Latest news with #Exodus
The Sun
2 days ago
- Science
- The Sun
Mysterious 3,800-year-old markings found etched in ancient Egyptian mine could have been ‘made by Moses'
A MYSTERIOUS 3,800-year-old inscription etched on the walls of an ancient Egyptian turquoise mine has sparked claims it could prove the Bible's Book of Exodus true. Independent researcher Michael Bar-Ron believes markings discovered at Serabit el-Khadim in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula may spell out zot m'Moshe — Hebrew for 'This is from Moses.' 4 4 The Proto-Sinaitic carving, found near the famed Sinai 357 in Mine L, dates back to around 1800BC in Egypt's late 12th Dynasty. Bar-Ron spent eight years poring over high-resolution images and 3D scans before suggesting the phrase could link directly to the biblical figure who led the Israelites out of Egypt. 'We find worshipful inscriptions lauding the idol Ba'alat, with clearly an El or God-serving scribe coming in later and canceling out certain letters, in an effort to turn the message into a God-serving one,' Bar-Ron told Patterns of Evidence. 'This is ground zero for this conflict.' Bar-Ron's academic advisor, Dr Pieter van der Veen, backed his interpretation, saying: 'You're absolutely correct, I read this as well, it is not imagined!' The tantalizing find comes amid other nearby inscriptions referencing El, an early Israelite deity, alongside defaced mentions of the Egyptian goddess Hathor. Scholars suggest the erasures point to a fierce religious struggle among Semitic-speaking workers who labored in Pharaoh Amenemhat III's mines. The area also bears evidence of revolt: a burned Ba'alat temple, inscriptions about slavery and overseers, and mentions of the 'Gate of the Accursed One' — possibly Pharaoh's gate. Such details echo the Exodus narrative of defiance and departure. Mystery of ancient mummified crocs worshipped by Egyptian CULT finally solved Researchers also spotted a second possible reference to 'Moshe' (Moses) in the mine complex. But Bar-Ron insists he isn't chasing headlines. 'I took a very critical view towards finding the name 'Moses' or anything that could sound sensationalist,' he said. 'In fact, the only way to do serious work is to try to find elements that seem 'Biblical,' but to struggle to find alternative solutions that are at least as likely.' Mainstream scholars, however, remain unconvinced. Dr Thomas Schneider, Egyptologist at the University of British Columbia, dismissed the claims as 'completely unproven and misleading,' warning that 'arbitrary' letter identifications could warp our understanding of ancient history. Still, the debate is heating up. According to the Jerusalem Post, structured-light scans of the mines are set to expand the known inscription catalogue to 'well over twenty' and will be posted as open-access 3D models later this year. With the geographical spread of Proto-Sinaitic script from Egypt through Sinai into Canaan mapping neatly onto the biblical Exodus route, believers say the discovery is no coincidence. Critics counter that the weathered carvings could simply be Semitic graffiti from migrant workers. 4 4
USA Today
3 days ago
- USA Today
Looking to hike in Europe? Why a guided tour is the way to go
While all travel involves at least some walking, on a hiking trip the payoff is twofold — it's both the journey and the destination. With boots on the ground, you hike along a town's paths, streets and trails, gaining a sense of its history while rubbing elbows with locals who lend contemporary context. Organizing a trip can be stressful — where to stay, what to visit, where to eat — and it's even more difficult if you want to explore the back roads of a foreign country. As a hiker, researching trails and routes online is no match for local knowledge. A guided hiking vacation fills that gap with experts who go well beyond simply making sure you don't get lost. The guides on European hiking adventures know the routes, handle moving between hotels and restaurants, speak the local language along with English and ensure you leave with a better understanding of the itinerary's sites and vistas. If the idea of touring on foot triggers field trip flashbacks or seeing a horde of adults following a raised flag around a city, European hiking tour operators usually situate you in independent, smaller hotels and inns, tucked away from the touristy parts of town. Laura Witherspoon and her husband, David Head, of Chattanooga, Tenn., recently returned from their eighth hiking trip, this one to France's Normandy region. She sees the value of having a guide and a team behind them arranging the itinerary and the logistics of the adventure. Country Walkers, the Williston, Vt.-based operator the couple used, 'makes it so easy for you to just show up, but the hotels and inns you stay at are not places you likely would have discovered yourself because they're out of the way,' Witherspoon says. Guided hiking tours can range from mild exercise to a strenuous workout — in either case, you'll earn that extra wine or dessert with dinner — but that's all you have to focus on because nearly every other detail is planned for you. Once booked, you can focus on finding perfectly fitting hiking boots and look forward to enjoying the vistas, which will feel sweeter because you worked a bit harder for them. From Portugal's coast to Scandinavia's northern lights, you can find hiking tours from providers such as Country Walkers, Exodus, Backroads, Trek Travel and Explore Worldwide to just about any part of Europe. The difficulty of the hiking is as varied as the locations, with some tours designed for those who can walk about five miles throughout the day to more strenuous routes on technical trails that can have you trekking more than 15 miles daily with elevation gains of up to 4,000 feet — after you've provided proof of medevac insurance. There are tours for nearly every fitness level, but some operators are better suited to travelers who might want to opt out of hiking for an afternoon of less-intensive experiences. 'This one afternoon we went on a hike to a waterfall,' Donna Neidert of Lakewood Ranch, Fla., says of her Explore Worldwide trip to the Amalfi Coast. 'The guide knew exactly where we were going, because we went off the beaten path, and we sat in a field and ate our lunch.' The guides, who are sometimes native to the tour region, are the backbone of this kind of travel experience. Guides handle the basics of keeping hikers safe and on schedule, but, in the end, they realize this is your vacation. European hiking tours range from about a week to more than 20 days, depending on how ambitious the route is. A tour through Ireland's County Clare, Killarney, and Dingle might be a week long with up to eight miles per day of hiking, while the Tour du Mont Blanc, looping through Italy, France, and Switzerland, requires 10 days while logging up to 12 miles daily. Tours can happen almost any time of the year outside of the depth of winter, though many operators tend to skip the peak heat of July and August unless the route is at higher, cooler mountain elevations. Group size typically ranges from 10 to 20 hikers; normally, the tougher the route the smaller the group. Smaller groups might have one guide, while larger ones or routes that are more challenging might have two. While couples make up a large portion of the hikers, you can find solo travelers weaved in, along with friends, families with young children or teenagers, and multi-generational groups. Browsing providers' websites should be your first stop. Pay attention to factors such as the cost, dates and number of days of a particular tour, along with details about the level of hiking. Pricing always includes lodging and most, but not all, meals, including beer and wine, fees to enter venues like parks or preserves and the guide's services for the duration of the trip. Some providers will include airfare in the price, but usually you're left to book round-trip flights. Some hikers prefer to arrive a couple of days early — especially ahead of longer tours or those at higher elevations — to get acclimated. Or they tack on a few extra days at the end. Calgary, Alberta, native and avid hiker Bev Stevenson did just that after an Exodus tour through the Dolomites in northern Italy, heading to Majorca, Spain. 'I made all my arrangements and visited Barcelona, which is kind of a jumping-off point for Majorca, and went up the coast and back down,' she says. All tour providers offer a detailed online itinerary of what sites and vistas you'll see and what you'll do that might not be hiking-related — like visiting a winery in France or taking a pasta-making lesson on an Italian farm. Expect to see a daily breakdown that includes how many miles you'll walk, the elevation, and where the tour might use a private bus to speed things along. A typical tour day starts with breakfast at the hotel followed by a morning hike, lunch and an afternoon hike. Then it's back to your room to freshen up before dinner. Days can be broken up with stops in town for shopping or gelato tasting, and guides lend those experiences local character. Because they're familiar with the routes, they can help steer you to a restaurant for those nights when you're not eating with the group. 'We were on Playa el Castelle (in Spain) and saw someone using a purrón,' a traditional Spanish wine pitcher, says San Francisco-based content strategist Courtney Muro, recalling a Backroads trip. 'We wanted to try it but didn't know how, so the guides got a hold of one, filled it with wine, and we spent an hour pouring it into our mouth, trying to get it as far from our mouths as possible while still hitting the mark. The Spanish people were laughing at us, and it was a great time.' Since everyone on the tour has hiking in common, it's not unusual to form friendships that lead to other trips together. 'Four people I met in Majorca are coming here to hike the Rockies with me,' Stevenson says. While each brand offers a way to gauge how difficult the trip will be — typically a system of numbers and description, like grading a hike in the Dolomites as a level 3, moderate — the fitness level varies depending on the provider. 'Most of the trips we've been on are easy to moderate hiking,' Witherspoon says. Some trekkers look at the ratings and feel emboldened to take on the challenge, with the comfort of knowing that if you need extra time, the guides are there to lend a hand. 'Dolomites was irresistible,' says Cathy Dillard of Asheville, N.C. 'When I read the trip description and saw the energy index, I thought, 'I can do this,' though the elevation added an extra challenge at times. But if I needed a breather, I would simply pause, soak in the stunning scenery, and then continue.'
Associated Press
11-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Associated Press
In the Sahara, a friendly dance competition carries on an ancient festival tradition
DJANET, Algeria (AP) — In one hand, the dancers hold swords symbolizing battle. In the other, a piece of cloth symbolizing peace. They dance a shuffling 'step-step' to the beat of drums and chanting from the women encircling them, all adorned in their finest traditional garments and jewelry. They're performing the rituals of the 3,000-year-old annual Sebeiba festival of Djanet, a southeastern Algerian oasis town deep in the Sahara, just over 200 kilometers (about 125 miles) from the Libyan border. Sebeiba is a core tradition of the Tuareg people, native to the Sahara and parts of West Africa. The Tuareg are Muslim, and their native language is Tamasheq, though many speak some combination of French, Modern Standard Arabic, Algerian Arabic (Darija) and English. The festival lasts 10 days, and ends with a daylong dance competition between two neighborhoods in Djanet — Zelouaz, or Tsagit, and El Mihan, or Taghorfit. The winner is decided by judges from a third neighborhood, Adjahil, by selecting the group with the most beautiful costumes, dances, jewelry, poetry and songs. Significance of the festival The Tuaregs in Djanet say there are two legends explaining the significance of Sebeiba, though oral traditions vary. The first says the festival was put on to celebrate peace and joy after Moses defeated the Pharaoh in the Exodus story. 'In commemoration of this great historical event, when God saved Moses and his people from the tyranny of the oppressive Pharaoh, the people of Djanet came out and celebrated through dance,' said Ahmed Benhaoued, a Tuareg guide at his family's tourism agency, Admer Voyages. He has lived in Djanet all his life. The second legend says the festival commemorates the resolution of a historic rivalry between Zelouaz and El Mihan. 'The festival is a proud tradition of the Tuareg in Djanet,' Benhaoued said. 'Some call it 'the Sebeiba celebration,' or 'the war dance without bloodshed' or 'the dance of peace.'' Today, Sebeiba is also a point of cultural pride. Recognized by UNESCO since 2014 as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, Sebeiba coincides with Ashoura, a day marking the 10th day of Muharram, or the first month of the Islamic year. Some in Djanet fast for up to three days before Sebeiba. This year, Ashoura and Sebeiba fell on July 6, when temperatures in Djanet reached about 38 C (100 F). Still, more than 1,000 people gathered to watch Sebeiba at a sandy square marking the center point between the two neighborhoods, where the festival is held each year. Each group starts at one end of the square — Zelouaz to the north and El Mihan to the south. The dancers are young men from the neighborhoods dressed in dark robes accented by bright yellow, red and blue accessories and tall, maroon hats called Tkoumbout adorned with silver jewelry. The men's dances and women's chants have been passed down through generations. Children participate in the festivities by mimicking the older performers. Boys brandish miniature swords and scarves in their small hands and girls stand with the female drummers. A friendly dance competition This year, El Mihan won the dance competition. But Cheikh Hassani, director of Indigenous Institutional Dance of Sebeiba, emphasized that despite the naming of a winner, the festival remains a friendly celebration — meant above all to honor their ancestors in a spirit of unity. 'Sebeiba is not just a dance,' Hassani said. 'People used to think you just come, you dance — no, it represents so much more. For the people of Djanet, it's a sort of sacred day.' While the most widely known part of Sebeiba is the dance competition on the last day, the nine days leading up to it are also full of celebration. Tuareg from Libya and from other cities in the Algerian Sahara come to gatherings each night, when the temperature has cooled, to watch the performers rehearse. Hassani said the generational inheritance of the festival's customs helps them keep the spirits of their ancestors alive. 'We can't let it go,' he said. 'This is our heritage, and today it's become a heritage of all humanity, an international heritage.' According to legend, Benhaoued said, there will be winds and storms if Sebeiba is not held. 'It is said that this actually happened once when the festival was not held, so a woman went out into the streets with her drum, beating it until the storm calmed down,' the Tuareg guide added. About 50 foreign tourists joined the people of Djanet for the final dance competition, hailing mostly from European countries such as France, Poland and Germany. Several also came from the neighboring countries of Libya and Niger. Djanet is one of many Algerian cities experiencing an increase in tourism over the past two years thanks to government efforts to boost the number of foreign visitors, especially to scenic sites like the Sahara which makes up 83% of the North African country's surface area. The government introduced a new visa-on-arrival program in January 2023 for all nonexempt foreign tourists traveling to the Sahara. Additionally, the national airline, Air Algerie, launched a flight between Paris and Djanet in December 2024 during the winter season, when tourists from across the world travel to Djanet for camping excursions deep into the Sahara. 'The Sebeiba isn't just something for the people of Djanet,' Hassani said. 'We have the honor of preserving this heritage of humanity. That's an honor for us.' ___ Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP's collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.
Business Upturn
10-07-2025
- Business
- Business Upturn
Exodus Movement, Inc. June 2025 Treasury Update and Monthly Metrics
By GlobeNewswire Published on July 10, 2025, 01:30 IST OMAHA, Neb., July 09, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Exodus Movement, Inc . (NYSE American: EXOD) ('Exodus' or 'the company'), a leading self-custodial cryptocurrency platform, today announced an update to selected digital asset holdings of Exodus' corporate treasury, as well as updated user and exchange provider processed volume metrics, as of June 30, 2025: Selected Digital Asset Holdings (Unaudited)Bitcoin (BTC): 2,058 BTC as of June 30, 2025 compared to 2,038 as of May 31, 2025Ethereum (ETH): 2,729 ETH as of June 30, 2025 compared to 2,721 as of May 31, 2025 Solana (SOL): 31,823 SOL as of June 30, 2025 compared to 29,109 as of May 31, 2025 Users Monthly Active Users (MAUs): 1.5 million as of June 30, 2025, of which 21,000 are Passkeys wallets. That figure compares with the 2.2 million MAUs as of May 31, 2025, of which approximately 675,000 were Passkeys wallets driven by the one-time Passkeys promotion in May. Swap Volume Exodus' exchange provider processed volume was $446M for the month of June 2025, of which $90M (20%) originated from the company's XO Swap partners. This volume is compared to $486M for the month of May 2025. Exodus CFO James Gernetzke remarked: 'We continued to grow our digital asset treasury through our operations in June as overall markets, including digital asset markets, saw lower volatility and volumes at the start of the summer. Exodus continues to build amazing digital asset experiences across multiple chains, helping to enhance our position in growing areas such as stablecoins and tokenized stocks.' Stablecoins and Exodus A requirement to use stablecoins and to harness the growing utility of stablecoins is having a digital asset wallet. Stablecoins will not function without a digital asset wallet. Exodus has embraced stablecoins for nearly a decade. The company's wallet supports a wide variety of stablecoins, including the largest coins such as Tether's USDT and Circle's USDC. Additionally, by supporting over 40 different networks, including large networks like Ethereum, Solana, and Tron, Exodus is positioned to natively support stablecoins wherever current and future use cases emerge. As the financial sector embraces new, innovative solutions powered by stablecoins, the need for a secure, trusted wallet is critical. Accordingly, Exodus' XO Swap product already provides the company's partners a seamless solution for swapping between stablecoins and between blockchains. Finally, as mentioned in Exodus CEO JP Richardson's keynote presentation titled 'The Trojan Horse Behind Bitcoin Adoption' at Bitcoin 2025, stablecoins are just one prominent use case supported by the company's products. We believe Exodus has and will continue to build a better financial future powered by blockchain technologies. About Exodus Exodus is a financial technology leader empowering individuals and businesses with secure, user-friendly crypto software solutions. Since 2015, Exodus has made digital assets accessible to everyone through its multi-asset crypto wallets prioritizing design and ease of use. With self-custodial wallets, Exodus puts customers in full control of their funds, enabling them to swap, buy, and sell crypto. Its business solutions include Passkeys Wallet and XO Swap, industry-leading tools for embedded crypto wallets and swap aggregation. Exodus is committed to driving the future of accessible and secure finance. Learn more at or follow us on X at . Investor Contact [email protected] Media ContactRyan Dicovitsky/Diana BostDukas Linden Public Relations [email protected] Disclosure Information Exodus uses the following as means of disclosing material nonpublic information and for complying with disclosure obligations under Regulation FD: websites and press releases; public videos, calls, and webcasts; and social media: X (@exodus and JP Richardson's feed @jprichardson), Facebook, LinkedIn, and YouTube. Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements, other than statements of historical facts, may be forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based on our beliefs and assumptions and on information currently available to us as of the date hereof. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by the following words: 'will,' 'expect,' 'would,' 'should,' 'intend,' 'believe,' 'expect,' 'likely,' 'believes,' 'views', 'estimates', or other comparable terminology. Forward-looking statements in this document include, but are not limited to, management statements regarding management's confidence in our products, services, business trajectory and plans, expectations regarding demand for our products, and volatility and trading volumes of digital asset markets. Such forward-looking statements involve a number of risks, uncertainties and other important factors that could cause our actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by our forward-looking statements. Such factors include those set forth in 'Item 1. Business' and 'Item 1A. Risk Factors' of Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the 'SEC') on March 6, 2025, as well as in our other reports filed with the SEC from time to time. All forward-looking statements are expressly qualified in their entirety by such cautionary statements. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements. Except as required by law, we undertake no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements that have been made to reflect events or circumstances that arise after the date made or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events. Disclaimer: The above press release comes to you under an arrangement with GlobeNewswire. Business Upturn takes no editorial responsibility for the same. Ahmedabad Plane Crash GlobeNewswire provides press release distribution services globally, with substantial operations in North America and Europe.
Elle
09-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Elle
5 'The Handmaid's Tale' Plot Points That Cleverly Foreshadowed Sequel, 'The Testaments'
* This article contains spoilers. At the very minimum, fans of The Handmaid's Tale will have to wait at least a year until The Testaments, plays out on their TV screens. As the sequel to the series and Margaret Atwood's novel, it is expected that the upcoming TV series will answer and resolve a number of fans' burning questions and open-ended storylines. Although The Handmaid's Tale season finale ended on a number of cliffhangers, true fans of the series will appreciate that throughout the series, plenty of foreshadowing that was sprinkled into the show that has set the stage for The Testaments. From evolving character arcs to new generations taking on former legacies and the continued fight against the regime, The Handmaid's Tale has carefully been setting the scene for the new series, which we unpack below. While Aunt Lydia has been one of Gilead's most brutal enforcers and enablers for the vast majority of the show, she's had a change of heart since season five, which continued into season six. What began as small incidents of doubting herself, her values and easing up on the Handmaids, has turned into a full blown change of sides (even if it was momentary) in the eighth episode, Exodus, when she let the girls leave the Red Centre to flee to complete the Mayday mission and kill the Commanders. As such, it comes as no surprise that The Testaments will see this continued change of heart. The sequel will see her embark on a more a present in bringing Gilead down from the inside. She does this through working for Mayday as a mole, she feeds them vital information regarding Gilead, which is then leaked to correspondents in Canada. The season finale angered fans for many reasons, with one of the central gripes being that June and her daughter Hannah were never able to reunite for good. As such, given that June was the central character in The Handmaid's Tale, The Testaments will see her daughter, Hannah (Agnes MacKenzie), living in Gilead as a young woman who is initially unaware of her true identity. The sequel is set to continue to tease her and June's reunion, and could possibly see Hannah follow in her biological mother's footsteps and begin to fight against Gilead. If you've gotten through the entirety of The Handmaid's Tale, you'll know by now that the writers like to let fans believe that certain characters are dead. For example, many fans thought that Emily was dead after not appearing in the series for multiple seasons, however, her character made a return in the final season. In episode nine, it is assumed that Nick (Max Minghella) dies in a plane explosion, alongside other Gileadean Commanders. As this occurred in the second last episode, we'd understand if you thought that there was no reason to fake his death, however, as his character is written into The Testaments novel, he could appear in the series, Now that we know that Mayday was not successful in taking down Gilead by The Handmaid's Tale ending, it's clear that the mission will continue on, and become a central plot point in The Testaments. At the beginning of the series Luke was more concerned with rescuing his daughter Hannah, then eventually began to put all his efforts into the fight against Gilead, so much so, that he is now one of the group's most established leaders. Similar to Nick, Luke is written into the novel, meaning that there is every reason for his character to appear in the series, as a main proponent to undermining of Gilead. The escape of June and Nick's baby, Nicole, to Canada was undoubtedly a monumental moment for both the regime and Mayday. Her escape marked a sign of hope for those wishing to be freed from Gilead, as well as the groups's continued fight in The Testaments. Now living in Canada with adoptive parents and completely unaware of her true identity, Nicole's natural interest in human rights clearly derives from her roots. ELLE Collective is a new community of fashion, beauty and culture lovers. For access to exclusive content, events, inspiring advice from our Editors and industry experts, as well the opportunity to meet designers, thought-leaders and stylists, become a member today HERE.
