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Last time we spoke about the Jinzhou Operation and Defense of Harbin. After the Mukden Incident, Zhang Xueliang, despite commanding a large army, was pressured into non-resistance against Japan. As tensions escalated, the Japanese bombed Jinzhou to intimidate Zhang Xueliang and the Kwantung Army prepared to invade. By January 1, 1932, Zhang's forces retreated, marking a significant loss for China. Meanwhile, Ma Zhanshan emerged as a resistance hero, navigating complex alliances against Japanese aggression. In the face of Japanese aggression, Ding Chao rallied forces in Harbin, a crucial city in Northeast China. Together with Ma Zhanshan and other generals, they formed the Kirin self-defense army to resist the Japanese advance. Despite fierce battles, including victories at Shuiqu and Shulan, the Japanese ultimately launched a full-scale assault. After intense fighting, Harbin fell on February 5, 1932. The resistance crumbled, leading to Ma Zhanshan's defection and the establishment of the puppet state of Manchukuo.   #143 The January 28th Incident 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 words of Ron Burgundy, “phew, Boy, that escalated quickly... I mean, that really got out of hand fast”. Ishiwara Kanji unleashed the Mukden Incident, beginning a series of military conflicts. The Kwantung army invaded all three provinces of Manchuria, Ma Zhanshan tried to fight back at Heilongjiang, Ding Chao at Harbin and Zhang Xueliang at Jinhouz. All of this culminated in the conquest of Manchuria and the establishment of the new puppet state of Manchukuo. Yet another significant conflict also broke out in Shanghai of all places.  Now before we start this one I want to point out there are a lot of bias issues with how this incident began. It is known as the January 28th Incident or the First Battle of Shanghai. There are a few arguments as to how exactly it began, but the two main narratives are as such. During the invasion of Manchuria, anti-Japanese demonstrations broke out across China, particularly in large cities like Shanghai and Guangzhou. In most Japanese sources, these demonstrations got out of hand, requiring military action to defend Japanese citizens and property in Shanghai. Now as for Chinese sources, and I will say it here, I place a lot more credibility on the Chinese side on this one, during the Invasion of Manchuria, the League of Nations passed resolutions to get the Japanese to withdraw their troops and many of the members expressed support for China. Although the United States was not a member of the League, Secretary of State Stimson issued a "non-recognition" note in response to Japan's occupation of Jinzhou, aiming to pressure Japan. This isolation in the international arena heightened anxiety within the Japanese government and military, prompting them to seek conflicts in other regions of China to divert attention from their invasion of Manchuria.  Now a lot of trouble had been stirred up in Shanghai ever since the Mukden Incident broke out. Shanghai's business community initiated a boycott of Japanese trade, significantly impacting Japan's coastal and Yangtze River shipping industries. To give one example the "Nissin Steamship Company" halted all operations since the incident. Between July 1931 and the end of March 1932, Japanese merchants in Shanghai reportedly suffered losses amounting to 41,204,000 yen . To give you an idea, in 1930, Japanese goods accounted for 29% of Shanghai's average monthly imports, but by December 1931, this figure had plummeted to 3%. On October 5, 1931, the Japanese government convened a cabinet meeting, resolving that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs would issue a stern warning to the National Government, with the Foreign Minister and Navy Minister overseeing the issue of ship deployment. Shanghai was the key hub for Western powers in China. It was here they made significant investments and maintained strong commercial interests in the region. The political and economic dynamics among these powers were intricate. Shanghai held the largest amount of foreign settlements and concessions. Any outbreak of war in Shanghai would inevitably capture international attention and prompt intervention from nations with vested interests, such as Britain, the United States, and France.  On October 1, Tanaka Takayoshi, the assistant military attaché at the Japanese Consulate in Shanghai and head of the Shanghai Secret Service, was summoned to Shenyang by Colonel Seishirō Itagaki who told him "Our next move is to occupy Harbin and make Manchuria independent. We have sent Colonel Doihara to pick up Puyi. If we succeed, the League of Nations will have a big fight and the Tokyo government will have a headache. I want you to do something in Shanghai to divert the attention of other countries. When you cause a commotion, we will take Manchuria." Tanaka promised to complete the task and said that he was "training an excellent spy who can bribe Chinese troublemakers in Shanghai to start this fake war".  Itagaki then withdrew 20,000 yen from the Kwantung Army's secret service funds and provided it to Tanaka for operational purposes. Now here it gets wild. Tanaka took the funds and paid a Japanese female spy named Kawashima Yoshiko, known also as Jin Bihui, but whose birthname was Aisin Giori Xianyu with the courtesy name of Dongzhen, meaning “eastern jewel”. Yes Manchu royalty, to be more precise the 14th daughter of Shanqi a Manchu prince of the Aisin Gioro clan of the former Qing Dynasty. Shanqi was a descendant of Hooge, the eldest son of Hong Taiji, it all comes full circle sometimes. After the Xinhai revolution, Xianyu was given up for adoption in 1915 to her fathers friend Naniwa Kawashima, a Japanese spy and adventurer. Thus here she took the name Yoshiko Kawashima. She was raised in Tokyo and excelled at judo and fencing. In 1922 he biological father Shanqi died and as Manchu royal tradition dictated, her biological mother committed suicide to join her husband in death. On November 22nd of 1925, Yoshiko stated the she “decided to cease being a woman forever”. Henceforth she stopped wearing a kimono, undid her traditional female hair style and took a final photo to commemorate “my farewell to life as a woman”. That same evening she went to a barbershop and got a crew cut and from there went to a men's clothing store. A photo of this dramatic transformation appeared 5 days later in the Asahi Shimbun under the headline "Kawashima Yoshiko's Beautiful Black Hair Completely Cut Off - Because of Unfounded 'Rumors,' Makes Firm Decision to Become a Man - Touching Secret Tale of Her Shooting Herself". This title was in reference to a prior scandal where she allegedly shot herself in the chest with a pistol given to her by Iwata Ainosuke. Historians believe it is much more likely she chose to become a man because of the death of her parents, failed romances or possibly sexual abuse from her foster father. Kawashima would go on to explain to a new reporter two days later "I was born with what the doctors call a tendency toward the third sex, and so I cannot pursue an ordinary woman's goals in life... Since I was young I've been dying to do the things that boys do. My impossible dream is to work hard like a man for China, for Asia." She was in fact something of a tomboy in her youth, despite being quite beautiful.  Now obviously the times being the times, those close to her were, lets just say not very receptive to this dramatic change. Thus in November of 1927, at the age of 20, her brother and adoptive father arranged her marriage in Port Arthur to one Ganjuurjab, the son of the Inner Mongolian Army General Babojab, who had led the Mongolian-Manchurian Independence Movement in 1911. The marriage lasted only three years, ending in divorce. Following this, she left Mongolia and began touring coastal cities of China before adopting a bohemian lifestyle back in Tokyo, where she had relationships with both men and women. She then moved to Shanghai's foreign concession, where she met the Japanese military attaché and intelligence officer Ryukichi Tanaka. This takes us back to our story at hand.  On the afternoon of January 18th, 1932, Yoshiko Kawashima orchestrated an incident by enlisting two Japanese Nichiren monks and three other Japanese supporters to stir up trouble at the Sanyou Industrial Company headquarters on Mayushan Road, located near the East District of the Shanghai International Settlement. The group of five Japanese individuals watched the worker volunteer army training outside the factory and threw stones to provoke a confrontation, intentionally sparking a conflict. Prior to this, Yoshiko Kawashima had also hired thugs disguised as workers to blend in with the crowd. During the altercation, the five Japanese individuals were attacked by unknown assailants. The Japanese Consulate General later reported that one of the Japanese individuals had died and another was seriously injured. However, the police were unable to apprehend the culprits, prompting Japan to accuse the Chinese factory patrol team of being behind the attack. This event became known as the "Japanese monk incident."   At 2:40 am on January 20, following orders from  Yoshiko, the military police captain Chiharu Shigeto led 32 members of the Shanghai "Japanese Youth Comrades Association in China" to sneak into the Sanyou Industrial Company factory. They brought guns, bayonets, and other weapons, along with flammable materials such as saltpeter and kerosene. Dozens of members of the Japanese Youth Association set fire to the Sanyou Industrial Society at night , and hacked to death and injured two Chinese policemen from the Municipal Council who came to organize firefighting. That afternoon, Tanaka Takayoshi instigated 1,200 Japanese expatriates to gather at the Japanese Residents' Association on Wenjianshi Road, and marched along Beichuan Road to the Japanese Marine Corps Headquarters at the north end of the road, demanding that the Japanese Marine Corps intervene. When they reached Qiujiang Road, they started rioting and attacked Chinese shops. In response, Shanghai Mayor Wu Tiecheng formally protested to Japan. Japan in return demanding a formal apology from the mayor and the apprehension of the person responsible for the death of the Japanese monk. Japan also insisted that China pay compensation for medical and funeral expenses, handle the anti-Japanese protests, and immediately disband any groups hostile to Japan. China had the option to firmly reject these unreasonable demands. On the morning of January 21, Japanese Consul General Murai Kuramatsu met with Shanghai Mayor Wu Tiecheng to express regret for the Japanese arson and the killing of Chinese police officers. He promised to arrest the Japanese ronin responsible for the fire. At the same time, he presented a formal protest regarding the "Japanese monk incident" and outlined four demands: (1) The mayor must issue an apology to the Consul General; (2) The authorities should swiftly and effectively search for, arrest, and punish the perpetrators; (3) The five victims should receive medical compensation and consolation money; (4) All illegal actions against Japan should be prohibited, with the Shanghai Anti-Japanese National Salvation Association and other anti-Japanese groups disbanded promptly.  Starting on January 22, Admiral Shiozawa of the Japanese Navy and Consul General Murai demanded that Shanghai Mayor Wu dissolve anti-Japanese groups and halt any boycott activities. Representatives of Japanese business conglomerates also filed complaints with the Shanghai International Settlement's Municipal Council, calling for an official apology from China for the offensive report and attacks on monks, and demanding that the attackers be punished. As tensions rose, the Japanese Residents Association urged Japanese naval forces in Shanghai to take measures to protect their safety. That same day Yukichi Shiozawa, Commander of the 1st Japanese Expeditionary Fleet in Shanghai, made a threatening declaration, stating that if the mayor of Shanghai failed to respond adequately to the four demands presented by Matsui, the Japanese Navy would take "appropriate action." Even before this the Japanese Navy had deployed troops and sent additional warships to Shanghai under the pretext of protecting its citizens In addition to the warships that arrived in Shanghai after the Mukden incident, the Japanese Navy sent the cruiser Oi and the 15th Destroyer Squadron (comprising four destroyers) from the mainland Wu Port on January 21. They carried over 450 personnel from the 1st Special Marine Corps along with a large supply of arms and arrived in Shanghai on January 23. The following day, the Notoro special service ship (an aircraft carrier of 14,000 tons, carrying six aircraft) anchored in Port Arthur, also arrived in Shanghai. On January 22, the Japanese government convened a meeting and decided to take appropriate measures, with Navy Minister Osumi Tsuneo handling the situation as deemed necessary. By January 25, the heads of the Japanese Navy Ministry and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs held a joint session, where they agreed that if the Chinese side failed to demonstrate sincerity or meet Japan's demands, force would be used to ensure compliance. They also agreed on specific “emergency actions." On January 26, the Navy Ministry met again and resolved to demonstrate Japan's military strength within the next day or two. The proposed measures were as follows: (1) If the Shanghai garrison was insufficient, the Second Fleet would be deployed; (2) Japanese citizens in Shanghai would be directly protected; (3) The Japanese Navy would secure the route from Wusong to Shanghai; (4) All Chinese vessels would be detained outside Wusongkou; (5) Additional warships would be sent to ports in Nanjing, Hankou, Guangzhou, Shantou, Xiamen, and other locations, with civil unrest in those areas also being addressed. Emperor Hirohito authorized the Japanese Navy's military actions. On the 26th, Hirohito's military meeting, led by Chief of Staff Prince Kan'in (Prince Zaihito), ordered Yukichi Shiozawa in Shanghai to "exercise the right of self-defense." That same day, the Japanese Navy Ministry urgently deployed the 1st Torpedo Squadron (flagship "Yubari" cruiser, accompanied by the 22nd, 23rd, and 30th Destroyer Squadrons, totaling 12 destroyers), with over 460 personnel from the 2nd Special Marine Corps, which arrived in Shanghai on the afternoon of January 28. By this time, the Japanese military had gathered 24 warships, over 40 aircraft, more than 1,830 marines, and between 3,000 to 4,000 armed personnel in Shanghai, stationed across the Japanese concession and along the Huangpu River. On January 28, the Japanese Navy Ministry instructed the deployment of the aircraft carriers Kaga and Hosho, the cruisers Naka, Yura, and Abukuma, and four mine carriers from the mainland to Shanghai. Back on the 24th, 1932, Japanese intelligence agents set fire to the residence of the Japanese Ambassador to China, Shigemitsu Mamoru, in Shanghai, falsely accusing the Chinese of the act. On the 27th, Murai issued an ultimatum to the Shanghai authorities, demanding a satisfactory response to four conditions by 18:00 on the 28th, threatening necessary actions if the deadline was not met. Meanwhile, with threats and rumors of a Japanese naval landing circulating in Shanghai, the nearby 19th route army units moved closer to the International Settlement's Little Tokyo. The 19th Route Army of the Guangdong Army was in charge of defending Shanghai at the time, with Jiang Guangnai serving as the commander-in-chief and Cai Tingkai as the commander. Chen Mingshu, the leader of the 19th Route Army and commander of the Beijing-Shanghai garrison, was a strong proponent of responding to the Japanese army's provocations. The Chinese public, along with critics of the Nanjing government, called for punishment of the Manchurian warlord forces who had failed to halt the Kwantung Army's blitzkrieg, which encouraged officers of the 19th Route army to take a firm stance. As the Nanjing government had not enacted any policies, General Cai Tingkai and his colleagues convened an emergency meeting on January 23, pledging to resist any potential Japanese naval invasion of Shanghai at all costs. Now the Nanjing government response to this crisis was quite chaotic as you can imagine. There was still a anti communist campaign going on, Manchuria was being taken over and Chiang Kai-Shek fully understood they could ill afford an all out war with Japan. There was a general feeling things were getting out of hand, the league of nations were failing to do anything. Thus Chiang Kai-Shek retained his passive stance. On January 23rd after extensive consultations with Wang Jingwei and Chiang Kai-shek, newly appointed Executive Yuan President Sun Ke urgently telegraphed Shanghai Mayor Wu Tiecheng. "Our priority should be the preservation of Shanghai as the economic center, adopting a moderate stance towards Japan's demands. We must immediately gather all sectors to diplomatically explain our position and avoid conflict to prevent Shanghai from being seized by force." That same day, Minister of Military Affairs He Yingqin also sent a telegram to Wu Tiecheng, emphasizing, "Shanghai is our economic hub, and we must continue peaceful negotiations and avoid conflict." On that same day He Yingqin instructed the 19th Route Army to withdraw from Shanghai and relocate west of Nanxiang within five days. Zhang Jingjiang then invited Cai Tingkai to Du Yuesheng's home, where he convinced the 19th Route Army to "withdraw to the Nanxiang area to avoid confrontation with the Japanese." Upon learning of the Nationalist government's position, both Chiang Kai-shek and Cai Ying-ying were disappointed, but they expressed willingness to follow military orders and withdraw from Shanghai. As Chiang Guangnai put it, "We must simply obey the government's orders." On the afternoon of January 27, Chief of Staff Zhu Peide and Minister of Military Affairs He Yingqin deployed the 6th Military Police Regiment to assume responsibility for defending the 19th Route Army's positions in the Zhabei area of Shanghai. The regiment departed Nanjing Station at 8 pm on January 27, reaching Zhenru by noon on the 28th. The first battalion arrived at Shanghai North Station that afternoon, preparing to take over defense from the 6th Regiment of the 156th Brigade of the 78th Division of the 19th Route Army in Zhabei at dawn on January 29. Back on the 27th, after Murai issued an ultimatum to the Chinese authorities in Shanghai, Mayor Wu Tiecheng, responding to a request from both the Nanjing National Government and various sectors of Shanghai, sent a letter on the 28th at 13:45 accepting all the unreasonable demands made by the Japanese. Later, at 11:05 pm the Shanghai Public Security Bureau received a response from Murai, which was directed to both Mayor Wu Tiecheng and the head of the Shanghai Public Security Bureau. In the letter, Murai expressed "satisfaction" with Shanghai's acceptance of Japan's four demands, but also insisted on the withdrawal of Chinese troops from Zhabei, citing the need to protect overseas Chinese. Wu Tiecheng received this response at 11:25 pm At 11:30 pm, without waiting for a reply from the Chinese side, the Japanese military launched an attack on the Chinese garrison in Zhabei. In response, Weng Zhaoyuan's troops from the 156th Brigade of the 78th Division of the 19th Route Army, along with part of the 6th Regiment of the Military Police that had been sent to reinforce the defense, fought back.  During the January 28 Incident, the 19th Route Army, stationed in the Beijing-Shanghai area, was the Chinese military force involved. Following the September 18 Incident, Chiang Kai-shek entered into negotiations with the Guangdong faction. As part of these discussions between Nanjing and Guangdong, the Guangdong side proposed that Chen Mingshu, a Cantonese leader, be appointed as the commander-in-chief of the Beijing-Shanghai garrison. On September 30, 1931, Chiang Kai-shek agreed to this proposal. Consequently, the 19th Route Army, under Chen Mingshu's command, was transferred from Ganzhou, Jiangxi, where it had been stationed after the September 18 Incident (following Chiang's decision to halt "suppressing the Communists"), to defend the Beijing-Shanghai area. By November, the army was fully deployed along the Beijing-Shanghai line. The military leadership included Jiang Guangnai as commander-in-chief, Cai Tingkai as army commander, and Dai Ji as the garrison commander. The army was composed of the 60th Division, led by Shen Guanghan, stationed in Suzhou and Changzhou; the 61st Division, led by Mao Weishou, stationed in Nanjing and Zhenjiang; and the 78th Division, led by Qu Shounian, stationed in Shanghai, Wusong, Kunshan, and Jiading. The total strength of the army was over 33,000 soldiers. By early November, after the 19th Route Army had secured the Beijing and Shanghai areas, the military leadership, influenced by the Shanghai populace's strong anti-Japanese sentiment, resolved to resist the impending Japanese invasion. On January 15th the 19th Route Army assessed intelligence indicating an inevitable Japanese attack and began preparing for defense, less than two weeks before the invasion. On th 19th Jiang Guangnai convened a meeting of the 19th Route Army officers in Shanghai. During the meeting, several strategic policies were decided, as recalled by Cai Tingkai. These included. Maintaining an invisible state of alert in response to potential enemy harassment. Ensuring that frontline units were adequately reinforced, with Qu Shounian's division tasked with holding for at least five days. Rapidly constructing fortifications in each defense zone, while rear units pre-select lines of resistance. Ensuring that the 60th and 61st divisions could reinforce Shanghai within five days of the start of hostilities. Establishing a stance on the Shanghai Concession. Issuing an order that, starting January 20, no officers or soldiers were to remain in the concession unless on official duty. On January 23, 1932, under mounting pressure from Japan, Chen Mingshu, Jiang Guangnai, Cai Tingkai, and others issued a "Letter to All Officers and Soldiers of the 19th Route Army," urging a great spirit of sacrifice. On the same day, the army issued a secret combat order, stating that they must be fully prepared for war to defend the nation. If the Japanese attacked, all efforts should be focused on repelling them. The 19th Route Army was poised to resist the Japanese invasion in the Songhu area.   On January 24, 1932, Cai Tingkai and his colleagues arrived in Suzhou and held an emergency meeting with senior garrison commanders, including Shen Guanghan, to communicate the secret order issued on January 23. The generals unanimously supported the directive. However, under pressure from the National Government to avoid war, Chiang, Cai, and others reluctantly agreed to comply with an order to withdraw from Shanghai. They ordered the Zhabei garrison to exchange duties with the 6th Military Police Regiment on the morning of January 29. Due to the tense situation, the commander of the 156th Brigade of the 78th Division instructed the 6th Regiment at Zhabei to remain on high alert. At 11:00 PM on January 28, Dai Ji also ordered strict vigilance to prevent the Japanese army from occupying Zhabei during the guard change, instructing all units to take their positions and be on high alert. At 11:30 pm on January 28, 1932, Major General Shiozawa and the Japanese Marine Corps unexpectedly attacked the Chinese garrison located on the west side of North Sichuan Road. In response, the 6th Regiment of the 156th Brigade of the 19th Route Army, commanded by Zhang Junsong, promptly initiated a strong counteroffensive. At that moment, the Japanese forces, spearheaded by over 20 armored vehicles, split into five groups and launched assaults from different intersections in Zhabei. Upon receiving news of the Japanese attack, Jiang Guangnai, Cai Tingkai, and Dai Ji hurried to Zhenru Station on foot during the night, established a temporary command center, and instructed the rear troops to advance swiftly to Shanghai as per the original plan. At dawn on the 29th, the Japanese forces launched a series of intense assaults, supported by armored vehicles. Aircraft from the carrier "Notoro" bombed the Zhabei and Nanshi districts, leading to rapid escalation of the conflict. The 156th Brigade of the defending forces fiercely resisted the Japanese advances, using cluster grenades against the enemy's armored units and organizing stealth squads to sabotage enemy vehicles. They held their positions and counterattacked at opportune moments under artillery cover, successfully repelling the relentless Japanese assaults. According to Japanese accounts, the battle was described as "extremely fierce, with fires raging everywhere, flames filling the sky, and the battlefield in a state of devastation." At around 10 am, Japanese aircraft dropped bombs, causing the Commercial Press and the Oriental Library to catch fire, resulting in the destruction of over 300,000 books, including many rare ancient texts. More than a thousand Japanese soldiers, shielded by heavy artillery and armored vehicles, launched a vigorous attack at the intersection of Baoshan Road and Qiujiang Road, aiming to seize the Shanghai North Railway Station. This station was a crucial land transport hub, and its control was vital for the safety of the entire Zhabei area. At 2 pm on the 29th, taking advantage of the chaos at the North Station, the Japanese forces mounted a fierce assault. A company from our military police engaged in combat with the Japanese for an hour before withdrawing from the station. By 5 pm on the 29th, the main force of the 156th Brigade entered the fray and launched a counteroffensive, reclaiming both the North Station and Tiantong'an Station. They pressed their advantage and captured the Japanese Shanghai Marine Corps Headquarters, forcing the Japanese troops to retreat east of North Sichuan Road and south of Target Road. The initial Japanese offensive ended in defeat. Following the setback, British and American consuls intervened to mediate in the afternoon of the 29th (the Shanghai government stated it was at the request of the Japanese consuls, while the League of Nations report indicated it was initiated by the mayor of Shanghai). The Chinese and Japanese forces agreed to cease hostilities at 8 pm that night. Although the 19th Route Army recognized this as a delaying tactic, they consented to the ceasefire to allow for troop redeployment. Concurrently, the 19th Route Army strengthened their positions, urgently ordering the 60th Division from east of Zhenjiang to move into Nanxiang and Zhenru, while transferring the 61st Division to Shanghai. The 78th Division, stationed in Shanghai, was fully mobilized to the front lines to bolster defenses and prepare for further combat. Following the ceasefire, the Japanese army made significant efforts to bolster its forces. The Japanese Navy Ministry promptly dispatched four destroyers from the Sasebo 26th Squadron, under the command of the cruiser "Tatsuta," to reach Shanghai on January 30 and dock at Huangpu Wharf. Accompanying the vessels were 474 soldiers from the Sasebo 3rd Special Marine Corps, along with a substantial supply of ammunition. On the morning of January 31, the Japanese aircraft carriers Kaga and Hosho reached Shanghai, bringing approximately 30 aircraft from the First Air Fleet. They anchored off the coast of the Ma'an Islands, about 130 kilometers east of Shanghai. By 4 pm, three cruisers Naka , Yura , and Abukuma along with four torpedo boats arrived in Shanghai, transporting over 2,000 marines who disembarked in groups. On February 1, the Japanese cruise ship "Terukoku Maru," carrying the Yokosuka 1st Special Marine Corps 525 men, docked at Shanghai Huishan Wharf. On the 2nd, the Japanese Navy Central Headquarters established the Third Fleet with ships from the First Overseas Fleet in the Yangtze River area, with the Izumo serving as the flagship (the Izumo arrived in Shanghai on February 6) under the command of Vice Admiral Yoshisaburo Nomura, to execute coordinated military operations. Following the reinforcement of Japanese forces, they resumed attacks on Chinese defenders in Zhabei, Baziqiao, and other locations on February 3 but were still repelled. On February 4, the Japanese launched their first major offensive, expanding the conflict to Jiangwan and Wusong. After a day of intense fighting, the Wusong open-air artillery fort suffered destruction from enemy bombardment, yet the Chinese defenders successfully prevented a Japanese landing. The anti-aircraft artillery unit from the 88th Division, assigned to the 4th Regiment of the 156th Brigade of the 19th Route Army, shot down a Japanese aircraft. Following the failure of the general offensive, Yukiichi Shiozawa was relieved of his command and sent back to Japan. Vice Admiral Yoshisaburo Nomura, the newly appointed commander of the Third Fleet, took over Shiozawa's position. Upon his appointment, the Japanese military began to bolster its forces. Even before the situation in Shanghai escalated, Japan had planned to deploy ground troops, but this was initially rejected by the navy. However, as the situation deteriorated, the navy had to request assistance from the army. On February 2, the Japanese cabinet officially decided to deploy ground forces. Due to the urgent circumstances in Shanghai, they resolved to send the Shanghai Dispatch Mixed Brigade, led by Major General Shimomoto Kuma and the 9th Division, led by Lieutenant General Ueda Kenkichi, with the Shanghai Dispatch Mixed Brigade and the Second Independent Tank Squadron being transported first. Concurrently, the Japanese Navy dispatched the Yokosuka 2nd Special Marine Corps to Shanghai. The 24th Mixed Brigade landed in Wusong on the afternoon of February 7.  Now within the backdrop of all of this Nanjing was certainly freaking out. What had started as a small incident, had escalated into a full blown battle. The Japanese were continuously sending reinforcements, and now so was China. Chiang Kai-Shek had recently resigned and came back as Generalissimo ushering in the slogan "first internal pacification, then external resistance." With that he had led a massive campaign against the Jiangxi Soviet, while avoiding a frontal war against Japan. Obviously this led to wide scale protest in China, which in turn contributed to this new incident in Shanghai. The Shanghai incident was certainly disrupting Chiang Kai-Shek's offensives against the communists, allowing those like Hu Hanmin's Guangdong based 19th Route Army to deal with the Japanese at Shanghai. Yet how long could Chiang Kai-Shek keep this up? Should he divert all attention to the Japanese? Will he step down again in shame for not facing the encroaching foreign empire?  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 January 28th Incident was yet another powder keg like moment for the very vulnerable and still fractured Chinese nation. Chiang Kai-Shek had internal enemies left-right and center and now the Empire of Japan was pressing its luck to keep seizing more and more from his nation. What was the Generalissimo to do in the face of these insurmountable odds?   

This interview with Karnit Flug was on January 2, shortly after the Government of Israel released all manner of economic statistics and announced some rather significant tax tweaks. Based on my anecdotal conversations with people in the professional, VC and tech sectors, there is growing concern that the new tax measures will have the most deleterious—and disproportionate—impact on small independent businesses in Israel. Karnit Flug, as you will hear, thinks otherwise. So, I will keep an eye on how this develops. And in the coming months I intend to publish more podcasts and YouTube videos focusing on the economy. It's amazing how overlooked this critical topic has been throughout the war. Then again, our Minister of Finance is Bezalel Smotrich. He has a lot to say about annexing various territories, but he seems far less engaged when it comes to financial and economic matters. We have included in the podcast notes links to two previous podcasts with Karnit Flug, from back in the days when judicial reform was seen to be the key economic threat. Then—and perhaps more so now—Flug is very concerned with the emigration of Israel's most talented citizens to Europe, North America, anywhere but here. The pressure of serving most of the year in reserve duty, the huge stress this puts on families—and all that compounded by deep concerns with the political direction of the country and how that is impacting our economic power—well, many are voting with their feet. That trend is among the top economic issues and threats facing Israel today, in her view. Always enlightening to speak with Karnit Flug. I had intended to publish this interview in the second week of January, but then all hell broke loose, as President Trump would say. His repeated warnings that the hostage issue had better be resolved by Inauguration Day made everything else seem less urgent. This entire country was on 24/7 hostage alert. The good news is that my discussion with Karnit was very macro, so the podcast remains as relevant today as it was a few weeks ago. Tune in.Podcast Notes:Two previous State of Tel Aviv podcasts with Karnit Flug:Prof. Karnit Flug completed her five-year term as Governor of the Bank of Israel in November 2018. In March 2019 she joined the Department of Economics at the Hebrew University.As Governor, Prof. Flug oversaw the design and implementation of Israel's monetary policy and served as the Economic Advisor to the government. She was widely credited for maintaining stability and supporting growth in the Israeli economy.Prior to her appointment as Governor, Prof. Flug was the Bank of Israel's Deputy Governor from July 2011. Between July 2013 and November 2013, she served as Acting Governor.Previously, Prof. Flug became Director of the Research Department and Chief Economist of the Bank of Israel in June 2001 – a position she held for 10 years. She published numerous papers on macroeconomic policies, the labor market, balance of payments and social policies. In 1984, Prof. Flug started as an economist at the International Monetary Fund, before returning to Israel to join the Research Department of the Bank of Israel in 1988. In 1994–96, while on leave from the Bank of Israel, she worked at the Inter-American Development Bank in Washington D.C. as a Senior Research Economist.Prof. Flug‘s contribution to social and economic policies in Israel has been significant. She served on a number of public and government committees, including the Committee on Increasing Competitiveness in the Economy, the Committee for Social and Economic Change ("the Trajtenberg Committee"), the Defense Budget Prof. Flug received her M.A. (cum laude) in Economics from The Hebrew University of Jerusalem in 1980, and her Ph.D. in Economics from Columbia University in 1985.In 2018, she was awarded an honorary doctorate from Tel Aviv University in recognition of her “exceptional stewardship of Israel's monetary policy and economy.” In March 2019, Prof. Flug received the “Governor of the Year" Award for 2018 by the Central Banking Publication.In each of her five years as Governor of the Bank of Israel, Prof. Flug was ranked among the top 10 central bankers in the world by Global Finance magazine.Prof. Flug is married with two children.State of Tel Aviv 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 www.stateoftelaviv.com/subscribe

Last time we spoke about the complicated story of Xinjiang. Xinjiang, though part of China since the Han dynasty, has a distinct cultural and geographic identity aligned more with Central Asia than China's east. Its remote, mountainous landscapes divide its regions and isolate its ethnic groups, which include Uyghurs, Kazakhs, and Hui Muslims. Yang Zengxin, Xinjiang's Republican governor, ruled with shrewd, divisive tactics, maintaining peace by balancing loyalties but alienating many. His rule ended in 1928, when an ambitious subordinate, Fan Yaonan, assassinated him, marking a turning point. Yang attended a banquet hosted by Fan, where disguised soldiers fired on him, mortally wounding him. Fan seized power but was soon defeated and executed by Jin, who succeeded Yang as ruler of Xinjiang. Jin enforced strict policies, favoring Han Chinese officials and worsening the economy. He raised taxes, restricted Muslim customs, and monopolized industries. His annexation of the Kumul Khanate in 1931 incited unrest among the local Uyghurs, setting the stage for rebellion.   #132 The Beginning of the Kumul Rebellion 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. So last we left off, things had reached a boiling point in Kumul. The explosion at Kumul would begin mostly as a result of a religious and cultural slight against the Muslim population both Turkic speaking and Tungan. They became offended and banded together against the Chinese officials. As a result of the new administration and annexation of the Kumul Khanate, a young Han named Chang Mu from Gansu, was appointed tax collector and chief of police over the small village of Xiaopu, lying due north of Kumul. According to the Nanjing official Wu Aichen “this Chang Mu was a 'wastrel' whose conduct soon became a public scandal”. In early 1931, Chang Mu met a pretty Turkic Muslim girl in Xiaopu and tried to force her father, a Uyghur called Salih, to give him her hand in marriage. Now for those unaware shari law specifically prohibits marriage between Muslim women and men of other religions. What followed is described in two differing accounts. The first account has it that on April 4th of 1931, Chang Mu was invited to eat at the girls house, allegedly in honor of the forthcoming wedding. During the dinner, Chang Mu was attacked by Uyghur's and slaughtered alongside 32 members of his personal bodyguard. It was further implied by our friend Wu Aichen, Chang Mu had already seduced the girl and that the ulama, those being islamic scholars who act as a sort of authority under shari law, upon discovering so, took it upon themselves to correct the situation. On the night of the proposed ceremony a mob appeared in the streets of Xiaopu. Chang Mu and his guard detail were already thoroughly drunk and easily overcome by the pissed off Uyghurs. All were killed, including the poor Uyghur girl. The Uyghurs then took 30 rifles from the dead and turned their attention towards the Gansu Chinese who were said to number in about a hundred families in the area. All of them were massacred and “had their heads buried in the soil of their farms”. Following this the Uyghurs marched upon the Chinese outposts at Tuluhu and Laimahe killing their garrisons and tax collectors while acquiring even more weapons. Better armed, the Uyghurs elected to make a move against Kumul. Kumul held an overwhelming Uyghur majority and easily fell into the hands of the rebels with little to no fighting. Most of the Han fled into the fortified Old City barring its gates. The Han caught outside the Old City were massacred brutally. Soon the rebel forces controlled Kumul's Muslim part of the city and the surrounding countryside, but the provincial forces remained secure within the Old city and its key arsenal. It is unclear whether the Xiaopu incident was carefully planned prior or simply just came into being. Regardless it was a spark that ignited a much larger rebellion. According to Mildred Cable and Francesca French, two members of the China inland Mission, who resided in Xiaopu at the time, it was indeed a systematically planned rebellion. “While officials surreptitiously transferred their wealth to a place of safety, the instigators of trouble were equally persistent in their secret preparations for war. Camels and mules were requisitioned to transport weapons, ammunition and stocks of food over little-known tracks, that they might be stored in mountain caves known only to the few. Steady streams ofsmall caravans carrying ammunition to the mountains came from the South Road, from Tunhwang and across the most lonely tracks of the desert connecting Kansu with Barku!. All these converged on the Khan's summer palace grounds in AraHim, and the stronghold of Bardash was stocked with huge supplies of food and firearms”. Yulbars Khan, the former chancellor of Maqsud Shah claimed he was in the Tien Shah escaping heat when the fighting began. Many speculate he had a hand in planning the uprising. Cable and French argued the Tungan population of Kumul also joined the rebellion early on. The insurgents of Kumul were quickly joined by neighboring Kirhiz of the Karlik Tagh who also held grievances against Jin as he had imposed Chinese officials upon them in 1929. According to Wu Aichen the Barkul and Kazakhs in the area also joined the rebellion. Thus Jin had succeeded in alienating the Turkic speaking peoples of northeastern Xinjiang now had a full scale Muslim rising on his hands.  Jin reacted with a strong show of force despite his Commissioner of Education Liu Wenlung and Commissioner for Reconstruction Yen Yushan both arguing for a policy of conciliation. Jin ordered troops to crack down on the rebels without mercy. Meanwhile back in Kumul the rebels were unable to breach the Old City so they fanned out into the countryside hunting Han settlers and soldiers down. According to the British Vice Consul General at Kashgar, R.P Watts, an initial detachment of 300 troops sent by Jin relieved Kumul Old City were ambushed and killed nearly to a man. Its also implied they had lost so easily because many of them were sleeping off the effects of opium. Despite the initial success, the rebels were unable to prevent provincial forces led by Zhu Juiqi, the Taoyin of Aksu from relieving the Old City. By late April the siege was lifted, Zhu Juiqi occupied the Old City and ordered his second in command Xiong Fayu to occupy Kumul's Muslim quarters. The rebels still controlled the countryside and were harassing Zhu's forces whenever they strayed a bit too far from their forts, but overall were not much of a match. Meanwhile Chinese troops under the leadership of Xiong Fayu began a series of reprisal massacres against Muslim civilians in Kumul and the surrounding villages. The Uyghur leaders quickly determined they needed external help in their rebellion against Jin. According to testimony from Yulbars Khan, they sent an appeal to the KMT government in Nanjing. Then in June of 1931 Yulbars was chosen, most likely because he was fluent in Mandarin, to head out secretly to Nanjing to carry the appeal. Along the way, Yulbars went to Suzhou to meet with Ma Chongying, known as the youngest and most extreme of the 5 Ma Tungan warlords. Ma Chongying was a Gansu native. Very little is known about his early years nor about his father, but he shared the same paternal grandfather of the Gansu/Qinghai warlords Ma Puqing and Ma Pufang. He was also distantly related to the Gansu/Ningxia warlords Ma Hongkuei and Ma Hungpin. Altogether the 5 were known as the 5 Ma warlord clique. Ma Congying entered military service in 1924 at the age of 14 when he joined a local Muslim militia. A year later the Guominjun forces of Feng Yuxiang invaded Gansu, but the Tungan warlords of western Gansu remained for the most part untouched. Ma Chongying became an officer for the forces of his uncle Ma Kechong and laid a siege and captured the important city of Huzhou on his own initiative. His troops easily defeated reinforcements sent to relieve the city under the command of Ma Lin. With this great victory, at the age of 16, Ma Chongying earned the reputation of a military genius and the nickname Ga Ssuling or “little commander”. His triumph would be short lived however for his superior Ma Kuchung had not ordered the seizure of Huzhou and dismissed his nephew for insubordination. Thus Ma Chongying took his men to Xining in Qinghai and there began building a private army.  The Guominjun eventually left Gansu after devastating it. In 1927 the northwestern parts of Gansu was hit by a massive earthquake and this combined with Feng Yuxiang's regional commander Liu Yufen using much of its land for opium cultivation led to a mass famine. In the spring of 1928, the northwestern Tungans began a revolt against the Guominjun led by the Muslim General Ma Tingxiang. Ma Chongying tossed his lot into the fighting leading to three successive attacks against the Guominjun at Huzhou. According to Robert Ekvall, an American traveler in the region “The revolt had by this time assumed all the aspects of a holy war. Chanting prayers, forty or fifty thousand fighters went into battle with fanatical zeal ... the young rebel leader Ma Chong-ing [sic] seemed to bear a charmed life and by his reckless courage gained the utmost in obedience and devotion from his ruffian troops. The Chinese were panic-stricken at the desperate courage of the Moslems, but eventually, by machine gun fire and light artillery, proved superior”. Alongside this American diplomats reported that the famine and war in Gansu had reduced many to cannibalism with a possible two million people dying between 1926-1929. One of the many to die was Ma Chongyings father who was executed by Liu Yufen as a reprisal against him for his actions in 1929.  That year Ma Chongying had strengthened his position by defeating several Guominjun forces. He traveled to Nanjing where he enrolled briefly at the military academy there. Rumors had it there he offered his services to the KMT on the understanding that if he could win control over Xinjiang that they recognize him. After departing Nanjing he traveled to Chongwei along the Yellow River where he joined his army before marching across the southern friends of the Ala Shan desert to head into northwestern Gansu. There he seized control over 4 districts; Kanzhou, Suzhou, Anxi and Tunhuang. Thus by the time of the Kumul uprising in April of 1931, Ma Chongying had established himself the Tungan warlord over northwestern Gansu. In June of that year, Yulbars Khan visited him at Suzhou while enroute to Nanjing. After a dinner, Ma Chongying asked Yulbars what was going on with the Kumul rebellion and the state of Kumul. Ma Congying then proceeded to criticize Jin Shujen whom he thought was unfit to govern Xinjiang. Upon hearing this Yulbars disclosed why he was going to Nanjing. Yulbars told him that many in Gansu did not support Jin and that he was appealing to Nanjing to see if Jin could be replaced with a new governor. Ma Chongying sat silently for some time before asking if Yulbar's had any personal contacts in Nanjing, to which he replied he did not. He then advised Yulbars to not go to Nanjing because of three reasons: 1) The Kuomintang had just completed its Northern Expedition and was in need of stability, so it was not in a position to replace its frontier governors, despite any shortcomings they had.2) Even if the Nanking government agreed to remove Chin Shu-jen, implementing the decision would likely take two or three years due to the vast distances involved. 3) Furthermore, Chin's greed would likely make him unwilling to step down, and he might even seek support from a foreign power to secure his position. Under these conditions, Sinkiang could potentially come under foreign control. The points were sound, however Yulbars stated the people had sent him to Nanjing, what should he do if he failed? Ma Congying replied “I have a way ... I can meet the needs of the Uighurs of Ha-mi ... In the name of Muslim brotherhood, I shall take my army into Sinkiang. First I shall alleviate the suffering of the Uighurs of Ha-mi, then I shall drive Chin Shu-jen from the stage by force of arms.” A lot of this is conjecture, as it would seem impossible Ma Chongying spontaneously decided to invade Xinjiang over dinner. Ma Chongying was interested in the Kumul uprising long before the arrival of Yulbars in Suzhou and based on other sources it seems Yulbars was well aware of this prior to his visit. Ma Chongying most likely had decent information on the political ongoings of Xinjiang as two Muslim Turks from Istanbul had traveled to northwestern Gansu from Urumqi in early 1931 and entered Ma Chongying's military HQ. One was Kamal Kaya Efendi who went on to become his chief of staff. Ma Chongying was also gun running to places like Kumul, meaning he would have a lot of intel. Ma Chongyings powerbase in Kanzhou was also temporary. As pointing out by Mildred Cable and Francesca French “based on the assumption of the paralysing effect of frightfulness in action, and as a method of temporary invasion it answered his purpose well, but it never served him as a basis of true conquest, nor did he ever establish rule over one single acre of the land which he invaded. His was the method of the locust. . . and his army was always viewed as a plague. It came, it devoured, and when it had passed over, the patient, constructively minded peasants instantly began to repair the damage done to their fields, and to begetsons to replace those who had been swept away in his train” In 1931 Ma Chongyings private army was not a large one, it was perhaps no more than 1000 men and given the account of Mildred Cable and Francesca French, his army had to roam around like locusts to survive. Ma Chongying was a very ambitious and young warlord who like many in this part of China dreamed of carving out a Muslim empire in central asia. In the spring of 1931, Ma Chongying had only two possible directions to take. One was through China proper where he would most likely face his uncle Ma Pufang, whom at the time he was in this sort of propaganda war with. The other was to go through Xinjiang, where it seemed he could receive aid from other Muslim groups seeking to be rid of Jin Shujen. Ma Chongying assembled a force of 500 Tungan cavalry and swiftly crossed the desert between Anxi and Kumul during the full heat of midsummer, arriving in the oasis on the 28th of June, at around the same time as the French Citroen expedition. The French Citroen expedition got to see an encounter between Ma Chongyings Tungan Cavalry and some Chinese machine gun detachment outside of the village of Yikoshu. The French account indicated the Chinese forces also had some Mongol soldiers with them decisively beating back the Tungan riders. After witnessing this the French headed for Kumul's Old City which they found in a state of chaos. Everyone within the city was busy organizing defenses. The French were taken immediately to the local Chinese commander, Zhu Juichih. As they made their way they could see anxious Muslims peering out of their windows and on telegraph poles were heads, hearts and livers, most likely from captured insurgents. Commander Zhu gave the French permission to continue to Urumqi, stating they could do so at their own risk. Most of the French departed on July 1st, leaving behind 3 members at the Old City who would become eyewitnesses to Ma Chongyings attack.  On July 3rd, Ma Chongying dispatched two messangers to Zhu Juichich baring the following message. “By order of the National Government of China I have been appointed commander-in-chief of all military forces of Kansu and Sinkiang. Having assumed my new occasional pistol shot could be heard as hand-to-hand fighting began on the wall Its self ... Just when the place seemed to be doomed a machine gun, which up to this had been silent ... suddenly came to life. Emplaced in a blockhouse flanking the wall, It opened fire, mowing down the assault, and the glacis was soon cleared except for heaps of corpses”.  Ma Chongyings Tungan cavalry force lacked heavy artillery necessary to breach the Old city walls. Three separate attacks were made on the night of the 3rd, all beaten back. Zhu Juichih, a military veteran had zero intention of surrendering to the so called “little commander” whom he dismissed as a “thieving cub”. Ma Chongying seemed to have little stomach for siege warfare so on the 5th he led a large portion of his Tungan cavalry away from Kumul Old City. By doing so he had left roughly 1000 Uyghur insurgents with a handful of Tungans to continue a siege against the Kumul Old City who had 2000 provincial troops. Zhu Juichih was unaware of Ma Chongyings true purpose so he elected not to sortie fearing a trap. Meanwhile Ma Congying led his riders over the Karlik Tagh to Barkul surprising its defenders. Barkul would end up surrendering without much of a struggle. The commander at Barkul named Hedin handed over 2000 rifles and opened the Barkul arsenal to Ma Chongying. Ma Chongying left a hundred man garrison to capture the town as he turned south. According to Wu Aichen, the sudden small victories of the young commander emboldened other groups to join his cause such as the Kazakhs and Tungans north of Karlik Tagh. By mid-July Muslim insurgents were effectively controlling the entire territory of the Old Kumul Khanate, from Xingxingxia to Iwanquan. Groups of invading Tungans from Gansu formed an alliance with the Muslims of Xinjiang, notably from Xingxingxia and Barkul to hold the siege of Kumul Old City. Ma Chongying seemed to also hold the full support of indigenous Muslims of the area whether it be Hazakh, Kirghiz, Uyghur or Xinjiang Tungans.  Jin Shujen's received word of the young commander leading a force of Tungan cavalry attacking various places. It seemed his next target was to be Qiqiaoqing. Jin appointed his chief secretary, Lu Xiaozu to be his commander in chief of the provincial forces; Tu Qikuo and Sheng Shihtsai were to be his joint chiefs of staff. Lu Xiaozu was a younger brother to Jin Shujen, a civilian with little to no military experience and was the bitter rival of the current commissioner for military affairs at Urumqi, Jin Shuxin. Lu Xiaozu mustered a force roughly 1000 strong of men almost all lacking any military training or experience. They were immediately tossed over to Qiqiaoqing with orders to halt the Tungan advance pending further reinforcements. Shortly after their arrival, the troops were met by a surprise night attack and killed nearly to a man. Their commander Tu Qikuo committed suicide in disgrace. According to Kamal Kaya Efendi, the Tungans were led personally by Ma CHongying during the daring attack. He had taken his forces into the oasis through little known trails in Karlik Tagh and Bogdo Ula after his capture of Barkul.  Following this victory, Ma Chongying returned to Kumul Old City to see if the siege was providing any results. This was a rather bizarre decision as Jin Shujens capital of Urumqi was basically open for the taking, but perhaps the young commander had overestimated his enemy. When Ma Congying arrived at Kumul Old City, the besiegers' morale improved greatly. Between July 3rd to October 16th over 43 attacks had been levied against the Chinese garrison. The Tungans dug trenches and built barricades trying to storm the walls. Meanwhile within the old city walls the besieged people were forced to eat their camels, horses and mules to survive. By October 1st the defenders were reduced to a ration of 750 grammes of kaoliang floor per day and were expected to run out by the end of the month. Likewise ammunition was running low, prompting Zhu Juichih to resort to more archaic weapons such as fire arrows and Dao swords that the men had found preserved in the arsenal going back to the time of Zuo Zungtang's campaign in the 19th century. One of the French expeditionaries reported the only thing being sold in the bazaars was opium. One could not even obtain oil as it was boiled and hurled over the walls at the attackers. The Tungans attempted numerous times to breach the walls using mines, but they lacked sufficient powder to create large enough explosions. On one occasion a breach was made in the walls, but the defenders were quickly able to block the hole with wool before the attackers could get through. Afterwards a ditch was dug around the walls and flooded so the Tungan trenches would be unable to continue mining. Siege warfare is neat isn't it? Horrible to be sure, but so much ingenuity. By Mid-October the defenders were very desperate. According to the French expeditionaries inside after 108 days of siege, the defenders sortied out of the town on October 16th and tried to reach Urumqi. “What sustained the men was opium. They could not have held out without it, and so long as it lasted and no strenuous effort was demanded of them, they could get along on practically no food. At night the opium lamps of the sentries could be seen sparkling like little stars the length of the ramparts. The whole garrison was in fact intoxicated. It was fantastic!” It is quite probable the defenders chose to make a break for it because they were a majority Han Chinese and greatly feared their fate if the Tungans got in. If you know Islamic history, well you know. Ma Chongying had refused any terms other than unconditional surrender and given the feelings of Kumuls Muslim insurgents, it seemed highly unlikely any prisoners would be taken. Regardless, the siege had delayed the Tungans for a long time, allowing Jin Shujen to hastily organize provincial forces at Urumqi. After his first military campaign had failed horrendously, Jin now orderedTsetsen Puntsag Gegeen, the “living Buddha” of Xinjiang of the Torgut Mongols to lead his famous Torgut Cavalry regiment against the Tungans at Kumul. The Turgot troops were by far the best available at the time to Jin, and the most capable to go one on one with Tungan cavalry. However Tsetsen Puntsag Gegeen was one of the many Torguts who had grievances with Jin over his policy of enforcing Han Chinese officials upon his people to take positions of leadership. Moreover a plot had recently been discovered that one of his subordinates had been paid off to assassinate him. Tsetsen Puntsag Gegeen suspected Jin Shujen to be the culprit to the plot and when the said assassins fled to Urumqi, Jin refused to hand them over for justice, all but confirmed his suspicions.  Thus Tsetsen Puntsag Gegeen refused to become involved in the war over Kumul and instead took his forces to Kara Shahr as a demonstration of power. Lacking sufficient numbers or reliable Han Chinese troops, Jin turned next to the White Russian community. Lu Xiaozu who proved himself an imbecile at military matters was replaced with Chang Peiyuan, the Military commander of the Ili Region which also happened to be the region where most White Russians resided. Chang Peiyuan went to work rallying White Russian volunteers who more or less refused to fight for the Chinese, until Jin threatened to repatriate them to Stalin's USSR. In late September Chang Peiyuan had a force headed by 250 White Russians under the leadership of Colonel Pappengut with the mission of relieving Kumul Old City. During this time Ma Chongying decided to march upon the capital, drawing most of his Tungan cavalry away from Kumul heading westwards along the Qiqiaoqing road. This took him directly into the path of the advancing White Russians who began skirmishing around the village of Liaotun. At some point Ma Chongying was seriously wounded, shot through both of his legs. Despite this both sides had negligible casualties. Yet as a result of his grievous injury a large portion of Ma Congying's Tungan riders retreated back into northwestern Gansu. Rumor has it, at this time Ma Congying was bought off by Jin Shujen, regardless he had to take a prolonged time to recuperate and was away from the front lines. Once safely across the Gansu-Xinjiang frontier, Ma Chongying handed control of his four districts of Tunhuang, Anxi, Yumen and Suzhou to his uncle Ma Pufang. Meanwhile Chang Peiyuans forces with Pappenguts White Russians in the spearhead were still advancing towards Kumul Old City. They managed to relieve it on November 1st. The victorious Chinese troops sacked Kumul as a reward, that was denied to the White Russian forces. The provincial troops then performed a systematic destruction of large parts of Kumul, levelling entire villages and terrorizing the population. Zhu Juichih had returned to Urumqi, but his Lt Xing Fayu had remained at Kumul and began a series of mass executions. The reprisals were so heinous, all of the Uyghurs who had remained neutral during the ordeal threw their lot in with the rebellion. Refugees began to pour westwards towards Turfan while Uyghur insurgents withdrew to Karlik Tagh, notably to their well stocked mountain fort at Bardash. Those who went to Bardash unleashed a guerilla war against Jin troops in collaboration with Ma Chongyings Tungans who awaited their leader in Xinjiang. A communication network led from Bardash and Anxi for this purpose. While Ma Chongying was licking his wounds he reorganized his forces. 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. Thus the Kumul Rebellion had just been unleashed. Those who were oppressed were gradually forming a rebellious coalition against Jin Shujen. Although Ma Chongying had literally been cut down at the legs so to say, he was not down for the count. The Rebellion had only just begun.

Between July 1, 2023, and July 15, 2024, more than $18.7m in claims were lodged by the Department of Education and Training staff.  The top 10 claims alone were worth more than $1.26m, with seven related to psychological trauma, anxiety or stress and four from principals. Peter Fegan labelled this rise in violence in Queensland schools as 'outrageous', saying you can't blame teachers for walking away from their jobs.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ever since ChatGPT hit the scene a couple years ago, there’s been a nagging sense of dread for many: what will this mean for jobs? Well, new research from Imperial College London finds a shift already underway. Between July 2021 and July 2023, the report found freelance job postings for writing and coding decreased by about 20%. There was also a slowdown in freelance jobs for visual art. And it’s happening more quickly than past technological disruptions, Ozge Demirci, one of the coauthors of that report and a business professor at Imperial College London, told Marketplace’s Meghan McCarty Carino.

Ever since ChatGPT hit the scene a couple years ago, there’s been a nagging sense of dread for many: what will this mean for jobs? Well, new research from Imperial College London finds a shift already underway. Between July 2021 and July 2023, the report found freelance job postings for writing and coding decreased by about 20%. There was also a slowdown in freelance jobs for visual art. And it’s happening more quickly than past technological disruptions, Ozge Demirci, one of the coauthors of that report and a business professor at Imperial College London, told Marketplace’s Meghan McCarty Carino.

Ever since ChatGPT hit the scene a couple years ago, there’s been a nagging sense of dread for many: what will this mean for jobs? Well, new research from Imperial College London finds a shift already underway. Between July 2021 and July 2023, the report found freelance job postings for writing and coding decreased by about 20%. There was also a slowdown in freelance jobs for visual art. And it’s happening more quickly than past technological disruptions, Ozge Demirci, one of the coauthors of that report and a business professor at Imperial College London, told Marketplace’s Meghan McCarty Carino.

Last time we spoke about the first encirclement campaign against the CCP. The Jiangxi Soviet expanded despite opposition, but urban uprisings struggled, with labor union support declining. Li Lisan pushed for urban revolts, while Mao Zedong favored rural expansion. In 1930, failed attacks on Nanchang and Changsha deepened the divide between their strategies. Mao's forces later captured Ji'an, but tensions led to purges, including the Futian Incident. Meanwhile, the Nationalist Army launched an encirclement campaign. Mao's strategy of “luring the enemy in deep” ultimately positioned the CCP for survival and future success. The NRA exploited internal conflict among the Reds, launching attacks on Donggu. Miscommunication led to friendly fire between NRA divisions. Despite capturing towns, overextension weakened the NRA, allowing the Red Army to counterattack. Through guerrilla tactics and local support, the Reds encircled and decimated multiple NRA divisions, capturing thousands of prisoners and weapons. Mao Zedong's strategies proved effective, bolstering Red Army morale and influence. By the end of the third campaign, the Jiangxi Soviet had expanded significantly.   #127 The fourth encirclement campaign  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. The CCP had just survived 3 brutal encirclement campaigns in 1931, collectively known as the First Encirclement Campaign. The Reds were quite lucky in 1931, for China had major problems requiring Chiang Kai-Sheks attention. Understandably one of those major problems was a full blown Japanese invasion of Manchuria, that rest assured we will tackle in depth in future episodes, but for coherency sake I thought it best to try and get through all the other events before we start talking about the beginning of the 15 year war. The Japanese invasion immediately began influencing the KMT-CCP conflict. The Japanese invasion directly threatened Soviet interests and Moscow looked at the CCP as a potential bulwark against the Japanese. From 1930-1931, the CCP's Red Army was successful in defending their territory against the NRA extermination campaigns, however they still suffered from a lack of discipline, supplies and professionalism. New leadership came from the new Central Committee, now led by the 28 Bolsheviks and a new comintern representative, Otto Braun. The Red Army began adopting a series of initiatives in 1932 to improve. All Red Army units were standardized to establish better command and control. Political indoctrination and military training also became standardized with waves upon waves of manuals distributed to the forces. The Red Army expanded the Red Academy by establishing the Red Army War College for mid-grade and senior officers. Branch schools and speciality schools to increase competency and training. Political mobilization remained cornerstone to the Red Army. Recruitment of new troops also began to see a renewed emphasis on urban proletariats. A large change to the operations for the Red Army was the adoption of Soviet offensive tactics to seek out decisive battles. CCP leaders were under the misbelief that revolutionary fervor would simply have the Red Army victory. What they lacked initially was professionalism, alongside good weaponry and equipment. Couple this with the NRA's adoption of more and more effective counterinsurgency tactics, the Red Army really began to suffer terrible casualties. Now as the Red Army defeated the NRA in the third extermination campaign of 1931 not to be mistaken for the large third extermination campaign later, another intraparty power struggle was brewing in the CCP. After the fall of Li Lisan, a group of students returning from studies in the USSR began a systematic operation to gain control over the CCP. This group became known as the 28 Bolsheviks. 20 or some of them returned to China with the new Comintern adviser, Pavel Mif in 1931. Two key members of the group, Qin Bangxian known colloquially as Bo Gu, and Chen Shaoyu as Wang Ming would seize key positions at the top brass of the CCP. Many of these students attended Moscow's Sun Yat-Sen University, where they became acquainted with Mif, the head rector of said university. This university was a breeding ground for ultra-orthodox Stalinist communist doctrine. It goes without saying the students were indoctrinated with a very Moscow perspective. Mif regarded them as a very well disciplined force and used them to purge out divergent groups within the university. During the third Plenum in September of 1930, Mif attempted to use the forum to denounce Li Lisans plan, but had failed to convince the majority of the Central Committee. After Li Lisan was condemned and recalled to Moscow, Mif saw a major opportunity. At the fourth Plenum in January of 1931, Li Lisan and 11 of his supported were ousted from the Central Committee, with their best positions seized by Moscow aligned CCP members. The next year, the 28 Bolsheviks unleashed a brutal intraparty war with other factions. By late September the Bolsheviks effectively destroyed most of the opposition and incorporated the surviving members into a the Central Committee loyal to Moscow. Bo Gu was appointed head of the Central Committee from Wang Ming who returned to Moscow. Once the 28 Bolsheviks were in control of the CCP at Shanghai, they then set their eyes upon Mao Zedong and the Red Army Soviet areas. During the first All-China Soviet Congress of November 1931, they launched their first attack. Mao Zedong received prior word of their intentions from loyal followers in Shanghai and prepared to face them. Before the Central Committee arrived at Ruijin, Mao had just emerged victorious from the encirclement campaigns, had suppressed dissension amongst his ranks and established a delegation of loyalists within the Soviet Congress. The Bolsheviks failed to gain a majority within the Congress, taking only 2 seats in the Central Executive Committee of the Soviet. Meanwhile Zhu De was appointed Commissar of War and other Mao loyalists took high ranking positions. To try to break Mao Zedongs monopolistic control over the Red Army, the Bolsehviks employed Zhou Enlai.  In early 1932, the CCP urged the Red Army to expand Soviet territory as its forces grew. Successful defenses against encirclement Campaigns brought many NRA soldiers into the Red Army, some willingly, others by force. A key boost came on December 14, 1931, when the NRA's Twenty-sixth Route Army rebelled and joined, forming the Fifth Red Army Corps. With this and other recruits, the First Front Red Army grew to about 70,000, requiring more territory to sustain itself and the revolution. On January 9th of 1932, the CCP Central Committee issued a resolution outlining a new strategy for the party and the Red Army. The resolution assessed the current situation in China, that of a major depression, the effects of the Mukden Incident and the string of CCP successes against the encirclement campaigns. The resolution reasserted the renewed commitment to recruit urban proletariats for the revolution and “expand the territory, link up the separated Soviet areas to form an integrated Soviet area, and take advantage of the present favorable political and military conditions to seize one or two important central cities so as to win an initial victory of the revolution in one or more provinces.” The Red Army would conduct a series of offensive to expand their Soviets and connect them starting in early 1932. They would target southern Jiangxi, such places as Ganzhou, Jiujiang, Nanchang and also Fujian's Fuzhou, Xiamen and Zhangzhou. The resolution also pushed for a “positive and offensive line, rather than the luring of the enemy into the deep strategy, as it was no longer viable”. Furthermore the resolution directly attacked Mao Zedong's strategy as “being right opportunism that underestimated the situation and maintained a pessimistic attitude, and all party and army members should actively guard against its incorrect mindset”. This cemented the divide between the Bolshevik groups adoption of offensive strategy vs Mao Zedong's defensive lure the enemy in deep strategy. The next operation would be against Ganzhou in Jiangxi. The city linked the Hunan-Jiangxi border areas with the Fujian-Jiangxi border areas and provided a nice launching point against Ji'an in the north. During another meeting in 1932 at Ruijin, Mao Zedong expressed his reservations about the operation, stating the Red Army did not have the necessary weapons or supplies to seize a major city. Zhu De backed him up, but the Central Military Committee vetoed them and continued planning the Ganzhou operation. On January 10th orders were handed out for the 1st, 3rd and 5th Red Army corps, along with the Jiangxi Soviet military regional forces to conduct the operation by February. On the other side, the KMT were well prepared to meet an attack against Ganzhou, they were also most likely tipped off.  On February 3rd of 1932 the Red Army arrived at Ganzhou quickly encircling the city. The next day the 5th Red Army Corps, roughly 20,000 men were the first to attack the city. They struck the East Gate, breaching the defenses slightly before being repelled. On the 17th and 23rd the Red Army forces conducted two major assaults, expanding the attacks to the West and South gates, but failed to gain a foothold. During the siege, two NRA brigades reinforced the Ganzhou garrison. Then on March 4th, the Red Army conducted a fourth major attack and was likewise repelled. Three days later the Red army retired to Jiangkou to reorganize after they had suffered 3000 casualties. Despite this the CCP leadership remained undeterred, believing the offensive strategy was still optimal. When Japan began rooting itself permanently in Manchuria, the CCP saw this as the perfect condition for a real revolution to take place. At a meeting on March 18th, Mao Zedong again argued his strategy fit the current conditions much more and that the offensive strategy was too ambiguous. Yet his arguments fell on deaf ears and the CCP leadership had the Red Army reorganized into two route armies. The west route army consisted of the 3rd army corps and was made responsible for expanding the Soviet areas west of the Gan River in Hunan-Jiangxi with a focus built around Zhuchuan, Taihe and Wan'an. The Central Route army consisted of the 1st and 5th Red army corps and would take Mao Zedong's recommendations to perform expansion operations in south Fujian with Xiamen being the final target. On March 26th, the Central route red army occupied Changtin under Mao Zedongs guidance. There they conducted political mobilization of the local populace. Yet seeing little military action taking place, Zhou Enlai pushed Mao Zedong to stop the political mobilization and instead engage the enemy in the direction of Zhangzhou. Thus the Reds headed south and attacked the 49th NRA division. On April 10th the Reds managed to seize Longyan where they annihilated a single brigade of the 49th NRA division. The 5th NRA corps attempted to reinforce the 49th NRA division, but lost two brigades in the process. The Reds then continued marching south and on April 20th seized Zhangzhou where they defeated the 49th NRA division. At Zhangzhou they seized 1675 prisoners, 2000 rifles, some artillery pieces, 13,00 rounds of ammunition, two aircraft and over a million yuan. Alongside that came a lot of provisions, salt, oil and other goods needed to keep their men moving. After the success Mao Zedong telegrammed Zhou Enlai, requesting the Red army move back to Jiangxi with their booty to improve operations in the soviet area. It was Mao Zedong's belief the Reds had made great gains at Zhangzhou but could not hold onto the area. Instead he wanted to expand operations in Fujian using smaller local militia and guerilla groups. The CCP yet again overruled Mao Zedong and on June 5th ordered him to keep up the offensive, now turning towards Guangdong military forces currently occupying southern Jiangxi.  Once that was completed they were to advance north up the Gan River Valley and attack Ganzhou, Zhangshu, Ji'an and Nanchang so as to foster a revolution in Jiangxi. The Red army then reorganized its forces placing the 1st, 3rd and 5th red army corps under the First Front Red Army who advanced into Guangdong. From late june into early July the Reds seized Shuikou, Nanxiong and defeated 15 Guangdong based NRA brigades and expanded the Soviet into the province. Yet even with the string of offensive victories, Mao Zedong still remained vocally in opposition towards the strategy, constantly submitting his recommendation to adjust their footing. On July 25th, Mao Zedong and Zhu De sent a joint communique to the CCP leadership requesting a change of strategy. They argued instead of immediately attacking Ji'an and Zhangshu they could perform clearing operation on the eastern part of the valley, focusing on Yihaung and Le'an. The CCP central committee was initially against the proposals, however Zhou Enlai intervened and gave his support to them. In August the 1st front red army held a conference and confirmed they would attack Yihaung and Le'an. They took Le'an shortly after, defeating the 27th NRA division. With that victory they gained 5000 prisoners, 4000 rifles, 20 machine guns, 20 artillery pieces and 3 wireless communication sets. Afterwards the Reds contemplated attacking Ji'an, however after consideration Mao Zedong argued on September 25th, the NRA presence at Ji'an was too strong. He instead recommended they conduct political mobilization operations around the Le'an Yihuang area. By this point the CCP Central Committee was really pissed off with what they considered insubordination from Mao Zedong. By this time the 28th Bolsheviks had gained enough power and began striping Mao Zedong of key positions with the Red Army. First he was removed from the Military Committee of the Central Bureau of the Soviet Areas. Have I mentioned how much communists love making endless committees? Later in October of 1933 an emergency conference was held at Ningdu to plan future operations on the eve of an impending KMT campaign. Participants included Zhou Enlai, Zhu De, Chen yi, Liu Bocheng and Peng Dehuai who all agreed they should take up offensive actions outside the Soviet. Alongside this the party condemned Mao Zedongs strategy called it inadequate and outdated. Zhou Enlai then argued for “expanding Soviet territory swiftly, engaging the enemy on KMT territory, bringing Jiangxi and its neighboring Soviet areas together by force, taking key cities in the Gan valley, including Nanchang, Ji'an, Ganzhou, and Pingxiang, so as to achieve preliminary successes in one or more provinces.” After the Ningdu conference, the Red Army continued with the offensive operation, now attacking Jianning, Lichuan and Taining in October. By November the 1st front army took the Jiangxi county seats of Zixi and Jinxi. This helped the CCP expand the Soviet in the eastern Gan valley, but it also placed them on a vulnerable footing, just in time for the KMT's 4th major encirclement campaign. During the CCP's expansion activities, the KMT had been performing a communist suppression campaign in Shanghai, driving out the Bolsheviks and other CCP members towards the Jiangxi Soviet by late 1932. Their arrival to the Jiangxi Soviet added further tension to the Red Army who were facing a new encirclement campaign. The presence of high ranking Central Committee members also changed their politics. The Mao Zedong adapted Marxist-Leninist theory was replaced by more orthodox and Moscow leaning theory. Many of 28 Bolsheviks moved to many Soviets sparking a new phase.  Before the start of the 4th major encirclement campaign, the Red Army from the Jiangxi Soviet conducted expansion operations into Fujian and Guangdong. Other Red army units performed similar operations in Hunan, Hubei and Sichuan. All of this red activity was enough to push Chiang Kai-Shek to refocus his military operations against them. On April 9th, 1932, Chiang Kai-Shek created the Bandit Suppression Headquarters in Wuhan with He Yingqin as its commander. Beginning in June 1932 He Yingqin had a force of 500,000 soldiers who unleashed a brutal encirclement and suppression campaign against the Hubei-Henan-Anhui and western Hubei-Hunan Soviet areas. By November of 1932, both soviets collapsed. After this Chiang Kai-Shek ordered He Yingqin to direct his efforts against the Jiangxi Soviet. In December Chiang Kai-Shek shifted over 400,000 troops and 30 divisions to the Central Soviet Operation. He even personally moved down to Nanchang to supervise the operation. The main forces consisted of 3 columns, roughly 150,000 troops in 12 divisions led by Chen Cheng. The KMT plan was to build a series of blockhouses as a means of economically blockading the Soviet. Around 240,000 troops were allocated for the blockade, in addition to the main force which brought the entire figure to 400,000 men. Each flank of the blockade had 70,000 troops, roughly 6 divisions who would conduct blocking operations in the Jiangxi-Guangdong border area and the Fujian-Jiangxi border area. Around 100,000 would be used to conduct anti-guerilla operations in the northwest and northeast of Jiangxi as well as in southeast Hunan and southwest Jiangxi. Was the blockade was set, the NRA would deploy 3 columns along separate routes converging upon the Red Army's rear for a concentrated attack. Over on the other side, the Red Army based near Lichuan had roughly 70,000 men from the 1st, 3rd and 5th Red army corps and the 11th,12th, 21st and 22nd Red Armies. The 4th encirclement campaign coincided with the Red Army's urban offensives. By December of 1932 the Reds had targeted Nancheng. The Central Committee issued the attack orders but due to the large NRA reinforcement efforts had to order the Red Army to withdraw from the outskirts of Nancheng. The next potential target was Nanfeng. The Central Committee again pushed for urban offensive as Nanfeng was attacked beginning in February of 1933. On February 7th the Red Army besieged the city. The NRA quickly dispatched the Central Route Army to reinforce the city and conduct a counterattack. Seeing the large concentration of NRA in the area, on February 13th Zhou Enlai ordered the forces to pull out and head over to Luokou.  The Red Army set up a diversion to cover their withdrawal. Using similar tactics employed during the third encirclement campaign, the 11th Red Army pretended to be the main force and suddenly attacked Lichuan. The NRA took the bait immediately sending 3 columns to Lichuan. While marching the 1st NRA column's 52nd and 59th NRA division became separated. On February 25th the two divisions moved west towards Huangpi along two routes separated by a mountain ridge. As they did so, their distance from the NRA 2nd and 3rd columns increased making mutual support efforts impossible. On the 27th the 1st and 3rd Red Army corps and 21st Red army unleashed a surprise attack against the 52nd NRA division. The next day the 5th Red army corps and 22nd red army attack the 59th NRA division around Huangpi. The division was annihilated with its commander captured. After the victory the Red Army pulled back to Luokou.  After the loss the NRA reorganized its force into 2 columns and changed strategy. Now instead of heading in 3 wide columns they would concentrate as 2 down the center of the Soviet. On March 16th, the two NRA columns began their advance as the Reds deployed their 11th army to perform more deception operations. The 11th Red army made a feint towards Guangchang, attracting the NRA front column. This action separated the two columns by 50 kms and isolated the 11th NRA division near Caotaigang. On March the 20th the 1st front red army attacked the 11th NRA division near Xuzhuang decimating them and severely defeating the 9th NRA division. For the remainder of the 4th encirclement campaign there were no other major battles. During March of 1933 the Reds conducted political operations near Le'an until NRA forces moved there to secure the city.  In April the NRA began to withdraw from the Jiangxi Soviet area, effectively ending their encirclement campaign. The NRA had suffered considerable losses for their efforts. They had lost the equivalent of 3 divisions; over 10,000 prisoners were taken. The Reds and seized 10,000 rifles, 300 German made machine guns and 40 artillery pieces. Another consequence of the failed encirclement campaign was the validation of the Bolshevik led offensive strategy. The CCP then adopted a series of reform measures hoping the Red Army could seize large cities. First the CCP attempted to expand the Red Army's overall strength by launching a large recruitment drive. In addition they incorporated all the local militias in the main Red Army. To fund the expansion the CCP adopted a large land distribution policy to generate revenue. Under the guise of performing a land investigation the CCP distributed 80% of the land within the soviet area. During the distribution the CCP attempted to raise nearly one million yuan. During the summer of 1933 the CCP also focused on suppressing counterrevolutionaries. One of the 28 Bolsheviks greatest critics was Luo Ming, the secretary of the Fujian-Guangdong-Jiangxi soviet committee. A large amount of recruitment and taxation had hurt the morale of the local people in the Soviet. When the Central Committee wanted troops there to deploy for action Luo Ming argued they needed to stay for local defense and that they should scale back offensive operations. However from the perspective of the 28 Bolsheviks it looked very similar to Mao Zedongs lure the enemy in deep strategy. At this point there were still many loyal to Mao Zedong and his strategy, so the Bolsheviks saw an opportunity to hurt him through punishing Luo Ming. They created a new pejorative term “Luo Min Line” to describe any non-offensive strategy and began a purge of the Fujian-Guangdong-Jiangxi Soviets leadership. The “Luo Ming line” became a new slogan to describe any in the CCP opposing the offensive strategy. During the summer of 1933, the Central Committee, emboldened by surviving the fourth encirclement campaign, continued to press on with their offensive strategy. With the Bolshviks and Otto Braun, the Jiangxi Soviet increased the central oversight over the Red Army and gradually seized direct control over military matters. On May 8th, the CCP passed a resolution separating the Central Military council and the Red Army leadership. Zhu De and Zhou Enlai remained in charge of the Red Army, but Bo Gu gained greater control over the military council and now controlled the Red Army's strategy and the employment of its military. Also Otto Braun would play a much larger role in military strategy, leveraging his experience at the Frunze Academy to push for offensive action.  The Red Army also reorganized its units to facilitate the execution of the new offensive strategies. In June the CCP divided the 1st front red army into the eastern front red army and central red army. Bo Gu and Braun believed that the Red Army had grown strong enough, both in firepower and manpower, to no longer require coordinated, mutually supportive operations. Instead, they felt the Red Army units could carry out independent operations in different regions. The Eastern Front Red Army, composed of the Third Red Army Corps, was stationed in western Fujian, while the Central Red Army, formed from the First Red Army Corps, remained in the Central Soviet area. Under the guidance of the new Central Military Committee, the Eastern Front Red Army launched expansion efforts into Fujian after the NRA vacated the region. Peng Dehuai's forces embarked on a three-month campaign in Fujian, expanding Soviet-controlled territory, securing supplies—especially salt—and raising funds, addressing key shortages for both the Red Army and the CCP. Before the Fifth Extermination Campaign, the Central Soviet controlled an impressive 60,000 square kilometers, spanning parts of three provinces. However, as they focused on territorial expansion, the Red Army neglected to monitor the KMT, which was preparing for another encirclement campaign. Now we have primarily focused on one of the major Soviets implicated in the fourth encirclement campaign. In reality the fourth encirclement campaign had been a large scale operation against three major soviets: the Hunan-Western Hubei Soviet also referred to as the Honghu Soviet; the Hubei-Henan-Anhui or Eyuwan Soviet and the Jiangxi Soviet. You would be led to believe and rightfully so because many lets just say, CCP aligned sources like to highlight the Jiangxi Soviet story, that the communists had kind of duped the NRA and stolen their victory from them. It was much more of a mixed bag overall. The campaign against the Hunan–Western Hubei Soviet saw the NRA successfully defeat the local Red Army forces, overrunning their main base in southern Hubei and Hunan. The majority of the fighting occurred around Jingzhou and overall was seen as a loss for the CCP. For the campaign against the Eyuwan Soviet, drought, famine and epidemics severely hurt the CCP forces in 1932. Between July and September, Chiang Kai-Shek had allocated more than 300,000 troops for the operation. The CCP suffered tremendously because of the numerical superiority of the NRA. The NRA General Xia Douyin unleashed a scorched earth campaign, killing countless, burning many villages and destroying to seizing crops. Historians like Chen Yaohuang argue the fourth Red Army who participated in this area were defeated largely because they had adopted conventional warfare tactics. The peasantry were very hostile to the NRA, forcing their forces to depend on unreliable local elites for provisions, creating a very vulnerable supply line. However the CCP failed to exploit this weakness by not committing guerilla warfare. Despite the NRA victory, it was a rather incomplete one and they ended their campaign prematurely celebrating. The fourth red army had successfully retreated into the border region between Shaanxi and Sichuan leaving behind a small force to conduct guerilla warfare. The remaining Communist forces in the Eyuwan Soviet, led by Gao Jingting and Xu Haidong, capitalized on the early Nationalist withdrawal to rebuild a guerrilla movement. They hid in the mountains, survived by foraging, and organized poor peasants to seize grain from landlords and public granaries. The 25th Red Army, under their leadership, managed to maintain a Communist presence in the region for several more years. After all was said and done, as was the case with the previous encirclement campaigns, reports from field commanders were far too optimistic. Many reported to Chiang Kai-Shek exaggerated numbers of casualties inflicted, prisoners taken and areas secured. In reality what the communists were doing was simply moving around to give off the impression of major defeats. Sure the Reds were taken enormous losses, but they were constantly recruiting and spreading. They could probably sustain these yearly encirclement campaigns if the NRA did not do something much more bold…like actually encircle the Reds. As great as the Reds were becoming at outwitting their opponent, their luck would eventually run out. 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 Reds had survived 4 large encirclement campaigns. The 28 Bolsheviks and their moscow allies were greatly emboldened thinking it was their time to go on the offensive and usher in a true revolution. However those like Mao Zedong knew the dire reality of the situation and were bracing themselves for the coming storm.

A later cycle economy and continued uncertainty means that investors should be remain wary of cyclicals such as small caps, explains Mike Wilson, our CIO and Chief US Equity Strategist.----- Transcript -----Welcome to Thoughts on the Market. I'm Mike Wilson, Morgan Stanley's CIO and Chief US Equity Strategist. Along with my colleagues bringing you a variety of perspectives, today I'll be talking about slowing growth in the context of high valuations.It's Tuesday, July 30th at 3pm in New York.So, let's get after it.Over the past few weeks, the equity markets have taken on a different complexion with the mega cap stocks lagging and lower quality small caps doing better. What does this mean for investor portfolios? And is the market telling us something about future fundamentals? In our view, we think most of this rotation is due to the de-grossing that is occurring within portfolios that are overweight large cap quality growth and underweight lower quality and smaller cap names.We have long been in the camp that large cap quality has been the place to be – for equity investors – as opposed to diving down the quality and cap curves. That continues to be the case; though we are watching the fundamental and technical backdrop for small caps closely, and we're respectful of the pace of the recent move in the space.For now, however, we continue to think the better risk/reward is to stay up the quality curve and avoid the more cyclical parts in the market like small caps. Our rationale for such positioning is simple — in a later cycle economy where growth is softening or not translating into earnings growth for most companies, large cap quality outperforms. Exacerbating the many imbalances across the economy is a bloated fiscal budget deficit. In our view, there are diminishing returns to fiscal spending when it starts to crowd out private companies and consumers. As I have been discussing for the past year, this crowding out has contributed to the bifurcation of performance in both the economy and equity markets, while potentially keeping the Fed's Interest rate policy tighter than it would have been otherwise.While the macro data has been mixed, there is a growing debate around the actual strength of the labor market with the household survey painting a weaker picture than the non-farm payroll data which is based on employer surveys. The bottom line is that we are in a stable, but decelerating late cycle economy from a macro data standpoint. However, on the micro front, the data has not been as stable and is showing a more meaningful deterioration in growth; particularly as it relates to the consumer.More specifically, earnings revision breadth has broken down recently for many of the cyclical parts of the market. Financials has been a bright spot here but that may be short-lived if the consumer continues to weaken. We continue to favor quality but with a greater focus on defensive sectors like utilities, staples and REITs as opposed to growthier ones like technology. The issue with the growth stocks is valuations and the quality of the earnings for some of the mega cap tech stocks.The other variable weighing on stocks at the moment is valuations which remain in the top decile of the past 20 years. It's worth noting that valuations are very sensitive to earnings revisions breadth. The last time revision breadth rolled over into negative territory was last fall. Between July and October 2023, the market multiple declined from 20x to 17x. Two weeks ago, this multiple was 22x and is now 21x. If earnings revisions continue to fade as we expect, it's likely these valuations have further to fall. With our 12-month base case target multiple at 19x, the risk reward for equities broadly remains quite unfavorable at the moment.Thanks for listening. If you enjoy the podcast, leave us a review wherever you listen, and share Thoughts on the Market with a friend or colleague today.

Last time we spoke about beginning of the bombing campaign against Japan. The Japanese 11th Army faced setbacks at Hengyang due to resilient Chinese defenses and supply shortages. Reinforced by General Xue Yue, Chinese forces launched effective counterattacks, regaining some territories before being pushed back. By July 20, the Japanese resumed their offensive but faced heavy resistance and were paused. American air raids on Japan and Manchuria intensified under General Arnold's orders, despite logistical challenges. In Burma, Allied forces under General Stilwell made slow but steady advances, capturing strategic positions and repelling Japanese counterattacks. The Chindits, severely depleted, were eventually evacuated. In Yunnan, Chinese forces encircled and assaulted Japanese positions, achieving significant gains despite heavy resistance and logistical issues.  This episode is the Invasion of Guam and Tinian Welcome to the Pacific War Podcast Week by Week, 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 world war two? Kings and Generals have an assortment of episodes on world war two 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 you can find a few videos all the way from the Opium Wars of the 1800's until the end of the Pacific War in 1945.  Today our week begins with the ongoings of Operation Forager. By late July, American plans for the invasions of Guam and Tinian were finalized. General Cates' 4th Marine Division was assigned to land on Tinian's White Beaches, while General Geiger's 3rd Amphibious Corps planned two amphibious landings nearly seven miles apart to trap the Japanese in a double envelopment. General Obata, who had relocated his headquarters to Guam, commanded several troops on these islands. On Tinian, Colonel Ogata Keiji's forces included the 50th Regiment, the 1st Battalion of the 135th Regiment, the tank company of the 18th Regiment, and the 56th Naval Guard Unit, totaling 8,039 men. Similar to Saipan, he divided Tinian into three sectors, with most troops defending Tinian Town and Asiga Bay. The 1st Battalion of the 135th Regiment, supported by Ogata's artillery, formed the Mobile Counterattack Force, ready to respond swiftly to landings. This left only Ogata's 3rd Company to defend the northwest coast where the Americans planned to land. Meanwhile, General Takashina's 29th Division was assigned to Guam and reinforced by Major-General Shigematsu Kiyoshi's 48th Independent Mixed Brigade and Colonel Kataoka Ichiro's 10th Independent Mixed Regiment. Takashina's units fortified the landward neck of the Orote Peninsula and established strong positions on the beaches of Agat, Asan, Tumon, and Agaña Bays. The main fortified area ran along the west coast from Tumon Bay to Facpi Point and included, of course, Orote Peninsula. Other fortified beaches, on the south and east coasts from Merizo to Pago Bay, had been abandoned before W Day, their defenders having moved to the north. Outside the main fortified area, the airfields were provided local defense by anti-aircraft and dual-purpose guns. The most notable and certainly the most effective fortifications on the island were constructed across the neck of Orote Peninsula, which contained a fairly elaborate system of trenches and foxholes arranged in depth, together with large numbers of pillboxes and heavy-caliber weapons. Outside of Orote, the prepared defenses were generally hastily constructed and often incomplete. The typical beach defense was arranged, from the seaward side, in four parallel lines: first were obstacles and mines on the fringing reef offshore; second came beach obstacles and tank traps; third were trenches, machine-gun positions, pillboxes, heavy weapons, artillery, and coast defense guns on the beaches or immediately inland; and, finally, came the machine-guns, heavy weapons, and artillery emplaced on the high ground inland. Insufficient advantage was taken of the high ground, and except on Orote little provision was made for defense in depth. Even as late as the five-week period of pre-invasion bombardment, the Japanese continued to work frantically on improving offshore obstacles and beach defenses, to the neglect of positions in the rear.They also had three tank companies in reserve to strike the beachhead alongside the infantry. Additionally, the 54th Naval Guard Unit, equipped with coastal defense and anti-aircraft guns, secured many positions with reinforced concrete. The Japanese set up specific defense sectors on this island. Shigematsu's brigade and Colonel Ohashi Hikoshiro's 18th Regiment held the Asan Beaches and the Agaña and Tumon Bays. Colonel Suenaga Tsunetaro's 38th Regiment defended the Agat Beaches, while Kataoka's forces manned the southern defenses. Additionally, Takashina had a mobile reserve behind the Fonte Plateau, which included five infantry companies, one naval unit, and one tank company. Only Ohashi's 2nd Battalion was positioned at Guam's northern end, while Kataoka's 1st Battalion was deployed to Rota Island. The Americans conducted the longest preliminary air and sea bombardment of the war against Guam, beginning on June 16 after the invasion of Saipan. This bombardment intensified after July 8, when American warships launched the greatest single naval bombardment program of the war, coordinated with Admiral Mitscher's carrier aircraft. Over the next 13 days, a total of 836 rounds of 16-inch, 5422 of 14-inch, 3862 of 8-inch, 2430 of 6-inch, and 16214 of 5-inch shells were fired at Guam's main defenses.  At the invasion of Roi-Namur Admiral Conolly had earned the sobriquet "Close-in Conolly" for his insistence that warships cruise close to shore when firing at land targets. At Guam, he reaffirmed his right to the title, but more important was the systematic procedure he introduced for coordinating naval gunfire and aerial bombardment and checking the results of each. A target board of six officers, representing the air, gunnery, and intelligence sections of the staff, was set up to assign primary missions for air strikes and naval gunfire and assess the damages daily before designating the next day's targets. Aerial photographs were taken each morning and on the basis of these damage was assessed and new targets were assigned. In these operations, the admiral's staff was aided by the presence aboard Appalachian of General Geiger who, as commanding general of the landing force, naturally had the greatest personal concern about the accuracy both of the bombardment and of the damage reports submitted afterward. In the final three days before the landing, Mitscher's planes conducted 1430 bombing sorties and 614 strafing attacks, dropping a total of 1131 tons of bombs, depth charges, and rockets, while losing only 16 aircraft. Despite the extensive bombardment, positions reinforced with coral and concrete remained in good condition. Anti-aircraft artillery and harbor installations suffered minimal damage, power installations in caves were unharmed, and communications were not interrupted. The intensity of the attacks on the western defenses suggested a likely amphibious landing there, prompting Takashina to abandon the ineffective southern and northern defenses. Meanwhile, Conolly's vessels, carrying Geiger's Southern Landing Forces, departed Eniwetok for Guam between July 11 and 18, arriving successfully by July 21. Between July 14 and 17, three underwater demolition teams scouted the landing beaches, and under the protection of LCI gunboats, they removed 640 obstacles from the Northern Beaches and 300 from the Southern Beaches. On the morning of July 21, in excellent weather conditions, the Americans began a preliminary bombardment. Admirals Conolly and Reifsneider directed the shelling of Asan and Agat beaches, respectively, while Admiral Mitscher's carrier aircraft bombed and strafed the fourteen miles of coastline from Agaña to Bangi Point. At 07:40, the assault waves crossed their departure lines under the cover of rocket fire from LCI gunboats. Eight minutes before landing, when the vehicles were 1200 yards from shore, Conolly's warships launched a final massive bombardment, and Mitscher's fighters provided covering strafing attacks. These attacks were to be shifted inland as the troops approached the shore. Despite the intense bombardment from ships and aircraft, the Japanese managed to target the assault waves, destroying nine amtracs from the 3rd Marine Division. Nevertheless, the waves of vehicles advanced, and at 08:28, the first LVTs landed, two minutes ahead of schedule. Further south, shore fire was even heavier, hitting one LCI gunboat and destroying 13 amtracs. However, the landing formation held, and the troops landed on schedule. Despite numerous concrete pillboxes still manned by the Japanese, both assault regiments advanced rapidly. Colonel Merlin Schneider's 22nd Marines successfully captured Agat amid strong resistance but were eventually halted at a hill position northwest of the town. Meanwhile, Lieutenant-Colonel Alan Shapley's 4th Marines cleared Bangi Point and Hill 40, setting up a roadblock supported by five tanks on Harmon Road. By the end of the day, General Shepherd had established a beachhead approximately 1300 to 2300 yards deep, at the cost of around 350 casualties and 24 lost LVTs. At 08:30, the infantrymen of Lt. Col. Robert D. Adair's 2nd Battalion were climbing down cargo nets from their transports into the bobbing landing craft that were to carry them to the edge of the reef. By 10:30 all boats were in position near the line of departure waiting for the signal to go in. For three and a half hours they circled impatiently. At last, at 14:05, came the message to proceed to the beach and assemble in an area 300 yards inland from Gaan Point. Unfortunately, no amphibian tractors were on hand to transport Adair's men over the reef and onto the shore line, and of course their LCVPs were too deep-drafted to negotiate either the reef or the shallow waters inland of it. Over the sides of their boats the men climbed, and waded the rest of the way in water at least waist deep. Some lucky few were able to pick up rides in Marine LVTs on the landward side of the reef, but most stumbled in over the rough coral bottom, cutting their shoes en route and occasionally falling into deep potholes. Luckily, no enemy fire impeded their progress, and except for the dousing they got and the exhaustion they suffered the troops of the 2nd Battalion, 305th Regiment completed their ship-to-shore movement without injury.To the north, Colonel Edward Craig's 9th Marines advanced steadily against fairly heavy machine-gun and rifle fire, securing a beachhead about 1500 yards deep. Colonel Arthur Butler's 21st Marines, facing only moderate opposition but difficult terrain, cleared Asan Town and gained a foothold on the face of the Fonte Plateau. On the left flank, Colonel William Hall's 3rd Marines encountered the heaviest resistance from two complex cave defense systems on Chonito Cliff and Bundschu Ridge. Hall's men cleared Chonito Cliff and Adelup Point after several costly assaults and heavy casualties, but progress against Bundschu Ridge was limited, resulting in a 200-yard-wide gap between the 3rd and 21st Marines. Nevertheless, General Turnage secured a beachhead approximately 1600 by 4000 yards and had landed all division infantry, artillery, and support units, at the cost of 105 killed, 536 wounded, and 56 missing. Upon receiving the alert of enemy landings, Takashina promptly mobilized his reserve units to the Fonte Plateau in an attempt to contain Turnage's Marines within their limited beachhead. Throughout the night, he initiated several fragmented counterattacks, all of which were easily thwarted, resulting in significant Japanese casualties. In the southern sector, the 4th and 22nd Marines heroically fended off numerous well-coordinated counterattacks, managing to destroy four enemy tanks and eliminate Colonel Suenaga along with his 38th Regiment. By July 22, Geiger's forces began to expand their footholds on the beaches. In the northern front, Hall's assault on the Bundschu Ridge faced formidable resistance. Despite some Marines reaching the ridge with support from 20mm and 40mm fire, they were compelled to withdraw due to intense mortar shelling. Unbeknownst to them, their relentless attack forced the Japanese to abandon the position, albeit at a significant cost to the 3rd Marines, which suffered up to 615 casualties and was unable to sustain the advance. Meanwhile, Butler's 21st Marines encountered difficulty clearing the ravine separating them from the 3rd Marines, necessitating the deployment of their reserve 1st Battalion to support the depleted 2nd Battalion. On the right flank, Craig's 9th Marines encountered minimal resistance as they swiftly secured the Piti Navy Yard, followed by the landing of the 3rd Battalion on Cabras Island after extensive naval and aerial bombardment. The only significant engagement during the night was a Japanese bayonet charge backed by mortar fire, which Butler's 1st Battalion successfully repelled, inflicting heavy losses on the enemy. To the south, following the night landings, the 305th Regiment underwent reorganization while Tanzola's 2nd Battalion relieved Shapley's 2nd Battalion. Schneider's 22nd Marines encountered moderate resistance as they moved northward after crossing the Ajuya River. Despite lacking tank support, they advanced until halting approximately 250 yards north of RJ 5. Simultaneously, Shapley's 4th Marines launched an assault towards Mount Alifan's steep slopes, successfully neutralizing entrenched enemy positions using demolitions and grenades, though hindered by rugged terrain. Eventually, a platoon reached the summit, finding no enemy presence. Tanzola's 1st and 3rd Battalions then advanced along Harmon Road towards the Maanot Pass, navigating eroded hills and dense vegetation to secure the O-a high ground line.  The 306th Infantry Regiment's landing on the White Beaches required the entire day because of communications problems and landing craft shortages. It was not until the next day that the 4th Marines was fully replaced by the 306th. 3rd Amphibious Corps Artillery was landing over White 1 at this same time, as was the 77th Division Artillery, leading to a great deal of congestion, especially when coupled with the landing of smaller units, supplies, and ammunition. Most artillery battalions were in-place by nightfall as was the 9th Defense Battalion deployed along the beaches. The defense battalions, besides providing air defense and direct fire support on ground targets, were positioned to engage any Japanese counter-landing attempts on the beachhead. The 77th Division, with the 305th on the right (center of the beachhead) and the 306th on the left, would secure the southern portion allowing the 4th Marines to move north with the 22nd Marines to seal off the neck of Orote Peninsula. They continued their advance beyond Harmon Road and Maanot Pass, securing commanding positions overlooking Orote Peninsula. Meanwhile, Schneider's 22nd Marines, initially advancing rapidly against scattered resistance, encountered intense enfilade fire from hills surrounded by rice paddies while attempting to maneuver across the neck of Orote Peninsula. This compelled them to withdraw approximately 400 yards to a line of hills south of Old Agat Road. Further to the north, Hall's 3rd Marines eventually discovered that the Bundschu Ridge had been deserted. However, following their clean-up operations, they were not in a condition to advance any further. Craig's 3rd Battalion successfully secured Cabras Island and then relieved the 2nd Battalion on the mainland. Meanwhile, Butler's 21st Marines faced challenges in bridging the gap with the 3rd Marines and encountered limited progress against well-fortified enemy pillboxes on the plateau's slopes. Turnage initiated the first contact attempt with Shepherd's brigade on July 24th, but the 30-man patrol was forced to retreat due to enemy fire. Despite Butler's 2nd Battalion's efforts to close the gap by attacking up the ravine, they were repeatedly hindered by heavy machine-gun fire from caves on the cliff sides. Although both the 3rd and 9th Marines managed to enhance their positions, Turnage's casualties rose to 2034 since the initial landing. Further south, Shepherd, in response to the formidable defense on the neck of the Orote Peninsula, instructed Schneider to advance the 1st and 3rd Battalions in company columns along the Agat-Sumay Road. The objective was to penetrate the enemy lines and seize the O-2 Line from the coast to Apra Harbor, while the 2nd Battalion shifted to occupy strategic high ground near Atantano from its position on the Old Agat Road. This maneuver not only flanked the Japanese strongholds guarding the rice paddies but also established a barrier across the neck of Orote, securing the beachhead line in front of the brigade. Following an extensive air, artillery, and naval bombardment, Schneider's primary thrust along the Agat-Sumay Road encountered determined resistance but successfully advanced to the R-2 Line. The 1st Battalion then spread out to the right, while the 3rd Battalion veered further east across the hills, swiftly capturing the fortified positions around the rice paddies that had posed significant challenges the previous day. By nightfall, the 1st Battalion had reached the O-2 Line, but the 3rd Battalion halted 400 yards short of its target, prompting Shapley's 2nd Battalion to fill the breach between them. After repulsing a vigorous counterattack, the 2nd Battalion pushed forward with minimal opposition and secured Atantano. Consequently, by the end of July 24, Shepherd had firmly established his beachhead and contained the enemy on the Orote Peninsula, albeit with casualties totaling 200 killed, 748 wounded, and 97 missing. General Bruce, with the remainder of the 77th Division, assumed control of most of the beachhead perimeter, while Shepherd's Marines readied for the capture of Orote. Subsequently, after repelling several tank-led counterattacks resulting in the destruction of 12 Japanese tanks, they sealed off the peninsula entirely on July 25. By afternoon, approximately 2500 troops under Commander Tamai Asaichi were confined to the eight square miles of Orote Peninsula. Meanwhile, Turnage pressed his forces to secure the objective beachhead definitively. Accordingly, the 9th Marines progressed southward along the Apra Harbor shoreline towards the Aguada River, reaching the midpoint before being compelled to retreat to the Laguas River due to Craig's stretched lines. Meanwhile, the 21st Marines faced formidable defenses at the Mount Chachao-Aluton-Tenjo complex, managing to establish defensive positions just shy of Mount Tenjo Road after slow progress. Simultaneously, the beleaguered 3rd Marines, with reinforcements from Craig's 2nd Battalion, launched a determined assault, overcoming moderate resistance and mortar fire to seize Mount Tenjo Road and gain a vantage point. Despite the extended frontline, troops stationed on the newly captured high ground could finally survey the terrain ahead by nightfall. As Takashina consolidated his forces on the plateau, he prepared for a coordinated counterattack aimed at dividing and conquering the enemy. The 48th Independent Mixed Brigade planned to strike Turnage's left flank before pivoting northeast to target Hall's rear. Meanwhile, the 18th Regiment aimed to assault Butler's positions and advance toward the coast to establish a new defensive line, targeting the enemy's headquarters, artillery, and supply units. Additionally, elements of the 10th Independent Mixed Regiment were tasked with exploiting an 800-yard gap between the 9th and 21st Marines, protected only by the 3rd Reconnaissance Company. In a desperate move following a failed attempt to evacuate by barge, Tamai opted for a nighttime banzai charge with his trapped 2500-strong force, seeking to break free from the Orote Peninsula and join Takashina's troops at Fonte. After dusk, the intermittent showers that had been falling all day became more frequent. A heavy downpour hampered organization of the brigade's defense for the night. On the other hand, the pitch blackness and the unpleasant weather aided the Japanese in making preparations for their supreme effort. Marines in the front lines could hear screaming, yelling, laughter, and the breaking of bottles as the Japanese made final arrangements. At times so much clamor could be heard that reports reached the command post that the assault had started. Afterwards someone aptly said that the confusion "sounded like New Year's Eve in the Zoo." While the enemy made ready and drank, Marine artillerymen laid down normal barrages along the swamp's edge and at all other points of possible penetration. Shortly before midnight the Japanese commanders felt that their men had reached the proper emotional state, and the assault began. Sake-crazed attackers swarmed from the cover of the mangroves in front of the 3rd Battalion, 22nd Marines. Led by flag-waving, sword-swinging officers, the enlisted men stumbled forward, carrying everything conceivable. Unsteady hands clutched pitchforks, sticks, ballbats, and pieces of broken bottles, together with the normal infantry weapons. The assault faced formidable resistance from Marine forces, particularly Shapley's 1st Battalion, which alone accounted for 256 enemy casualties.  When the surging Japanese mass came within range, Marine forward observers and company commanders gave the order to commence firing. Brigade, 77th Division, and corps artillery, 37mm guns, 81mm and 60mm mortars, machine guns, rifles, and grenades saturated the entire area. At one time officers brought the fire of the Pack Howitzer Battalion, 22d Marines, to within 35 yards of 3/22's front lines in an at tempt to stop the swarming horde. One weapons company lieutenant reported: "Arms and legs flew like snowflakes. Japs ran amuck. They screamed in terror until they died." But in a powerful attack it is inevitable that some men will seep through the blocking fire. Company L, 3/22, received the brunt of the subsiding attack and repulsed it before too much damage could be done. Those Japanese who survived fled to the momentary safety of the swamp. But observers shifted the artillery fire and between midnight and 0200 some 26,000 shells took a heavy toll of the remaining peninsular defenders. On the right flank of the 22d Marines a second counterattack hit. The Island War describes the action quite vividly: “. . . At its height, flares revealed an out-of-this-world picture of Nipponese drunks reeling about in our forward positions, falling into foxholes, tossing aimless grenades here and there, yelling such English phrases as they had managed to pick up, and laughing crazily, to be exterminated in savage close-in fighting. Succeeding waves were caught in a deadly cross-fire. Not until dawn did this attack finally dwindle out, at which time more than four hundred bodies were counted in front of the position.” In contrast to the frenzied close quarter action in the 3/22 zone, the platoon from Company A (1/4) that filled the gap between the two regiments participated in a shooting gallery affair with the Japanese. Enemy troops made no attempt at a concerted attack, and the platoon plus artillery, without the loss of a single Marine, killed 256 Imperial soldiers. This fantastic figure was verified by officers from regiment the following morning. Despite the intense machine-gun and artillery fire, some Japanese managed to infiltrate Marine positions, engaging in fierce hand-to-hand combat. However, by dawn, the Japanese offensive had been halted, with most remaining enemy forces eliminated, leaving Tamai with no option but to defend Orote Peninsula to the end. Meanwhile, Takashina's main assault, launched on July 26 at 04:00, faced initial success in overrunning Company B positions but was ultimately contained by the relentless machine-gun fire of the 1st Battalion.  Major Maruyama's men (2/18) advanced noisily, shouting, "Wake up American and die." The initial impetus of the assault passed completely over Company B in the center, previously reduced to about 50 men, and streamed through the gap down a draw toward the cliff. Despite the breakthrough, companies held the shoulders of the penetration and Lieutenant Colonel Williams ordered the units to refuse their flanks to the cliff. Company A on the left, commanded by Captain William G. Shoemaker, rallied in the face of the withering fire and overwhelming numbers. Shoemaker pulled back his right platoon to deny his flank to the enemy and to permit regrouping for a local counterattack. Company C (Captain Henry M. Helgren, Jr.) also successfully refused its flank to protect the position and immediately began firing into the onrushing Japanese. Tanks parked in the rear of the Marine positions took a great toll as the intruders surged through the widening gap. One report described the rush on the tanks as resembling a horde of ants. It went on to say of the Nipponese: “Savagely they swarmed upon the mechanized vehicles, oblivious of the vicious machine-gun fire, and frantically pounded, kicked, and beat against the turrets in an attempt to get the crew within. When this seemed futile they leaped to the ground and continued their wild rush down the draw to the rear areas. . .” Demolition charges were forgotten in the mad scramble to reach deeper into Marine-held territory. Machine gunners of 1/21 had a field day. Never had they seen such lucrative targets, but grenades and bayonets soon silenced the Marines as enemy soldiers overran the gun positions. Many of the Japanese were killed as they moved through the lines and into the ravine. Although some of the infiltrating Japanese got down the cliff to attack the battalion command post and Butler's mortar platoons, killing most of the mortarmen before being repelled by service troops, To the left, Craig's tenacious 2nd Battalion, in its exposed position, received the brunt of Shigematsu's attack, yet it managed to defeat seven determined counterattacks without losing any ground. Nonetheless, though they killed 950 Japanese, they suffered 50% casualties as well. Looking right, Ohashi's 3rd Battalion hit Butler's 3rd; and although two machine-guns were initially captured, their attack ended up being rapidly repelled. Consequently, the Japanese slid along the front and attacked down the vulnerable 800-yard gap, successfully defeating a strong roadblock to set up a dangerous line on the high ground behind Butler's 3rd Battalion.  The lack of a swiftly organized regimental reserve line led to approximately 70 Japanese infiltrating into the Division Hospital area, where they were eventually repelled by a pioneer force. The first warning came about 6:30 when corpsmen reported that a number of enemy soldiers could be seen on the high ground to the right of the hospital. Division headquarters immediately ordered Lieutenant Colonel George O. Van Orden (Division Infantry Training Officer) to take command of two companies of pioneers standing by for just such an eventuality and clear the enemy from the hard-pressed area. At the hospital, doctors ordered patients to evacuate the tents and go to the beach. Onlookers saw a pathetic sight as half-clothed, bandaged men hobbled down the coast road helping the more seriously wounded to safety. 41 of the patients grabbed rifles, carbines, hand grenades, and whatever else they could find and joined the battle. The hospital doctors, corpsmen, and pajama-clad patients presented a rare sight as they formed a defensive line around the tents. It was a solid line, however, and one that held until the recently organized reinforcements arrived. Only one patient was wounded during the fighting, but one medical officer and one corpsman later died of wounds. The casualty list also included one medical officer, one dental officer, one Navy warrant officer, 12 corpsmen, and 16 Marines from the medical companies wounded in action. This does not include those casualties suffered by Van Orden's force. After cleaning out the assigned area, Van Orden proceeded up the Nidual River Valley in pursuit of the fleeing Japanese. The attack had pushed the enemy back to the hill at the head of the ravine by 11:00, but a request to send a Marine patrol to the ridge to determine the hostile strength was denied. Other plans had already been made for the assault of this dominating terrain. It was from this high ground that Major Yukioka's men paralyzed the operation of 3/21's CP and threatened the flank of both the 9th and 21st Marines. While this action was taking place, the 12th Marines CP and several of its battalions were engaged in stopping the suicide squad attacks. In order to have these parties in position to make their foray in conjunction with the all-out offensive, enemy commanders had ordered the groups to infiltrate behind Marine lines on the night of 24-25 July. With typical Japanese patience, the raiders lay hidden in caves all day. As soon as darkness came on the night of 25-26 July they started firing random shots into the headquarters of the 12th Marines and began to move in small groups down the Asan Valley. A hand grenade duel went on during the early hours of darkness, but some of the intruders sought the safer confines of a cave not 20 feet from the headquarter's fire direction center. The artillerymen's perimeter defense held, and only one of the enemy succeeded in getting through to the guns. He was killed in the 3d Battalion's area before he could do any damage. In the five-hour long fighting around the regimental headquarters, 17 explosive-laden Japanese died. Most of them carried packs containing about 20 pounds of TNT with ready detonators, while others carried magnetic mines. With the coming of daylight, patrols went out to clean up any troops that might cause trouble later in the day. Men of the 12th Marines killed approximately 50-60 more enemy soldiers and drove the remainder into other areas where they were liquidated one by one. Despite the initial success of Takashina's well-coordinated counterattack, by noon, his forces had suffered defeat, marking the breaking of the backbone of Japanese resistance on Guam. Marine casualties were significant, with around 166 killed, 645 wounded, and 34 missing between July 25 and 27. Consequently, the 9th Marines retreated approximately 1500 yards to establish better defensive positions, and a battalion of Colonel Stephen Hamilton's 307th Regiment was deployed near Piti Navy Yard. However, the focus now shifted to covering the invasion of Tinian. While naval guns had intermittently harassed Tinian since June 11, the preliminary bombardment of Saipan's sister island commenced on June 20, with the first Army artillery battery targeting northern Tinian. By July 9, the 531st Field Artillery Battalion had fired a total of 7571 rounds. Following the fall of Saipan, the remaining 24th Corps Artillery and Marine howitzers intensified the bombardment, maintaining a continuous round-the-clock schedule and expending a total of 24,536 rounds on northern Tinian. For the most part, 14th Corps Artillery confined its efforts to the area north of the line between Gurguan Point and Masalog Point, while aircraft restricted their efforts to the southern half of the island. Naval ships were assigned any targets on Tinian deemed unsuitable to either of the other two arms. Coordination of the three supporting arms was assigned to the corps artillery representative attached to General Schmidt's staff. In one instance, an artillery air observer discovered three 140-mm. coastal defense guns on Masalog Point that were within easy firing range of White Beaches 1 and 2, but were masked from field artillery. The battleship Colorado was called in and, with its main batteries adjusted by an airborne artillery observer, succeeded in neutralizing or destroying the enemy weapons. Because the spotting plane was not in direct radio contact with the ship, it was necessary for the plane to submit its spotting data to the artillery post by radio, whence they were relayed by telephone to General Schmidt's headquarters, and in turn by radio on another frequency to the firing ship. In spite of this somewhat complicated system of communications, the time lag was so slight as to be insignificant. Meanwhile, starting from June 22, the P-47s belonging to the 318th Fighter Group maintained a relentless barrage on the airfields at Ushi, Gurguan Point, and just east of Tinian Town through constant strafing and bombing, further devastating the town to ruins. Beginning on July 15, naval gunfire operations were reinstated, with Admiral Hill's cruisers and destroyers delivering destructive bombardment daily against Tinian's harbor defenses. Then, on July 22, two P-47s dropped the first napalm bombs used in the Pacific war on Tinian, proving highly effective in incinerating canefields, underbrush, and enemy personnel located in open trenches and dugouts. The following day, Hill intensified preparatory fire with a formidable naval force comprising three battleships, two heavy cruisers, three light cruisers, and sixteen destroyers, positioned strategically to shell Tinian from all directions. However, there was no attempt to focus on the White Beaches to mislead the Japanese about the actual landing point. Throughout the rainy night, destroyers and cruisers maintained control over crucial road junctions while an UDT conducted a last-minute underwater reconnaissance, albeit unsuccessfully attempting to detonate recently discovered mines due to adverse weather conditions. At dawn on July 24, Hill's transports carrying the 2nd and 4th Marine Divisions finally departed from Tanapag Harbor for the short journey to Tinian, successfully reaching their designated areas by 06:00. Simultaneously, the onslaught of artillery, air raids, and naval bombardment persisted over the Japanese defenses, intensifying into a full-scale onslaught by 07:00, with particular focus on the White Beaches. Additionally, efforts were made to neutralize mines on White 2, although these attempts proved futile. As the assault waves took shape, General Watson's Marines effectively executed the demonstration near Tinian Town without suffering any casualties. This demonstration effectively held the defenders in place, preventing them from deploying northward. However, a cleverly concealed Japanese battery managed to inflict significant damage on the battleship Colorado and the destroyer Norman Scott, resulting in the loss of 62 lives and 245 wounded before being neutralized. At 07:17, the initial landing wave crossed the designated line and began the 3000-yard journey to the beach, supported by intense pre-landing bombardment and rocket fire from LCI gunboats.  At about the same moment small-caliber fire--estimated variously as 50-caliber, 20mm and 40mm--began falling around the LST's. Its source could not be located because of the pall of smoke and dust that cloaked the island. Regarding this incident the logistics officer of the 2d Battalion, 23d Marines, aboard one of the LST's in the area, recalled: “The fire . . . wounded two or more Navy enlisted men of the crew of the vessel, and possibly a couple of Marines belonging to the landing team. . . . My recollection concerning the Marines who were wounded is hazy . . . the incident created a stir and speculation concerning the source of the fire, but everyone soon settled down to the business at hand.” Despite encountering the sporadic small-caliber fire, the LVTs successfully reached the narrow beaches by 07:50. Upon landing, Company E of the 24th Marines swiftly engaged and eliminated a small beach-defense unit on White 1, while the remainder of the battalion made landfall. On White 2, the 2nd and 3rd Battalions of the 25th Marines landed simultaneously but faced a delay in advancing due to the need for engineers to clear 100 horned mines that had destroyed three LVTs. Subsequently, Colonel Batchelder's Companies G and I circumvented two enemy blockhouses and initiated an inland attack, while other units subdued strongpoints. However, the presence of additional mines and staunch resistance from caves and ravines prevented them from reaching their objective at the O-1 Line and Mount Maga. Meanwhile, Colonel Hart's 1st and 2nd Battalions of the 24th Marines successfully advanced to the O-1 Line amid minimal opposition. Later in the day, reserve and artillery battalions were landed, along with Colonel Jones' 23rd Marines, although their landing was delayed due to communication issues. This delay proved beneficial due to heavy congestion on White 2 at the time. By nightfall, Colonel Wallace's 1st Battalion, along with the 2nd and 4th Tank Battalions, under Hill's command, successfully disembarked 15614 men ashore. General Cates, anticipating Japanese counterattacks, directed his troops to halt at 16:30 to fortify defenses, achieving a beachhead spanning about 7000 yards. This came at a cost of 15 Marines killed and 225 wounded. Ogata, as expected by Cates, immediately ordered counterattacks with the 1st and 2nd Battalions of the 50th Regiment and mobilized the Mobile Counterattack Force. While Japanese probes commenced at 22:30, the major assaults, marked by fierce banzai charges, began after midnight.  The attack on the left came first and lasted longest. At 2:00, men of the 1st Battalion, 24th Marines, straining their eyes through the black moonless night, suddenly saw a compact group of Japanese a short 100 yards away. The Marines opened fire. The compact group became a screaming mass of attackers as the first Marine bullets and shells found targets. Now the shadows were alive with about 600 leaping Japanese naval troops, loaded with aggressive spirit, requiring no instructions to make their screaming charge. Marines called flares into action; the battlefield became light. Marines needed no orders either: the 37mm guns sprayed canister; machine guns cut into the enemy area with grazing fire; rifles pounded out at sighted or suspected targets; mortars crunched into the defilade areas; artillery crashed steadily behind the Japanese to shatter and destroy any reinforcement group. The tightly packed foe was a choice target for all these weapons, and hundreds of shells lashed his ranks. At no time did the enemy penetrate the 1st Battalion; but extremely heavy pressure against Company A, the unit that bore the brunt, caused the battalion commander to reinforce it with engineers, corpsmen, communicators, naval gunfire liaison and shore party personnel. The fight continued hot and heavy until about 0545, when dawn and the vigor of the enemy effort broke simultaneously. Medium tanks from Company B, 4th Tank Battalion, entered the fray at this time and stopped all further thrusts at the Marines' lines. Many Japanese, convinced that all was lost, committed suicide with grenades. While armored amphibians afloat fired on enemy groups hiding along the coast, Marines of the 1st Battalion, 24th Marines, mopped up the area to their front, an activity completed by 0700. They counted 476 Japanese bodies, most of them within 100 yards of Company A's lines. Although no figures are available for Marine casualties in this action, the battalion commander estimated that ". . . Company A was reduced to about 30 men with usable weapons before the enemy was repulsed." Ogata's infantrymen struck Cates' center thirty minutes later, yet their efforts were thwarted by intense small-arms, mortar, and 37mm fire. Despite briefly breaching the line through weak points, they were ultimately defeated by rear elements after prolonged and heavy fighting.  This time, though many of the attackers fell forward of the lines, others penetrated a weak spot at the boundary between the two Marine regiments. About 200 Japanese poured through this spot before the flow could be stopped. After pausing in a swamp behind the lines, the enemy force speared out in two prongs: one straight into the beachhead toward U. S. artillery positions, the other turning west into the 25th Marines' rear areas. The latter group of Japanese attained first contact when they met a well-prepared support platoon from the 3d Battalion, 25th Marines. Positioned to contain just such a penetration as had occurred, the Marines quickly eliminated this Japanese threat, killing 91 in a brief, violent skirmish. The other prong pushed deep into the rear of the beachhead, finally reached the 75mm howitzer firing positions of the 2d Battalion, 14th Marines. Battery D, firing a mission for the 24th Marines, suddenly found itself beset from the front by many determined Japanese. Marines not actively engaged in servicing the howitzers rallied to the defense of their positions with small arms, while the remainder continued firing an artillery mission for the 24th Regiment. Later, as pressure mounted, all hands turned to the task of stopping the Japanese close at hand. At this juncture the .50-caliber machine guns of the other two batteries (E and F) of the battalion levelled a heavy volume of enfilading fire into the area forward of besieged Battery D. This fire, in the words of the battalion executive officer, "literally tore the Japanese . . . to pieces." To reinforce Battery D in its bitter fight, Company C, 8th Marines, arrived at 0445. But by then the situation was well in hand; the Japanese had faltered and stopped before the deluge of small-arms fire. Morning revealed about 100 dead Japanese in the area, while the artillerymen had lost but two of their number--both killed manning a .50-caliber machine gun with Battery D. The only Japanese penetration of the night had shattered itself against a prepared rear area. Up at the front, meanwhile, Marines of the 25th Regiment and the right (2d) battalion of the 24th Regiment, fought off a series of frontal rushes upon their positions. In each case the Japanese were stopped at the barbed wire forward of the Marines' lines. The all-night firing had taken a heavy toll of the Marines' ammunition stocks, however, and by shortly before daylight there was concern along the lines that another heavy attack might exhaust supplies. Dawn came first. Attached tanks moved up at once to range the area forward of the lines. They blasted points of resistance with their 75mm guns, killing or chasing such few Japanese as had survived the night melee. Nearly 500 Japanese were killed in the attacks against the center of the beachhead and in the skirmishes behind the lines following the penetration. The third and last major enemy effort struck the extreme right (south) flank of the beachhead at 3:30. The 2d Battalion, 23d Marines, in position along the coast, bore the brunt of this thrust, although the 2d Battalion, 25th Marines, also figured prominently in the action. Moving north along the coastal road, the enemy force consisted of five or six light tanks (about half of those available to the Japanese at Tinian) with infantrymen riding and following on foot. First warning of the enemy move came when Marine listening posts stationed along the road a short distance forward of the lines reported enemy tanks rumbling in from the south. With the tanks an estimated 400 yards in front of the lines, Marine artillery opened up. The tanks came on. Ready for just this situation, U. S. ships began firing illuminating shells over the area, virtually turning night into day. Bazookas, 75mm half-tracks, and 37mm guns attached to three battalions now went into action. One of the 37mm platoons, positioned astride the coral road, leveled point-blank fires into the enemy armor. Even so, one fast-moving tank weathered a 37mm hit and drove through the front lines into rear areas before a Marine bazookaman finished it off. An officer present on the scene described the action as he saw it: “The three lead tanks broke through our wall of fire. One began to glow blood-red, turned crazily on its tracks, and careened into a ditch. A second, mortally wounded, turned its machine guns on its tormentors, firing into the ditches in a last desperate effort to fight its way free. One hundred yards more and it stopped dead in its tracks. The third tried frantically to turn and then retreat, but our men closed in, literally blasting it apart. . . . Bazookas knocked out the fourth tank with a direct hit which killed the driver. The rest of the crew piled out of the turret, screaming. The fifth tank, completely surrounded, attempted to flee. Bazookas made short work of it. Another hit set it afire, and its crew was cremated.” Thus, five tanks stood immobile on the field of battle. If a sixth accompanied this incursion, it escaped, since there was no trace of it the following morning when Marines moved through the area. Despite the fact that their armor was gone, enemy foot soldiers from the 1st and 2d Battalions, 50th Infantry, and the 1st Battalion, 135th Infantry, pressed toward the Marines. The fighting that ensued was close-in and savage, but the Japanese never cracked the tight defense. The few who seeped through the lines met a quick end at the hands of the 23d Marines' reserve (1st Battalion), positioned to provide depth in this precise area. The operations officer of the 2d Battalion, 23d Marines, described the weird termination of the Japanese activities: “. . . as it began to get light, Jap bodies began to fly ten to fifteen feet in the air in the area in front of our lines. . . . We knew that hand grenades did not have the power to blow a man's body that high and could not figure out what was happening. [Later] we moved out to mop up. . . . It turned out that about fifty percent of the dead Japs carried magnetic mines and had obviously been ordered to break through our lines and destroy the tanks in the rear of us. . . . The Japs who were wounded and unable to flee were placing the tank mines under their bodies and tapping the detonators.” Daylight revealed that the enemy had expended 267 men and five tanks (of 12 on the island) against the right flank of the beachhead with no success. By the end of the night's counterattacks, 1241 Japanese bodies lay scattered along Cates' front, with the 1st Battalion, 135th Regiment virtually decimated, while Marine casualties numbered less than 100. Reflecting on the engagement, they later concluded: "It was there and then that [we] broke the Jap's back in the battle for Tinian". This assessment proved accurate, as Ogata's forces began retreating towards the southern end of the island. 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. Similar to the experience invading Saipan, Guam and Tinian proved to be literal horror shows. The savagery of the Island hoping campaign had increased ten-fold. The Japanese hoped by inflicted as much pain as possible, the Americans might simply come to the peace table, but was there any real chance of that?

One might not think there is no link Between July 4th, 1776 and July 14th, 1997 but there most definitely is. These are two of the most important days in American history. Both events are full of heroes, but one stands above them all. His name, Cameron Poe.  Shop Raw Dog Captain Tee: https://fridaybeers.shop/products/raw-dog-captain-tee striderwilson.com patreon.com/striderwilson Sources: Imdb.com, Wikipedia.org, Theatlantic: “It's Not Bastille Day. It's, ‘Con Air,' Day' by Adam Chandler, Conair.fandom.com, Onthisday.com, News.com.eu ‘Con Air: Things You Never Knew About The Action Movie' , history.com, constitutioncenter.org, facts.net

Between July 2024 to January 2024, CIPE supported a new project, “Democracy: A Digital Story for Young Generations” through the Kurdistan Economic Development Organization (KEDO). As part of the Free Enterprise and Democracy Network (FEDN) Small Grants initiative, they created a new website to educate youth on the importance of democratic values and institutions. In the second episode of the FEDN small grants series, join Program Officer Tamari Dzotsenidze in a conversation with FEDN Member and General Director of KEDO Hussam Barzinji and Public Relations Officer Mustafa AbdulKareem on extending beyond the digital realm and finding hope under difficult circumstances.

Between July 2021 and June 2023, United States Development Finance Corporation (DFC) approved over US$360 million in debts to supposedly finance critical infrastructure projects in Sierra Leone. The debts include US$150 million to the Summa Group for expansion of the Lungi international airport, and US$217 Million loan to Milele Energy and TCQ Power Limited; also to allegedly finance an electricity project in Freetown.  These critical infrastructure projects were awarded to the Summa Group, and Milele Energy and TCQ Power, without public knowledge, and without full compliance with Sierra Leone's transparency laws and procurement regulations. Worse, majority of Sierra Leoneans are still unaware of the terms and conditions of these debt financing arrangements, including the interest rates attached to the loans. For one, the agreements granted exclusive proprietary rights over Sierra Leone's strategic assets (the international airport, and the Kissy Terminal/Oil Refinery) to US and European financed corporations for 20-years.  Additionally, in September 2022, Sierra Leone's Parliament unanimously revised the country's 1960 Arbitration Law and passed a new Arbitration Act that mostly protects the proprietary rights of foreign companies and multinational corporations who secured recent mining concessions, and non-scrutinized and non-transparent debt-financing projects. In this episode, we examine the impacts of non-transparent debt-financing arrangements on Sierra Leone's democracy and electoral politics. We ask: why the United States Development Finance Corporation (DFC) approved nearly US$400 million in loans to supposedly fund critical infrastructure projects in Sierra Leone after the country's auditor general had been unconstitutionally sacked? In general, how was Summa Group awarded the airport expansion contract? What is the history of Milele Energy and TCQ Power Limited in Sierra Leone? Why has Sierra Leone continuously experienced lack of electricity despite these huge multinational debts imposed on the country in the name of energy and electricity supply? What are the individual roles of Sierra Leone's two recent presidents, Ernest Bai Koroma and Maada Bio, in these secretive multinational debt deals? Most importantly, how did secretive multinational debts affect the democratic conduct of elections in June 2023?  Above all, is it possible to have free, fair, and transparent elections in any African country overloaded with enormous non-transparent debts? This episode is part of the VOICE FROM EXILE commentary series of the Africanist Press.     

The Greenest Global Companies podcast features Corporate Knights and As You Sow's 2024 Clean 200 global green company rankings. Plus Ron Robins, MBA Transcript & Links, Episode 124, February 23, 2024 Hello, Ron Robins here. So, welcome to this podcast episode 124 titled “The Greenest Global Companies.” It's presented by Investing for the Soul. Investingforthesoul.com is your site for vital global ethical and sustainable investing mentoring, news, commentary, information, and resources. And look at my newly revised website at investingforthesoul.com! Tell me what you think. Now, remember that you can find a full transcript, and links to content – including stock symbols and bonus material – on this episode's podcast page located at investingforthesoul.com/podcasts. Also, a reminder. I do not evaluate any of the stocks or funds mentioned in these podcasts, nor do I receive any compensation from anyone covered in these podcasts. Furthermore, I will reveal to you any personal investments I have in the investments mentioned herein. Additionally, quotes about individual companies are brief. Please go to this podcast's webpage for links to the actual articles for more company and stock information. Also, some companies might be covered more than once and there are also 8 article links below that time didn't allow me to review them here. ------------------------------------------------------------- List of Clean 200 companies captures the green transition in full flight I'm beginning this podcast with one of my favorite company rankings that has just been released! It's on corporateknights.com and titled List of Clean 200 companies captures the green transition in full flight. The introduction is by Rick Spence. Here are some quotes by Mr. Spence. “Released by Corporate Knights and California-based shareholder advocates As You Sow on February 15, the 11th Clean200 ranking captures the green transition in full flight, cataloguing those public companies that are earning the most from sustainable sources. Crucially, it also signals to investors – venture capitalists, institutions and individuals alike – that a wide range of companies are capitalizing on new-economy principles without sacrificing annual returns or opportunities for growth. Between July 1, 2016, and January 15, 2024, Clean200 companies generated a total return of 103.5%. Although they underperformed the MSCI ACWI broad market index, which grew 114.4%, the Clean200 trounced the key index of global fossil fuel companies (the MSCI ACWI/Energy Index), which gained only 64.5% through those years. And that's the big deal, says As You Sow CEO Andrew Behar, who co-authored the 2024 study. ‘In 2016, we created the Clean200 in response to investors saying, if we divest fossil fuels, there is nothing to invest in.' Eight years later, the message is clear: ‘Investors who are not tilting their portfolios toward a clean future do so at their own peril.' Top Companies In first place again is Apple (AAPL)… Other blue-chip names on the list include Tesla (TSLA) (number three), HP (HPQ) (five), Microsoft (MSFT) (six), Daimler (DTG.DE) (12), BMW (BMW.DE) (16), Nissan (NSANY) (36), Nike (NKE) (50), Swatch (UHR.SW) (157) and even the iconic U.S. Steel (X) (177) – which recently committed to being zero-carbon by 2050. ‘Our mission is to shine a light on the heroes of the battle against climate change,' notes report co-author Toby Heaps, CEO of Corporate Knights. ‘The 2024 Clean200 proves there are true sustainability champions out there. The key is to rigorously apply a scientifically inspired method to identify these gems.' In total, Clean200 companies earned more than $2.2 trillion in sustainable revenue in 2022, deriving on average 54.7% of their revenues from sustainable business activities, versus 13.6% for their MSCI ACWI peers… The ranking excludes firms involved in industries such as fossil fuels, deforestation, prisons, weapons and tobacco – as well as companies that engage in blocking climate policies. Leading the pack is the U.S., with 39 companies making the list this year. Other blooming centres of corporate sustainability are China (23), Japan (18) and France (13), followed by Brazil, Canada and Germany with 10 companies each.” End quotes ------------------------------------------------------------- 13 Best Renewable Energy Stocks To Buy According to Hedge Funds Next up is back to energy with this article titled 13 Best Renewable Energy Stocks To Buy According to Hedge Funds. It's by Fatima Farooq and seen on finance.yahoo.com. Here's some of what Ms. Farooq says. “We selected the names for our list of the best renewable energy stocks to buy by consulting Insider Monkey's hedge fund data for the third quarter… Hedge funds' top 10 consensus stock picks outperformed the S&P 500 Index by more than 140 percentage points over the last 10 years (see the details here)”. 13. Daqo New Energy Corp. (NYSE:DQ) Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 18 It manufactures and sells polysilicon to photovoltaic product manufacturers in China to be used in ingots, wafers, cells, and modules for solar power solutions. 12. Avangrid, Inc. (NYSE:AGR) Hedge Fund Holders: 19 Anthony Crowdell at Mizuho holds a Neutral rating and a $34 price target on Avangrid, Inc. as of January 3… Avangrid… engages in the renewable energy generation business in the US, focusing on onshore wind power, solar, biomass, and thermal. 11. Clearway Energy, Inc. (NYSE:CWEN) Hedge Fund Holders: 23 Clearway Energy… has about 5,500 net megawatts of installed wind and solar generation projects… Oppenheimer's Noah Kaye maintains an Outperform rating and a $37 price target on Clearway Energy… as of January 19. 10. Green Plains Inc. (NASDAQ:GPRE) Hedge Fund Holders: 24 Green Plains… produces, stores, distributes, and sells clean fuel… On January 30, Goldman Sachs analyst Adam Samuelson maintained a Buy rating and a $34 price target on Green Plains. 9. Sunrun Inc. (NASDAQ:RUN) Hedge Fund Holders: 26 Sunrun Inc. designs, develops, installs, and sells residential solar energy systems in the US … A Buy rating and a $28 price target were maintained on Sunrun Inc. on January 3 by Mizuho's Maheep Mandloi. 8. SolarEdge Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ:SEDG) Hedge Fund Holders: 27 Christopher Souther at B. Riley Securities maintains a Buy rating and a $133 price target on SolarEdge Technologies… as of February 5. SolarEdge Technologies designs, develops, and sells direct current optimized inverter systems for solar photovoltaic installations. 7. Algonquin Power & Utilities Corp. (NYSE:AQN) Hedge Fund Holders: 28 On January 8, Ben Pham at BMO Capital upgraded Algonquin Power & Utilities Corp. from Market Perform to Outperform and placed a $7.50 price target on the stock… Algonquin Power & Utilities Corp. is a renewable energy and utility company. 6. Enbridge Inc. (NYSE:ENB) Hedge Fund Holders: 35 Enbridge is an energy company with a proactive Renewable Power Generation segment that operates assets such as wind, solar, geothermal, and waste heat recovery. 5. Enphase Energy, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENPH) Hedge Fund Holders: 40 Enphase Energy designs and manufactures home energy solutions for the solar photovoltaic industry in the US and internationally… A Buy rating and a $140 price target were maintained on Enphase Energy… on February 1 by Philip Shen at Roth MKM. 4. Constellation Energy Corporation (NASDAQ:CEG) Hedge Fund Holders: 45 Constellation Energy Corporation is a producer of carbon-free energy with about 32,355 megawatts of generating capacity consisting of nuclear, wind, solar, natural gas, and hydroelectric assets. 3. First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR) Hedge Fund Holders: 49 First Solar is a provider of photovoltaic solar energy solutions… On January 3, Maheep Mandloi maintained a Buy rating on First Solar alongside a $196 price target. 2. NextEra Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NEE) Hedge Fund Holders: 58 NextEra Energy… generates electricity through wind, solar, nuclear, coal, and natural gas facilities. RBC Capital's Shelby Tucker reiterated an Outperform rating and a $74 price target on NextEra Energy on January 30. 1. General Electric Company (NYSE:GE) Hedge Fund Holders: 76 GE… provides green energy solutions by combining onshore and offshore wind, blade manufacturing, grid solutions, hydro storage, hybrid renewables, and more… Overweight rating and a $153 price target were maintained on General Electric on January 24 by Julian Mitchell at Barclays.” End quotes ------------------------------------------------------------- Profit and Purpose: 7 Standout Stocks for the Ethical Investor This next article covers some well-known companies. It's titled Profit and Purpose: 7 Standout Stocks for the Ethical Investor by Josh Enomoto, on investorplace.com. Here are some quotes on each of his picks. “1. Waste Management (NYSE:WM) It's one of the leaders in environmental sustainability with a focus toward waste reduction and renewable energy initiatives. For one thing, the company owns a vast network of recycling facilities… Second, the company forwards a waste-gas-to-energy project. Per its website. Analysts rate shares a consensus moderate buy with a high-side target hitting $230. 2. NextEra Energy (NYSE:NEE) Commanding a presence in 49 states… (and) through its vast network of facilities – including solar and wind turbines – NextEra Energy features about 72 gigawatts (GW) of operating capacity… Rough economic conditions hurt NextEra Energy bad in the final months of 2023. However, analysts anticipate a recovery, pegging shares a moderate buy with a $69.60 average price target. 3. Costco (NASDAQ:COST) I don't think it's an anecdote to say that most Americans love the open-warehouse-style big-box retailer… But where it really shines is how well Costco treats its employees… In 2022, data from Glassdoor noted that the retailer's employees rated the business a four out of five regarding worker satisfaction… Analysts rate Costco stock a strong buy with a high-side target of $825. 4. Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX) Starbucks… appeals to modern investors by emphasizing the ‘S' component of ESG stocks… the company proudly boasts of its ethical sourcing of its key ingredients, from coffee beans to tealeaves to cocoa. In addition, its manufactured goods – from the merchandise on its shelves to the furniture in its stores – involve ethical sourcing… Also, I'd be remiss not to mention Starbucks' youth empowerment, hunger relief, and inclusivity programs… And analysts love it, pegging shares a consensus strong buy. 5. Visa (NYSE:V) According to a Forbes article in 2023, Visa represents the most carried card, printing a market share of 52.8%... Lots of folks love talking about the ‘E' and the ‘S' in ESG stocks. However, governance is also a major component of holistic ethics. Here, Visa's corporate governance practices help promote long-term value and accountability to its shareholders. Part of this involves ensuring diversity and inclusion and not just in the workforce itself but in the upper echelons of leadership… Analysts rate shares a consensus strong buy with a $303.74 average price target. 6. Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) Maintaining high standards of governance, Apple focuses on a range of important issues. In June 2020, the company launched its Racial Equity and Justice Initiative, advancing opportunities for many people of color and Indigenous communities…. Also, Apple implements a shareholder voting process focused on executive compensation. That's one distinct mechanism to keep the company accountable to stakeholders. Overall, analysts peg shares a moderate buy with a $208.07 average price target. Notably, the high-side target hits $250, implying robust bullishness despite a soft start to 2024. 7. Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) Thanks to the tech giant's big investments in artificial intelligence, it has steadily rocketed higher since the 2022 doldrums. Further, as AI becomes more ingrained into everyday life, Microsoft stands to be a massive winner. And when it comes to ethical stocks, the company may be the all-around champion… management set out ambitious environmental targets, most conspicuously being its aim to be carbon negative; that is, it will remove its historical emissions since its founding in 1975. In addition, it's a huge player in social equity, promoting directives focused on encouraging women to participate in technology. Finally, MSCI Ratings awarded Microsoft an AAA rating, the highest rating available to organizations. Unsurprisingly, analysts love Microsoft, rating it a consensus strong buy with a $469.45 price target.” End quotes. ------------------------------------------------------------- Other Honorable Mentions – not in any order. 1. Title: Top 10: Solar Companies found on energydigital.com. By Maya Derrick. 2. Title: 3 Solar Energy Stocks Poised for a Strong Comeback on investorplace.com. By Faisal Humayun. 3. Title: ESG Funds Bucking The Trend on fa-mag.com. By Ron Delegge. 4. Title: BK Named A Top Socially Responsible Dividend Stock on nasdaq.com. By BNK Invest. 5. Title: Get Rich Quick with These 7 Renewable Energy Stocks to Buy Now on investorplace.com. By Ian Cooper. 6. Title: 3 Strong Buy Renewable Energy Stocks to Add to Your February Must-Watch List on investorplace.com. By Tomas Levani. 7. Title: 3 Renewable Energy Stocks to Own Before the Election Frenzy Begins on investorplace.com. By Jeremy Flint. 8. Title: 3 Hidden-Gem Renewable Energy Stocks Ready to Ride a Massive Market Wave on investorplace.com. By Matthew Farley. ------------------------------------------------------------- Ending Comment Well, these are my top news stories with their stock and fund tips -- for this podcast titled: “The Greenest Global Companies.” Now, please be sure to click the like and subscribe buttons on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or wherever you download or listen to this podcast. That helps bring these podcasts to others like you. And please click the share buttons to share this podcast with your friends and family. Let's promote ethical and sustainable investing as a force for hope and prosperity in these deeply troubled times! Contact me if you have any questions. Thank you for listening. And, again, please look at my new totally revised website at investingforthesoul.com. Tell me what you think! I'll talk to you next on March 8th. Bye for now.   © 2024 Ron Robins, Investing for the Soul

SHOW NOTESTALKIN' POLITICSWelcome to Missouri where our GOP supermajority puts the FUN in dysfunction. Quick Hit: Post Dobbs case rape related pregnancies https://www.lonestarlive.com/news/2024/01/texas-has-the-most-rape-related-pregnancies-of-any-state-with-total-abortion-ban.htmlFollowing the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in 2022, 14 states have instituted total abortion bans. Between July 2022 and January 2024, an estimated 65,000 women and girls in these states became pregnant as a result of rape, according to the study published in JAMA Internal Medicine.True Or FalseColorado is on the verge of becoming a Democratic strongholdhttps://coloradonewsline.com/2024/01/25/colorado-gop-transformation-into-cult/Earlier this month, the Colorado Republican Party became only the second state party in the nation to endorse Donald Trump in his campaign to be president again. The state GOP's own bylaws say it can't take sides in a Republican primary contest. The party's job is to support Republican candidates, not any particular Republican candidate, unless that candidate is unopposed.Yeah…NOThe fascists are driving off the good peoplehttps://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/jan/25/us-legislators-elected-officials-abortion-gun-control?CMP=Share_iOSApp_OtherA major survey by the Brennan Center for Justice released on Thursday warned that the spate of extremist intimidation that has been seen nationally in the US, epitomized by the attack on the Capitol building on 6 January 2021, is also sweeping local and state politics. In the fallout, elected individuals are limiting their interactions with constituents and narrowing the contentious topics they are prepared to take on.Yeah… Yeah! Tuition free journalism schoolhttps://www.axios.com/2024/01/25/cuny-journalism-school-craig-newmark-tuition-free Buy or SellPolitical Media Will Be Completely Different By End Of This Decadehttps://www.semafor.com/article/01/21/2024/inside-the-collapsing-us-political-media-industrial-complexThe Big OneRepublicans across the country are having BIG feelingsMichigan: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/jan/25/rnc-kristina-karamo-michigan-republican?CMP=Share_iOSApp_OtherMissouri: https://themissouritimes.com/senate-leadership-holds-press-conference/Then it kept getting worse: https://missouriindependent.com/2024/01/25/missouri-senate-gop-warfare-escalates-with-suggestion-of-expelling-freedom-caucus-leader/Arizona: https://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/24/us/politics/kari-lake-arizona-gop.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare 2024 Election Coverage EraGOP is having money troubleshttps://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2024/jan/26/rnc-seeking-new-credit-line-to-help-climb-out-of-m/ New Hampshire ResultsBiden wins big even as a write in - THIS is an actual “win”Haley performs well but Trump takes majority of delegates out of New Hampshire Haley isn't going anywhere eitherhttps://www.cnn.com/2024/01/25/politics/nikki-haley-trump-republican-primary/index.htmlBut RNC would very much like her to do sohttps://www.semafor.com/article/01/24/2024/rnc-to-nikki-haley-drop-outGOP proposing a move that let's them move past democracy as a party and just declare a winner, which is really super cool: https://www.cnn.com/2024/01/25/politics/rnc-trump-presumptive-nominee-resolution/index.html @TheHeartlandPOD on Twitter and ThreadsCo-HostsAdam Sommer @Adam_Sommer85 (Twitter) @adam_sommer85 (Post)Rachel Parker @msraitchetp (Post) Sean Diller (no social)The Heartland Collective - Sign Up Today!JOIN PATREON FOR MORE - AND JOIN OUR SOCIAL NETWORK!“Change The Conversation”Outro Song: “The World Is On Fire” by American Aquarium http://www.americanaquarium.com/

SHOW NOTESTALKIN' POLITICSWelcome to Missouri where our GOP supermajority puts the FUN in dysfunction. Quick Hit: Post Dobbs case rape related pregnancies https://www.lonestarlive.com/news/2024/01/texas-has-the-most-rape-related-pregnancies-of-any-state-with-total-abortion-ban.htmlFollowing the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in 2022, 14 states have instituted total abortion bans. Between July 2022 and January 2024, an estimated 65,000 women and girls in these states became pregnant as a result of rape, according to the study published in JAMA Internal Medicine.True Or FalseColorado is on the verge of becoming a Democratic strongholdhttps://coloradonewsline.com/2024/01/25/colorado-gop-transformation-into-cult/Earlier this month, the Colorado Republican Party became only the second state party in the nation to endorse Donald Trump in his campaign to be president again. The state GOP's own bylaws say it can't take sides in a Republican primary contest. The party's job is to support Republican candidates, not any particular Republican candidate, unless that candidate is unopposed.Yeah…NOThe fascists are driving off the good peoplehttps://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/jan/25/us-legislators-elected-officials-abortion-gun-control?CMP=Share_iOSApp_OtherA major survey by the Brennan Center for Justice released on Thursday warned that the spate of extremist intimidation that has been seen nationally in the US, epitomized by the attack on the Capitol building on 6 January 2021, is also sweeping local and state politics. In the fallout, elected individuals are limiting their interactions with constituents and narrowing the contentious topics they are prepared to take on.Yeah… Yeah! Tuition free journalism schoolhttps://www.axios.com/2024/01/25/cuny-journalism-school-craig-newmark-tuition-free Buy or SellPolitical Media Will Be Completely Different By End Of This Decadehttps://www.semafor.com/article/01/21/2024/inside-the-collapsing-us-political-media-industrial-complexThe Big OneRepublicans across the country are having BIG feelingsMichigan: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/jan/25/rnc-kristina-karamo-michigan-republican?CMP=Share_iOSApp_OtherMissouri: https://themissouritimes.com/senate-leadership-holds-press-conference/Then it kept getting worse: https://missouriindependent.com/2024/01/25/missouri-senate-gop-warfare-escalates-with-suggestion-of-expelling-freedom-caucus-leader/Arizona: https://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/24/us/politics/kari-lake-arizona-gop.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare 2024 Election Coverage EraGOP is having money troubleshttps://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2024/jan/26/rnc-seeking-new-credit-line-to-help-climb-out-of-m/ New Hampshire ResultsBiden wins big even as a write in - THIS is an actual “win”Haley performs well but Trump takes majority of delegates out of New Hampshire Haley isn't going anywhere eitherhttps://www.cnn.com/2024/01/25/politics/nikki-haley-trump-republican-primary/index.htmlBut RNC would very much like her to do sohttps://www.semafor.com/article/01/24/2024/rnc-to-nikki-haley-drop-outGOP proposing a move that let's them move past democracy as a party and just declare a winner, which is really super cool: https://www.cnn.com/2024/01/25/politics/rnc-trump-presumptive-nominee-resolution/index.html @TheHeartlandPOD on Twitter and ThreadsCo-HostsAdam Sommer @Adam_Sommer85 (Twitter) @adam_sommer85 (Post)Rachel Parker @msraitchetp (Post) Sean Diller (no social)The Heartland Collective - Sign Up Today!JOIN PATREON FOR MORE - AND JOIN OUR SOCIAL NETWORK!“Change The Conversation”Outro Song: “The World Is On Fire” by American Aquarium http://www.americanaquarium.com/

A Clare Independent TD insists the government must urgently protect those on the verge of homelessness. In the last year, average rents here increased by 13.8%, meaning tenants are now forking out on average of €1,329 per month. Between July and September alone meanwhile, 60 notices to quit were issued in this county , 70% of which are understood to be without fault. Speaking in the Dáil, Kilrush Deputy Violet-Anne Wynne has called for an urgent reinstatement of the no-fault eviction ban in light of soaring rents across the county.

Last time we spoke about the beginning of the Russo-Chinese War of 1900. Though its been only referred to as the Russian invasion of Manchuria during the Boxer Rebellion, this event was far larger and more impactful than it seems. The recent Russian acquisitions after the Triple Intervention brought numerous railway workers and guards into the Manchu homelands. It was a joint venture between the Qing and Russian empires, but the year of 1900 brought the Boxer movement into the mix. The Russians were isolated in various pockets throughout Manchuria and were being attacked by Boxers and Manchu's who likewise shared their anti foreign sentiment. Violence broke out in places like Hsiungyuehcheng, Baitouzi, Liaoyang and Haicheng, seeing Russian forces fleeing one to the next, trying to consolidate for protection. The Russians have received a pretty bloody nose, but they were just about to punch back.   #69 The Russo-Chinese War Part 2: The Blagoveshchensk Massacre on the Amur River    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. The Russo-Chinese War is a bit more difficult to talk about in a chronological order as so much is going on in different places at roughly the same time. It differed from the conflict going on in China proper also in the fact it was very much bilateral rather than international. However there were exceptions seen in places like Yingkou. Yingkou was a treaty port on the Liaodong gulf and had an international settlement. Foreign consulates and missions were present. Yingkou was going to be connected to the South Manchurian railway line and would experience Boxer agitation early on. Boxers began by plastering the city with anti-christian placards, proclamations and youth were practicing martial arts in her streets. Then adult Boxers began pouring into Manchuria where they gradually harassed westerners. It did not happen overnight, it was gradual work, but soon Boxers were fortifying positions. In June of 1900, Vice Admiral ALekseev telegraphed the Russian Minister of War from Yingkou, indicating he required more guards. The Minister of War forwarded the telegram to the Minister of Foreign affairs with the recommendation the Admiral should be given authority to take whatever measures necessary to prevent the outbreak of hostilities near Russian held railway territory. The foreign Minister, Count Mikhail Murav'ev agreed and recommended Russian forces not go far beyond the Kwantung region in their efforts. Tsar Nicholas II also added comments “It is extremely important for us not to scatter our forces”. When Tientsin saw an outbreak of violence, and the railway lines in Manchuria were being attacked, Colonel Dombrovskii was sent from Port Arthur to Tashihciao with the 11th East Siberian Rifle regiment, a battery and a Sotnia of Cossacks. Colonel Khoreunzhenkov followed this up with his detachment from Port Arthur coming via train to Tashihciao while the 7th and 8th East Sierian rifle regiments proceeded to Yingkou and Tashihciao via sea transport. Because Yingkou was a treaty port, Russian gunboats were on hand when the violence erupted. When Qing forces began to mass up around Yingkou a bit due north, the Russians sent an envoy to meet with the local General Shou to inform him Russian gunboats would level the city to the ground should the Chinese attack the Russian settlement. General Shou was livid at this, but kept everything at Bay until August 4th. By that point in time, Russian Consul Andrei Timchenko-Ostroverkhov had asked Colonel Mishchenko and General Fleisher who arrived on July 29th not to disrupt the peace with any military actions.  Meanwhile General Chin Cheng the commander of Qing forces in the province of Fengtian decided to counteract Russian occupations of key points in the Liaodong Peninsula. He deployed large numbers of troops to Yingkou and Anshanchan, while retaining a reserve at Shahotzu. Chin Cheng also sent a request to Beijing to release 20 battalions to the Liaodong Gulf to operate behind the Russian lines and smash their railway lines. Smaller detachments would fight delaying actions while gradually pulling back to Yingkou. The Qing's plan was to lure the Russians over to Anshan, then overwhelm them with superior numbers from 3 directions coming from Yingkou, Shahotzu and the Chienshan mountains. The detachments coming from Yingkou and Beijing would cut off escape routes. Before this, the Qing were more or less uncoordinated and not very effective in their military actions. However now with forces larger than, 50,000 men each, with 60 or so artillery pieces under the command of a commander in chief, they were about to become a lot more threatening.  Now while this large maneuver was being prepared, a smaller battle took place at Yingkou on July 26th. Mishchenko now at Yingkou received reports that Khorunzhenkov had pushed out many Qing forces away from Hsiungyuehcheng, and now those said forces were enroute to Yingkou. Mishchenko elected to go out and meet them head on with two and a half companies alongside two artillery pieces. His forces advanced northeast of the city walls and proclaimed the Qing there had one hour to remove their forces from the walls. The Qing defenders armed with Mauser rifles fired off in defiance and soon messengers from incoming Qing forces began galloping towards the city. 15 minutes before an hour had passed the Russians began deploying themselves to a fight. Konstantin and Mamonov led their companies towards the northern and eastern forces; Troitskii and Prokipenko with their 7th siberian companies guarded the right flank incase Qing came from the city. When the ultimatum expired the Russians began to open fire, met equally back with Qing fire. Within 15 minutes the Russians had battered the walls with their artillery and were scaling the walls. The Qing fired back while making an evacuation of the city. Two Cossack squadrons with sabers in hand pursued the fleeing Qing. The Russians gradually advanced against the city, then suddenly a special message arrived from the Consul demanding they halt the attack. The fleeing Qing forces from Hsiungyuehcheng whom Mishchenko was trying to cut off from Yingkou had found out about their attack and were now scattering amongst neighboring towns. Thus Mishchenko's actions seemed to have worked. Mishchenko's forces would have to sporadically raise up similar actions against the hostile elements within Yingkou, seeing countless Boxers and sympathizers flee the city. This peaked one day seeing a small battle before the Russians finally stormed the city now greatly depleted of its warriors. The Russians captured the arsenal and military stores and left a half company to guard the entrance to the city. On August 5th, Vice Admiral Evgenii Alekseev arrived at Yingkou on the cruiser Zabiiaka. Alekseev was 55 years old at the time, a short stocky man, with a rather large head and hooked nose. His large beard was beginning to gray, but the man was full of energy and demanded swift action from his men. He issued a speech on August 6th “the hostile behavior of the Chinese authorities who had first encouraged the rebellion and then declared that they could not maintain order ended in an open attack on our forces placed in the city in accordance to the wish of the Consular body. During the said attack the Chinese authorities had fled leaving the town to its fate. To avoid disorder and looting by the Chinese mo and with the object of protecting the commerce of the port and the property of the foreigners the Russian military authority found it necessary to place the town under the guard of the Imperial Russian troops.” Foreign consuls began to request Alekseev send for more reinforcements, stating if he did not do so they would have to ask the Japanese. The British were not very keen on the Russian occupation, and when the Russians attempted placing their flags over British owned establishments it got pretty heated. But the foreigners did feel more at ease with Russian forces guarding the international settlement, for now it seemed peaceful. Over on the western side of the Amur River at its juncture is a place called Blagoveshchensk. It was founded in 1856 as a military post, originally named Ust-zeisk. In 1858 because of its strategic location and economic value, it became the military, civil and judicial center of the newly formed Amur province. It also held a seat for a military governor. It was renamed Blagoveshchensk meaning “good news place” and its first governor General, Nikolai Murav'ev Amurskii announced its annexation in 1858. Soon some Cossacks moved in to form a local village called Verkhne-Blagoveshchensk “upper blagoveshchensk”. The city grew quickly, by 1900 she had nearly 38,000 inhabitants with over 3700 houses. An American traveler descried the city “as fine for its leading banks and stores as Portland, Maine or Oregon could show, or any smaller city of the Union. ”.The city had schools, libraries, a theater and telephone service. Now the Amur river formed the boundary between the Qing dynasty and the Russian empire going for hundreds of miles. To the east opposite Blagoveshchensk was the Manchu city of Sakhalian. Sakhalian had opened up to foreign trade in 1858 when there was a Manchurian gold rush and in the 1880's her population boomed to 50,000. Both cities freely went back and forth by boats and junks or over ice in winter to trade.  In May of 1900, reports of unrest in China reached Blagoveshchensk, but this aroused little concern, it sounded to everyone like the common troubles of any given year. The people of Manchuria resented foreign activity in their heartland and were eager for the Russians to withdraw, but for decades relations between the Russians and Chinese were pretty good, friendly, certainly more so than with other western powers at least. The residents of Blagoveshchensk failed to see the signs of the looming conflict. On July 8th, Chinese living in Blagoveshchensk suddenly began crossing the Amur river, with all of their belongings.  By late May some Russians went to trade for cattle in Sakhalian and reported sighting 7000 troops in the mountains beyond Sakhalian. The activity was dismissed as routine maneuvers. On June 24th word was received that the 8 nation alliance had just ceased the Taku forts and that same day posters emerged in Blagoveshchensk about mobilizing the Priamur region. Reservists began pouring into the city from neighboring towns, ships were carrying men up the Zeia river. The city's residents thought everything was ridiculous, how could China resist so many powers, was this all necessary? A resident of Blagoveshchensk, A .V Kirkhner wrote this of the situation “So accustomed had everyone become to looking on China and the Chinese with utter disdain, and so familiar had their cowardice become to all inhabitants along the border, that there was hardly anyone who expected a serious war with china”. The russian reservists were pretty angry about the situation. They had been pulled away from their work, their families, now with nothing but bottles of vodka to drown their sorrows. Many cursed the Chinese for driving wages down in the region and this led to violence on the Russian side. Angry Russians would frequently harass neighboring villages, causing many Chinese to flee across the Amur. On June 28th telegrams came to Blagoveshchensk conveying the Russian government's declaration made on the 24th that there was no war with China, the troops that took Taku and Tientsin were merely helping the Qing government crush the insurgents who were destroying railroads. This created more confusion for the people in the Amur region. The governor feared things might get out of hand so he closed down bars and warned residents to not spread false rumors or cause panic and above all else not to molest the Chinese inhabitants, anyone who did would be punished. The military began preparing measures to stop internal disorder, to quell possible bandit raids. Cossacks were dispatched out to protect telegraph lines and patrols were sent to thwart banditry. Chinese and Russian homes began to be robbed or at least rumors suggested as such and the different nationalities became suspicious of the other. Newspapers began spreading messages to thwart violence, asking the Russian population to have a “sober view” of things. News came of von Kettelers murder on July 12th, and of the outbreak of hostility at Harbin and along numerous railway lines in Manchuria. However the people of Blagoveshchensk simply believed all of the hostility was confined to the area of Beijing and perhaps the interior of Manchuria, certainly it would not reach them in such a remote place. On July 14th a private steamer, the Mikhail enroute from Khabarovsk to Blagoveshchensk alongside 5 barges passed by the Qing village of Aigun, when Qing officials signaled them to dock. The Russians failed to understand what they wanted and kept going. The Qing opened fire on Mikhail until it stopped, they then came aboard and saw the cargo was all military supplies, thus they placed the crew under arrest. A few hours later the Russian steamer Selenga was going downstream and came over to investigate the Mikhail. The Qing officials on the shore screamed at the vessel and her commander COlonel Kol'shmit could see there were Qing troops set up on the shore. He quickly ordered his men to go full steam ahead, but when they did the Qing opened fire. The Colonel, 4 Cossacks and 2 sailors were severely wounded in the mayhem. Kol'shmit rushed Blagoveshchensk with his battered ship.  News of the conflict raised an alarm that this was a premeditated act of war. The arrested men of the Mikhail were let go and returned bearing a message from the district chief of Aigun stating he had acted on the orders of the military governor of Tsitsihar, not to let any ship pass. That same night two companies of the 2nd East Siberian line battalion, 6 artillery pieces and the Amur Cossack regiment crossed the Zeia river taking up defensive positions. The next day Blagoveshchensk organized a volunteer defense force. On July 15th, everything seemed quite calm, some Manchu came over to Blagoveshchensk calmly asking to fetch some belongings. A steam cutter patrolled the Amur and police searched any Chinese who came over. The reservists were at ease, many cooped up in their barracks. Suddenly the Qing began firing from across the river caughting the Russians by surprise. Panic ensued, residents fled the Amur river area, pursued by Qing bullets. Rumors spread that the Manchu were landing on their side of the river, countless turned to defend their homes, women and children surged out of the area. When volunteer fighters found Chinese trying to get across the river away from Blagoveshchensk they immediately attacked them, all having heard of the rumors Chinese had landed ashore on their side. Chinese tossed grenades in the streets wounding many innocent civilians. By 9pm the Qing guns finally went silent as volunteers dug trenches along the waterfront. Steamers Mikhail and Selenga proceeded up the Amur and saw Chinese forces building ramparts along the river bank.  On July 16th the Qing opened fire again, this time on a larger scale. Men were now in foxholes, police were running through the streets looking for Chinese. Boxer posters were discovered in the Chinese quarter of the city. Allegedly, these posters stated that Manchu had landed ashore and for all Chinese in the city to raise up arms against the Russians. The police began rounding up any Chinese they found, aided by volunteers. Many Chinese were beaten up, all weapons were confiscated. Wild rumors were rampant amongst the residents. At 5pm a force was seen on the horizon, many thought it was Manchu coming to kill them all. It turned out to be more Chinese being herded from local villages by Cossacks. All the Chinese were being kept at the police station, but now the numbers were swelling to several thousand. There was simply no room for the mass of people at the police station, so many were moved to a lumber mill along the Zeia. They were left under the guard of 80 recruits armed with axes. The night was quiet, none tried to escape. The next day, the first group of Chinese, around 3500, were moved to the Verkhne-Blagoveshchensk station for deportation across the river. They were escorted by a small forces, marching 6 miles during a particularly hot day. Many of the old and sick collapsed and some police officers ordered them axed to death, several were killed. Evidence later would show countless were robbed. A number of armed Cossacks rode out to meet the caravan and help convoy them across the river. There were no boats, not even sampans at the shore they were brought to. Some Russians argued they could not send the Chinese back, as there was a siege-like situation. They argued they could not provide the guards for 3000 Chinese in the city.  Ten years after this controversial event that had been argued to this very day, a Russian journal called Vestnik Evropy tried to tell the story of what happened based on gathered evidence and testimony of locals. This is what the article had to say “Nevertheless the point of crossing was the width of the river at this place was over 700 feet, while the depth reached 14 feet. The current was very strong here, and furthermore a considerable wind was blowing. Having chosen the place, it was decided that this was enough, that nothing further was needed for the crossing. The Chinese were simply driven into the water and ordered to swim. Part of those in front went into the water. Some swam, but soon began to drown. The remainder did not dare to go into the water. Then the Cossacks began to urge them on with nagaikas (whips) and all who had rifles, Cossacks, settlers, old men and children opened fire. The shooting lasted about half an hour, after which a considerable number of Chinese corpses piled up on shore. Then, after the shooting, the commander of the detachment decided to resort to ordinary arms as well. The Cossacks chopped with their sabers, while the recruits were ordered to kill the “disobedient” Chinese with their axes. When some of the recruits lacked fortitude for this, the Cossacks threatened “to decapitate them as traitors”. The Chinese cried; some crossed themselves with the “orthodox cross” pleading that they not be killed, but nothing helped. Before the completion of the crossing a mounted party of Cossacks from one of the Amur Cossack regiments also participated in the shooting at the Chinese. The commander of the mounted party at first had not wanted to fire, but upon the demand of the Police chief ordered his men to fire five rounds each, and then continued on his way, in spite of the request of Ataman N (commander of the Cossacks who came out to meet the caravan), to remain with his detachment and “shoot a while longer”, as the Cossacks of the settlement had run out of ammunition. He agreed only to take a note from the Cossack commander to the squadron commander about the sending of help; but this request remained unfulfilled. During the crossing of the first party of Chinese, it was found, the majority had perished, some had drowned, others had been slain. Not more than a hundred Chinese had swum to the other shore and saved themselves. The article goes on to state the crossing was more of an extermination. Many recruits testified during the investigations after that orders were to drown the Chinese.  This massacre did not seem to satisfy the Russians involved, for on July 19th and 21st two more parties were sent to the crossing of 170 and 66 Chinese. They were killed in a similar fashion, all of this was overseen by the chief of police. Some Chinese swam to safety, but not many. The people who butchered the Chinese did not hide their actions, though their superiors sent reports that most of the Chinese had swam to the other side and only a few were killed for disobedience. The military governor of the Amur region demanded an inquiry be made, but he did not self report the matter to the Governor General after the investigation showcased the horror. General Griskii was indicted for the crime, he argued in his defense that he acted in accordance with preserving the peace and that he left the matter to the chief of police. He had taken no interest in the details of what occurred during deportation operation. The chief of police accused a Colonel chairman of the Amur military government for being responsible for the massacre.  There was an investigation looking into atrocities committed elsewhere in the Amur region. It was found out in the village of Poirkovkaia, 85 Chinese including a Qing colonel were arrested and the chief of police at Blagoveshchensk telegram the police over there “send Chinese river or annihilate if they resist”. When the police replied whether they were to drown the Chinese or just let them cross the river the chief replied on July 20th “one must be crazy and foolish to ask what to do with the Chinese. When one is told to do away with them, one should do so without deliberation. The Chinese colonel is not to be kept in a separate place, but in a cell on the same level as the others. Everything in his possession should be taken away. All my orders are to be executed without any evasion; do not act willfully or bother me with nonsense.” The chief would then sent a circular telegram out to all his subordinates stating “annihilate Chinese appearing on our side, without asking for instructions”. The police force at the village testified they provided boats to the Chinese, but that Cossacks who were providing escort had fired upon them and killed most of them. At the village of Albazinskaia it was reported that 100 Chinese were peacefully boated across the river when they saw the telegrams. At the village of Pokrovka, the local forces asked for confirmation of the telegram orders from General Gribskii, who ordered on July 20th “that it be impressed on the local Russian authorities that Russia's struggle was with armed Chinese, who engaged in hostilities against them. Peaceful, harmless Chinese, particularly unarmed ones, are not to be harmed in any war. To save their lives, they are to be sent to their side on boats or steamers”. Upon hearing this, the police chief of Blagoveshchensk suddenly reversed his telegram orders and now stated that peaceful Chinese must not be molested.  In the end, the investigation found no real steps were taken by the Russian government to punish the guilty. General Gribskii was relieve of his duties, but in consideration of his otherwise perfect record, he was not dismissed from the service. The chief of police was dismissed from his position and other culprits of the ordering of atrocities were discharged dishonorably, but all subordinates who performed the murders were freed of the responsibility. In the public eyes, Gribskii and the others were disgraced. The topic of the massacre on the Amur was one the Russians would continue to avoid. Not all the villages in the region treated the Manchu poorly. At Dzhalinda, Markova and Ignashina, where boats were available, they safely moved the Chinese across. At Stretenskaia station Chinese residents were not molested. But certainly at Blagoveshchensk it saw the very worst horrors.  The gunfire across the Amur gradually ceased, the Russian population on their side of the border were relieved many of the Chinese had crossed to the other side. The Russian residents of Blagoveshchensk began returning to their homes. However the lull was a deception. During the night thousands of Chinese crossed the Amur river between Aigun and military post no 1 near the mouth of the Zeia. They got over undetected and were within 1400 feet of the military post, guarded by a handful of soldiers with some militiamen, around 400 men strong in all. At dawn on July 18th the Chinese opened fire at the militiamen. The men of the military post fired back, but made a withdrawal over to Blagoveshchensk. The Chinese followed quickly towards a part of the Zeia. Fortunately for the fleeing Russians a steamer was coming that way carrying a large number of Cossack troops who immediately landed and began to face the Chinese. One of the Chinese detachments tried to flee across the Amur and was wiped out. Rumors spread in Blagoveshchensk that the Manchu were trying to get around the city from the rear, and this caused a panic. The situation was critical, the few military troops in the area were moving back and forth between Blagoveshchensk and Aigun exhausting themselves. If the Chinese had seriously tried to invade, they would have easily overwhelmed the Russians settlements, but they didn't. It could perhaps be due to simply fear or poor strategy, but the Chinese never took advantage of the situation. Russian artillery, vastly outnumbered, tried to reply to the Qing artillery. One night when the Chinese fire was slack, 150 Russians crossed the Amur to prod the Chinese positions leading to a minor skirmish.  On July 19th, the Chinese tried to cross the Amur in two places, but were repulsed. The Qing gunfire continued to pound Blagoveshchensk and harass the Russian forces who were slowly being reinforced by men coming over from Khabarovsk. The Russians gradually were crossing the Amur to harass and cease Qing held outposts. Between July 19-21st, many smaller Chinese settlements on the Russian side of the Amur beyond the Zeia were plundered and destroyed. On the 22nd the Sungari made its way to the city dropping off large quantities of ammunition and guns from Khabarovsk. 380 rifles were then brought via horseback from Poiarkova and 700 new recruits were landed by the steamer Chikoi. The bombardment of Blagoveshchensk continued sporadically, but the Chinese were losing morale and disertions were increasing. On the 27th the steamer Selenga performed a reconnaissance of the enemy fortifications at Sakhalian as the Chinese fired wildly upon it. Selenga bombarded the enemy entrenchments and on the night of the 29th landed a detachment of Cossacks. General Gribskii estimated the Chinese had around 18,000 men and 45 artillery pieces in the Aigun-Blagoveshchensk region. By the end of the month the Chinese opportunity to take the city had passed, now the Russians were pouring their troops between Aigun and Blagoveshchensk, pressing the war upon the Chinese side. The Russians planned to attack Sakhalian and Aigun on the night of August 1st. In overall command were Major General Subotich and Captain Zapol'skii. The plan called for Colonel Pechenkin and Lt Colonel Ladyzhenskii to take the 4th and 5th Sotnias of the Amur Cossack regiment and 1st Sotnia of the Nervchinsk Cossack Regiment over the Amur just above Verkhne-lagoveshchensk. They would perform reconnaissance and take up an assembly position on the right flank. Colonel Frimann with 4 companies of the 2nd East Siberian Line battery, 8 guns of the 2nd east Sierian artillery brigade and half a sotnia of Amur Cossack regiment across from Verkhne-Blagoveshchensk. Frimann would be followed up by Colonel Shverin with 3 companies of the Chita Reserve regiment, 3 companies of the Stretensk reserve regiment, 8 guns of the 1st battalion of the Transbaikal artillery division and half a sotnia of the Amur Cossack regiment. Lt Colonel Poliakov would cross with the compositie reserve battalion of 5 companies. The steamer Aigun and the barge Kalifornia alongside 52 smaller vessels would convey the troops.  The Chinese artillery fired upon the steamers Selenga, Grazhdanin, Mikhail and Sungari who were going up and down the Amur trying to deflect enemy attention from the invasion. The Chinese expected a landing near the No 1 military post and placed their units accordingly. Where the Russians would actually land had a very small number of Chinese defenders. The Russians encountered little resistance landing and by the time the Chinese advanced to the landing site from the direction of Sakhalian, the Russians had already occupied strategic positions. The Russians bombarded the coastal entrenchments from the flank, driving the Chinese to abandon them. By 7:30am the Russians advanced against the incoming Chinese. At first the Chinese were withdrawing orderly, continuing to fire back, but by noon they began to route and fled for the mountains towards the road to Aigun. A major blunder on the side of the Chinese was continuing to use their artillery on the Russian steamers rather than hitting the advancing troops. The Chinese believed the steamers were carrying the invasion force and were duped.  Sakhalian was being evacuated without a fight, Cossack raiders would enter the city putting everything to the torch leaving just a few buildings standing. By 6pm when the Russian infantry reached Sakhalian, the Manchu town ceased to exist. While Sakhalin was being taken, the military transports and reserve of Major General Aleksandrov were ferried across the Amur and the Chinese were regrouping at Aigun. The Chinese dug into the mountains building up fortifications. When the Russians prodded their defenses on August 3rd, the Chinese fire was heavy upon them. However when the Chinese tried to follow up their successes, the Russians flanked them forcing them back to their entrenchments. The Russian Cossack cavalry made wild charges followed up with bayonet charges overrunning the Chinese positions. Most of the Chinese fled south for other mountain spurs in the direction of Tstsihar. Many of the units were scattered unable to provide much resistance. Around 200 Chinese were killed in the mountains while the Russians reported 5 deaths and 24 wounded. At 2pm on August 4th, the Russians resumed their offensive against Aigun, expecting a fierce resistance as it was an important commercial town. The main defensive entrenchments between the mountains and Aigun had to be taken one by one. For 5 hours the Russians advanced under Chinese fire, but their losses were light. The Chinese attempted a counter attack in the mountains, but were met with harsh artillery fire forcing them back by 7pm. Once in range Russian artillery began smashing Aigun. Fotengauer guns were setting the town ablaze while 400 Chinese infantrymen valiantly fought on the open field to their death to try and stop them. The Chinese were forced to abandon Aigun during the night. The following day the Russians moved in fighting house to house against the stubborn towns defenders who did not flee. In Aigun the Russians ceased cannons, machine guns and ammunition. Meanwhile Rennenkampf's Cossack pursued the fleeing Chinese from village to village fighting skirmishes. Between August 7th to the 9th, Chinese rear guards, roughly 800 men with 300 cavalry, tried to fight the Cossacks off. On August the 10th the Chinese rallied to make a stand at the Hsing-an mountains. Rennenkampfs force of around four and half sotnia's and 2 cavalry guns ran right into 4000 Chinese infantry and another 4000 Manchu Cavalry supported by 12 guns. The Cossacks galloped beyond the Chinese positions causing an onslaught that devolved into a struggle for survival for all. Cossacks slashed wildly as Chinese fired at point blank range. Artillery blasted the area causing carnage. The Chinese eventually were dislodged, but Rennenkampf had to wait for reinforcements to do so. It was on August 16th the Russians stormed the Chinese positions and on the 17th the Hsing-an pass was taken. Rennenkampt received a report the Chinese had fled to Tsitsihar and so he carried on for it. Tsitsihar was the capital of Heilungchiang province and on August 20th as Rennekampf's cavalry approached 45 miles from it a flag of truce bearer sent by General Shou Shan, the Manchu General of the province proposed armistice. Rennekmapt rejected the offer and pushed forward. On August 18th Rennekampf took the city with 460 Cossacks while one of his units secured the ford across the Nonni river. The Chinese offered light resistance, General Shou Shan had poisoned himself. Rennenkampfs forces entered the city on August 29th captured 31 guns, it was an incredible set of victories. From this point Lt General Gribskii made a official proclamation to the Chinese of Manchuria telling them they had started the war by attacking Blagoveshchensk and now Russian held Aigun and countless towns in the region. Soon they would come to all of their villages and if they did not shoot at them, no harm will come to them. He said the Russians only wanted to peacefully build railroads and everyone would be left in peace to tend to their fields as was before. 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 horrible massacre that occurred along the Amur river is a sore spot to this very day between Russia and China. What began as a rather small conflict quickly unfolded into a full blown Russian invasion of the Manchu homeland.

Nigeria's Appeal Court has rejected challenges to Bola Tinubu's narrow victory in February's presidential election. As election petitions become more common in Africa we ask how fair are election challenges. Between July and October 2022, about 70 children in the west African nation of The Gambia died because of suspected kidney ailments allegedly caused by consumption of cough syrup made in India. A year on since the first deaths in the Gambia, we hear from the families about their shared grief and their struggle for justice. And meet young climate change activists on the frontline pushing for more action beyond pledges following the Africa Climate Summit that took place in Nairobi.

Robin Dallaway in conversation with David Eastaugh https://silverlakemusic.bandcamp.com/ The Very Things were an English Dadaist post-punk band from Redditch, Worcestershire, England, formed in 1983 and active until 1988.  The Cravats - A neo-dadaist group from Redditch, UK, formed in March 1977. Guitarist / vocalist Martin Seys left the band early and drummer Ethos Yapp left after the recording of first single 'Gordon'. From there on, the 'classic' line up of The Shend, Robin Raymond Dallaway, Svor Naan and Dave Bennett managed to release six more singles and two full albums (most of them on Small Wonder; some appeared in the indie charts Top 30), interspersed with some dada happenings. Between July 1979 and November 1982, they were also asked to make four sessions for the legendary John Peel radio show. 

June 24th, 2023 marked one-year since the overturning of Roe v. Wade via the Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization Supreme Court case. Between July and December 2022, an estimated 66,000 people have not been able to access abortion care in their home state. Becca Andrews, reporter at Reckon News and author of No Choice: The Destruction of Roe v. Wade and the Fight to Protect a Fundamental American Right, talks to us about the myriad of ways in which the abortion landscape has changed in the past year, including the ways anti-abortion ideology has led to a chipping away at democracy.  The lives of providers, clinic staff, patients, abortion storytellers, abortion fund workers, reproductive health, rights, and justice advocates and reporters have changed dramatically in the past year. In abortion hostile states, many providers and clinic staff have been prevented from providing care or are hesitant to provide care due to vague legal limits. Reporters like Becca, who follow stories on abortion access and care, are being silenced algorithmically on social media. Abortion fund workers scramble, against extreme time frames and travel requirements, to put together funding for procedures and transportation. The denial of human rights is leading to a steady building of authoritarianism. States are telling patients and doctors what care they can access or provide, newsrooms (particularly those that are local and state-based) are shrinking, and mis-and disinformation is rapidly spreading (Reminder: the disinformation that informs anti-abortion sentiment also informs the anti-LGBTQI+, anti-democracy, and anti-science sentiment). Without access to information and up-to-date news or social media, people do not have immediate interaction with necessary knowledge and the national conversation is stifled more broadly. This prevents them from fully realizing their human right to sexual and reproductive health care.      Take Action Follow Becca Andrews on Twitter, find her pieces on Reckon News, and check out her book. Set up reoccurring donations to BIPOC- and low-income and queer-led abortion funds. These grassroots organizations are providing safe, dependable mutual aid for those who are particularly in need. Support organizations like We Testify, who are erasing abortion stigma one story at a time. As appropriations season ramps up, tell your Congress members that reproductive health and rights is funded—that UNFPA, Title X, international family planning is funded, and the Helms amendment and Hyde amendment is repealed. The Capitol Switchboard is 202-224-3121. Support the showFollow Us on Social: Twitter: @rePROsFightBack Instagram: @reprosfbFacebook: rePROs Fight Back Email us: jennie@reprosfightback.comRate and Review on Apple PodcastThanks for listening & keep fighting back!

Over the years doing this podcast, I've clearly stated that you cannot time the market and you should never try. But what about asset classes? Can you predict when one asset class will do better than another? Should you try? In this episode of Best in Wealth, I look at how value stocks and growth stocks have performed in the last few years. I'll nail down why staying disciplined in asset classes is just as important as not timing the market. Check it out! [bctt tweet="Why is it important to stay disciplined with your investments in different asset classes? I share some thoughts in this episode of Best in Wealth! #wealth #retirement #investing #PersonalFinance #FinancialPlanning #RetirementPlanning #WealthManagement" username=""] Outline of This Episode [1:15] The importance of values and discipline [5:54] What are growth and value stocks? [8:27] The good news for growth stocks [10:50] Why you have to stay disciplined [12:39] What can you do to stay disciplined? What are growth and value stocks? According to Fama-French, companies that trade similar to what they'd be worth if they liquidated are trading close to their “book value.” That is a value stock. Their prices are low compared to their intrinsic value, Companies that trade far from their book-to-market value are growth stocks. Growth stocks are undervalued and have the potential to grow significantly. Growth stocks typically consist of the companies we know and buy from every single day. They take their profits and reinvest them to continue to grow. A value stock might be a great company but things are happening outside their control and lowering the stock price. Airlines were considered value stocks during the pandemic when no one was flying. [bctt tweet="What are growth and value stocks? I cover some of the basics in this episode of Best in Wealth. Check it out! #wealth #retirement #investing #PersonalFinance #FinancialPlanning #RetirementPlanning #WealthManagement" username=""] The recent history of growth and value stocks Value stocks have been doing really well during the last two years (ending 12/31/22). Before that, growth stocks were doing well. Between July 2017 and June 2020, growth stocks averaged 17.6% per year while value averaged –3.1% per year. Growth beat value by 20.7% per year for three years. You likely have a growth fund and a value fund in your 401k. If you were looking at short-term returns, you might've gone “I'm getting rid of this value fund” and decided to buy more growth stocks. You'd rationalize the decision because you'd heard that you can't time the stock market. But timing asset classes like value and growth is a loser's game, too. What if you couldn't take it anymore? Let's say you didn't get out of the market but you did decide to sell the value stocks and bought more growth. Why wouldn't you? Here's why you shouldn't have: Because over the next two-and-half years, from July 2020 to December 2022, value averaged 28.7% per year. Growth averaged 6.6%. That's a difference of 22%. That's exactly why we can't time asset classes. And it's why you have to stay disciplined. What can you do to stay disciplined? So far in 2023, growth is beating value. No one can time when growth or value will do better. No one can time when small will do better than large. No one can time when international is going to do better than US. We need to stay disciplined in all of our asset classes. Staying disciplined starts by creating an investment policy statement. If you don't have one, you need one. It is the only way to stay objective about your money. Find a fee-only certified financial planner that can help you. You won't regret the decision. Secondly, you need to figure out what your risk level is. What can your stomach handle? Get...

This week on Context: Canadians are on the move. In the past five years inter-provincial migration has grown exponentially. Alberta, British Columbia, and Nova Scotia have seen an influx of people moving from neighbouring provinces to start a new life.     Most interprovincial migrants come from Ontario. Between July 1st, 2021, and June 30th, 2022 over 14,000 more people came to Nova Scotia from other provinces or territories than left the area itself. A report from Scotiabank says pandemic restriction severity, housing affordability, and telework adoption all appear to have influenced the trend.  Context travels to Nova Scotia to discover why so many people are making such a big step. YouTuber/Vlogger Reggie from the Road talks about why he moved East to Nova Scotia and found a place to park his beloved trailer. He calls it “Fort Nova.”  We also check in with a couple initially from Ontario who made the big decision to move East, for many reasons, including how COVID affected people and how they acted towards others in society.

We're wrapping up Operation Moduler this episode and throwing forward to the next assault on Cuito Cuanavale which was to fixate the South African political leadership at a time when the Cold War was melting away. This was to have a direct effect on the satellite wars such as those in Angola. Assessing this stage of the conflict it all appeared to be in South Africa's favour - on the surface. Combat Groups Alpha, Bravo and Charlie had fought running battles against FAPLAs 21/25 Brigade, 66 Brigade and 59th Brigade for weeks pushing them back to close to where they'd started the own Operation October. Instead of overcoming UNITA at Mavinga and taking their HQ at Jumba, FAPLA had been defeated. Between July and 18th November 1987 FAPLA had lost 1 059 dead, more than 2000 wounded, 61 tanks were blown up along with 84 armoured cars and 20 artillery pieces. Some have suggested that if 4SAI and the tank squadron of 12 Olifants from the start of Moduler, they would have overrun the Angolans with ease. That is I'm afraid, an incorrect assessment for two main reasons. The first was the SA Air Force did not control the air war. The Angolans did. And anyone who understands modern warfare knows that those who control the air, particularly these days of missiles and drones, controls the battle. Russia has failed to take complete control of the airspace over Ukraine since their invasion in February 2022 - and has paid the price for that failure. Unlike the UN and American force that overran Iraq in Desert Storm after decimating and completely destroying the Iraqi air Force and bludeoning it's anti-aircraft system into dust. The war was lost from then on for Saddam Hussein whatever his Revolutionary Guard thought. Secondly, the SADF was attacking entrenched defensive positions without the advantage of the element of surprise and numerically weaker. Tactical college interns at military school will tell you that's not a blueprint for success. Even if 4SAI and the tanks had arrived earlier, they would still have had to face MiGs that were spending more time over the ground forces than the Mirages. Perhaps the SADF would have managed to overcome FAPLAs 21 and 25 Brigade, but then they would face four more Brigades. Two east of Cuito and two others in reserve. And if you check the facts, 59 Brigade fought well and in fact, deflected an Olifant attack on the days before 16th November 1987. By now Cuba's Fidel Castro had lost over 10 000 and some say closer to 20 000 troops as casualties of this never ending war across the Atlantic from his small island nation. Initially, he had supported the war, sending his men and women in to fight. It's not well known, but Cuban women for example made up most of the anti-aircraft battery crews around some of the towns of Angola. He began to think about negotiating a solution rather than fighting to the death against the SADF, and sent his diplomats to the United Nations along with Angolan MPLA officials to contact the South African mission in New York. Castro was wanting out of Angola.

Between July 1979 and May 1981 the city of Atlanta, Georgia was gripped in fear.  More than 20 children and adults went missing, and most were found murdered, during this time.  The authorities would eventually arrest local music promoter, Wayne Williams, and charge him with two murders, though they believe that he may be responsible for 22 more he was never charged with. Sources for this episode:Wikipedia - AtlantaWikipedia - Atlanta murders of 1979-1981FBI - Atlanta Child MurdersWikipedia - Wayne Williams11 Alive - Family of victims demand DNA testing be released in Atlanta Child Murders caseThe Atlanta Child Murders on Investigation DiscoverySupport the show

Between July to November of 2010 I was constantly called into meetings for misbehavior in my job and was suspended. I never went back to teaching. Constantly being harassed, freezing at all the wrong moments, and dealing with a complex relationship outside of school made it a dark time in my life. In this episode, I look back on the manipulation in my life and how it led me to never teach for the district again.    Key Takeaways:    [5:44] Going from being successful to having a stressful life  [7:10] The reality of Roy's life  [9:07] School buildings being torn down and fighting it  [11:59] Freezing, crying, and being told I could be fired  [15:33] Being told I should take the season off from coaching  [17:09] People being shocked I took off from coaching  [18:09] Trying to do perfectly everyday in fear of being fired  [20:30] Being harassed by the PE teachers and teacher aide  [23:22] Constantly getting called down for meetings  [24:53] My last day of teaching   [27:18] My thoughts looking back on the situation  [29:43] Men and women treated differently    Resources:   Label Free Introducing Me Women in Good Company    Connect with Barb:   Website   Facebook    Instagram   YouTube   The Molly B Foundation  

Between July 1979 and May 1981 the city of Atlanta, Georgia was gripped in fear.  More than 20 children and adults went missing, and most were found murdered, during this time.  The authorities would eventually arrest local music promoter, Wayne Williams, and charge him with two murders, though they believe that he may be responsible for 22 more he was never charged with. Sources for this episode:Wikipedia - AtlantaWikipedia - Atlanta murders of 1979-1981FBI - Atlanta Child MurdersWikipedia - Wayne Williams11 Alive - Family of victims demand DNA testing be released in Atlanta Child Murders caseThe Atlanta Child Murders on Investigation DiscoverySupport the show

THE MANY FACES OF ROSE ROSETTE DISEASE: A Virus of Disguises   Gaye Hammond, Master Rosarian and Past President, Houston Rose Society   Rosarians are somewhat familiar with Rose Rosette Disease.  We know it is dangerous, deadly and contagious but outside that, we may not be familiar enough with its symptoms to know what is, and more importantly, what is not RRD.    Involvement in both the National Clean Plant Network-Roses group and the national Rose Rosette Task Force has allowed Gaye to stay on the cutting edge of the virus.  Gaye is an evaluator for the Center for Invasive Species (University of Georgia) studying thousands of photographic submissions submitted for possible RRD symptoms. Between July and September 2022, she evaluated more than 1,000 submissions. Through this process Gaye realized that there is a tremendous misunderstanding about RRD.   In this program, Gaye will share the newest and exciting developments in the fight against RRD and its vectoring mite, as well as help rosarians correctly determine what symptoms are caused by RRD and symptoms that are from some other (mostly curable) cause.  ROSE CHAT TEAM:   Executive Producer & On-Air Personality: Chris VanCleave - www.RedneckRosarian.com Creator of the Rose Chat Podcast. Mr. VanCleave is a nationally known rosarian, television personality, speaker and advocate for the rose.   Content Creator & On-Air Personality: Teresa Byington - www.TheGardenDiary.com Co-Host Teresa Byington promotes roses as an integral part of the landscape, as a Consulting Rosarian, Master Gardener, writer, and speaker.   SUBSCRIBE: Subscribe to Rose Chat Podcast Updates: http://bit.ly/subscribeROSE

In what could be her last address as City of Johannesburg (CoJ) mayor, since she faces a vote of no confidence, Mpho Phalatse has announced City Power's ‘Sustainable Energy Strategy', which it has published with the aim of attracting funding, to help reduce the severity of loadshedding in the city. She says the city has been on a path towards reducing its reliance on Eskom in earnest since May last year, following the Joburg Energy Indaba. City Power has since put out requests for proposals for short-term power purchase agreements to secure energy from independent power producers (IPPs) for up to 36 months. The first round of tenders went out in November last year, with the closing date being February 10. Additionally, City Power is undergoing an approval process for Ministerial determination to procure power on a longer-term basis from IPPs. City Power seeks to secure additional capacity from diversified energy sources, including solar, gas, battery storage, waste-to-energy and gas-to-power projects. Phalatse says the CoJ is ultimately working towards procuring an additional 500 MW of electricity, which could offset up to five stages of loadshedding. The short-term objectives of the ‘Sustainable Energy Strategy' has an estimated cost requirement of R401-million, to avert up to Stage 3 loadshedding, since Stage 2 and 3 loadshedding is likely to continue for at least the next 18 months. Particularly, Phalatse says, for R20-million, the city can recommission its two existing open-cycle gas turbine stations, which could produce 74 MW of power; however, this will require the city to procure and burn diesel. The CoJ already has 1.2-million litres of diesel on hand for these sites. Further, at R85-milion, City Power can use ripple relay systems to remotely regulate high-energy use products such as geysers, swimming pool motors and the like, which could save 80 MW, but only when absolutely necessary, Phalatse points out. For the city to produce and distribute smart meters and a communication system to enable City Power to limit the amount of power distributed to homes, it will need R203-million. Phalatse explains that, instead of completely turning off the power, the city can supply homes with enough energy to power essential needs. This could save an additional 322 MW, when needed and not on a whim, and with the necessary communication to customers. For City Power to better monitor, control and optimise its transmission system, it requires R120-million. “Unfortunately, the CoJ does not have R401-million lying around that can be easily shifted to this strategy. We are, therefore, exploring the establishment of an infrastructure fund and we will be approaching development finance institutions, the private sector and provincial and national governments to fund this project, where we will leverage our status as the economic hub of the country,” Phalatse states. City Power CEO Tshifularo Mashava confirms that, if the entity were to get the money immediately, it would take up to six months to get this mitigation plan active, given that much of the infrastructure is already in place. Phalatse notes that, despite the threat of her possibly being removed from office again, the ‘Sustainable Energy Strategy' is not about politics, but a legacy project to ensure Johannesburg can continue to operate, and more sustainably at that. She says the city has been losing customers and revenue owing to customers going semi- or completely off-grid. Between July 1, 2021, and June 30, 2022, City Power experienced losses of 386 GWh, resulting in a net revenue loss of about R284-million. The entity has also incurred costs of about R155-million, owing to overtime as a result of loadshedding, and R35-million in insurance costs. This translates to a total loss of R474-million in the period under review. Moreover, City Power also incurs losses owing to vandalism and theft, having spent R200-million on 390 mini substations between July 1, 2021, and November 11,...

The sales volume of the food company Vale Fértil has grown by more than 40% in recent months compared to the first half of this year. Between July and November, with the approach of Christmas, New Year's Eve and the World Cup, the company grew by 40.4% more in tons of products such as green olives, maraschino cherries (canned), plums dried apricots and dark raisins. Learn more by listening to this episode in Portuguese. Good listening.

Find out more about this event on our website: https://bit.ly/3FRtNpD We live in a world where business, Government and media extol the virtues of being data led, of using and exploiting data, of regarding data, in a slightly imperfect analogy, as the new oil. Ed Humpherson, head of the UK's Office for Statistics Regulation, is in the front line of these debates. He focuses on how the UK Government collects and presents statistics to serve the public good. He will argue that there are different motivations that lead people to place data at the heart of discourse. They include the weaponisation of data, in which data are used as a resource in debate, isolated factoids dropped in as a rhetorical device; data as a programmatic comfort blanket – data which confer an illusion of control and delivery mastery; and data as knowledge and learning, where data are used to find out about the world, in all its messiness, and appreciate the limitations and caveats. His talk will bring out how to thrive in a world of data everywhere. Speaker: Ed Humpherson is Director General for Regulation at the UK Statistics Authority, and head of its Office for Statistics Regulation. He is responsible for the development and implementation of the UK's Code of Practice for Statistics; for assessing compliance with this Code by Government departments and the Office for National Statistics; and highlighting concerns about the misuse of statistics in public debate. Between July 2009 and December 2014, Ed was a Board Member and Executive Leader for Economic Affairs at the National Audit Office. This role included responsibility for the overall strategic direction of NAO's work on economic affairs. Amongst other previous responsibilities, Ed oversaw the NAO's response to the 2007-09 financial crisis. Ed is also Vice Chair of the charity Motability; a trustee of Pro Bono Economics; a trustee of the Regulatory Policy Institute; and co-chair of the Royal Society's data community of practice. Ed is a chartered accountant and was educated at the University of Edinburgh where he obtained a first-class MA honours degree in Politics and Economic History.

The Heartland POD on TwitterGo to heartlandpod.com for information on all our political podcasts, and a link to support our work on Patreon. Sign up as an Official PODhead for just $5 per month to access all our premium podcast segments and political writing. To join the conversation on Twitter, find us at THE Heartland POD. Alright! Let's get into it: COLORADO NEWSLINE: RINO hunters looking for a bloodbathAs county clerks across Colorado prepared to send out mail ballots to voters on Monday, former President Donald Trump weighed in on one of the state's most-watched 2022 races.Trump blasted Republican U.S. Senate candidate Joe O'Dea, a Denver construction CEO, as a “RINO,” or Republican in name only, over comments O'Dea made about a potential 2024 Trump presidential campaign.In a Sunday appearance on CNN's State of the Union, O'Dea was asked whether the Jan. 6 assault on the U.S. Capitol should disqualify Trump from running again. O'Dea called the events of Jan. 6 “a black eye for our country,” though he has previously said he doesn't believe Trump deserves blame for the Capitol attack.“I don't think Donald Trump should run again,” O'Dea said Sunday. “I'm going to actively campaign against Donald Trump and make sure that we've got four or five really great Republicans right now — Ron DeSantis, Nikki Haley, Tim Scott. They can run and serve for eight years.”Trump responded in a post on his Truth Social website: “MAGA doesn't Vote for stupid people with big mouths”O'Dea faces an uphill battle against incumbent Sen. Michael Bennet, a Democrat who is seeking his third full Senate term, in a state that has trended increasingly blue in recent elections. Bennet has led O'Dea in recent polling by an average of eight percentage points, according to FiveThirtyEight.A first-time candidate who has pitched himself as a moderate on social issues, O'Dea has walked a tightrope throughout his campaign as he seeks to win over moderate voters without alienating the conservative Republican base.He did not publicly state his opposition to a Trump 2024 bid until after the June GOP primary, when he defeated far-right state Rep. Ron Hanks with 55% of the vote. His campaign clarified that O'Dea would still support Trump in the general election if the former president wins the GOP nomination, but O'Dea has since backed off of that position in interviews.GOP state Rep. Dave Williams, a far-right election denier who mounted an unsuccessful primary challenge against U.S. Rep. Doug Lamborn earlier this year, reacted to Trump's comments in a Twitter post.“Ouch,” Williams wrote. “Maybe Joe's campaign shouldn't alienate the base 3 weeks before an election.”Trump's criticism follows Ron Hanks' endorsement of the Libertarian in the Senate race, Bryan Peotter, who has put election denial and total opposition to abortion at the center of his campaign. The Libertarian wrote on Twitter that Trump's attack on O'Dea “reads like an endorsement for my campaign pretty clearly.”In an Oct. 7 appearance on the conservative “Chuck and Julie Show,” Ron Hanks, who received just under 45% of the vote in the GOP's June primary, said neither Peotter nor O'Dea have a chance of beating Bennet - and that Republican voters should vote for Peotter to send a message to party leaders.“It's our time now as grassroots Colorado conservatives to step in. We have a big battle ahead to try to reform this leadership,” said Hanks. “It's got to be a bloodbath.”COLORADO NEWSLINE: Will Colorado legalize psychedelic mushrooms?Ten years after Colorado voters made history by approving the ballot measure that legalized recreational marijuana, this November's Proposition 122 would allow licensed ‘healing centers' and decriminalize personal use of some hallucinogens. The Natural Medicine Health Act would establish a regulated market for psilocybin and psilocyn, the psychoactive compounds found in psychedelic mushrooms. Placed on the 2022 ballot by a citizen initiative, it will become law if a majority of Colorado voters give their approval.The measure would allow licensed “healing centers” to provide access to psilocybin and psilocyn for therapeutic purposes. It would also decriminalize the “personal use” of the substances, allowing people to possess and grow psychedelic mushrooms in their own homes.GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOXNatural Medicine Colorado, the group backing the effort says “Natural psychedelic medicines are non-addictive, and can have profound benefits for people struggling with mental health conditions including depression, anxiety, opioid use disorder, and those struggling to find peace at the end of their lives.”Proposition 122 qualified for the ballot in July after organizers submitted more than the required 124,632 valid signatures to the secretary of state's office. An issue committee backing the measure has reported more than $2.8 million in contributions, according to campaign finance disclosures.Nearly all of that funding came from New Approach PAC, a Washington, D.C.-based PAC that advocates for drug policy reform. Top donors to the group include the van Ameringen Foundation, Scotts Miracle-Gro and Dr. Bronner's Magic Soaps.New Approach PAC supported successful mushroom decriminalization measures in Oregon and Washington, D.C., in 2020. If voters approve Proposition 122, Colorado would become the third jurisdiction in the country to legalize psilocybin.Denver voters took a more limited step towards the decriminalization of psychedelic mushrooms in 2019, approving a measure that directed police to make possession of psychedelics the city's ”lowest law-enforcement priority.”Legalization advocates point to a vast body of existing research showing that psychedelics can be effective in treating depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder and other mental health conditions. The federal Food and Drug Administration has designated psilocybin as a “breakthrough therapy” for the treatment of major depressive disorder.Luke Gruber, an initiative backer and a Marine veteran who suffered from PTSD and depression after serving in Afghanistan, says psilocybin therapy “changed his life.”He said, “I can't really describe the experience, but I can describe what it was like after my first treatment with natural medicine. It was like being reminded of what hope felt like.”If passed, Proposition 122 would establish a 15-member Natural Medicine Advisory Board to oversee the regulation of psychedelic substances. The first licenses for regulated providers would be issued beginning in September 2024. Pending recommendations from the advisory board, other substances, including DMT and mescaline, could be added to the program in 2026.I WILL BE VOTING YES. COLORADO NEWSLINE: SHE'S JUST BLOWING SMOKEKirkmeyer repeats false Colorado oil and gas claims in 8th District debate against CaraveoIn a recent debate in the race for Colorado's new 8th Congressional District, right-wing GOP State Sen. Barbara Kirkmeyer took the opportunity to repeat a series of false claims about the oil and gas industry, and the impacts of a 2019 law sponsored by her Democratic opponent, state Rep. Dr. Yadira Caraveo.Kirkmeyer called the package of new health, safety and environmental reforms a “de facto ban on oil and gas. We went from 5,100 permits approved in 2018 down to about, I think, 22 — 22 permits this year, something approximately in that area,” she claimed.So, it's not 22. It's actually 842 new drilling permits that have been approved this year. Nearly 40 times higher than what Kirkmeyer claimed. In total, there are 1,314 active drilling permits held by Colorado oil and gas producers as of last week.She made a similar false claim in March, asserting that only four permits had been issued at that point in the year. The true figure was 125.Colorado's oil production levels have dipped slightly from their 2019 peak, but remain near historic highs. Producers within the state are on pace to pump more than 156 million barrels of crude oil out of Colorado this year. That's higher than every other year prior to 2018, and it's more than five times the volume being pumped in Colorado ten years ago. Drillers have reduced growth plans and capital budgets in large part due to the demands of Wall Street investors, who flooded the industry with cheap credit amid the 2010s fracking boom, but have since sought to prioritize more profitable streams of revenue.Kirkmeyer claimed that SB-181 “killed thousands of jobs” in the 8th District, which encompasses an area in north metro Denver and Weld County that is home to the vast majority of Colorado's oil production. Asked why the same trends were observed in drilling-friendly states like Texas and Wyoming recently, Kirkmeyer said, “I have no idea what other laws, or what other kinds of regulations, or what else was going on in those states.” Kirkmeyer also denied the scientific consensus on fossil fuels and climate change. Dr. Caraveo, the Democratic candidate, is a pediatrician who has seen the impacts of drilling and refinery operations in the lungs of the innocent kids who come into her clinic. The Suncor refinery, one of Colorado's largest sources of air pollution, is located within the new district. Dr. Caraveo said 2019's oil and gas reform bill was moderate, and incorporated industry input. The 8th District, the boundaries of which were drawn last year by Colorado's first-ever Independent Redistricting Commission, is the state's most competitive. According to the commission's analysis, former President Donald Trump would have won the district by 1.7 percentage points in the 2016 election, while Democratic Sen. John Hickenlooper would have carried the district by the same margin in his defeat of former GOP Sen. Cory Gardner in 2020. Nonpartisan elections analysts rate the race as a toss-up.ARIZONA MIRROR:Oath Keepers are planning to watch drop boxes in Arizona, spurred by conspiracy theories. The groups' violent rhetoric has advocates worried, and some local politicians are stirring the pot. The increased attention to ballot drop boxes comes in the wake of the debunked film “2000 Mules” about a completely made up ballot stuffing operation supposedly benefitting Democratic candidates. Now, groups are organizing events to keep an eye on drop boxes in Arizona. One of those groups is connected directly to the Arizona chapter of the Oath Keepers, a known white supremacist group. They're calling their midterm voter intimidation efforts “Operation Drop Box.” On its website the group members describe themselves as “conservative patriots” who say the country has been hijacked global elites, communists, leftists, deep state bureaucrats, and fake news.”Jim Arroyo, the leader of the Arizona Oath Keepers said the group sent emails to everyone in the group's roster, about 1,000 people. In an Oath Keeprs meeting, Arroyo said “For the November election we would like to post people at drop boxes to have eyes on target to be able to notify law enforcement. We have already coordinated with Sheriff Rhodes and he told us that if we see somebody stuffing a ballot box and we get a license plate number, that deputies would make an arrest and there will be a prosecution.” County Sheriff David Rhodes has spoken to the Arizona chapter of the Oath Keepers on two separate occasions. In an August 2021 meeting, he said “I've got to tell you, this is one of my favorite groups. It is great to be with friends” When asked about coordination between the Sheriff, Lions of Liberty and the Oath Keepers. County spokesperson Kristin Greene said “Sheriff Rhodes has zero to do with their effort to watch the drop boxes.”Rhodes also spoke to the group in late September, a meeting which the Sheriff's Office said was to educate the group on what was legal and what was not legal for the group to do. The Yavapai County Sheriff's Office told the group members that as long as they stay 75 feet away from the drop boxes, they are within their legal rights, but any closer and they could be violating the law. The county is also at the center of another effort led by former Graham County Sheriff Richard Mack, who leads the so-called Constitutional Sheriffs Association, an extremist anti-government group.  CSPOA and the Oath Keepers have long had close ties.State Sen. Kelly Townsend, a Republican, called on “vigilantes” to camp out on drop boxes. At a legislative hearing all about indulging wild conspiracy theories, she said, “I have been so pleased to hear about all you vigilantes out there that want to camp out at these drop boxes. We're going to have hidden trail cameras, we are going to have people parked out there watching you and they are going to follow you to your car and get your license plate, so don't try it. Don't try it anymore.” Lake Havasu Republican Sonny Borrelli has also made similar calls while at an election security forum. “We need to be force multipliers,” Borrelli told the crowd in Tempe. “We need to have people camped on unmanned drop boxes and camp on those and keep an eye on them and take down that data, license plates, pictures and so on and so forth.”Concerned voter advocates are advising that .ocal law enforcement may not be the best option for a voter to turn to, if you end up feeling intimidated at the polls - instead suggesting contacting local election officials, the election protection hotline, or federal law enforcement. Voter intimidation is a federal crime, one that is enforced by the FBI and Department of Justice. When asked for comment about the situation with white supremacists camping out at ballot drop boxes, United States Attorney for Arizona Gary Restaino said “Enough with the election deniers and fear-mongers, who only seek to undermine our democratic process. I'm proud to live in a state that endeavors to remove barriers to voting, and that has long believed in vote-by-mail. Working in partnership with our state and local election officials, the Department of Justice will do its very best to ensure that every eligible voter who chooses to vote can do so easily and efficiently, without interference or discrimination.”Most importantly, voters shouldn't let wackos like the Oath Keepers and so-called Constitutional Sheriffs keep you from participating in American democracy. ON THAT NOTE:Arizona's General Election has officially begun, with ballots being sent out across the state to voters who have signed up to receive them by mail, and with polling places opening up for early voting. Voters who have registered for mail-in ballots will begin receiving their ballots soon, and can check the status of their ballot at my.arizona.voteThose who have not yet requested a mail-in ballot have until Oct. 28 to do so. NEVADA CURRENT:Nevada launches opioid task force as fentanyl overdoses increaseThe Nevada Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), Attorney General Aaron Ford and Gov. Steve Sisolak have launched an opioid task force designed to provide technical assistance, guidance and resources to local and state jurisdictions amid the rise of opioid overdoses. The increase in overdoses is associated with fentanyl, which is 50 times more potent than heroin and 100 times more powerful than morphine. Fentanyl is often found in other drugs like cocaine and pills and is not detectable without a chemical test. Between July and August in Nevada, emergency department visits from suspected opioid-related deaths increased by 66% - and emergency department visits from suspected stimulant-related overdoses increased by 50%.For those looking for help, visit: behavioralhealthnv.org in Nevada, or can call the free, confidential, national treatment and referral hotline at 1-800-662-4357. 1-800-662-helpTo find free naloxone or learn about using fentanyl test strips in Nevada, visit nvopioidresponse.orgLast year, 107,000 Americans died from opioid overdoses. Concert pick of the Week: Todd Snider at Washington's FOCOTodd Snider is an American singer/songwriter who is 1000x more fucking badass than implied by that term. He's got a new Live album called Return of the Storyteller, with extra resonance in our post-pandemic era. Snider says laughingly, “This was really only my second tour – because I went out on the road in '94 and never went home until the pandemic.  And I'm so glad I recorded those shows for this album. Because that was the sound of the country getting to see live music again. Everyone just hugs at the start of a concert-you can tell folks are glad to see each other, and then they get more excited than they used to be about just being out and seeing music. I'm sure that it will go back to normal, but it hasn't yet.”So go to the show! Todd Snider is playing next Wednesday Washington's Fort Collins - tickets at washingtonsfoco.com.Next Friday - October 28 he'll be at Knuckleheads in Kansas City - on Saturday November 19th he'll be play the Sheldon Concert Hall in St Louis, and in between he has near daily shows in Des Moines, Eau Claire, Omaha, Iowa City, Chicago, Madison, Grand Rapids, Ohio, Illinois, Raleigh, Knoxville.Closes out the tour in December with 5 dates in Texas, last of which being Luckenback, on December 10.If you can't tell - I'm definitely hoping to catch a couple of this extraordinary storyteller's shows. God willing.Welp, that's it for me! From Denver I'm Sean Diller. Original reporting for the stories in today's show comes from the Nevada Current, Arizona Mirror, Colorado Newsline, Source New Mexico, and Denver's Westword.Thank you for listening! See you next time.

The Heartland POD on TwitterGo to heartlandpod.com for information on all our political podcasts, and a link to support our work on Patreon. Sign up as an Official PODhead for just $5 per month to access all our premium podcast segments and political writing. To join the conversation on Twitter, find us at THE Heartland POD. Alright! Let's get into it: COLORADO NEWSLINE: RINO hunters looking for a bloodbathAs county clerks across Colorado prepared to send out mail ballots to voters on Monday, former President Donald Trump weighed in on one of the state's most-watched 2022 races.Trump blasted Republican U.S. Senate candidate Joe O'Dea, a Denver construction CEO, as a “RINO,” or Republican in name only, over comments O'Dea made about a potential 2024 Trump presidential campaign.In a Sunday appearance on CNN's State of the Union, O'Dea was asked whether the Jan. 6 assault on the U.S. Capitol should disqualify Trump from running again. O'Dea called the events of Jan. 6 “a black eye for our country,” though he has previously said he doesn't believe Trump deserves blame for the Capitol attack.“I don't think Donald Trump should run again,” O'Dea said Sunday. “I'm going to actively campaign against Donald Trump and make sure that we've got four or five really great Republicans right now — Ron DeSantis, Nikki Haley, Tim Scott. They can run and serve for eight years.”Trump responded in a post on his Truth Social website: “MAGA doesn't Vote for stupid people with big mouths”O'Dea faces an uphill battle against incumbent Sen. Michael Bennet, a Democrat who is seeking his third full Senate term, in a state that has trended increasingly blue in recent elections. Bennet has led O'Dea in recent polling by an average of eight percentage points, according to FiveThirtyEight.A first-time candidate who has pitched himself as a moderate on social issues, O'Dea has walked a tightrope throughout his campaign as he seeks to win over moderate voters without alienating the conservative Republican base.He did not publicly state his opposition to a Trump 2024 bid until after the June GOP primary, when he defeated far-right state Rep. Ron Hanks with 55% of the vote. His campaign clarified that O'Dea would still support Trump in the general election if the former president wins the GOP nomination, but O'Dea has since backed off of that position in interviews.GOP state Rep. Dave Williams, a far-right election denier who mounted an unsuccessful primary challenge against U.S. Rep. Doug Lamborn earlier this year, reacted to Trump's comments in a Twitter post.“Ouch,” Williams wrote. “Maybe Joe's campaign shouldn't alienate the base 3 weeks before an election.”Trump's criticism follows Ron Hanks' endorsement of the Libertarian in the Senate race, Bryan Peotter, who has put election denial and total opposition to abortion at the center of his campaign. The Libertarian wrote on Twitter that Trump's attack on O'Dea “reads like an endorsement for my campaign pretty clearly.”In an Oct. 7 appearance on the conservative “Chuck and Julie Show,” Ron Hanks, who received just under 45% of the vote in the GOP's June primary, said neither Peotter nor O'Dea have a chance of beating Bennet - and that Republican voters should vote for Peotter to send a message to party leaders.“It's our time now as grassroots Colorado conservatives to step in. We have a big battle ahead to try to reform this leadership,” said Hanks. “It's got to be a bloodbath.”COLORADO NEWSLINE: Will Colorado legalize psychedelic mushrooms?Ten years after Colorado voters made history by approving the ballot measure that legalized recreational marijuana, this November's Proposition 122 would allow licensed ‘healing centers' and decriminalize personal use of some hallucinogens. The Natural Medicine Health Act would establish a regulated market for psilocybin and psilocyn, the psychoactive compounds found in psychedelic mushrooms. Placed on the 2022 ballot by a citizen initiative, it will become law if a majority of Colorado voters give their approval.The measure would allow licensed “healing centers” to provide access to psilocybin and psilocyn for therapeutic purposes. It would also decriminalize the “personal use” of the substances, allowing people to possess and grow psychedelic mushrooms in their own homes.GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOXNatural Medicine Colorado, the group backing the effort says “Natural psychedelic medicines are non-addictive, and can have profound benefits for people struggling with mental health conditions including depression, anxiety, opioid use disorder, and those struggling to find peace at the end of their lives.”Proposition 122 qualified for the ballot in July after organizers submitted more than the required 124,632 valid signatures to the secretary of state's office. An issue committee backing the measure has reported more than $2.8 million in contributions, according to campaign finance disclosures.Nearly all of that funding came from New Approach PAC, a Washington, D.C.-based PAC that advocates for drug policy reform. Top donors to the group include the van Ameringen Foundation, Scotts Miracle-Gro and Dr. Bronner's Magic Soaps.New Approach PAC supported successful mushroom decriminalization measures in Oregon and Washington, D.C., in 2020. If voters approve Proposition 122, Colorado would become the third jurisdiction in the country to legalize psilocybin.Denver voters took a more limited step towards the decriminalization of psychedelic mushrooms in 2019, approving a measure that directed police to make possession of psychedelics the city's ”lowest law-enforcement priority.”Legalization advocates point to a vast body of existing research showing that psychedelics can be effective in treating depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder and other mental health conditions. The federal Food and Drug Administration has designated psilocybin as a “breakthrough therapy” for the treatment of major depressive disorder.Luke Gruber, an initiative backer and a Marine veteran who suffered from PTSD and depression after serving in Afghanistan, says psilocybin therapy “changed his life.”He said, “I can't really describe the experience, but I can describe what it was like after my first treatment with natural medicine. It was like being reminded of what hope felt like.”If passed, Proposition 122 would establish a 15-member Natural Medicine Advisory Board to oversee the regulation of psychedelic substances. The first licenses for regulated providers would be issued beginning in September 2024. Pending recommendations from the advisory board, other substances, including DMT and mescaline, could be added to the program in 2026.I WILL BE VOTING YES. COLORADO NEWSLINE: SHE'S JUST BLOWING SMOKEKirkmeyer repeats false Colorado oil and gas claims in 8th District debate against CaraveoIn a recent debate in the race for Colorado's new 8th Congressional District, right-wing GOP State Sen. Barbara Kirkmeyer took the opportunity to repeat a series of false claims about the oil and gas industry, and the impacts of a 2019 law sponsored by her Democratic opponent, state Rep. Dr. Yadira Caraveo.Kirkmeyer called the package of new health, safety and environmental reforms a “de facto ban on oil and gas. We went from 5,100 permits approved in 2018 down to about, I think, 22 — 22 permits this year, something approximately in that area,” she claimed.So, it's not 22. It's actually 842 new drilling permits that have been approved this year. Nearly 40 times higher than what Kirkmeyer claimed. In total, there are 1,314 active drilling permits held by Colorado oil and gas producers as of last week.She made a similar false claim in March, asserting that only four permits had been issued at that point in the year. The true figure was 125.Colorado's oil production levels have dipped slightly from their 2019 peak, but remain near historic highs. Producers within the state are on pace to pump more than 156 million barrels of crude oil out of Colorado this year. That's higher than every other year prior to 2018, and it's more than five times the volume being pumped in Colorado ten years ago. Drillers have reduced growth plans and capital budgets in large part due to the demands of Wall Street investors, who flooded the industry with cheap credit amid the 2010s fracking boom, but have since sought to prioritize more profitable streams of revenue.Kirkmeyer claimed that SB-181 “killed thousands of jobs” in the 8th District, which encompasses an area in north metro Denver and Weld County that is home to the vast majority of Colorado's oil production. Asked why the same trends were observed in drilling-friendly states like Texas and Wyoming recently, Kirkmeyer said, “I have no idea what other laws, or what other kinds of regulations, or what else was going on in those states.” Kirkmeyer also denied the scientific consensus on fossil fuels and climate change. Dr. Caraveo, the Democratic candidate, is a pediatrician who has seen the impacts of drilling and refinery operations in the lungs of the innocent kids who come into her clinic. The Suncor refinery, one of Colorado's largest sources of air pollution, is located within the new district. Dr. Caraveo said 2019's oil and gas reform bill was moderate, and incorporated industry input. The 8th District, the boundaries of which were drawn last year by Colorado's first-ever Independent Redistricting Commission, is the state's most competitive. According to the commission's analysis, former President Donald Trump would have won the district by 1.7 percentage points in the 2016 election, while Democratic Sen. John Hickenlooper would have carried the district by the same margin in his defeat of former GOP Sen. Cory Gardner in 2020. Nonpartisan elections analysts rate the race as a toss-up.ARIZONA MIRROR:Oath Keepers are planning to watch drop boxes in Arizona, spurred by conspiracy theories. The groups' violent rhetoric has advocates worried, and some local politicians are stirring the pot. The increased attention to ballot drop boxes comes in the wake of the debunked film “2000 Mules” about a completely made up ballot stuffing operation supposedly benefitting Democratic candidates. Now, groups are organizing events to keep an eye on drop boxes in Arizona. One of those groups is connected directly to the Arizona chapter of the Oath Keepers, a known white supremacist group. They're calling their midterm voter intimidation efforts “Operation Drop Box.” On its website the group members describe themselves as “conservative patriots” who say the country has been hijacked global elites, communists, leftists, deep state bureaucrats, and fake news.”Jim Arroyo, the leader of the Arizona Oath Keepers said the group sent emails to everyone in the group's roster, about 1,000 people. In an Oath Keeprs meeting, Arroyo said “For the November election we would like to post people at drop boxes to have eyes on target to be able to notify law enforcement. We have already coordinated with Sheriff Rhodes and he told us that if we see somebody stuffing a ballot box and we get a license plate number, that deputies would make an arrest and there will be a prosecution.” County Sheriff David Rhodes has spoken to the Arizona chapter of the Oath Keepers on two separate occasions. In an August 2021 meeting, he said “I've got to tell you, this is one of my favorite groups. It is great to be with friends” When asked about coordination between the Sheriff, Lions of Liberty and the Oath Keepers. County spokesperson Kristin Greene said “Sheriff Rhodes has zero to do with their effort to watch the drop boxes.”Rhodes also spoke to the group in late September, a meeting which the Sheriff's Office said was to educate the group on what was legal and what was not legal for the group to do. The Yavapai County Sheriff's Office told the group members that as long as they stay 75 feet away from the drop boxes, they are within their legal rights, but any closer and they could be violating the law. The county is also at the center of another effort led by former Graham County Sheriff Richard Mack, who leads the so-called Constitutional Sheriffs Association, an extremist anti-government group.  CSPOA and the Oath Keepers have long had close ties.State Sen. Kelly Townsend, a Republican, called on “vigilantes” to camp out on drop boxes. At a legislative hearing all about indulging wild conspiracy theories, she said, “I have been so pleased to hear about all you vigilantes out there that want to camp out at these drop boxes. We're going to have hidden trail cameras, we are going to have people parked out there watching you and they are going to follow you to your car and get your license plate, so don't try it. Don't try it anymore.” Lake Havasu Republican Sonny Borrelli has also made similar calls while at an election security forum. “We need to be force multipliers,” Borrelli told the crowd in Tempe. “We need to have people camped on unmanned drop boxes and camp on those and keep an eye on them and take down that data, license plates, pictures and so on and so forth.”Concerned voter advocates are advising that .ocal law enforcement may not be the best option for a voter to turn to, if you end up feeling intimidated at the polls - instead suggesting contacting local election officials, the election protection hotline, or federal law enforcement. Voter intimidation is a federal crime, one that is enforced by the FBI and Department of Justice. When asked for comment about the situation with white supremacists camping out at ballot drop boxes, United States Attorney for Arizona Gary Restaino said “Enough with the election deniers and fear-mongers, who only seek to undermine our democratic process. I'm proud to live in a state that endeavors to remove barriers to voting, and that has long believed in vote-by-mail. Working in partnership with our state and local election officials, the Department of Justice will do its very best to ensure that every eligible voter who chooses to vote can do so easily and efficiently, without interference or discrimination.”Most importantly, voters shouldn't let wackos like the Oath Keepers and so-called Constitutional Sheriffs keep you from participating in American democracy. ON THAT NOTE:Arizona's General Election has officially begun, with ballots being sent out across the state to voters who have signed up to receive them by mail, and with polling places opening up for early voting. Voters who have registered for mail-in ballots will begin receiving their ballots soon, and can check the status of their ballot at my.arizona.voteThose who have not yet requested a mail-in ballot have until Oct. 28 to do so. NEVADA CURRENT:Nevada launches opioid task force as fentanyl overdoses increaseThe Nevada Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), Attorney General Aaron Ford and Gov. Steve Sisolak have launched an opioid task force designed to provide technical assistance, guidance and resources to local and state jurisdictions amid the rise of opioid overdoses. The increase in overdoses is associated with fentanyl, which is 50 times more potent than heroin and 100 times more powerful than morphine. Fentanyl is often found in other drugs like cocaine and pills and is not detectable without a chemical test. Between July and August in Nevada, emergency department visits from suspected opioid-related deaths increased by 66% - and emergency department visits from suspected stimulant-related overdoses increased by 50%.For those looking for help, visit: behavioralhealthnv.org in Nevada, or can call the free, confidential, national treatment and referral hotline at 1-800-662-4357. 1-800-662-helpTo find free naloxone or learn about using fentanyl test strips in Nevada, visit nvopioidresponse.orgLast year, 107,000 Americans died from opioid overdoses. Concert pick of the Week: Todd Snider at Washington's FOCOTodd Snider is an American singer/songwriter who is 1000x more fucking badass than implied by that term. He's got a new Live album called Return of the Storyteller, with extra resonance in our post-pandemic era. Snider says laughingly, “This was really only my second tour – because I went out on the road in '94 and never went home until the pandemic.  And I'm so glad I recorded those shows for this album. Because that was the sound of the country getting to see live music again. Everyone just hugs at the start of a concert-you can tell folks are glad to see each other, and then they get more excited than they used to be about just being out and seeing music. I'm sure that it will go back to normal, but it hasn't yet.”So go to the show! Todd Snider is playing next Wednesday Washington's Fort Collins - tickets at washingtonsfoco.com.Next Friday - October 28 he'll be at Knuckleheads in Kansas City - on Saturday November 19th he'll be play the Sheldon Concert Hall in St Louis, and in between he has near daily shows in Des Moines, Eau Claire, Omaha, Iowa City, Chicago, Madison, Grand Rapids, Ohio, Illinois, Raleigh, Knoxville.Closes out the tour in December with 5 dates in Texas, last of which being Luckenback, on December 10.If you can't tell - I'm definitely hoping to catch a couple of this extraordinary storyteller's shows. God willing.Welp, that's it for me! From Denver I'm Sean Diller. Original reporting for the stories in today's show comes from the Nevada Current, Arizona Mirror, Colorado Newsline, Source New Mexico, and Denver's Westword.Thank you for listening! See you next time.

Between July and December 1944, Swedish businessman Raoul Wallenberg saved the lives of thousands of Jews in Nazi-controlled Hungary. The Soviets captured him in January 1945, and Wallenberg was never seen again in public.    Are you interested in learning about Ayn Rand's Objectivism? Check out our FREE ebook:

Between July 1st and 12th, 1916, a sensational series of shark attacks terrorized seaside resorts and communities along the Jersey Shore. Four people would ultimately die before the shark thought responsible was found and killed. My guest, Dr. Richard Fernicola, is the world's foremost expert on the subject. He not only tells the story of how the attacks unfolded, but explains why they might have happened. His book is called "Twelve Days of Terror: Inside the Shocking 1916 New Jersey Shark Attacks". His book can be purchased here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01H4D157MThis episode is sponsored by Talkspace. Use the promo code MONO for $100 off of your first month at https://www.talkspace.com/

Between July 2020 and March 2022 the telecommunications company Ombudsman received over 63,000 complaints about mobile services issues.  "It is a lot of complaints but positively we've seen an improvement in landline and internet complainants. We thought we'd dig deeper into mobile complaints as they have not tracked down as quickly," Cynthia Gebert, Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman told Oliver Peterson on Perth Live. Oly asked Ms Gebert whether she has seen a pattern arise amongst this large sump of complaints, where she explained the biggest driver to be a lack of or delayed action by the provider. "Something that worries me a bit more is that we are still seeing some work that needs to be done on the response of selling mobile services. People are being sold something they might not want, understand or need," she told Oly.  "Another thing we are alert to is the lack of clear information about coverage and service reliability."See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's a massive week in recruiting for Mario Cristobal and the Miami Hurricanes. Between July 20th and July 23rd, we will see announcements made by 4-star safety Jayden Bonsu, 5-star safety Joenel Aguero, 4-star OT Olaus Alinen, 4-star linebacker Malik Bryant and 4-star OT Payton Kirkland. The first 4 of those are strongly trending towards Miami while Kirkland feels less likely, but it's still a possibility. Host Alex Donno breaks down what he's hearing and reading about these players and their level of interest in The U. The Hurricanes are trending towards a top 5 class for 2023 and could even get into the top 3 at this rate. Miami has had big head to head battles in recruiting with Alabama in recent weeks, and will also be battling Ohio State for the likes of Bonsu and Aguero. For Alinen, it seems to be between Miami and Bama, while Bryant appears to be deciding between Miami and Florida. Donno also takes a look at performance reviews for Miami commits and targets at the Under Armor Future 50 event. Francis Mauigoa turned a lot of heads, as did Riley Williams. Miami target Olaus Alinen looks a little raw still, but his potential is through the room. Donno answers a listener question about the players to look forward to most for the upcoming 2022 season. Miami has a ton of talent beyond just quarterback Tyler Van Dyke.Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!LinkedInLinkedIn jobs helps you find the candidates you want to talk to, faster. Post your job for free at Linkedin.com/lockedoncollege Terms and conditions apply.Built BarBuilt Bar is a protein bar that tastes like a candy bar. Go to builtbar.com and use promo code “LOCKED15,” and you'll get 15% off your next order.BetOnlineBetOnline.net has you covered this season with more props, odds and lines than ever before. BetOnline – Where The Game Starts! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It's a massive week in recruiting for Mario Cristobal and the Miami Hurricanes. Between July 20th and July 23rd, we will see announcements made by 4-star safety Jayden Bonsu, 5-star safety Joenel Aguero, 4-star OT Olaus Alinen, 4-star linebacker Malik Bryant and 4-star OT Payton Kirkland. The first 4 of those are strongly trending towards Miami while Kirkland feels less likely, but it's still a possibility.  Host Alex Donno breaks down what he's hearing and reading about these players and their level of interest in The U. The Hurricanes are trending towards a top 5 class for 2023 and could even get into the top 3 at this rate. Miami has had big head to head battles in recruiting with Alabama in recent weeks, and will also be battling Ohio State for the likes of Bonsu and Aguero. For Alinen, it seems to be between Miami and Bama, while Bryant appears to be deciding between Miami and Florida.  Donno also takes a look at performance reviews for Miami commits and targets at the Under Armor Future 50 event. Francis Mauigoa turned a lot of heads, as did Riley Williams. Miami target Olaus Alinen looks a little raw still, but his potential is through the room. Donno answers a listener question about the players to look forward to most for the upcoming 2022 season. Miami has a ton of talent beyond just quarterback Tyler Van Dyke. Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors! LinkedIn LinkedIn jobs helps you find the candidates you want to talk to, faster. Post your job for free at Linkedin.com/lockedoncollege Terms and conditions apply. Built Bar Built Bar is a protein bar that tastes like a candy bar. Go to builtbar.com and use promo code “LOCKED15,” and you'll get 15% off your next order. BetOnline BetOnline.net has you covered this season with more props, odds and lines than ever before. BetOnline – Where The Game Starts! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Between July and October 1965, sisters Sylvia and Jenny Likens was placed under the care of Gertrude Baniszewski by their parents who were carnival workers. The Likens' parents planned to come get them that November. The next four months would be hell on earth for the sisters, primarily Sylvia. As an agreement, Likes' father was to pay Gertrude $20 a week, but after two weeks, payments were a day or two late. Gertrude and her daughter Paula began to physically and mentally abuse the Likens Sisters. They shifted most of the abuse to Sylvia. She was burned, scalded, punched, kicked and hit with objects by the pair. It escalated to Gertrude allowing neighborhood kids to join in on the abuse for a fee of five cents. Gertrude would call Sylvia a prostitute and have her kids spread rumors that she was a sinner. Sylvia would suffer for no reason at all. She was malnourished since she was served expired food or denied food completely. She was incontinent and began urinating herself. Her body, littered with lacerations and bruises, grew weak as time went on. Her abusers would rub salt on Sylvia's wounds until she screamed. Jenny had no other option but to sit there and watch with tears in her eyes. In late October, Gertrude used a heated needle to etch and insult into Sylvia's abdomen. On October 26, 1965, Sylvia Likens died from her extensive injuries. Authorities believed Sylvia died eight hours before a call to police was made. Gertrude, her children Paula and John Jr. and two other neighborhood boys were tried together for Sylvia's murder. All five were found guilty with Gertrude and Paula receiving life sentences. The three boys spent two years in a reformatory since they were minors. All five were paroled, changing their identities and living out their days elsewhere. 

Between July 7th and July 17th the city closed off the section of Dartmouth Street in front of the Boston Public Library to cars. It was part of a 10-day experiment called Copley Connect, which aimed to see what happens when you let people take over the street space.

A Florida Native and graduate of University of South Florida, Jeff Wills is an accomplished Tampa Bay Area agent who brings a strategic yet personable approach to the home buying and home selling process. Drawing from years of experience as an agent in the Tampa market, he has built a solid reputation for himself as an industry leader with a solid track record that specializes in attention to detail in commercial and residential transactions. Investors are buying homes in Tampa at a record rate. Between July and September 2021, one in four homes that sold had an investor as the buyer. According to a report from the Tampa Bay Times, Tampa Bay ranks as the 7th hottest metro area for investors nationwide. Today, Jeff talks about the Tampa Bay market: neighborhoods, price to rent ratios, economic drivers, geographic considerations, and more insights that investors will want to know before making moves there. Episode Links: https://sefair-inv.com/ --- Transcript Before we jump into the episode, here's a quick disclaimer about our content. The Remote Real Estate Investor podcast is for informational purposes only and is not intended as investment advice. The views, opinions and strategies of both the hosts and the guests are their own and should not be considered as guidance from Roofstock. Make sure to always run your own numbers, make your own independent decisions and seek investment advice from licensed professionals.   Michael: Hey, everyone, welcome to another episode of the Remote Real Estate Investor. I'm Michael Albaum and joining me today is Jeff Wills, our certified agent out in Tampa Bay, Florida and Jeff's gonna be talking to us today about all the things we as investors need to know and should be aware of, if we're investing in that market. So let's get into it.   Really quickly, before we get into the episode today, I want to encourage everyone to go check out roofstockacademy.com. Roofstock Academy is our one stop shop for real estate education, independent of whether you're just getting started or a seasoned investor looking to scale up or get involved in a different asset class. We've got lectures, we've got coaching, we've got one on one slack access forum and a plethora of other financial benefits, as well as money back on your marketplace fee credits. If you're transacting on Roofstock. So come check us out at rootstockacademy.com look forward to seeing you in there. Jeff wills thanks so much for taking the time to hang out with me today, man really appreciate you coming on.   Jeff: Absolutely, man. Love to do it and thank you for having me. Yeah, of course. So   Michael: Yeah, of course. So we're just gonna like jump right into it and we're talking today about Tampa Bay, Florida. I want you to give all of our listeners why Tampa why now.   Jeff: So why Tampa why now honestly, I've been hearing that a lot. However, it has been very, very popular as of late. A lot of the big things that people are hearing, actually, just yesterday, Goldman Sachs bought 305 units in downtown Tampa for 168 million, setting another record price per unit and a crazy valuation for cap rates right now and so there's just there's a lot of synergy. The biggest thing behind it has been Water Street water streets about halfway through its 10 year growth plan. They've got phase one out of the way, phase two starting, and that has really brought a lot of life and vibrance to Tampa that was kind of growing and burgeoning there prior to COVID prior to all the popularity we have now, but I think it's really hit its peak and honestly, it's probably got a good you know, 10-20 30.50 years stride to soon looking like Miami, although personally I hope not. I'd like there to be a little bit less people and, and keep the enjoyment that we have here and honestly, you know, Tampa is a big town, it's a big population. But it really does have an extremely small town feel with the micro communities inside the neighborhoods inside the certain you know, sectors and where we are on the map and near the water and so I think Tampa has a lot to offer, both from an investment standpoint, from a long term hold appreciation standpoint, and especially, especially a rent gross. I don't know what that's gonna look like now, just because you know, kind of has hit a very, very high mark. However, we're not seeing any vacancies. We're not seeing, you know, any kind of rent concessions. I was just talking to a very big property manager yesterday for a different reason. But they were saying, yeah, we're barely giving written concessions. We're hitting full market rent. Everything's at 95% occupancy or above and there's no signs of stopping. So I love it, I I've always thought Tampa was a hidden gem before COVID and before things got crazy, but you know, kind of very lucky to be here now and enjoying every minute of it.   Michael: Right on, Jeff, that is that's super interesting. So I'm wondering, what was that cap rate that they got for the Goldman Sachs purchase, do you recall?   Jeff: Honestly, I don't have that in front of me, I can almost guarantee it was probably sub four. Even after tax adjustment, it's crazy. I actually lived in that building. When it first opened, I got a I snuck in with some written concessions and realtor bonuses and stuff like that. So I kind of skated in a bit but I mean, it went through a lot of challenges. I mean, management was horrible. Two years, they had the same management then fired that one and then fired another one and they've had problems left, right and center what that building just knowing because I've got friends that live there and stuff still and it's still selling for that price given I mean there's a bar across the street that has so much drama tied to it. It's insane, that the publicity from that sale has anything to do and so backing up from that Goldman Sachs has long been rumored to be taking a very, very big piece of the pie in the Waterstreet office space and so while that hasn't been announced Goldman Sachs buying that building to me just sounds like corporate housing instead of them having to go and give all their employees stimulus, oh, we'll give you a 5000 monthly allowance. They'll say hey here, we've got a block of rooms, pick one enjoy yourself. It's paid for and I think that might be how they're skating that market rent because some of the stuff and water St. Tampa is going up. Actually, I just talked to my friend yesterday 966 square feet with a big balcony 5000 a month and it's it was exactly what I did you have 550 a square foot. Yeah, um, it's, it's insane and I mean, once you set that, once you set that standard, I mean, they do. I mean, okay, the Heron is the best multifamily building I've ever seen. But I mean, setting that precedent, all people have to do is just be nearby and just enjoy the overflows, people who can live there and by the way, they have zero vacancy, and they have a weightless for that unit. That's coming up down hole, it's crazy.   Michael: Holy smokes. So Jeff, you clearly an expert on the area, give people a little bit background, who you are, where is it that you come from and what is it you do in real estate today?   Jeff: Absolutely, so I grew up about an hour north of Tampa and a county called Pasco, a very small town and to me growing up, Tampa was a big city, a really big city, I had been there three, four times the aquarium a couple of times, and I just every time staring at the top of the skyscrapers and that was just the biggest thing to me and growing up, went to college, didn't really know what I was doing there. When for finance, I was like, yeah, let me kind of figure stuff out. My dad one day was like, hey, why don't you just, you know, pop into real estate, see what's going on? I'm like, yeah, sounds fun, should be pretty flexible. I like people, like, give it a go. Seven years later, here I am and it's just been, you know, from top to bottom, you get to help people with something that's extremely difficult, extremely stressful, and very nuanced and I mean, you know, from deal to deal, there's always something different. There's always a different backstory a different why and even growing up prior to all that I've always kind of felt that I was a good listener. You know, I, of course, I have my own, you know, opinions and desires and stuff. But I was always able to kind of peel back, what is somebody looking for? What does somebody want to do? You know, what they're, they're telling me one thing, but what do they actually mean and I've always, you know, of course, ask them, hey, you know, you're saying this, but what do you want this, and it's just been very enjoyable and, you know, the client feedback is the same, I've got a ton of referrals, a ton of repeat customers, and it's just, it's very, very enjoyable for me to be able to, you know, simmer it down to its the parts that they can control and make sense of, and then I just handle all the other legal mumbo jumbo stuff on the back end and it's just been very, very enjoyable.   The first three years, I was very retail focused, you know, end user not very investor friendly, and kind of got bored with that and I was like, you know, I, I've always enjoyed numbers always been pretty good at numbers, like, why can't I get to the investor side of things and that's when I joined my current brokerage see fair investments and from there, it just kind of skyrocketed. Our offices set up extremely streamlined and efficient, to the point where in the past 13 months, just me and my broker together have done about 137 million in business, and 98% of that was investors and we're just, we're just masterfully efficient, fine-tuned and, you know, we know how to strike valuations from, you know, Jacksonville down to Fort Myers, it's, you know, it's a few things we know how the appraisers operate, we know what a tenant is going to do to it as far as evaluation what people are paying, because we've got 30 under contract that we can look at and say, oh, you know, hey, a cap rate is this based on this or like, we just have a ton of insight and ability to help our investors and you know, even just last week, you know, we have, you know, I guess it's kind of our, our secret sauce, but it's very simple. Every Friday, all of our clients get an update, regardless of status did nothing happen, hey, nothing happened today, you know, that just wanted to let you know, have a great day and yet again, I had another client last week said, hey, you know, honestly, we haven't even spoke on the phone. Once. It's been all email. I just wanted to say thank you. You were exemplary and you know, he even brought up the Friday things like every Friday, I had an update, I didn't need an update. I didn't you know, I didn't ever had a question about what you were doing, how the property was going and so while those compliments don't always come, I mean, it's always 9 to 10 with that, we haven't had very many upset people at all and they always bring us their next listing or, hey, I'm trying to buy in here and buying has been very challenging right now. So a lot of the investors are on hold being patient, seeing what rates are doing. But all in all, it's been really, really great, especially on the sales side, and we're just, you know, happy to help people while we can while the market is doing great.   Michael: Right on. Well, it sounds like if you ever transition careers whenever you're done to be ready to be done with real estate, you'd be a great therapist. good listener.   Jeff: Oh my gosh, I joke about that all the time. I tell people sometimes like, man, I've done so much marriage counseling, I'm good to go. We need to like do one deal. You'll know you'll get one and I'm saying, oh, that's pretty, it's, it's a lot, but it's just very easy. You know, I mean, the end of the day, people want a couple of things. They want to be comforted, they want to be, you know, they want to know that you're honest, and they want someone reliable and if you can fit those buckets, while being a joy to talk to and to interact with, I think that's really all I needed to do.   Michael: Love it, love it, love it. Well, Jeff, let's dig into the kind of meat and potatoes of the Tampa market a little bit and give listeners some insights into other than this Goldman Sachs transaction, which set new record highs and the buying being a little bit difficult. Let's educate people about the Tampa market. So who are some of the major employers in the market and are you seeing people moving to the area or maybe moving out of Tampa?   Jeff: Definitely a massive influx, I'm not sure the exact daily rates, but I know Florida, pre COVID was about 1200 people per day. After COVID, we're at about 2400 to 2600 people per day from out of state moving to Florida and while that's not always Tampa, that really is the only place that has had affordable housing, affordable rents, especially compared to Miami. Compared to Orlando, Orlando is a relatively higher price than us just because it was more pocketed it was hard to find an actual community over there. While there are a handful. It's very spread out and sprawling, and Tampa is extremely concentrated. Some of the larger employers in Tampa are, I wouldn't say there's one or two, the majority are a lot of health care providers, hospitals, doctors, stuff of that nature, a very big presence with attorneys and then honestly Tampa is becoming a very, very big tech hub. Reliaquest is a very big cybersecurity firm, they signed in Waterstreet for the top of their class, a class A office tower and so it's been rumored I've seen a couple articles that Tampa is the next Austin as far as a tech hub and you know, we're tax friendly. We don't have any state income tax, we have homestead, there's a lot of things that were already here and then now as other states like California are being, you know, more tax even more stricter on a lot of things. It's just it's increased that flow and I don't think that stops for a long, long time. Because Florida has so much land, we have so much room for stuff and while you know, even though you might not be right in the heart of Tampa, a 3540 minute drive is no big deal and you are close to a million different things inside that span. So just you know all of those things and then one underlying factor too, that I like to tell that nearly no one knows that I mentioned is pre COVID. I haven't checked these numbers after the Port of Tampa. Probably Never heard of it does 3 billion in revenue every year, if not more and so that has been a very silent provider. Actually, one of the biggest companies in Tampa is mosaic. They own right over 400,000 acres, and they're a fertilizer company. So they are huge in Tampa, as you know, from ground all the way up to politics and everything else. So they are very big employer and advocate for the port and everything else that's going on there.   Michael: Right on and Jeff, you give folks a sense of like, what is a traditional typical three, two, single family home cost and what would the rent look like and maybe you can give people an idea of some of the different neighborhoods in which they could be considering?   Jeff: The median home price now is right around 335,000 today, and we have about less than two months of inventory, scroll back to 2019, we had about six and a half months of inventory. So we've reduced that by about 300% and days on market, three to five days max, if it's even close to move in ready and that that median price. I mean, I'm looking at the chart now it's almost it's very, very close to 350,000 as of today, and it's just it's very, very challenging, but some of the better neighborhoods. So if you're in Tampa, South Tampa is really where you want to be, but those price points are honestly million dollar homes for a three two and so those rents and cap rates just won't sweat. They won't crack the code for what we're looking for and what honestly any investors should be looking for. So that's not really where we want to be. But I would say that Brandon is a great area. It's just outside of Tampa. It's about 30 minutes east, very sprawling tons of land, tons of nature, tons of trees and that area is a great neighborhood. Same very roughly same median price per square foot, you'll probably be able to get rents around anywhere from 1900 to 2200 for that size home depending on the condition and that's honestly a pretty savory return. Of course, you're now seeing foreign 450 be the norm there too but the rents are following. You know, I mean rents for those are 26 to 2800, all day long and sometimes that makes the cap rate, it maybe the cap rates a little more compressed and the overall return, but the cash flow is higher, and you know, the appreciation is going to be there.   Another and it's really hard to find a great cap rate neighborhood right now, because it's just, it's getting nipped up so much. If you go west of Tampa, north to the west Chase Oldsmar area, that's a great little area to that has very, very, very, very quickly start to price up as everybody's moved there, to where they couldn't afford South Tampa to where they couldn't afford north of Kennedy and West Tampa and so that's an excellent little pocket there great schools, great golf courses, you've got all ages that enjoy that area, which is, in my mind, for somebody that's looking for a renter, always, that's a good market to be in and then if you go north of Tampa, you've got Carolwood up there and greater Northdale. So all that area, there is also a great pocket of Tampa, the price points are going to be pretty high on average as well. But you can still find that starter entry level home and if you can get it at a good cap rate buy it, the every growth that I've seen is coming north of Tampa, in waves and this cheval Lutz area all the way over to Keystone in an East Lake. This actually has the highest concentration of wealth in the Hillsborough County so it's actually not in South Tampa. It's not in downtown, it's not on Davis Islands, which is a phenomenal honestly the best part of Tampa but a home there's you know, 4 million for 1500 square feet so those prices are crazy, but this area is excellent very equestrian, tons of lakes, tons of lake homes, tons of golf courses, nature trails preserves, an excellent up and coming area to be in and then one last area I'd like to highlight is the Ybor City and Seminole Heights area.   So this area is directly north of downtown Tampa and if anybody on here is familiar with St. Pete and fourth Ave, fourth Ave, stretches out of downtown St. Pete and goes north and that stretch is probably a 10 mile stretch of the most golden real estate I've ever seen retail shopping centers, storage homes, but that's been there for 20-30 years and then north and east where you see that Columbia restaurant is Ybor City, historic Ybor ton of culture there a ton of background ton of history, an excellent place to be but it is very, very pocketed and very hard to find land there, but would be an absolute killer. The next best spot is going to be Tampa heights and Seminole heights. If we see the Hillsborough River here, that's kind of the cutoff point for Seminole heights and then everything south of the Hillsborough River to about 15 Street is both terminal, Tampa heights and Seminole heights. Those areas are fantastic. People love to be there. There's a whole bunch of you know, farmers markets and pop up shops and just cool boutique II stuff that is not you know, another McDonald's and Taco Bell that people are bored with. So this that's another great neighborhood, and that also sprawls out into a sea wells wood, and then West Ham over here by the airport.   Michael: That's a super great overview. Jeff, thank you so much.   Jeff: Absolutely.   Michael: I'm so curious if you can give people an idea of how property taxes work, because I think that can often be and I'm sure as you see, one of the biggest maker breaks of a real estate deal. So give folks a walkthrough in the Greater Tampa area. Of course, it varies county by county, but how should they be thinking about property taxes?   Jeff: Excellent questions. So obviously, we all know taxes based on a millage rate, every county, like you said is different county by county. But based on that, I mean, there's really not much else we can do to kind of guesstimate and or further understand it besides going to the Property Appraiser website. But plugging in the property and estimating the taxes. A good rule of thumb with that though, is that I found is anywhere between 85 and 90% of the purchase price, and then take the millage rate, then we can kind of skip the step of you know going in there and directly estimating it but that is that will get you within 99% accuracy of the taxes when they become reassessed after closing and so again, that's 8085 to 90% of the purchase price. So if it's 400 it's gonna be about you know, 375 380 and then take the millage and then that'll be your that'll be your new annual tax roll. And that is very, very, very, very important to take into account because I've seen a lot of investors in the past, go into a property and just pull the current taxes without any idea that they're gonna go. If that person's owned the home for 30 years tax you're going to have Got 1000 a month on a $400,000 home after you close, they're going to be closer to about, you know, five to 6000. So that that alone can easily skew a deal. So you always want to make sure that the taxes are, you know, properly at least estimated going in and then double checked while you're going through the process.   Michael: Jeff, you said 1000 a month for that 30 year old 30 year old hold, but I think he made 1000 a year, right?   Jeff: Correct. Yeah, absolutely, 1000 a year for sure.   Michael: Okay, okay. So is there like a good rule of thumb, if someone doesn't know the millage rate like 1% of the sale price, or one and a half percent of the sale price,   Jeff: I would I would inch to one and a half percent of the sales price because I'm seeing more and more than a $400,000 home is any anywhere between 5500 to 7500, depending on their tax district and while it is county by county, there are some overlays in some certain neighborhoods and CBDs that we'll have some effect on that. So I would I would definitely lean to one and a half percent and then if you want to be real conservative, just go 2% and then it'll always be below that.   Michael: Okay, right on. Now, anyone who's ever listened to the news ever, or who follows any kind of climate or weather has heard about that Florida has hurricanes. Talk to us a little bit about some of the weather and climate, things that are unique to Tampa that someone from California might not be aware of.   Jeff: Right, well, I will say anything that you've seen from not being in one, it's always way crazier, that are way less crazy than what they say it is obviously…   Michael: People hanging on the palm trees, you know, getting strung out.   Jeff: Oh, yeah. All, all extremely oversaturated. In my opinion, the biggest thing with Tampa Bay is flooding. And that really only happens in South Tampa and waterfront properties. So honestly, I would say any investor in Florida should really avoid waterfront properties because of hurricane insurance and flood insurance. They're just too high and they're gonna kill your returns not on not including any liability insurance you have. For the tenant that's there, I would say waterfront would work excellent in a short term rental, because that's kind of a hotel experience. But a long term tenant really is not going to do great there. I would certainly avoid it. Overall, if you're in the mainland and not in the low lying area, hurricanes aren't gonna do just about anything to you. As long as the home is up to code and you have a you know, Hurricane Preparedness step do you have the metal covers for the windows and just, you know, it's simple Google search will show you how to get hurricane ready, but it's really, it's really way more than they hype it up to be.   Michael: Okay, awesome and that's a really good point that you bring up. If the house is up to code, you expect it to withstand a hurricane or not became a drone? How should people be thinking about older housing stock or does Tampa even have older housing stock, like in California, we've got a lot of 1950s built ranch style homes. That's just a lot of the bulk of the inventory, what are you seeing there in Tampa?   Jeff: Exactly the same, the bulk of the inventory is probably going to fall in the 1970 range, a ton of homes and that 1950 to 1980 and then honestly, in Ybor you'll see a whole bunch of homes in 1912, 1915, where the area is very, very old, and has a ton of homes with crawl spaces. So what you want to avoid is homes on a crawlspace. If it doesn't have a slab Foundation, honestly, just avoid it. Can you get around it? Can you figure it out, can you have a foundation inspection? Absolutely but those are all things they're going to tack on to the cost and your whole period. If you're a five year holder, maybe it's not a big deal. But if you're at 1015 20, you are going to be dealing with foundation issues, at least at some point and it is not cheap. So that is one thing I would avoid with the age of the inventory and then one other special thing that kind of gets talked about a lot in Florida is sinkholes and so sinkholes are extremely common. They're not as bad as again, as you see on the news 99% of the time. But what happened back in, I would say 95 205 a couple people had a sinkhole that was relatively bad, you know, the home was falling in and unsafe living conditions and then insurance companies and engineers that were working with them came into the entire neighborhood and said, oh, you've got settlement cracks. This looks like a sinkhole and so you'll see 85% of homes maybe even higher than that that have had a sinkhole remediation done with no significant repairs or need for that at all and once the sinkhole home has been remediated with either a chemical grounding a underpinning or a another. They actually insert concrete under the home once you do either of those three things. Your risk for a sinkhole after that is slim to none because once you solidify all the Lime Rock and silt that's under the home you're done, there's nothing to worry about, just check for warranties, and make sure that engineering report gets to your insurance provider and I believe there's still only two insurance providers in the state of Florida, that will insure a single home. So it's going to be a little bit more expensive as well. So just keep that in mind.   Michael: Okay, good to know and, Jeff, I just want to go back to the foundation, you said that to avoid slabs or avoid crawl spaces?   Jeff: Avoid crawl spaces. I mean, you don't have to avoid them at all costs. But if the house looks a little wonky, even on the photos, just go on to the next one. I've seen 95% of every home that I've been that has a crawlspace has some sort of issue, you can drop a marble in the kitchen, and it ends up in the living room every time. It's just Florida. I mean, Florida with sinkholes, and still homes horrible mixture and there's not a ton of those. But you'll see him a lot in Ybor City a lot around some of the older areas of Tampa, but just stick to the easy stuff, you know, slab on frame or slab on block and you'll 9 times out of 10 you'll be good to go.   Michael: Okay, right on and from a kind of hurricane perspective, what are your thoughts and what should people be looking out for in terms of roofs?   Jeff: You want as long of a life expectancy on the roof as possible, um, shingle roofs are great, every roof made in the past, I think from 2010, or maybe even earlier, since we had that one bad hurricane that came through all of the code is updated. The majority of the roofs have roof strapping that straps the trusses down to the block and that helps tremendously during hurricanes and just about every home has that and when you get an inspection, you do your wind mitigation and that is a very, very, very big piece of the pie to save you money on insurance, especially if you're considering hurricane coverage. So I would say maybe one out of every 100 to 200 clients gets hurricane protection. But it's available and honestly, you really just want to make sure that it has up to code roofing and those standards and it'll be just fine.   Michael: Right on and kind of in the same vein as insurance. What are you seeing or do you have a good kind of ballpark estimate for clients and listeners about what insurance costs are in Florida?   Jeff: Absolutely, to keep it simple, like we did with the taxes, I would probably say that's very close to the 1% rule and probably even a little bit below that, a $400,000 home. I've seen quotes anywhere from 2800 to 3800. So if you use the 1%, it's going to be less but you know, as long as you're not in a flood zone and don't you know don't have any hazard or wind additional add ones, then that should be a perfect, perfect metric to keep track on.   Michael: Right on. Jeff, this has been super awesome, man. Any final thoughts, things tips tricks that folks should be aware of as they're investigating the Tampa market?   Jeff: Absolutely don't wait, don't sleep if you want something, get it now get it while it's hot, because it's only going up. I think we've been undervalued for a very long time. I think we're at market value now. But I think the you know, honestly, the 10 to 30 year window and long range gross of Tampa I think is going to pay massive dividends for whoever can get in there.   Michael: Right on and I guess my last question you, are you seeing stuff go over asking or are you still seeing things come under list price or how are you seeing that?   Jeff: The market right now is very weird. Only because I've been used to just stuff flying for 18 months now. With the rates kind of adjusting the way that they have been everything has slowed to a tolerable level instead of 20 offers on a home we have three to five, so it's still chaos, but it's controlled chaos and something we can all deal with a little bit. But yet if you're not offering asking, you're not getting the house, if you're not offering 10 grand 15-20 above the house, you're probably still not getting it if somebody else's cash. So it's, it's extremely competitive. You have to be willing to push that cap rate on your own and be ready for the appreciation and the rent growth next year to kind of float you to where you want to be.   Michael: Okay, so good to know, Jeff, our certified agent out in Tampa, and folks have questions for you want to get a hold up? Where's the best place for them to do that?   Jeff: Absolutely. Um, you can visit our website at any time https://sefair-inv.com or feel free to reach out to me directly. My cell phone and email will be left in the podcast notes and I'll be happy to do whatever you like.   Michael: Right on. Thanks so much Jeff, can't wait to hear from you to chat soon.   Jeff: Absolutely, buddy. Have a great day, thank you!   Michael: Thanks, take care. All right, everyone. That was our episode A big thank you to Jeff for coming on and hanging out with me. It was a lot of fun, super interesting and clearly he is jazz about the market. I think a lot of us should be too. As always, if you've liked the episode I would love, love, love to hear from you all check out some ratings or reviews from you all and just hear what you have to say about the show. We look forward to seeing on the next one and happy investing!

This week we talk about how child sexual abuse prosecution rates have reportedly fallen 45% in four years. The figures obtained by the NSPCC indicate prosecutions fell from 6,394 in 2016/2017 to 3,025 in 2020/2021. Convictions in the same period fell from 4,751 to 2,595 Further information obtained through freedom of information requests suggested cases were taking much longer to get to trial with explanations of closing courts, reduced court staff. However, during the same period there was an increase of 57% in police reports of child sexual abuse. We have discussed before the impact of the pandemic on resources, increased abuse and delays in court procedures. NSPCC are now calling for Dominic Rabb to review and reserve the decline in prosecutions and convictions. Further they want court delays tackled and more funding for specialist sexual violence advisers to assist children during the process. NSPCC are seeking funding from the Ministry of Justice Spending Review  to tackle the backlog of child sexual abuse cases, to fund children safe houses However a crown prosecution services spokesman stated prosecutions had increased by 22% in the last year. Between July 2020- June 2021 the CPS stated 4347 were prosecuted which was a 84.2 % conviction rate. The year before they state the conviction rate of 2556 prosecutions was 84.4 % We encourage anyone who has concerns about sexual abuse to get in touch. You can contact Alan Collins at Alan.collins@hughjames.com or Danielle Vincent at  Danielle.vincent@hughjames.com.

Grapes could help protect against cognitive decline   University of California, Los Angeles - February 06 2022.   The January issue of Experimental Gerontology published the finding of researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles of a protective effect for powdered grape against a decline in brain metabolism in older adults. The results of the investigation suggest that eating grapes might contribute to the prevention of Alzheimer's disease. The study included ten men and women with mild cognitive decline. Participants were given freeze-dried grape powder or a placebo similar in flavor and appearance but lacking beneficial grape polyphenols. The grape powders, which provided the equivalent of three servings of grapes per day, were mixed with water and consumed in divided daily doses for six months. Cognitive performance and changes in brain metabolism as assessed by PET scans were evaluated before and after the treatment period.   (NEXT)   Loneliness associated with increased risk of dementia in older adults   New York University, February 7, 2022   As social isolation in the United States has been increasing among older adults, a new study shows a notable link between loneliness and dementia risk, and one that is most striking for Americans who represent a large part of the population. In the study publishing February 7 in Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology,researchers found a three-fold increase in risk of subsequent dementia among lonely Americans younger than 80 years old who would otherwise be expected to have a relatively low risk based on age and genetic risk factors. The study also found that loneliness was associated with poorer executive function (i.e., a group of cognitive processes including decision-making, planning, cognitive flexibility, and control of attention) and changes in the brain that indicate vulnerability to Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD).   (NEXT)   Dietary total antioxidant capacity and mortality outcomes: the Singapore Chinese Health Study   Huazhong University of Science and Technology (China), February 1, 2022   To evaluate the relations of dietary total antioxidant capacity (DTAC) with mortality outcomes in a Chinese population. The study included 62,063 participants from the Singapore Chinese Health Study. The participants were 45–74 years at baseline (1993–1998) when dietary data were collected with a validated 165-item food frequency questionnaire. During 1,212,318 person-years of follow-up, 23,397 deaths [cardiovascular diseases (CVD): 7523; respiratory diseases: 4696; and cancer: 7713] occurred. In multivariable models, the HR (95% CI) comparing participants in the highest vs. lowest quartile of CDAI was 0.85 for all-cause mortality, 0.82 for CVD mortality, 0.76 for respiratory disease mortality  and 0.94 for cancer mortality  Similar associations were found with the VCEAC index. Higher intakes of the DTAC components, i.e., vitamin C, vitamin E, carotenoids, and flavonoids, were all associated with lower mortality risk.   (NEXT)   Healthy lifestyle equals bigger brain   Yale University School of Medicine, February 4 2022.   Research findings scheduled to be reported at the American Stroke Association's International Stroke Conference 2022  demonstrated that adherence to Life's Simple 7 lifestyle behaviors is associated with greater brain volume and fewer indicators of damage among middle-aged men and women. The study included 35,914 participants enrolled in the UK Biobank. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain measured brain volume and white matter hyperintensity volume.   (NEXT)   No time to exercise? What about three seconds a day?   Edith Cowan University (Australia) and Niigata University (Japan), February 7, 2022   Lifting weights for as little as three seconds a day can have a positive impact on muscle strength, a new study from Edith Cowan University (ECU) has discovered. A collaboration with researchers from Niigata University of Health and Welfare (NUHW) in Japan had 39 healthy university students perform one muscle contraction at maximum effort for three seconds per day, for five days a week over four weeks. The participants performed either an isometric, concentric or eccentric bicep curl (see definitions below) at maximum effort, while researchers measured the muscles' maximum voluntary contraction strengthbefore and after the four-week period. Another 13 students performed no exercise over the same period and were also measured before and after the four weeks. Muscle strength increased more than 10 percent for the group who performed the eccentric bicep curl after the four weeks, but less increase in muscle strength was found for the other two exercise groups. The no exercise group saw no increase. The study shows all three lifting methods had some benefit to muscle strength, however eccentric contraction easily produced the best results.   (OTHER NEWS)   Dystopia Disguised as Democracy: All the Ways in Which Freedom Is an Illusion   John W. Whitehead & Nisha Whitehead, February 8, 2022   We are no longer free. We are living in a world carefully crafted to resemble a representative democracy, but it's an illusion. We think we have the freedom to elect our leaders, but we're only allowed to participate in the reassurance ritual of voting. There can be no true electoral choice or real representation when we're limited in our options to one of two candidates culled from two parties that both march in lockstep with the Deep State and answer to an oligarchic elite. We think we have freedom of speech, but we're only as free to speak as the government and its corporate partners allow. We think we have the right to freely exercise our religious beliefs, but those rights are quickly overruled if and when they conflict with the government's priorities, whether it's COVID-19 mandates or societal values about gender equality, sex and marriage. We think we have the freedom to go where we want and move about freely, but at every turn, we're hemmed in by laws, fines and penalties that regulate and restrict our autonomy, and surveillance cameras that monitor our movements. Punitive programs strip citizens of their passports and right to travel over unpaid taxes. We think we have property interests in our homes and our bodies, but there can be no such freedom when the government can seize your property, raid your home, and dictate what you do with your bodies. We think we have the freedom to defend ourselves against outside threats, but there is no right to self-defense against militarized police who are authorized to probe, poke, pinch, taser, search, seize, strip and generally manhandle anyone they see fit in almost any circumstance, and granted immunity from accountability with the general blessing of the courts. Certainly, there can be no right to gun ownership in the face of red flag gun laws which allow the police to remove guns from people merely suspected of being threats. We think we have the right to an assumption of innocence until we are proven guilty, but that burden of proof has been turned on its head by a surveillance state that renders us all suspects and overcriminalization which renders us all lawbreakers. Police-run facial recognition software that mistakenly labels law-abiding citizens as criminals. A social credit system (similar to China's) that rewards behavior deemed “acceptable” and punishes behavior the government and its corporate allies find offensive, illegal or inappropriate. We think we have the right to due process, but that assurance of justice has been stripped of its power by a judicial system hardwired to act as judge, jury and jailer, leaving us with little recourse for appeal. A perfect example of this rush to judgment can be found in the proliferation of profit-driven speed and red light cameras that do little for safety while padding the pockets of government agencies. By gradually whittling away at our freedoms—free speech, assembly, due process, privacy, etc.—the government has, in effect, liberated itself from its contractual agreement to respect the constitutional rights of the citizenry while resetting the calendar back to a time when we had no Bill of Rights to protect us from the long arm of the government. We've bartered away our right to self-governance, self-defense, privacy, autonomy and that most important right of all: the right to tell the government to “leave me the hell alone.” In exchange for the promise of safe streets, safe schools, blight-free neighborhoods, lower taxes, lower crime rates, and readily accessible technology, health care, water, food and power, we've opened the door to militarized police, government surveillance, asset forfeiture, school zero tolerance policies, license plate readers, red light cameras, SWAT team raids, health care mandates, overcriminalization and government corruption. In the end, such bargains always turn sour. We can no longer maintain the illusion of freedom.   (NEXT)   Preventive Use of Ivermectin Reduced COVID Mortality by 90%, Study Found   A peer-reviewed study published last month found the prophylactic use of ivermectin reduced COVID mortality by 90% among more than 223,000 study participants in a town in Southern Brazil.   David Charbonneau, Ph.D., February 7, 2022   A peer-reviewed study published last month found the prophylactic use of ivermectin reduced COVID mortality by 90% among more than 223,000 study participants in a town in Southern Brazil. The study, published in the Cureus Journal of Medical Science, also found a 44% reduction in COVID cases among those who took the re-purposed drug. Between July 7, 2020, and Dec. 2, 2020, all residents of Itajaí were offered ivermectin. Approximately 3.7% of ivermectin users contracted COVID during the trial period, compared with 6.6% of residents who didn't take the drug. Based on the results, Dr. Flavio Cadegiani, one of the study's lead authors, said, “Ivermectin must be considered as an option, particularly during outbreaks.” Dr Pierre Kory said: “You would think this would lead to major headlines everywhere. And yet, nothing. And this is not new, this censorship of this highly effective science and evidence around repurposed drugs. The censoring of it, it's not new, it's just getting more and more absurd. And it has to stop.” Kory said it's not even about ivermectin, “it's about the pharmaceutical industry's capture of our agencies and how our policies are all directed at suppressing and avoiding use of re-purposed drugs” in favor of high-profit medicines.

Between July 1 and 22 of 2019, Montgomery allegedly punched the girl, who was 5 at the time with visual impairments that included blindness in her right eye, in the face.At least two family members — Harmony's stepmom Kayla Montgomery and her father's uncle Kevin Montgomery — later told police they saw her with a black eye. Her own uncle, Michael Montgomery, said he heard about it. But none of them reported it to police until last week, when Manchester detectives started demanding answers.Child welfare agencies in both states declined to comment, citing privacy concerns.Support the show (https://pod.fan/have-you-seen-me-the-missing-chronicles)

Prescott's Arizona Community Foundation and its donors are pleased to announce grant and scholarship distributions for the second quarter of its fiscal year. Between July 1 and September 30, 2021, a total of ,292,494 was awarded from funds of the Arizona Community Foundation and its six statewide affiliates in Cochise, Flagstaff, the Gila Valley, Sedona, Yavapai County, and Yuma. The .3 million in both discretionary and advised grants and scholarships were awarded in five strategic priority areas: Health Innovations, Community Improvement & Development, Environment & Sustainability, Arts & Culture, and Quality Education. Health Innovations: A total of .2 million was... For the written story, read here >> https://www.signalsaz.com/articles/prescotts-arizona-community-foundation-distributes-29-3-million-in-grants-scholarships/

In the early 1960s, mysterious child abductions and murders were making headlines. Between July 1963 and October 1965, five children and teenagers were horribly raped and mutilated and their remains buried on Saddleworth Moor. The long investigation led by the Manchester Police Department will gradually shed light on two immoral and demonic personalities: Myra Hindley is a charming blonde, and her partner, Ian Brady! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Guest: Maureen Tarrant President and CEO Rocky Mountain Hospital for Children was in the 1990s and they now have over 300 pediatric specialist.  They have families from a 12 state regions that they care for.  Between July 19th and August 28th, KOSI 101, CBS 4 Denver and Rocky Mountain Hospital for Children have partnered to collect new teddy bears.  These teddy bears are then given to paramedics who then give them to a child who just experienced trauma.           https://kosi101.com/teddy-bear-patrol/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hello,We are contacting you because we've identified you as the owner of inventory that had not been previously allocated to your account due to an error in one or more of your shipments to an Amazon fulfillment center.On July 14, 2021, we will begin assigning items to accounts that we determine to be the owner of the unallocated inventory. Between July 14 and July 30, you might start seeing items from past shipments being added back to your account.You have not been charged storage fees for items that were not previously assigned to your account. Once the inventory is assigned to your account, monthly storage fees will apply.For more information, go to our inventory storage fees Help page:https://sellercentral.amazon.ca/gp/help/external/G200612770If you don't want to continue offering these items for sale, you can submit a request to remove them. We will waive the removal fee for these specific items until 11:59 p.m. on August 27, 2021. Starting 12:00 a.m. on August 28, you will be charged the standard removal fee to remove units that were assigned to you.For more information, go to "Remove inventory from a fulfillment center":https://sellercentral.amazon.ca/gp/help/external/201436560To see inventory that was assigned to your account as part of this effort, download your Inventory Adjustments report after July 30 and filter by following the instructions below:1. From the "Reports" menu, select "Fulfilment".2. Under "Inventory," click "Inventory Adjustments," and then click the "Download" tab.3. From the "Event date" menu, select "Exact dates".4. Enter the date range for July 14 to July 30, 2021.5. Click "Request .csv download" or "Request .txt download".6. After the report status changes from "In progress" to "Download," click "Download" to save the file to your computer.7. Open the report in a spreadsheet or database program such as Microsoft Excel or Access.8. Filter the "Reason" column to show "N" only, and filter the "Unreconciled" column to exclude "0" values.The Fulfilment by Amazon teamJoin our Channel to get early access and say thanks to Steven Pope for putting out all the content: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClUSEsDS2sdgNJfCcCM_5Uw/joinAbout Steven Pope: Steven is the founder of My Amazon Guy. He started his career as a TV reporter in Idaho, then was an eCommerce Director for 10 years for brands ranging from Gold & Silver Coins to Women's Plus Size Clothing. Steven created My Amazon Guy because of how difficult it has become to grow sales on Amazon. Steven owns MAG, My Refund Guy - a clawback FBA service, and Momstir - a Private Label FBA Wine Glass brand with the #1 funny wine glass on Amazon. He has more than 600 tutorial videos on YouTube showing how to handle ANY problem faced on Amazon. Steven also hosts a podcast with interviews from other Amazon experts. LinkedIn // Degrees: MBA and BS In Communications. Amazon Advertising Sponsored Ads Accredited.About My Amazon Guy: An 160+ client full-service Amazon Agency in Atlanta, Georgia. We growth hack sales through traffic and conversion improvements. PPC, SEO, Design, Catalog Merchandising, and more all in-house. My Amazon Guy Podcast and Videos: Podcast.MyAmazonGuy.comYouTube.com/MyAmazonGuyWebsite: MyAmazonGuy.comOther Social Media links:https://www.facebook.com/myamazonguys/https://www.linkedin.com/company/my-amazon-guyhttps://twitter.com/myamazonguy#amazonselling #amazonseller #amazonfba #myamazonguy00:0000:16 Dan Pope with Adam Heist at the Prosper Show01:43 Amazon is giving you inventory that they've lost02:28 My Refund GuySupport the show (https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/myamazonguy)

Mansour Abbas (Leader of the United Arab List) – Clairvoyant/Psychic reading June 18, 2021 – by Clairvoyant House “Dimitrinka Staikova and daughters Stoyanka and Ivelina Staikova” – from Europe, Bulgaria, Varna http://clairvoyantdimitrinkastaikova.weebly.com http://clairvoyant-dimitrinka-staikova.mystrikingly.com https://dimitrinkastaikova.wordpress.com http://sites.google.com/site/dimitrinkastaikova At June 13, 2021 – I see pain in the left kidney of Mansour Abbas, pain in the left pelvic area, pain in the muscles above the both lungs and inside them. His liver and bile are inflamed, painful. There is a severe pain at the forehead and the entire frontal left pard of the head. The urinary tract is inflamed. He is ill by Coronavirus and the temperature of his body and the blood pressure will often play (raise and fall). He has agreed with fear for the coalition with Naftali Bennett. He is thinking that the coalition is up to him. Mansour Abbas is in a moment of hiding by the world and secret talks, messages, agreements with State leaders. Between July 8 and 15, 2021 – there will be changes for him. August 2021 – I see him aside of the Knesset, but he will still have a wish to keep the dialogue. That government of Israel will almost split twice and it will be united again until the coming of the next one. READ MORE ABOUT THE FUTURE OF ISRAEL SEEN BY CLAIRVOYANT DIMITRINKA STAIKOVA THROUGH THE EYES OF BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, BENNY GANTZ : https://dimitrinkastaikova.wordpress.com/?s=Benjamin+Netanyahu+ Oul Latest Ebooks : Find more Ebooks by Clairvoyant Dimitrinka Staikova in our Ebook Store – ● https://clairvoyantdimitrinkastaikova.weebly.com/HottestNewsPredictions BUY OUR EBOOKS AND PAPERBACK BOOKS FROM AMAZON : ● http://www.amazon.com/s?k=Dimitrinka+Staikova HOTTEST NEWS PREDICTIONS Psychic News by Clairvoyant House “Dimitrinka Staikova and daughters Stoyanka and Ivelina Staikova” – from Europe,Bulgaria,Varna. Authors of more than 80 books with Clairvoyant predictions/Psychic readings on the Hottest News of the day published in Amazon ● CLICK HERE TO ORDER A CLAIRVOYANT/PSYCHIC READING BY Clairvoyant House “Dimitrinka Staikova and daughters Stoyanka and Ivelina Staikova” – from Europe,Bulgaria,Varna http://clairvoyantdimitrinkastaikova.weebly.com https://dimitrinkastaikova.wordpress.com http://sites.google.com/site/dimitrinkastaikova ●Follow us –| Twitter | Instagram | NEW ! Follow our Telegram channels : Psychic News – https://t.me/s/dimitrinkastaikova Hottest News Predictions – https://t.me/hottestnewspredictions

Critical Zones | Terrestrische Universität [16.07.2020] The ocean is a sensorium. It records in its complex dynamics the transformations of the Earth, and it inscribes its cycles back into the activities of life-forms. The global ocean is changing its circulations, energies, interactions, and ecologies. It is the most dynamic and sensitive component of our living planet. How can we think from and with the ocean? The ocean is in a new phase of its dynamic history, shaped by intensifications of the impact of human activities on planetary systems. The transformations are plural: they traverse a multiplicity of elements, circulations, life forms, environments, and operate across a gradient of dimensions, energies and rhythms. How are we to understand the current sets of transformations changing the ocean without reverting to an all-sweeping new horizon, one single line of sight? How to become sensible to the multiple refractions and circulations that are coupled in the making of the Anthropocene ocean? TBA21–Academy and Territorial Agency are collaborating to connect new forms of visibility and understanding of the ocean brought by science, culture, and art. Linking scientists, artists, policy makers, and conservationists by way of shared images, data sets, and narratives, the project is structured as an instigation for new cognitive modes of encountering the ocean and a line towards attainable solutions to safe-guard the oceans. »Oceans in Transformation« is a multi-year research project by Territorial Agency, commissioned by TBA21-Academy. The project is highlighted in the exhibition »Critical Zones« with a multimedia installation investigating the architecture of the continental shelf, and how they are being transformed into a complex architecture of extraction. Fossil resources are being extracted at larger and larger risk, excessive fishing is depleting the livelihood of marine life, the ploughing of the seabed through trawling is rearranging the sedimentary strata and eradicating life. About the participants John Palmesino is an architect and urbanist, born in Switzerland. He has established, together with Ann-Sofi Rönnskog, Territorial Agency, which has designed the integrated vision for the future of the Markermeer, in the Netherlands. In his scientific as well as artistic work, he focuses on the territorial transformations. Ann-Sofi Rönnskog is an architect and urbanist from Finland. Together with John Palmesino, she has established Territorial Agency . Her work focuses on the architectural and spatial analysis of contemporary city transformation processes. Markus Reymann is the director of TBA21-Academy. Between July, 2011 and today, Reymann initiated and conducted numerous expeditions. Each trip is designed as a collaboration with invited artists, scientists and thinker's eager to embark on oceanic explorations. Inspired by this unusual encounter with both human and natural elements, the Academy commissions ambitious projects informed by the itinerary of the research vessel Dardanella. Francesca Thyssen-Bornemisza is the Founder and Chair of Thyssen-Bornemisza Art Contemporary (TBA21). Driven by a belief in the power of art to serve as an agent of change, she has supported artists throughout her career in the production and creation of new work that fuels engagement with the most pressing issues of our times. Bruno Latour is a philosopher, anthropologist and sociologist. He curated the exhibition »Critical Zones«, which puts the focus on the thin surface of the earth, in which all transactions of life are mutually dependent. In his latest publication »Down to Earth: Politics in the New Climatic Regime« he demands to define politics as what leads toward the Earth and not toward the global or the national. Peter Weibel is the chairman of the ZKM | Center for Art and Media Karlsruhe. He studied literature, medicine, logic, philosophy, and film. On account of his various activities as artist, media theorist, curator, and as a nomad between art and science, he became a central figure in European media art. He also curated the exhibition »Critical Zones« Bettina Korintenberg is a cultural studies scholar whose work focuses on the areas where art, architecture, and literature intersect. Her curatorial and academic practice centers on critically questioning and reflecting on paradigms of modernity against the backdrop of contemporary social and ecological transformations. She also curated the exhibition »Critical Zones«.

In recent years, Jonathan Groff has become a household name and all-round family favorite. Between July 3 and 13, more than 2.7 million households watched Jonathan Groff's iconic role in Hamilton on Disney+. Late last year, he reprised the role of Kristoff in Frozen 2, which is now the highest-grossing animated film in cinematic history! However, Groff's love of performing goes way back beyond these latest successes. So who is Jonathan Groff, and how did he get where he is today? If you want to know more about Jonathan Groff's rise to stardom, you're in the right place. Read on to learn the untold story about how this iconic performer and LGBTQ+ advocate broke onto the big stage, screen and TV. ABOUT THE PODCAST: This podcast is an audio feed of the website, CadeHildreth.com where you'll learn what you SHOULD'VE been taught in school. As an LGBTQ + entrepreneur, real estate investor, former USA Rugby Player, and fitness enthusiast, Cade will teach you what your parents and teachers should have taught you but didn't know themselves. You'll learn how to increase your income, negotiate a raise, buy real estate, invest for cash flow, lose 10 lbs fast, reveal 6-pack abs, and so much more. CONNECT WITH CADE: Website: CadeHildreth.com Instagram: Instagram.com/CadeHildreth Twitter: Twitter/CadeHildreth Facebook: Facebook.com/CadeHildreth Pinterest: Pinterest.com/CadeHildreth

 I talk to Catherine Louise Geach on the Peace Projects. Catherine Louise Geach was born in England and began playing the violin at the age of 4, performing her first concert a year later. When she was 15 she won a scholarship to study violin at the Royal Academy of Music in London. Between July and September of 1990, she went to Cambodia at the age of 18, in order to compile a report on the violation of human rights by the Khmer Rouge and the devastating effect this was having on the civilian population of Cambodia. The “Aid and War Report” was sent to the UN, British Government and organisations concerned with peace and development. The report highlighted the suffering of people in Khmer Rouge zones and showed why the international community should not be supporting the Khmer Rouge, as well as the negative effect the International Aid and Trade embargo had on Cambodia. For the “Aid and War Report”, she was awarded the Bernard Brett Peace Bequest in 1991. During her research in Cambodia in 1990, she performed a concert for the Royal University of Fine Arts and was asked by the Dean of the Music Faculty to return to the University to help teach. From 1990 -1991 she studied Khmer as a private student at SOAS (School of Oriental and African Studies in London.)and Kompong Speu hospitals with civilians maimed by mines and rocket fire. She also did research on the Kreung and Tampuan ethnic minorities and their music in Ratankiri Province, she wrote an article for the Tablet about them and presented her research at the European Seminar of Ethnomusicology in 1992. She was a United Nations Election Observer in Ratanakiri Province for Cambodia’s first democratic elections in 1993. For video and more info go to the ThePeaceProjects.com

Between July 2017 and June of 2018, there was a sudden influx of deaths occurring at the Louis A. Johnson Veteran Affairs Medical Center in Clarksburg, West Virginia. These deaths went unnoticed by hospital staff until they zeroed in on Reta Mays, a nursing assistant, who worked the night shift and seemed as if she wouldn't hurt a fly. However, things aren't always how they seem and eventually, Reta's cruelty would be uncovered. Join Amanda and Arielle as they examine the details of the many manipulations of the Angel of Death, Reta Mays. https://wvmetronews.com/2020/07/16/why-did-reta-mays-murder-those-veterans/ https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/shes-a-veteran-who-killed-seven-other-veterans-at-a-west-virginia-hospital-their-families-want-to-know-why/2020/07/23/78cc38fe-cab3-11ea-b0e3-d55bda07d66a_story.html https://www.wvnd.uscourts.gov/united-states-america-v-reta-mays-120cr27 https://wchstv.com/news/local/ex-nursing-assistant-at-clarksburg-va-medical-center-set-to-plea-in-patient-deaths https://ordinary-times.com/2020/07/16/reta-mays-an-angel-of-death-stalking-her-own-at-va-hospital/#:~:text=In%20addition%20to%20Archie%20Edgell,%3B%20and%20William%20Holloway%2C%2096. https://www.scribd.com/document/469121165/VA-Hospital-Charges#fullscreen&from_embed --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/homicidehomegirls/support

Between July 2018—June 2019, 49 horses died at the Santa Anita race track in Southern California. The story of the dead horses spread— from the trade publications to The New York Times to Good Morning America until journalists, politicians, and DA investigators started to ask: should American horse racing still exist? From ESPN Investigates, Bloodlines examines horse racing’s current existential crisis. How did horse racing go from America’s most popular sport to a game driven by returns on investment? How have decades of breeding for races changed the horses themselves? And what might the dead horses at one track mean for the future of horse racing?

Pietermaritzburg Economic Justice and Dignity group says the price for a basket of select and staple food in South Africa has started trending upwards again. Between July 2020 and August 2020, the cost of these core foods increased by 2,3% (R31,75). Over the past five months of lockdown, the cost of these core foods increased by 8% (R106,06); and year-on-year the cost has increased by 15,6% (R193,84). st of the core foods is at the highest level we have ever seen." - Programme Coordinator Abrahams --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

Between July 2018—June 2019, 49 horses died at the Santa Anita race track in Southern California. The story of the dead horses spread— from the trade publications to The New York Times to Good Morning America until journalists, politicians, and DA investigators started to ask: should American horse racing still exist? From ESPN Investigates, Bloodlines examines horse racing’s current existential crisis. How did horse racing go from America’s most popular sport to a game driven by returns on investment? How have decades of breeding for races changed the horses themselves? And what might the dead horses at one track mean for the future of horse racing?

Today's feature interview is with Dave Hagen, an alum of Fort Lewis College ('04), has led the FLC Cycling Team as the Director since 2004. Prior to that, he was a professional on the Yeti mountain biking team from 1991-93.  The FLC Cycling program has become one of the top, if not the best, cycling programs in the nation. Since 1994, the program has recorded 23 National Championships and compete in the USA Cycling Varsity Division 1. The team competes in five disciplines throughout the course of the year: track, mountain biking, cyclocross, BMX and road. Sponsor VENGA: Thanks to Venga CBD for helping make the show possible and sponsoring today's show.  Venga is a premium CBD that will improve your athletic performance by helping reducing inflammation and anxiety.    Whatever your sport, you ask your body to do more and perform at a higher level than 99% of the people on the planet! And it pays because endurance athletes are some of the healthiest people in the world.  As we age it gets harder to bounce back, maintain the miles, hours & laps. CBD (cannabidiol) is an all-natural remedy that targets your pain, inflammation and so much more. Ultra Gels are on sale right now for $39.99 for your first bottle with a subscription using the code ultragel-sub07. Then, each month Venga will send you a new bottle for only $72.25 (15% off our current sale price!). Just use coupon code ultragel-sub07 at checkout to get the first month’s supply for only $39.99! You can get Venga CBD by going to VengaCBD.com which is spelled V - e - n - g - a CBD.com.  Get 30% off your first order with promo code - 303podcast.  Subscribe and save 15% on future orders. Sponsor UCAN: Five Tips for New Cyclists on the UCAN Blog I had an epiphany.  When I eat or drink UCAN, my stomach not only feels good and comfortable.  It finally hit me, it's the same feeling I get from comfort food.  A lot of comfort foods are starchy.  UCAN is comfort food for your training and racing.  This week UCAN is featuring their ENERGY blends with SuperStarch.  I've been a fan of the CITRUS ORANGE and now the LEMON.  I took a full shaker bottle with 2+ scoops of UCAN and a UCAN COFFEE ENERGY BAR and I was good to go on my Mt Bierstadt 14er Sunday. UCAN gives you steady energy so you can finish stronger. UCAN Performance Energy and Bars are powered by SuperStarch®.   Use in your training to fuel the healthy way and recover quickly! Use code MHE2020 for 15% off at generationucan.com, or try the UCAN Tri Starter Pack - 50% off, limit 1 - https://www.generationucan.com/product/ucan-tri-starter-pack-50-off/      Interview with Dave Hagen: Dave Hagen, the Director and Head Coach of the Fort Lewis College Cycling Team. FLC Cycling has been a premier collegiate cycling program since 1994, and has won 22 FLC Cycling Team National Titles and 4 team omnium national championships. We are going to talk about David's athletic and coaching career, the world of collegiate cycling and path to pro, building and maintaining a strong cycling program, his coaching philosophy, the challenges and rewards of coaching the FLC team.  Let's get into the interview with Dave Hagen! Follow Fort Lewis Cycling: FLC website - https://www.fortlewis.edu/life-at-flc/clubs-organizations/cycling-team/cycling-home Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/flccycling/ Twitter - https://twitter.com/FLCCYCLING Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/FLCCyclingTeam   New Sponsor - Buddy Insurance. I used Buddy on Tuesday on my ride from Morrison to Squaw Pass and back.  Buddy’s mission is simple, to help people fearlessly enjoy an active and outdoor life. Have you ever been out for a ride or a run and felt vulnerable? Or accepting a dare to do expert only terrain while skiing? You can now get on-demand accident insurance to make sure you get cash for bills fast and fill any gaps between your current coverage.   Endurance News: Triathlete Magazine Tri Bike Review Ironman Announces Taupo as Host of 2022 Ironman 70.3 World Championship Ironman today announced that Taupo, New Zealand will host the 2022 Ironman 70.3 World Championships on Dec. 10-11, 2022. Taupo was slated to host the 2020 Ironman 70.3 World Championship on Nov. 28-29, but that race was postponed and then canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. “While it was disappointing to have to cancel the 2020 edition of the Ironman 70.3 World Championship it’s great news for our athletes around the world, those in New Zealand, and the wider Taupo community, that we’ve been able to secure this magical location for a world championship event in 2022,” said Andrew Messick, President & CEO of the Ironman Group in a press release. “Taupo is an iconic Ironman destination and we look forward to having the best triathletes in the world head to New Zealand for what will be a week-long celebration of triathlon.” The 2021 70.3 World Championships will take place on Sept. 17 and 18 in St. George, Utah. Ironman says that the previously announced 2022 finalist cities of Klagenfurt, Austria and Lahti, Finland will now carry forward to 2023 with an announcement of the selected destination to come.   Help Support Team USA Athletes via the Giving Games The postponement of the Tokyo Olympic Games has impacted many American triathletes and paratriathletes. USA Triathon has teamed up with several U.S. Olympic and Paralympic National Governing Bodies (NGBs) to launch the Giving Games, an effort to support and sustain U.S. sport organizations and their athletes on their journey to the postponed Tokyo Olympic and Paralymic Games in 2021. Between July 24th and August 9th (the original dates of the Tokyo 2020 Games), the USA Triathlon Foundation is conducting a direct fundraising campaign, asking for your support to fund our athletes and their mission to transform lives though sport by providing resources to swim, bike, and run for all. “The COVID-19 pandemic forced the elite domestic and International Triathlon Union (ITU) racing seasons to be put on pause, removing many U.S. triathletes’ sole source of income via prize money and sponsor incentives,” said David Deschenes, USA Triathlon Foundation Executive Director. “The postponement of the Tokyo Games adds another year of costs for athletes including travel, coaching expenses, training facilities and equipment. USA Triathlon is proud to take part in Giving Games, providing a unique opportunity for Olympic and Paralympic fans across the country to give back to the athletes who will inspire them next year in Tokyo.”   What's New in the 303: 550 Mile Bikepacking on Colorado Trail–Go Sasha Underwood! August 6th, Littleton: Sasha Underwood started her solo bike journey today and is planning to ride the Colorado Trail in ten days. That’s over 50 miles of single track, hike-a-bike, not easy riding every day. All of that while carrying everything she needs; clothes, food, tent, sleeping bag, tools, stove, hydration supplies, and a lot of mental toughness and grit! She did mail ahead some food to a couple of towns along the way but otherwise is self supported. Sasha has been working for weeks to figure it out. She has a detailed guide book that shows all possible water sources, detailed terrain profiles and shows her how to get around several wilderness areas that don’t allow cyclist. That is why it’s 550 miles, one detour adds about 70 miles near Kenosha Pass and there are a few others. Sasha has completed Ironman’s, guided visual impaired athletes and completed no shortage of amazing things. But the mental toughness required for this journey is unparalleled.   Chatfield 70.3 Athlete Guide With all of my athlete's races being cancelled (the most recent being last week's IM Boulder 70.3), I decided to design our own makeup Boulder 70.3 (Highlands Ranch style).  I've called it CHATFIELD 70.3 and designed a course that is contained within Chatfield. The Gravel Pond is 900 meters from one end to the other, and 1800 round trip.  1.2 miles is 1931, so 1800 is going to be pretty close.  I rode from the Santa Fe side of Chatfield to Titan Rd - the new road that winds it's way though newly paved roundabouts.  It's 10 miles from one end to the other.   2.75 laps is 56 miles of smooth road and traffic with a max speed of 35 and no real intersection other than the roundabouts The run course is inspired by the IRONMAN BOULDER RUN Flux Capacitor and Back to the Future and has 3 out and backs (or  fingers) from the Transition Area.  From T2 athletes head east on "the Queen K" of Chatfield (Chatfield State Park Rd} to the Model Air Field Rd at 3 miles and turnaround heading back toward the Transition Area.  That part of the course is black pavement, exposed and goes out to an airport.  On the second out/back, athletes will continue west and then north on the sidewalk path to the south edge of the Swim Beach Parking and turn around at 8.25 miles and return to the Aid Station at 10 miles.  On the final out/back athletes head out of the transition area south on the dirt road adjacent to the Gravel Pond on go to 11.5 miles and turnaround back to the Finish Line at 13.1 miles..    Video of the Week: 6% Faster In 6 Weeks | Ironman Triathlete Swim Analysis   Upcoming Interviews: Dave Scott to join our list of Mt Rushmore of IRONMAN interviews. Closing: Thanks again for listening in this week.  Please be sure to follow us @303endurance and @triathlon and of course go to iTunes and give us a rating and a comment.  We'd really appreciate it! Stay tuned, train informed, and enjoy the endurance journey!  

Today's feature interview is with Dave Hagen, an alum of Fort Lewis College ('04), has led the FLC Cycling Team as the Director since 2004. Prior to that, he was a professional on the Yeti mountain biking team from 1991-93.  The FLC Cycling program has become one of the top, if not the best, cycling programs in the nation. Since 1994, the program has recorded 23 National Championships and compete in the USA Cycling Varsity Division 1. The team competes in five disciplines throughout the course of the year: track, mountain biking, cyclocross, BMX and road. Sponsor VENGA: Thanks to Venga CBD for helping make the show possible and sponsoring today's show.  Venga is a premium CBD that will improve your athletic performance by helping reducing inflammation and anxiety.    Whatever your sport, you ask your body to do more and perform at a higher level than 99% of the people on the planet! And it pays because endurance athletes are some of the healthiest people in the world.  As we age it gets harder to bounce back, maintain the miles, hours & laps. CBD (cannabidiol) is an all-natural remedy that targets your pain, inflammation and so much more. Ultra Gels are on sale right now for $39.99 for your first bottle with a subscription using the code ultragel-sub07. Then, each month Venga will send you a new bottle for only $72.25 (15% off our current sale price!). Just use coupon code ultragel-sub07 at checkout to get the first month’s supply for only $39.99! You can get Venga CBD by going to VengaCBD.com which is spelled V - e - n - g - a CBD.com.  Get 30% off your first order with promo code - 303podcast.  Subscribe and save 15% on future orders. Sponsor UCAN: Five Tips for New Cyclists on the UCAN Blog I had an epiphany.  When I eat or drink UCAN, my stomach not only feels good and comfortable.  It finally hit me, it's the same feeling I get from comfort food.  A lot of comfort foods are starchy.  UCAN is comfort food for your training and racing.  This week UCAN is featuring their ENERGY blends with SuperStarch.  I've been a fan of the CITRUS ORANGE and now the LEMON.  I took a full shaker bottle with 2+ scoops of UCAN and a UCAN COFFEE ENERGY BAR and I was good to go on my Mt Bierstadt 14er Sunday. UCAN gives you steady energy so you can finish stronger. UCAN Performance Energy and Bars are powered by SuperStarch®.   Use in your training to fuel the healthy way and recover quickly! Use code MHE2020 for 15% off at generationucan.com, or try the UCAN Tri Starter Pack - 50% off, limit 1 - https://www.generationucan.com/product/ucan-tri-starter-pack-50-off/      Interview with Dave Hagen: Dave Hagen, the Director and Head Coach of the Fort Lewis College Cycling Team. FLC Cycling has been a premier collegiate cycling program since 1994, and has won 22 FLC Cycling Team National Titles and 4 team omnium national championships. We are going to talk about David's athletic and coaching career, the world of collegiate cycling and path to pro, building and maintaining a strong cycling program, his coaching philosophy, the challenges and rewards of coaching the FLC team.  Let's get into the interview with Dave Hagen! Follow Fort Lewis Cycling: FLC website - https://www.fortlewis.edu/life-at-flc/clubs-organizations/cycling-team/cycling-home Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/flccycling/ Twitter - https://twitter.com/FLCCYCLING Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/FLCCyclingTeam   New Sponsor - Buddy Insurance. I used Buddy on Tuesday on my ride from Morrison to Squaw Pass and back.  Buddy’s mission is simple, to help people fearlessly enjoy an active and outdoor life. Have you ever been out for a ride or a run and felt vulnerable? Or accepting a dare to do expert only terrain while skiing? You can now get on-demand accident insurance to make sure you get cash for bills fast and fill any gaps between your current coverage.   Endurance News: Triathlete Magazine Tri Bike Review Ironman Announces Taupo as Host of 2022 Ironman 70.3 World Championship Ironman today announced that Taupo, New Zealand will host the 2022 Ironman 70.3 World Championships on Dec. 10-11, 2022. Taupo was slated to host the 2020 Ironman 70.3 World Championship on Nov. 28-29, but that race was postponed and then canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. “While it was disappointing to have to cancel the 2020 edition of the Ironman 70.3 World Championship it’s great news for our athletes around the world, those in New Zealand, and the wider Taupo community, that we’ve been able to secure this magical location for a world championship event in 2022,” said Andrew Messick, President & CEO of the Ironman Group in a press release. “Taupo is an iconic Ironman destination and we look forward to having the best triathletes in the world head to New Zealand for what will be a week-long celebration of triathlon.” The 2021 70.3 World Championships will take place on Sept. 17 and 18 in St. George, Utah. Ironman says that the previously announced 2022 finalist cities of Klagenfurt, Austria and Lahti, Finland will now carry forward to 2023 with an announcement of the selected destination to come.   Help Support Team USA Athletes via the Giving Games The postponement of the Tokyo Olympic Games has impacted many American triathletes and paratriathletes. USA Triathon has teamed up with several U.S. Olympic and Paralympic National Governing Bodies (NGBs) to launch the Giving Games, an effort to support and sustain U.S. sport organizations and their athletes on their journey to the postponed Tokyo Olympic and Paralymic Games in 2021. Between July 24th and August 9th (the original dates of the Tokyo 2020 Games), the USA Triathlon Foundation is conducting a direct fundraising campaign, asking for your support to fund our athletes and their mission to transform lives though sport by providing resources to swim, bike, and run for all. “The COVID-19 pandemic forced the elite domestic and International Triathlon Union (ITU) racing seasons to be put on pause, removing many U.S. triathletes’ sole source of income via prize money and sponsor incentives,” said David Deschenes, USA Triathlon Foundation Executive Director. “The postponement of the Tokyo Games adds another year of costs for athletes including travel, coaching expenses, training facilities and equipment. USA Triathlon is proud to take part in Giving Games, providing a unique opportunity for Olympic and Paralympic fans across the country to give back to the athletes who will inspire them next year in Tokyo.”   What's New in the 303: 550 Mile Bikepacking on Colorado Trail–Go Sasha Underwood! August 6th, Littleton: Sasha Underwood started her solo bike journey today and is planning to ride the Colorado Trail in ten days. That’s over 50 miles of single track, hike-a-bike, not easy riding every day. All of that while carrying everything she needs; clothes, food, tent, sleeping bag, tools, stove, hydration supplies, and a lot of mental toughness and grit! She did mail ahead some food to a couple of towns along the way but otherwise is self supported. Sasha has been working for weeks to figure it out. She has a detailed guide book that shows all possible water sources, detailed terrain profiles and shows her how to get around several wilderness areas that don’t allow cyclist. That is why it’s 550 miles, one detour adds about 70 miles near Kenosha Pass and there are a few others. Sasha has completed Ironman’s, guided visual impaired athletes and completed no shortage of amazing things. But the mental toughness required for this journey is unparalleled.   Chatfield 70.3 Athlete Guide With all of my athlete's races being cancelled (the most recent being last week's IM Boulder 70.3), I decided to design our own makeup Boulder 70.3 (Highlands Ranch style).  I've called it CHATFIELD 70.3 and designed a course that is contained within Chatfield. The Gravel Pond is 900 meters from one end to the other, and 1800 round trip.  1.2 miles is 1931, so 1800 is going to be pretty close.  I rode from the Santa Fe side of Chatfield to Titan Rd - the new road that winds it's way though newly paved roundabouts.  It's 10 miles from one end to the other.   2.75 laps is 56 miles of smooth road and traffic with a max speed of 35 and no real intersection other than the roundabouts The run course is inspired by the IRONMAN BOULDER RUN Flux Capacitor and Back to the Future and has 3 out and backs (or  fingers) from the Transition Area.  From T2 athletes head east on "the Queen K" of Chatfield (Chatfield State Park Rd} to the Model Air Field Rd at 3 miles and turnaround heading back toward the Transition Area.  That part of the course is black pavement, exposed and goes out to an airport.  On the second out/back, athletes will continue west and then north on the sidewalk path to the south edge of the Swim Beach Parking and turn around at 8.25 miles and return to the Aid Station at 10 miles.  On the final out/back athletes head out of the transition area south on the dirt road adjacent to the Gravel Pond on go to 11.5 miles and turnaround back to the Finish Line at 13.1 miles..    Video of the Week: 6% Faster In 6 Weeks | Ironman Triathlete Swim Analysis   Upcoming Interviews: Dave Scott to join our list of Mt Rushmore of IRONMAN interviews. Closing: Thanks again for listening in this week.  Please be sure to follow us @303endurance and @triathlon and of course go to iTunes and give us a rating and a comment.  We'd really appreciate it! Stay tuned, train informed, and enjoy the endurance journey!  

Here is the “lost” end-of-year Quiet Brilliance wrap-up session. If you ignore the rest, this one has the best. 3 hours, all gems, obviously. ….Between July and December 2019 I delivered 22 shows to Jazzuary FM, 13 of which got to the archive. Thus, I'm posting the 9 lost sessions. This was the final Quiet…Read more Quiet Brilliance Lost Sessions #22

Here is the “lost” end-of-year Quiet Brilliance wrap-up session. If you ignore the rest, this one has the best. 3 hours, all gems, obviously. ….Between July and December 2019 I delivered 22 shows to Jazzuary FM, 13 of which got to the archive. Thus, I’m posting the 9 lost sessions. This was the final Quiet…Read more Quiet Brilliance Lost Sessions #22

The seventh of nine lost sessions … This one was a recap of some of the best stuff from the past two months of shows sprinkled with new things too. Some of these records are just plain fantastic. ….Between July and December 2019 I delivered 22 shows to Jazzuary FM, 13 of which got to…Read more Quiet Brilliance #20

The seventh of nine lost sessions … This one was a recap of some of the best stuff from the past two months of shows sprinkled with new things too. Some of these records are just plain fantastic. ….Between July and December 2019 I delivered 22 shows to Jazzuary FM, 13 of which got to…Read more Quiet Brilliance #20

The fifth of nine lost sessions (and it’s a good one this one! gems within) Between July and December 2019 I delivered 22 shows to Jazzuary FM, 13 of which got to the archive. Thus, I’m posting the 9 lost sessions. This was the #12th Quiet Brilliance show to “air”… “Weekly adventures in quietly and…Read more Quiet Brilliance Lost Sessions #12

The fourth of nine lost sessions. Between July and December 2019 I delivered 22 shows to Jazzuary FM, only 13 of which got to the archive. Thus, I have dug through the hard drives in order to retrieve the 9 lost sessions. This was the #11th Quiet Brilliance show to “air”, the third one that…Read more Quiet Brilliance Lost Sessions #11

The fifth of nine lost sessions (and it’s a good one this one! gems within) Between July and December 2019 I delivered 22 shows to Jazzuary FM, 13 of which got to the archive. Thus, I’m posting the 9 lost sessions. This was the #12th Quiet Brilliance show to “air”… “Weekly adventures in quietly and…Read more Quiet Brilliance Lost Sessions #12

The fourth of nine lost sessions. Between July and December 2019 I delivered 22 shows to Jazzuary FM, only 13 of which got to the archive. Thus, I have dug through the hard drives in order to retrieve the 9 lost sessions. This was the #11th Quiet Brilliance show to “air”, the third one that…Read more Quiet Brilliance Lost Sessions #11

Between July and December 2019 I delivered 22 shows to Jazzuary FM, only 13 of which got to the archive. Thus, I have dug through the hard drives in order to retrieve the lost sessions. This one was the fourth show, and the first to be lost. The last few at the end of the…Read more Quiet Brilliance Lost Sessions #4

The third of nine lost sessions. Between July and December 2019 I delivered 22 shows to Jazzuary FM, only 13 of which got to the archive. Thus, I have dug through the hard drives in order to retrieve the 9 lost sessions. This was the #9th Quiet Brilliance show to “air”, the third one that…Read more Quiet Brilliance Lost Sessions #9

Between July and December 2019 I delivered 22 shows to Jazzuary FM, only 13 of which got to the archive. Thus, I have dug through the hard drives in order to retrieve the lost sessions. This one was the fourth show, and the first to be lost. The last few at the end of the…Read more Quiet Brilliance Lost Sessions #4

The third of nine lost sessions. Between July and December 2019 I delivered 22 shows to Jazzuary FM, only 13 of which got to the archive. Thus, I have dug through the hard drives in order to retrieve the 9 lost sessions. This was the #9th Quiet Brilliance show to “air”, the third one that…Read more Quiet Brilliance Lost Sessions #9

In the decades they spent at the DEA, Javier Peña and Steve Murphy risked their lives hunting large and small drug traffickers. But their biggest challenge was the hunt for Pablo Escobar in Colombia. The partners, who began their careers as small-town cops, have been immortalised in Netflix's Narcos, a fictional account of their hunt for Escobar. Now, for the first time ever, they tell the real story of how they brought down the world's first narco-terrorist, the challenges they faced, and the innovative strategies they employed to successfully end the reign of terror of the world's most wanted criminal. Readers will go deep inside the inner workings of the Search Bloc, the joint Colombian-US task force that resulted in an intensive 18-month operation that tracked Escobar. Between July 1992 and December 1993, Steve and Javier lived on the edge, setting up camp in Medellin at the Carlos Holguin Military Academy. There, they lived and worked with the Colombian authorities, hunting down a man who was thought by many to be untouchable. Their firsthand experience coupled with stories from the DEA's recently de-classified files on the search for Escobar forms the beating heart of Manhunters, an epic account of how agents risked everything to capture the world's most wanted man.

Between July 5 and July 7, 2017, four young men were reported missing in Bucks County. The murders are suspected to have been carried out by Cosmo DiNardo and Sean Michael Kratz, both age 20 at the times of the murder.Support the show (https://talkmurder.com/join/)

Families who have experienced Oranga Tamariki first-hand say the organisation is not doing enough to help families or the children in their care.It comes after a report last month, the first from Oranga Tamariki's new reporting system on child harm, found that more than 220 children who were removed from their families to keep them safe went on to be harmed in state care over a six-month period.In the worst cases, children had been raped or beaten. Several incidents led to criminal charges.Oranga Tamariki, the Ministry for Children, set up the new reporting system last year, to replace the patchy, narrowly-focused one used by its predecessor Child, Youth and Family.The new system is one of broadest and most detailed in any jurisdiction. It records abuse committed against a child by anyone, not just the caregiver, and in any location, not just within the child's placement. It records all incidents of harm, accidental and intentional, and ranging from over-zealous discipline of a child through to severe physical or sexual assaults.As of June last year, there were 6350 children and young people in state care in New Zealand. Between July and September, 130 of them were found to have been harmed. Between October and December, 97 were found to be been harmed.Some of the incidents were historical but were first reported during this period. A few children were harmed more than once. They were mostly likely to have been abused by caregivers, though many of the sexual assaults were committed by other young people or unrelated adults.Callers to Andrew Dickens Afternoon echoed the reports findings. Mohini told Andrew that she knows from personal experience Oranga Tamariki that they "are not getting any better", and are breaching their own policies.  "Once they take a kid off the parents, they do not allow any other family members who ever showed interest, who they should have contacted in the first place, to be able to assist the little kid anymore." She says that one of her nieces was taken off her sister, and that Mohini and her husband asked to get in touch with who was looking after her, but she was not allowed to make contact. "How come, in the time it took to give the kid away, no one contacted us to ask if we wanted to keep the child?" Bob, who has family that work for Oranga Tamariki, doubts Mohini's story."The most important part she left out is why the child was taken away from the family in the first place?"He says that his family members have seen horrific things through their line of work, and there are two sides to every story. Another caller, Sarah, says that her experience with the agency has been "amazing" and they have helped with her situation.She admits that some social workers don't give you as much information as you would like, and that you can sometimes not get along with them which can cause difficulty, but Sarah believes they have got better. "People who have had bad experiences with them aren't going to like anyone from Oranga Tamariki." Sarah says that few people will speak positively about the organisation as they have had their children taken away from them. "Back in the day, they were taken away for just any reason, but now they can't just take them away for a silly reason. They are actually getting more and more reports about a particular case." 

Between July 1963 and October 1965 Myra Hindley and Ian Brady abducted raped, tortured and murdered 5 children in Manchester Uk, burying their bodies on Saddleworth moor. A particularly shocking case that's still studied in great detail to this day. After the arrests police were only aware of 3 murders but that would change after finding a suitcase containing amongst other things, a tape recording of the torture, rape and murder of a 10 year old girl.

It is time...to talk with Anncyn = 43The P Stands for Philosophy.In this episode, Tom and Christie interviewed friend of the show Anncy Thresher about philosophy of Physics, and about time too! We chatted about Anncy's research into philosophy of time, and her interests. We covered STEM, engagement, spacetime, and got pretty deep into what time is. Very interesting. Thanks Very Much Anncy for your...time!Anncy answered Vanessa Moss's question about science engagement and asked her own, here:How do you get science and the humanities to work together?Thanks so much to everyone who has subscribed and listen to our STEMpunk episodes. If you like the show, please rate us on iTunes and tell your friends!STEMnews:Between July 19-22, STEMpunk producer and host Tom Gordon will be at the Splendour in the Grass Science Tent. We'll be doing some interviews with some STEM, comedy and music people, as well as some voxpops and special events such as panels and debates. It's pretty exciting, stay tuned.STEM Science week:STEMpunk will be running another STEM based Trivia and entertainment and variety Night "STEMquiz" on Tuesday in Science week on Tuesday August 14 from 6:30-8pm, hosted by our friends at the wonderful Wayward Brewing Company. Details for tickets are on our Facebook page or Eventbrite.Intro: STARSET -Down with the fallen.Outro: Cameron Stiff's trackBoth used with permission.STEMpunk PodcastLook: Website, Twitter, Facebook, AEON.net.auListen: iTunes, Stitcher, PlayerFM

On April 17, 2017, the Supreme Court heard oral argument in California Public Employees’ Retirement System v. ANZ Securities. Between July 2007 and January 2008, Lehman Brothers raised over $31 billion through debt offerings. California Public Employees’ Retirement System (CalPERS), the largest pension fund in the country, purchased millions of dollars of these securities. CalPERS sued Lehman Brothers in 2011, and their case was merged with another retirement fund’s putative class action suit against Lehman Brothers and transferred to a New York district court. Later that year, the other parties settled, but CalPERS decided to pursue its claims individually. The district court dismissed for untimely filing, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit affirmed. -- The question before the Supreme Court was whether the filing of a putative class action serves, under the American Pipe & Construction Co. v. Utah rule, to satisfy the three-year time limitation in Section 13 of the Securities Act with respect to the claims of putative class members. On Monday, the Supreme Court upheld the Court of Appeals dismissal of the lawsuit. Mark Chenoweth of the Washington Legal Foundation joined us to discuss the decision and its significance. -- Featuring: Mark Chenoweth, General Counsel, Washington Legal Foundation.

On April 17, 2017, the Supreme Court heard oral argument in California Public Employees’ Retirement System v. ANZ Securities. Between July 2007 and January 2008, Lehman Brothers raised over $31 billion through debt offerings. California Public Employees’ Retirement System (CalPERS), the largest pension fund in the country, purchased millions of dollars of these securities. CalPERS sued Lehman Brothers in 2011, and their case was merged with another retirement fund’s putative class action suit against Lehman Brothers and transferred to a New York district court. Later that year, the other parties settled, but CalPERS decided to pursue its own claims individually. The district court dismissed for untimely filing, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit affirmed. -- The questions now before the Supreme Court is whether the filing of a putative class action serves, under the American Pipe & Construction Co. v. Utah rule, to satisfy the three-year time limitation in Section 13 of the Securities Act with respect to the claims of putative class members. -- To discuss the case, we have Paul Stancil, who is Professor of Law at Brigham Young University.

On this episode of The AIE Podcast... Tetsemi: AIE falls into Discord Mkallah: We ride into Icarus Tetsemi: Help Mew help you in Final Fantasy Mkallah: We have Captain Cybyl's STO update           Tetsemi: And,Demon Hunters- everywhere! All that and more coming up right now... Podcast Audio Raw Video http://youtu.be/oiu8zS2Cl4I Open Welcome to episode #259 of the the podcast celebrating the Alea Iacta Est gaming community, the die has ben podcast. This is Mkallah: To my left is Tetsemi: - (catch phrase here). This week we are joined by special guests - hmmmm, no guest tonight! Let's talk about the Legion prepatch and AIE in general, shall we? Ok, we'll be digging into the Legion Prepatch and AIE shortly, but first, let's cover this week's news... AIE News Community Community AIE Discord - AIE has joined the Discord wave and now has our own Discord server for text and voice chat. Server details are available on the Umami main page - https://umami.aie-universal.net/ under the first Bulletin named - AIE's Discord Server. The Mumble server will still be available for raid teams and other large gatherings to use but feel free to try out the Discord voice chat and let the officers know what you think! Are you looking for in game events? Hit the #events channel. Looking for folks going to Dragoncon, Blizzcon, or the local pizza joint? Hit the #meetups channel. Need a group in game? Try the #lfg channel and see who's playing. We have a new officer, SamanthaJane (SJ) has joined the WoW officer corps (she's already a FFXIV officer) and will bring her amazingly friendly and upbeat attitude to the game while helping get all the new demon hunters and other classes corralled as things pick up in WoW. Many hugs and thanks to SJ joining us. Blizzcon AIE Guild Hall - https://aie-guild.org/blog/2016/07/blizzcon-2016-aie-guildhall/ @TheMewKow is looking for volunteers to help out with this year's Blizzcon AIE Guild Hall. Please feel free to contact him via Twitter, Discord, or the forums (http://forum.myextralife.com/topic/57187-blizzcon-2016-aie-guild-hall/) if you are interested in helping out. Imperium Ludi Interested in the latest update to Riders of Icarus? Details on the guild alliance system, free-for-all PvP zone, capture the flag area, and more. Join in the discussion in our forums as @TheMewKow heads up interest for this game which is now in open beta. AIE Is on the Baellas NA server. http://forum.myextralife.com/topic/57229-riders-of-icarus-pvp-updates-and-more/ WoW The four part audio drama - The Tomb of Sargeras is out (http://itunes.com/wow) and we really enjoyed listening to it. It helps explain Gul'dan's motivations, how the Legion got back into Azeroth and why Khadgar shows up at the end of the demon hunter starting area. Want to find out what separates a demon hunter from the demons they hunt? Watch the last Harbringers animation - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mUfOIvlC6Eo and you'll find out. You will also get to see this in demon hunter starting area. More Discussion in Game News Section FFXIV Would you like to try FFXIV free for 5 days? Of course you would. Between July 25 and August 30th, if you meet eligibility rules (http://na.finalfantasyxiv.com/lodestone/topics/detail/0b8920e68063ec4a16533bcc115d6d154b75ce73) you can play for 5 days free during the Free Campaign time period. And speaking of logging in, Abovan has returned from active baby duty and is back in the game, find out what he's up to http://forum.myextralife.com/topic/57230-hia-folks/ and/or just say hi! Don't forget, @TheMewKow is still looking for input on which FC action buffs people would prefer active and when. Pop over to the forums and let him know http://forum.myextralife.com/topic/57193-fc-action-buffs-discussion/ SWTOR SWTOR Escape Pod Cast 155: Sweet XVI This week @AIESema, @MaxTheGrey and Astromech EPC-155 dig into Chapter XVI (The Battle of Odessen) the second to last of the Knight of the Fallen Empire chapters,

Nick Davies - Hack Attack - Trailer. FREE FULL EPISODE: http://londonrealacademy.com/episodes/  Nick Davies is a freelance journalist, working regularly as special correspondent for the Guardian. In the last few years, he was centrally involved in the publication of secret US logs and cables obtained by Wikileaks and in exposing the phone-hacking scandal in Rupert Murdoch’s newspaper empire. His book ‘Hack Attack’, which exposes Rupert Murdoch’s use of power as well as the crime in his newsrooms, was published in the summer of 2014 in the UK, US, Canada and Australia. In June 2010, he initiated the alliance of news organisations which published US military and diplomatic secrets which had been obtained by Wikileaks. That series provoked a global debate about US foreign policy and led to the Guardian winning the award of Newspaper of the Year. Between July 2009 and July 2011, he wrote more than a hundred Guardian stories about crime in Rupert Murdoch’s News of the World and about the failure of British governments, police and press regulators to hold Murdoch to account. This led to six different police inquiries in England and Scotland, a series of arrests and criminal trials, and to the establishing of Lord Justice Leveson’s inquiry into the culture and practices of the press. Nick Davies' website: http://www.nickdavies.net/ Nick Davies on Twitter: http://twitter.com/Bynickdavies SUBSCRIBE ON YOUTUBE:  http://bit.ly/SubscribeToLondonReal LONDON REAL TV:  http://www.londonreal.tv Music by: PsyNEyed - No Witnesses Rebel Traxx https://soundcloud.com/rebeltraxx

Watch the Full Episode for FREE: http://londonrealacademy.com/episodes/  Nick Davies is a freelance journalist, working regularly as special correspondent for the Guardian. In the last few years, he was centrally involved in the publication of secret US logs and cables obtained by Wikileaks and in exposing the phone-hacking scandal in Rupert Murdoch’s newspaper empire. His book ‘Hack Attack’, which exposes Rupert Murdoch’s use of power as well as the crime in his newsrooms, was published in the summer of 2014 in the UK, US, Canada and Australia. In June 2010, he initiated the alliance of news organisations which published US military and diplomatic secrets which had been obtained by Wikileaks. That series provoked a global debate about US foreign policy and led to the Guardian winning the award of Newspaper of the Year. Between July 2009 and July 2011, he wrote more than a hundred Guardian stories about crime in Rupert Murdoch’s News of the World and about the failure of British governments, police and press regulators to hold Murdoch to account. This led to six different police inquiries in England and Scotland, a series of arrests and criminal trials, and to the establishing of Lord Justice Leveson’s inquiry into the culture and practices of the press.  Watch the Full Episode for FREE: http://londonrealacademy.com/episodes/ 

This is NEWS Plus Special English. I'm Liu Yan in Beijing. Here is the news. Spring Festival is not only a traditional seven-day holiday when Chinese residents go home for family reunions. It's also a time many people prefer to spend traveling. Ctrip.com International, the largest online travel agency in China, forecasted that around 6 million outbound trips would be taken during this Spring Festival, setting a record for the Golden Week. Meanwhile, Chinese travelers' budgets for trips have been increasing in recent years. The agency says the average spending of Chinese outbound travelers for Spring Festival would exceed 10,000 yuan, roughly 1,500 U.S. dollars, excluding local shopping costs. The main expenses are for air tickets, accommodation, tour guides, transportation, visa fees and insurance. Some self-guided tourists also like to spend a lot on unique experiences, including hot-air balloon rides in New Zealand, opera in London, or whale watching in Hawaii. During the Golden Week, Chinese get into a generous holiday mood. Statistics from Mafengwo.cn found that online bookings per capita for overseas independent trips increased 30 percent to 6,800 yuan this year. The tourism information-sharing website says people used to care about the price, but they focus more on the quality of the trips now. Some more affluent Chinese travelers have even turned to luxury and private tours. This is NEWS Plus Special English. A man wrongfully imprisoned for 23 years in China has been declared innocent for insufficient evidence and has been released from a prison in south China's Hainan province. Fifty-three-year-old Chen Man from Sichuan province in southwestern China was given a two-year suspended death sentence in 1994 for homicide and arson. Chen was freed in Haikou, the provincial capital. He had been held in prison before being sentenced. Chen said after being released that he was happy and could not wait to return home to celebrate Spring Festival with his parents, who are in their 80s. His lawyer, Wang Wanqiong, took up the case in 2013. He says he was excited about Chen's acquittal, adding that it marks progress with the rule of law in China. The lawyer adds that the correction of his client's verdict shows that judicial bodies in the country have changed their ideas about dealing with cases where there is doubt. Officials at Hainan High People's Court bowed and apologized to Chen and told him that he could apply for State compensation. In another development, 27 officials, including police officers, prosecutors and judges, in north China's Inner Mongolia autonomous region were penalized over the wrongful conviction and execution of a man for rape and murder when he was 18 in 1996. Feng Zhiming, who was in charge of the case against Hugjiltu at the time, is suspected of job-related crimes and has been placed under further investigation. This is NEWS Plus Special English. Beijing police have cracked down on a major fraud ring accused of using E Rent Treasure, an online financial platform, to illegally collect up to 50 billion yuan, roughly 7.6 billion U.S. dollars, in funds. The illegal collection of funds affected 900,000 investors across 31 provinces and regions. Ding Ning, former chairman of Yucheng International Group, the owner of E Rent Treasure, has been arrested on suspicion of fund-raising fraud, illegally acquiring funds and possessing firearms. Twenty other senior managers in the company have also been arrested by national prosecuting departments on suspicion of illegally acquiring funds from investors. In February 2014, Yucheng International Group purchased a Beijing network and technology company. In July, Yucheng changed the company's name to E Rent Treasure, operating it as an online financial company. Yucheng was registered abroad and consisted of eight business operation centers across the country, including in Beijing, Shanghai and Anhui province, that allegedly used fake information and fabricated financing and leasing projects. The group allegedly lured members of the public to invest money, promising returns of 9 percent to 14 percent. Between July 2014 and December last year, Yucheng illegally acquired as much as 50 billion yuan from 900,000 victims. You are listening to NEWS Plus Special English. I'm Liu Yan in Beijing. （全文见周日微信。）

Between July 1963 and October 1965, young lovers Ian Brady and Myra Hindley abducted, sexually assaulted and murdered 5 young people in and around Manchester, England. These sensless acts of violence became known as "The Moors Murders" See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Between July and November 2007 Professor Stein was interviewed three times in the Squire Law Libary, to record his reminiscences of sixty years of his association with the Faculty of Law at the University of Cambridge. The interviewer is Lesley Dingle. An the audio version is available on this website with transcript of those recordings: - First Interview (5 July 2007): Early years (1926-1947); - Second Interview (29 August 2007): Time at Cambridge (1951-1998); - Third Interview (23 November 2007): Scholarly Work. For more information, see the Squire website at http://www.squire.law.cam.ac.uk/eminent_scholars/

Between July and November 2007 Professor Stein was interviewed three times in the Squire Law Libary, to record his reminiscences of sixty years of his association with the Faculty of Law at the University of Cambridge. The interviewer is Lesley Dingle. An the audio version is available on this website with transcript of those recordings: - First Interview (5 July 2007): Early years (1926-1947); - Second Interview (29 August 2007): Time at Cambridge (1951-1998); - Third Interview (23 November 2007): Scholarly Work. For more information, see the Squire website at http://www.squire.law.cam.ac.uk/eminent_scholars/

Between July and November 2007 Professor Stein was interviewed three times in the Squire Law Libary, to record his reminiscences of sixty years of his association with the Faculty of Law at the University of Cambridge. The interviewer is Lesley Dingle. An the audio version is available on this website with transcript of those recordings: - First Interview (5 July 2007): Early years (1926-1947); - Second Interview (29 August 2007): Time at Cambridge (1951-1998); - Third Interview (23 November 2007): Scholarly Work. For more information, see the Squire website at http://www.squire.law.cam.ac.uk/eminent_scholars/