firm in New York to seek their advice and counsel.

Ahmed also told me that he had booked me at the conference already - and had asked the HR department to take care of my air travel and hotel reservations, at the Waldorf Astoria, where he was staying and where the conference was being held. The head of HR, a female, said it was taken care of and gave me my plane tickets. Ahmed said I should take a cab from the airport to the hotel and he would help me get checked in. I was 22 years old and had been married a very short time. (Read more.)

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"Sensory and Visceral"

Brigit's Lorica

An eloquent and glowing review of The Paradise Tree from The Portland Book Review:

Elena Maria Vidal’s The Paradise Tree is the haunting saga of the O’Connor family. The reader follows the life of blacksmith Daniel O’Connor, an Irish catholic who migrates to Canada in pursuit of economic and religious freedom. O’Connor flees Ireland with a rosebush and the “Paradise Tree,” a wooden crucifix. He begins a new life in Ontario, where he cultivates his home and raises a family in a new world fraught with its own sets problems—some old, some new.

A sprawling historical novel, told from multiple perspectives, The Paradise Tree takes us into the lives of the O’Connor family in a voice that is thorough and rich. Vidal’s writing is sensory and visceral. The reader feels as if she is a member of the O’Connor family, slunk in the corner watching, rooting for the characters, feeling for the characters, and taking on their conflicts, joys, and burdens. We are told the harrowing tale of the O’Connor family in scenes that we feel we are a part of, and when necessary, a narrative voice that moves the story to it’s bittersweet conclusion as we leap along in time with the family.

Vidal’s meticulous research brings the O’Connor’s’ world to life. Lush provocative details enrich the novel instead of distracting from it: “Time for the ceilidh!”…Patrick brought out his bodhran, a wide drum…The general idea of the ceilidh was that each member of the company would contribute to the entertainment of the others with a song, story, a dance, or recitation.” Vidal’s novel is rich with history. She manages to enlighten the reader of the customs, traditions, and folklore of the O’Connor family through factual anecdotes and observations, as well as poetry and song, while moving the story forward instead of bogging us down in showy, didactic details. Whether we are discovering the “shillelagh” wielding “Orangemen,” or sitting down to a goose roasted over a spit and smelling the simmering parsnips on Christmas Eve, we are given a thorough history lesson without the lectures, the notes, and—thank goodness—the exams.

The Paradise Tree does what good novels should. It tells us a story, it shows us what it means to be human—replete with the triumphs, sadness, and conflicts entailed in being human—while whisking us away to another world that is not our own. For 232 pages we are extracted from our lives and into the lives of the O’Connor family. We root for them. We feel their hardships. We feel their connection and disconnection as a family while we are shown a distant time and place, filled with potentially unfamiliar folkways. In the end we are pleasantly reminded that the O’Connors’ story is just as much ours as we traverse the familiar territory of faith, family, and love, and how we still find ourselves dancing in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds.
(Read more.)

Purchase HERE.
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The Differences Between Civil Rights Laws and DEI Policies

 From The Easton Gazette:

The Civil Rights Acts are federal laws prohibiting discrimination. Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 is a federal law in the United States that prohibits discrimination based on race, color, or national origin in programs or activities that receive federal financial assistance. It’s a key piece of legislation aimed at ensuring equal access and treatment in areas like education, healthcare, transportation, and other federally funded services.

Title VI states that "No person in the United States shall, on the ground of race, color, or national origin, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance." (42 U.S.C. § 2000d). This applies to entities like schools, universities, hospitals, and state or local government agencies that take federal money.

Enforcement typically falls to federal agencies that provide the funding—like the Department of Education or Health and Human Services. They can investigate complaints, set regulations, and, if necessary, cut off funding to non-compliant programs. Individuals can also file lawsuits if they’ve been discriminated against, though proving intent isn’t always required; showing a discriminatory effect can sometimes suffice. (Read more.)

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Education and the Moral Life

 From Mater et Magistra:

Practical Steps for Forming a Sound Conscience

1. Seek Wisdom, Not Just Knowledge – The study of theology, philosophy, and the lives of the saints provides a framework for understanding moral truth. Reading Scripture and the Catechism with a heart open to God’s love helps ground our moral reasoning in faith, not fear.

2. Cultivate a Relationship with God – Moral decisions should flow from love, not dread. Regular prayer, particularly the Rosary and mental prayer, fosters a deeper trust in God's mercy and guidance.

3. Practice the Virtue of Prudence – Not every decision is a moral crisis. Learning to distinguish between mortal and venial sin, and recognizing when a choice is simply a matter of prudential judgment, brings clarity and peace.

4. Confess Regularly, But Not Excessively – Frequent Confession is a gift, but for those struggling with scrupulosity, it can become a source of unnecessary distress. A regular confessor who understands this struggle can provide reassurance and help in forming a balanced conscience.

5. Trust in Divine Mercy – St. Thérèse of Lisieux reminds us that God’s mercy is greater than our weaknesses. Trusting in His love frees us from the crippling burden of perfectionism and allows us to live joyfully in His grace.

6. Avoid Unnecessary Doubt – If a person has made an honest effort to discern a moral decision and still experiences doubt, they should trust that God does not demand absolute certainty but a sincere heart. Seeking spiritual direction can also provide clarity.

7. Remember: God Calls Us to Peace – Christ repeatedly tells us, “Be not afraid.” A moral life lived in love brings peace, not endless anxiety. The more we grow in virtue, the more we can rest in the knowledge that God is guiding us.

(Read more.)

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Holy Wells of Ireland

St. Brigid's Holy Well in Kildare

My sister, my spouse, is a garden enclosed, a garden enclosed, a fountain sealed up...The fountain of gardens: the well of living waters, which run with a strong stream from Libanus. ~Canticle of Canticles 4:12, 15

The Irish have spread their holy well devotion throughout the world. We have a "holy well" in Frederick County, Maryland, dedicated to Our Lady of Lourdes. And miracles occur there. From Irish Central:

It will all be worth the trouble, however (call it penance!), as nearly all these wells are in stunning locations high up in the mountains, isolated on islands, or in wild and remote places, such as the Burren in Co. Clare, which has an amazing forty holy wells. The Celts, monks and saints certainly knew how to pick the best sites for peaceful prayer or contemplation. Many Irish holy wells are named after St Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland; St Brigid, patron saint of Co. Kildare who founded a convent in the county; or a local saint, such as St Colman in Co. Clare.

Holy wells in Ireland are often credited with a cure and, traveling around the country, you will find the cure to most ailments hidden away in a local well. Popular cures involve using the water to sort out you teeth or eyes. Whether that was because of the lack of dentists or the expense of spectacles at the time, who knows, but these places are still being visited today. Even if nothing too serious ails you, world-weary travelers can seek solace in nature in any of the country's holy wells. Sit beside a well where the water gushes forth from the earth, a symbol of new life in many cultures, and reflect. (Read more.)

 

More about Holy Wells, HERE. 

My Irish novel, HERE.

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Johns Hopkins Slashing 2K Jobs After Losing USAID Funds

 From Newsmax:

Johns Hopkins University is feeling the brunt of the Trump administration's efforts to streamline the federal government, announcing Thursday it will slash more than 2,000 jobs in the U.S. and abroad.

The private university in Baltimore said it will cut 1,975 positions in 44 countries and 247 in the U.S. from its global public health nonprofit Jhpiego, its Bloomberg School of Public Health's Center for Communication Programs, and its medical school, The Wall Street Journal reported.

U.S.-based workers have at least 60 days before the job changes take effect, the Washington Post reported, adding the university said it also furloughed roughly 100 more workers. (Read more.)

 One of the programs being slashed is Jhpiego, a beneficiary of the Gates Foundation, which deals with "women's health" in developing countries.We know that depopulation is one of the main agendas of Gates, so no doubt "women's health" involves abortion and "family planning."

From The Jerusalem Post:

 In addition to attacks on the US foreign aid agency, the Trump administration is also probing 60 American universities, including Hopkins, over pro-Palestinian protests on campuses.  The Trump administration alleges protesters are antisemitic. Demonstrators deny the allegations and say the US government is conflating their criticism of US ally Israel's military assault on Gaza with antisemitism. Last week, the US canceled $400 million in grants and contracts to New York's Columbia University. (Read more.)

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U.K. Schools Are Becoming Luxury Products for Foreign Elites

 From First Things:

 The U.K. is facing a serious education crisis. In February, the Labour government scrapped the Latin Excellence Programme, a scheme that funded Latin education in state schools, leaving some students without a teacher just months before their GCSEs (the exams all U.K. students take at age sixteen). There was outcry on both sides of the political aisle. Apart from the practical advantages of Latin (it is an excellent basis for learning other European languages and is useful for anyone in medical or scientific fields), it was the common European language of scholarship and learning for centuries. Labour have sent a loud and clear message to those children in the state education system: This linguistic and cultural heritage is not for you. It is only for those who have the means to pay. 

Other Labour policies are ensuring that fewer and fewer middle-class families have the means to choose a better education for their children, regardless of their willingness to make financial sacrifices. Certain British schools (Eton, Harrow, Winchester, and the like) are globally recognized and have long been eye-wateringly expensive, derided by many on the left as bastions of privilege. But the reality is that most privately educated students in the U.K. attend solid mid-tier schools, which offer a structured, well-rounded education rooted in intellectual inquiry, discipline, and their cultural heritage. Sending children to these institutions is an expense that many socially mobile and aspiring parents, with careful planning and some financial sacrifices, have been able to manage. But as the Labour party promised in its campaign, 20 percent VAT was added to the education and boarding fees charged by private schools from January onward. Additionally, starting in April, all private schools will lose their charitable status, which previously provided substantial tax breaks. This move effectively prices out many of the middle-class British families that these institutions once served, meaning that schools must seek out wealthy international students who can afford full board and tuition. 

The result: The British middle-class is being pushed out of its own institutions, and private schools are morphing into luxury services for foreign elites. Many of the bigger-name schools have successfully expanded abroad. Dulwich, Harrow, and others have satellite campuses in China, the Middle East, and beyond. The demand from international clients is so high that consultants in Russia and China charge exorbitant fees to match children with the right U.K. schools and prepare them for admissions tests. But it now looks like these international elites will become the core beneficiaries of English schooling. This undermines both social mobility and the country’s own stake in its education system. 

I recently spent some time as a teacher at an independent school in England and observed first-hand the impact of this (then still forthcoming) VAT policy. Many of my best students were local, the children of doctors, dentists, and small business owners, whose families made various financial sacrifices, or pooled together with grandparents, to send two or three of their children to the school. With the news of the VAT increase, many of these families were reconsidering, calculating whether they could take on the rising fees or whether they should switch to state schools. (Read more.)

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Tuatha Dé Dannan

Oisín and Niamh travelling to Tír na nÓg

 From Ancient Origins:

According to legend, there were six waves of ‘masters of Ireland’ and each has some connection to the Biblical story of Noah and the Flood (today, it is unclear how much of this is fact and how much fabricated by Medieval Irish monks in order to make the Irish history equally as important as Israel’s). In each of the waves, women play a prominent role, reflecting the unique equality present on the island before its incorporation with the rest of Europe.

Scholars today know the most about the final wave of conquerors, the Milesians (sons of Mil, a descendant of Noah), who reached Ireland from Spain in the 4th century BC. These were the Celts. They displaced inhabitants known as the Tuatha Dé Dannan, the progenitors of the Irish fairies.

Originally, the fifth wave of conquerors were known simply as Tuatha Dé (‘People of God’) but this posed a problem for the Irish monks recounting their history because the Israelites were the People of God. So, the early inhabitants of Ireland became the Tuatha Dé Dannan (‘People of the goddess Danu’) after their primary deity.

Another group of settlers was the Fomorians , who will feature in the legends of the Tuatha Dé Dannan and in Celtic myths as giants and sea raiders. Some believe that they were the remnants of a forgotten trading outpost of the African empire of Carthage. The survivors of each successive wave of settlers were enslaved by the Fomorians.

This solidified the characterization that the Fomorians were representatives of all that is evil in the world – the bad elves. In recounting the struggles between the Tuatha Dé Dannan (thus, the good elves) and the Fomorians, the former takes on an aspect of semi-divine and the latter an aspect of semi-demonic.

[...]

It’s said that the Tuatha Dé Dannan descended from a group of people who previously lived in Ireland but had to leave. They were called the Nemedians and a faction of these people settled in northern Europe after their population was decimated following a battle against the Fomorians. (Read more.)

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Making America a Factory Giant Again

 From Amuse on X:

Within weeks of returning to office, Trump has set the stage for a manufacturing renaissance of unparalleled scale. Decades of economic erosion, facilitated by bad trade deals, regulatory strangulation, and corporate outsourcing, are being reversed through a combination of strategic deregulation, trade renegotiation, and a relentless push to attract domestic and foreign investment back onto American soil. The results speak for themselves: billions in new investments, thousands of jobs on the horizon, and the unmistakable return of optimism to America’s industrial heartland.

The philosophy is simple: reward those who invest in America and penalize those who seek to profit while producing elsewhere. Trump’s policy arsenal includes tariffs that neutralize foreign competition, tax incentives that make domestic production more attractive, and targeted infrastructure investments that create an ecosystem conducive to industrial expansion. The carrot-and-stick approach has already yielded unprecedented results. Apple, a company that once epitomized the offshoring model, has announced a historic $500 billion investment in U.S.-based production, creating 20,000 new jobs. Meanwhile, global semiconductor leader TSMC has committed to a $100 billion investment in chip manufacturing in America, ensuring that the future of high-tech industry is built on U.S. soil, not in Beijing’s shadow.

Moreover, companies once reliant on foreign supply chains are rapidly reshoring their operations to avoid Trump’s aggressive tariff policies. Electronics giants Samsung and LG are considering moving their plants from Mexico to the U.S., while automotive manufacturers like Hyundai and Nissan are weighing similar moves. The message is clear: America is once again the best place to make things, and those who fail to adapt will find themselves economically sidelined. (Read more.)

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Peter Ackroyd on "The English Soul"

 From Supremacy and Survival:

Catching up on my reading of periodicals, I looked at the book reviews in the December 2024 issue of First Things and saw a review of a new book by Peter Ackroyd written by Richard Rex, professor of Reformation history at the University of Cambridge. The book is titled The English Soul: Faith of a Nation and is published here in the USA by the University of Chicago Press with a paperback available in September this year (in the UK it's available now from Reaktion Books). The publisher's blurb:

This book portrays the spirit and nature of English Christianity, as it has developed over the last fourteen hundred years. During this time, Christianity has been the predominant faith of the people and the reflection of the English soul. This fascinating new history is an account of the Christian English soul, which recognizes the fact that Christianity has been the anchoring and defining doctrine of England while accepting respectfully that other powerful and significant faiths have influenced the religious sensibility of this nation. Peter Ackroyd surveys the lives and faith of the most important figures of English Christianity from the Venerable Bede to C. S. Lewis, exploring the mysticism of Julian of Norwich and William Blake; the tumultuous years of the Reformation; the emergence of the English bible; the evangelical tradition, including John Wesley; and the contemporary contest between tradition, revival, and atheism. This is an essential, comprehensive, and accessible survey of English Christianity.

[...]

Lucy Beckett brings up some of the same issues with this trenchant comment, "Ackroyd writes as if Eamon Duffy had never bothered to revive respect for the warmth and depth of medieval English Christianity, and treats Catholic piety only with the contempt of a scornful Protestant."

Speaking of Eamon Duffy, here's his view of Ackroyd's success or failure. He concludes: "Ackroyd is an accomplished writer who has often written compellingly about the English past. But he is not at his best in this book, a sometimes dutiful catalog of major and some very minor religious figures, lacking a convincing unifying theme. Anyone looking for a key to the English soul must look elsewhere."

I think I'll wait for the paperback . . . or to see it on the shelf at a bookstore and scan the chapter on Newman. (Read more.)

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Ireland’s Abolitionist Titan

 In Ireland we stayed at the hotel in Cork where Frederick Douglass and Daniel O'Connell lectured. From First Things:

The whole saga drew considerable attention. Trinity College is one of Dublin’s grandest institutions and Ireland’s premier university. Its centuries-old campus sits in the very heart of the capital city. Trinity can doubtless congratulate itself on a difficult issue, sensitively and successfully handled. Yet this was also an opportunity scorned. Ireland has its own “anti-Berkeley,” a towering figure in the cause of abolition, and simply one of the four or five most important figures in modern Irish history: Daniel O’Connell.

O’Connell came from an old Irish family on a wild, far-flung peninsula of the Atlantic coastline, though he received some of his education in the eminent Catholic colleges of northern Europe. His place in history rests largely on successfully leading the campaign for Catholic emancipation in the early nineteenth century, earning him the sobriquet “The Liberator.” 

But his actions as an abolitionist were also remarkable. Slavery, he wrote, was “a crime of enormous magnitude to be at once, unconditionally, and for ever abolished.” He foretold that slavery would never disappear from America until “some horrible calamity befalls the country.” Of Irishmen in the United States who supported slavery, he said: “They are not Irishmen! They are bastard Irishmen!”

O’Connell gave moving and fiery speeches against slavery in Cork and Dublin, London and Glasgow. He shared platforms with Frederick Douglass and Charles Lenox Remond. Douglass later called O’Connell’s death a great blow to the cause of the American slave. Remond said that it was only on hearing O’Connell speak that he realized what being an abolitionist really meant.  

O’Connell refused all money and favors from supporters of slavery, often at great risk to the causes he pursued for the sake of the Irish. His outspokenness took him to the brink of a duel with Andrew Stevenson, former speaker of the House of Representatives and ambassador to the Court of St. James. John Quincy Adams spoke out in O’Connell’s defense.  

All of this is the subject of a full chapter in a biography by Patrick Geoghegan, who happens to be a professor of history at Trinity. Why, then, did the university forego the chance to rename their library after Ireland’s abolitionist titan? What better and more apt way could there have been to move on from Berkeley’s tainted legacy?  (Read more.)

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Why Trump Can—and Should—Deport Mahmoud Khalil

 From Amuse on X:

The detention and pending deportation of Mahmoud Khalil, a Palestinian graduate student at Columbia University, has ignited a firestorm of controversy. His arrest by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on March 9, 2025, stems from allegations that he engaged in activities aligning with Hamas, a designated foreign terrorist organization. As the Trump administration enforces its promise to crack down on those who support terrorist-affiliated movements, legal commentators, activists, and political figures have debated whether such action is constitutionally and legally permissible. The answer, upon thorough legal examination, is unequivocally yes. The Trump administration not only has the authority to revoke Khalil’s green card and remove him from the United States, but such action is firmly grounded in existing immigration law, Supreme Court precedent, and compelling national security interests.

Under the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), codified at 8 U.S.C. 1227, lawful permanent residents are removable if they fall under specific categories of inadmissibility. Most relevant here is 8 U.S.C. 1182(a)(3)(B), which deems deportable any alien who has engaged in terrorist activities, represented or supported a terrorist organization, or received training from such an entity. Section 1182(a)(3)(F) further establishes that an alien whose presence the Secretary of State believes to have serious adverse foreign policy consequences may also be removed. Given Khalil leadership of activities aligned with Hamas—he fits within these statutory provisions, making his green card revocation and removal well within the executive branch’s legal authority.

Some have argued that Khalil’s deportation violates his First Amendment rights, particularly given his status as an outspoken leader of pro-Palestinian protests at Columbia University. While it is true that legal permanent residents enjoy certain constitutional protections, their rights are neither absolute nor coextensive with those of U.S. citizens, particularly in the realm of immigration and national security. Precedents such as Turner v. Williams (1904) underscore Congress’s broad authority to exclude or remove aliens based on ideological grounds, affirming that non-citizens can be expelled for advocating beliefs deemed inimical to national security. Similarly, Holder v. Humanitarian Law Project (2010) upheld prohibitions on material support to terrorist organizations, even when such support took the form of speech. Khalil’s actions undoubtably provided material support for Hamas, through financial contributions, logistical aid, and explicit endorsement, as a result his activities are not protected speech under the First Amendment. (Read more.)

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The Fiat of the Prince

 From The New Digest:

Let me begin with that rather large question: What is the foundation of the rule of law? The modern answers are familiar. Among them are equal justice, treating like cases alike; the prevention of arbitrary exercise of power; the protection of human dignity; and legal certainty and predictability. These are right as far as they go, or at least not exactly wrong, but I will explore an older answer, given by (or at least in the name of) the English civilian jurist Bracton — an answer that I think places the rule of law in a wider and deeper perspective. On the view I will explore, the foundation of the rule of law is Marian political theology, specifically a Marian interpretation of the Digna Vox, a famous text of the Roman civil law.

“Bracton,” or more precisely the text conventionally attributed to Henry of Bracton (1210-68), is probably a collective work of the mid-13th century, on the laws and customs of England. The Bracton text brought a distinctively Romanizing influence to English law, with the extent and duration of that influence being a much-debated topic. Bracton writes: “The king has no equal within his realm. Subjects cannot be the equals of the ruler, because he would thereby lose his rule, since equal can have no authority over equal, nor a fortiori a superior, because he would then be subject to those subjected to him. The king must not be under man but under God and under the law, because law makes the king…. Jesus Christ willed himself to be under the law that he might redeem those who live under it. For He did not wish to use force but judgment. And in that same way the Blessed Mother of God, the Virgin Mary, Mother of our Lord, who by an extraordinary privilege was above law, nevertheless, in order to show an example of humility, did not refuse to be subjected to established laws. Let the king, therefore, do the same, lest his power remain unbridled” (emphasis added).

I want to bring this passage into association with the Digna Vox, which Bracton’s text unmistakably echoes. The latter is a fundamental constitution or imperial edict of the Codex Theodosianus (later embodied in the Codex Justinianus), and was issued jointly at Ravenna in 429 by the Christian co-emperors Theodosius II in the west and his son-in-law Valentinian III in the east. It is a principal, founding text of the rule of law in the Western legal tradition — and, I note tendentiously against more recent legal theorists, long predates any talk of subjective rights in the modern sense, or the separation of powers, or judicial review, or any of a number of other legal mechanisms that are now sometimes said to be essential to the rule of law. I suppose the Digna Vox is quite familiar to civil lawyers and probably to a number of non-lawyers too, but I take the liberty of quoting it just because of the majesty of the proclamation, which itself explains in what consists the majesty and authority of the prince. (Read more.)

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Empress Maria Feodorovna

From Historic Women Daily:

Maria Feodorovna (née Duchess Sophie Dorothea of Württemberg) (25 October 1759 – 5 November 1828) was Empress consort of Russia as wife of Emperor Paul I (son of Empress Catherine the Great). Maria Feodorovna and her husband Paul had 10 children together, including: Alexander I (Emperor of Russia), Nicholas I (Emperor of Russia), Anna Pavlovna (Queen of the Netherlands), Alexandra Pavlovna (Archduchess of Austria), Catherine Pavlovna (Queen of Württemberg), Maria Pavlovna (Grand Duchess of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach). She had 4 sons and 6 daughters. She was a good and loving mother, and despite the fact that Catherine the Great took over her two eldest children in their early years, Maria Feodorovna managed to maintain close relationships with them, as with all her children. They remained genuinely attached to her.

During reign of Paul I Maria Feodorovna had a great and beneficial influence over her husband. She was clever, talented, purposeful and energetic, and was a nearly perfect Imperial consort. Maria Feodorovna loved all the arts and supported them generously, she also devoted energies to the great charities and educational institutions. After her death in 1828, Maria Feodorovna’s memory was revered by her children and grandchildren and her successors as Empress consorts looked up to her and used her as a role model. (Read more.)

There is a section about Maria Feodorovna in my book, Marie-Antoinette, Daughter of the Caesars.

The Empress and her daughters

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Epstein Files: White House Implies Progress, Some Agents See Stalemate

 From Sharyl Attkisson:

Public news has been scant in recent days about the Jeffrey Epstein files, documents tied to the financier’s and sex trafficker’s criminal past. Those documents could reveal details about his network and any high profile figures who patronized his entourage of minors.

Epstein was arrested in July 2019 for sex trafficking minors. He died in his prison cell a month later, officially a suicide, though speculation persists.

The files—court records, witness statements, and possibly videos from his private island—have been the subject of speculation for years, with many wondering why there have been no publicly announced revelations or prosecutions tied to them.

The Department of Justice initially released 200 pages of documents two weeks ago, mostly flight logs, distributing them to Internet influencers—a move some viewed as an “embarrassing misstep” due to the lack of significant content. That was followed by a public standoff between the FBI in Washington DC and the FBI field office in New York, when it was revealed that agents there had failed to turn over all of the documents they had been holding. Attorney General Pam Bondi accused the FBI New York office of non-cooperation and set a February 28 deadline for the documents to be handed over.

In one of the few statements on the results, Bondi told Fox News’ Sean Hannity on March 4 that the FBI New York office had produced a “truckload” of documents—thousands of pages.

“We did get a ton of documents,” she stated, noting they are “under review.”

More recently, White House Senior Advisor Alina Habba appeared on a podcast and answered lingering questions about the radio silence on the documents. She asked for “patience,” suggesting the FBI might be “saving the integrity” of potential prosecutions by staying quiet while the documents are scoured for information. (Read more.)

 

From Right Flank:

In an ideal world, the public might have access to the bank records of all politicians. As Elon Musk has noted, judges should be impeachable similar to politicians. If justice were served, we’d also have full transparency when it comes to judges’ bank accounts. Such proposed financial transparency could be circumvented through backdoor bribes in the form of bags of cash dropped off at judges and politicians’ homes. However, doing so would be risky. The depositing of those cash bribes in bank accounts would eventually be flagged unless bankers were also bribed to remain quiet.

At this point, we’re all wondering, how far does the rabbit hole go? (Read more.)

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JFK & the CIA-USAID

 From Tierney's Real News:

As I reported a few weeks ago USAID is a money laundering front for the CIA and it's run through the State Department. They use it to launder BILLIONS of our tax dollars for coups, false flags, election rigging, lawfare, fake prosecutions, whatever, under the guise of AID for starving children. This has been going on for decades. They have STOLEN trillions from the American people.

Marco Rubio is Trump's new Secretary of State. Former Secretary of States that knew about this fraud and did nothing are:

Colin Powell

Condoleezza Rice

Hillary Clinton

John Kerry

Victoria Nuland (Undersecretary)

Rex Tillerson

Mike Pompeo

Tony Blinken

John Dulles was Secretary of State under Eisenhower in 1953 and likely helped his brother, Allen Dulles, set this up. John Foster Dulles's brother was Allen Welsh Dulles, who served as the first civilian director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) in 1952. Connect the dots. (Read more.)

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Hermitess and Green Man

 

From The Abbey of Misrule:

Iffley has been described as ‘one of the most spectacular Romanesque parish churches in England’. For those of you who don’t know what ‘Romanesque’ means, it’s a style of architecture associated in England with the dastardly Normans, but which was common right across Europe from the 9th to the 12th centuries. You can always spot it by the shape of the windows: those semicircular arches are the giveaway. Romanesque buildings have small, arched windows, thick walls and big supporting pillars. Compared to the later Gothic style, the architecture is solid and straightforward.

Less straightforward though, very often, is some of the decoration, and in this, Iffley excels. You can see from the photo above how the architects of this church went to town on the stone carving. Iffley church was built in the 1160s, when Romanesque stone carving was at its peak, and Iffley’s west doorway, which you can see on the two photos above, is a riot of stone art. (Read more.)

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