Ivermectin in a file image. Natasha Holt/The Epoch TimesIn an unusual move, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is backing a Texas doctor in her fight against the states medical board, which reprimanded

There's something known as 'the luck of the Irish,' and for an Irish ex-pat living in the United States named Seamus Culleton, it seemed he had it by the bucketful. Advertisement The tall, good looking

Basil Zaharoff went by many names. Some knew him as Count Zacharoff, others as Prince Zacharias Basileus Zacharoff, and his closest friends called him Zedzed. But Zaharoff was perhaps best known as Europes mystery man, or, simply, the merchant of death.Bibliothque nationale de France/Wikimedia CommonsBasil Zaharoff, the merchant of death.Zaharoff was one of the foremost arms dealers of the 20th century. His machinations shaped world wars and fueled geopolitical arms races, and Zaharoffs reputation is such that some believe he inspired Ian Fleming to create Ernst Stavro Blofeld, the James Bond supervillain.But chances are, youve never heard of him. And thats exactly what Zaharoff intended. The Humble Origins Of Zacharias Basileios ZacharoffBecause Basil Zaharoff spent two days burning all his papers before his death, many details of his life remain in shadow. However, we have a vague idea of how he spent his early life.He was born Zacharias Basileios Zacharoff on October 6, 1849. While some report that Zaharoff was born in Mula, Turkey, which was then part of the Ottoman Empire, Zaharoff himself claimed that he was born in Constantinople. Zahroffs father worked as an importer of attar of roses, largely used to make perfume, but the family was quite poor. Despite his humble origins, however, Zahroff was both bright and ambitious. He could allegedly speak 10 language from a young age, and quickly found work, first as a tour guide, and then with the Constantinople Fire Brigade. According to Smithsonian Magazine, Zaharoffs job was to set fires, which the fire brigade could then extinguish for money.After this time, Zaharoffs trail goes cold. But by the 1870s, hed wound up in London, married, and facing charges of embezzlement. Shortly thereafter, Basil Zaharoff left England and made his way to Greece or Cyprus. Public DomainBasil Zaharoff came from humble origins but nevertheless became one of the most powerful men in Europe. And this is where his story really begin.Basil Zaharoff, The Merchant Of DeathDuring this time, Basil Zaharoff was fatefully introduced to arms dealer Thorsten Nordenfelt. In the late 1870s, Nordenfelt hired Zaharoff as an arms salesman, a decision that would change European history. Selling arms would soon became Zaharoffs main focus. But in the 1870s, he pursued several other unscrupulous schemes as well. Posing as a count, Zaharoff made his way to Ireland, where he was driven out of the country for pressuring Irish girls to work in American factories. He then made his way to the United States, where he styled himself as Count Zaharoff, and in 1884 allegedly boasted that he possessed four black diamonds that played a celebrated part in the Turko-Russian War. The next year, he introduced himself as Prince Zacharias Basileus Zacharoff, married a New York City heiress, and fled the country when he was accused of bigamy. Back in Greece, Basil Zaharoff then began to focus more intently on selling arms. That year, 1885, he sold submarines to the Greeks, then convinced the Turkish government to buy submarines by telling them that the Greek submarines posed a threat. The Turkish agreed to buy their own submarines, and Zaharoff then turned around and made the same argument to the Russians, who also agreed to buy submarines. The scheme was all the more devious, because the Nordenfelt submarines Zaharoff was selling were full of flaws. They were unwieldy and prone to overheating, and one submarine even sank after firing a torpedo. Wikimedia CommonsThe Nordenfelt submarine were notoriously faulty.Shortly afterward, in the late 1880s, Basil Zaharoff purportedly had a hand in another unscrupulous scheme. While trying to sell guns for Nordenfelt, Zaharoff found he had a new competitor: Hiram Maxim, who had developed the revolutionary automatic machine gun. Maxims gun was a cutting-edge, efficient weapon, but Maxim ran into a number of problems while trying to demonstrate it to potential buyers. At one demonstration, Maxims representatives showed up late someone had taken them out the night before and gotten them drunk. At another, the gun unexpectedly jammed. And at a third, someone in the audience spread rumors that the Maxim guns could not be mass produced. Ultimately, Nordenfelt and Maxim decided to join forces after which, the orders for Maxims guns came pouring in. Its suspected that Zaharoff had a hand in sabotaging Maxims demonstrations until that point. Indeed, the new arms company which became Vickers, Sons & Maxim after 1897 would become extremely successful, especially as Europe veered toward World War I. During the conflict, Vickers would produce submarines, cannons, torpedos, airplanes, and, of course, machine guns. The Final Years Of The Mystery Man Of EuropeBasil Zaharoff was deeply involved in World War I. Not only was he an arms dealer, but hed also bought a French bank, and a French newspaper, which gave him power in the worlds of finance and media. According to declassified documents from the war, he also worked behind the scenes to drag Greece onto the side of the Allies, and to convince the Ottoman Empire to abandon their ally, the Germans. Zaharoff was even given $10 million to try and convince Turkey to stay out of the war, and although his endeavor failed, it was enough to earn him a Knight Grand Cross from the British. Indeed, Ser Basil, as he subsequently went by, was also awarded with the Legion of Honor from the French.Bibliothque nationale de France/Wikimedia CommonsBasil Zaharoff in formal regalia.By the time the war ended, Basil Zaharoff was wealthy and powerful. Yet he remained a mystery to most. And Zaharoff ensured that his affairs would stay secret in 1927, when he burned 58 years worth of his diaries. He died roughly a decade later, in 1936, at the age of 87. Even in death, the truth of Basil Zaharoffs life remained unclear. He had been known for his wealth indeed, some believed that he was one of the wealthiest men in Europe, and Zaharoff purportedly had made more than $1 billion from World War I alone. But by the time he died, he had just 193,103 to his name, or less than $1 million. In the end, perhaps the full story of Basil Zaharoff will never fully be known. But the merchant of death proved time and time again that he would do whatever it took to climb the rungs of power. After reading about Basil Zaharoff, the arms dealer known as the merchant of death, look through these grim photos from inside the trenches of World War I. Or, discover the harrowing story of the Battle of the Somme, the bloodiest battle of World War I. The post Who Was Basil Zaharoff, The Mysterious European Arms Dealer Known As The Merchant Of Death? appeared first on All That's Interesting.

A beautiful mortal, the land of Troy, and an infamous kidnapping. Youd be forgiven for thinking first of Helen of Troy. But there was another mortal whose abduction shook the ancient world: Ganymede. Public DomainA depiction of Ganymedes abduction by Zeus, seen here as an eagle, by Peter Paul Rubens. Circa 1611.Like Helen, Ganymede was said to be the most beautiful mortal in the world. Unlike Helen, he was male, a young prince in the land of Troy. His legend has changed over time, but the basic story has remained the same. One day, while out in a field, Ganymede was kidnapped by Zeus to be the cupbearer to the gods. Starting in antiquity, however, the ancient Greeks began to believe that Zeus kidnapped Ganymede out of lust, and the Trojan prince has thus become a symbol of male same-sex desire. This is the story of Ganymede, from its original telling in the 8th century B.C.E., to how interpretations of the myth changed over the centuries. The Story Of The Loveliest Born Of The Race Of MortalsThe story of Ganymede first appeared in Homers Iliad in the 8th century B.C.E. Then, Ganymede is described as the youngest son of Tros, the founder of the city of Troy. Homer doesnt spend much time on the story. He merely writes that the prince was the loveliest born of the race of mortals, and therefore the gods caught him away to themselves, to be Zeus cup-bearer, for the sake of his beauty, so he might be among the immortals.Homer also explains that Zeus gave Tros horses that were finest that live[d] and move[d] under the sun as payment for his son Ganymede.Public DomainA sculpture of Ganymede in the Louvre. But this is the only mention of Ganymede in the Iliad. It thus fit with a number of kidnapping stories in Greek myth, such as the abduction of Persephone by Hades, the kidnapping of Helen of Troy by Paris, which triggered the Trojan War, and the kidnapping Europa by the Greek god Zeus. However, the myth stands apart because of the gender dynamics at play. And, indeed, the interpretation of the story changed by the 6th century B.C.E. The Homosexual Interpretation Of Ganymedes Myth In Ancient GreeceHomers story about Ganymede is sparse. He does not mention who kidnapped the prince, or how, and nothing in his text suggests that the kidnapping was sexually motivated. However, it didnt take long for ancient Greek writers to interpret the myth of Ganymede as one of same-sex desire. In the 6th century B.C.E., the writer Theognis made it clear that the myth of Ganymede was one of homossexual desire, writing: there is some pleasure in loving a youth, since once in fact even Zeus, the son of Cronos, king of the immortals, fell in love with Ganymede, seized him, carried him off to Olympus, and made him divine, keeping the lovely bloom of boyhood. Zde/Wikimedia CommonsA statue of the abduction of Ganymede by Zeus from the 5th century B.C.E.Plato, in the 4th century B.C.E., also cited Ganymede and Zeus when writing about homosexual desire. The feeling of love between men, Plato wrote, is like Zeus when he was in love with Ganymede.That said, Plato changed his mind about the myth. He later blamed writers from Crete for inventing the story of Ganymede and Zeus to justify homosexuality, writing: And we all accuse the Cretans of concocting the story about Ganymede because it was the belief that they derived their laws from Zeus so they added on this story about Zeus in order that they might be thought to be following his example in enjoying this pleasure as well.Indeed, Zeus passion for Ganymede was a reflection of the Greco-Roman concept of pederasty, in which an older man formed a sexual and romantic relationship with an adolescent youth, in order to mentor him. But Plato was far from alone in his disregard for the practice. The word catamite, which comes from the Latin form of Ganymede, Catamitus, describes a boy in a pederastic relationship. Today, it has a pejorative contect. Public DomainAn 18th century painting of Zeus and Ganymede. But whether or not they were concocted by the Cretans, the homosexual themes of myth of Ganymede were cemented by the 1st century C.E.In Metamorphoses, Ovid lay down an official version of the myth of Ganymede when he wrote: The king of the gods once burned with love for Phrygian Ganymede, and to win him Zeus chose to be something other than he was. Yet he did not deign to transform himself into any other bird, than that eagle, that could carry his lightning bolts. Straightaway, he beat the air with deceitful wings, and stole the Trojan boy, who still handles the mixing cups, and against Heras will pours out Zeus nectar.Ovid included several details which have now become part of Ganymedes legend: that the youth was kidnapped by Zeus disguised as an eagle, and that Hera, Zeuss wife, was jealous of his new role on Mount Olympus. The Modern-Day Interpretation Of The Ancient Greek MythIn the ancient world, Ganymede like Antinous, the lover of the Roman emperor Hadrian was a symbol of queer love. Ganymede, as a cup-bearer, also became associated with water, and some versions of the legend suggest he gifted humanity with the water of the gods, possibly through the creation of Egypts Nile River. As such, he is often identified with the constellation of Aquarius, meaning water-carrier or cup-carrier, in Latin. However, interpretations of his myth changed yet again as time marched on. In the Middle Ages, the homosexual themes of the myth of Ganymede were largely scrubbed out. Ganymede was often depicted as a baby, and his story sometimes interpreted as the tragedy of when a child dies too soon. That said, the beauty of Ganymede remained a popular theme in Renaissance art. Indeed, Ganymede is far from forgotten. In the seventeenth century, the largest moon of Jupiter (using the Roman name for Zeus), was named for Ganymede, the most beautiful of mortals, the cupbearer to the gods.NASA/JPL/University of Arizona/Wikimedia CommonsThe moon of Ganymede orbiting next to Jupiter.Ganymede and Zeus are thus eternally linked, as this moon is forever orbiting the largest planet in the solar system, the king of the stars.After reading about the myth of Ganymede and his abduction by Zeus, and how it became interpreted as one of homosexual desire, learn about the terrible punishment of Sisyphus, the mythical king. Or, discover the horrifying story of the Gorgons, the terrifying monsters from Ancient Greek legend.The post The Story Of Ganymede, The Handsome Prince Of Ancient Greek Myth Who Was Kidnapped By Zeus appeared first on All That's Interesting.

LaMar FamilySierra LaMar was 15 when she vanished on her way to school in 2012.One morning in 2012, a 15-year-old Morgan Hill, California girl named Sierra Lamar walked to her school bus stop, then apparently disappeared off the face of the Earth.When LaMars discarded cellphone was found the following day, the local sheriffs department still considered her a missing person, dismissing any foul play. As more items of the teenager appeared the next day, concern spread of something more sinister throughout the affluent community on the southern end of the San Francisco Bay area. Traces of LaMar emerged, but never the missing girl herself. With her family clinging to hope and hundreds of persons searching for LaMar, the police finally arrested and convicted her abductor and murderer. As more time passed LaMars family were forced to face the horrific fact, that her body or remains would never be found.Sierra LaMar Goes MissingPublic DomainA missing poster for Sierra LaMar.Sierra Mae LaMar was born on Oct. 19, 1996, in Fremont California. LaMar had recently moved to nearby Morgan Hill, living with her mother and her boyfriend while her father remained in Fremont. Despite only enrolling that year, LaMar was a well-liked, friendly, and popular 15-year-old at Ann Sobrata High School in Morgan Hill, with a unique ability to make people laugh. When Sierra LaMar never made it to her high school on the morning of March 16, 2012, the schools automated attendance reporting system logged her as absent. It wasnt until 6 p.m. that evening that her mother was notified of LaMars absence by automated email.Unfortunately, crucial hours had already been lost when LaMar was reported missing. While the shocking news rippled throughout the school, LaMars English teacher kept her desk empty for the rest of the school year.At this stage, the Santa Clara County Sheriffs Office considered LaMar a standard missing person. There is no evidence of foul play, Sheriffs spokesman Jose Cardoza said, according to NBC News. However, suspicious evidence to the contrary was found over the next the two days.Property Belonging To Sierra LaMar AppearsOn March 17, at an intersection in Morgan Hill around two miles from her home, LaMars cellphone was found intact near the roadway, as if thrown from a vehicle. The next day, two intersections away, a pink Juicy brand purse belonging to LaMar was found, stuffed with neatly folded clothing including a pair of jeans, and a shirt. The purse was once again found discarded on the side of the road. In the days after LaMars disappearance and the initial police search, a huge voluntary search began organized by the Nonprofit Klaaskids Foundation. The rugged area around LaMars home and the bus stop she was heading toward, was secluded and challenging. It included fields, hills, reservoirs, woods, ravines, and thick brush. The search bar was raised with the focus shifted to searching for any evidence indicating a crime.When searchers came upon used condoms near a small box labelled stainless steel handcuffs in a dead-end road, the Sheriffs office attributed the find to local teenage behavior. The items were found where teens liked to park and hang out, SanBenito.com reported, but would be submitted to the crime lab for further testing.With Lamar failing to turn up, her disappearance indicated a more alarming sign, and the investigation shifted to an involuntary missing person under the umbrella of a kidnapping or abduction. LaMars father, a registered sex offender, was ruled out as a person of interest at this stage.Investigators saw nothing in LaMars home life to indicate she would voluntarily run away. Forensic examination of her phone and personal computer hadnt revealed anything useful, still investigators set out to make every registered sex offender in the area account for their whereabouts at the time of LaMars disappearance. By March 28, 2012, a man driving a bright red Volkswagen Jetta appeared on investigators radar.Investigators Arrest Antolin Garcia-Torres For Her DisappearancePaul Chinn/The San Francisco Chronicle via Getty ImagesAntolin Garcia-Torres makes a brief appearance in Santa Clara County Superior Court in San Jose, California on Thursday, May 24, 2012.Sierra LaMars discarded purse containing her clothes had provided breakthrough evidence in the search for her abductor and suspected murderer. The crime lab had extracted traces of DNA from LaMars jeans linking a 21-year-old man, Antolin Garcia-Torres. Garcia-Torress DNA was already in law enforcement databases for previous crimes that included felony battery resulting in serious bodily injury.Garcia-Torres drove a red Volkswagen Jetta and worked at a Safeway grocery store, living in an RV park around 7 miles from LaMars home with his then pregnant girlfriend and his mother. He was placed under 24-hour surveillance by multiple agencies as they watched his every move.In 2009, three different women suffered attempted assault and potential abduction from the parking lots of Morgan Hill Safeway stores. A man had approached the women at night as they were entering their parked vehicles or while they were sitting in their cars preparing to drive away. The suspect used a stun gun to subdue one of the women entering her vehicle through the rear passenger door. In another, an 18-year-old woman grabbed a pocketknife to try to defend herself when he entered her car. The man had grabbed her hand holding the knife and placed it close to her throat according to The Gilroy Dispatch. Fortunately, the suspect was frightened away on all three occassions by the victims screams or passersby. LaMars disappearance was featured on an episode of Americas Most Wanted, and on May 21, after two months of round-the-clock surveillance, sheriffs deputies arrested Garcia-Torres for the kidnapping and murder of Sierra LaMar.His red VW Jetta was seen on surveillance cameras on the morning of LaMars disappearance near the area she was in, and had been seized by officers weeks before. LaMars DNA was present on an inside door handle, and a single strand of her hair was caught within a rope in the trunk. Despite the absence of her body, a crime scene, or murder weapon, prosecutors sought the death penalty.Partial Justice For LaMars FamilyPaul Chinn/The San Francisco Chronicle via Getty ImagesA friend of the LaMar family holds up a photo of her at a gathering outside Santa Clara County Superior Court.On Saturday, March 14, 2015, LaMars family made the extremely difficult decision to make that day the last of searching for her. Over the previous three years, volunteers had conducted weekly searches in the hopes of recovering LaMars body or remains, the longest open search center in the U.S. according to ABC News.Garcia-Torres eventually went on trial on January 30, 2017, and four months later, the jury found Garcia-Torres guilty of all counts, including the kidnapping and murder of Sierra LaMar as well as the attempted assaults on the three women in Safeway parking lots.Although none of the women had picked him out of a police lineup, Garcia-Torres had dropped the stun gun in one assault, and a fingerprint on the battery matched to him. Despite LaMars mothers stoic attempts to have Garcia-Torres reveal her daughters body, You could end this and repent, and tell us where she is. What if she was your child? Garcia-Torres remained silent.The jury rejected the death penalty and sentenced Antolin Garcia-Torres to life without the possibility of parole. In December 2020 Garcia-Torres refused to divulge any information about the whereabouts of LaMar in response to a reporters handwritten letter. Sierra LaMars family have never held a funeral service for her. It didnt make sense without her body, her father said.After learning about Sierra LaMar, read about more baffling cases, including the strange disappearance of Rebecca Coriam aboard a Disney cruise ship or Leigh Occhis unsolved case.The post The Chilling Disappearance And Murder Of Sierra LaMar appeared first on All That's Interesting.

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