How Did The Vatican Lose 99.9% of Its Land?

Allow me to start by saying the video you're about to see is only about the history of the Roman Catholic Church. I'm in no way equipped to even think I can discuss Catholicism in a theological way. That's really not the point of this post.

With this said earlier this month a new Pope of the Catholic Church was installed in Leo XIV. Not only is the Pope the visible head of the 2000+ year old church he's also a head of state - the microstate of Vatican City which is only 109 acres. It's an enclave of the Italian capital city of Rome.

And just bear in mind why is it the Roman Catholic Church because it's history started with the Roman Empire and guess where is the capital city of the Roman Empire - Rome. Either way we see that the Catholic Church and the Pope had significant influence throughout Europe. The Pope was said to be able to crown Emperors & Kings in addition to being involved with diplomatic disputes.

Let's also add that the Pope used to own more significant territory than Vatican City - which was established as an independent state thanks to the Lateran Treaty of 1929. The so-called Papal States was about the size of West Virginia and then in 1870 Italy eventually annexed the Papal States.

Up until 1929, the Pope considered himself a prisoner in the small area we now call Vatican City as a result of the loss of the Papal States.

The video below by GeoBro discusses how the Vatican lost 99% of it's land (the Papal States). I gave you the gist, the territory gave the Pope a lot of influence. Of course as we know thanks to the number of Catholics in the world the Pope still has a lot of influence [VIDEO]

In light of the historic events of the month of May 2025 I wanted to do a quick recap of what lead to the ascension of Leo XIV to the papacy. Who gets to select the new pope and what exactly is his role? And what is the history of the papacy. Hopefully I'll give myself the time to do that soon.

Mr. Beat: The Truth About Tariffs

 

[VIDEO] While I did a poor job of really getting at the issues of this election other than perhaps how I believed the Biden/Harris administration was running America and perhaps the economic and crime issues that many Americans are concerned about. Also the immigration issue which President-elect Donald Trump pledged to take on day one. The one thing Trump was on record discussing were on tariffs which is a tax on exports/imports.

We'd have to go back to the 2016 election on which 45th President Trump successfully ran on the idea of America first. Bringing back manufacturing jobs to America as opposed to allowing those jobs to be sent to those nations that offer cheaper labor. And Trump wasn't the only one who had some "protectionist" rhetoric and proved to say some of the same things that President Trump is talking about today.

"Edu-tuber" Mr. Beat looks at what is a tariff and the times they have been used and why tariffs generally aren't beneficial to those nations that issues them. One thing I could see with tariffs is that other countries - as noted in this video - could retaliate with their own tariffs. Also the idea that while goods for consumers are cheaper than ever before the concern could be how expensive these goods could become once a tariff could become issues.

Do you think President-elect Trump's usage of tariffs are a great idea or do you think they may prove problematic in the future?

Mr. Beat: Iraq War explained

 

[VIDEO] Can you believe this happened over 20 years ago?

Mr. Beat let us know where he was when the war started. For me I was at home and heard thunder. I had to look out of the window, for some reason I thought it was a bomb. Another terrorist attack in my neighborhood although to be honest there are much more high profile targets than a Chicago neighborhood.

According to Mr. Beat this video was controversial. He was commenting about how YouTube age-restricted his video which curtailed his ability to make money on it primarily through ads. He's done well enough where his videos often had sponsors, however, this Iraq War video had no sponsor.

One take away from this episode, Americans were freaked out over what happened on Sept. 11, 2001. There was no real connection with Iraq before the 2003 war and Al-Qaeda the terrorist group - responsible for the Sept 11th terrorist attack - lead by Usama bin Laden. I do believe Saddam Hussein was an awful poker player and paid for his miscalculation. I believe he was a bad man and the world is a better place without him running Iraq.

Regardless, this was a bit of a blunder and since then America's politicians which includes the 45th POTUS Donald Trump (a Republican) have been reticient to involve American troops in escapades such as this. This war proved to be a similar situation to Vietnam and helped to erode the trust of American citizens in their government.

Did you miss last weekend's #Coronation?

 

[VIDEO] Yeah I know this is America and we don't care about those royals we broke away from them over two centuries ago. Either way this is a fascinating look at how the British does things.

As you know Charles' mother the Queen Elizabeth II passed away last September and by right the throne of the United Kingdom fell to Charles III who was the Prince of Wales. His coronation as King took place on May 6, 2023 some eight months after his own ascension to the throne.

The snippets I have seen is almost part governmental and part religious services. Charles III is not only the head of the British state, he's also head of the state churches of England ( that is the Church of England and the Church of Scotland). He has both a temporal and a governmental or secular role in the United Kingdom.

As you see his Queen Camilla was also crowned, however, she's only the Queen Consort as she is the wife of King Charles III. 

Well, anyone have any thoughts?

Valuetainment: Will the US dollar collapse as a reserve currency?

 

[VIDEO] Who might replace the US dollar＄as the world's reserve currency? What might cause the collapse of the US dollar as a world reserve currency? Actually what is a reserve currency?

A reserve currency refers to a strong currency, often a foreign currency used for international trade and to settle international debts and obligations.

Since either 1920 or 1947 the US dollar has been the world's reserve currency. In about 1920 it replaced the British pound￡. Beyond that the history of other world reserve currency and how they ultimately collapsed which usually includes high taxes in those nations, over-extending, economic collapse, global conflict, etc.

And the interesting story near the end of this video. China could be the next world's reserve currency. During the pandemic, the world relied a lot on China. Especially for manufacturing, we had to get our chips from China.

Regardless of who's next being a major financial power in the world is often cyclical. The other world powers had been Portugal, Spain, the Netherlands, France, Great Britain, and of course the United States. They all had their day as powerful nations and they all in some way declined.

If you follow right wing news - such as Tucker Carlson - they will note that America is in a great decline. Someone else will step forward to be a major force in world affairs.

Mr. Beat: The Gulf War explained

 

[VIDEO] First and foremost, Happy New Year. I hadn't posted here since Christmas.

Mr. Beat discusses an event that was significant during my youth which we call the Gulf War. So he explains the events that led up to the Gulf War and likely the aftermath. It's amazing some of the details I forgot about after 30 or so years which is the war was kicked off by an invasion of Kuwait by Iraq.

I wanted to say it almost mirrored the current invasion of Ukraine by Russian forces though that has a different result, there is significant resistance. And it seems the world was a lot more effective in condemning and organizing against this than it seems they are now.

And also this wasn't the last time the U.S. had to get involved with Iraq and Mr. Beat states it got overshadowed by other wars and this conflict was a relatively short war. It lasted from about August 1990 to February 1991. And often I remember the coverage primarily on CNN at the time, there was no FOX News back then.

Anyway let me not drone on and on, I hope you learn something new here.

Mr. Beat: Israel & Palestine compared

 

[VIDEO] All I know about Palestine and Israel is that the population of both are so vastly different that unfortunately they hardly get along. I think this is a great video if you want to know the history of each territory. And you get a lot of religious history that causes me to want to look into this more. Easily this part of the world is the birthplace of Christianity, Judaism, and Islam.

WSJ: Why most U.K. money will still feature Queen Elizabeth for years to come

 

[VIDEO] Unlike in America where our currency is adorned with pictures of prominent Americans, mainly former US Presidents, in jolly old England their currency is adorned with the image of the reigning British monarch. Now that she's gone with the 10-day period of mourning now over as Queen Elizabeth II funeral & burial took place on Sunday, the discussion becomes changing from the late Queen to King Charles III.

Video from the Wall Street Journal

JJ MCullough: Canada, the Queen, and me

 

[VIDEO] JJ McCullough discusses the British monarchy's relationship with the realm of Canada. In addition to taking on the British throne, King Charles III will among other realms become the King of Canada. McCullough who in his youth spoke on the issue of making Canada a Republic and removing the reigning British monarch as the nation's head of state.

So he speaks on the monarch's role over Canada making reference to the late Queen Elizabeth II.

Prince of Wales

 Well I never went over the succession and the titles thereof to the British throne.

Allow me to start with the departed Queen Elizabeth whose death set in place the accession of King Charles III to the throne. Charles was the heir apparent being the Queen's oldest son.

As heir to the throne Charles also had titles including Duke of Rothesay, Duke of Cornwall, and Earl of Carrick. On July 26, 1958, the Queen created Prince Charles the Prince of Wales and with that creation he was also Earl of Chester.

Queen Elizabeth spent over 70 years on the throne when she passed and thus Prince Charles as heir to the throne spent well over 70 years as heir apparent. He is also the oldest person to finally take the throne at 73.

As I mentioned in another post, King Charles created his oldest son Prince William, Prince of Wales since now he is the heir apparent to the UK throne. And bear in mind that we can expect an investiture with William in the future. Charles had his investiture over a decade after he was created Prince of Wales on July 1, 1969. 

You can see footage of Charles' investiture via British Pathé. [VIDEO]

Sky News: King Charles' accession ceremony

 

[VIDEO] This happened Saturday, yesterday. Two days after Queen Elizabeth's death, an accession council meets at St. James Palace in London to officially proclaim Charles King of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. In his speech he does refer to himself as head of state and head of nation which is his role, Charles will reign but effectively doesn't rule. 

His gov't headed by the Prime Minister governs in the name of the King. The King appoints the leader of the party that won the most seats in the House of Commons to be the Prime Minister.

You will also notice that the King signs with his first name - or the name we have known him as - and the initial R. You will see this after he takes an oath with the church of Scotland. R represents rex which is Latin for King. This is how he will sign state documents.

It's interesting to see the other previous living British Prime Ministers who are in attendance for the accession council. I was even surprised to see John Major who was the first British Prime Minister I remember when following world news or better yet when C-Span would air Prime Minister's Questions.

And of course the British understand protocol, pomp, and ceremony. You will hear trumpets along with some royal guards at at Friar's Court Balcony at St. James Palace and the reading to the public of the proclamation of King's accession to the throne by Garter King of Arms, David White.

It's cool to see the seemingly once in a lifetime transition between monarchs.

BTW, forgot to note you will see Camilla, Queen Consort and the newly created - in that address I shared with you Friday from the King - William, Prince of Wales. They also sign the document re-affirming the Scottish oath that the King signed showing visible irritation at an inkwell as he signs both documents.

BBC: King Charles makes first address to the UK as sovereign

 

[VIDEO] If you don't understand monarch, the United Kingdom of Great Britain & Northern Ireland is a hereditary constitutional monarchy. The reigning king or queen is the monarch. Also sovereign could be used interchangeably with the term monarch as you see in the title above.

So King Charles III makes his address to his nation as sovereign the day after his mother Queen Elizabeth II dies. Again footage from the BBC, the state broadcast company of the UK.

BBC News: King Charles meets crowds outside Buckingham Palace

 

[VIDEO] Well the former Prince of Wales now His Majesty the King Charles III meets with his subjects outside of the home of the British Monarchy in London. Yesterday his mother Her Majesty the Queen Elizabeth II had passed away at age 96. We're witnessing the end of an era and the beginning of a new one with the ascension of a new monarch in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

British Queen Elizabeth II dies

 I didn't really plan to post here today, however, since we do look at things from a history standpoint here we talk about the late Queen of England.

Well in fact Elizabeth was the Queen of many realms and former parts of the British Empire such as Jamaica, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada. Tip of the iceberg of course however she was the figurehead sovereign of many territories around the globe.

And now that passes on to her son, the Prince of Wales who it seems will now be known as King Charles III. I knew someone who predicted that Charles would likely pass away before he gets the throne. Of course that prediction was made two decades ago and now we see King Charles finally has ascended the throne at 73 years of age.

The Queen was 96 years of age when she passed away and I woke up to news that she was under medical supervision. And then I saw reports of her family coming to her estate in Scotland wanting to be with her in the final hours of her life as it turned out. When I saw those reports I had a sinking feeling, although she usually bounces back. It wasn't that long ago that she was diagnosed with coronavirus.

So anyway the 2nd Elizabethan era has come to a close and now we're starting the reign of Charles. And consider that she reigned a long time other British monarchs who reigned as long includes King George III - and if you remember the United States of America broke away from the British Empire under his reign - and a woman named Queen Victoria. The Queen reigned for 70 years having celebrated her diamond jubilee this year!

I do find this British monarchy fascinating, many Americans do as well. 

The Queen died peacefully at Balmoral this afternoon.

The King and The Queen Consort will remain at Balmoral this evening and will return to London tomorrow. pic.twitter.com/VfxpXro22W

— The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) September 8, 2022

Geography King: Ukraine overview

 

[VIDEO] The Russian invasion of Ukraine has been dominating the news as of late depending upon what network you're watching. FOX News, CNN, MSDNC....well whatever news network you're watching or even you see little things about this situation on your local news stations.

Kyle of Geography King shares with you a quick overview of the nation of Ukraine. The people, the culture, the economy, even the terrain. You may ask though not necessarily answered here is why is Russia invading, what do they want with Ukraine?

I hope you learn something new with this.

Mr. Beat: Why time zones exist?

 

[VIDEO] In this video we establish why there are time zones established around the world. While there are only 24 hours in a day which represents the earth's daily rotation, we actually have 39 time zones often established by geography and especially politics.

The British were the first to establish a prime meridian to help with administering their growing global empire and to help British mariners establish their positions on the earth's oceans. Other nations established their own prime meridians however by the 19th century the British prime meridian became standard which became Greenwich Mean Time. The standard time for the whole globe.

However what was also mentioned is the role of the railroads in establishing time zones. That's something one probably has heard about in their classrooms at some point. Most transportation companies operate on a schedule of some sort and Mr. Beat mentions that you might need time to insure that you don't find yourself crashing into another train.

I hope you enjoy this video.

BTW, this weekend you have to set your clocks back an hour. Daylight Savings Time is over for 6 months get ready. We got places we need to go whether work or what not so I want to help you reset your clocks.

Mr. Beat explains 9/11

 

[VIDEO] Today is the 21st anniversary of this lethal terrorist attack on U.S. soil. I saw it unfold live on TV and was listen to the radio when another plane hit the World Trade Center in New York. I was going to school in downtown Chicago at the time, and was headed for class on that day. The reaction of my professor when in class on that day was seemingly stunned and I went home early that day.

Had a class in the evening that I opted to not attend was no longer in the mood for it. I couldn't exactly process what happened it was truly stunning to find out that the World Trade Center were destroyed and many more were stuck in those buildings when they collapsed. It was also stunning that one plane hit the Pentagon in Virginia and another plane crash in a farm field in Pennsylvania.

In this video which Mr. Beat premiered on Friday he discusses the many events and responses as a result of Sept. 11, 2001. The "War on Terror", the Afghanistan campaign, the Patriot Act, etc. The War on Terror is still ongoing and to inject some world affairs onto this blog.

Afghanistan has made the news a lot as of late when Biden withdrew from that trouble nation last month. Depending on what news sources you follow you hear that American's and various Afghan allies were left behind over there amidst the chaos of the American withdrawal and the insurgency of an insurgent group known as the Taliban.

In late 2001, President George W. Bush announced the start of military operations against the Taliban in Afghanistan and in a short time perhaps a month or so American-led forces gained control of Afghan terrority. The Taliban never went away even as ultimately an American backed regime was put into place over Afghanistan. Of course there have been charges of corruption as far as this goes, and besides to install a regime doesn't always seem to go without a hitch.

Either way the Taliban never went away and had an ongoing insurgency against the American led forces there. And 20 years later they've regained control of the country as the President of the American backed regime left the nation. 20 years earlier the Taliban effectively had control over most of the Afghan nation fighting a civil war against the Northern Alliance who wanted to restore the original gov't.

The Taliban then as now seek to install a regime with a very strict adherence to Islamic law. Perhaps like their neighbors in Iran or even like Saudi Arabia. There are videos of Taliban authorities seemingly using whips against women in public.

And that's another thing the reason why we went to Afghanistan in the first place was because there was a connection with the group named Al-Qaida who were responsible for the 9/11 terrorist attacks in the U.S.A. Have you had enough of the history lesson? 

I hope you watch the video above.