Michael S. Rose’s The Subversive Art of a Classical Education: Reclaiming the Mind in an Age of Speed, Screens, and Skill-Drills is the latest addition to the growing genre of books about classical education. Continue Reading...

from InfoWars: The New World Order didn’t just appear overnight, it’s been a slow burn century long metamorphosis, a creeping infrastructure of control disguised as progress, “global cooperation,” and “sustainable development.” TRUTH LIVES on at https://sgtreport.tv/ Read More @ InfoWars.com

from The Asian Guy: TRUTH LIVES on at https://sgtreport.tv/

  During the 16th century, the Mediterranean Sea witnessed a prolonged struggle for supremacy between Christian and Muslim powers. The primary players were the Ottoman Empire and Habsburg Spain but France, the Barbary Corsairs, Venice, and the Knights Hospitaller all clashed. It was the latter who inflicted the most stinging defeat on Suleiman the Magnificent, the most celebrated Ottoman ruler.   A Strategic Island Portrait of Suleiman the Magnificent, by Titian, 16th century. Source: Wikimedia Commons   For some the conflict had been going on since the Crusades. The Hospitallers, also known as the Knights of St. John, had been driven from the Holy Land in the 14th century and took refuge on the Greek island of Rhodes. There they withstood Ottoman sieges until their final defeat in 1522 when they were driven from the island and forced westward to Malta. The knights reorganized themselves as an order of pirates, prosecuting a constant war against all Muslim shipping. The island’s strategic location made it ideal as a base for naval warfare.   The long retreat westward was part of a constant expansion by the Ottomans. In 1453 they took Constantinople and began to conquer much of the Balkans, taking Belgrade in 1521 and conquering Hungary in 1526 after the Battle of Mohács. They were only checked at Vienna in 1529 when a hastily organised defense of the city turned them back. But at sea the Ottoman advance was relentless. The Battle of Djerba off the Tunisian coast in 1560 solidified Ottoman naval control and it was obvious that Malta was their next target.   Malta was a stepping stone, a base that could be used to conquer Sicily and then push the war onto mainland Italy. Suleiman also had unfinished business with the Hospitallers from 1522. They remained a constant thorn in his side and in 1564 a Hospitaller captain captured an Ottoman convoy containing the governors of Alexandria and Cairo and the former nurse of Suleiman’s daughter. This insult was the final straw and gave Suleiman his casus belli.   Preparations and Planning The Great Siege of Malta by Mattia Perez d’Aleccio. Source: Art UK   Suleiman’s rival was the Grand Master of the Order, Jean de Valette, a French knight who even at 70 was a tall and strongly built man. He was fluent in Italian, Spanish, Greek, Latin, Arabic, and Turkish and had served time as a galley slave. Undeterred by the Ottoman threat, he continued to muster his strength. Since 1560 all knights of the Order had been issued instructions to return to Malta should war break out. Forts on the island were strengthened and mercenaries hired to augment the defenders.   Nearly 600 of the Order’s 700 knights made it to the island in time. A mix of some 2,000 mercenaries and professional soldiers joined them along with over 3,000 Maltese soldiers. These 6,000 defenders would fight against an invading force estimated to be between 30,000 to 40,000 strong. The Ottoman army consisted of elite Jannissaries (slave soldiers recruited from Christian communities) and Sipahis (elite cavalry) as well as thousands of volunteers, adventurers, corsairs, and auxiliaries. The Ottomans also brought many skilled siege engineers with them.   The Maltese defensive system was centred around three critical forts; Fort Saint Angelo, Fort Saint Michael, and Fort Saint Elmo. All were around the Grand Harbor and had been substantially upgraded in the preceding decade. Valette also ordered the harvesting of all crops to deny any food to the invaders. Additionally, all wells were poisoned with bitter herbs or dead animals.   The Fight for Saint Elmo Bombardment of Saint Elmo by Matteo Perez d’Aleccio. Source: Art UK   The Ottoman fleet arrived on May 18, 1565. Their main effort was directed against Fort Saint Elmo, the fortification that dominated the Grand Harbor. While the Turks estimated it would take a few days, the battle actually went on for over a month. Turkish bombardment reduced the walls to rubble but Valette evacuated the wounded every night and sent reinforcements.   Fighting was fierce with even the galley slaves inside the fort fighting as hard as the Knights and the Maltese auxiliaries. The defenders used early incendiary weapons that were lethal against the robed Turks. Hoops were wooden rings soaked repeatedly in inflammables before being ignited and flung over the walls with tongs. Trumps were metal tubes packed with inflammables that were used to defend breaches.   The Turkish command was split between general Mustafa Pasha and admiral Piyale Pasha, who disagreed on everything from where to anchor the fleet to where to attack. Complicating matters was the arrival of Dragut, a famous corsair who alone realized they needed to cut off the reinforcements arriving into St. Elmo.   St Elmo fell on June 23 with all the garrison perishing except a few Maltese who managed to swim the harbor. The battle had claimed the lives of 1,500 defenders and 6,000 attackers. Mustafa ordered the Knights beheaded and their corpses floated across the bay on crucifixes. Valette responded by decapitating all of his Turkish prisoners and firing their heads by cannon into the Turkish camp. There would be no quarter.   Stalemate and Counterattack Bombardment of Saint Michael by Matteo Perez d’Aleccio. Source: Art UK   Now that St. Elmo had fallen, the main focus of the attack could switch to Birgu and Senglea, the two peninsulas jutting into the Grand Harbor. The Ottomans established heavy gun batteries to launch a constant bombardment against the Knights. One spectacular seaborne attack failed when a sea battery sank nearly all the Ottoman boats, drowning nearly 800 Janissaries and sailors in the Grand Harbor.   Luck seemed to be on the Knights’ side as defectors warned them of oncoming attacks. The Turks breached the walls in Birgu on August 7 only to turn back in a panic, thinking that a Spanish relief force had arrived. In fact it was only a small body of horsemen led by the knight Anastagi from the Mdina garrison. They used the distraction of the assault to sortie into the Turkish rear and slaughter many of their wounded in the field hospital.   Both sides showed desperate creativity. The Ottomans built a siege tower to storm St. Michael. It was destroyed by Maltese engineers tunneling out and firing at it point blank with chain shot. When Turkish swimmers threatened to destroy the palisades on the Senglea peninsula, Valette sent in his Maltese swimmers to fight them knife to knife. Anastagi bluffed with his meagre garrison in Mdina and continued daily cavalry raids throughout the siege, hunting Turkish stragglers and foragers. A mini relief force of several hundred Spanish and Italian soldiers even succeeded in landing on the island and crossing the siege lines at night.   Turning Point and Collapse Attack on the Post of the Castilian Knights by Matteo Perez d’Aleccio. Source: Art UK   By September the Turkish army was in disarray. Disease was rampant and the constant fighting had sapped the morale of even the elite troops. The assaults on the walls had turned into a meatgrinder and daily cavalry raids from Mdina continued to wear them down. An estimated third of the invaders had died due to the fighting or disease. Worse still, a relief force of several thousand infantrymen had landed on the north side of the island under the command of the Viceroy of Sicily on September 7. The heat of the summer and lack of supplies had only made things worse. The decision was made to halt the siege.   By September 8 most of the Ottoman artillery had been embarked. The arrival of the relief force spread panic as they did not realise they still outnumbered the Spanish and Italian troops. Contradictory orders were given to embark and disembark by Mustafa. The veteran allied infantry routed anything that opposed them. An air of recklessness spread through the force which resulted in an all out charge on the retreating Ottomans.   The slaughter on September 13 was the final bout of fighting on the island. The surviving Ottomans set sail, abandoning the siege. Against all the odds, an anachronistic Order of crusading knights had defeated an invading army and turned the tide of Ottoman conquests.   Legacy of the Siege Lifting of the Siege of Malta by Charles-Philippe Lariviere, c. 1843. Source: Palace of Versailles   Between 25,000 and 35,000 of the attackers are believed to have died in the siege, while a third of the population of Malta lost their lives. The three peninsulas where the fighting had been concentrated were mostly piles of rubble. But a small mixed garrison of 6,000 defenders had withstood a siege for over four months during the heat of a Mediterranean summer. The defense seemed incredible to the wider European population as prior to this the Ottoman advance had seemed unstoppable.   Valette was the hero of the hour, the man whose leadership had been central to keeping the morale of the defenders up. Donations came from across Europe to aid rebuilding and atop the ruins of St. Elmo rose a new city, Valletta, named for the Grand Master. Today it is the capital city of the small island nation.   It was not the end of the Knights nor of the Ottoman Empire. A single battle rarely determined the outcome of a war. Malta was a setback for the Ottomans but only a temporary one and they soon resumed the offensive on other fronts. The successful defense of Malta did serve as a rallying point for the Christian powers and inspired the formation of a Holy League. Six years later, Venice, Spain, and the Knights would inflict another defeat on the Ottomans in the Battle of Lepanto.

If you think Kim Clement’s prophecies about President Trump from 2017 are wild (and they are), you won’t believe what I’m about to show you. An American who fled to Italy to live as a hermit outside the home believed to be the home of Mary, the Mother of Jesus, wrote a prophecy about Donald Trump in 1983 saying he would one day be used by God to bring America back to God. Crazy, right? It’s called the Hermit of Loreto Prophecy and it’s WILD stuff! TOM ZIMMER – "THE HERMIT OF LORETO" PROPHECY IN 1983!!! DONALD TRUMP WILL BRING AMERICA BACK TO GOD!!! pic.twitter.com/DRbMNVItEh — Denn Dunham (@DennD68) August 3, 2023 Here’s a quick summary: Tom Zimmer, known as the “Hermit of Loreto,” was an American who left behind a secular life in the U.S. and moved to Italy, where he lived a humble, prayer-focused existence in Loreto. Loreto is home to the Basilica della Santa Casa, believed by many Catholics to be the house where Mary lived, and Tom Zimmer felt a calling to spend his days there in prayer and reflection. Zimmer’s story became particularly intriguing due to a prophecy he shared in 1983. He reportedly told friends that God had revealed to him that Donald Trump would one day lead America back to faith. This statement seemed unusual at the time, as Trump was known then for his business endeavors and flamboyant lifestyle, with little indication of a path toward religious or political leadership. As the years passed, Zimmer’s prophecy gained more attention, especially after Trump was elected President of the United States in 2016. Many people who had heard Zimmer’s story saw Trump’s political rise as the fulfillment of this prophecy, interpreting it as a call for America to return to Christian values. Zimmer’s prediction and his life of devotion have continued to inspire those who see him as a unique figure with a message about faith and redemption for modern times. Tom Zimmer passed away in 2009, leaving behind his spiritual legacy and the remarkable story of his prophecy, which remains a point of fascination and contemplation among those who knew him and those who have since heard of his life and vision. This story gained renewed attention following Trump’s second election victory, pointing to Tom Zimmer, known as the “Hermit of Loreto,” who lived as a prayerful recluse in Loreto, Italy. Read Now: https://t.co/g7x4r6MYhi@realDonaldTrump #prophecy #culture #society #priest… pic.twitter.com/L55usR4Nip — Charisma News (@charisma_news) November 14, 2024 Here is Father Giacomo Capoverdi on YouTube said a close confidant of his told him that in the 1980’s the “Hermit of Loreto” (the author of the renown Pieta prayer book) made the prophecy that Donald Trump would “lead America back to God.” Incredibly in the 1980's there was a prophecy, when Trump was still a playboy, that he would lead "America back to God." Father Giacomo Capoverdi on YouTube said a close confidant of his told him that in the 1980's the "Hermit of Loreto" (the author of the renown Pieta prayer… pic.twitter.com/hDGWvzuZ72 — Sweet Polly Purebred (@shesova) October 29, 2024 And because the whole thing can be a little tough to follow, I found this video that breaks it down the best I’ve seen of any. Watch here: FULL TRANSCRIPT: Speaker: Okay, somebody tell me why there are so many prophecies about Donald J. Trump. This one was sent to me by a friend of the channel, and this one actually occurred even earlier than Brandon Biggs—you know, Brandon Biggs, the guy who famously prophesied that Trump was going to be almost killed, that there was going to be a bullet flying past a zero, and stuff. We’ve covered that on the channel before, but this one is different. This one actually occurred way earlier, back in the 1980s, by a guy named Tom Zimmer. Tom Zimmer was a hermit, a sort of recluse, but he was an American who moved to devote his life to God and to prayer. While he was there, he met a psychiatrist—the second person in this story you need to know. His name is Dr. Claude Curran. As I said, Dr. Curran is a psychiatrist, and he met with Tom. Apparently, Tom told Dr. Curran that the hand of God was going to be on Donald Trump and that something big was going to happen; God was going to use him in a really, really big way. Now, the third person you need to know is Father Giacomo Cap. I hope I’m saying that correctly. Let’s go ahead and turn to his video now. This video is actually sort of viral; it’s got almost a million views. This is the story in which Father Cap actually met Tom and how he learned about Tom’s existence. Let’s go ahead and listen to his story. Father Cap: In light of current events that have been taking place recently, there’s a story I wanted to share with you—a true story—and it has to do with a friend of mine who’s a medical doctor, a psychiatrist. His name is Claude Curran. His mother was Calabrese, his father was Irish, and his name is Dr. Claude Curran. Narrator: Okay, so again, he’s talking about the second person in this story, Dr. Claude Curran, a psychiatrist who was friends with Father Cap. Claude Curran connects Father Cap with Tom Zimmer. So Claude is the person in the story connecting all three of these people together. Father Cap: So one day, about 17 years ago, when I was at my first assignment in Bristol, I was talking to him about going to Rome. I told him I was going to be visiting Rome, and he said to me, “Father, listen, I really want you to do something when you’re in Rome. I want you to get on a train and go up to Loreto.” He said, “I’ll pay for the train ticket, I’ll cover your expenses, but you’ve got to go to Loreto.” Now, as he was saying this, I was thinking, “Okay, I know Our Lady of Loreto; it’s a very important Christian site for us Catholics.” It’s actually where the house of the Blessed Virgin Mary is located—the house where Mary grew up, where she received the message of the angel Gabriel, and where the Incarnation of Our Lord took place. This house, in Loreto now, was originally in Nazareth. But during the Muslim invasions, Muslims were threatening to destroy the house of the Incarnation, so legend has it that angels lifted the house and brought it to where it is now in Loreto. Narrator: Let’s pause here to talk about this legend, because it actually plays a crucial part in the story. The holy house is believed to be the very house where the Virgin Mary was born, grew up, and received the angel Gabriel’s message. According to legend, angels miraculously transported Mary’s house from Nazareth to Italy to protect it from destruction during the Crusades in the 1200s. Modern research suggests it might have actually been transported by ship, with records mentioning a nobleman named Angelos, whose family may have moved the house to Italy as part of a wedding dowry. This “Angelos” connection might explain the story of angels carrying it. But regardless of how it arrived, there is compelling evidence that the house truly originated in Nazareth, with early Christian symbols and construction methods specific to that region. For Zimmer, praying near this sacred house was a powerful, mystical connection to Mary. This setting is where he received his conviction about Donald Trump. Now that we understand the significance of the holy house to Zimmer’s spiritual life, let’s return to the prophecy. Narrator: Tom Zimmer was an American who decided that the holy house was so important to Christianity and prayer that he would become a hermit there. He left everything behind in America, moved to Loreto, and lived near the house, staying in the basilica built around it. Unlike someone like Brandon Biggs, Tom wasn’t recording his prophecies or trying to get views; he was just devoting his life to prayer in a solitary space, occasionally sharing his insights with people like Dr. Curran. Father Cap: So, I did as Dr. Curran said. I got on a train and went up to Loreto—a beautiful scenic ride along the Adriatic side of Italy. I reached the basilica, went inside, and there it was—the holy house, with the basilica built around it. I said a prayer, then looked for Tom. I remember asking Dr. Curran, “How am I going to find him?” He said, “Believe me, walk around, and you’ll find him.” Sure enough, there was an elderly man, very frail and thin, leaning up against the fence surrounding the house. I went up to him and, in English, asked, “Are you Thomas?” He looked up and said, “Yes, I am.” So, I introduced myself as Dr. Curran’s friend. He knew who I was and invited me to sit with him. Narrator: Years later, just a few weeks ago, Father Cap spoke with Dr. Curran again. To set the timeline, this video was posted in 2017. After Trump was elected president, Dr. Curran shared the story again, recounting how Tom Zimmer had told him in the 1980s that “a man would lead America back to God.” When Dr. Curran asked who it was, Tom replied, “Donald J. Trump.” Dr. Curran’s reaction was disbelief: “You mean the New York Playboy?” But Tom insisted, “Believe me, I have a premonition that this is the man who’s going to do it.” Narrator: Now, we’re about to hear from Dr. Curran himself. Let’s listen to him tell the story of his own meeting with Tom and what Tom actually said. Dr. Curran: Regarding the story that Father Cap shared on YouTube—in the fall of 1983, during the holy year declared by Pope John Paul II to celebrate the 1950th anniversary of Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection—the Vatican invited people to buy memorial bricks to be used when they sealed up the holy door. Those intentions would be remembered in all the masses and prayers celebrated in the Vatican. One day, I went to meet Tom in the colonnade at St. Peter’s. He was doing his usual thing: writing prayers, reading current events, collecting information on social and political issues, and bringing those intentions into the church to pray for them. He said to me, “Claude, right now in the United States, there’s a man with the hand of God on him. He has the IQ of a genius, a first-class education, and everything he approaches, he attacks with blinding efficiency.” I asked, “Who is it?” He replied, “His name is Donald Trump.” I responded, “Tom, Donald Trump? Isn’t he just a jet-setting Playboy millionaire?” But Tom insisted, “The hand of God is on him, and God is going to use him in the future.” Narrator: That’s a big difference. Father Cap said Trump would “lead America back to God,” whereas Dr. Curran recounts Tom saying “God would use him.” This is a subtle but significant distinction. Now, let’s continue. Dr. Curran: Tom was so convinced that he bought a memorial brick with Donald J. Trump’s name on it. This brick would benefit from all the Vatican’s masses and prayers as long as it remains in the holy door. Narrator: That’s the story. Again, it’s a little different than Father Cap’s version, where Tom Zimmer said Trump would lead America back to God. This version sounds more like God’s hand is on Trump’s life, and he’ll be used in some way—although how, exactly, is unclear. This vagueness could lessen the prophecy’s impact, but let’s discuss whether there’s evidence that God’s hand is on Trump’s life. For instance, Donald Trump recently posted a prayer to Michael the Archangel on his X account. The prayer reads: “St. Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle. Be our defense against the wickedness and snares of the devil. May God rebuke him, we humbly pray, and do thou, O Prince of the Heavenly Host, by the power of God, cast into hell Satan and all the evil spirits who prowl about the world seeking the ruin of souls. Amen.” This is a very Christian prayer, quite different from the Trump we saw in the 1980s when the prophecy occurred. This suggests a shift towards religiosity. On the other hand, Trump still posts troubling things. For example, on Halloween, October 31, 2024, he posted, “Mark Cuban, a really dumb guy who thinks he’s ‘hot stuff’ but he’s absolutely nothing, is now out there saying that I don’t surround myself with strong women.” So he’s still insulting people and showing an arrogant attitude. Is God using him? Maybe. Is he leading America back to God? That’s harder to say. One significant action he took was appointing J.D. Vance as his vice president. On Vance’s X profile, he identifies as Christian and a Catholic convert. Let’s briefly listen to his testimony. J.D. Vance: I’m a convert to Catholicism. I was raised Christian, became an atheist, and came back to Christianity, got baptized Catholic five or six years ago. Narrator: One interpretation of God’s hand on Trump’s life could be his appointing people like J.D. Vance—outspoken Christians—to political positions. While Vance isn’t a messianic figure, this move does suggest Trump may be influencing America’s political landscape in a religious direction, lending some credibility to the idea that God’s hand is on his life. But what do you think about this prophecy? Is it legitimate, or is it too vague to be meaningful? Let me know in the comments.

Branco and Gorman review Tony’s latest toons and discuss issues of the day along with videos, your comments, and some bad jokes. LIVE! BRANCO TOON STORE DONATE to A.F. Branco Cartoons – Tips appreciated – $5.00, $10.00, $20.00 – It all helps to fund this website and keep the cartoons coming. Also, Venmo @AFBranco – THANK YOU! A.F. Branco has taken his two greatest passions (art and politics) and translated them into cartoons that have been popular all over the country in various news outlets, including NewsMax, Fox News, MSNBC, CBS, ABC, and “The Washington Post.” He has been recognized by such personalities as Rep. Devin Nunes, Dinesh D’Souza, James Woods, Chris Salcedo, Sarah Palin, Larry Elder, Lars Larson, Rush Limbaugh, Elon Musk, and President Trump

A.F. Branco Cartoon – Democrats are holding Americans’ security hostage in an effort to stop deporting illegal aliens. That is where their priorities lie. BRANCO TOON STORE Security Lines Out the Door- Airports Across the Country in Disarray Thanks to Democrat Shutdown of DHS By Margaret Flavin – Gateway Punfit – Mar 8, 2026 Airports across the country are in disarray thanks to the Democrats’ shutdown of DHS. In mid-February 2026, Congress failed to pass funding legislation, resulting in a partial shutdown of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Funding for DHS expired on February 13, 2026, affecting agencies like the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Coast Guard, and cybersecurity operations. Democrats in Congress have refused to support funding bills without reforms to rein in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP), citing concerns over aggressive deportation tactics and incidents like the killing of two Americans by federal agents in Minneapolis… READ MORE   DONATE to A.F. Branco Cartoons – Tips appreciated – $5.00, $10.00, $20.00 – It all helps to fund this website and keep the cartoons coming. Also, Venmo @AFBranco – THANK YOU! A.F. Branco has taken his two greatest passions (art and politics) and translated them into cartoons that have been popular all over the country in various news outlets, including NewsMax, Fox News, MSNBC, CBS, ABC, and “The Washington Post.” He has been recognized by such personalities as Rep. Devin Nunes, Dinesh D’Souza, James Woods, Chris Salcedo, Sarah Palin, Larry Elder, Lars Larson, Rush Limbaugh, Elon Musk, and President Trump

Tool / A Perfect Circle vocalist salutes a folk-rock icon

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