Twilight Language: Bainbridge

Showing posts with label Bainbridge. Show all posts

Saturday, July 26, 2014

Tripoli, Tridents, Three Cities, Mermaids, Navy Seals, and Jonah

From the Halls of Montezuma

To the shores of Tripoli;

We fight our country's battles

In the air, on land, and sea;

First to fight for right and freedom

And to keep our honor clean;

We are proud to claim the title

Of United States Marine.

The breaking news Saturday, July 26, 2014, is that the United States is shutting down its embassy in Libya and evacuating its diplomats to neighboring Tunisia under U.S. military escort amid a significant deterioration in security in Tripoli as fighting intensified between rival militias, the State Department said.

To the shores of Tripoli

The lyrics are contained in the book Rhymes of the Rookies by W. E. Christian, published in 1917. The author of these poems was W.E. Christian. They are more commonly known today as being in the "Marines' Hymn," which is the official hymn of the United States Marine Corps.

The line "To the shores of Tripoli" refers to the First Barbary War (1801-1805), and specifically the Battle of Derna in 1805. The conflict involved war with the Barbary States (the Ottoman provinces of Tripoli, Algiers, and Tunis). The run up to the war and the war involved many names you have heard before in this blog (e.g. Bainbridge, Decatur, and others). The return of the bodies of the precursors to today's Navy SEALs has been an ongoing challenge in working with the governments of Tripoli.

The Tripoli Monument is the oldest military monument in the United States. It honors heroes of the First Barbary War: Master Commandant Richard Somers, Lieutenant James Caldwell, James Decatur (brother of Stephen Decatur), Henry Wadsworth, Joseph Israel, and John Dorsey. It was carved in Livorno, Italy in 1806 and brought to the United States on board the USS Constitution. From its original installation in the Washington Navy Yard in 1808 it was moved to the west terrace of the United States Capitol in 1831, and finally to the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland in 1860. (See additionally, "Remains of 'First Navy Seals' Lie in Tripoli," Washington Post, May 29, 2011, and also, Richard Somers.)

Tripoli (Arabic: طرابلس ‎ Ṭarābulus) is the capital city and the largest city of Libya. As of 2011, the Tripoli metropolitan area (district area) had a population of 2.2 million people. The city is located in the northwestern part of Libya on the edge of the desert, on a point of rocky land projecting into the Mediterranean and forming a bay.

Tripoli was founded in the 7th century BC by the Phoenicians, who named it Oea.

Tripoli is also known as Tripoli-of-the-West (Arabic: طرابلس الغرب‎ Ṭarābulus al-Gharb), to distinguish it from its older Phoenician sister city Tripoli, Lebanon known in Arabic as Ṭarābulus al-Sham (طرابلس الشام) meaning "Levantine Tripoli." It is affectionately called The Mermaid of the Mediterranean (Arabic: عروسة البحر‎ ʼarūsat el-baḥr; lit: "bride of the sea"), describing its turquoise waters and its whitewashed buildings. Tripoli is a Greek name that means "Three Cities," introduced in Western European languages through the Italian Tripoli. In Arabic: طرابلس‎ it is called Ṭarābulus, Libyan Arabic: Ṭrābləs, Berber: Trables, from Ancient Greek: Τρίπολις Trípolis).

Around the beginning of the 3rd century AD, it became known as the Regio Tripolitana, meaning "region of the three cities," namely Oea (i.e., modern Tripoli), Sabratha and Leptis Magna.

Tridents and Tripoli have been associated for centuries. The above Medal of Louis XV, notes the bombing of Tripoli by Duvivier, 1728 Paris. The reverse shows Nepture with his Trident, threatening Tripoli.

The British Naval General Service Medal, 1848, was given to veterans of the naval battles along the Barbary Coast during the French Revolutionary War and Napoleonic Wars. The reserve shown is Britannia with a trident seated sideways on a seahorse.

Watery creatures and Tripoli go fin-in-fin, so to speak.

In 2011, a Libyan rebel poses on a sofa shaped like a mermaid, with the face of Muammar Gaddafi's daughter Aisha at her home in Tripoli.

The name game in Libya even got involved in the civil war there.

The Battle of Tripoli (Arabic: معركة طرابلس‎ maʻarakat Ṭarābulis) - in August 2011 - was a military confrontation in Tripoli, Libya, between loyalists of Muammar Gaddafi, the longtime leader of Libya, and the National Transitional Council, which was attempting to overthrow Gaddafi and take control of the capital. The battle began on 20 August 2011, six months after the Libyan civil war started, with an uprising within the city; rebel forces outside the city planned an offensive to link up with elements within Tripoli, and eventually take control of the nation's capital.

The rebels codenamed the assault "Operation Mermaid Dawn" (Arabic: عملية فجر عروسة البحر‎ ʻamaliyyat fajr ʻarūsat el-baḥr). As noted above, Tripoli's nickname is "The Mermaid" (Arabic: عروسة البحر‎ ʻarūsat el-baḥr) (literally "bride of the sea").

Mermaid! Dawn!

Libya has remained unstable for some time.

On the evening of September 11, 2012, Islamic militants attacked the American diplomatic compound in Benghazi, Libya (560 miles East of Tripoli), killing four Americans in the attack: Ambassador Stevens, Information Officer Sean Smith, and two CIA operatives, Glen Doherty and Tyrone Woods, both former Navy SEALs.

Official Seal of the Navy Seals, with trident.

Now comes the evacuating of Americans from Tripoli, on the heels of the crash of Air Algerie Flight 5017.

Meanwhile, in Iraq, on July 25, 2014, an Iraqi shrine that is purported to be the burial site of Jonah, who the Bible says was swallowed by a whale, has been blown up by Islamic State militants (ISIS). The tomb, a popular destination for religious pilgrims and tourists, was inside a Sunni mosque in Mosul called the Mosque of the Prophet Younis, which is Arabic for Jonah. It dates back to the eighth century BC. The story of Jonah, or Younis, who was said to have survived three days in the belly of a whale, appears in both the Bible and Quran.

Sunday, July 15, 2012

Bane/Bain: Batman's Villain & Romney's Curse (Part 1)

Prepare to be hit in the face with a synchromystic name game of epic historical importance this summer.

The new Batman film, The Dark Knight Rises, will introduce the greater world to Bane, a villain apparently physically and mentally equal to the task of attempting to destroy the dark winged avenger. This will be occurring as we hear more and more about Mitt Romney's former company and President Obama's "villain," Bain Capital.

The former governor of Massachusetts wishes to be the first Mormon President, replacing the first AfricanAmerican President, but will Bain spoil Romney's wishes?

Will Bane in The Dark Knight Rises subconsciously drive the Bain notion home?

Bane is a fictional character who first appeared in comic books published by DC Comics. The character's origin was first in Batman: Vengeance of Bane #1 (January 1993), and was created by Chuck Dixon, Doug Moench, and Graham Nolan. Bane has been one of Batman's more physically and intellectually powerful foes. A virtually unstoppable juggernaut, he is best known for breaking Batman's back in the "Knightfall" story arc. IGN's list of the Top 100 Comic Book Villains of All Time ranked Bane as #34.

Bane was portrayed by Robert Swenson in the movie Batman & Robin (1997), directed by Joel Schumacher. That movie is so overwhelmed with George Clooney's Batman, Arnold Schwarzenegger's Mr. Freeze, Chris O'Donnell's Robin, Uma Thurman's Poison Ivy, and Alicia Silverstone's Batgirl, plus others, that Swenson's Bane is often forgotten. In Batman & Robin, Bane is Poison Ivy's bodyguard and muscle, who was originally a diminutive criminal named Antonio Diego (portrayed by Michael Reid MacKay). But then he is transformed into a large powerful Super-soldier by the steroid venom.

The current Bane (due for release 19 July in Australia, and 20 July 2012 in North America), is played by Tom Hardy in the finale of the Christopher Nolan-directed Batman film trilogy, The Dark Knight Rises. This Bane will not be overlooked as easily as the one who came to the screen in 1997. Bane plays a central role in the 2012 film as a ruthless terrorist who plans to destroy Gotham City. With the future of the city at stake, Batman (played by Christian Bale - who also starred in American Psycho) must emerge from his exile and confront Bane to bring about an end to his reign of terror.

It does not take any stretch of the imagination to compare the seemingly invisible and reclusive black President Obama of the middle years of his present term to the dark avenger Batman in exile, both of who must reemerge with strength to defeat Bain/Bane.

Looking a bit deeper at the Twilight Language in this film, let us examine the places and names behind The Dark Knight Rises and Bane/Bain.

Toponomically and synchromystically, the following four sites for the filming of The Dark Knight Rises are worthy of our attention. A Fire Will Rise.

1. The Palace of the Parliament of Romania in Bucharest, is a multi-purpose building containing both chambers of the Romanian Parliament. According to the World Records Academy, the Palace is the world's largest civilian building, most expensive administrative building, and heaviest building. Built on the site of a hill variously known as Spirii Hill, Uranus Hill, or Arsenal Hill, construction began in 1983; the Freemason cornerstone was laid on 25 June 1984. On 30-31 May 2003, the site became the world's largest Masonic Temple with the gathering of over 2000 Scottish Rite Masons and their guests, on the 10th anniversary of the Scottish Rite being established in Romania.

The Star of Romania, that country's highest award, consists of a medal and ribbon (top) and a badge (bottom). On May 30, 2003, this great honor was conferred on Grand Commander Kleinknecht by the Hon. Ion Iliescu, President of Romania, during Masonic ceremonies held at the Palace of the Parliament in Bucharest. Photos: Bain Pugh and Associates.

2. Salina Turda is a salt mine in Turda, Transylvania, Romania. Salt was first extracted here during antiquity and the mine continuously produced table salt from the Middle Ages (the mine being first mentioned in 1075) to the early 20th century (1932). Since 1992, Salina Turda has been a halotherapy center and a popular tourist attraction.

3. The Wabash Tunnel is a former (1944 – 2004) railway tunnel through Mt. Washington in the city of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. French traders named the Wabash river after the Miami Indian word for the river, waapaahšiiki, meaning "it shines white," "pure white," or "water over white stones." The Miami name reflected the clarity of the river in Huntington County, Indiana where the river bottom is limestone. Several important battles have occurred here, including the Battle of Tippecanoe (1811), and the Siege of Fort Harrison (1812). (The Tippecanoe Curse is discussed here.)

4. Mehrangarh Fort, is located in Jodhpur city in Rajasthan state, and is one of the largest forts in India. It is literally, the Fort of the Sun, Mehrangarh [etymology: Mihir (Sanskrit) -sun or Sun-deity; garh (Sanskrit)-fort; i.e."Sun-fort"]. According to Rajasthani language pronunciation conventions, "Mihirgarh" has changed to "Mehrangarh." The Sun-deity has been the chief deity of the Rathore dynasty. Some very odd stories are associated with fort at this Dark Knight filming location. The foundation of the fort was laid on 12 May 1459 by Rao Jodha (1438–1488) on a rocky hill 5.6 miles (9 km) to the south of Mandore. This hill was known as Bhaurcheeria, the mountain of birds. According to legend to build the fort Jodha had to displace the hill's sole human occupant, a hermit called Cheeria Nathji, the lord of birds. Upset at being forced to move Cheeria Nathji cursed Rao Jodha with "Jodha! May your citadel ever suffer a scarcity of water!". Despite building a house and a temple in the fort very near the cave the hermit had used, even today the area is plagued by a drought every 3 to 4 years. Jodha then took an extreme measure to insure that the new site had a chance of success; he buried a man named Raja Ram Meghwal alive in the foundations. Raja Ram Meghwal was promised that in return his family would be looked after by the Rathores. To this day his descendants still live in Raj Bagh, in Raja Ram Meghwal's Garden, an estate bequeathed them by Jodha. A human stampede occurred on 30 September 2008, at the Chamunda Devi temple inside of the Mehrangarh Fort, in which 249 people were killed and more than 400 injured.

"Watch out for the bane." ~ William Grimstad

Bane and Bain are tied closely. Presidential candidate Romney's connection with Bain Capital, a "consulting, takeover, outsourcing" firm allegedly started by Bill Bain, ironically appears to be a "poison pill" for Romney, with Ron Paul being one of the first critics.

Beyond Bain Capital, the name Bain has turned up in recent news stories, from the Tennessee family's bodies being found to the conflicts the USS Bainbridge had with Somali pirates. But it is Bain Capital that will be on people's mind as the 2012 US Presidential Campaign heats up just as The Dark Knight Rises opens.

The surname Bain originates in Scotland/northern England, where it was originally a nickname meaning "bones." It is also from the Welsh ap Einws, (son of Einws = "anvil"). SE shared that Baine is derived from the Irish word meaning "pale or white."

But there are other meanings. It is said to be from Middle English bain, bayne, bayn, beyn (“direct, prompt”), from Old Norse beinn (“straight, right, favorable, advantageous, convenient, friendly, fair, keen”), from Proto-Germanic bainaz (“straight”), from Proto-Indo-European bhei- (“to hit, beat”). Cognate with Scots bein, bien (“in good condition, pleasant, well-to-do, cozy, well-stocked, pleasant, keen”), Icelandic beinn (“straight, direct, hospitable”), Norwegian bein (“straight, direct, easy to deal with”).

James Shelby Downard's research in King Kill 33 notes that Bain relates to Bane ("fatal cause of mischief"), and in Scottish legend, the Bain Fairy is a death fairy who is the keeper of the Bain Bridge. King Kill 33 noted the American battleship Bainbridge, which was dedicated by Lyndon Baines Johnson, is a harbinger of death, according to Downard.

Author Jim Brandon shares his insights about Bane/Bain:

Question is, did James Shelby Downard anticipate the whole thing? In my “Sirius Rising,” right up-front is Downard's enthusiastic digression on the Baines / MacBeth angle behind the JFK hit. Now, checking back, I see that he may have picked up on this from the then-obscure satirical play MacBird, dating from 1967, which reportedly plays around with the onomatology.

Shelby seems to have had prescient dark suspicions about Lyndon Baines Johnson himself, whose curiously nicknamed wife (née Claudia Taylor) started the whole bizarre Bird business. Recently, new testimony against LBJ has emerged, from Jackie Kennedy and E. Howard Hunt.

LBJ waited in the wings, as JFK took central stage first.

Epilogue:

Certain middle-of-the-road to right-wing wags have already penned articles playing on the old meaning of "bane" (i.e. a thing that ruins or spoils), asking questions like, "Will Bain be the bane of Romney?"

While no other blogs, as far as I know, have done any beginning Bane/Bain synchromystic analyses, such as the one you just read, there are some writers who are naturally making the link between Bane/Bain Capital in simpler political ways. Those writers are trying to figure out, seriously or with tongue in cheek, if there is a sinister pro-Obama plot behind The Dark Knight Rises. (See here, here, and here. Also, top imagery created from concept from Rob Beschizza.)

Short answer to that conspiracy question: It is doubtful and dubious, as the creative timing is way off. But there are no coincidences, correct?

It seems unrealistic that a subplot of this movie was consciously created to influence the 2012 Election, although it may unconsciously. No, this movie's major objective is as popular cultural moneymaker that happens to link into a wide variety of synchromystical themes. After all, who could have predicted that a character named Bane in 1993, would remind many of a significant newsworthy moniker pronounced the same but spelled Bain, in 2012?

Photo construction: PJMedia

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Friday, October 09, 2009

MLB Suicide: Brian Powell

Brian Powell, a former major league baseball pitcher, has died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, a sheriff's official in Georgia has reported. He was 35.

Captain Liz Crowley of the Decatur County Sheriff's Office said Powell died Monday, October 5, 2009, at a hospital in Tallahassee, Florida. Powell was from Bainbridge, Georgia.

The Bainbridge native was a three-year letterman for the Bulldogs from 1993-95, going 19-14 with a 3.80 ERA. He ranks second in school history with 17 complete games, 352 strikeouts and five shutouts. In 1995, he led the Southeastern Conference in strikeouts (138); innings pitched (147) and was second in complete games (seven).

Powell was a second-round pick, the 41st overall selection, of the Detroit Tigers in the 1995 MLB draft and reached the majors in 1998.

Powell was 7-18 with a 5.94 ERA in 59 games for Detroit, Houston, San Francisco and Philadelphia. He last pitched in the majors with the Phillies in 2004, and spent 2005 in Triple-A for Washington.

Funeral services were held at 11 a.m. Thursday, October 8, 2009, in Bainbridge, Georgia.

Powell is survived by his wife and three children. Our thoughts go out to his family, friends, and former teammates.

The timing of Powell's suicide, at the end of the regular season of 162 games (despite the one tie-breaker that was played on Tuesday, October 6, 2009), does not appear to be a coincidence.

I wrote the following concerning what my study of such suicides revealed about their timing:

Baseball players were most likely to die by suicide during the off-season, if the individual was a recent player, within three years of an active involvement in the majors, or after age 65, after a "retirement" from a post-baseball career. For some former players, the end of March to the April opening days seemed to be a specific temporal black hole.

That a suicide should occur so close to the end of the regular season should not be a surprise.

Chapters on my findings regarding baseball players' suicides are to be found in Baseball and American Culture: Across the Diamond (2003) by Edward J. Rielly, in my own book The Copycat Effect (2004), and in other sources now quoting those books.

This year, 2009, is the 20th anniversary of my research and call for suicide prevention efforts among Major League Baseball players. There was a cluster of baseball suicides in 1989, which I had predicted. Donnie Moore was the individual MLB player who died of suicide receiving the most publicity, but there, sadly, were others.

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