Podcasts about Axis

In this Sagittarius season/Gemini Full Moon episode, Renee invites their longtime friend and mentor, Sage Hamilton, to talk about her experience as a radical educator, storyteller, and community organizer.If you're interested in learning from or working with Sage, contact her at sagewaye(at)gmail(dot)comReferences from the conversation:Melissa MichaelsMeagan ChandlerThe story of Jumping Mouse by Hyemeyohsts Storm Michael Mead - Living MythWe Shall be Known by the Company We Keep, lyrics by MaMuse*** Upcoming at EA***

Three Big Conversations: Season 5 of Stranger Things is already Netflix's biggest English-language release. - 09:08 2025 Black Friday shopping cost more but yielded less. - 29:30 Making sense of expensive Christmas wish lists for Gen Z and Gen Alpha. - 29:30 Song of the Week - "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" by Brenda Lee - 1:10 In Other News... 53:52 Oxford named "rage bait" as its word of the year and the internet immediately proved their point by fighting about it. It's officially "Wrapped" season as Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube, Twitch, and many others put nice packaging on all the user-data they gathered this year. Sabrina Carpenter and the White House have beef. On Monday, the White House social media team posted a video of ICE agents making arrests with Carpenter's song, "Juno" playing in the background. Carpenter responded with disgust. Do you know the band Geese? Some are calling them "Gen Z's Nirvana" and the generation's "first great rock band." On TikTok, the word "genuinely" (language) has now become a comically overused way to emphasize anything and everything. Click to join our Advent for the Record Listening Experience! Become a monthly donor today, join the Table. Get your question on Ask Axis! Send in your questions to ask@axis.org. For more Axis resources, go to axis.org.

With a creature hot on their tails, no magic to aid them and mysterious box in hand, our rotators venture ever forwards. Could this day get any weirder?Did you know You can join The Rotating Heroes Patreon for free!? It's well worth doing, as a free member you'll get access to little behind the scenes, special discounts and we've just started to make early arcs of the show including all the Arc Barks available for free members too! OR You can become a Rotator of the Realm and get access too...+ The whole first two Arcs of Campaign 2!+ Ad-Free Listening+ All Arc Barks (Talk Backs) for every episode

Dr. Brendan Murray shares insights from decades of experience treating elite athletes and everyday patients alike. He explains why poor movement mechanics, not aging, are the real cause of most joint pain and physical decline. Listeners will learn how to recognize faulty compensation patterns, understand the difference between stimulation and irritation in recovery, and create training plans that build resilience without injury. Brendan makes the case for personalized movement correction as the key to physical longevity.How long will you live? Take our quiz today to find out at ageist.com/longevity-quiz!Special Thanks to Our SponsorsMaui Nui Venison: The cleanest, most nutrient-dense red meat out there—high in protein, rich in antioxidants, and ethically harvested. And once a year, they release something truly special: The Reserve Holiday Roast. A 14-day aged, center-cut venison roast made from 100% wild-harvested Axis deer on Maui—naturally lean, deeply flavorful, and remarkably easy to prepare. It's a celebration of the season, of connection, and of the values we share: bringing something rare, responsible, and meaningful to the table. Just go to mauinuivenison.com/ageist to get your Holiday Roast. It ships frozen, directly to your door, nationwide. There are only 500 roasts available, so once they're gone, they're gone until next year.LMNT Electrolytes: Our #1 electrolytes for optimal hydration. Get a free 8-count Sample Pack of LMNT's most popular drink mix flavors with any purchase by using our link here. Find your favorite LMNT flavor, or share with a friend.Timeline Nutrition: Our favorite supplement for cell support and mitochondrial function. Listeners can now get 20% off their first Timeline purchase by using the code “AGEIST” at checkout at TimelineNutrition.com/ageist.Key Moments“Pain is not normal. Arthritis is common, but it's not normal.”“The adaptation is predicting the next injury.”“Fatigue leads to neurological failure.”Connect with Dr. MurrayCanyon Ranch Longevity8LinkedInInstagramConnect with AGEISTNewsletterInstagramWebsiteLinkedInClick Here for the full interview transcript.Say hi to the AGEIST team!

Season 5 of Stranger Things is already Netflix's biggest English-language release, 2025 Black Friday shopping cost more but yielded less, and making sense of expensive Christmas wish lists for Gen Z and Gen Alpha.   Song of the Week - "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" by Brenda Lee   In Other News... Oxford named "rage bait" as its word of the year and the internet immediately proved their point by fighting about it. It's officially "Wrapped" season as Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube, Twitch, and many others put nice packaging on all the user-data they gathered this year. Sabrina Carpenter and the White House have beef. On Monday, the White House social media team posted a video of ICE agents making arrests with Carpenter's song, "Juno" playing in the background. Carpenter responded with disgust. Do you know the band Geese? Some are calling them "Gen Z's Nirvana" and the generation's "first great rock band." On TikTok, the word "genuinely" (language) has now become a comically overused way to emphasize anything and everything. Click to join our Advent for the Record Listening Experience! Become a monthly donor today, join the Table. Get your question on Ask Axis! Send in your questions to ask@axis.org. For more Axis resources, go to axis.org.  

Most conversations in startups begin at zero: what's the idea, who's the customer, how big is the market. But the stage before that, when you know you're ready to be a founder yet the direction is still completely undefined. That strange, uncomfortable, high-potential zone Aditya Agarwal calls “minus one.”In this episode, Aditya and Prateek Mehta breaks down what happens in this “figuring out” stage. The questions people avoid, the habits that matter, and why some of the best companies begin long before their founders have any conviction.We get into how this stage is evolving in the AI era. Exploration cycles are faster, technical founders can test more directions than ever, and the gap between “I'm experimenting” and “I'm running a real company” has narrowed. India's builder ecosystem is shifting too: more second-time founders, more people with real outcomes behind them, and far more comfort sitting with ambiguity.Aditya shares his own minus-one moment after Facebook, his startup acquisition, Dropbox's IPO, and Flipkart, and why that transitional period changed the way he thinks about early-stage startups. Prateek brings on-the-ground view from Bangalore, where ambition, technical depth, and the appetite to explore hard problems from robotics to voice models to AI infra are rising.This episode is for anyone who feels they're between missions. Anyone who wants to understand why the most important part of building a company might actually be the time you spend before you even know what you're building.00:00- Trailer01:06- Aditya's journey to starting SPC after Facebook & Dropbox 03:48- A “learning club” for people in figuring-out stage06:23- 3 Northstars of the SPC community07:02- How SPC evolved from a community to a fund10:32- Not everyone should be a founder11:51- 1% selection rate13:53- Building conviction in 1 of 3 outcomes16:36- SPC is at PMF stage18:38- Mismatch of traditional VC's v/s rapid pace startups19:04- How AI has impacted investing at SPC26:32- How AI has changed VC firms29:02- Axis of curiosity replacing thesis30:17- Star Companies of SPC US33:34- Binny Bansal's role in starting SPC India37:16- Questions & confusions as founders in early stage39:50- Number of great entrepreneurs is NOT small41:49- Talent density in India vs Bay Area44:04- Founders don't need a culture of permission45:08- India tier 2 and 3 does invest heavily in AI46:11- AI is truly democratizing tech49:09- Math gives India advantage in AI51:48- A lot of science fiction is coming true-------------India's talent has built the world's tech—now it's time to lead it.This mission goes beyond startups. It's about shifting the center of gravity in global tech to include the brilliance rising from India.What is Neon Fund?We invest in seed and early-stage founders from India and the diaspora building world-class Enterprise AI companies. We bring capital, conviction, and a community that's done it before.Subscribe for real founder stories, investor perspectives, economist breakdowns, and a behind-the-scenes look at how we're doing it all at Neon.-------------Check us out on:Website: https://neon.fund/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theneonshoww/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/beneon/Twitter: https://x.com/TheNeonShowwConnect with Siddhartha on:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/siddharthaahluwalia/Twitter: https://x.com/siddharthaa7-------------This video is for informational purposes only. The views expressed are those of the individuals quoted and do not constitute professional advice.Send us a text

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In this episode, Sean and James rank the top World War II fighter planes used by the Axis powers.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode of Longevity by Design, host Dr. Gil Blander sits down with Dr. Emeran Mayer, Executive Director at the UCLA Center for Neurobiology of Stress and Resilience and founder of Mayer Interconnected. They explore the science behind the gut-brain connection and its role in shaping health and longevity.Emeran explains how signals flow between the brain, gut, and microbiome, influencing everything from digestion to emotions. He breaks down how modern diets, especially ultra-processed foods, disrupt the natural balance between humans and gut microbes—a relationship refined over thousands of years. The conversation highlights why early life exposure to antibiotics can have lasting effects on microbiome resilience, and how lifestyle choices like diet and exercise remain powerful tools for supporting gut-brain health at any age.The discussion closes with a look toward the future of gut-brain science, including engineered probiotics and the promise of more targeted therapies. Emeran shares practical habits for better gut-brain health and cautions against quick-fix “biohacking,” encouraging a return to whole foods, movement, and mindful living.Guest-at-a-Glance

Ghost breaks down a packed geopolitical landscape, starting with Maduro's message to Trump accusing U.S. agencies of fueling the Aragua Train cartel and outlining the role of DEA informant Alex Saab in exposing cartel and corporate networks. He then moves to Ukraine, covering Trump's 19-point peace plan, Wyckoff and Kushner's meeting with Putin, deep corruption inside Zelensky's circle, and NATO's escalating rhetoric as Europe faces internal fractures. From there, Ghost tracks major realignments in the Middle East as Turkey, Iran, and Saudi Arabia all arrive in Tehran at the same time, signaling a possible regional power shift. He closes with rising tension around Syria, Netanyahu's political crisis, and Russia's expanding influence, tying together how each region is reshaping global power all at once.

This content has been developed for healthcare professionals only. Patients who seek health information should consult with their physician or relevant patient advocacy groups.For the full presentation, downloadable Practice Aids, slides, and complete CME/AAPA information, and to apply for credit, please visit us at PeerView.com/WDQ865. CME/AAPA credit will be available until November 25, 2026.Fibrosis, Flares, and Forward Thinking in Inflammatory Bowel Disease Care: Unlocking the TL1A Axis In support of improving patient care, PVI, PeerView Institute for Medical Education, is jointly accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), to provide continuing education for the healthcare team.SupportThis activity is supported by educational grants from Genentech, a member of the Roche Group and Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, NJ, USA.Disclosure information is available at the beginning of the video presentation.

This content has been developed for healthcare professionals only. Patients who seek health information should consult with their physician or relevant patient advocacy groups.For the full presentation, downloadable Practice Aids, slides, and complete CME/AAPA information, and to apply for credit, please visit us at PeerView.com/WDQ865. CME/AAPA credit will be available until November 25, 2026.Fibrosis, Flares, and Forward Thinking in Inflammatory Bowel Disease Care: Unlocking the TL1A Axis In support of improving patient care, PVI, PeerView Institute for Medical Education, is jointly accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), to provide continuing education for the healthcare team.SupportThis activity is supported by educational grants from Genentech, a member of the Roche Group and Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, NJ, USA.Disclosure information is available at the beginning of the video presentation.

LJCSC's expert baker Dr. Kiersten Riedler takes us into the cozy world of holiday baking, sharing her tips and tricks for making the perfect gingerbread cookies. From rolling the dough just the right thickness to using fresh, fragrant spices, she reveals the details that make these cookies both delicious and festive.Along the way, Dr. Riedler draws fun parallels between baking and her work in facial plastic surgery, highlighting how precision, planning, and creativity are key in both. She also shares the joy—and gentle pressure—of living up to friends and family expectations during the holidays.Dr. Riedler's gingerbread cookies recipe:Ingredients:3 cups all-purpose flour¾ cup packed dark brown sugar1 Tbsp ground cinnamon1 Tbsp ground ginger¾ tsp baking soda½ tsp ground cloves½ tsp salt12 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted and cooled¾ cup molasses2 Tbsp milkInstructions:Process flour, sugar, cinnamon, ginger, baking soda, cloves, and salt in food processor until combined, about 10 seconds. Add melted butter, molasses, and milk and process until soft dough forms and no streaks of flour remain, about 20 seconds, scraping down sides of bowl as needed.Spray counter or silicone pastry mat lightly with baking spray with flour, transfer dough to counter, and knead until dough forms cohesive ball, about 20 seconds. Divide dough in half. Roll dough to ¼-inch thickness. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 24 hours.Heat oven to 350 degrees. Use cookie cutter to cut out cookies. Space cookies ¾ inch apart on rimmed baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Repeat rolling and cutting steps with dough scraps.Bake until cookies are puffy and just set around edges, 9 to 11 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through baking. Let cookies cool on sheets for 10 minutes, then transfer to wire rack and let cool completely before decorating and serving.LinksSee some of Dr. Riedler's gorgeous Christmas cookies and watch her bake themListen to LJCSC's festive holiday playlist to set the perfect mood while you bake, making your kitchen feel as magical as the season itself.Book a free 15-to-30-minute complimentary phone call with Dr. Riedler's patient coordinatorMeet San Diego facial plastic surgeon Dr. Kiersten RiedlerLearn from the talented plastic surgeons inside La Jolla Cosmetic Surgery Centre, the 12x winner of the San Diego's Best Union-Tribune Readers Poll, global winner of the 2020 MyFaceMyBody Best Cosmetic/Plastic Surgery Practice, and the 2025 winner of Best Cosmetic Surgery Group in San Diego Magazine's Best of San Diego Awards.Join hostess Monique Ramsey as she takes you inside LJCSC, where dreams become real. Featuring the unique expertise of San Diego's most loved plastic surgeons, this podcast covers the latest trends in aesthetic surgery, including breast augmentation, breast implant removal, tummy tuck, mommy makeover, labiaplasty, facelifts and rhinoplasty.La Jolla Cosmetic Surgery Centre is located just off the I-5 San Diego Freeway at 9850 Genesee Ave, Suite 130 in the Ximed building on the Scripps Memorial Hospital campus.To learn more, go to LJCSC.com or follow the team on Instagram @LJCSCWatch the LJCSC Dream Team on YouTube @LaJollaCosmeticSurgeryCentreThe La Jolla Cosmetic Surgery Podcast is a production of The Axis: theaxis.io Theme music: Busy People, SOOP

Live Recorded Set from VirtualDJ Radio PowerBase

Live Recorded Set from VirtualDJ Radio ClubZone

By late 1942, after the success of Operation Torch, the Allies had finally gained a foothold in North Africa. What followed was a hard-fought and often overlooked campaign in Tunisia. For six months, British, American, and French forces battled determined Axis troops for control of the last corner of Africa held by Germany and Italy. It was a campaign marked by tough lessons, uneasy cooperation, and moments of heroism — one that would shape how the Allies fought together for the rest of the war. In this episode, I'm joined by historian and author Saul David to discuss his latest book, 'Tunisgrad: How the Allies Won North Africa and Set the Stage for D-Day'. Saul brings to life the soldiers, commanders, and decisions that defined the Tunisia campaign and paved the way for the Allied invasion of Europe.   patreon.com/ww2podcast  

Live Recorded Set from VirtualDJ Radio PowerBase

It's 1943. Nazi Germany and its Axis power allies are ravaging Europe and the Pacific with a terrible war. At this juncture, President Franklin Roosevelt has one critical goal: a face-to-face meeting with his allies, Joseph Stalin and Winston Churchill. The first ever meeting of the "Big Three" is set to take place in Tehran, Iran, where the leaders of the three great superpowers will discuss and decide on some of the most crucial strategic details of the war. But when the Nazis learn about the meeting, they form their own secret, deadly plan: an assassination plot that would forever change history...if they're successful. This riveting true story, filled with daring rescues and high stakes intrigue, explains how this pivotal meeting in Tehran changed the course of World War II, and how the Nazi conspiracy to assassinate the Allied leaders nearly led to world-shattering disaster. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/arroe-collins-unplugged-totally-uncut--994165/support.

Live Recorded Set from VirtualDJ Radio PowerBase

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Live Recorded Set from VirtualDJ Radio Hypnotica

Live Recorded Set from VirtualDJ Radio PowerBase

Live Recorded Set from VirtualDJ Radio Hypnotica

With a creature hot on their tails, no magic to aid them and mysterious box in hand, our rotators venture ever forwards. Could this day get any weirder?Did you know You can join The Rotating Heroes Patreon for free!? It's well worth doing, as a free member you'll get access to little behind the scenes, special discounts and we've just started to make early arcs of the show including all the Arc Barks available for free members too! OR You can become a Rotator of the Realm and get access too...+ The whole first two Arcs of Campaign 2!+ Ad-Free Listening+ All Arc Barks (Talk Backs) for every episode

In S7E5 I sit down with Alison Chicosky and Monte Plaisance for a roundtable discussion on the modern practice of ancient magic and the relationship of goetic and theurgic magic. Alison: https://practicaloccult.com/Monte: https://www.facebook.com/churchofthessalySUBSCRIBE to the ARCANVM Newsletter:⁠ https://ikebaker.com/newsletter⁠For all things Ike be sure to visit/message him at: ⁠https://ikebaker.com⁠SUPPORT ARCANVM for $5/MONTH: https:patreon.com/arcanvm ⁠ FOLLOW on Facebook: ⁠https:facebook.com/arcanvvm FOLLOW on Instagram: @a.r.c.a.n.v.m#magick #occult #esotericism #spirituality

Craig and Garauv delve into the Battle of the Atlantic, unpacking how the Allies gradually gained the upper hand in a brutal, protracted maritime struggle. They begin by outlining the central objective: keeping transatlantic convoys moving to supply Britain with essential war materials while denying the Axis critical sea lanes. The hosts highlight the U-boat's early dominance and the immense challenge of protecting merchant ships in the face of long-range German submarines, increased wolfpack tactics, and the perilous approach of even more capable U-boats. A core focus is on the convoy system and hunter-killer teams, which evolved from simple escort duties into integrated, multi-layered defenses. They discuss key Allied strategies: continuous convoy rounds, improved anti-submarine patrols, and better coordination with air power. The turning point comes with innovations in code-breaking (ultra/intelligence), improved sonar and radar technologies, and the deployment of long-range aircraft capable of patrolling vast ocean areas. These advances disrupted U-boat operations, forced more frequent evasion, and increased losses for the German submarine fleet. The episode also spotlights pivotal figures and tech milestones: escort carriers, escort destroyers, and depth-charge tactics, alongside the crucial role of airborne reconnaissance, convoy commodores, and undersea detection devices. As the Allies adapt, supply lines stabilize, and convoy losses decline, momentum shifts in favor of the Allies. The discussion concludes with a reflection on how organizational learning, technological innovation, and strategic coordination ultimately sealed the Atlantic's fate in favor of the Allies.

PREVIEW — Bruce Bechtol — China's Role in Supplying Dual-Use Technology to North Korea and the Axis. Bechtolexamines China's critical role in sustaining North Korea's military-industrial complex, particularly since 2019 when international sanctions enforcement effectively ceased. China supplies dual-use technologies and component parts, frequently procured through illicit channels, directly to North Korea, thereby reinforcing the axis of revisionist states comprising Iran, North Korea, and Russia. Chinese companies involved in these transfers maintain direct linkages to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), operating as instruments of state policy. 1951

PREVIEW — Bruce Bechtol — Kim Jong-un's Vital Role in the Axis of Evil. Bechtol discusses how Kim Jong-un, despite international perceptions of him as a "clownish figure," is regarded with strategic seriousness by the "axis of evil," which now encompasses four nations. This respect stems from Pyongyang's formidable military capabilities, including a sophisticated arsenal of nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles, coupled with its demonstrated ability to manufacture and proliferate vital weapon systems required by axis partners throughout the region.

Happy Thanksgiving from everyone here at Axis!  As part of our yearly tradition, instead of our normal issue of the Culture Translator, here are 15 conversation starters to help you make the most of time around the table with family and friends this year. Enjoy!   What's something you're really excited about right now?  What's the funniest trend or meme you've come across lately?  If you could permanently fix one issue in our culture, what would you choose?  What's one way you've changed this year?  If TEMU offered you $2,000 to represent their brand on your platform, would you do it?  What band or musician do you think is seriously overrated? What about underrated? Has anything you've watched, read, or listened to changed you this year? What was it and how did it change you?  What's one show that you think more people should watch?  Are there any new skills you're trying to develop, or want to try to develop? What's something you're looking forward to in 2026?  If you could be a social media influencer known for only one thing, what would that be?  Serious question: why do you think so many people started saying "67" this year? Why did that catch on?  Does a hot dog count as a sandwich? Why or why not?  When the history books mention 2025, what do you think will be included? What won't be?  How would you describe your relationship with God at this point in your life? Click to sign up for  our audio Advent experience, for the record—that launches on Sunday, November 30!   Become a monthly donor today, join the Table. Get your question on Ask Axis! Send in your questions to ask@axis.org. For more Axis resources, go to axis.org.

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Continuing our mini series on the fascinating maritime history of Malta, we jump several centuries forward to the Second World War, in which Malta, an isolated rock in the middle of the Mediterranean, suddenly found itself at the very heart of the war. To the north the Italians were flexing their naval muscles; to the south the Germans had invaded North Africa; to the east and west ran a crucial maritime artery of global trade and military movement between Gibraltar and Suez. To find out more about Malta's strategic importance during World War II Dr Sam Willis visits the National War Museum in Fort St Elmo and speaks with Keith Gatt, curator of Malta's WWII history at Heritage Malta. They discuss how Malta's central Mediterranean location made it crucial for controlling sea lanes and interfering with Axis convoys. The island faced severe air and naval attacks, with over 6,000 tons of bombs dropped in April 1942 alone. Key events include the Taranto raid in 1940, the 10th submarine flotilla's operations, and the pivotal Operation Pedestal in August 1942. The discussion also highlights the human cost, with around 1,500 civilian casualties. Sam goes on to explore numerous artefacts recovered from the war with Curtis Callus, the museum's Assistant Curator. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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The UN edges closer to recognizing Palestine, while the so-called Axis of Evil advances its push for a New World Order. Prophetic warnings surface as today's events foreshadow the Beast's global economic rule. Could World War once again pave the way for World Government? And in a stunning twist, Albania appoints an AI “Minister” to fight corruption. Join us as we connect these breaking headlines with prophecies written thousands of years ago — on this edition of the Endtime Show! ⭐️: True Gold Republic: Get The Endtime Show special on precious metals at https://www.endtimegold.com📱: It's never been easier to understand. Stream Only Source Network and access exclusive content: https://watch.osn.tv/browse📚: Check out Jerusalem Prophecy College Online for less than $60 per course: https://jerusalemprophecycollege.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

"Could you speak to the subject of gossip? As we raise 2 girls this is something my husband and I talk about often. How can we explain the difference between venting and gossip? When does sharing about your day at school cross the line into gossip? How can we teach the idea of being loyal to the absent in the way we speak about others? When friends are gossiping, how can our kids redirect the conversation? How can our words be uplifting like we are called to in the Bible?" - Autumn Dr. Mayfield is a former pastor, award-winning author, speaker, certified master Christian coach, mental health counselor, and Assistant Professor of Clinical Mental Health Counseling at Colorado Christian University. To see more of Dr. Mayfield's resources click here. Click here to check out Dr. Mayfield's podcast - Mental Health Made simple This podcast is entirely Q&A based! Send in your questions to ask@axis.org. And for more resources, go to axis.org.

Discussion with ex pro skier, freeski legend and industry professional, Khai KrepelaKhai is one of the Greatests of street skiing. He blew up onto the scene in 2012 with his standout segment in Toy Soldier productions' Act natural. Khai then went on a legendary 10 year roll where he filmed with Poor Boyz in 2013 and then joined Level 1 for their films Less, small world, pleasure, habit and romance. His contribution also includes shots in 4bi9 and good company projects, competing in X Games real ski, multiple appearances in LINE's traveling circus and numerous Good enough edits. After his ski career, Khai hustled and managed to get a job at K2 as a senior Marketing manager. After a few years there, khai moved on and is now in a new role as the CEO at Hinterland skis.In this episode we talked about Khai's upbringing and what lead him to pursue the goal of becoming a pro skier. We talked about filming with toy soldier productions,Linking up with Poor Boyz for the detroit segment in Tracing Skylines, one of freeskiing's most unique segment ever. Joining Level 1 and filming with them for many years, always taking time to film with his crew at Good Enough, filming with Line Traveling Circus, the transition from a pro skier career to working in the industry, how it was working at K2 skis, his new job as CEO at Hinterland skis and much much more.Thanks to the sponsors Axis boutique and Dics Anns restaurants

Hello everyone, a big thanks to all of you who joined the patreon and voted for this to be the next episode, you all are awesome. This is a part 2 about Hirohito's responsibility during the wars of 1931-1945, so if you have not heard part 1, perhaps go do so, or maybe you just don't care about 1931-1940 and just want to hear about the 1941-1945 period, hell by all means enjoy.   So last time we kind of left it on a bit of a dramatic cliff hanger. I spoke about Emperor Hirohito's involvement in what was called at the time the “China Incident”. It was not an official declared war until December of 1941. We left off in 1940, Hirohito was struggling with a situation of juggling two things: 1) how the hell to finally end the China War 2) how to do it without receiving horrible ramifications from the international world. On July 22nd of 1940, Konoe was back and formed a second cabinet. Notably General Hideki Tojo went from vice to army Minister during this time. If you guys ever want a podcast on Hideki Tojo, let me know, he is one rather bizarre figure that's for sure. Konoe tackled his job by holding an imperial HQ government liaison conference. For 90 minutes everyone worked on a new national policy designed to exploit the international situation, IE: Germany bulldozing europe.  The result was a document on national policy dated July 27th. It shifted focus to the “southern area” IE: southeast asia and the Pacific if the China war did not end quickly. Its basis was to exploit the foreign nations that had their hands full in europe, France, Britain and the Netherlands. It called for an invasion of French Indochina to establish bases to launch assaults against the Dutch East Indies for natural resources if diplomatic means failed. It acknowledged if the Dutch East Indies were seized through military means, Japan would also seek to fight Britain, but not the US, instead Japan would prepare for a possible war with the Americans. To all of this Hirohito approved. The army also kept pressuring its desire to ally with Germany. Throughout 1939-1940 Hirohito rejected this idea, not because of any ideological differences, it was because of Germans anti aggression pact with the USSR. If Japan were to ally to Germany, Hirohito wanted it to be mutually to fight the USSR. The Navy likewise opposed allying to Germany because they believed it would force Britain and the US to increase their aid to Chiang Kai-shek.   However the Blitzkrieg changed everything. Everyone was shocked at how well Germany was doing. Prince Chichibu repeatedly argued with Hirohito to change his mind over the alliance idea. Then suddenly the Navy changed their mind and began favoring an alliance. This changed came about in June of 1940 when the France fell. The Navy changed their mind based on a few factors, a major component was the belief if Germany and the USSR were allied, than at least Japan would not have to worry about the USSR and could focus on the pacific. Both the IJA and the IJN believed Hitler would soon take Britain and thus there was a huge desire to join the new international order on the winning side. A third factor was a new clause in negotiations with Germany and Japan, that if they allied Japan would not automatically be drawn into a war with Britain against her will. Some in the navy also believed perhaps Germany could help their diplomatic situation with the Americans. So the army and navy were now both demanding an alliance with Germany, it was all up to hirohito.    At an imperial briefing on June 19th of 1940, Hirohito asked chief of staff Prince Kan'in and the Army Minister Hata “At a time when peace will soon come in the European situation, will there be a deployment of troops to the Netherlands Indies and French Indochina?” Such as question revealed Hirohito's perception at the time that Germany was on the verge of victory and that he was gradually considering the deployment of troops in French Indochina and the Dutch East Indies as neither parent nation were in a position to defend their holdings. In regards to the China war, the Japanese sought to end leaks of materials getting into China from places like Hong Kong. Hirohito received reports indicated Britain would not accept closing the movement of materials into China via Hong Kong. The military acknowledged it would probably be required to invade Hong Kong and thus declare war on Britain. Upon hearing of this Hirohito remarked “Should that happen, I am sure America will use the method of an embargo, don't you agree?” To this his lord of the privy seal, Kido reassured him stating “the nation must be fully resolved to resist to proceed cautiously and not to be dragged into events precipitated by the overseas agencies”. Konoe's second cabinet resolved to end the China war, construct a new order in greater east asia and to complete war preparations as a national defense state. On July 27th at a liaison conference a document was adopted, affirming a course of advancing to the south and to ally with Germany. Japan would incorporate the Dutch East Indies, British Malaya and other resource rich areas of Southeast Asia into its new order while simultaneously bolstering its relationship with the Axis states. After hearing and reading everything, Hirohito sanctioned it all. Thus Hirohito had sanctioned the preliminary actions that would set Japan into a collision course with the US.   In September Japan began sending troops into northern French Indochina after concluding its Tripartite alliance with Germany and Italy. Now Hirohito was briefed beforehand by Army Minister Tojo and other chiefs of staff about securing bases in northern French indochina. Hirohito agreed to this under the belief acquiring such bases would stop more leaked materials going into China and thus contribute to the fall of Chongqing. But Hirohito also sanctioned it under the full knowledge it was preparing the Nanshin-ron advance and that carried a risk of going to war with Britain and by proxy the US. Naturally he wanted to thwart any war breaking out with the US by it seems his officials had convinced him they could manage most of their plans without aggravating the US.   On July 29th with the German offensive aimed at finishing off Britain, Hirohito summoned his chiefs and vice chiefs of staff to the imperial HQ. He began to question the prospects of war with the US. Prince Fushimi replied “[u]nless we complete our domestic preparations, particularly the preparation of our material resources, I do not think we should lightly start war even if there is a good opportunity to do so.” Hirohito then asked if  “the Army were planning to occupy points in India, Australia, and New Zealand.” But overall Hirohito seemed to be the most concerned about the US, Germany and the USSR. “Could Japan, obtain a victory in a naval battle with the United States as we once did in the Battle of the Japan Sea? . . . I heard that the United States will ban exports of oil and scrap iron [to Japan]. We can probably obtain oil from other sources, but don't you think we will have a problem with scrap iron?” In regards to the USSR “If a Japan-Soviet nonaggression treaty is made and we advance to the south, the navy will become the main actor. Has the army given thought to reducing the size of its forces in that case? . . . How do you assess the future national power of Germany? . . . Both Germany and the Soviet Union are untrustworthy countries. Don't you think there will be a problem if one of them betrays us and takes advantage of our exhaustion fighting the United States?I]t seems as though you people are thinking of implementing this plan by force because there is a good opportunity at this moment for resolving the southern problem even though some dangers are involved. . . . What does a good opportunity mean? [To this question Sawada replied: “For example, if a German landing in England commences.”] In that case wouldn't the United States move to aid Britain? . . . Well, I've heard enough. I take it, in short, that you people are trying to resolve the southern problem by availing yourselves of today's good opportunities.”   You can tell Hirohito understood the very real threat of an Anglo-American alliance and was very cautious. It seemed to Hirohito, that his officials were trying to take the limelight off the abysmal situation in China but emphasizing a southern advance. Well Americans response to the Japanese movement into northern French indochina was to see it as a direct threat. Something I have not paid much attention to was Hirohito's decision making being the direct result of trying to mediate between competing entities, ie: the IJA and IJN. At this point in time the IJA and IJN top officials had the power to simply stop governmental functions from occurring altogether whenever they were displeased with a decision. As you can imagine the IJA and IJN were also competing for resources and political power. Thus Hirohito spent a lot of time and effort trying to formulate decisions that at a minimum kept the governance going.    In the end Hirohito sanctioned Imperial HQ army order number 458, ordering the area army to begin the entry into French Indochina. Thus once again Hirohito sanctioned aggression aboard. America began what it called a “moral embargo” on aircraft parts, scrap iron and aviation gasoline. This was one of many gradual steps America took to incrementally sanction Japan, while aiding China to keep it bogged down. Japan's direct response was joining the Axis with a clause “to assist one another with all political, economic and military means if attacked by a power at present not involved in the European War or in the Sino-Japanese conflict”. This clause was designed specifically to check Britain and the US. Hirohito knew this was a turning point carrying the possibility of war with the US. Later he would blame some officials and even his brothers Chichibu and Takamatsu, but not his own actions sanctioning the Axis pact.    Speaking of his brothers, at this time Chichibu got severely ill with tuberculosis and as a result retired from active public life, now Prince Takamatsu stood as next regent. Thus Takamatsu would begin reading reports and advise Hirohito. Takamatsu like Chichibu approved the Tripartite Pact and found his brother Hirohito's performance lacking. Meanwhile Britain responded to the Tripartite pact by opening up the Burma road and America made a loan to Chiang Kai-shek.   The Soviets came to Japan for a neutrality pact and sweetened the deal by offering Soviet coal and oil concessions in North Sakhalin. Hirohito ratified the treaty on April 25th of 1941. 5 weeks later on June 5th, the Japanese ambassador to Berlin, General Oshima Hiroshi reported to Hirohito and the high command that Hitler was about to invade the Soviets. The Army high command sprang into action drafting plans to open a war with the Soviets while simultaneously advancing south into French Indochina. But many in the military also sought to wait until the time was ripe, and a rift emerged. Operation barbarossa commenced and on June 23rd the IJN high command gave their opinion that Japan should seize all military bases and airfields in southern French Indochina even at the risk of war with Britain and America. Can you say boy that escalated quickly?   There was obvious temptation to invade Siberia towards Lake Baikal, but at the same time the western powers were tightening sanctions on Japan, she needed resources. At this point Japan had been stuck in China for 4 years and 5 months, the army had expanded from 17 divisions totalling 250,000 men in july of 1937 to 51 divisions at 2.1 million men in December 8th of 1941. On July 2nd, 10 tens into Operation barbarossa, Konoe summoned an imperial conference to debate actions going forward. The consensus was that southern French Indochina needed to be taken and that it probably would not provoke the US going to war with Japan. Hirohito sanctioned it and on July 30th made a major operational intervention by advising General Sugiyama to build up forces in Manchukuo to prevent the Soviet Far Eastern Army.   Japan negotiated with Vichy France to allow Japanese troops to occupy southern parts of French Indochina. What was to be originally just 40,000 IJA forces turned into 185,000 and in response America increased sanctions and began preparing the Philippines for war. Roosevelt froze Japanese assets in the US on July 26th and by August the 1st a total embargo of oil and gasoline exports to Japan. Konoe's cabinet, the military high command, pretty much everyone was shocked by how harsh the economic sanctions were. Emperor Hirohito told Sugiyama to halt mobilizing forces in Manchukuo and the army basically dropped all plans of attacking the USSR. A month after the US oil embargo suddenly the army had changed its mind to go all in on the southern advance. Britain likewise began sanctions against Japan and both Britain and the US managed to convince the Dutch to follow suit by refusing to sell oil to Japan. The Dutch even took it a step further and followed Americans lead in freezing Japanese assets.    Konoe was in full panic mode, be believed his ambassador to washington was a moron and sought to go in person to speak to Roosevelt. At 11:40am on August 4th Konoe spoke to Hirohito about the plan, but Washington kept making up excuses prolonging any meeting from taking place. Meanwhile Washington was building up its navy, and the IJN were stressing, in the words of Admiral Takagai “As time passes and this situation continues, our empire will either be totally defeated or forced to fight a hopeless war. Therefore we should pursue war and diplomacy together. If there is no prospect of securing our final line of national survival by diplomatic negotiations, we must be resolved to fight.” Hirohito understood the predicament full well, that each day Japan was wasting its oil reserves, if they were to strike it had to be quickly.    On september 3rd at a liaison conference it was decided Japan was to prepare for a war against the US, UK and Netherlands while simultaneously pursuing diplomacy. If diplomacy failed by early October the decision for war would be made. Konoe presented everything to Hirohito on September 5th and requested an imperial conference on the matter. The most important decision of his life was about to be made.    Now take a second to feel the moment. Germany's invasion of the USSR was in its 6th week and not producing a decisive victory; Britain was still in the fight and the Japanese ambassador to London reported back Britain would allow Japan to maintain its great power status and exert influence in asia if they stayed out of the European War and “re-examined their current policy”. An olive branch. Hirohito had options is what I am arguing. He could stale things, he could mobilize units into Manchukuo to simply threaten the Soviet border, he could simply stay out of new wars, even it the China war would get worse, but try to profit from the situation in Europe. He could stop the southern advance, lose the chance to seize the resource in southeast asia, but perhaps the US, UK and Netherlands would lift some sanctions.   After speaking back and forth with Konoe while scolding Sugiyama here is a bit of their conversation:    Emperor: In the event we must finally open hostilities, will our operations have a probability of victory?  Sugiyama: Yes, they will.  Emperor: At the time of the China Incident, the army told me that we could achieve peace immediately after dealing them one blow with three divisions. Sugiyama, you were army minister at that time. . . .  Sugiyama: China is a vast area with many ways in and many ways out, and we met unexpectedly big difficulties. . . . [ellipses in original]  Emperor: Didn't I caution you each time about those matters? Sugiyama, are you lying to me? Nagano: If Your Majesty will grant me permission, I would like to make a statement.  Emperor: Go ahead.  Nagano: There is no 100 percent probability of victory for the troops stationed there. . . . Sun Tzu says that in war between states of similar strength, it is very difficult to calculate victory. Assume, however, there is a sick person and we leave him alone; he will definitely die. But if the doctor's diagnosis offers a seventy percent chance of survival, provided the patient is operated on, then don't you think one must try surgery? And if, after the surgery, the patient dies, one must say that was meant to be. This indeed is the situation we face today. . . . If we waste time, let the days pass, and are forced to fight after it it is too late to fight, then we won't be able to do a thing about it.  Emperor: All right, I understand. [He answered in a better mood.]  Konoe: Shall I make changes in tomorrow's agenda? How would you like me to go about it? Emperor: There is no need to change anything.   There is no need to change anything. Konoe grabbed Hirohito for a private audience afterwards and tried to get Hirohito to revise the outline, but Hirohito ignored this. Hirohito at that point could have stopped or at least slowed down the countdown to all out war. Hirohito instead did not want to displease the pro-war factions in his military, perhaps he saw them as a threat to his authority. Hirohito was not at all pleased with the policy plan. When he was shown in on september 5th, he looked extremely irritated and blew up on Sugiyama and the army high command as a whole. 20 minutes before the Imperial conference on September 6th, Hirohito spoke with his lord of the privy Kido and told him he was going to raise some questions at the meeting. Kido told him that it would be best to leave the questions at the very end, basically he was advising to allow for things to go through. Thus Hirohito sat through the meeting and sanction the preparations for war. Here is a conversation between Hirohito and the Chiefs of the general staff:   Emperor: You may go ahead and mobilize. But if the Konoe-Roosevelt talks go well, you'll stop, won't you?  Chief of the General Staff: Indeed, your majesty, we will.  Emperor: I will ask you one more time: Is there any possibility that the north [that is, the Soviet Union] may move against us while we are engaged in the south [emphasis added]?  Chief of the General Staff: I cannot say that will absolutely not occur. However, because of the season it is inconceivable that large forces will be able to attack us   Meanwhile Konoe's deadline to reach a diplomatic resolution with the US was fast approaching. On October 13th Hirohito told Kido “In the present situation there seems to be little hope for the Japan–U.S. negotiations. If hostilities erupt this time, I think I may have to issue a declaration of war.” The next day Konoe held his last cabinet meeting and Army minister Tojo took the lionshare of talking:   For the past six months, ever since April, the foreign minister has made painstaking efforts to adjust relations [with the United States.] Although I respect him for that, we remain deadlocked. . . . Our decision was “to start the war . . . if by early October we cannot thoroughly achieve our demands through negotiations.” Today is the fourteenth. . . . We are mobilizing hundreds of thousands of soldiers. Others are being moved from China and Manchuria, and we have requisitioned two million tons of ships, causing difficulties for many people. As I speak ships are en route to their destinations. I would not mind stopping them, and indeed would have to stop them, if there was a way for a diplomatic breakthrough. . . . The heart of the matter is the [imposition on us of] withdrawal [from Indochina and China]. ...If we yield to America's demands, it will destroy the fruits of the China Incident. Manchukuo will be endangered and our control of Korea undermined   And so Konoe resigned two days later, but before he did his last official action was to recommend Prince Higashikuni to succeed him, in fact he got Tojo to do the same. Prince Higashikuni was deemed capable of controlling both the Army and Navy. And what did Hirohito say to this? He said no, and appointed Hideki Tojo. Why? As going back to the beginning of this series, to protect the Kokutai. He did not want a member of the royal family to hold the seat as Prime Minister during a time when war might be declared, a war that Japan might lose, which would toss the responsibility onto the imperial house. It was a threat to the Kokutai. Hirohito chose Tojo because Tojo was 100% loyal subject to the emperor. Tojo was the perfect fall guy if one ever existed.    Between November 8-15th, Hirohito received a full rundown of the Pearl Harbor surprise attack plan and sanctioned it. The deadline to reach a diplomatic solution with the US was set for midnight December 1st.    Hirohito ever since the Mukden Incident had expressed fear that not taking warlike actions, not pumping up the kokutai or not suppressing dissent would jeopardize the imperial system of government and damage the imperial institution itself. For Hirohito domestic conflicts were more dangerous than external ones, because they carried the risk of eroding the monarchy. As the time approached for his finally decision on declaring war, Hirohito requested a last round of discussion. The carriers enroute to Pearl harbor departed on november 27th, while on December 1st, 19 leaders, the entire Tojo cabinet and Emperor met. Tojo pulled a rather cheeky maneuver, he reported the response from America, the famous Hull note by stating “the United States . . . has demanded that we withdraw troops from all of China [emphasis added],” but in fact, Hull had used only the word “China.” Hara asked “I would like to know,whether Manchukuo is included in the term ‘China'? Did our two ambassadors confirm this point?” Togo's reply to this was “However . . . the American proposal [early in the negotiations on] April 16 stated that they would recognize the state of Manchukuo, so Manchukuo would not be part of China. . . . On the other hand . . . there has been a change in their position . . . they look upon Chungking as the one and only legitimate regime, and . . . they want to destroy the Nanking regime, [so] they may retract what they have said previously” A nonsensical gibberish answer, intentionally done to make everyone think America did in fact include Manchukuo, thus forcing everyone to see the demands as impossible to comply with. Togo finished the meeting : “Once His Majesty decides to commence hostilities, we will all strive to meet our obligations to him, bring the government and the military ever closer together, resolve that the nation united will go on to victory, make an all-out effort to achieve our war aims, and set his majesty's mind at ease. I now adjourn the meeting.” Hirohito simply nodded. Sugiyama remarked that the emperor did not show the slightest sign of anxiety, in fact he looked like he was in a good mood.   Hirohito's naval aid Jo Eiichiro wrote minutes on the first day of the pacific war, recording the emperors actions. 4 A.M. (Japan time): Japan issued a final ultimatum to the United States. 3:30 A.M.: the Hawaiian surprise attack was successful. 5:30 A.M.: Singapore bombed. Great results. Air attacks on Davao, Guam, Wake. 7:10 A.M.: All the above was reported to the emperor. The American gunboat Wake was captured on the Shanghai front. The British gunboat Petrel was sunk. From 7:15 to 7:30 the chief of the Navy General Staff reported on the war situation. At 7:30 the prime minister informally reported to the emperor on the imperial rescript declaring war. (Cabinet meeting from 7 A.M.). At 7:35 the chief of the Army General Staff reported on the war situation. At 10:45 the emperor attended an emergency meeting of the privy council. At 11:00 A.M. the imperial rescript declaring war was promulgated. 11:40 A.M. Hirohito conferred with Kido for about twenty minutes.] At 2:00 P.M. the emperor summoned the army and navy ministers and bestowed an imperial rescript on them. The army minister, representing both services, replied to the emperor. [At 3:05 P.M. the emperor had a second meeting with Kido, lasting for about twenty minutes.] At 4:30 P.M. the chiefs of staff formally reported on the draft of the Tripartite (Germany-Italy-Japan) Military Pact. At 8:30 P.M. the chief of the Navy General Staff reported on the achievements of the Hawaii air attack. . . . Throughout the day the emperor wore his naval uniform and seemed to be in a splendid mood.   Hirohito believed Germany would win, thus if with their help he believed Japan could thwart off the US until a negotiated peace. Having made his choice, Hirohito devoted himself to presiding over and guiding the war to victory at all costs. He was a extremely cautious person, every single campaign he looked for what could go wrong, made worse case scenario predictions and was very suspicious of reports from his high officials. He was notably very harsh and critical on said high commanders. Although he did not visit the war theaters as did other commanders in chief, he exercised and controlled influence on theater operations, both in the planning and execution whenever he chose to do so. As was the same case with the China war before it, he issued the highest military orders of the Imperial HQ, performed audited conferences and led to decisions transmitted in his name. He received generals and admirals to the imperial palace who gave full reports of the battlefront. He visited bases, battleships, various army and naval headquarters. He inspected military schools, you know the full shebang.    After 26 months of war, the naval air force had lost 26,006 aircraft, nearly a third of its total power, thousands of veteran pilots were dead. Hundreds of thousands of tons of warship was sunk, the merchant and transport fleet was crippled. Late 1943 saw the Americans turning the initiative of the war, Japan was on the defensive. Guadalcanal had been the major turning point. During the staled battle for the philippines, Hirohito pressed upon Army chief of staff Sugiyama to increase troop strength to knock out Bataan. The problem persisted, on February 9th and 26th Hirohito pressed Sugiyama again about getting more troops to take Bataan.   Hirohito was confronted with the prisoner of war issue after the doolittle raid. When the pilots were caught, Togo initially opposed executions, but many in the IJA sought all 8 men executed. Hirohito chose to intervene and commuted the execution of 5 out of the 8. Why just 5, no one knows to this day, but its theorized it was to demonstrate his benevolence while simultaneously giving a bit of what the army wanted.    The CBI theater took the lionshare of his attention in 1942, he continuously pressed up Sugiyama when a final blow would be delivered against Chongqing. When the Midway disaster occurred, Hirohito was given a full report of what happened, but he chose to hid the extent of the loss from the IJA. In fact in response to the Guadalcanal campaign he was heard once asking “I wonder if this is not the start of the AmericanBritish counteroffensive?” He urged his commanders to increase offensive activities and to toss all weapons possible at the enemy, because Japan needed more time to secure its reserves of vital oil, rubber and iron. When he heard the first report of the Ichiki detachment being wiped out, he simply stated “I am sure it [Guadalcanal] can be held.” With numerous reports pouring in about the men dying from tropical disease and starvation, Hirohito kept demanding greater efforts from them. Hirohito continuously applied pressure on his naval and land commanders to recapture the island. On September 15th, November 5th and November 11th he called for more IJA troops and aircraft to be allocated to it. Sugiyama was nervous about sending more IJA pilots as they were inexperienced in transoceanic combat and he sought to reinforce the north china army to hit Chongqing. Hirohito demanded it a second time and Sugiyama replied the IJA had deployed its air power instead to New Guinea and Rabaul. Hirohito continuously hammered the issue despite the high level commanders disagreeing with it. By late november it was clear guadalcanal was a lost cause.    At an imperial HQ conference on December 31st of 1942, the chiefs of staff reported they would cancel the attempts to recapture guadalcanal. Hirohito sanctioned it but stated “It is unacceptable to just give up on capturing Guadalcanal. We must launch an offensive elsewhere.” Hirohito forced the issue and it was decided the new strategic points would be in the solomons north of New Georgia and the Stanley range on New Guinea. Hirohito in fact threatened not to authorize the withdrawal of men from Guadalcanal until such a plan was made. Hirohito would go on to oppose the withdrawal from the Munda airfield on New Georgia since it contradicted the new defensive line. As the defensive perimeter in the central and northern solomons was crumbling, Hirohito continued to demand the navy fight decisive battles to regain the initiative so ships could begin transports supplies to the countless soldiers trapped on islands without them. When Hirohito heard of the navy's failure to reinforce Lae on March 3rd he stated  “Then why didn't you change plans immediately and land at Madan? This is a failure, but it can teach us a good lesson and become a source of future success. Do this for me so I can have peace of mind for awhile.” “Do this for me” would become his signature message.    In August of 1943 as the fall of the solomons progressed, Hirohito lambasted “Isn't there someplace where we can strike the United States? . . . When and where on earth are you [people] ever going to put up a good fight? And when are you ever going to fight a decisive battle?Well, this time, after suffering all these defeats, why don't you study how not to let the Americans keep saying ‘We won! We won!'[emphasis added]”” Hirohito berated his chiefs of staff and in the face of mounting defeats he remained undismayed, rigidly self disciplined and aggressive as ever. When he received a report on September 21st of 1943 that the allies were heading for Finschhafen he replied “Being ready to defend isn't enough. We have to do the attacking.”   When the Americans destroyed the main naval anchorage at Truk forcing the navy to evacuate it, leaving behind numerous tanks, the dream of fighting one great decisive naval battle in the central pacific was over.    On February 21st of 1944, Hirohito took the unprecedented action to force Sugiyama to resign so Tojo could assume his position, alongside that of army minister and prime minister. He did this to end dissent. Hirohito and Tojo oversaw the haymaker attempts in 1944, like operation Ichi-go and the Imphal campaign fall into ruins. It looked like the Philippines, Taiwan, Okinawa, the Bonin islands and eventually the home islands would be invaded. When Saipan fell, the home islands had at last come into range of the dreaded B-29 Super flying fortresses. Hirohito had warned Tojo “If we ever lose Saipan, repeated air attacks on Tokyo will follow. No matter what it takes, we have to hold there.” For two days his chiefs of staff explained the dire situation on Saipan was hopeless, but Hirohito ignored their advice and ordered Admiral Shimada to recapture it, the first department of the navy general staff immediately poured themselves into the problem. Day and night they worked, until a draft plan was created on June 21st, 3 days later the combined fleet gave opposition. Tojo and Shimada formally reported to Hirohito the recapture plan needed to be canceled. Hirohito refused to accept the loss of Saipan and ordered his chief aide General Hasunuma to convene in his presence the board of field marshals and fleet admirals. They all met on the 25th, upon which they all unanimously stated the reports indicating Saipan was a lost cause were valid, Hirohito simply told them to put it in writing and he left the room.    Hirohito finally decided to withdraw his support of Tojo, allowing Tojo's numerous enemies to take down his cabinet on July 18th 1944. But Hirohito was undaunted in determination to steal victory from the allies. Imperial HQ on October 18th ordered a decisive naval battle and the battle of Leyte Gulf was it. After the war Hirohito would go on the record stating “Contrary to the views of the Army and Navy General Staffs, I agreed to the showdown battle of Leyte thinking that if we attacked at Leyte and America flinched, then we would probably be able to find room to negotiate.” This statement shows the facts as they were, Hirohito and his chiefs of staff forced the field commander, General Tomoyuki Yamashita to engage the American invasion force in a place Yamashita did not want to fight nor prepared adequate defenses. It was a horrible loss.   The Kamikaze attacks increased as Japan's desperation wore on. On new years day of 1945 Hirohito inspected the special last meal rations given to departing kamikaze units. Iwo Jima fell. Okinawa remained, and Hirohito lashed out “Is it because we failed to sink enemy transports that we've let the enemy get ashore? Isn't there any way to defend Okinawa from the landing enemy forces?”  On the second day of Okinawa's invasion Hirohito ordered a counter landing by the 32nd army and urged the navy to counterattack in every way possible. It was a horrible failure, it cost the lives of up to 120,000 Japanese combatants, 170,000 noncombatants. The Americans lost 12,500 killed and 33,000 wounded. An absolute bloodbath.    Konoe re-entered the stage writing to Hirohito pleading with him to order a surrender because from his perspective “The Soviet Union is Japan's biggest threat. Defeat was inevitable, but more to be feared than defeat was the destruction of the Kokutai. Sue quickly for peace, before a Communist revolution occurred that would make preservation of the kokutai impossible”. Hirohito was taken aback by this, as he shared his military's hope that the Soviets would help Japan reach a peace settlement. So he rejected the advice of Konoe. Hirohito remarked “If we hold out long enough in this war, we may be able to win, but what worries me is whether the nation will be able to endure it until then.” Then Japan's intelligence units reported the Soviets were going to break the neutrality pact and join the war once the Germans were done. Meanwhile Tokyo was turned to rubble on March 9th 1945 by 334 B-29's dropping firebombs, 40% of the capital was destroyed, up to 100,000 were dead. Hirohito remained undaunted. 60 Japanese cities were leveled by firebomb campaigns. Europe's war finished. Then the battle for Okinawa was lost, suddenly Hirohito began looking for ways to end the war.   On June 22nd Hirohito personally informed the supreme war leadership council his desire to see diplomatic maneuvers to end the war. A special envoy was sent to Moscow, while Hirohito publicly issued an imperial rescript ordering the nation “to smash the inordinate ambitions of the enemy nations and achieve the goals of the war”. B-29's began dropping leaflets with joint declarations issued by the US, UK and China requesting the citizens of Japan demand their government surrender. Prefectural governors, police chiefs and officers began submitting home ministry reports on the rapid deterioration of the nations spirit.   Germany signed the unconditional surrender documents on May 7th and 8th of 1945, Japan was alone. Newly installed President Truman declared on May 8th, Japan's surrender would not mean the extermination or enslavement of the Japanese people, but the unconditional surrender principles remained unaltered. The Japanese meanwhile were awaiting word from the Soviets. The Americans unleashed their first atomic bomb on Hiroshima on August 6th of 1945 killing up to 140,000 people. Then on August 8th the Soviet Union declared war on Japan and began an invasion of Manchuria. On August 9th the second atomic bomb hit Nagasaki killing around 40,000 people.   Thus began the surrender clock as I like to say. After the first atomic bomb, Hirohito said and did nothing about the surrender terms. Hirohito then authorized Togo to notify the world on August 10th that Japan would accept the allied terms of surrender with one condition “that the said declaration does not comprise any demand which prejudices the prerogatives of His Majesty as a Sovereign Ruler.” The next day, Secretary of State Byrnes replied by alluding to the subordination of the emperors authority to the supreme commander of the allied powers. It was ambiguous as hell. The Japanese leaders erupted into arguments, and on August 14th, Hirohito went before a microphone and recorded his capitulation announcement which aired on August 15th to all in Japan, they surrendered. Why did it take so long?   The peace talks between the Japanese and Soviets went on through June, July and early August. Japan offered the Soviets limited territorial concessions and they refused to accept the envoy on July 22nd because the Japanese were being too ambiguous in their terms. There was continuous back and forth between the intelligence of Moscow and Japan trying to figure out the stance of the other, but then Stalin heard about the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, he was shocked and ordered an invasion of Manchuria in response. In the meantime the Japanese were tossing all sorts of concessions at Moscow, they stated they would allow Japanese to be used as forced laborers in Siberia, a form of reparation as it were, that they would demobilize the military and so on. The response was the invasion of Manchuria.    Hirohito knew prior to the bombing of Hiroshima that the cabinet was divided on accepting the Potsdam terms. Hirohito also knew he and he alone could unify governmental affairs and military command. Why then did he wait until the evening of August 9th to surrender?   The reality of the matter is its complicated, numerous variables at play, but let me try to pick at it. The people of japan under the firebomb campaigns were becoming hostile towards the military, the government and many began to criticize the emperor. Hirohito was given reports from the Home Ministry from governors and police chiefs all over Japan revealing people were speaking of the emperor as an incompetent leader who was responsible for worsening the war situation. Does that sound like a threat to the Kokutai? People were starving en masse, the atomic bomb is flashy, but what really was killing the Japanese, it was starvation. The home islands were blockaded and the sea approaches mined as pertaining to the optimally named “operation starvation”. Hirohito knew full well how bad his people were suffering but he did not surrender for so long.   After Hiroshima was bombed, Hirohito delayed for 2 days before telling Kido at 10am on August 9th “quickly control the situation, the Soviet Union has declared war and today began hostilities against us”. Now here is a piece of Hirohito's surrender proclamation to the citizens of Japan    “Moreover, the enemy has begun to employ a new and most cruel bomb, the power of which to do damage is, indeed, incalculable, taking the toll of many innocent lives. Should we continue to fight, not only would it result in an ultimate collapse and obliteration of the Japanese nation, but also it would lead to the total extinction of human civilization. Such being the case, how are We to save the millions of Our subjects, or to atone Ourselves before the hallowed spirits of Our Imperial Ancestors? This is the reason why We have ordered the acceptance of the provisions of the Joint Declaration of the Powers... The hardships and sufferings to which Our nation is to be subjected hereafter will be certainly great. We are keenly aware of the inmost feelings of all of you, Our subjects. However, it is according to the dictates of time and fate that We have resolved to pave the way for a grand peace for all the generations to come by enduring the unendurable and suffering what is unsufferable ”.   Hirohito wanted to obfuscate the issue of accountability, to prevent expressions of strife and anger and to strengthen domestic unity around himself, to protect and raise the kokutai. Did you know there was a rescript of this proclamation that was made to the entire IJA and IJN? Yes Emperor Hirohito gave out two different proclamations for surrender, here is what the armed forces heard.   “ Now that the Soviet Union has entered the war against us, to continue . . . under the present conditions at home and abroad would only recklessly incur even more damage to ourselves and result in endangering the very foundation of the empire's existence. Therefore, even though enormous fighting spirit still exists in the Imperial Navy and Army, I am going to make peace with the United States, Britain, and the Soviet Union, as well as with Chungking, in order to maintain our glorious national polity”.   The proclamation does not speak of the atomic weapons, but emphasizes the Soviet invasion of Manchuria. Hirohito was presented as a benevolent sage and an apolitical ruler that had ended the war. Hirohito sought to justify the surrender upon the bombs to the public, but did he believe so, did his armed forces believe so? People debate to this day why the surrender occurred, I love the fact there are two message offered because both are true. Hirohito's decision to surrender was based on numerous variables, the atomic bombs, the invasion of Manchuria by the soviets, but above all else, what really was important to the man, the emperor, the god? The kokutai. The Soviets were more of a threat to the kokutai, thus Hirohito jumped into the arms of the Americans. The language between the Americans and Japanese in the communications for unconditional surrender were ambiguous, but Hirohito and the high commanders knew there was zero chance of the kokutai surviving if the Soviets invaded Japan, perhaps the Americans would allow it to continue, which is just what they ended up doing. The entire purpose of this series would to emphasize how Hirohito definitely had a active role in the war of 1931-1945, he had numerous occasions where he could put the hammer down to stop the situation from escalating. But in the end when his back was against the wall, he did what he did to cling on to the Kokutai.   I shall leave you with this. On August 12th, as Hirohito came to inform the imperial family of his decision to surrender, Prince Asaka asked him whether the war would continue if the Kokutai could not be preserved, what do you think he said? “Of Course”. 

The US-China Economic and Security Review Commission has just released its 2025 annual report to Congress. The annual report's analysis and recommendations are a crucial source of information for Congress, the executive branch, and observers of US-China relations. This year's report includes 28 key recommendations for Congress.  On this episode of China Global, we have two Commissioners joining us to discuss the report, Commissioner Aaron Friedberg and Commissioner Mike Kuiken. Commissioner Friedberg is Professor of Politics and International Affairs at Princeton University and co-director of its Center for International Security Studies. He is also a non-resident senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, counselor to the National Bureau of Asian Research, and previously served as Vice President Dick Cheney's Deputy Assistant for National Security Affairs.Commissioner Kuiken is a Distinguished Visiting Fellow at Stanford's Hoover Institution and advisor to the Special Competitive Studies Project. He has over 20 years of experience shaping US national security policy, including 12 years on the Senate Armed Services Committee. Timestamps:[00:00] Intro[1:47] China's Role in the Axis of Autocracy[03:22] Best Response from US and Allies?[05:23] The Interlocking Innovation Flywheels Effect[07:47] Made in China 2025 Plan: 10 Years Later[10:25] Why Does Chinese Dominance Matter?  [12:39] Policy Prescriptions for the US[16:24] Lessons Learned from China Shock 1.0 and Preparing for 2.0[21:09] Bipartisan Political Will on China Policy[24:06] Taiwan as a Vital Interest to the US[28:06] Assuaging Taiwanese Doubts in Congress[30:17] Taiwan's Defense Spending Debate  

Richard Brandweiner, Chair of Impact Investing Australia and a longtime institutional investor, joins the show to discuss the realities of impact investing at scale. He reflects on universal ownership, system-level risks, blended finance, and what it truly takes to align capital with real-world outcomes and fiduciary expectations.Richard shares lessons from leadership roles at Perpetual, Aware Super, LeapFrog, Pendal, and Regnan, and why hope isn't a strategy when designing investment frameworks meant to deliver measurable impact.A candid conversation for investors, asset owners, and practitioners who want an honest look at where sustainable finance is working, and where it isn't.—Intro (00:00)Parents' WWII survival shaped Richard's moral compass (03:54)Studied economics at the University of New South Wales (08:06)Trading shares through the 1987 market crash in high school (10:44)Career in Perpetual Investments and creating the first sustainable fund (13:15)Becoming CIO at First State Super in 2013 (17:34)Affordable housing fund idea sparked impact focus (19:34)Structural issues in asset owner systems (33:29)Transition from CIO to Leapfrog impact role (38:35)Challenges launching institutional-grade impact fund (42:04)Becoming BT CEO and integrating Regnan's early ESG legacy (43:54)At Regnan, the impact case is the investment case (48:29)Regnan's measurement approach and SDG taxonomy (54:18)Impact Investing Australia - mission and focus (58:37)Making impact the third axis in finance (01:04:55)Ethical vs ESG vs impact investing (01:09:22)How Australian Ethical outperforms with values-led investing (01:12:16)Governance for Aboriginal community investment and autonomy (01:14:00)Structural barriers to scaling impact investing globally (01:21:38)Communication and accounting gaps in environmental costs (01:32:08)Rapid-fire questions (01:35:37)Contact info (01:47:14)— Discover More from SRI360°: Explore all episodes of the SRI360° PODCAST Sign up for the free weekly email update—Additional Resources:Richard Brandweiner LinkedInImpact Investing Australia Website

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Three Big Conversations: Celebrities are making cigarette smoking cool for a new generation - 9:50 Wicked 2 is poised to blow the box office back to Kansas - 26:54 This year's runaway bestseller is the Bible. - 37:28 Slang of the Week: "Cracked" - 1:10 In Other News: - 51:04 The United States House of Representatives and Senate almost unanimously agreed to pass the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which now awaits President Trump's signature. A new study from Gallup found that in 2025, 40% of 15- to 44-year-old women would leave the U.S. permanently if given the opportunity (a slight decrease from 44% in 2024). The Game Awards has announced its nominations for 2025, with the turn-based role-playing game Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 receiving 12 total nominations, more than any other game. Gaming company Valve has announced that it will release its own console, the "Steam Machine," which many expect to become a significant challenger to Xbox and PlayStation. The man who jumped the rope to embrace Ariana Grande at the Wicked: For Good movie premiere was sentenced to nine days in prison. Click to join the Pour Over's Newsletter We'd love to hear from you, fill out this form to share your Axis story. Become a monthly donor today, join the Table. Get your question on Ask Axis! Send in your questions to ask@axis.org. For more Axis resources, go to axis.org.

Send us a texthe conversation moves through a fast, chaotic blend of social commentary, sexual humor, political cynicism, and personal reflection. It begins with discussion about the resurgence of collectible items and how AI and capitalism may force people back into simpler, more human activities. That leads into a critique of money, crypto, billionaires, and the concept that nearly everything in modern society is essentially fake. The dialogue expands into global politics—sanctions, coups, oil interests, and the U.S. acting as an unchecked global power.From there, the tone shifts into absurd humor about farming, insemination, and how people who fist cows often hold conservative anti-LGBT views. The conversation spirals into kink culture: leather scenes, pups, masks, fetishes, and why certain communities exist. This includes uncomfortable, explicit questions about fisting, bodily functions, sexual progression, and why some people enjoy extreme acts.The discussion then swerves to everyday life: talking to dogs like children, dogs' pack behavior, the contrast with aloof cats, and the bizarre reality of pets living indoors. Food prices, inflation, and the shrinking size of groceries become a point of frustration. The conversation returns to personal growth, aging, creative phases, past podcast eras, and how both hosts have changed since earlier episodes. Nostalgia for past creative periods emerges, along with recognition of personal evolution.Interwoven is a thread about filmmaking: the beginning of a documentary project, motivations behind solo travel, the meta-process of documenting the making of a documentary, and how it ties to self-reflection. The dialogue continues into aging, nightlife shifting into quiet routines, and the strange dissonance between adult responsibilities and the outrageous conversations they still have.Overall, the transcript jumps from existential dread to explicit gay sexual comedy, from geopolitical collapse to pet parenting, from leather festivals to the price of soup—all narrated with unfiltered honesty, sarcasm, and vulgar humor.Support the showAs always you can write us at nowellpodcast@gmail.com or call us at ‪(614) 721-5336‬ and tell us your Not Wells of the week InstagramTwitterBobby's Only FansHelp us continue to grow and create amazing content, like a live tour or just help fund some new headphones when needed. Any help is appreacited. https://www.buzzsprout.com/510487/subscribe#gaypodcast #podcast #gay #lgbtq #queerpodcast #lgbt #lgbtpodcast #lgbtqpodcast #gaypodcaster #queer#instagay #podcasts #podcasting #gaylife #pride #lesbian #bhfyp #gaycomedy #comedypodcast #comedy #nyc #614 #shesnotdoingsowell #wiltonmanor #notwell

The crew arrive at their destination and set out to deliver their package. A bit of window shopping along the way leads our trio into a situation they could never have predicted.Did you know You can join The Rotating Heroes Patreon for free!? It's well worth doing, as a free member you'll get access to little behind the scenes, special discounts and we've just started to make early arcs of the show including all the Arc Barks available for free members too! OR You can become a Rotator of the Realm and get access too...+ The whole first two Arcs of Campaign 2!+ Ad-Free Listening+ All Arc Barks (Talk Backs) for every episode+ Plus Votes & info about all things Rotating Heroes!GET YOUR MERCH HERE - SIGN UP FOR NEW MERCH HERE

With the Americans and French in the north and the British in the south, the last holdouts of Axis forces in Tunisia are pushed against the wall of Tunisia. Yet American mistakes and British caution will cause a few more casualties before the fighting is over. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Celebrities are making cigarette smoking cool for a new generation, Wicked 2 is poised to blow the box office back to Kansas, and this year's runaway bestseller is the Bible. Slang of the Week: "Cracked" In Other News: The United States House of Representatives and Senate almost unanimously agreed to pass the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which now awaits President Trump's signature. A new study from Gallup found that in 2025, 40% of 15- to 44-year-old women would leave the U.S. permanently if given the opportunity (a slight decrease from 44% in 2024). The Game Awards has announced its nominations for 2025, with the turn-based role-playing game Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 receiving 12 total nominations, more than any other game. Gaming company Valve has announced that it will release its own console, the "Steam Machine," which many expect to become a significant challenger to Xbox and PlayStation. The man who jumped the rope to embrace Ariana Grande at the Wicked: For Good movie premiere was sentenced to nine days in prison.   Click to join the Pour Over's Newsletter We'd love to hear from you, fill out this form to share your Axis story. Become a monthly donor today, join the Table. Get your question on Ask Axis! Send in your questions to ask@axis.org. For more Axis resources, go to axis.org.

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