Podcasts about Belgians

In this episode of the Western Front Association's Mentioned in Dispatches, Nick and Fiona Jenkins discuss their remarkable journey along the entire Western Front. In Walking the Line, they travelled over 1,000 kilometres from the Belgian coast to the Swiss border to discover what physical and emotional traces of the First World War still remain. With humour, resilience and a healthy dose of wine, they traversed former battlefields, forests, cemeteries and mountain passes, producing not only a travelogue but also a moving reflection on history, memory and the meaning of remembrance. Published by Wetsocks Books.

Dotun is joined by Nicky Bandini and David Cartlidge to unpack Kevin De Bruyne's latest setback - a hamstring injury picked up while taking a penalty for Napoli. Was the Belgian playmaker wrong to move to a league as intense as Serie A?Also on the agenda: will Jamie Vardy get going for Cremonese after scoring his first league goal? Could Valencia finally get relegated this season after years of walking the tightrope? And have Bayern Munich (yet again) unearthed a teenage sensation in Lennart Karl?Please fill out Stak's listener survey! It'll help us learn more about the content you love so we can bring you even more - you'll also be entered into a competition to win one of five PlayStation 5's! Click here: https://bit.ly/staksurvey2025Ask us a question on Twitter, Instagram and TikTok, and email us here: otc@footballramble.com.For ad-free shows, head over to our Patreon and subscribe: patreon.com/footballramble.***Please take the time to rate and review us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your pods. It means a great deal to the show and will make it easier for other potential listeners to find us. Thanks!*** Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this Halloween special of Future of UX, we explore the disturbing side of digital design where clever UX crosses into manipulation, AI tools launch without proper oversight, and personalization quietly erodes user autonomy.From real-life cases involving Snapchat's rogue chatbot to Amazon's subscription “traps” and a tragic AI-assisted suicide, this episode dives into the UX decisions and AI deployments that turned dark and what designers need to learn from them.These themes were at the core of powerful conversations in the most recent AI for Designers cohort, which just wrapped last week. If you're interested in digging deeper into ethical design, human-centered AI, and how to design with integrity — the next cohort starts in January 2026.Whether you're a UX designer, strategist, or just curious about the future of ethical tech: this is the episode you shouldn't skip.In this episode, we cover:Why dark patterns still dominate — and why they may soon become illegalWhat happens when AI tools roll out too fast (with no safety net)The emotional toll of designing features you don't believe inHow personalization is creating echo chambers and limiting human curiosityWhy “seamless” UX might be the most dangerous design trend of allActionable advice for spotting (and stopping) unethical product decisions

rWotD Episode 3101: Gotye Welcome to random Wiki of the Day, your journey through Wikipedia's vast and varied content, one random article at a time.The random article for Thursday, 30 October 2025, is Gotye.Wouter André "Wally" De Backer (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈʋʌutər ˈɑndreː də ˈbɑkər]; born 21 May 1980), known professionally as Gotye ( GOT-ee-ay, French: [ɡotje], Dutch: [ɡoːˈtɕeː]), is a Belgian-born Australian singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. His 2011 single "Somebody That I Used to Know" (featuring Kimbra) topped the Billboard Hot 100, as well as several international charts, and became the best-selling song of 2012. He has won five ARIA Awards and received a nomination for an MTV EMA for Best Asia and Pacific Act. At the 55th Annual Grammy Awards, the song won Record of the Year and Best Pop Duo/Group Performance, while its parent album — Making Mirrors (2012) — won Best Alternative Music Album. Gotye has released three studio albums independently and one album featuring remixes of tracks from his first two albums. He is a founding member of the Melbourne indie-pop trio the Basics, who have independently released four studio albums and numerous other titles since 2002.This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 00:08 UTC on Thursday, 30 October 2025.For the full current version of the article, see Gotye on Wikipedia.This podcast uses content from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.Visit our archives at wikioftheday.com and subscribe to stay updated on new episodes.Follow us on Bluesky at @wikioftheday.com.Also check out Curmudgeon's Corner, a current events podcast.Until next time, I'm generative Matthew.

Doug McHoney (PwC's International Tax Services Global Leader) is joined by Pieter Dere, a partner in PwC Belgium's International Tax Services practice who leads Belgium's Pillar Two initiative and co‑hosts the Tax Bites Podcast. Doug and Pieter recorded in Prague at PwC's Global Transfer Pricing, Customs, and Indirect Tax Conference. They discuss Belgium's Pillar Two compliance landscape: 2024 applicability of QDMTT/IIR/UTPR, a late‑November 2025 filing cycle; the new e‑platform and XML‑only submissions; transitional safe harbors and JV scope; the ‘general representative' and joint and several liability; DAC 9 and the OECD MCAA; uncertainty around a G7 side‑by‑side and implications for US‑parented groups; estimated payments; Belgian litigation targeting UTPR; and practical steps to be ready now. 

Ahad Afridi, CMO for the Americas at Pladis, owner of Godiva, shares how the legacy chocolate house's “hundred-year reboot” is reshaping the brand for a new generation of snackers, particularly millennials and Gen Zers. Episode TranscriptPlease note, this transcript  may contain minor inconsistencies compared to the episode audio. Damian Fowler (00:00):I'm Damian Fowler.Ilyse Liffreing (00:01):And I'm Ilyse Liffreing,Damian Fowler (00:02):And welcome to this edition of The Big Impression.Ilyse Liffreing (00:09):Today we're joined by Ahad Afridi Chief Marketing Officer for the Americas at Pladis, the company behind the Godiva brand, those premium chocolates we all live.Damian Fowler (00:20):We're diving into Godiva's bold new campaign, featuring Leighton Meester portraying the legendary lady, good diver, a modern spin on an iconic story of courage and individuality.Ilyse Liffreing (00:31):We'll talk about how the brand is trying to stand out ahead of the holiday season and how Pladis is evolving its brands for the next generation of snackers.Ahad Afridi (00:40):Let's get into it. It's a comprehensive launch. It's a launch of a new product within the Godiva range called Masterpiece, but it's also the start of a brand reset. And so part of this has an eye towards the now of launching this new product that's great, but also towards activities that are going to happen over the next one year. Godiva turns 100 next year, and so what we wanted to accomplish was the first big step in this centennial, what we call re-imagining of the Godiva brand.Speaker 2 (01:17):Yeah, that's a legacy brand for sure.Speaker 3 (01:18):And happy birthday as well.Speaker 2 (01:20):Thank youSpeaker 3 (01:20):A hundred years. Thank you. Thank you to Godiva. On behalf of Godiva, I'd say thank you.Speaker 1 (01:26):Yeah. In that hundred, how would you define what Godiva stands for as a legacy brand over that century?Speaker 3 (01:34):Godiva is a premium chocolate brand. It's been called a luxury chocolate brand, but we prefer to call it premium because it makes it more accessible, which we can talk about a little bit more. It's a Belgian heritage brand. Belgian chocolates are different than the normal. Speaker 2 (01:51):That's good, in my opinion,Speaker 3 (01:53):Different than the normal chocolate milk-based chocolate, but it's just great tasting, high quality chocolate that you feel great giving to others as a gift and having for yourself as well.Speaker 1 (02:08):So just to ask you about this specific campaign, what made you wanted to bring that legacy as it were up to date? Is that the right way of putting it into today's culture through this campaign?Speaker 3 (02:18):Yeah, in a way. Let's say it's a hundred year reboot because turning a hundred, you have to celebrate your heritage, but reposition for the future. So it's about getting contemporary, bringing some of those traditional values and equities of the brand, but modernizing them for today and starting this, what we call re-imagining with totally new offerings coming over the next one to two years. We've started with what we call Masterpiece, and Masterpiece is a small chocolate piece that comes in a bag with multiple pieces in there, and it's great for sharing with others or treating yourself. So this is the first step. We've just launched this now it's in the market. In the next few weeks you'll see a totally reimagined what we call gold box and truffle box, which is high-end premium chocolate in specialty stores and on the giva.com website where we've totally revamped chocolate and got new offerings in that. So that's coming over the holiday period, Valentine's Day, there'll be another new collection coming next fall. Towards the end of the next year, we'll have some more gifting chocolates available that will be broadly available. And that's the start. And then after that, in the year 2027, we've got other exciting things coming in. So it's a sequenced campaign. Speaker 2 (03:47):Good timing for the holiday season, I'm sure.Speaker 3 (03:50):Exactly, exactly. Holiday seasons are important for us. Every day is important for us, but the holiday seasons are very important for us. Yes.Speaker 2 (03:58):Can you describe a little bit of the campaign itself and what viewers might see and experience as they witness the campaign?Speaker 3 (04:06):Yeah, I guess the first thing you'll see is a wonderful cinematic traditional sort of advertising, which has got some drama in it. It's got wonderful aesthetic, but at its heart it's a product centered ad and the product is celebrated in there, the taste of that. So that's let's say the hero piece or the centerpiece. But in addition, what you'll see is a lot of social content in different variations. You'll see different versions in digital tv. You'll see a billboard coming later, so some nice still art coming there. Now what's unique about this is we didn't look at it as just a specific campaign and a point of time. We look at this as a one year program where we're relaunching the brand. So you'll see Layton Meer again in the holiday periods, Valentine's period and throughout next year. WhySpeaker 1 (05:03):Leighton Meester? I mean, I know Ilyse is a fan.Speaker 2 (05:06):Oh yeah. I mean Gossip Girl lover obviously.Speaker 3 (05:10):Well, she's a great representation of some of the values of Lady Godiva and Lady Godiv was the, let's say the initial inspiration for the brand. It's obviously called Godiva. So she, lady Godiva played a big role in the identity of the brand. But Leighton Meester is someone that we respect a lot. She's very popular, she's highly likable, she's multifaceted, great actor, musician person who has her own specific identity, and we think that's a great person to partner with in thisSpeaker 2 (05:52):Now premium chocolate, that space is a pretty packed one. How does this campaign really help the brand stand out, especially as we head into those important holiday seasons?Speaker 3 (06:04):Yeah, so premium chocolate is a growing segment within overall chocolate. So certainly chocolate's a very broad area, so many different offerings, and premium is a very important segment within that. And there are different offerings within premium. We like to consider Godiva as the high end of the premium segment. And there's something special. It's like in a category full of square shapes and round shapes,Speaker 4 (06:32):You'veSpeaker 3 (06:33):Got Godiva coming in with something totally different. And if you see the Masterpiece product, you'll see it's a very unique sort of shape there. So we pride ourselves in being kind of the premium of the premium but being accessible. And it's our goal to provide unique offerings that really tastes great and are cut above the rest of premium, but yet at let's say a fingertip away from desire.Speaker 1 (07:04):When you say relaunch, what does that mean? Does it mean like you're trying to reach new audiences, new consumers? How are you thinking about the people you're trying to reach? And I guess that does tie in with getting a celebrity like Leighton Meester.Speaker 3 (07:21):Yeah, it's important for us to connect with a broader range of consumers, younger consumers. So we're trying to get millennials and Gen Zs now, which the brand hadn't really targeted before and over a hundred year period you will have a core cohort which will age over time, and we're making a purposeful effort to try and reach a broader audience. Now contemporize the brand and our activities around doing that,Speaker 2 (07:53):Does that also have to do with perhaps the decision to call it premium chocolate versus luxury chocolate or what is that thinking?Speaker 3 (08:02):Well, the category is divine is premium chocolate, but people say good dive is a luxury brand and sometimes people talk about chocolate as being luxury. I don't think chocolate should be luxury. Chocolate should be accessible as well. And so it's really around that. It's not a conscious big effort saying, Hey, call us premium. Don't call us luxury.Speaker 3 (08:23):You can call us what you want, but it's just great tasting chocolate that is accessible. And our key point is luxury is often reserved for special occasions or milestones and that's certainly fine, but could dive a chocolate is also accessible every day. A little bit of happiness and a little smile is an everyday treat that we all have a right to.Speaker 1 (08:50):My wife reminds me of that every day. She says, should we have a chocolate? Now she's a millennium. She'll be very happy if I give her a Godiva chocolate. Well, we have them here for you to try. Okay, well we will just pause the podcast.Speaker 1 (09:07):We right back anyway. So just to talk about PLAs. So good diver is one of the brands within Pladis and which has a big portfolio of snacking. I just want to talk a bit more about the consumer you're trying to reach. What kind of insights have really shaped how you think about this new strategy?Speaker 3 (09:30):Chocolate plays a meaningful role in people's everyday lives. It's not something that's only reserved for special occasions once or twice a year. And so what we see is that people need, if you look at what we call a demand space map of consumers needs and occasions during the day, there are many opportunities in there for us to provide little bits of happiness, little bits of indulgence, a treat for yourself that is accessible and that's important for us. That's an important insight. The second is that chocolate is more than a product, but it may provide an emotional benefit. It might make you feel good, it might help you connect with others. It might be a reboot for the rest of the day, three o'clock, little piece of chocolate it with a coffee or a cup of tea or something like that is fantastic. So we've mapped consumer occasions to see that that's important. So those are really two very important insights for us.Speaker 2 (10:38):Curious, now that the campaign is out, I know it's early days, but are there any KPIs that you're really keeping your eye on or your hopes around brand impact that you're going to get from this campaign?Speaker 3 (10:54):Yes. Well, we have a broad range of metrics that we look at. You can bucket them around awareness and visibility as one. Engagement. How consumers get involved is to sentiment, what are people saying and how do they feel about it. And then importantly, fourth but not least, is the commercial impact. What kind of sales impact do we have? How's it driving the business? And we're one week into the campaign,(11:20):So we don't have any of those metrics now, but we will be tracking them. But what we're very encouraged by is just the initial, let's say feedback, what people are saying, how much people are talking about it and what they're saying about it. And it's very, very positive what we're hearing about this. And even in this first week, we're seeing remarkable engagement. People are even reediting bits of the ad and combining it with Layton Meer in other roles. It's a very scene in one of her previous shows, which she's very famous for where she says, lady Godiva is my only friend. So we're getting recut edits of that with snippets of the new ad. So consumers are sending those back to us.Speaker 2 (12:09):Now. You've talked before about how storytelling is very key to building great brands. Has this campaign changed how you think about what really connects with today's consumers?Speaker 3 (12:22):I think this campaign will confirm what we think is important in storytelling. And for us, storytelling has got to be something that captures people's attention, draws some interest, so they stick with it and is something that they'll remember later on. And we are trying to find new ways to deliver that and create that impact. But within that, we have to embed elements of the brand and the product experience that's so important in that. And this first centerpiece ad is a wonderful example of that because it's a captivating ad, but at the heart it is a product brand centered ad. So I think that's very important is to combine those things.Speaker 1 (13:14):When we look at the sort of bigger shift, and you've sort of addressed this a little bit, but I'm just curious, we are in a moment of time where people are a little bit anxious in some cases about the economy and where things are going. How do you market into that where you're talking about the importance of premium at a time, that might be something where people would think, oh, should I, shouldn't I? How do you think about that?Speaker 3 (13:42):Well, the good thing about chocolate is it is something that's important every day or can be important every day. It should be accessible every day. And whether the economy goes up or it goes down, it's something that's there. And available chocolates, you were talking earlier about luxury. God, IVA is not a Hermes bag. You don't have to wait two months, or sorry, two years to get that. It's something there that you can have. And if it provides that little bit of lift, that smile on your face, that moment of connection, that's something that is important for people regardless of economic conditions. And if they're having some moments in life or particular experiences in life where they need a little pick me up even more than it plays an even bigger role. So it's our job to provide the right offerings, make them accessible and be available for them.Speaker 1 (14:45):Does it signal anything about how you might approach other Plaice brands? I know they're very different, but justSpeaker 3 (14:52):Yeah, we have multiple other brands around the world and some are chocolate, some are biscuits, some are cakes. And each brand has to find a way to tap into consumer desire. And our Pladis mission we say, is happiness in every bite. And that's what we're trying to deliver. And each brand has to try and deliver that in its own unique way.Speaker 2 (15:22):Now with a heritage brand such as Godiva, how are you still keeping it modern while staying true to its heritage? Because the snack worlds today is changing so fast, we have new wellness trends all the time, digital shopping, et cetera, et cetera.Speaker 3 (15:39):Well, it's such an important question because the challenge for every brand is to be relevant today. And what got you there in the heritage is helpful, but it doesn't necessarily deliver against what makes you relevant for today. It just makes people notice or gives you a little bit of credibility or trust. So a big part of this brand, re-imagining it a hundred years is about that. It's about contemporizing the brand, making sure that we stand out in today's world, that we're conveying those benefits that meet the needs of today's consumers, that we are using the right codes to communicate Kate and making it easy for consumers to notice us, to think about us, to remember us to desire us.Speaker 2 (16:33):How do you think about the way modern brands are going about marketing? Are there any interesting tidbits or trends that you're noticing?Speaker 3 (16:43):Lots of littles. There's a study by work that talks about the aggregate, let's say the cumulative effect of little bits of exposure on your brand actually deliver more than singular big pieces of visibility. And if a brand can try and do that show up in different places, just little bites, little bite size bits ofSpeaker 4 (17:10):ContentSpeaker 3 (17:11):That comes across a lot, that is a great way for connecting and getting consumers to remember you.Speaker 1 (17:18):We've got these kind of quick fire questions here at the end. And what's one thing that you're obsessed with figuring out in confectionary marketing right now?Speaker 3 (17:30):I'm obsessed with figuring out how to connect with consumers in a meaningful way. And that is evolving. It's very difficult. Consumers are bombarded with so many stimuli that the ability to connect with them in a relevant way is so important.Speaker 2 (17:49):Outside of snacks, do you have a brand that you really admire for nailing culture and doing just that?Speaker 3 (17:58):Yes, I love what Heinz is doing. They're fantastic. They're a great example of leaning into your heritage, creating distinction versus other brands in a category that seemingly doesn't have a lot of variety. They are very strong at having distinctive brand assets that they tap into all the time. Make it easy for consumers to think about them, remember them, and they're great at tapping into culture. They've got great little mini campaigns under their overall brand platform. It has to be hez that keep the brand very vibrant. I love what they're doing.Speaker 1 (18:42):What's the best piece of marketing advice you've ever received and do you still follow it?Speaker 3 (18:47):Message delivered does not mean message received. And I think that that applies not just to marketing, it applies to change management leadership. And it's something that I think about a lot, especially now. So if you think about it from a marketing perspective, a brand manager's perspective, it's easy to fall in the trap that if you create something and you put it out there that consumers are going to notice it, love it, and buy your brand. And what we try and tell them is, this is not Iowa Field of dreams. It's not a build it and they will come. You have to really work hard at creating relevance and getting noticed and the odds are stacked against you. So making sure your message or your intent is received, not just delivered is very important.Speaker 2 (19:42):Very nice. One more for fun. If money were no object, what's a dream marketing move you'd make?Speaker 3 (19:52):So I can give you the traditional answer on top of those lots of littles. It'd be great to have some big mega programs. I would love to have, we're talking about Godiva today. I'd love to have Godiva in the Super Bowl. I'd love to have Lady Godiva show up and present the trophy, the NFL trophy or the US Open Tennis trophy or I'd love that stuff, but I'll go past that. It would be great to have Lady Godiva as a Marvel superhero movie and have her deliver chocolate to save the world. Something's going on and she just comes and gives a little piece of chocolate and everything's okay. And that's itSpeaker 1 (20:36):For this edition of The Big Impression.Speaker 2 (20:38):This show is produced by Molten Hart. Our theme is by love and caliber, and our associate producer is Sydney Cairns,Speaker 3 (20:45):And remember lots of littles. There's a study by work that talks about the aggregate, let's say the cumulative effect of little bits of exposure on your brand actually deliver more than singular big pieces of visibility.Speaker 1 (21:03):I'm Damian and I'm IlyseSpeaker 3 (21:05):And we'llSpeaker 1 (21:05):See you next time. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The Congo was just gaining its independence from Belgium in 1960 when its first democratically elected leader, Patrice Lumumba, faced an existential crisis: mutiny in his new army, followed by an unwelcome intervention by Belgian forces. Lumumba had hoped the U.S. would help, but when Washington turned its back, Lumumba turned to Moscow. And so began a CIA operation to assassinate Lumumba to stop the feared spread of Communism in Africa. The story is documented in The Lumumba Plot, a book by author Stuart Reid.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

LOUNGE LIZARDS PRESENTED BY FABRICA5 - Visit Fabrica005.com and use code LIZARDPOD at checkout for 10% off THE ENTIRE STORE! Free worldwide shipping from Miami on all orders over $125. See website for more information and terms.Recorded at Ten86 Cigars in Hawthorne, New Jersey, the Lizards pair La Flor Dominicana Cameroon Cabinet No. 1 with Lagavulin Distiller's Edition Single Malt Scotch Whisky. The guys announce their exciting new partnership with Small Batch Cigar, they revisit the U.S. Cigar Industry suing California and they discuss twenty-five years of Habanos S.A. PLUS: Home Run Humidor, New Year of the Snake for Partagás, Belgian Plain Packaging, & Gizmo's "Forced Growth"Join the Lounge Lizards for a weekly discussion on all things cigars (both Cuban and non-Cuban), whiskey, food, travel, life and work. This is your formal invitation to join us in a relaxing discussion amongst friends and become a card-carrying Lounge Lizard yourself. This is not your typical cigar podcast. We're a group of friends who love sharing cigars, whiskey and a good laugh.website/merch/rating archive: loungelizardspod.comemail: hello@loungelizardspod.com to join the conversation and be featured on an upcoming episode!instagram: @loungelizardspodGizmo HQ: LizardGizmo.com

Last time we spoke about the beginning of the Wuhan Campaign. As Japanese forces pressed toward central China, Chiang Kai-shek faced a brutal choice: defend Wuhan with costly sieges or unleash a dangerous flood to buy time. The Yellow River breached its banks at Huayuankou, sending a wall of water racing toward villages, railways, and fields. The flood did not erase the enemy; it bought months of breathing room for a battered China, but at a terrible toll to civilians who lost homes, farms, and lives. Within Wuhan's orbit, a mosaic of Chinese forces struggled to unite. The NRA, split into competing war zones and factions, numbered about 1.3 million but fought with uneven equipment and training. The Japanese, deploying hundreds of thousands, ships, and air power, pressed from multiple angles: Anqing, Madang, Jiujiang, and beyond, using riverine forts and amphibious landings to turn the Yangtze into a deadly artery. Yet courage endured as troops held lines, pilots challenged the skies, and civilians, like Wang Guozhen, who refused to betray his country, chose defiance over surrender. The war for Wuhan was not a single battle but a testament to endurance in the face of overwhelming odds.   #173 The Fall of Wuhan Welcome to the Fall and Rise of China Podcast, I am your dutiful host Craig Watson. But, before we start I want to also remind you this podcast is only made possible through the efforts of Kings and Generals over at Youtube. Perhaps you want to learn more about the history of Asia? Kings and Generals have an assortment of episodes on history of asia and much more  so go give them a look over on Youtube. So please subscribe to Kings and Generals over at Youtube and to continue helping us produce this content please check out www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals. If you are still hungry for some more history related content, over on my channel, the Pacific War Channel where I cover the history of China and Japan from the 19th century until the end of the Pacific War. In the last episode we began the Battle of Wuhan. Japan captured Anqing and gained air access to Jiujiang, Chinese defenses around the Yangtze River were strained. The southern Yangtze's Ninth War Zone held two key garrisons: one west of Poyang Lake and another in Jiujiang. To deter Japanese assault on Jiujiang, China fortified Madang with artillery, mines, and bamboo booms. On June 24, Japan conducted a surprise Madang landing while pressing south along the Yangtze. Madang's fortress withstood four assaults but suffered heavy bombardment and poison gas. Chinese leadership failures contributed to the fall: Li Yunheng, overseeing Madang, was away at a ceremony, leaving only partial contingents, primarily three battalions from marine corps units and the 313th regiment of the 53rd division, participating, totaling under five battalions. Reinforcements from Pengze were misrouted by Li's orders, arriving too late. Madang fell after three days. Chiang Kai-shek retaliated with a counterattack and rewarded units that recaptured Xiangshan, but further progress was blocked. Li Yunheng was court-martialed, and Xue Weiying executed.   Madang's loss opened a corridor toward Jiujiang. The Japanese needed weeks to clear minefields, sacrificing several ships in the process. With roughly 200,000 Chinese troops in the Jiujiang–Ruichang zone under Xue Yue and Zhang Fukui, the Japanese captured Pengze and then Hukou, using poison gas again during the fighting. The Hukou evacuation cut off many non-combat troops, with over 1,800 of 3,100 soldiers successfully evacuated and more than 1,300 missing drowned in the lake. Two weeks after Hukou's fall, the Japanese reached Jiujiang and overtook it after a five-day battle. The retreat left civilians stranded, and the Jiujiang Massacre followed: about 90,000 civilians were killed, with mass executions of POWs, rapes, and widespread destruction of districts, factories, and transport. Subsequently, the Southern Riverline Campaign saw Japanese detachments along the river advance westward, capturing Ruichang, Ruoxi, and other areas through October, stretching Chinese defenses thin as Japan pressed toward Wuchang and beyond. On July 26, 1938, the Japanese occupied Jiujiang and immediately divided their forces into three routes: advancing toward De'an and Nanchang, then striking Changsha, severing the Yue-Han Railway, and surrounding Wuhan in an effort to annihilate the Chinese field army. The advance of the 101st and 106th Infantry Divisions slowed south of the Yangtze River, yet the Central China Expeditionary Army remained intent on seizing Ruichang and De'an to cut off Chinese forces around Mount Lu. To this end, the 9th and 27th Infantry Divisions were deployed to the sector, with the 9th regarded as an experienced unit that had fought in earlier campaigns, while the 27th was newly formed in the summer of 1938; this contrast underscored the rapidly expanding scope of the war in China as the Japanese Army General Staff continued mobilizing reservists and creating new formations. According to the operational plan, the 101st and 106th Divisions would push south toward De'an to pin Chinese defenders, while the 9th and 27th Divisions would envelop Chinese forces south of the river. Okamura Yasuji ordered five battalions from the 9th to move toward De'an via Ruichang, and the Hata Detachment was tasked with securing the area northwest of Ruichang to protect the 9th's flank. North of the Yangtze, the 6th Infantry Division was to move from Huangmei to Guangji, with Tianjiazhen as the ultimate objective; capturing Tianjiazhen would allow the 11th Army to converge on Wuhan from both north and south of the river.  The operation began when the 9th Division landed at Jiujiang, threatening the left flank of the Jinguanqiao line. The Chinese responded by deploying the 1st Corps to counter the 9th Division's left flank, which threatened the Maruyama Detachment's lines of communication. The Maruyama Detachment counterattacked successfully, enabling the rest of the 9th Division to seize Ruichang on August 24; on the same day, the 9th attacked the 30th Army defending Mount Min. The Chinese defense deteriorated on the mountain, and multiple counterattacks by Chinese divisions failed, forcing the 1st Corps to retreat to Mahuiling. The seizure of Ruichang and the surrounding area was followed by a wave of atrocities, with Japanese forces inflicting substantial casualties, destroying houses, and damaging property, and crimes including murder, rape, arson, torture, and looting devastating many villages and livelihoods in the Ruichang area. After Ruichang and Mount Min fell, the Maruyama Detachment and the 106th Infantry Division advanced on Mahuiling, seeking to encircle Chinese forces from the northwest, with the 106th forming the inner ring and the Maruyama Detachment the outer ring; this coordination led to Mahuiling's fall on September 3. The 27th Infantry Division, arriving in late August, landed east of Xiaochikou, providing the manpower to extend Japanese offensives beyond the Yangtze's banks and outflank Chinese defenders along the river. Its main objective was to seize the Rui-wu highway, a vital route for the continued advance toward Wuhan. After the fall of Mahuiling, Japanese command altered its strategy. The 11th Army ordered the Maruyama Detachment to rejoin the 9th Infantry Division and press westward, while the 101st Infantry Division was to remain at Mahuiling and push south toward De'an along with the 106th Infantry Division. This divergent or “eccentric” offensive aimed to advance on Wuhan while protecting the southern flank. The renewed offensive began on September 11, 1938, with the 9th Infantry Division and Hata Detachment advancing west along the Rui-yang and Rui-wu highways toward Wuhan, followed days later by the 27th Infantry Division. Initially, the Japanese made solid progress from Ruichang toward a line centered on Laowuge, but soon faced formidable Chinese defenses. The 9th and 27th Divisions confronted the Chinese 2nd Army Corps, which had prepared in-depth positions in the mountains west of Sanchikou and Xintanpu. The 27th Division encountered stiff resistance from the 18th and 30th Corps, and although it captured Xiaoao by September 24, its vanguard advancing west of Shujie came under heavy attack from the 91st, 142nd, 60th, and 6th Reserve Infantry Divisions, threatening to encircle it. Only the southward advance of the 101st and 106th Divisions relieved the pressure, forcing the Chinese to redeploy the 91st and 6th Reserve Divisions to the south and thereby loosening the 27th's grip. After the redeployment, the 9th and 27th Divisions resumed their push. The 9th crossed the Fu Shui on October 9 and took Sanjikou on October 16, while the 27th seized Xintanpu on October 18. The Hata Detachment followed, capturing Yangxin on October 18 and Ocheng on October 23, further tightening Japanese control over the highways toward Wuhan. By mid-October, 11th Army commander Okamura Yasuji resolved to sever the Guangzhou-Hankou railway to disrupt Chinese lines. On October 22, the 9th and 27th Divisions attacked toward Jinniu and Xianning. By October 27, the 9th had captured Jinniu and cut the railway; the 27th Division extended the disruption further south. These actions effectively isolated Wuchang from the south, giving the Imperial Japanese Army greater leverage over the southern approaches to Wuhan. The push south by the 101st and 106th Infantry Divisions pressed toward De'an, where they encountered the entrenched Chinese 1st Army Corps. The offensive began on September 16 and by the 24th, elements of the 27th Division penetrated deep into the area west of Baishui Street and De'an's environs. Recognizing the growing crisis, Xue Yue mobilized the nearby 91st and 142nd Divisions, who seized Nanping Mountain along the Ruiwu Line overnight, effectively cutting off the 27th Division's retreat. Fierce combat on the 25th and 26th saw Yang Jialiu, commander of the 360th Regiment of the 60th Division, die a heroic death. Zhang Zhihe, chief of staff of the 30th Group Army and an underground CCP member, commanded the newly formed 13th Division and the 6th Division to annihilate the Suzuki Regiment and recapture Qilin Peak. Learning of the 27th Division's trap, Okamura Yasuji panicked and, on the 25th, urgently ordered the 123rd, 145th, and 147th Infantry Regiments and mountain artillery of the 106th Division on the Nanxun Line, along with the 149th Regiment of the 101st Division on the Dexing Line, to rush to Mahuiling and Xingzi. To adapt to mountain warfare, some units were temporarily converted to packhorse formations. On the 27th, the 106th Division broke through the Wutailing position with force, splitting into two groups and pushing toward Erfangzheng and Lishan. By the 28th, the three regiments and mountain artillery of the 106th Division advanced into the mountain villages of Wanjialing, Leimingguliu, Shibaoshan, Nantianpu, Beixijie, and Dunshangguo, about 50 li west of De'an. On the same day, the 149th Regiment of the 101st Division entered the Wanjialing area and joined the 106th Division. Commanded by Lieutenant General Junrokuro Matsuura, the 106th Division sought to break out of Baicha and disrupt the Nanwu Highway to disrupt the Chinese retreat from De'an. At this juncture, Xue Yue's corps perceived the Japanese advance as a predatory, wolf-like maneuver and deemed it a strategic opportunity to counterattack. He resolved to pull forces from Dexing, Nanxun, and Ruiwu to envelop the enemy near Wanjialing, with the aim of annihilating them. Thus began a desperate, pivotal battle between China and Japan in northern Jiangxi, centered on the Wanjialing area. The Japanese 106th Division found its rear communications cut off around September 28, 1938, as the Chinese blockade tightened. Despite the 27th Division's severed rear and its earlier defeat at Qilin Peak, Okamura Yasuji ordered a renewed push to relieve the besieged 106th by directing the 27th Division to attack Qilin Peak and advance east of Baishui Street. In this phase, the 27th Division dispatched the remnants of its 3rd Regiment to press the assault on Qilin Peak, employing poison gas and briefly reaching the summit. On September 29, the 142nd Division of the 32nd Army, under Shang Zhen, coordinated with the 752nd Regiment of the same division to launch a fierce counterattack on Qilin Peak at Zenggai Mountain west of Xiaoao. After intense fighting, they reclaimed the peak, thwarting the 27th Division's bid to move eastward to aid the 106th. Concurrently, a portion of the 123rd Regiment of the 106th Division attempted a breakout west of Baishui Street. Our 6th and 91st Divisions responded with a determined assault from the east of Xiaoao, blocking the 123rd Regiment east of Baishui Street. The victories at Qilin Peak and Baishui Street halted any merger between the eastern and western Japanese forces, enabling the Chinese army to seal the pocket and create decisive conditions for encircling the 106th Division and securing victory in the Battle of Wanjialing. After the setback at Qilin Peak, Division Commander Masaharu Homma, defying Okamura Yasuji's orders to secure Baishui Street, redirected his focus to Tianhe Bridge under a pretext of broader operations. He neglected the heavily encircled 106th Division and pivoted toward Xintanpu. By September 30, Chinese forces attacked from both the east and west, with the 90th and 91st Divisions joining the assault on the Japanese positions. On October 1, the Japanese, disoriented and unable to pinpoint their own unit locations, telegrammed Okamura Yasuji for air support. On October 2, the First Corps received orders to tighten the encirclement and annihilate the enemy forces. Deployments were made to exploit a numerical advantage and bolster morale, placing the Japanese in a desperate position. On October 3, 1938, the 90th and 91st Divisions launched a concerted attack on Nantianpu, delivering heavy damage to the Japanese force and showering Leimingguliu with artillery fire that endangered the 106th Division headquarters. By October 5, Chinese forces reorganized: the 58th Division of the 74th Army advanced from the south, the 90th Division of the 4th Army from the east, portions of the 6th and 91st Divisions from the west, and the 159th and 160th Divisions of the 65th Army from the north, tightening the surrounding cordon from four directions. On October 6, Xue Yue ordered a counterattack, and by October 7 the Chinese army had effectively cut off all retreat routes. That evening, after fierce hand-to-hand combat, the 4th Army regained the hilltop, standing at a 100-meter-high position, and thwarted any Japanese plan to break through Baicha and sever Chinese retreat toward De'an. By October 8, Lieutenant Colonel Sakurada Ryozo, the 106th Division's staff officer, reported the division's deteriorating situation to headquarters. The telegram signaled the impending collapse of the 106th Division. On October 9, Kuomintang forces recaptured strategic positions such as Lishan, tightening encirclement to a small pocket of about three to four square kilometers in Nantianpu, Leimingguliu, and Panjia. That night, the vanguard attacked the Japanese 106th Division's headquarters at Leimingguliu, engaging in close combat with the Japanese. Matsuura and the division's staff then took up arms in defense. In the early hours of October 10, Japanese forces launched flares that illuminated only a narrow arc of movement, and a limited number of troops fled northwest toward Yangfang Street. The two and a half month battle inflicted tremendous casualties on the Japanese, particularly on the 101st and 106th divisions. These two formations began with a combined strength of over 47,000 troops and ultimately lost around 30,000 men in the fighting. The high casualty rate hit the Japanese officer corps especially hard, forcing General Shunroku Hata to frequently airdrop replacement officers onto the besieged units' bases throughout the engagement. For the Chinese, the successful defense of Wanjialing was pivotal to the Wuhan campaign.  Zooming out at a macro level a lot of action was occurring all over the place. Over in Shandong, 1,000 soldiers under Shi Yousan, who had defected multiple times between rival warlord cliques and operated as an independent faction, occupied Jinan and held it for a few days. Guerrillas briefly controlled Yantai. East of Changzhou extending to Shanghai, another non-government Chinese force, led by Dai Li, employed guerrilla tactics in the Shanghai suburbs and across the Huangpu River. This force included secret society members from the Green Gang and the Tiandihui, who conducted executions of spies and perceived traitors, losing more than 100 men in the course of operations. On August 13, members of this force clandestinely entered the Japanese air base at Hongqiao and raised a Chinese flag. Meanwhile, the Japanese Sixth Division breached the defensive lines of Chinese 31st and 68th Armies on July 24 and captured Taihu, Susong, and Huangmei Counties by August 3. As Japanese forces advanced westward, the Chinese Fourth Army of the Fifth War Zone deployed its main strength in Guangji, Hubei, and Tianjia Town to intercept the offensive. The 11th Army Group and the 68th Army were ordered to form a defensive line in Huangmei County, while the 21st and 29th Army Groups, along with the 26th Army, moved south to outflank the Japanese. The Chinese recaptured Taihu on August 27 and Susong on August 28. However, with Japanese reinforcements arriving on August 30, the Chinese 11th Army Group and the 68th Army were unable to sustain counteroffensives and retreated to Guangji County to continue resisting alongside the 26th, 55th, and 86th Armies. The Chinese Fourth Army Group directed the 21st and 29th Army Groups to flank the Japanese from the northeast of Huangmei, but they failed to halt the Japanese advance. Guangji fell on September 6, and while Guangji was recovered by the Chinese Fourth Corps on September 8, Wuxue was lost on the same day. Zooming back in on the Wuhan Front, the Japanese focus shifted to Tianjiazhen. The fortress of Tianjiazhen represented the 6th Infantry Division's most important objective. Its geographic position, where the Yangtze's two banks narrow to roughly 600 meters, with cliffs and high ground overlooking the river, allowed Chinese forces to deploy gun batteries that could control the river and surrounding terrain. Chinese control of Tianjiazhen thus posed a serious obstacle to Japan's amphibious and logistical operations on the Yangtze, and its seizure was deemed essential for Japan to advance toward Wuhan. Taking Tianjiazhen would not be easy: overland approaches were impeded by mountainous terrain on both sides of the fortress, while an amphibious assault faced fortified positions and minefields in the narrow river. Recognizing its strategic importance, Chinese forces reinforced Tianjiazhen with three divisions from central government troops, aiming to deter an overland assault. Chinese preparations included breaching several dykes and dams along the Yangtze to flood expanses of land and slow the Japanese advance; however, the resulting higher water levels widened the river and created a more accessible supply route for the Japanese. Instead of relying on a long overland route from Anqing to Susong, the Japanese could now move supplies directly up the Yangtze from Jiujiang to Huangmei, a distance of only about 40 kilometers, which boosted the 6th Division's logistics and manpower. In August 1938 the 6th Infantry Division resumed its northward push, facing determined resistance from the 4th Army Corps entrenched in a narrow defile south of the Dabie Mountains, with counterattacks from the 21st and 27th Army Groups affecting the 6th's flank. The Dabie Mountains are a major mountain range located in central China. Running northwest to southeast, they form the main watershed between the Huai and Yangtze rivers. The range also marks the boundary between Hubei Province and its neighboring provinces of Henan to the north and Anhui to the east. By early September the 6th had captured Guangji, providing a staging ground for the thrust toward Tianjiazhen, though this extended the division's long flank: after Guangji fell, it now faced a 30-kilometer front between Huangmei and Guangji, exposing it to renewed Chinese pressure from the 21st and 27th Army Groups. This constrained the number of troops available for the main objective at Tianjiazhen. Consequently, the Japanese dispatched only a small force, three battalions from the Imamura Detachment, to assault Tianjiazhen, betting that the fortress could be taken within a week. The KMT, learning from previous defeats, reinforced Tianjiazhen with a stronger infantry garrison and built obstacles, barbed wire, pillboxes, and trench networks, to slow the assault. These defenses, combined with limited Japanese logistics, six days of rations per soldier, made the operation costly and precarious. The final Japanese assault was postponed by poor weather, allowing Chinese forces to press counterattacks: three Chinese corps, the 26th, 48th, and 86th, attacked the Imamura Detachment's flank and rear, and by September 18 these attacks had begun to bite, though the floods of the Yangtze prevented a complete encirclement of the eastern flank. Despite these setbacks, Japanese riverine and ground operations continued, aided by naval support that moved up the Yangtze as Matouzhen's batteries were overtaken. After Matouzhen fell and enabled a secure riverine supply line from Shanghai to Guangji, 11th Army commander Okamura Yasuji quickly sent relief supplies upriver on September 23. These replenishments restored the besieged troops near Tianjiazhen and allowed the Japanese to resume the offensive, employing night assaults and poison gas to seize Tianjiazhen on September 29, 1938, thereby removing a major barrier to their advance toward Wuhan along the Yangtze. The 11th Army pressed north along the Yangtze while the 2nd Army, commanded by Prince Naruhiko Higashikuni, concentrated the 3rd, 10th, 13th, and 16th Infantry Divisions around Hefei with initial aims at Lu'an and Heshan and the broader objective of moving toward the northern foothills of the Dabie Mountains. When Chinese forces began destroying roads west of Lu'an, Naruhiko shifted the 2nd Army's plan. Rather than pushing along a line from Lu'an to Heshan, he redirected toward the Huangchuan–Shangcheng corridor, where more intact roads remained accessible, and Chinese withdrawals in the Huangchuan–Shangceng area to counter the 11th Army's Yangtze advance allowed the 2nd Army to gain speed in the early stage of its offensive. The 10th and 13th Infantry Divisions were ordered to begin their advance on August 27, facing roughly 25,000 Chinese troops from the Fifth War Zone's 51st and 77th Corps, and achieving notable early gains. The 10th captured Lu'an on August 28, followed by the 13th taking Heshan on August 29. The 10th then seized Kushi on September 7. Meanwhile, the 13th crossed the Shi River at night in an attempt to seize Changbailing, but encountered stiff resistance from multiple Chinese divisions that slowed its progress. To bolster the effort, Naruhiko ordered the Seiya Detachment from the 10th Division—three infantry battalions—to reinforce the 13th. Despite these reinforcements, momentum remained insufficient, so he deployed the 16th Infantry Division, which had arrived at Yenchiachi, to assault Shangcheng from the north. After crossing the Shi River at Yanjiachi, the 16th outflanked Shangcheng from the north, coordinating with the 13th from the south; the Chinese withdrew and Shangcheng fell. Following this success, Naruhiko ordered the 13th and 16th Divisions to push deeper into the Dabie Mountains toward Baikou and Songfu, while the 10th and 3rd Divisions moved toward Leshan and Xinyang, with Xinyang, a crucial Beijing–Wuhan Railway node, representing a particularly important objective. The Japanese advance progressed steadily through the Dabie Mountains, with the 10th executing bold maneuvers to outflank Leshan from the south and the 3rd penetrating toward the Beijing–Wuhan railway north of Xinyang, collectively disrupting and cutting the railway near Xinyang in October. An independent unit, the Okada Detachment, operated between these forces, advancing through Loshan before sealing Xinyang on October 12. The seizure of Xinyang effectively severed Wuhan's northern artery from external reinforcement and resupply, signaling a decisive turn against Wuhan as a Chinese stronghold. While the 2nd Army advanced in the Dabie Mountains, another critical development was taking place far to the south. By the end of 1937, southern China became more crucial to the Republic of China as a lifeline to the outside world. Guangzhou and Hong Kong served as some of the last vital transportation hubs and sources of international aid for Chiang Kai-Shek, with approximately 80 percent of supplies from abroad reaching Chinese forces in the interior through Guangzhou. Imperial General Headquarters believed that a blockade of Guangdong province would deprive China of essential war materiel and the ability to prolong the war. As I always liked to term it, the Japanese were trying to plug up the leaks of supplies coming into China, and Guangzhou was the largest one. In 1936 the Hankow-Canton railway was completed, and together with the Kowloon-Canton railway formed a rapid all-rail link from south China to central and northern China. For the first sixteen months of the war, about 60,000 tons of goods transited per month through the port of Hong Kong. The central government also reported the import of 1.5 million gallons of gasoline through Hong Kong in 1938, and more than 700,000 tons of goods would eventually reach Hankou using the new railway. In comparison, the Soviet Union in 1937 was sending war materiel through Xinjiang to Lanzhou using camels, with Chinese raw materials traveling back either the same route or via Hong Kong to Vladivostok. By 1940, 50,000 camels and hundreds of trucks were transporting 2,000–3,000 tons of Soviet war material per month into China. Japanese planning for operations began in early November 1937, with the blockade's objectives centered on seizing a portion of Daya Bay and conducting air operations from there. In December 1937, the 5th Army, including the 11th Division, the Formosa Mixed Brigade, and the 4th Air Brigade, were activated in Formosa under Lt. Gen. Motoo Furusho to achieve this objective. Due to the proximity of Daya Bay to Hong Kong, the Japanese government feared potential trouble with Britain, and the operation was subsequently suspended, leading to the deactivation of the 5th Army. By June 1938, the Battle of Wuhan convinced Imperial General Headquarters that the fighting could not be localized. The headquarters reversed policy and began preparations to capture Guangzhou and to expedite the settlement of the war. During the peak of the battles of Shanghai and Nanjing, urgent demands for aerial support at the Battle of Taiyuan in the north and at Canton in the south forced the Nationalist Air Force of China to split the 28th Pursuit Squadron and the 5th Pursuit Group , based at Jurong Airbase in the Nanking defense sector. The squadron was divided into two smaller units: Lt. Arthur Chin led one half toward Canton, while Capt. Chan Kee-Wong led the other half to Taiyuan. On September 27, 1937, the 28th PS under Lt. Arthur Chin dispatched four Hawk IIs from Shaoguan Airbase, and the 29th PS under Lt. Chen Shun-Nan deployed three Hawk IIIs from Tianhe Airbase. Their mission was to intercept Japanese IJNAF G3M bombers attempting to strike the Canton–Hankow railway infrastructure. The two flights engaged the Japanese bombers over Canton, claiming at least two kills; one G3M dumped fuel and ditching off the coast of Swatow, with its crew rescued by a British freighter, though one of the gunners died of battle injuries. In October 1937, amid mounting demands and combat losses, the Chinese government ordered 36 Gloster Gladiator Mk.I fighters, whose performance and firepower surpassed that of the Hawk IIs and IIIs, and most of these would become frontline fighters for the Canton defense sector as the war extended into 1938. On February 23, 1938, Capt. John Huang Xinrui, another Chinese-American volunteer pilot, took command of the renewed 29th PS, now equipped with the Gladiators. He led nine Gladiators from Nanxiong Airbase on their first active combat over Canton, supporting three Gladiators from the 28th PS as they intercepted thirteen Nakajima E8N fighter-attack seaplanes launched from the seaplane tenders Notoro Maru and Kinugasa Maru. The battle proved challenging: most of the Gladiators' machine guns jammed, severely reducing their firepower. Despite this, five of the E8Ns were shot down, confirmed by Capt. Huang and his fellow pilots who managed to strike the Japanese aircraft with only one, two, or three functioning guns per Gladiator. Chin later revealed that the gun jams were caused by defective Belgian-made ammunition. The combat nevertheless proved tragic and costly: Lt. Xie Chuanhe (Hsieh Chuan-ho) and his wingman Lt. Yang Rutong pursued the E8Ns but were stymied by inoperable weapons, with Lt. Yang killed in the counterattack, and Lt. Chen Qiwei lost under similar circumstances. The 4th War Area Army, commanded by He Yingqin, was assigned to the defense of south China in 1938. General Yu Hanmou led the 12th Army Group defending Guangdong province. The region's defense included about eight divisions and two brigades of regular army troops stationed around Guangzhou, with an additional five divisions of regular troops deployed in Fujian. The 4th War Area Army totaled roughly 110,000 regular army troops. By this time, most regular army units in Guangxi and four Guangdong divisions had been redirected north to participate in the Battle of Wuhan. Beyond the regular army, two militia divisions were deployed near Guangzhou, and the Guangxi militia comprised five divisions. Militia units were typically raised from local civilians and disbanded as the army moved through new areas. Their roles centered on security, supply transportation, and reconnaissance. Guangdong's main defensive strength was concentrated in Guangzhou and the immediate environs to the city's east. Other Chinese forces defended Chaozhou and western Guangdong. Defensive fortifications included the Humen fortress guarding the Pearl River mouth and three defensive lines near Daya Bay. Guangzhou housed three batteries of four three-inch guns, a battery of three 120mm guns, and Soviet-supplied 37mm anti-aircraft guns. The Imperial Japanese Navy conducted an aerial and naval interdiction campaign aimed at China's communication lines to neighboring regions. Japan believed that the blockade would hasten the end of the war, and disruption of the Chinese logistics network was the primary objective in Guangdong province from August 1937 until October 1938. The 5th Fleet's blockading actions extended along the coast from Haimenchen, Zhejiang to Shantou, with the 5th Destroyer Squadron patrolling the coast south of Shantou. At times, units from the Marianas were deployed to support coastal blockade operations in south China, usually consisting of cruisers accompanied by destroyer flotillas. One or two aircraft carriers and fleet auxiliaries would also be on station. Naval interdictions focused on stopping junks ferrying military supplies from Hong Kong to coastal China. The first recorded attack occurred in September 1937 when eleven junks were sunk by a Japanese submarine. Although Japan successfully blockaded Chinese shipping and ports, foreign shipping could still enter and depart from Hong Kong. The central government had established Hong Kong as a warehouse for munitions and supplies to pass through. Aerial interdictions targeted Chinese railway bridges and trains in Guangdong. Starting in October 1937, the Japanese launched air raids against the Sunning railway, focusing on government facilities and bridges in Jiangmen and towns along the railway. By 1938, airstrikes against the Kowloon–C Canton railway became common, with damaged trains periodically found along the line. An air-defense early warning system was created to divert trains during raids into forested areas that offered overhead concealment. In May 1938, the Colonial Office and the Foreign Office approved a Chinese request to construct and operate a locomotive repair yard within the New Territories to keep the railway operational. Airstrikes against rail facilities in Guangzhou were designed to interrupt rail supplies from Hong Kong so Japan would not need to commit to land operations in south China. However, the air raids did not severely impede railway operations or stop supplies moving through Hunan or Guangxi. The blockade in south China also targeted aircraft flying out of Hong Kong. In November 1937, a Royal Navy aircraft from HMS Eagle encountered Japanese naval anti-aircraft fire off the coast of Hong Kong. In December 1937, fifteen Japanese bombers overflew Lantau Island and the Taikoo docks. In August 1938, Japanese naval aircraft shot down a China National Aviation Corporation passenger plane, and two Eurasia Aviation Corporation passenger planes were shot down the following month. Beyond military targets, the Japanese conducted politically motivated terror bombing in Guangzhou. Bombing intensified from May to June 1938 with incendiary munitions and low-level strafing attacks against ships. The Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service, operating from Formosa and the carrier Kaga, conducted about 400 airstrikes during this period and continued into July. By the end of the summer, Guangzhou's population had dwindled to approximately 600,000 from an original 1.3 million. From August 1937 to October 1938, casualties in Guangzhou were estimated at 6,000 killed and 8,000 injured. On October 12, 1938, Japanese forces from the 21st Army, including the 5th, 18th, and 104th Infantry Divisions, landed in Guangzhou, launching the operation at 4:00 am with elements of the 5th and 18th Divisions hitting Aotou and elements of the 104th Division landing at Hachung in Bias Bay. Initially totaling about 30,000 men, they were soon reinforced by a further 20,000, and resistance was minimal because most of Yu Hanmou's 12th Army Group had been redeployed to central China to defend approaches to Wuhan, leaving only two regular Chinese divisions, the 151st and 153rd, to defend the region. By the night of October 12, the Japanese had established a 10-kilometer-deep beachhead and advanced inland; on October 13 they seized the towns of Pingshan and Tamshui with little opposition, and on October 15 they converged on Waichow and captured it. The fall of Pingshan, located on the Sai Kong River with a deep, broad river and only a flimsy crossing, and Waichow, where Chinese defenses included trenches and concrete pillboxes, surprised observers since these positions had been prepared to resist invasion; nonetheless, Chinese forces fled, opening the road to Guangzhou for the Japanese. Between October 16 and 19, three Japanese columns pushed inland, with the easternmost column crossing the East River on the 16th and the 5th Infantry Division capturing Sheklung on the 19th as Chinese forces retreated. By the night of October 20, Guangzhou's defenders withdrew and adopted a scorched-earth policy to deny resources to the invaders. On October 21, Japanese tanks entered Guangzhou without infantry support, and a regiment from the 5th Infantry Division captured the Bocca Tigris forts with no resistance. With Guangzhou secured, the Guangzhou–Wuhan railway and the Hong Kong–Guangzhou railway were severed, supplies to Wuhan were cut, Chiang Kai-Shek faced a daunting and depressing task, he had to abandon Wuhan. I would like to take this time to remind you all that this podcast is only made possible through the efforts of Kings and Generals over at Youtube. Please go subscribe to Kings and Generals over at Youtube and to continue helping us produce this content please check out www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals. If you are still hungry after that, give my personal channel a look over at The Pacific War Channel at Youtube, it would mean a lot to me. The Yangtze became a bloodied artery as Chinese and Japanese forces clashed from Anqing to Jiujiang, Madang to Tianjiazhen. A mosaic of Chinese troops, filled with grit and missteps, held lines while civilians like Wang Guozhen refused to surrender. The siege of Wanjialing crowned Chinese resilience, even as Guangzhou buckled under a relentless blockade. The Fall of Wuhan was all but inevitable.

We are excited to welcome Belgian talent Adjust (BE) to our live series. In this session he delves into his own repository of productions providing a live performance awash with hypnotic energies and atmospheric tones. Follow : https://soundcloud.com/adjustbe_ofc https://www.instagram.com/adjustbe_ofc/ Tracklist : 1 Adjust (BE) & Ancestral Landscapes - Darkest Night (Original Mix) 2 Adjust (BE) - Broken Sun (Original Mix) 3 Adjust (BE) - Faint (Original Mix) 4 Adjust (BE) & Reʌenänt - Mithya (Original Mix) 5 Adjust (BE) - Long Farewell (Original Mix) 6 Fook Yue - Eden (Adjust (BE) Interpretation) 7 En.Ka - Merlot (Adjust (BE) remix) 8 Adjust (BE) - Wailing Memory (Original Mix) 9 Adjust (BE) - ID 10 Adjust (BE) - Fragments (Original Mix) 11 Adjust (BE) - ID 12 Adjust (BE) - ID 13 Adjust (BE) & Ancestral Landscapes - Answers (Original Mix) 14 Adjust (BE) - Bhavaya (Original Mix) 15 Adjust (BE) - Fractured Elements (Original Mix) 16 ØSC - Inertial Underestemation (Adjust(BE) Remix) 17 Adjust (BE) - Para Shakti (Original Mix) 18 Adjust (BE) & Cauê - Caladrius (Original Mix) 19 Adjust (BE) & Reʌenänt - Shraddha (Original Mix) 20 Adjust (BE) - Inner Conscience (Original Mix) 21 Adjust (BE) - ID 22 Adjust (BE) & Cauê - Spectral Voice (Original Mix) 23 Sydro - Vexatious Flux (Adjust (BE) Remix) 24 Esteban Miranda - Mental Preparation (Adjust (BE) remix) 25 Adjust (BE) - ID 26 Adjust (BE) & Cauê - Eternal Vision (Original Mix) 27 Adjust (BE) - Earth Snake (Original Mix) 28 Adjust (BE) - Dvara (Original Mix)

This week we've got Stephen and David Dewaele of Belgian dance-rock greats Soulwax, not to mention 2ManyDJs, Despacio and DEEWEE Records fame. Soulwax just released All Systems Are Lying, their first album in seven years, and we talk about that and how it differed from the last two records. Our wide-ranging conversation also hit on their approach to remixes, interviewing Prince on Belgian television, what makes Belgian music sound Belgian, the mid-'80s Belgian New Beat scene, their mobile club Despacio with James Murphy, Soulwax's infamous 2006 gig at Brooklyn club Studio B, working with Marie Davidson on her album City of Clowns, what DEEWEE Records has coming out next, and lots more.  -- Credits: Hosted & produced by Bill Pearis Mixed and mastered by Nick Gray Theme music by Michael Silverstein

In this episode Author and Historian Helen Fry details the importance of Intelligence gathering networks in Belgium during World War I and World War II. She talks us through how they were set up, how the remnants of the first network were pivotal in the creation of the new networks in World War II.Grab a copy of The White Lady: The Story of Two Key British Secret Service Networks Behind German LinesKeep up to date with Helen via her Website, X, or InstagramIf you want to get in touch with History with Jackson email: jackson@historywithjackson.co.ukTo support History with Jackson to carry on creating content subscribe to History with Jackson+ on Apple Podcasts or support us on our Patreon!To catch up on everything to do with History with Jackson head to www.HistorywithJackson.co.ukFollow us on Facebook at @HistorywithJacksonFollow us on Instagram at @HistorywithJacksonFollow us on X/Twitter at @HistorywJacksonFollow us on TikTok at @HistorywithJackson Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Belgian surrealist René Magritte was a smart artist, but could the 20th century futurist really have predicted the end of the Worldwide Web age? Not exactly, of course. But according to That Was The Week publisher, Keith Teare, Magritte's 1929 painting, “The Treachery of Images” (featuring the image of a pipe with the immortal words “Ceci n'est pas une pipe”), is a helpful way of thinking about OpenAI's introduction this week of their new Atlas “browser”. It's not really a browser in the conventional way that we think about web browsers like Chrome, Firefox or Internet Explorer. And yet AI products like Atlas are about to once again revolutionize how we use the internet. They might even represent the end of the web age with its link architecture and advertising economics. So do we have words for what comes next? The not-a-browser age, perhaps. L'ère sans navigateur, to be exact. * The Browser Is Becoming an Agent, Not a Link Map - For thirty years, browsers like Netscape, Internet Explorer, and Chrome were rendering engines for HTML that displayed blue links to web pages. AI products like ChatGPT's Atlas and Google's AI mode in Chrome are transforming browsers into conversational agents that answer questions, summarize content, and even execute tasks like booking flights—pushing the traditional web “down a level” in the user interface hierarchy.* The Web's Trillion-Dollar Advertising Model Must “Reprice Fast” - The web's business model has been largely advertising-based, built on users clicking links that generate revenue. As AI interfaces replace link-based browsing, this nearly trillion-dollar annual revenue stream faces an existential threat. Publishers like Keith Teare and platforms like Google must figure out how to transition their economics to an AI-driven world where links aren't surfaced by default.* Google Deserves Its Stock Price for “Being Brave in Undermining Its Own Business Model” - While AI threatens to upend Google's AdWords cash cow, the company's stock has surged roughly 50% over the past year. Keith argues Google has earned this bullishness by aggressively investing in AI infrastructure (like Anthropic's $10 billion commitment to Google's TPUs) and integrating AI features into Chrome—even though these moves could cannibalize its core search advertising business.* The “Victim Here Is the Publisher, Not the User” - Keith acknowledges that while the shift to AI agents feels like “an absolute change of paradigm,” it's genuinely better for users who get more intuitive, conversational interfaces. Publishers and content creators are the ones facing disruption, as AI may eliminate their distribution channels without yet providing alternatives for reaching audiences or monetizing content. The challenge is that “most of the narrative that doesn't like it is publisher-centric.”* Tim Wu and Antitrust Regulators Are “Fighting Yesterday's War” - Columbia law professor Tim Wu's new book The Age of Extraction focuses on the monopolistic dangers of Google, Amazon, and Facebook—but Keith argues this framing is already obsolete. The real competitive battlefield is AI, where Google is a “laggard” behind OpenAI and Anthropic. The underlying internet architecture (TCP/IP) remains neutral enough to allow challengers to emerge, making heavy-handed government intervention both unnecessary and potentially innovation-killing, as seen in the over-regulated EU.Keen On America is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit keenon.substack.com/subscribe

Jay of the Dead'sNew Horror Movies presents… the 55th Edition of the world's greatest Zombie Movie Podcast — Dead Man Still Walking, starring Dr. Walking Dead Kyle Bishop! In this fascinating and unexpectedly subversive episode, Dr. Bishop welcomes special guest Jay of the Dead to explore the surprising horror history of “The Purple Smurfs” (yes, those Smurfs!) and their uncanny place in zombie canon. This is a must-listen for fans of zombie cinema. Likely inspired somewhat by Richard Matheson's novel, “I Am Legend” (1954) — yet before George Romero's shambling ghouls — there existed a little-known, infected-zombie narrative within the Belgian comic, Les Schtroumpfs Noirs (“The Black Smurfs”) from 1959, later wisely adapted for American audiences in 1963 as “The Purple Smurfs.” What seems like a simple children's story reveals shocking thematic roots in infection, rage, and apocalypse, complete with an urgent race to find a cure. Dr. Bishop herein declares, “Yes, the Purple Smurfs are zombies.” Also during Episode 166 here, Jay and Kyle dive deep into both the original comic source material and the adapted, 1981 TV episode — part of a Halloween special featuring “The Haunted Smurf” as well as “The Purple Smurfs” — unpacking how the latter's infection narrative even precedes films like “The Crazies” (1973), “Rabid” (1977), and “28 Days Later” (2002). They discuss the sociocultural implications, from 1980s “Satanic Panic” anxieties to the comic's troubling racial undertones in its early form. Jay playfully speculates whether the story serves as a bizarre, STD cautionary tale — and even debuts his first-ever Horror trailer for The Purple Smurfs (1981) TV episode! As for Dr. Bishop's favorite color? You just might find the answer buried somewhere in this delightfully twisted episode of Dead Man Still Walking. Gnap! Gnap! Note: This episode was recorded on July 21, 2025. Note: To view ALL of Dr. Bishop's Dead Man Still Walking solocast episodes can USE THIS LINK. And to view ALL of Dr. Bishop's episode-by-episode commentaries on The Last of Us – Seasons 1 and 2, with Jay of the Dead, then USE THIS LINK. Dead Man Still Walking is a biweekly, short-form solocast hosted by Dr. Walking Dead Kyle Bishop, author of American Zombie Gothic and How Zombies Conquered Popular Culture. Dr. Walking Dead also presents a popular segment called The Dead Zone on regular episodes of this podcast. For his Dead Man Still Walking solocast episodes, Dr. Bishop will focus exclusively on zombie films, with the occasional exploration of zombie-related themes, zombie television, and other zombie media (e.g., comics, literature, etc.). Dr. Bishop is an academic and professional scholar of zombie films and other zombie narratives. He has been teaching for 23 years. Dr. Bishop serves as an English professor, Film Studies professor, and he's currently the English Department Chair at Southern Utah University. You are welcome to reach out to Dr. Bishop with comments or questions via email: bishopk@suu.edu, X: @DrWalkingDead, BlueSky and Instagram (@DrWalkingDead) or by leaving him a voicemail: (801) 980-1375. You can also watch the documentary, Doc of the Dead (2014), which features Dr. Walking Dead. Find more links below for Dr. Bishop. Be sure to subscribe to Jay of the Dead's new Horror movie podcast on: Apple PodcastsSpotifyDeezer   You are welcome to email our show at HauntingYourHeadphones@gmail.com. You can also follow Jay of the Dead'sNew Horror Movies on X: @HorrorAvengers Dead Man Still Walking with Dr. Kyle Bishop is brought to you by Jay of the Dead'sNew Horror Movies, an audio Horror movie podcast. It features nine experienced Horror hosts review new Horror movies and deliver specialty Horror segments. Your hosts are Jay of the Dead, Dr. Shock, Gillman Joel, Mister Watson, Dr. Walking Dead, GregaMortis, Mackula, Ron Martin, Dave Zee and Spawn of the Dead! Due to the large number and busy schedule of its nine Horror hosts, Jay of the Dead'sNew Horror Movies will be recorded in segments, piecemeal, at various times and recording sessions. Therefore, as you listen to our episodes, you will notice a variety of revolving door hosts and segments, all sewn together and reanimated like the powerful Monster of Dr. Frankenstein!

On Friday's Football Daily, Phil Egan brings you all the fallout as Shamrock Rovers suffer a Europa Conference League defeat to NK Celje, whilst Shelbourne are beaten in North Macedonia.Bradley doesn't want to get into a row with Celje's Riera.Riera continues his bullish nature.Noonan wants Waterford to save their season.Dyche gets his first win with Nottingham Forest.Brendan Rodgers happy with Celtic victory.And Rafa Benitez is back in management.Become a member and subscribe at offtheball.com/join

From the Juventus academy to a record transfer at Werder Bremen, Samuel Mbangula is the explosive Belgian winger dazzling the Bundesliga! This episode breaks down the DR Congolese talent's rapid rise, analyzing his incredible 85% dribbling success rate, key goals in Serie A and the Champions League, and his immediate, high-impact start with 2 goals and 3 assists in the season. Find out why this pacey, technical "Next Gen" star is quickly becoming a must-watch for Belgium's senior national team.Samuel Mbangula, Werder Bremen, Bundesliga, Belgian football, Juventus, winger

Pippa speaks to author Mpho Boshego about her novel, Diplomatic Ties. She is herself a former diplomat who served in South Africa’s Belgian embassy from 2007 to 2011. She has also worked in corporate communications, so her diplomatic and writing skills have combined to inspire her debut novel. Lunch with Pippa Hudson is CapeTalk’s mid-afternoon show. This 2-hour respite from hard news encourages the audience to take the time to explore, taste, read and reflect. The show - presented by former journalist, baker and water sports enthusiast Pippa Hudson - is unashamedly lifestyle driven. Popular features include a daily profile interview #OnTheCouch at 1:10pm. Consumer issues are in the spotlight every Wednesday while the team also unpacks all things related to health, wealth & the environment. Thank you for listening to a podcast from Lunch with Pippa Hudson Listen live on Primedia+ weekdays between 13:00 and 15:00 (SA Time) to Lunch with Pippa Hudson broadcast on CapeTalk https://buff.ly/NnFM3Nk For more from the show go to https://buff.ly/MdSlWEs or find all the catch-up podcasts here https://buff.ly/fDJWe69 Subscribe to the CapeTalk Daily and Weekly Newsletters https://buff.ly/sbvVZD5 Follow us on social media: CapeTalk on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CapeTalk CapeTalk on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@capetalk CapeTalk on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ CapeTalk on X: https://x.com/CapeTalk CapeTalk on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@CapeTalk567 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When it comes to grand gestures, painting your entire city in the one colour is quite something. So much for painting the town red. How about pink? Jaipur beckons as one of India's most enchanting destinations, where the Old City is harmoniously bathed in the same pink hue. The elegant capital of Rajasthan was painted in pink stucco in 1876 to welcome Albert Edward, the Prince of Wales, who was the son of Queen Victoria and later became King Edward VII. Jaipur's Maharaja chose the colour because pink symbolises hospitality in Rajput culture, and the gesture impressed the Prince so much that he nicknamed the city the "Pink City." The name – and the stucco - has stuck ever since. A year later, a law mandated that all future buildings in the Old City must be painted pink. As I swept into Jaipur on a private holiday Wendy Wu Tours, there's no denying how that welcoming palette sweetly seduces even the most jaded of travellers. Jaipur effortlessly casts you under its spell, as you delve into its rich history and treasury of enticements. There is an unmistakeable magic about the place. Nearly 300 years ago, an enlightened maharajah with a penchant for jewels and a keen eye for architecture built this planned city, wedged between the arid hills of northwest India. Built in the form of a rectangle, Jaipur was divided into nine blocks, seven for public use and two reserved for the state's most prestigious palaces and buildings. The entire city was girdled by a formidable protective wall. Called Jaipur after the city's founder, Jai Singh II, the planned city soon gave rise to astonishing royal palaces and vast workshops of artisans recruited to establish a new commercial hub. These days, gem cutters, jewellery designers and garment-makers are still doing a flourishing trade in Jaipur. And the royals still occupy a wing of the majestic City Palace, while gleaming mid-rise towers and a new subway system anchor Jaipur's forward march. But for all the contemporary progress, it's the architectural grandeur, proud sense of place and thriving craftwork traditions that make this destination so infectious. Street markets are splashed in colour and handicrafts, and Hindu temples can be found nearly every 100 metres. Though the streets heave with beeping and belching traffic, aimless tourists and dung-dropping cows, there is a charm and charisma to the carnival of commotion. Close to City Palace, my wonderful Wendy Wu Tours guide Vipin treated us to some sizzling old-school retail therapy. We walked under the peeling pink porticos of the roadside bazaars which were emblazoned with everything from puppets to pyjama pants; passing by carts of fried chickpea cakes, and marble-lined shrines with statues of Hindu gods. Garment-hunting was high on the agenda, for gifts to take home. Vipin led us to his favourite shop, where an explosion of colourful fabrics heaped in piles and stacked to the ceiling soon greeted us, as attentive staff served us Masala chai. Whether you're after local, authentic t-shirts, shirts, trousers, scarfs, saris, rugs, cushion covers, towels or table-cloths…this is textile and garment-shopping heaven. As my sister snapped up some sensational saris, I haggled down the price on a sublime tablecloth with block-printed red elephants. The other boom retail business is jewellery, because Jaipur is a global centre for cutting and polishing precious and semiprecious gems. Head to Jewels Emporium's stately white building and take a tour of the workshops, where cutters shape facets, and men at workbenches adorn gold settings with jewels, and rinse the gold dust from their hands in wash basins. That water is later sold to extraction companies. The quality of the workmanship is second to none, true Rajasthan's abiding legacy. Jaipur's Pink City bragging rights is best epitomised by the Hawa Mahal, or Palace of Winds. We stopped by to pose in front of this five-story palace façade, constructed from pink sandstone. Built in 1799, its iconic facade features 953 small windows which allowed royal women of the court to observe street processions without being seen while also creating a natural cooling effect. The palace's architecture is a blend of Rajput and Mughal styles, ornately designed with protruding bays of lattice stonework and cupolas mimicking Krishna's crown. Could there be a more glorious façade in the world? City Palace is a stirring complex to leisurely explore, peppered with mouth-watering architecture, tranquil courtyards and lush gardens. The prize draw is the Palace of the Breeze, a triumph in building design, whereby the air circulates so efficiently that it keeps the occupants cool even in the extreme summer months, when the mercury can nudge 50 degrees. The on-site museum is studded with royal treasures, costumes and curiosities. Out in the courtyard, I admired some massive silver vessels that carried the Maharaja's drinking water from the Ganges River to London in 1902 for Edward VII's coronation. You can see the royal reception rooms that are still in use, where Jaipur's royal family entertain guests in an ornate dining room and parlour, where chairs have silver lions for armrests. The walls are painted with gold dust and extracts of rubies and emeralds. Yipin pointed out where the royal family reside. There's a lot of tabloid tattle about Jaipur's current Maharaja, Pacho Singh. He's only 27, quite the polo-playing playboy and is currently living in the palace with his French girlfriend. But it's fully expected he cannot marry her, in deference to royal tradition and Rajasthan's adherence to arranged marriages and astrological alignment. Beyond the Old City, no visit to Jaipur is complete without savouring the sky-piercing magnificence of the four-hundred-year-old Amber Fort. (Pronounced Ah-meer.) Sprawling across the upper reaches of a hillside like a scene out Return of the Jedi, this fortress was previously the seat of power for the Rajput kings from 1599, before relocating to Jaipur's Old City just over a century later. En-route to the fort, Vipin led us to the most dreamy viewpoint, on the shores of Lake Maotha, where we gazed up in awe at this hilltop colossus. Brightly dressed elephants lumbered by, readying to carry visitors up the slope to the fortress. I had previously taken an elephant ride up to Amber Fort, but I've put weight on since then and am more mindful of animal welfare. We opted for a jeep ride through the skinny lanes snaking their way up to Sun Gate. From here, we marvelled over the China Wall-esque fortifications, the Amber Wall, riding across the ridgelines as far as the eye can see. ( It's 12km in length.) But this Rajput stronghold hooks in the tourist hordes principally for its gobsmacking array of palatial buildings and extravagant ornamental gardens. In shades of honey and rose stone, white marble and gilt decor, it's a frothy fusion of ornate Hindu and Islamic design. Amber Fort's exquisite craftsmanship is best exemplified by the Mirror Palace, or Sheesh Mahal. Candlelight dinners would have been next-level. A single lit candle spangles the beautifully cut Belgian glass panels and mirror mosaics that festoon the walls of the banquet room, transforming the space into a night-sky kaleidoscope across the walls and ceiling. Apparently, this room was made by the Maharaja so that the Maharani (queen) could see the stars at night, as she was not allowed to sleep in the open. Other highlights include the many-pillared Diwan-i-Am, the Hall of Public Audience; the Jal Mandir, or Hall of Victory, which features carved marble panels, a mirrored ceiling, and expansive views over the ramparts of the fort. The Sukh Niwas, the Hall of Pleasure, is another drop-dead-gorgeous marble room that was cleverly cooled with water. Here, the Maharaja reportedly relaxed with his ladies. Amber Fort is a resplendent blockbuster, reverberating with the glory days of Rajput rule in Rajasthan. Jaipur residents are rightly proud of their architectural showstoppers. One of the signature attributes to the city is the fact that some historic palaces, no longer required for the affairs of state, have been reimagined as beacons of hospitality. But I stayed at a brand-new luxury build that is a grand triumph of contemporary construction, fully inspired by Jaipur's landmarks and Rajasthani finesse. Introducing Anantara Jewel Bagh Jaipur. Whether it's for a big bling-bling Bollywood wedding or for immersive luxury experiences away from the heaving throng of Jaipur's tourist spots, this hotel delivers a tour de force in lavish Rajasthani living, with a contemporary take. It is splendour defined. As our Wendy Wu Tours driver pulled into the entrance, a troupe of Rajasthani dancers and costumed drummers serenaded our arrival in spectacular, effervescent style. Unfurling over 5.5 lush acres, the grand hotel's money shot is its sensational main façade, drawing rich inspiration from Amber Fort and Rajasthan's royal palaces. Features include majestic arches, intricately designed jharokhas (bay windows), and graceful chhajjas (overhanging eaves) and detailed carvings. It was thoughtfully painted in the same colours as Amber Fort's walls during golden hour. Rajputana history and heritage permeates the hotel. You'll notice it in the materials—yellowstone from Jaisalmer, marble from Banswara and Makrana, and locally sourced timbered. There's the treasury of sublime artworks, notably including portraits of Rajput warriors and royalty. Peek inside the Rang Mahal ballroom, where the walls are completely covered with celebratory nods to the state's heritage. It was handpainted over two-and-a-half years by third-generation artists. Delicate thikri glasswork, hand-carved wood accents, and intricate gold leaf detailing abound across the hotel. Amer Bagh garden venue unfurls like a verdant blanket at the base of the hotel – and is a stirring outdoor venue. Jai Bagh (victory garden is the main outdoor space for guest and I was absolutely enthralled delving into the daily bazaar that is staged here in the afternoon, complete with puppeteers, block printers, bangle makers and astrologers. Anantara's core DNA is to create hotels steeped in local elements and the Jaipur addition excels at delivering exactly that. You can even go chowk-hopping, vegetable shopping and cooking with local women. The hotel boasts 150 rooms and suites, layered across five categories, with most overlooking the inner courtyard or Jai Bagh. We stayed in the Anantara One-Bedroom Terrace Suite, which is kitted out with its own outdoor Jacuzzi and expansive terrace. I was transfixed here watching muscular monsoon thunderstorms tear up the sky and soak the land! Guestrooms do not skimp on celebrating the sense of place, with sumptuous comforts and artful design elements, from the zardozi on the pillows, thikri work on the headboards, wooden jharokas by the window nooks, and Mughal miniature art on the walls. If that's not enough to tempt you, Anantara's first outpost in India will enchant you with its gastronomic verve. Led by Executive Chef Sunil Jajoria, Sheesh Mahal is a pinch-yourself jewel box of a venue, to experience the true essence of Rajasthan with exquisitely fitted out with glittering mirror mosaics, dressed in 350,000 pieces of glass, inspired by the legendary Mirror Palace. Coud there be a more wondrous place to savour the true essence of Rajasthan's culinary brilliance? The menu marries traditional Rajasthani delicacies with global influences, paired with signature cocktails like the Jewel of Jaipur. Jajoria, a Rajasthan native, has been researching local cuisine for the last seven years. Perfected over 20 trials, his menu dives deep into how maharajas entertained. His tasting menu kicks off with hummus that tastes like Bikaneri bhujia, moving on to ker sangri kebabs, besan kebabs mimicking paneer (as there was no paneer in the history of Rajasthan, says the chef), and Shekhawati maas tacos. The menu is handwritten by the chef himself, on vintage paper he has been collecting since his he was a boy. Pair this menu with the ‘Echoes of Distillation' spirit tasting of heritage liquor from the royal family of Mahansar. It's mixology at its finest, with no shortage of artful theatre thrown in. Another cracking experience is Amrit Mahal, the vibrant all-day dining venue, which presents a diverse array of international and Indian specialties. There were too many highlights to recount, but the lamb baos, edamame truffle dimsums, lotus root on fire, Cantonese buttermilk prawns, soba noodles, and Japanese caramel cheesecake were all pleasurably devoured. The buffet breakfast here is like a royal banquet! The spa experience is a signature feature pillar of any Anantara property, and resident experts were brought in from Thailand to train the Jaipur team. The treatment repertoire remains consistent with their global spa menus—a mix of Ayurveda, Thai massages, and western therapies. I deployed my sister to the spa for some personal panel-beating and she is still buzzing about the deep tissue massage she savoured. She rates it as the best massage of her life, “life-affirming, age-reducing and liberating.” Another starring attribute of the hotel is its genuine sense of connection with the community. As a part of their grassroots outreach, the hotel works with local women to make the rotis on their menu on a chulha or traditional clay stove. You can take an early morning trip to the flower market or a guided farming experience. Even better, take a private visit to Hathi Gaon, which is a community of rescue elephants residing in their natural habitat. Or partake in a local culinary class. I was particularly impressed that the hotel takes care of their staff's accommodation needs, building nearby apartments to ensure they are well-housed. Hospitality is as sparkling as the palace-like hotel itself - faultless, ultra-attentive, charismatic and truly unforgettable. Treat yourself to a remarkable Jaipur escape at Anantara Jewel Bagh. You'll be royally treated from the moment you arrive. You will not want to leave. www.anantara.com Delve into India and the Golden Triangle with the award-winning tour specialists across Asia and beyond. I chose a tailor-made Classic India private holiday, that enables you optimise your itinerary and accommodation preferences, as much as you wish. The itinerary can be as active or as laid back as you are, with full flexibility over included meals and excursions. You'll be in the best of hands with Wendy Wu Tours. www.wendywutours.co.nz/india From New Zealand, it's just a one-stop connection to a multitude of destinations in India, including New Delhi, with Singapore Airlines, on their various daily services from Auckland and Christchurch to Singapore. Enjoy well-timed connections for an easy transit in Singapore. Across all classes of travel, the award-winning carrier has not only fostered a world-beating reputation for its exceptional customer service and in-flight product, but also its innovation. Become a KrisFlyer member and enjoy complimentary in-flight WiFi. For best fares and seats to suit head to https://www.singaporeair.com Mike Yardley is our resident traveller on Jack Tame Saturday Mornings.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Users are falling in love with and losing their minds to AI. Journalist Kashmir Hill exposes shocking recent cases of chatbot-induced psychosis and suicide.Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/1227What We Discuss with Kashmir Hill:AI chatbots are having serious psychological effects on users, including manic episodes, delusional spirals, and mental breakdowns that can last hours, days, or months.Users are experiencing "AI psychosis" — an emerging phenomenon where vulnerable people become convinced chatbots are sentient, fall in love with them, or spiral into dangerous delusions.Tragic outcomes have occurred, including a Belgian man with a family who took his own life after six weeks of chatting, believing his family was dead and his suicide would save the planet.AI chatbots validate harmful thoughts — creating dangerous feedback loops for people with OCD, anxiety, or psychosis, potentially destabilizing those already predisposed to mental illness.Stay skeptical and maintain perspective — treat AI as word prediction machines, not oracles. Use them as tools like Google, verify important information, and prioritize real human relationships over AI interactions.And much more...And if you're still game to support us, please leave a review here — even one sentence helps! Sign up for Six-Minute Networking — our free networking and relationship development mini course — at jordanharbinger.com/course!Subscribe to our once-a-week Wee Bit Wiser newsletter today and start filling your Wednesdays with wisdom!Do you even Reddit, bro? Join us at r/JordanHarbinger!This Episode Is Brought To You By Our Fine Sponsors: Factor: 50% off first box: factormeals.com/jordan50off, code JORDAN50OFFSignos: $10 off select programs: signos.com, code JORDANUplift: Special offer: upliftdesk.com/jordanQuince: Free shipping & 365-day returns: quince.com/jordanHomes.com: Find your home: homes.comSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Peyo's comic album ‘Johan and Peewit' provided the platform for The Smurfs' debut on 23rd October, 1958 - a cameo that their Belgian creator considered an unremarkable side-hustle. But the tiny blue creatures (“Schtroumpfs”, in the original text) went on to become a global cultural phenomenon. Within a year, the Smurfs got their own stories, and by 1959 were starring in dedicated comics. Then came the merch: first as plastic figurines in cereal boxes, then as collectible cuddly toys. When NBC's Fred Silverman saw his daughter playing with a Smurf doll, he commissioned Hanna-Barbera to turn them into a Saturday morning TV sensation.  In this episode, Arion, Rebecca and Olly explain how Peyo took inspiration from Disney, dwarves and medieval fantasy; consider the origin story of ‘the female smurf', Smurfette; and explain why Hollywood keeps rebooting their Smurfy adventures… Further Reading: • ‘PIERRE CULLIFORD, CREATOR OF THE SMURFS, DIES AT 64' (The Washington Post, 1992): https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/1992/12/25/pierre-culliford-creator-of-the-smurfs-dies-at-64/c9cf93c8-3896-4253-9448-f09f7cc49e82/ • ‘The inside story of the little blue tribe that conquered the world' (Brussels Times, 2023): https://www.brusselstimes.com/499686/empire-of-the-smurfs • ‘Can the Smurfs save Smurfette from the wicked witch Hogatha, who wants to steal her golden hair?' (The Smurfs, 2025): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xf-RJq4O_tM #Comics #Belgium #Toys #Sexism This episode first premiered in 2024, for members of

Send us a textWe trace how an ordinary Belgian village became a sanctuary of healing through the eight apparitions to 11-year-old Mariette Beco in 1933. From historical context to Church approval and reported cures at the spring, we explore why the “Virgin of the Poor” still calls us to prayer and compassion.• Belgium's 1933 crisis shaping a hunger for hope• Mariette's humble life and quiet courage• Eight apparitions and their core messages• Meaning of the title Virgin of the Poor• Church investigation and 1949 recognition• Reports of healing at the Banneux spring• Pilgrimage, retreats, and ways to engageJoin a pilgrimage, experience Banneux firsthand with our guided tours to the sacred shrine, steeped in the presence of our LadyExplore our media, Journeys of Faith mediaAttend a retreatConnect with us, follow our mission to stay inspired by Catholic tradition and upcoming journeysVisit Journeys of Faith today and let the miracles of Banu ignite your devotionBe sure to click the link in the description for special news itemsJourneys of Faith Online Media GalleryOpen by Steve Bailey Support the show

Get charged up! This episode breaks down the explosive rise of Diego Moreira, the young, left-footed Belgian sensation terrorizing Ligue 1 defenses for RC Strasbourg. We analyze his Nani-esque dribbling, blistering pace, and his pivotal role in Benfica's UEFA Youth League success. Discover why Moreira is the ultimate modern winger—a tireless presser who's already racking up huge assist numbers and pledged his electric future to the Belgian Red Devils. The chaos-creator's story is just beginning!Diego Moreira, RC Strasbourg, Ligue 1, Belgian football, Nani comparison

“A one-hour program by Pizza Noise Mafia, a Brussels-based electronic duo and currently part of the SHAPE+ platform for innovative music and interdisciplinary art. Ahead of our next album, to be released this November as a double LP on the Belgian label Slaaploos, we'll share a live set recorded in Brussels last year, followed by our track Games from our eponymous previous album on Stadskanker.” Pizza Noise Mafia is a Brussels-based electronic duo made up of Matthieu Levet (Carrageenan, Carcass Identity) and Thibault Gondard (TG Gondard, Colombey). Armed with just a drum machine and a synthesiser, their minimalist setup hasn't stopped them from getting crowds dancing—from illegal basement raves to major festivals across Europe. Tracklist: 0-45'' : Live in Brussels (Unreleased 2024) 45''-59'' : Games, from the tape 'Pizza Noise Mafia' (Stadskanker 2022)

We're back with another AFTN Soccer Show packed full of Vancouver Whitecaps and Major League Soccer chat and interviews. It was a heartbreaking weekend for the Whitecaps, who battled valiantly for 80 minutes down a man at home to Dallas but couldn't find the point they needed to finish top of the MLS Western Conference. Great defending, a lack of finishing, and some questionable refereeing saw the 'Caps fall to second in the standings, setting up a more difficult playoff path ahead, ironically kicking off against that same Dallas side. We delve into all of that and a lot more, plus ponder what Whitecaps might be in the running for the end of year MLS awards. We also bring you a media roundtable with Whitecaps GM and Sporting Director Axel Schuster. A new stadium, ownership, Thomas Müller's future, Axel's future, end of year roster decisions, player pathways, the FIFA takeover of BC Place, and the club's relationship with the Canadian Premier League are all covered in the 46 minute discussion. Our feature interview this week is with a new Whitecaps signing that arrived with an injury but is ready to go for the playoffs, Belgian defender Joedrick Pupe. We chat with Joedrick about coming to Vancouver and MLS, his footballing journey, playing style, and more, plus as a co-owner of a coffee shop, we find out if he fancies a chocolate digestive. We also chat with rising Whitecaps homegrown Rayan Elloumi about his time away with Tunisia's U23 side, his experiences in the country, and is the door still open for playing for Canada. Music-wise, Kneecap continue their residency as our Album of the Month, we've Britpop songs from Longpigs and Heavy Stereo, and MC Devil feature in Wavelength with a song about the Belgian national team. Here's the rundown for the main segments from the episode: 01.26: Intro - mazes and the undeniableness that is UBC soccer 08.40: A discussion on refereeing, accountability, and communication 22.00: Dallas destroy Whitecaps dreams of finishing first in MLS West 52.30: The Whitecaps playoff redemption arc set to begin 69.37: Axel Schuster media roundtable 125.40: Jesper Sorensen reflects on the regular season 130.25: Which Whitecaps players deserve MLS season honours? 138.00: Jesper Sorensen - MLS coach of the year, but will he get it? 158.00: Joedrick Pupe interview 167.37: Anyone Fancy A Chocolate Digestive? - Joedrick Pupe 171.15: Rayan Elloumi on his Tunisia U23 experience 177.00: Wavelength - MC Devil - Deviltime

Lucy Sante joins us for the finale of Season 8. The Belgian-born American critic, writer, and artist talks about her lifelong textual engagement with an extraordinary miscellany of culture and history. Sante shares the figures that have shaped her work, from a grade-school report on Nostradamus to Barbara Epstein, her editor at the New York Review of Books, to her various writing students across twenty years of teaching at Columbia and Bard. For her “meaningful text,” Sante focuses on Manny Farber, an early inspiration whose writing "infected me from the word go." She reads from his essay “White Elephant Art vs. Termite Art” (Film Culture, No. 27, Winter 1962/63), an electric ode to "termite tapeworm-fungus-moss art ... that goes always forward eating its own boundaries."Momus: The Podcast is edited by Jacob Irish, with production assistance from Chris Andrews.Thanks to this episode's sponsors, Rabkin Foundation, PHI, and Esker Foundation, for supporting our work.Thanks to Lucy Sante for her contribution to this season.

In this episode of "F-Stop Collaborate and Listen," host Matt Payne chats with Jeroen Van Nieuwenhove, a Belgian-born, Iceland-based landscape and nature photographer renowned for his dramatic imagery of Iceland's volcanoes and highlands. Jeroen describes how photographing his first volcanic eruption reignited his creative passion and profoundly shaped his approach to storytelling and visual art, emphasizing authentic experiences, patience, and the emotional connection to the landscape over chasing social media validation. The conversation explores the ethical challenges of drone photography, the dangers of rapidly growing photo tourism in Iceland, the importance of safety and legal compliance for workshop leaders, and lessons learned from self-publishing his successful book "New Earth." Jeroen also shares practical advice for visiting Iceland, his views on AI and manipulation in photography, the value of meaningful struggle, and recommendations for other inspiring photographers to follow. Watch on YouTube Resources & Links: Jeroen Van Nieuwenhove Nigel Danson Andy Mumford Marco Di Marco FLM Tripods (use code HOUSEOFPAYNE for 10% off) Printique (affiliate link) Printique Review Video Support the show on Patreon Jeroen Van Nieuwenhove's Book "New Earth" Jeroen & Nigel Danson Drone Photography Course NLPA (Natural Landscape Photography Awards) Icelandic Professional Photography Association Red Cross (Iceland)

No segundo episódio da série Dia de Julgamento, Henrique Boaventura recebe Oscar Freitas (presidente da Acerva Brasil) e Faustus para avaliar duas cervejas produzidas pelo próprio convidado: uma Belgian Pale Ale e uma Mixed Style Beer com base em German Pils e lúpulo Comet brasileiro.A conversa mergulha no universo das avaliações BJCP — com notas, percepções sensoriais, discussão de receitas e o desafio de enquadrar estilos híbridos. Um episódio imperdível pra quem quer entender como funciona um julgamento técnico de cerveja na prática!

André, The Impulsive Thinker™, sits down with Belgian therapist Raquel Devillé to break down the reality behind hormone cycles, ADHD, and why it's “not your period.” Raquel explores how ADHD symptoms in women shift with estrogen levels, stress, and perimenopause—plus why so many neurodivergent Entrepreneurs feel disconnected from their bodies. The conversation is a practical look at stress, interoception, and simple ways to reconnect with yourself using somatic techniques and breathable routines. If you've ever wondered how your cycle and business brain collide, this episode will help you turn awareness into action. Check out Raquel's body-first insights for ADHD Entrepreneurs.  

On this episode of the show. Harry Symeou reviews Fulham 0-1 Arsenal in the Premier League. Mikel Arteta's side took all three points thanks to Leandro Trossard's goal. It was another set piece, brilliantly delivered by Bukayo Saka, flicked on by Gabriel and converted from close range by the Belgian. We'll discuss the overall performance, VAR intervening again to overturn a penalty decision in Arsenal's favour, why on an evening like that, the performance is secondary and loads more. Sign up to support us on Patreon: https://patreon.com/thechroniclesofagooner?utm_medium=unknown&utm_source=join_link&utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator&utm_content=copyLink

Send us a textIn this episode of Friday Night Beers, Tom & Vince drink Belgian for the Beach. This beer comes from Cerveceria Paracaidista in Mexico City, MX. They drink it and somehow compare it to things like pop culture nomads, paratroopers in the war genre, Mexican icons, Robin Williams, character actors, Band of Brothers and more. At the end, they rate this beer on a unique 1-5 scale. VINCE: 3.75 / 5 VincesTOM: 3.5 / 5 TomsInstagram: @friday.night.beersTwitter: @fnb_pod Threads: https://www.threads.net/@friday.night.beersEmail: friday.night.beerspodcast@gmail.com Theme music by Billy Hansa. Subscribe, rate and review the podcast on Apple, Spotify or wherever you find your podcasts!

Brought to you by:D-CRBN - a Belgian startup turning industrial CO₂ emissions into valuable feedstock using cutting-edge plasma technology. If you want to learn more, reach out directly to David Ziegler or Gill Scheltjens.***

This week we're catching up on one of the big stories that came out during our break: Prince Laurent confirming he has a secret child! We'll be breaking down the truth behind the story and drawing on another high profile Belgian love child to explain what this means for the royals. LINKSFollow the podcast: onheirpodcast.tumblr.com/ or https://instagram.com/onheirpodcast Follow Grace: https://princesscatherinemiddleton.net/ and https://www.instagram.com/_kmiddy/ Follow Jessica: https://duchessofostergotlands.tumblr.com/ and https://www.instagram.com/howtodresslikeaprincess/Send us a voice message: https://www.speakpipe.com/onheirpodcast

De Belgian Lions staan voor een nieuw tijdperk na het afscheid van Dario Gjergja. Wat heeft de bondscoach het Belgische basketbal bijgebracht? En wat brengt de toekomst voor de nationale basketbalmannen? Commentator Christophe Vandegoor, ex-speler Sam Van Rossom en assistent Kristof Michiels delen hun visie.

In this episode of Spymasters, Antonia Senior speaks with bestselling historian Dr. Helen Fry about her riveting new book, The White Lady. Set in German-occupied Belgium during World War I and World War II, Fry's book uncovers the incredible true story of a secret  spy network that risked everything to gather intelligence behind enemy lines. Together, Fry and Senior explore: How ordinary women became extraordinary spies The ingenious knitting codes and covert communication systems they used The bravery of Thérèse de Radiguès How these early networks inspired were remobilised in the run up to World War II The untold stories of courage, deception, and sacrifice that shaped modern intelligence work If you love stories of espionage, resistance networks, women in war, and WWI intelligence, this conversation is not to be missed.

In this episode of LRCP Weekly Patrick Broe and Benji Naesen recap the past week in the world of cycling.*Exclusive deals from our trusted partners*

Emanuel Martonca, founder of Soft Fight, reveals how agentic AI is solving one of the biggest challenges in IT services: coordinating pricing decisions across hundreds of people in decentralized organizations.  After his career journey from product management to sales management to discovering pricing at a Simon Kucher workshop, Emanuel shares how his bootstrapped company evolved from traditional consulting to building AI-powered pricing agents that act as an ever-present pricing manager- coaching teams, improving proposals, and recommending pricing models without sending a single byte of data outside the client's infrastructure. In this episode,  learn why AI should augment rather than replace pricing teams, why deterministic calculations still matter, and how to quantify value in IT services without universal quality standards.   Why You Have to Check Out Today's Podcast: Discover how AI solves coordination problems in large IT services companies where hundreds of people make pricing decisions without pricing expertise. Learn why AI should augment pricing teams, not replace them, and why deterministic calculations still matter more than probabilistic AI outputs. Understand how to quantify value in IT services using measurable quality attributes instead of universally accepted standards.   “Pricing is leverage. It allows you to have an impact with very few actions, with little effort."  – Emanuel Martonca   Topics Covered: 01:32 -Emanuel's transformational discovery of pricing at a Belgian retail bank workshop that revealed a world he didn't know existed—launching 18 years of pricing-focused work. 02:37 - Why pricing is the ultimate leverage tool, especially in B2B tech where "it's just communication"—what you write in Excel, on websites, and in proposals. 03:28 - How the pandemic transformed Emanuel from a globe-trotting sales manager into a pricing consultant, then bootstrapped Soft Fight to solve the value extraction gap in tech companies. 04:41 - How large IT companies lose money when hundreds of non-experts across five functions (finance, marketing, sales, delivery, executives) make pricing decisions on every custom project. 06:59 - The evolution from deterministic SaaS pricing rules to AI-augmented agents installed in client infrastructure—solving pricing problems in hours instead of years without sending data externally. 08:00 - Why new deals lack technical depth and renewals lack value articulation—and how AI coordinates knowledge without restructuring organizations. 11:00 - Eight AI agents (four for understanding, four for justifying) with access to all systems but zero external communication—no security or privacy risks. 13:00 - All pricing calculations remain deterministic because AI makes too many mistakes—it's used only for reading RFPs, emails, and meeting notes to improve value communication. 14:17 - How AI acts as a coach recommending pricing models with ready-made arguments, eliminating months of change management—with email as the main interface. 16:17 - Why determining "how long will this take?" is unpredictable and varies by person and timing—and how AI solves the costliest unknown in custom projects. 18:00 - Mark's perspective on why costs matter less than value, and why companies avoid alternative pricing models despite knowing hourly billing hurts both sides. 21:00 - When AI tools cut development time, hourly pricing becomes self-defeating: "You're cutting your own revenue"—forcing the industry to finally sell value, not time. 21:56 - Starting with measurable quality attributes on invented scales that competitors can't compare—getting 80% of the way just by having the quantification discussion. 23:00 - Mark's framework for B2B value and why results translate to economic impact through customer KPIs like reduced complaints, not abstract "quality" metrics. 25:00 - Unlike automotive suppliers with nanometer specs, IT services vendors can define their own quality metrics—putting them two steps ahead of alternatives. 26:00 - The necessity of industry knowledge for value conversations (increase revenue, reduce costs, mitigate risk) and how AI enables understanding of new sectors that would've taken years. 27:30 - Final Advice: AI as Your Pricing Force Multiplier Using AI for research, analysis, and domain understanding when teams are too small or mandates unclear—plus how to connect with Emanuel on LinkedIn.   Key Takeaways: "AI is a huge multiplier for pricing experts—not for calculating prices, I agree with you on that, it's not there yet. But for everything else around pricing, whether we want to call it product management, analysis, or research, it can help us overcome typical challenges." - Emanuel Martonca "Pricing is a change management problem. It can be done, it'll take months, sometimes years, and they have to experiment and they have to make mistakes." - Emanuel Martonca   Resources Mentioned: Simon-Kucher: https://www.simon-kucher.com/en    Connect with Emanuel Martonca: Website: https://www.softfight.com/  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emartonca/    Connect with Mark Stiving: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stiving/ Email: mark@impactpricing.com  

Belgium leads the EU in EV adoption, and isn't resting on its laurels - it already has 3x the number of EV chargers per capita than the average peer country, and is planning a massive buildout. How exactly did they make it happen, and what opportunities exist for those outside of the country to get involved? To learn more, Nick Perloff-Giles sat down with Piet Demunter, CEO of Flanders Investment and Trade (FIT), to discuss the Belgian sustainability miracle and its lessons for abroad.

No TV cross this weekend, but plenty to talk about! Noah and Issam sit down to talk about Italian cyclocross. Where is Sara Casasola, and what does the influx of mens talent mean? They also talk about other races, and the state of Belgian CX.00:00 opening00:45 Steinmaur08:45 Italian CX17:55 Other results24:10 Van Anrooij30:20 State of Belgian CX42:00 Ending

Today's West Coast Cookbook & Speakeasy Podcast for our especially special Daily Special, Blue Moon Spirits Fridays, is now available on the Spreaker Player!Starting off in the Bistro Cafe, Trump may have immunity, but his ‘corrupt sycophants' do not.Then, on the rest of the menu, a dentist shortage in Maine has some pediatricians working overtime to prevent tooth decay; Dominion Voting Systems quickly sought to finalize the remaining settlements to their lawsuits so they could sell the company to a Trump election denier; and, Trump has weakened the US Chemical Safety Board so severely it is unclear who is investigating the mysterious California refinery fires.After the break, we move to the Chef's Table where Belgian police detained three men over a plot to attack politicians with drones; and, the Venezuelan woman championing representative democracy and free elections won the Nobel Peace Prize, the Florida guy blowing random boats out of the water, killing innocent civilians aboard from Venezuela and then bragging about it, did not.All that and more, on West Coast Cookbook & Speakeasy with Chef de Cuisine Justice Putnam.Bon Appétit!The Netroots Radio Live Player​Keep Your Resistance Radio Beaming 24/7/365!“Structural linguistics is a bitterly divided and unhappy profession, and a large number of its practitioners spend many nights drowning their sorrows in Ouisghian Zodahs.” ― Douglas Adams "The Restaurant at the End of the Universe"Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/west-coast-cookbook-speakeasy--2802999/support.

This week on Battleground Ukraine, hosts Saul David and Roger Moorhouse are joined by intrepid Belgian war reporter and friend of the podcast Arnaud de Decker, who recently toured the Donbas. In this crucial and alarming dispatch, Arnaud provides a firsthand look at the realities in Donetsk, detailing how Russian forces are steadily advancing and closing in on the key Ukrainian towns of Slovyansk and Kramatorsk. Before this essential interview, the hosts dissect the political and military headlines, including the shocking rhetoric from former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, who all but admitted Russia's role in drone sightings across Europe. They'll also be examining the difference between the opposing forces' long-range strikes—including Ukraine's successful hits on vital Russian oil infrastructure (like the Feodosia oil terminal), possibly using the new Flamingo missile, and an intelligence report on up to 5,000 Cuban fighters joining the Russian ranks. If you have any thoughts or questions, you can send them to - podbattleground@gmail.com Producer: James Hodgson X (Twitter): @PodBattleground Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Learn how Solemn Oath's founder opened a brewery without brewing, transformed a hometown IPA into a cult classic, and built Hidden Hand's wild beer lab.Solemn Oath Brewery Founder and CEO John Barley shares how an untrained beer lover built one of Chicagoland's most creative and community-driven breweries. From his time in Belgium and Wisconsin to opening Naperville's first brewery in over a century, John's story is one of bold leaps and boundary-pushing flavor.He explains why Solemn Oath's Still Life taproom in Logan Square channels Belgian beer-hall energy with Midwestern hospitality, and how a surprising Coors connection helped him find his first brewer. John also discusses the rise of brewery euchre tournaments, how he launched a brewery without ever brewing a beer, and why he believes branding and camaraderie matter as much as hops.After the beer break, John dives into Solemn Oath's flagship Snaggletooth Bandana West Coast IPA, tracing its evolution from its early sea-hop bitterness to today's smoother, citrus-forward profile — and the cult following that's inspired fans to tattoo the Snaggletooth tooth on their skin. He also shares the origin of Hidden Hand, Solemn Oath's experimental offshoot exploring foeder-aged lagers, barrel-aged saisons, and approachable beers like The 77 light lager. Hear about the Oaked Val d'Or that won Best in Show at FOBAB, and what makes foeder aging uniquely expressive of Chicago's barrel-aged beer heritage.Plus: how Solemn Oath navigated Naperville's original three-drink limit, whether a third location might be next, and how a Robert Burns poem inspired the brewery's name while Napoleon's “hidden hand” lent mystery to its sister brand.About Solemn Oath Brewery: Solemn Oath Brewery is a Chicago-area brewery known for its Belgian-inspired and barrel-aged beers, offering a diverse lineup that blends American ingenuity with traditional Belgian styles. Founded by John Barley and Tim Marshall, the brewery has two primary locations in Naperville and Chicago, providing taprooms for visitors to sample their craft beers. Learn more on their website at https://www.solemnoathbrewery.com/ —You can learn more about Crafty Brewers and get in touch with us on our official website, https://craftybrewerspod.com Crafty Brewers is a production of Quantum Podcasts, LLC. Is your brewery or business looking to capture a loyal audience to drive business results with the power of podcasting? Then visit https://quantum-podcasts.com/ to learn more.Our executive producer and editor is award-winning podcaster Cody Gough. He insists that we tell you that in this episode, you'll learn about: Hidden Hand Brewing, Small Wave IPA, City Water hard seltzer, Heaven's Mirror Mexican Lager, Val d'Or Project, The 77 Lager, American hops, Centennial hops, Cascade hops, Citra hops, craft beer Chicago, Naperville brewery, Logan Square taproom, Still Life taproom, Belgian beer culture, Wisconsin brewing, experimental beer styles, Chicago barrel-aged scene, FOBAB Best in Show, foeder lagering, barrel-aged saison, brewery expansion plans, brewery events, euchre tournament, brewery community, beer branding strategy, brewery storytelling, brewery hospitality, Midwest craft beer, hop-forward beer, IPA evolution, brewery leadership, brewery hiring, craft beer entrepreneurship, beer innovation, craft beer heritage, and beer tasting experiences.

Welcome to Multiverse News, Your source for Information about all your favorite fictional universesMoviegoers were in their showgirl era this weekend as Taylor Swift's album release party for her 12th album, The Life of a Showgirl, took the top spot at the box office with an estimated $34 million. The one-weekend show is over, though, and Tron: Ares is coming through to open this weekend with estimates hoping it rakes in more than $40 million. Meanwhile the Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt headlined movie The Smashing Machine from A24 barely even slapped anyone across the face, opening to just $5.9 million. Paul Thomas Anderon's One Battle After Another continues to bring in dollars as well,43 million so far Domestic,  though it had a 50% drop weekend-over-weekend.If you thought that film and tv universes were becoming passe, Peaky Blinders is here to prove you wrong. Star Cillian Murphy already had fans excited about returning to the Shelby family with the news of a feature film that is wrapped and will release next year. Now, the BBC and Netflix are sharing an expansion of the universe with a new six episode sequel series that will focus on a new generation of Shelbys. Murphy and original creator/writer Steven Knight are executive producers for the series, which will take place post-World War II. In lieu of much else to report on for features this week, we thought we'd look ahead to the films and television series we can look forward to for the rest of the year that we maybe have or haven't discussed yet.New Line's follow up to Final Destination: Bloodlines has found its director - Belgian filmmaker Michiel Blanchart, who will be making his English-language debut with the feature.DC and Marvel Comics will continue their crossover series with a Superman and Spider-Man crossover that will debut early next year.Severance breakout Zach Cherry, True Detective co-star Kali Reis, and Johnno Wilson, from I Love That for You, have joined the cast of Resident Evil, Sony Pictures and Zach Cregger's reboot of the horror franchise, according to The Hollywood Reporter.Netflix has released the first official trailer for season four of The Witcher, which sees Liam Hemsworth taking over the role of Geralt from former star Henry Cavill. Netflix has previously announced the show will end with season five.In a deal worth a substantial seven figures, Walt Disney Studios won an auction to acquire rights to Impossible Creatures, the fantasy series by acclaimed British author Katherine Rundell. She will adapt the first two books in the series into screenplays.Michael Mann's “Heat 2,” the long-awaited sequel to his 1995 crime drama starring Al Pacino and Robert De Niro, is finally gaining traction. Amazon MGM and producers Scott Stuber and Jerry Bruckheimer are in final negotiations to secure the rights. Although no deals are official, The Hollywood Reporter has connected Leonardo Dicaprio to the project, and other names have also surfaced including Austin Butler, Adam Driver and Bradley Cooper.

A scrappy Flemish speech recognition company tries to put its hometown on the global tech map.SponsorsRoutable - http://ohmyfraud.promo/routableBluebook - https://getbluebook.com/(00:00) - A Pie to the Face (01:00) - Welcome to Oh My Fraud (06:00) - Welcome to Flanders, Belgium (07:30) - Meet the Founders: Jo Lernout and Pol Hauspie (09:30) - The Dream of Voice Recognition (15:12) - Going Public in a Crowded Market (17:42) - Creating the Flanders Language Valley (21:42) - Gaston Bastiaens and His Wine Cellar Wager (26:23) - Microsoft's $45 Million Investment (29:23) - The Philosophy of Pie Throwing (30:53) - Explosive Growth and Suspicious Numbers (32:53) - Dragon Systems and Dictaphone Acquisitions (35:23) - The Korean Revenue Mystery (38:23) - Wall Street Journal Starts Digging (42:17) - "I Lied About Everything" (43:47) - The Resignation and Bankruptcy (47:47) - The SEC Reveals the Fraud (49:47) - Criminal Convictions and Symbolic Justice (50:47) - Lessons Learned: Fake It Till You Make It (52:17) - What Happened to the Technology (53:47) - Closing Thoughts HOW TO EARN FREE CPEIn less than 10 minutes, you can earn NASBA-approved accounting CPE after listening to this episode. Download our mobile app, sign up, and look for the Oh My Fraud channel. Register for the course, complete a short quiz, and get your CPE certificate.https://www.earmark.app/Download the app:Apple: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/earmark-cpe/id1562599728Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.earmarkcpe.appCONNECT WITH CALEBLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/calebnewquist/Email us at ohmyfraud@earmarkcpe.comSources:How Hype Hurt Lernout & Hauspie [Bloomberg via Wayback Machine]How High-Tech Dream Shattered In Scandal at Lernout & Hauspie [WSJ]Lernout & Hauspie Speech Products: Financing From Start-up through IPO [INSEAD, Herwig Langohr,  Benoit Leleux,  Danny Lein, July 2000, accessed on Sept. 16, 2025]Lernout & Hauspie Speech Products: The Question [INSEAD, Arnoud De Meyer,  Bart Pycke, January 1998, accessed on Sept. 16, 2025]Quarterdeck Office Systems [Wikipedia]Patent Is Won By Quarterdeck [NYT]Internet Hype Gives New Life to Quarterdeck Stock [LAT]Gaston Bastiaens [Apple.Fandom]Today in Apple history: Apple exec bets his wine cellar on Newton [CultofMac]Will Microsoft's Stake in Lernout & Hauspie Drive Growth in Speech? [Speech Technology Magazine]In Brussels, Gates Takes a Pie in the Face [Reuters via Wayback Machine]Bill Gates Being Hit in the Face With a Pie (1998) [YouTube]Noël Godin [Wikipedia]He Plasters Paris' Elite With Cream Pies [LAT]Bernard-Henri Levy Pied again in Belgium [YouTube]FM Interviews: Noël Godin [First Monday]Lernout & Hauspie Shares Drop Amid Puzzling Revenue Results [WSJ]Lernout & Hauspie Surges In Korea, Raising Questions [WSJ]Lernout's Bastiaens Will Step Down From CEO Post at Software Concern [WSJ]Lernout to Refile Financial Reports; Co-Founders Resign as Chairmen [WSJ]Lernout Files for Bankruptcy Protection, Says Cash at South Korean Unit Is Missing [WSJ]The Talk of Flanders Has Most Speechless [AP]Lernout & Hauspie Speech Products, N.V., Litigation Release No. 17782, Accounting and Auditing Enforcement Release No. 1648, October 10, 2002 [Securities and Exchange Commission]Lernout & Hauspie Speech Products, N.V., Litigation Release No. 18014, March 4, 2003 [Securities and Exchange Commission]Lernout & Hauspie Founders Guilty in Fraud [WSJ]Goldman Sachs and the $580 Million Black Hole [NYT]

What to Do When Visiting Mechelen, BelgiumNestled between Brussels and Antwerp, Mechelen is one of Belgium's most charming yet often overlooked cities. With its rich history, vibrant culture, and welcoming atmosphere, it offers visitors an authentic Belgian experience without the crowds. Whether you're spending a day or a weekend, here's how to make the most of your visit to Mechelen.1. Start at the Grote MarktEvery great visit to Mechelen begins in the Grote Markt, the city's picturesque main square. Surrounded by beautifully restored guild houses, cafés, and the imposing St. Rumbold's Cathedral, this is the heart of local life. Grab a coffee at one of the terraces and soak in the view of the impressive Stadhuis (Town Hall), a blend of Gothic and Renaissance architecture.2. Climb St. Rumbold's TowerFor the best view in Mechelen, climb the St. Rumbold's Tower, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The 97-meter tower offers panoramic views stretching all the way to Brussels and Antwerp on a clear day. The climb includes several stops with exhibits about the tower's history and its world-famous carillon bells.3. Visit the Dossin Barracks and MuseumThe Kazerne Dossin Museum provides a powerful and moving experience. It tells the story of Belgium's Jewish community during World War II, focusing on the deportations that took place from this very site. The museum balances historical insight with personal stories, making it a deeply reflective visit.4. Discover the Beguinage QuarterWander through Mechelen's Beguinage Quarter, a maze of cobblestone lanes and quaint whitewashed houses. This peaceful neighborhood once housed a community of beguines—women who lived religious lives without taking vows. Today, it's a serene area perfect for a quiet stroll and a glimpse into medieval urban life.5. Explore the River Dijle PathFor a unique view of Mechelen, walk along the Dijlepad, a wooden boardwalk that floats above the River Dijle. This scenic walkway winds through the city, connecting green spaces and historic buildings, offering a tranquil way to experience Mechelen from a different perspective.6. Tour the Hof van Busleyden MuseumThe Hof van Busleyden Museum, housed in a Renaissance palace, showcases Mechelen's role during the Burgundian era. The exhibitions blend art, history, and innovation, providing insight into the city's golden age when it was a major center of European politics and culture.7. Visit the Het Anker Brewery and DistilleryNo trip to Mechelen would be complete without a stop at the Het Anker Brewery and Distillery, one of the oldest breweries in Belgium. Located in the heart of the city, Het Anker has been brewing beer for more than five centuries and is home to the famous Gouden Carolus range. Join a guided tour to learn about traditional brewing methods and sample a selection of their award-winning beers straight from the source. The onsite distillery adds another dimension, producing fine Gouden Carolus whiskies that have gained international acclaim. The adjoining brasserie is the perfect place to enjoy hearty Belgian dishes paired with their signature brews.8. Experience the Toy Museum (Speelgoedmuseum Mechelen)For a touch of nostalgia and fun, visit the Toy Museum of Mechelen, one of the largest of its kind in Europe. This museum showcases an extensive collection of toys from across generations—ranging from antique dolls and model trains to classic board games and modern LEGO creations. It's a wonderful experience for families and adults alike, offering both playful exhibits and thoughtful insights into how toys have evolved over time. Children can participate in interactive play areas, while adults will find themselves reminiscing about their own childhood favorites.9. Taste More Local DelightsBeyond Het Anker, Mechelen's culinary scene continues to impress. Try Maneblusser, the city's other signature beer, named after a local legend about the townspeople mistaking the moon's glow for a fire in the cathedral tower. Pair it with Flemish specialties at one of the city's many excellent restaurants, from traditional brasseries to modern bistros.10. Visit Technopolis with the FamilyIf you're traveling with children, Technopolis is another must-visit attraction. This interactive science museum encourages hands-on exploration, with exhibits that make learning fun for all ages. It's located just outside the city center and is a perfect choice for a family day out or a rainy afternoon.11. Relax at the Botanical GardenEnd your day with a quiet moment in Mechelen's Botanical Garden (Kruidtuin). Originally part of a monastery, it's now a beautifully maintained park with lush greenery, flowers, and shaded benches. It's the ideal spot to unwind before heading back to the bustling Grote Markt for dinner.12. Stay a Little LongerMechelen may be compact, but it rewards those who linger. With its blend of history, culture, and modern charm, it's the kind of city where every street holds a story. Whether you're climbing the cathedral tower, tasting Gouden Carolus at Het Anker, or rediscovering childhood memories at the Toy Museum, Mechelen invites you to slow down and truly experience Belgium at its best.*We mention a few other Belgium episodes to go check out! Here they are:Namur - Episode 129Brussels - Episode 136Bruges - Episode 145Antwerp - Episode 153Ghent - Episode 181

Think you can hear the difference between tuli, tuuli, and tulli? We dive into the sounds, rhythm, and real-life phrases that make Finnish surprisingly learnable—and endlessly fun—when you know where to start. With our friend Evelina guiding pronunciation and cultural nuance, we pull together a traveler's toolkit you can use the moment you land: simple greetings (hei, moikka), how to say sorry and excuse me, the “please” workaround with kiitos, and the power duo missä on… and on to find bathrooms, train stations, airports, cafes, and more.We keep things practical and warm. You'll learn to order confidently—yksi kahvi/tee/vesi, kiitos—and to spot the words that unlock your day: vessa, juna-asema, lentoasema, kahvila, ravintola. We also share the secret sauce to sounding local: noniin, the multi-tool filler that fits nearly every moment, from rallying your friends to nodding along with a story. Along the way, we taste our way through Finland: the comfort of karjalanpiirakka, the sweetness of pulla, the debate over salmiakki, and why Fazer chocolate sits perfectly between Swiss and Belgian styles. Expect pronunciation tips on double letters and the ä vowel, plus the legendary phrase kuusi palaa that proves context is everything.Beyond language, we celebrate what keeps us returning: Santa's Lapland roots, reindeer on quiet roads, the wow of the northern lights, and the radical shift between midnight sun and winter darkness. These rhythms shape how Finnish feels in your mouth and in your day. Whether you're planning a first trip to Helsinki or polishing your phrasebook for a Lapland adventure, this guide helps you speak clearly, order kindly, and enjoy more of what makes Finland special.If you loved this, follow The Romies, subscribe for more traveler-friendly language guides, and leave a review—what Finnish word will you try first?Thanks for your ongoing support!http://paypal.me/TheROAMiesAlexa and RoryThe ROAMiesPlease subscribe, rate and share our podcast! Follow us at:http://www.TheROAMies.comThe ROAMies: Facebook and Instagram YouTube and X.

In this episode of The President's Daily Brief: Ukrainian intelligence accuses China of directly aiding Russia's missile campaign in Ukraine, providing satellite data used to target infrastructure—including an American-owned factory struck back in August. Hamas and Israel appear closer than ever to a ceasefire, as both sides signal conditional acceptance of President Trump's peace proposal. Mystery drones spark panic in Europe, halting flights in Munich and triggering investigations at a Belgian military base. And in today's Back of the Brief—the U.S. Navy launches another strike off Venezuela, part of a broader campaign against Latin America's drug-trafficking networks. To listen to the show ad-free, become a premium member of The President's Daily Brief by visiting https://PDBPremium.com.Please remember to subscribe if you enjoyed this episode of The President's Daily Brief.YouTube: youtube.com/@presidentsdailybrief   BRUNT Workwear: Get $10 Off at BRUNT with code PDB at https://www.bruntworkwear.com/PDB #BruntpodBirch Gold: Text PDB to 989898 and get your free info kit on goldRidge Wallet: Upgrade your wallet today! Get 10% Off @Ridge with code PDB at https://www.Ridge.com/PDB #Ridgepod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Oli Petit is the Co-Owner and co-Founder of The Red Bar, located in Grayton Beach, Florida. Oli is the son of a successful Belgian restaurant professional and moved to the United States in 1986 to begin his restaurant career here. He moved around and worked for various chefs and FOH professionals until 1995 when he opened The Red Bar. That restaurant celebrated 30 years in business recently. It hasn't always been successes and raving fans and critics, however. Since 1995 Oli has opened and closed 5 other concepts. Louis Louis remains today, along with the ever-popular Red Bar.  Join RULibrary: www.restaurantunstoppable.com/RULibrary Join RULive: www.restaurantunstoppable.com/live Set Up your RUEvolve 1:1: www.restaurantunstoppable.com/evolve Subscribe on YouTube: https://youtube.com/restaurantunstoppable Subscribe to our email newsletter: https://www.restaurantunstoppable.com/ Today's sponsors: Meez: Are you a chef, owner, operator, or manage recipes in professional kitchens? meez is built just for you. Organize, share, prep, and scale recipes like never before. Plus, engineer your menu in real-time and get accurate food costs. Sign up for free today and get 2 FREE months of invoice processing as a listener of the Restaurant Unstoppable Podcast. Visit getmeez.com/unstoppable to learn more. US Foods: US Foods is hosting the event of the year, Food Fanatics 2025. August 19-20, 2025, at the Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas, NV. Network with over 5,000 Industry peers. Attend Zouk nightclub reception, expert breakout sessions, Keynote speeches, musical performances, and dramatic demonstrations, and sample the latest on-trend dishes. The Clock Is Ticking! Be Ready to Register on April 16 for Food Fanatics® 2025. To learn more, visit www.usfoods.com/foodfanatics2025 Restaurant Systems Pro - Join the 60-day Restaurant Systems Pro FREE TRAINING. This is something that has never been done before. This 60-day event is at no cost to you, but it is not for everyone. Fred Langley, CEO of Restaurant Systems Pro, will lead a group of restaurateurs through the Restaurant Systems Pro software and set up the systems for your restaurant. During the 60 days, Fred will walk you through the Restaurant Systems Pro Process and help you crush the following goals: Recipe Costing Cards; Guidance in your books for accounting; Cash controls; Sales Forecasting(With Accuracy); Checklists; Budgeting for the entire year; Scheduling for profit; More butts in seats and more… Click Here to learn more.  Let's make 2025 the year your restaurant thrives. Guest contact info:  The Red Bar website: https://www.theredbar.com Instagram: @olipetit Thanks for listening! Rate the podcast, subscribe, and share!