Battle of Pavia 1525

THE BATTLE OF PAVIA - 1525
 
From the Marco Rognoni YouTube channel
 
La battaglia di Pavia - promo
 
Regia/montaggio di Marco Rognoni - camera: Fabio Ferri, Marco Rognoni

************************************************** 

Battle of Pavia (Wikipedia):

The Battle of Pavia, fought on the morning of 24 February 1525, was the decisive engagement of the Italian War of 1521–26.

A Spanish-Imperial army under the nominal command of Charles de Lannoy (and working in conjunction with the garrison of Pavia, commanded by Antonio de Leyva) attacked the French army under the personal command of Francis I of France in the great hunting preserve of Mirabello outside the city walls. In the four-hour battle, the French army was split and defeated in detail. The French suffered massive casualties, including many of the chief nobles of France; Francis himself, captured by the Spanish troops, was imprisoned by Charles V and forced to sign the humiliating Treaty of Madrid, surrendering significant territory to his captor. The outcome of the battle cemented Spanish Habsburg ascendancy in Italy.

**************************************************

There were actually six historical "battles of Pavia." Pavia was known as Ticinum during the "Siege of Pavia" which occurred between 569 and 572 CE; and where the Langobards defeated forces of the late Western Roman Empire. They then made Ticinum their capitol; in which it served as the capitol of the entire Cisalpine region.

.

History of Ticinese in London

Swiss-Italian emigrations to London
 
From swissinfovideos YouTube channel
 
Peter Barber, historian and head of the British Library's maps collection in London, gave me a brief introduction to the history of Swiss-Italian emigrations to Britain. He showed me some places where the most famous immigrants, Carlo Gatti and his nephews Augosto and Stephanie Gatti, made their fortunes.
 
(swissinfo, Michele Andina)


John Maria Gatti (Wikipedia)

Sir John Maria Emilio Gatti (13 August 1872 – 14 September 1929) was an Anglo-Swiss theatre manager, restaurateur and businessman who was also a promininent Conservative politician in London local government.

Born as Joannes Maria Aemilius in Dongio, in the canton of Ticino, Switzerland, he was the eldest son of the entrepreneur Agostino Gatti. The Gatti family had built up a large family business in Westminster, including the Adelphi and Vaudeville Theatres, a string of cafe-restaurants and the Charing Cross and Strand Electricity Supply Corporation Ltd, which supplied power to most of the West End of London.

Gatti was educated at Stonyhurst College and St John's College, Oxford, before being called to the bar at the Inner Temple. He married Lily Mary Lloyd in 1897 and they had seven children. In the same year his father died, and he took over the family businesses along with his younger brother Rocco Joseph Stefano Gatti.

His business interests, in particular the construction of electricity infrastructure, led him to become interested in the local government of the capital. In 1903 he was elected to Westminster City Council as a representative of the Charing Cross ward. He was a member of the Conservative-backed majority Moderate Party on the council, and was elected Mayor of Westminster for 1911–1912.

In 1908 he was a founding member of the Society of West End Theatre Managers. In 1919–1920 he was chairman of the society, and was involved in negotiating a standard theatrical contract for West End performers.

In 1918 Gatti was co-opted onto the London County Council as a Municipal Reform Party councillor for the Strand division. When elections resumed after World War I, he was elected a councillor for the Westminster Abbey division, holding the seat until his death. Gatti was short-listed to be Official Conservative candidate for the Westminster Abbey by-election in 1924, but lost out to Otho Nicholson who won the poll.

He served as chairman of the county council's finance committee for six years, and was chairman of the county council in 1927–1928. At the end of his term as chairman he received a knighthood.

Sir John Gatti died suddenly at Littleton Golf Club in September 1929 aged 57.

.

The Cudighi sandwich... Lombard-Yooper culture in Upper Michigan: Part 2

Cudighi (Wikipedia):

A Cudighi is a spicy Italian sausage that can be bought in links or can be served as a sandwich on a long, hard roll, often with mozzarella cheese and tomato sauce. Cudighi came from Italy to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. It can be served many ways in many Italian dishes. The sandwich was originally served with raw onions and mustard on a roll.[1] The sandwich is known as an Italian sausage sub throughout most of the United States. However, it is known as Cudighi in the Upper Peninsula county of Marquette, where it can be found at almost all the local pizza and pasty shops.

The word "Cudighi" is now unknown in Italy, although it seems to be derived from Cotechino, an old Lombard word for a fresh sausage made from pork, fatback, and pork rind.[2] According to Hormel Foods, Cudighi originated in Northern Italy.[3] The recipe for what is known as "Cudighi" is likely highly specific to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. The taste of Cudighi depends much on the amount of clove and cinnamon present in the mix.

Cudighi sandwich remains staple in the Yooper diet 

Rebecca Himmelstein - UpperMichiganSource.com - October 31, 2014

ISHPEMING -- The cudighi has become a staple in the Yooper diet. The construction is simple. Homemade Italian sausage is flattened into a patty and grilled. It is commonly served with melted mozzarella cheese and pizza sauce, but every restaurant has their unique version.

“The basic cudighi has marinara sauce and cheese on French bread and then we have the works, which has mushrooms, green peppers, onions, marinara sauce and the cheese” said Robert Caron, co-owner of Vangos restaurant in Marquette. “Then you have to have that with some waffle fries.”

Vangos has been serving cudighi for 50 years.

“We grind the meat fresh daily and make each batch every day, so it is as fresh as can be and we use the best possible ingredients to make the best cudighi sandwich” said Caron.”

Ralph’s Italian Deli in Ishpeming has sold their secret family recipe since the 1960s.

“The more popular ways are with pizza sauce, mozzarella cheese and onions” said Dominic Gervasi, co-owner of Ralph’s Italian Deli. “A lot of people like ketchup, mustard, onions and mozzarella cheese combination. Also we serve fresh, homemade buns. We make the bread every day. The bun is very important, that has always been 50-percent of it.”

Italian immigrants started making them in Ishpeming and the sandwich’s popularity grew from there across the Upper Peninsula.

“It is a tradition” said Caron. “It is something that you grow up with. It is just a great sandwich and just a little taste of home.”

“The biggest evolvement I have seen is just the number of people and businesses that have gotten into making them and selling them, because it is just like pizza, almost any restaurant makes a pizza now anywhere you go” said Gervasi.

Both restaurants agree that what makes their cudighi sandwiches so good is fresh, high quality ingredients and consistency.

“It is always the same” said Caron. “It is always the same, just a great sandwich.”

.

The Cudighi sandwich... Lombard-Yooper culture in Upper Michigan: Part 1

The Cudighi Sandwich

From the TV6 & FOX UP YouTube channel

http://www.uppermichiganssource.com/


The Lombard "Cudighi sandwich" ("COO-dih-gee") is to Upper Michigan, what I suppose the Sicilian "Muffuletta sandwich" is to southern Louisiana. In the Lombard language, "cudighi" means "cotechino" in Italian. Cudighi is also known as "Yooper sausage," and I like the idea of it as both "Lombard-American" and also just as "Yooper culture" in general. In the Val Camonica, cudighi is usually spelled as either codèghiì or cudighì in the Camuian dialect. The town of Ishpeming, in the video below, is nearby the city of Marquette in Upper Michigan.


Cotechino (Wikipedia):

The cotechino is an Italian charcuterie product, similar to salami, but requiring cooking; usually it is boiled at low heat for about four hours. Its name comes from cotica (rind), but it may take different names in the different production areas. According to tradition, it is served with lentils on New Year's Eve, because lentils—due to their shape—are 'credited' to bring money for the coming year.

It is prepared by filling the natural casing with rind, pork meat (usually of secondary choice), and fat mixed with salt and spices; in industrial production, nitrites and nitrates are added as preservatives.


Varieties of cotechino

The cotechino Modena is an Indicazione Geografica Protetta-IGP product, meaning its recipe and production are preserved under the Italian law.


Four Italian regions have so far declared cotechino a traditional food:

Lombardy: cotechino (Cremona, Bergamo, Mantua, Pavia)

Molise: cotechino

Trentino: pork cotechino

Veneto: recognises seven different products: coeghin nostran of Padua; coessin co la lengua of Vicenza, coessin of Vicenza, coessin of Val Leogra, coessin in onto of Vicenza, coessin co lo sgrugno, cotechino di puledro

Irpinia: cotechino pezzente





Cudighi tradition continues in Ishpeming
 
From the ABC 10 UP YouTube channel
 
While the origins of the cudighi can be traced back to Northern Italy, the sandwich itself has taken on a life of its own in Marquette County.

.

Alessandro Volta - The Lombard inventor of the electrical battery, and referred to as "the father of electricity"

Alessandro Volta

From Dylan Asadoor YouTube channel

A biography of Alessandro Volta and in his discoveries in the very first battery, which is known as the Voltaic Pile.

***********************************************

Alessandro Volta

Alessandro Giuseppe Antonio Anastasio Volta (18 February 1745 – 5 March 1827) was an Italian physicist credited with the invention of the first electrical battery, the Voltaic pile, which he invented in 1799 and the results of which he reported in 1800 in a two part letter to the President of the Royal Society. With this invention Volta proved that electricity could be generated chemically and debased the prevalent theory that electricity was generated solely by living beings. Volta's invention sparked a great amount of scientific excitement and led others to conduct similar experiments which eventually led to the development of the field of electrochemistry.

Born: February 18, 1745 in Como, Duchy of Milan
 
Died: March 5, 1827 in Como, Lombardy-Venetia
 
Fields: Physics and chemistry
 
Known for: Invention of the electric cell; Discovery of methane; Volt; Voltage; Voltmeter
 
Notable awards: Copley Medal (1794); Legion of Honour; Order of the Iron Crown

The SI unit of electric potential is named in his honour as the volt. 

**************************************************

I can recall many years ago, my father showing me about batteries, and I specifically remember his explaining "volts"... it's ironic to me that neither of us knew that the root of the word was from Alessandro Volta, a Lombard.

It should be noted that there were batteries and electricity in the ancient world, but that knowledge was lost. Volta was the "father of electricity" within the milieu of modern science.

.

Alchemy - Sacred Secrets Revealed

Alchemy - Sacred Secrets Revealed
 
From mattqatsi YouTube channel
 
In Alchemy - Sacred Secrets Revealed we take an in-depth look at this most Sacred Science, what are some of the myths, and how it relates to consciousness and spirituality. Alchemy has been shrouded in mystery and kept out of new adepts hands by secret societies, hermetic and fraternal orders for centuries.


Part 2

Gnosis - The Great Work of Alchemy 

From YouTube EnlighteningChannel


Quick glossary 


Hermeticism

Hermeticism, also called Hermetism, is a religious and philosophical tradition based primarily upon writings attributed to Hermes Trismegistus ("Thrice Great"). These writings have greatly influenced the Western esoteric tradition and were considered to be of great importance during both the Renaissance and the Reformation. The tradition claims descent from a prisca theologia, a doctrine which affirms that a single, true theology exists which is present in all religions and was given by God to man in antiquity. 

Greek God Hermes

Hermetica (including Corpus Hermeticum)

The Hermetica are Egyptian-Greek wisdom texts from the 2nd and 3rd centuries CE, which are mostly presented as dialogues in which a teacher, generally identified as Hermes Trismegistus ("thrice-greatest Hermes"), enlightens a disciple. The texts form the basis of Hermeticism. They discuss the divine, the cosmos, mind, and nature. Some touch upon alchemy, astrology, and related concepts.


Alchemy

Alchemy is an influential tradition whose practitioners have, from antiquity, claimed it to be the precursor to profound powers. The defining objectives of alchemy are varied but historically have typically included one or more of the following goals: the creation of the fabled philosopher's stone; the ability to transmute base metals into the noble metals (gold or silver); and development of an elixir of life, which would confer youth and longevity. 


Hermes Trismegistus

Hermes Trismegistus ("thrice-greatest Hermes"; Latin: Mercurius ter Maximus) is the purported author of the Hermetic Corpus, a series of sacred texts that are the basis of Hermeticism.


Hermeticism and Alchemy

Alchemy is one of three areas of wisdom within Hermeticism (along with Astrology and Theurgy). The misused concept of Medieval Alchemists as having “turned lead into gold” has become a type of quick belittling stereotype. Even Wikipedia plays that angle, or someone like the physicist Michio Kaku who admits that "the noble pursuit of science has humble origins" based on the quick and intellectually lazy perception of "lead to gold"... despite clear evidence to the contrary!

Just for the record, it has been demonstrated that lead can literally be turned into gold; however, it far too expensive and time consuming to be practical. In reality, this concept was merely an allegory for the transformation of the spirit; the “Alchemical marriage” (“Philosopher’s Stone”) in which the sacred feminine and the sacred masculine in all of us can be united in spirit. The spiritual unity of this ever-present “duality” as the perfect spiritual union of the soul; achieving pure balance and harmony.


Allegoric “lead to gold” (from the above video)
 
In Alchemy, we have a very sacred science for bringing the lead of an undeveloped consciousness up to the level of a fully developed consciousness of gold. Magnificent and incorruptable.
 

Alchemical marriage

When you make the two into one, and make the outer like the inner. and the inner like the outer, and the upper like the lower, and when you make the male and the female a single one. Than you may enter.  --From the lost gospel of Thomas

Quick facts and observations

Alchemy apparently is mostly drawn from ancient Egyptian culture and spirituality, and as they had later contact with the ancient Greeks. The larger spiritual tradition of Hermeticism arose later within Greek culture; named after the author of the ‘Hermetic Corpus’ Hermes Trismegistus, who himself was named or nicknamed after the Greek god Hermes.

A list of historical Alchemists shows that this spiritual tradition spread as far as China, India, and the Islamic world, and certainly throughout Europe during the Middle Ages. Famous Alchemists range from Pythagorus to Fibonacci and Giordano Bruno to Isaac Newton and Carl Jung. I don’t know about Islam, which at times was very open to new scientific ideas, but Alchemists were persecuted by the Church in Europe. Giordano Bruno was literally burned to death for the crime of stating that the stars in the sky may each be individual “suns.”

Alchemy recognizes a complex “Tree of Life,” which is present in many spiritual traditions. I think the Tree of Life from the Hebrew Kabbalah has an Alchemical origin; however, It think that other traditions mostly developed on their own. In Alchemy, we are not humans having a spiritual experience, but spirits having a human experience.

I wonder if certain spiritual concepts which I recognized, originated from the pre-Olympian Greek/European pagan traditions? For example, the concept of “as above, so below,” or the Alchemical concept of a male Sun god and female Moon goddess (red king and white queen, Sol and Luna), and the recognition of “the five elements” (Earth, Air, Fire, Water, and Spirit).

The ancient drug DMT was used in ancient Egypt as a method of opening up the “Third Eye,” which is the pineal gland at the base of the brain. David Wilcock referred to the pineal gland as our “built in stargate.”

Terence McKenna

Hermeticism & Alchemy (Terence McKenna) 

From Deus Ex McKenna ~ Terence McKenna Archive YouTube channel and recorded during a 1992 Workshop in New York.

WOW! Just.... WOW! --DisplayName, YouTube user

I thought that the first hour or so of this lecture was dynamite. Then he started showing signs of his own flirtation with part of mainstream politics and quirks revolving around drug use. However, I think that if many dogmatic, despotic, mind-is-made-up, judgement-before-fact Atheists and Christians were forced to intellectualize about the information in the first hour, they were have much to answer for.

Lecture transcript (an excellent reference)

http://alchemicalarchives.blogspot.com/


"The Earth is round" in the 2nd century?

“Would were it possible for you to grow wings and soar into the air, poised between earth and heaven, you may see the solid earth, the fluid sea, the streaming rivers, the wandering air, the penetrating fire, the courses of the stars and the swiftness with the movement heaven encompasses all. What happiness were that my son, to see all these born along with one impulse and to behold him who is unmoved, moving in all that moves, and him who is hidden, made manifest through his works.” --From the 'Hermetic Corpus' (Book of 'Asclepius')

Highly poetic celebration of nature without sin, rings with confidence joy. Glories in the exercise of the mind, not doctrinal, not pietistic, magical, expansive." --Terence McKenna


Alchemy and Superstition

People think that the further back in time, the more superstitious people are, but this isn’t the case. 10-12th century were periods of piety and intellectual cohesion. They stamped out paganism. That stuff came in the 16th century. Alchemy, conjuration, talismanic magic, sympathetic magic, all of this flourished not as throwback but as a prelude to modern science. --Terence McKenna

Terence McKenna

Terence Kemp McKenna (November 16, 1946 – April 3, 2000) was an American philosopher, psychonaut, ethnobotanist, lecturer, and author. He spoke and wrote about a variety of subjects, including psychedelic drugs, plant-based entheogens, shamanism, metaphysics, alchemy, language, culture, technology, and the theoretical origins of human consciousness.


Exposing the elusive "shame on you, MY mind is already made up" Atheist mindset

One comment under the YouTube video 'Findings of Unusual Human Remains' by YouTube user WachdByBigBrother, gave a pretty good account of the rush-to-judgement that many people have when presented with anything which refuses the mainstream view:

"No other theories allowed."  There may be resistance. In the end, as the evidence overwhelm the skeptics, the theory is backed.  Continental drift is a classic example. Rock types, their ages, the same matching layers and their magnetic fields matched all the way across the ocean.  The outline of the fissures on the bottom of the ocean. Sensitive measuring equipment that can measure the speed of the subsidence etc. All that took time to collect.  Sometimes new technology was needed. In fact, scientists and laymen resist change. That doesn't win in the long run.

Same with archeology. Amazingly, measuring isotopes in the teeth can narrow exactly where the person grew up.  This helped greatly in locating where the ice man came from and where he travelled.

And genetics has located Neanderthal DNA in a small percentage of the population. Even tracking the dispersal of man can be done vs the dating of findings and it's DNA.

Heck, other scientists resisted the discovery that 80% of ulcers are caused by a bacteria.  He was derided for years. Truth and victory won in the end. He infected himself so he got very sick then cured himself. He won the Nobel Prize for medicine while bitter competitors and detractors claimed they ignored the discovery for so long because the Nobel Prize winner was an obnoxious person. I think we can pretty much surmise that the scientist became more and more adamant since what he had discovered was important beyond the others' pettiness. The information won in the end despite human foibles.

Same thing is happening with the new discoveries of Europeans in the Americas. There's all sorts of racist knee jerking. Some political based I'm sure. In the end, facts will sort all that out in the end same as before. Interestingly, American Indians have some of that european DNA in their blood so, amazingly, the two groups, entering on each side of the continent ended up meeting and mixing.


"There is a principle which is a bar against all information, which is proof against all argument, and which cannot fail to keep man in everlasting ignorance. That principle is condemnation before investigation." --Edmund Spencer

.

'Rise and Fall of the Druids' (documentary)

From HumbleServant YouTube channel

"Rise and Fall of the Druids" (Full Documentary)

**************************************************

Although this focuses on ancient Briton, the Druidic culture extended into Gaul... and to a lessor degree into what is now the German-speaking regions, Cisalpine Gaul, and parts of Spain.

.

Lombardia - Architecture and Countryside

Indipendentista YouTube channel

The ancient nation of Lumbardia

I believe pronounced "Loom-bar-DEEE-ah"

.

The Arctic Home in the Vedas: Part 20 - The most esoteric connections and the origin of Saturnian religion

From UKUFOChannel YouTube channel, based on Joseph Farrell interview on Red Ice Radio.

The dwarf star Saturn was once a life-giving second star within our solar system, with satellites of its own; almost like a solar system within a solar system. Apparently with its heat, much more of the solar system would have been able to sustain life. Whomever these people were, if not human, it's likely that they at least contributed to our DNA. In the end, they destroyed themselves.

The Cosmic War: Interplanetary Warfare, Modern Physics, and Ancient Texts (Farrell; 2007) 

Star Wars' "Death Star," Saturn's moon Mimas, and a 2 to 3 billion year old Klerksdorp sphere

**************************************************

"Sun vs. Saturn" revisited

The ancient texts (Sumerian, Vedic, etc.) apparently convey that this "war of the worlds" scenario---whether you believe it literal or mythological---pitted the "Sun-Earth-Moon" people vs. the "Saturn-Krypton" people in a type of nuclear war.. or a war of tremendous energy weapons. This would go hand-and-glove with the "Cult of Saturn" concept... regardless of whether or not these people are just playing some type of ridiculous grand occultic game. If this were all true, then both sides---including both stars---would be part of "OUR collective history."

**************************************************

Superman vs. Bad Guy (allegorical "Jesus vs. Satanist")

Christian Superman allegory

One eery example of a modern allegory is the 1978 movie 'Superman'. The missing or destroyed planet was originally referred to as "Krypton," which would fit the movie perfectly within the context of the "Cosmic War" scenario. Also, it's evident that "Superman" was intended to be of Jewish origin, and something of a Jesus figure by his Jewish-American creators.

The movie begins with Krypton being destroyed, as in a war; although the details of the war are not laid out. We're just left to assume that this was in some other galaxy perhaps. However, it very likely was intended to be the Krypton of legend. Whether reality or fantasy, Kal-El (Superman) was sent by his father Jor-El to Earth. The god "El" was a Saturnian god; and the lost planet of Krypton would have been on the Saturnian side of the war of legend.

Basically, Superman comes to Earth and "saves" people and performs "miracles." Clearly a Jesus-allegory. In the sequel 'Superman II', Superman in a sense "dies" (loses his powers and disappears) for a good while. Apparently, although symbolically "Saturnian," Kal-El is a "good Saturnian." Therefore, he symbolically has switched loyalty to a "Sun" figure like Jesus ("the light of the world"; the "Son" with the letter "S" on his clothing). A type of peace-maker of the solar system.

Next, three black-suited "Saturnian bad guys" escape from their square-shaped type of prison from the distant past and show up and take over the Earth by force. The color black and the square (black cube) are clear symbols of Saturn. In other words, the "Cult of Saturn" personified! Superman (aka "Jesus") doesn't seem to be around, and people wonder where he is.. or maybe if he is a fraud after all. Nobody can even begin to challenge the Saturnians (aka "Satanists").

Lastly of course, Superman (aka Jesus) finally shows up and eventually defeats the cosmic criminals (aka Cult of Saturn). A cryptic Christian or Judeo-Christian spin on the 'Book of Revelation'; and a very obvious allegorical connection to the old Sumerian/Vedic legend. I mean it almost couldn't be more obvious; regardless of whether or not this is based on mythology or history. Even the name of the leader of the cosmic criminals is "Zod," or "God" in reverse; as like a "false god."

.

Gaulish, Insubrian, reenactment group in Western Lombardy and Ticino; and "The Torc"

The Insubrians were a major Gaulish tribe which inhabited Western Lombardy (including Ticino, Switzerland) in pre-Roman times. I think Gaulish is perhaps a more descriptive term than "Celtic," even though most of these southern Alpine tribes were part of the greater Celtic world. Western Lombardy, with it's distinct western dialect of the Lombard language, is often referred to as "Insubria" within a regional-national context.


Gianluca Preti YouTube channel

I celti insubri north italian's ancient celtic tribes 

[from the video description]:

The tribe of Insubres placed between today's Lombardy and Canton Ticino (Swiss), was one of the largest Celtic tribe populating a big part of northern Italy's territories. We know from Tito Livio, historical of the I° century. BC., the story that around the seventh century BC Belloveso, a celtic prince, came in a place where was living a tribe with the same name of an Edui's tribe, who was after him: this name was Insubres. He decided to found a village in those lands, and questioned 7 wise druids, who consulted the oracle to get a response to tell him where to place the first stone.

The answer was that seeing a semi-walled sow would be the sign who marked the city's boundary. When in the middle of a clearing a White semi-walled sow was found between hawthorn's bushes, they decided that this was the place where found Medhelan. (Milàn). Today we can suppose that those "Insubres" were the direct descendants of Golasecca culture, whose archaeological remains dating ninth - VIII century. BC, are massively present in the area around Milan and Lombardy.

Recently remains were found even in the Milan's midtown. Most of these findings, concern pottery and artifacts commonly used as, bowls, vases and ornaments such as brooches and jewelry of various kinds, but close to this findings it isn't rare at all to find objects of war, such as swords, shields and studs spearheads. The Celtic people, do not always lived peacefully, though not all disputes between the various tribes, were concluding in real battles. Its also common to find objects associated with religious rituals, proof of a deep spirituality connected with the cult of the Celtic deities.

The worship of the goddess Belisama or Brigh, name who might be the origin of the Brianza's place name thet is representing motherhood and fertility, and the cult of the god Cernunnos, the spirit of the forest with deer antlers and snake at his feet, that is a protector of animals, or worshipof Belenos, the sun-god, are just some examples. What at first seemed like a normal activity of a farming community, in reality could conceal preparations for a battle, as all members of the tribe were called to work for the preparation of weapons. Often, then, the women took part in the battle. Famous are the anthropomorphic hilt swords, found in much of Cisalpine Gaul, example of Insubre's and more generally Celtic art.

The figure of the Druid was in Celtic culture, who acted as intermediary with the divine forces of nature and that could change the fate of a battle with his sorcery. He knew the power of words, writing, used to designate the sacred territories and tombstones. The North Etruscan alphabet or Lepontic recently reclassified as Cisalpine Celtic alphabet, is the oldest form of Celtic writing known, and enable us to reconstruct, albeit in a very limited way, the ancient Celtic language of Insubrians. The splendor of till now discovered archaeological remains are barely unveil the complexities of a culture so far in time but so close to our roots. A documentary about Insubres the ancient celtic tribes who found Milano in north italy, and north italian history.

**************************************************

The torc as a cultural symbol

I wanted to add here the torc as having been an important cultural and spiritual symbol from the iron Age to the period of Romanization and Christianization. It seems to clearly have sprung from the Continental Celts, but extended to other nearby peoples as well, and right up to the edges of the earliest Greek and Roman borders. Cernunnos was depicted as holding a snake (representative of the Ophiuchus constellation) in one hand, and a torc in another. The Hellenic depiction of "The Dying Gaul" showed him wearing a torc, and was apparently a symbol of Greek victory against the nearby Celts. It's ironic that the torc seems to have symbolically "died" along with "The Dying Gaul," at least compared to its former significance over such vast regions. Perhaps it's time to start thinking about this symbol a bit more; maybe as a Gaulish equivalent to the Teutonic hammer or drinking horn?



Torc (Wikipedia)

A torc, also spelled torq or torque, is a large rigid or at least stiff neck ring in metal, made either as a single piece or from strands twisted together. The great majority are open at the front, although some had hook and ring closures and a few mortice and tenon locking catches to close them. Many seem designed for near-permanent wear and would have been difficult to remove. Torcs are found in the Scythian, Illyrian, Thracian, Celtic, and other cultures of the European Iron Age from around the 8th century BC to the 3rd century AD. For the Iron Age Celts the gold torc seems to have been a key object, identifying the wearer as a person of high rank, and many of the finest works of ancient Celtic art are torcs. The Celtic torc disappears in the Migration Period, but during the Viking Age torc-style metal necklaces, now mainly in silver, came back into fashion. Torc styles of neck-ring are found as part of the jewellery styles of various other cultures and periods.

.

Calumet, Michigan - Part of Lombard-American history

firechasers YouTube channel

The default image above is the old headquarters of the now defunct Calumet and Hecla Mining Company, an important copper mining operation from 1868 through World War II, and closed for good in 1970. The building is now part of the historical park.

Calumet was once the home of the Italian-American Federation of the Upper Peninsula, an umbrella voice for the benevolent societies of the area. In those days, it was sink-or-swim for immigrants. Calumet was unfortunately also the site of what is known as the Italian Hall disaster of 1913. The town is part of the Lombard story in the United States.

Two other videos about Calumet:

Calumet and Hecla Mining Co.

Calumet, Michigan

.

Air battle: Drone vs. Hawk

This blog is not a commercialized, nor does it utilize AdSense.

From Christopher Schmidt YouTube channel

Hawk vs. Drone! (Hawk Attacks Quadcopter) 

On Oct 8th, I was flying my quadcopter at Magazine Beach Park in Cambridge, MA when a hawk decided he wasn't too happy with my invasion of his airspace...

As far as I could tell, the juvenile red-tailed hawk came out unscathed, and having defeated his prey, was happy to retreat. (As soon as he flew at me, I throttled down the props to try to minimize any harm to the bird.) The quadcopter came out unscathed as well. Funds generated through YouTube ads will be donated to the Massachusetts Audubon Society.

Commercial use of this video is managed by Newsflare. To use this video for broadcast or in a commercial player please email newsdesk@newsflare.com or call +44(0)8432895191 . For any other usage or questions, please contact crschmidt@crschmidt.net.

**************************************************

There are drones over the United States. I actually saw one while hiking late last year. It flew above and over me in the fog at about fifty feet. I suspect that it was a privately owned drone. Some person of means who was having fun in their living room perhaps. I couldn't see it clearly in the thick fog, but it looked like a small box, maybe slightly bigger than a softball, with some attachment parts, moving at about twenty mph. I guess the intrusion was a little bit too much for this hawk to take.

.

Beretta Factory Tour

Beretta Factory Tour - An Insider's Look At How Beretta Firearms Are Made In Italy

The Official GunForSale.com Channel

http://GunsForSale.com presents a video tour of the Beretta factory in Gardone, Val Trompia, Italy.

Beretta has a rich history - the company has been in business for almost 500 years. It's also one of the most technologically advanced firearms manufacturers in the world. This video explains how the company has become what it is today.

Click here to learn more about Beretta: http://gunsforsale.com/manufacturer/beretta-firearms

.

'Hyperborean Winter' by Eliwagar

Eliwagar is a well known pagan folk metal band from Norway

It's easy to find their website, facebook, etc., but here is their YouTube channel... Runahild.

**************************************************

Note: Season 3 of the History Channel series 'Vikings' will premiere on Thursday, February 19.

.

News segment on "The Hill"... initially a post-Civil War Milanese district in St. Louis

Nine Network YouTube channel

KETC - Living St. Louis - The Hill: What's Old and New 

From KETC, LIVING ST. LOUIS Producer Margie Newman takes a closer look at The Hill—a neighborhood in South St. Louis that was started by Italian immigrants in the 19th century. Today, the area has numerous Italian restaurants and markets, creating a tight-knit community.

************************************************** 

The Hill in it's early decades, starting about 1882, had a specifically Milanese identity with immigrants from the province of Milano. The St. Ambrose Church, modeled after the famous Ambrosian church in Milan, stands as a reminder of that period. The Hill is part of our Lombard history in this country.

Great short. However, the idea one gets is that Italy just pushed its people away. Well, we also know US mines and firms had agents all over Europe to woo cheap manpower. One is also inclined to believe that Sicilians built ther Hill. For once Lombards were the first ones there. E. g. Hill's Yogi Berra, Joe Garagiola, Midge Berra hailed from Cuggiono. Of course the blend Lombard-Sicilians made a memorable Hill, but Lombards were the first. Why conceal it? St. Ambrose is the patron of Milan.
--arnatese1, YouTube user

Obviously, this is a "feel good" segment.. about how everyone is happy and everything is working out for the best. The Hill, or any neighborhoods like it, are really now just small fragile communities in a tireless world of big money, big politics, and mass movements of people. The Hill reminds me of North Beach. As the saying goes, you can't have your cake and eat it too.

.

Guido von List: Part 27 - A Wotanist hof in his honor

Ron McVan YouTube channel

McVans Mountain Viking Hof

An evening journey through a modern day Wotanist Viking Hof, built by Ron McVan among the wooded mountains of Northern Idaho.

**************************************************

This particular hof was constructed as a tribute in honor of Guido von List. Although not visible in this video, photographs which I have seen show this temple appearing very beautiful among the trees and mountains.

When List was a young boy, he visited some ruins I recall, and he proclaimed out loud.. something to the effect of "some day I will construct a temple to Wotan!" It's great that there is at least one temple in his honor.

A hof built in a particular persons honor is referred to by combining their first name with hof (ex. "Freyashof"); therefore I believe that this would be "Guidoshof."

I think it would it be great to see one constructed in the memory of Queen Gambara, King Rothari, or King Alboin of the Langobards. There couldn't be one for Queen Theodelinda, because she was Catholic, which shows that one must do their homework first. Also, perhaps something for a favorite direct ancestor?

**************************************************

2-11-15 Addition: I had intended to post a video titled 'Guido von List - The Runes' but at the end of the video there were too many National Socialist symbols. However, part of the video gave a touch of the spirit of List; who actually lived from 1848 to 1919, and obviously had no part in National Socialism... which was really "National Capitalism" after the Socialist element was taken out. Anyway, I just wanted to at least place the link here.

.

Replica of an ancient Camunni village

.

"Will to Power" (Nietzsche)

Ontologistics YouTube channel
 
Will to Power - Nietzsche
 
Neo-Nihilism: the Philosophy of Power
 
PDF: http://www.philosopher.eu/products-page/

**************************************************

Will to power

The will to power is a prominent concept in the philosophy of Friedrich Nietzsche. The will to power describes what Nietzsche may have believed to be the main driving force in humans — namely, achievement, ambition, and the striving to reach the highest possible position in life. These are all manifestations of the will to power; however, the concept was never systematically defined in Nietzsche's work, leaving its interpretation open to debate.

.

Wolves and Bears Clash in Scandinavian forest

Animal Planet YouTube channel
 
Viking Wilderness - Wolves and Bears Clash
 
A pack of wolves and two brown bears fight over the remains of an elk carcass!

From 'Viking Wilderness' series. The animals look very primal.. almost prehistoric.

.

Beautiful video tribute to Maddalena Taluti

From YouTube channel OathBoundSecrets

Taluti's Witchcraft - Stregheria and the Gospel of the Witches - Maddalena Taluti 

OathBoundSecrets is an educational channel dedicated to distributing free information about modern pagan witchcraft and the occult. Please like our facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/OathBoundSecrets

**************************************************

I wanted to include the following video link here, as it does not allow embedding. It's a short talk by Grimassi that is a short overview of Stregheria. It seems like every person that in some way represents any type of particular folk-tradition is attacked needlessly. Steve McNallen, Raven Grimassi, Silver Ravenwolf, Nancy Redstar, etc. The modern global motto seems to be "Punish the good; reward the bad." Raven Grimassi has done a remarkable job at making sense of a historically muddled subject.

Ways of the Strega by Raven Grimassi

.

Druidic Monument in Forest Park, Illinois

The Video Catalyst Project YouTube channel

From the video description:

The United Ancient Order of Druids Monument, Forest Park, Illinois

Detailed and compendious account of A.O.D. & U.A.O.D
 
http://www.druidicdawn.org/node/1913 

**************************************************

I think these types of monuments are important. This monument was constructed in 1888. I think it may serve as a crypt. It appears that there may be Freemasonic influence in the symbolism. Some lodges of British Freemasonry have a strong Druidic connection. Winston Churchill was a "Freemasonic Druid."

To visit this monument:

Forest Home Cemetery
863 Des Plaines Avenue
Forest Park, IL 60130

Apparently the tall monument in Section E

.