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University of Maryland police have charged two local men following a series of residential burglaries reported on campus August 30. An Ashburn man accused of stealing more than 40 million dollars in gold while working for the CIA intends to plead guilty. Maryland Awards $11.3 Million in federal and state funds for area Bicycle, Pedestrian and Trail Projects Three new faces will join the Walkersville Town Commission in October following Monday’s election.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A family watches in wonder at the dad's amazing abilities with carrying so much - literally - on his shoulders. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Last time we spoke about the fall of Hong Kong. As dawn broke on December 20, 1941, Japanese battalions tightened their grip on Hong Kong Island. While the defenders fought desperately at Repulse Bay Hotel, Wongneichong Gap, and the heights around Mount Nicholson and Mount Cameron, piecemeal counter-attacks by exhausted Canadians, Royal Scots, Rajputs, and Hong Kong Volunteers were shattered by rain, darkness, and poor coordination.Resistance stiffened at Stanley Peninsula, but ammunition ran low and hope faded. On Christmas Eve, the Japanese stormed St Stephen's College hospital. They bayoneted wounded soldiers in their beds, murdered doctors, and raped nurses in an orgy of horror that became known as the St Stephen's Massacre.On Christmas morning—forever "Black Christmas"—Governor Young surrendered the colony after seventeen days of fighting. As white flags rose, Rear-Admiral Chan Chak and a small party made a daring escape by sea under fire, eventually rescued by Chinese Communist guerrillas of the East River Column who would save hundreds more lives in the months ahead.   #219 The Malayan Campaign Part 1: Bicycle Blitzkrieg   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. Now in the last episode we spoke about the battle of Hong Kong, which of course was fought on Chinese territory and did involve Chinese participation. I took some time to think about what aspects of the early Pacific War should be covered in depth here, ie: what pertains the most to the Chinese experience. We are not going to talk about the Philippines or Dutch East Indies, but the Malayan campaign and fall of Singapore I would argue need to be dived into. There was a lot of ethnic Chinese participation in this campaign. No worries after this brief series on the Malayan Campaign we will be jumping back to China. Following World War One, Britain sought to counter growing Japanese ambitions by establishing a major naval base in Singapore during the 1920s. The location offered strategic advantages, particularly its exemption from the Washington Naval Treaty's non-fortification clause, making it ideal for housing a powerful deterrent fleet. The plan was straightforward: maintain overwhelming naval superiority to discourage Japanese expansion. Yet this calculation proved dangerously optimistic. Japanese aggression accelerated throughout the 1930s, while the European war's outbreak in 1939 drained Britain's resources, leaving its Far Eastern colonies—Malaya, Burma, and Hong Kong—dangerously exposed. Churchill remained convinced that Japan would not strike in 1941, prompting him to channel reinforcements toward the Mediterranean theater. The defensive strategy hinged on buying time; should Japan attack, British forces would delay the enemy while holding Singapore as a fortress until relief arrived. This plan contained a fatal flaw: Britain lacked the capacity to actually send reinforcements to the region. Commander-in-Chief Robert Brooke-Popham led Britain's Far Eastern Command from Malaysia, acutely aware of the challenge ahead. Lieutenant-General Arthur Percival commanded ground forces comprising 31 poorly trained infantry battalions—approximately 88,600 personnel total—largely untrained for jungle warfare. These troops were distributed across three divisions. Air defense proved equally problematic. With only fourteen squadrons flying outdated aircraft, the RAF faced a critical shortfall. Squadrons were scattered across multiple airfields: Vickers Vildebeest and PBY Catalina aircraft at Seletar; Bristol Blenheims at Tengah; Brewster Buffalos at Sembawang and Kallang; further Buffalos and Blenheims at Sungei Patani; Lockheed Hudsons at Kota Bharu; and additional Blenheims at Kuantan and Alor Setar. Allied units occupied three strategic zones. The Indian 11th Infantry Division under Major General David Murray-Lyon held northern Malaya, defending airfields and the Thai frontier from positions near Kota Bharu, Jitra, and Alor Setar. These installations remained lightly garrisoned and vulnerable. The Indian 9th Infantry Division occupied central Malaya, tasked with holding delaying positions at Jitra and Gurun—positions themselves poorly constructed and uncoordinated. Australia's 8th Division under Gordon Bennett anchored the south near Mersing and Johor, forming the last line before Singapore's fortress. Singapore itself bristled with coastal defenses and commanded a substantial naval garrison, expected to repel any Japanese approach. A week before Japan's offensive erupted, Churchill sent Force Z to Singapore—the battleship Prince of Wales, battlecruiser Repulse, and four destroyers. Despite vigorous objections from admirals, particularly Captain William Davis, who warned the Prince of Wales without air cover would be "a hostage to fortune," Churchill overruled them, seeking to project confidence and maintain American goodwill. Admiral Sir Tom Phillips commanded Force Z. Known as "Tom Thumb" for his diminutive stature, Phillips sparked controversy—critics labeled him a "desk admiral"—yet Field Marshal Smuts called him "an admirable choice" and American Admiral Thomas Hart praised his administrative acumen. Phillips' record was mixed. He advocated astutely for tank deployment in Malaya and correctly questioned the Brewster Buffalo's effectiveness, urging Hurricanes instead. Yet he fatally underestimated the threat aircraft posed to capital ships, believing the Prince of Wales' anti-aircraft batteries could defend a maneuvering vessel. An unnoticed handicap compounded this: tropical humidity had disabled the Prince of Wales' fire-control computer before she ever fired. Force Z reached Singapore on December 2, 1941, amid misplaced confidence. Nineteen-year-old Richard Smith recalled: "Everyone believed the Japanese fleet was made of rice paper and string. We assumed we would crush them effortlessly." Churchill's public declaration seemed to goad Japan into action. Admiral Yamamoto responded decisively, dispatching thirty-six Mitsubishi bombers to reinforce existing aircraft and ordering intensive training for "ship-killing"—specialized torpedo and bombing attacks. Three air groups, led by Miyauchi, Nakanishi, and Shoji, trained relentlessly in low-level runs and ocean navigation. Phillips, stripped of air cover, commanded only aging destroyers alongside his capital ships. The stage was set for disaster. In November 1940, the German raider Atlantis captured the British steamer Automedon in the Indian Ocean, seizing documents destined for Air Marshal Brooke-Popham that exposed Singapore's vulnerabilities. The Germans shared this intelligence with Japan in December. By January 1941, the Japanese had also broken British Army codes, revealing the weakness of Singapore's defenses and enabling them to plan an invasion accordingly. The invasion of Malaya followed an audacious strategy devised by Colonel Tsuji Masanobu. Japanese forces would conduct amphibious landings in southern Thailand and northern Malaya, then push 400 miles through jungle terrain toward Singapore. The 25th Army, commanded by Lieutenant-General Yamashita Tomoyuki and initially comprising two divisions, led this operation, supported by Admiral Kondō Nobutake's 2nd Fleet, which provided convoy escort. Thailand's strategic position was crucial; the British could not defend it, offering Japan a favorable staging ground. Marshal Plaek Phibun, Thailand's leader, had informally agreed to allow Japanese passage but simultaneously negotiated with British and American diplomats, creating uncertainty. A second force, the 15th Army under Lieutenant-General Iida Shōjirō, was preparing to invade Burma through Thailand. If the Thai withheld passage by December 7, these forces would advance directly from Indochina. Brooke-Popham devised Operation Matador to counter the Japanese threat. This ambitious plan called for the 11th Indian Division to preemptively seize Singora and Patani—critical Thai ports essential to Japanese invasion plans. The operation's centerpiece was capturing the Ledge, a key terrain feature south of Patani. Control of the Ledge would allow British forces to block roads from Patani, securing retreat routes for the 11th Division and denying the Japanese access to rear areas. Failure would expose the British to encirclement and force withdrawal from Perak and Kedah. However, Matador faced insurmountable obstacles. Britain was uncertain whether Thailand would resist or accommodate Japan, and invading neutral Thai territory risked driving the Thai government into Japanese arms. Command hesitation, combined with poor intelligence, created fatal delays. Matador was never approved. Instead, authorities authorized Operation Krohcol, a scaled-down alternative named after the town of Kroh. This operation tasked a small British-Indian force with advancing into southern Thailand to capture the Ledge, destroy bridges and roads, and delay Japanese movements. Though far less ambitious than Matador, Krohcol represented Britain's final attempt at preemptive action. It would be activated only after Japan opened hostilities, but by then, opportunity had already slipped away.   On December 4, Japanese transport ships escorted by Admiral Kondō's fleet departed Hainan Island toward their objectives. Two days later, British reconnaissance spotted the fleet, but Brooke-Popham lacked authorization to intervene—he could only alert his forces. At 23:00 on December 7, Japan issued an ultimatum to Thailand, demanding passage and giving a two-hour response window. Unable to locate Prime Minister Phibun until late morning, Thailand was invaded hours later. From Indochina, Japanese Imperial Guards and the 55th Division landed at Phra Tabong and pushed northwest toward Aranyaprathet. The 5th Division's regiment landed at Patani while the division's main force seized Singora, quickly overwhelming Thai defenders. From Saigon, elements of the 15th Army conducted additional naval landings across Thailand but encountered unexpectedly fierce Thai resistance that stalled their progress. Just before Pearl Harbor came under attack, the Japanese 18th Division landed at Kota Bharu. The defenders—the 8th Indian Infantry Brigade under Brigadier B.W. Key, supported by artillery from the 21st Mountain Battery and the 73rd Field Battery—faced a daunting task. The 3/17th Dogra Regiment, commanded by Lieutenant Colonel G.A. Preston, held a 10-mile coastal stretch fortified with mines, barbed wire, and pillboxes overlooking the narrow beaches of Badang and Sabak, separated by estuaries and surrounded by creeks, lagoons, and swamp islands. The Dogras unleashed devastating fire as Japanese landing craft approached at midnight. Colonel Masanobu Tsuji observed that enemy pillboxes "responded with such overwhelming force that our men lying on the beach, partially submerged in water, could not lift their heads." The first waves were pinned down, with casualties mounting from artillery, machine gun fire, and Allied aircraft from nearby airfields. British Hudsons bombed the invasion fleet and stranded soldiers, sinking one Japanese transport and destroying seven of their own aircraft in the process. The defenders inflicted heavy casualties, but intense hand-to-hand combat eventually breached the line's center by 03:45, threatening the nearby airfield. Simultaneously, 17 Japanese bombers attacked Singapore with minimal damage and 61 casualties, surprising the British with evidence of enemy long-range aircraft. Japanese fighters and bombers dominated the skies over Kota Bharu and northern Malaysian airfields, demonstrating clear air superiority. Amid the chaos, counterattacks by Malayan battalions failed, forcing the British to destroy northern airfields to prevent capture. The defenders retreated from the beaches to Kota Bharu itself that night. As confusion engulfed British headquarters, Operation Krohcol commenced at 15:00. This scaled-down preemptive operation aimed to delay the Japanese invasion by securing and destroying the Ledge—a six-mile road carved through steep hillside with a sheer drop into a river. Blowing this section would severely impede enemy advance. The force consisted primarily of the 3/16th Punjab Regiment under Lieutenant Colonel Henry Moorhead, supplemented by engineers, traveling in Marmon-Herrington trucks provided by the Australian Motor Transport Company. Krohcol was undermanned from the start; the 5/14th Punjab Regiment and artillery battery failed to arrive on schedule, forcing the column to proceed without them. Crossing the border at Kroh, Indian troops encountered determined resistance from Thai police under Major Prayoon Rattanakit in Betong. These roadblocks delayed the Indian advance for two full days while Prayoon's officers simultaneously engaged Japanese forces at Patani. After several hours of combat, Japan and Thailand reached an armistice by midday, with Phibun granting Japan passage, though Thai forces remained neutral. Japanese forces at Patani, navigating poor roads but facing no opposition, began their advance toward the Ledge—approximately 60 miles distant—initiating a critical race against Krohcol to determine who would occupy this vital position first. Meanwhile, renewed fighting erupted at Kota Bharu as Japanese forces infiltrated around British strongpoints, causing alarm among commanders. By December 10, with the situation deteriorating, defenders received authorization to abandon Kota Bharu and withdraw south to Machang.   Just hours after the Pearl Harbor attack, Admiral Phillips ordered Force Z to intercept Japanese invasion forces in the South China Sea without air support. Phillips believed he could "finish quickly and escape to the east before the Japanese could organize a significant attack." Ten Brewster Buffaloes were assigned to support the fleet, but he departed without requesting their cover. Force Z failed to locate the Japanese fleet, which had moved northwest into the Gulf of Siam. By afternoon on December 9, Japanese submarine I-65 detected Force Z, followed by reconnaissance aircraft. When Phillips altered course toward Kuantan, crews grew complacent. Bert Wynn recalled shipboard conversation centered on sinking Japanese warships. A flag officer remarked to CBS correspondent Cecil Brown, "Oh, but they are Japanese. There's nothing to worry about." That evening, Brown questioned whether the British were overconfident given Pearl Harbor. Officers conceded theoretically but remained dismissive. One replied, "We just don't think the enemy is much good. They could not beat China for five years." At 11:00 AM on December 10, Japanese aircraft struck. Three waves of Nell and Betty bombers from Indochina, after more than five hours aloft, approached from the horizon. With no air support—Phillips had maintained radio silence—defense rested entirely on anti-aircraft batteries. Nells attacked at 12,000 feet, dropping 250 kg bombs. Repulse twisted violently, evading most, but one struck her seaplane deck, killing two dozen men instantly. At 11:30, seventeen Nells attacked at wave-top level, focusing on Prince of Wales. Nine aircraft divided their approach, flying below 100 feet from both bows. The ship's inexperienced anti-aircraft crews, hampered by inoperable radar from tropical humidity, struggled to track targets. Once torpedoes were released, the planes sped away, losing only one aircraft.   A single torpedo struck Prince of Wales near the outer propeller shaft. When restarted, water flooded engine room B. Auxiliary power failed, halting drainage and causing an 11.5-degree list to port. Her 5-inch guns became powerless; she slowed to 15 knots, severely crippled. At 12:20, twenty-six Bettys attacked in coordinated "anvil" assaults with simultaneous torpedo drops on both bows. Repulse evaded initially but two or three torpedoes found their mark. One crew member recalled, "Suddenly there was a massive explosion. I immediately knew we'd lost Repulse, for within seconds she took on a frightening list to port, so rapid no amount of counter flooding would save her." Captain's last order: "You've put up a good show, now save yourselves." At 12:23 PM, Repulse rolled over and sank stern-first, her enormous hull protruding vertically from the water. Men jumped into oil-blackened water; many drowned during hours of waiting while destroyer escorts frantically retrieved survivors. Cecil Brown described it as "a confusing, macabre game"—orange flames, white tracers, and gray aircraft "astonishingly close, like butterflies pinned on blue cardboard." With Repulse gone, bombers concentrated on the damaged Prince of Wales. At 12:44, a 500 kg bomb struck between her stacks where wounded crew sheltered, causing devastating casualties. Men ordered to abandon ship faced drowning if trapped below deck. Destroyers rushed in to save swimmers, though HMS Express nearly capsized in rescue efforts. Ten Buffaloes arrived as Prince of Wales sank—too late. One pilot recalled, "After an hour, lack of petrol forced me to leave, but during that hour I had seen many men in dire danger waving, cheering and joking, as if they were holiday-makers waving at a low-flying aircraft. It shook me, for here was something above human nature." In just over an hour, the battleship era ended: 47 British officers and 793 men perished, including Admiral Phillips. Repulse's captain later acknowledged, "The enemy's attacks were undoubtedly carried out magnificently and pressed home effectively. The high-level bombers maintained tight formation and did not veer off course." By December 10, Krohcol reached Betong, just 26 miles from the Ledge. However, a Japanese ambush caught them off-guard near the target, forcing retreat when they were only a mile away. The 5th Division's regiment reached the Ledge by midday, dealing the Indians significant casualties. By December 13, Krohcol was pushed back to Kroh, the operation failed. Meanwhile, the 5th Division advanced south from Singora toward Jitra. Major-General David Murray-Lyon commanded the 11th Indian Division's weak defensive positions at Jitra's road junction, unaware that the critical Alor Setar airfield had already been abandoned. His forces—6th Indian Brigade holding a 10-mile coastal sector, 15th Brigade covering the road, and 28th Brigade in reserve—had sent two delaying detachments on December 9. On December 11, Japanese tanks overwhelmed these covering battalions, inflicting heavy casualties. Murray-Lyon committed his reserves prematurely, leaving Alor Setar lightly defended. That night, Japanese tanks reached the main position north of Jitra, with the 5th Division following. Heavy fighting ensued between Japanese armor and demoralized Indian troops. British defenses penetrated around 06:00, forcing successive Indian units to be overrun. Murray-Lyon repeatedly requested withdrawal permission. At 19:30 on December 12, General Percival finally approved. Due to poor communication and confusion, the 11th Indian Division suffered heavy casualties but disengaged by December 13, withdrawing to Gurun. The primary British defenses in northern Malaya had been breached, the 11th Division severely weakened, and the Japanese advance down the peninsula had begun unstoppably. Percival's first significant defense occurred at Jitra on December 11th, intended to push the Japanese as far north as possible and protect remaining Allied airfields. The Japanese quickly overwhelmed the Indian defenders, and Colonel Tsuji observed the engagement firsthand: "Our tanks were ready on the road, and the twenty or so enemy armored cars ahead were literally trampled underfoot. The enemy armored cars could not escape by running away, and were sandwiched between our medium tanks. It was speed and weight of armor that decided the issue." Major General Murray-Lyon commanded the 11th Indian Division. A World War I veteran, he had served with distinction in the Highland Light Infantry, earning the Military Cross for bravery in Flanders and the Distinguished Service Order for his actions at Moeuvres. The citation stated: "For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty. When the enemy attacked and penetrated the line after intense fighting and continual bombing attacks, by his courage and personal example he succeeded in driving them out and held his position against further heavy attacks with splendid coolness and determination." This was no desk officer, but a frontline commander faced with an impossible task. Murray-Lyon's division appeared formidable on paper but was severely compromised. It contained only two regular British battalions—the Leicestershire and East Surrey Regiments—with the remainder consisting of four newly raised Indian Army battalions and three inexperienced Gurkha battalions. The Gurkhas, though renowned as elite soldiers, were primarily composed of 18-year-old recruits fresh from deployment. Like all Allied forces in Malaya, the division lacked tanks while facing an enemy flush with armor. After only days of intense combat, Murray-Lyon sought permission to withdraw, convinced the Japanese forces greatly outnumbered him. Ironically, Yamashita's army was outnumbered two to one. The Japanese commander employed Blitzkrieg tactics inspired by his time as a military attaché in Berlin, coordinating air and ground forces with remarkable precision. His approach involved fast-moving tanks, bomber aircraft deployed as mobile artillery, and—most unusually—bicycle-mounted infantry. Prior to the invasion, Japanese planners decided bicycles were ideal for the tropical jungle terrain. Rather than shipping thousands, they seized bicycles from the local population. The offensive typically began with bombing raids on Allied defensive positions, followed by tanks smashing through. As defenders retreated, bicycle infantry continuously harassed and attacked, while coastal amphibious assaults flanked positions along the shore. Colonel Alfred Harrison of the 11th Indian Division reflected on the psychological toll: "Fatigue had stretched the men's mind to the limit and the moral ascendancy which the Japanese achieved in these few weeks included a psychic side. The troops were beginning to attribute almost supernatural powers to the Japanese." Yamashita had rehearsed these tactics extensively on Hainan Island, conducting exercises in amphibious landings, bridge destruction and repair, and jungle operations. The bicycle innovation proved revolutionary—troops covered greater distances more quickly with less fatigue, repeatedly outflanking British forces who found themselves pushed off roads and encircled. The rapid movements created a psychological multiplier effect; British commanders, mistaken about enemy numbers, believed they faced far larger forces than actually present. This "Bicycle Blitzkrieg," as it became known, echoed Mongol tactics—a single swift force striking multiple targets so quickly that enemies believed they faced several armies. Tanks were crucial to this success. The British had deployed no tanks to Malaya before the war, a fatal omission. Combined with bicycle infantry, Japanese armor allowed them to engage British forces before defensive positions could be established. Percival authorized withdrawal from Jitra, directing troops south to Gurun, but those defenses remained unfinished and the Japanese advance was too rapid. Percival later reflected in his memoir, War in Malaya: "This withdrawal would have been difficult under the most favorable conditions. With the troops tired, units mixed as the result of the fighting, communications broken and the night dark, it was inevitable that orders should be delayed and that in some cases they should never reach the addressees. This is what in fact occurred. The withdrawal, necessary as it may have been, was too fast and too complicated for disorganized and exhausted troops, whose disorganization and exhaustion it only increased." From the start, British forces stretched too thinly across a 14-mile front in challenging terrain—dense jungle on the right flank, monsoon-soaked rice fields and rubber plantations in the center, mangrove swamps to the left. Yamashita's concentrated attacks breached the line. Repeated retreats cost both personnel and equipment, as overrun positions offered no opportunity for evacuation and bicycle infantry prevented orderly withdrawal. The Jitra defeat exposed a fundamental strategic error: deploying under-resourced troops across Malaya's entire breadth rather than establishing a shorter, more defensible line further south, which could have shortened British supply lines while lengthening Japan's—a disadvantage the Japanese could not exploit. The Allied retreat continued southward to the Gurun area, though the chaotic withdrawal from Jitra itself inflicted more casualties than the fighting had—many frontline units never received withdrawal orders, while others became lost crossing the Bata River. Murray eventually fell back to the Muda River, establishing defensive positions along the Krian River some thirty miles south. Percival, increasingly desperate, realized his entire strategy had depended on holding the Japanese as far north as possible to minimize air threats to Singapore. The rapid Japanese advance made this impossible. Reluctantly, he ordered a general withdrawal south of the Perak River, while his field commanders pleaded for reinforcements they would never receive. Though Percival had an Australian division in Johor, he refused to commit them north, fearing a Japanese naval invasion further south could threaten Singapore itself.   As Yamashita's 25th Army advanced westward toward Penang, Japanese bombers subjected the island to daily raids. British command, recognizing the island as indefensible, evacuated European residents on December 17th—leaving the local Malay population to face the Japanese. Mrs Muriel Reilly's recollection captures the moment's bitter legacy: "it still hurts to think how the white race 'let down hundreds of similarly faithful servants who trusted in us, and looked to us for protection from the hated Japanese." The abandonment had strategic consequences. In their haste, the British left massive stockpiles of arms and supplies in Penang that fell directly into Yamashita's hands. More profoundly, local Malays turned against their former colonial rulers. Some historians now argue "the moral collapse of British rule in Southeast Asia occurred not at Singapore, but at Penang." Under subsequent Japanese occupation, Penang endured three years and eight months of hardship—food shortages, rampant hyperinflation from the "banana dollar," and systematic repression including comfort women camps and the Sook Ching massacres targeting Chinese communities the Japanese feared might become guerrillas.  The Japanese occupiers' fears about Chinese resistance were prescient. Among the Chinese communities of Malaya and Singapore, anti-Japanese sentiment had been building for over a decade. Since Japan's 1937 invasion of China, ethnic Chinese populations had viewed Tokyo with deep hostility. The Japanese invasion of Manchuria in 1931, followed by the escalating horrors of the Second Sino-Japanese War, had created a reservoir of determination to resist Japanese expansion wherever it might emerge. As British colonial authority crumbled, this sentiment transformed from passive resentment into active organization. The Battle of Jitra exposed a fundamental miscalculation: attempting to defend all of Malaya with an undersized army. A more strategic withdrawal to Johore would have shortened British supply lines while extending Japan's. As December ended, Murray-Lyon was dismissed from command—a casualty of circumstance. He had spent weeks preparing for the cancelled Operation Matador while neglecting proper defenses at Jitra and Gurun. At fifty-one, this decorated soldier, who had earned the Military Cross and Distinguished Service Order in the Great War, became a civilian during Britain's darkest hour. He was replaced by Brigadier Archibald Paris, equally inexperienced in jungle warfare, who paradoxically proved more effective by facilitating the retreat of Murray's division while inflicting unexpected casualties on overconfident Japanese units. By December 26th, the Japanese 5th Division and 4th Guards Regiment crossed the Perak River, preparing an assault on Kampar. This position was crucial—located halfway between Penang and Kuala Lumpur, its terrain was unsuitable for tanks and difficult to outflank, offering a rare opportunity to make a stand. Paris gathered infantry battalions, many composed of Jitra and Gurun survivors: British battalions from the Leicesters and East Surreys, along with Jat and Punjabi units including Sikhs. The 12th Brigade hastily dug trenches, strung wire, and cleared fields around Kampar's ridges to improve visibility. After three weeks of continuous fighting and retreat, the defenders' morale had collapsed. Colonel Alfred Harrison observed on Christmas Day: "fatigue had stretched the men's mind to the limit and the moral ascendancy which the Japanese had achieved in these few weeks included a 'psychic' side. The troops were beginning to attribute almost supernatural powers to the Japanese." The Japanese, by contrast, had grown accustomed to victory and approached each engagement with unshakeable confidence. Yamashita employed German-inspired tactics using aircraft as mobile artillery—vital in terrain where conventional gun placement was impossible. Engagements began with bombing raids on Allied positions, followed by frontal assaults to establish a line, then flanking maneuvers through jungle to encircle defenders. When the assault came from the western coastal roads, Japanese tanks struck the 12th Brigade along a three-mile rural stretch near Gopeng. Small arms and heavy machine gun fire erupted as infantry dismounted from trucks and spread into the brush. Some tanks advanced alone onto a bridge near Dipang, where they encountered defenders with Lanchester submachine guns and Bren gun carriers equipped with anti-tank rifles. Lt Colonel Ian Stewart noted the grim reality: "the anti-tank rifle made no impression against the Jap mediums, while their 37 mm guns went through our armour like paper." The Japanese tankers, closing their hatches in the oppressive subtropical heat—what they described as a "Turkish bath"—approached cautiously, aware of potential counterattacks. British defenders fired desperately at vision slits, their bullets ricocheting uselessly. A 2-pounder anti-tank gun destroyed a single tank, prompting Japanese armor to withdraw and wait for infantry support. Meanwhile, two hundred defenders on the opposite side prepared to destroy the bridge. Fortunately, Kampar's shallow water allowed most to wade across a mile downstream. Stewart's 12th Brigade had purchased time. The British established a strong perimeter around Kampar Hill, resembling a "goose egg" on the map. Their artillery, better supplied than the Japanese equivalent, was concealed in the jungle with two hundred rounds stacked beside each gun. The 15th/6th Brigades occupied the low ground where the road and railway ran through town. Unlike earlier battles where Japanese forces kept defenders pinned with close contact, Kampar's expansive fields of fire and terrain offered space to maneuver—a rare advantage the British would finally exploit. Major General Saburo Kawamura led the attack on Kampar with his 9th Brigade. On December 31st, he probed the 28th Gurkha Brigade entrenched on the hill. Japanese howitzer fire drew return artillery that effectively repelled their advances. At midnight on New Year's Eve, Lt. Colonel Augustus Murdoch ordered a 12-gun salute fired at the Japanese—perhaps a cheeky gesture. Seven hours later, Kawamura launched his main assault on the western side targeting the trunk road. The brunt fell on a newly formed British battalion, the Leicesters and East Surreys, under Lt. Colonel Esmond Morrison. The 48-year-old, though some dismissed him as a "polo-playing playboy," proved a serious soldier despite his peacetime reputation, frequently sharing front-line dangers with his men. Japanese infantry emerged from the mist carrying mortars. Mortar fire became intense—one casualty was a company commander whose jaw was shattered by a splinter. However, observation officers from the 88th Field Regiment pinpointed Japanese advances, unleashing devastating artillery fire. Colonel Masanobu Tsuji observed "a continuous stream of casualties coming back down the hill to safety, either carried on stretchers or supported on the shoulders of comrades who were themselves wounded." Japanese artillery pieces were covertly moved through secondary jungle to hide their positions. During the fighting, one of Morrison's lieutenants encountered Japanese soldiers in a trench, fired his revolver, and retreated. A gunnery driver named Walker, noticing a nearby Bren position overrun, exited his vehicle armed with a Thompson submachine gun and launched a surprise attack, forcing the Japanese to retreat—earning him a medal. Troop Sergeant Major Hugill, commanding an outlying observation post connected by field telephone, received a distinguished conduct medal for calmly calling in protective artillery fire while cut off. When the attack subsided, he encountered isolated Japanese soldiers who had captured a Vickers-Berthier machine gun. Hugill gathered five infantrymen and led a bayonet charge to reclaim it. Emergency commissioned officer Lt. Edgar Newland commanded a platoon of 30 men in one of the most forward positions. His platoon was surrounded for much of the battle yet successfully repelled numerous assaults over two consecutive days. General Percival specifically praised Newland and his men. Newland received a Military Cross; his platoon sergeant, Euan McDonald, received a distinguished conduct medal. After two days, Japanese forces captured part of Thompson's Ridge. Morrison ordered two platoons of Sikhs and Gujars to bayonet charge under mortar fire. Tragically, 34 soldiers died, including their 21-year-old commander, Charles Lamb, killed in the initial charge. Captain John Graham lost both legs to a grenade but continued encouraging his men, throwing grenades at Japanese trenches before bleeding to death—but they had retaken the position. Courage, artillery, and terrain proved insufficient. Yamashita decided to outflank Percival with seaborne landings on the Malayan west coast. He transported 40 small craft by rail to Alor Star and ordered landings near Telok Anson, 30 miles southeast of Kampar. If successful, he would cut off Percival's 11th Indian Division defending Kampar. Yamashita devised a three-pronged attack: the Imperial Guards Division would paddle down the Perak River into town; another force would approach from the west on landing craft entering from the opposite direction; a third would move up the Bernam River and march north toward Telok Anson. Lt. General Takuro Matsui commanded the landings. While Kampar held, 1,500 of Matsui's men crowded onto landing craft. One steamer towing ten craft went too far south, attempting the Selangor River defended by a Jat battalion with artillery. The Japanese were repelled, losing one to three craft before moving north. In Perak, four landing rafts ran aground on a sandbar and required rescue. A British patrol boat spotted them but left to report—no action followed. Percival later remarked: "unfortunately neither the navy nor the air force were able to take advantage of this unique opportunity." Despite setbacks, Japanese forces landed and advanced on Telok Anson. On January 2nd, they encountered the 3rd Indian Cavalry and 1st Independent Company under Stewart, equipped with armored cars and Thompson and Bren guns. They inflicted significant casualties but with only 250 men couldn't hold. Stewart ordered delaying actions instead. Telok Anson fell, leaving Kampar defenders at risk of encirclement. Although Kawamura's forces showed no signs of breaking after four days of fighting, Paris feared his main supply route had been cut. He requested permission from Percival to withdraw to the Slim River defensive line. Paris prioritized preserving troops over territory: "With no reserves in hand, we were still in a position of being unable to accept major losses." The 12th Brigade held while Paris organized the division's withdrawal. An unusual discovery emerged during delaying actions: Brigadier Stewart found the body of a dead European cyclist in British uniform. Earlier, a Punjabi sentry had shot a man on a bridge attempting to grab his Thompson. Both were likely German deserters from Vichy Indo-China's Foreign Legion, in contact with the Nazi embassy. The British Legation in Bangkok had warned of such infiltrators offering sabotage and espionage assistance. Percival was particularly struck by the German who tried single-handedly to disarm a sentry and seize a bridge. The 12th Brigade discovered another European body—a German political refugee and former mining engineer who had disappeared weeks earlier. Exhausted after three weeks of near-constant combat, the 12th Brigade continued delaying actions. Japanese air forces wreaked havoc on vehicles; Stewart estimated half his casualties—around 90 killed and wounded from 4,000 troops—resulted from aerial attacks. Stewart expressed satisfaction: "It had been an eminently successful battle," though it was more a series of brief skirmishes than traditional battle. Kampar fell when Telok Anson was captured. Percival might have committed Australian brigades from Johore or garrison battalions from Singapore, but concentrating forces at Kampar risked prompting Yamashita to attack elsewhere. The Kampar defenders retreated 30 miles to the Slim River. Tsuji reluctantly acknowledged Yamashita's breakthrough was impressive, if risky. On the east coast, defenders faced more resistance at Kuantan. Percival clung to the airfield, determined to deny the Japanese RAF facilities and limit their ability to strike at reinforcement convoys approaching Singapore. The first convoy from Bombay, carrying the half-trained 45th Brigade under Brigadier Horatio Duncan, was 24 hours away. The 22nd Indian Brigade, led by Brigadier George Painter, defended Kuantan against the Takumi detachment of the 18th Division. One battalion, commanded by a veteran of Kota Bharu, fortified the airfield with barbed wire and trenches. When Takumi's forces approached, the Japanese encountered 4.5-inch howitzer fire inflicting significant casualties. The defenders fought fiercely, each equipped with six grenades instead of two, creating deadly chaos. Tsuji noted the airfield "was obstinately defended," particularly at night when grenades rolled into confined trenches with devastating effect. Word reached the defenders that General Barstow's entire 9th Indian Division was retreating through Kuala Lipis-Jerantut-Raub. The 22nd Brigade demolished installations and prepared to withdraw, though their rearguard risked encirclement. One night, investigating his southern flank with Captain Ian Grimwood, battalion commander Cumming spotted Japanese soldiers climbing barbed wire meters away. Armed with a .455 Webley revolver, Cumming and Grimwood faced seven Japanese soldiers charging with bayonets. They fired as they were knocked down, killing all attackers, but Cumming suffered two bayonet wounds to his stomach. Grimwood dragged him to battalion HQ for first aid. As the airfield was overrun, Cumming ordered withdrawal. A grenade or mortar round knocked him unconscious. He regained consciousness in a vehicle where Private Albel Singh reported a Japanese roadblock ahead. Spotting a fallen tree creating passage, Cumming ordered Singh to charge through. Machine gun fire rained down; Cumming was hit again with a shattered arm, possibly from an anti-personnel mine, while Singh endured a .256 armor-piercing bullet through both thighs yet maintained control, driving 30 miles per hour. The vehicle arrived at brigade HQ covered in blood from six occupants. Cumming would receive the Victoria Cross for his heroism. Painter held the airfield long enough for reinforcements to approach, though it cost much of one of the best Indian battalions. Painter, fixated on flanking fears, believed it "better to lose half a battalion than an entire brigade." The 22nd Indian Brigade lost a third of its strength but retreated by January 3rd. While this unfolded eastward, Yamashita's forces advanced south. Defenders prepared a new defensive line at Trolak, five miles north of Slim River. Reinforcements had arrived; the 45th Brigade was immediately dispatched to repel the enemy's advance on Kuala Selangor, which held another crucial airfield. Whether defenders could withstand Yamashita's onslaught remained to be seen.   While British forces retreated in disarray toward Singapore, another chapter was quietly beginning in the shadows of the collapsing colonial order. On December 25, 1941—Christmas morning, even as Governor Young raised the white flag over Hong Kong—Chinese volunteers in Singapore formalized their resistance. That day, the Singapore Overseas Chinese Anti-Japanese Volunteer Army, officially known as Dalforce, was established under the command of Lieutenant Colonel John Dalley. Dalforce emerged from urgent necessity. As the Japanese invasion accelerated and British defenses crumbled, recruitment of local Chinese volunteers escalated dramatically. What had begun as an informal volunteer effort in 1939 now crystallized into organized military structure. The initial cadre of 200 volunteers swelled to 4,000 members as the invasion reached Singapore's doorstep. These were not professional soldiers—Dalforce members came from the Chinese civilian population, motivated by the knowledge that Japanese occupation would target them specifically. Many lacked military training; some were armed only with sporting firearms due to critical shortages of military weapons. Supply ships intended for Dalforce, such as the SS Empress of Asia, were sunk before their cargo could reach Singapore. Yet the volunteers pressed forward, organizing themselves despite severe handicaps: makeshift uniforms, inadequate equipment, and internal divisions between Communist and Kuomintang factions, each trained separately by British officers. Dalforce would soon earn the nickname "Dalley's Desperadoes" from British forces—a name reflecting both affection for their fierce combat effectiveness and incredulity that such a hastily assembled, poorly equipped force could fight with such determination. Unlike the demoralized British and Indian troops retreating southward, these Chinese volunteers were not defending a colonial order they had experienced as oppressive. They were fighting for their homes, their families, and their survival against an enemy they had every reason to fear and oppose. As the Malayan Campaign entered its final phase and the focus shifted to Singapore itself, Dalforce would play a role that British military historians had largely overlooked but that Chinese participants would never forget. 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.   In December 1941, Japan invaded Malaya. British commanders placed their faith in "impregnable" Singapore, but disaster struck immediately. On December 10, Japanese bombers sank Force Z—battleships Prince of Wales and Repulse—in a stunning air attack.Using tanks and bicycles in a lightning "Bicycle Blitzkrieg," Japanese troops shattered Allied lines at Kota Bharu and Jitra, sending exhausted British, Indian, and Australian forces reeling southward in chaos.  

Following a child's ADHD diagnosis, Kate O'Connor of the ADHD Family Network talks to PJ about school dysregulation, and finding peer support in Cork. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jodie and Andrea get real about the struggles of those first few weeks after college drop-off before diving into the "The Bicycle Thief, where the family become accidental criminals. Kimmy goes full neighborhood watch and the guys absurd attempts at cover-ups read pure Jesse/Joey/Danny.Follow us on Instagram @howrudepodcast & TikTok @howrudetanneritosSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Your more interesting friends advocate for free range parenting.

Volume 103 of Brad & Mira For the Culture...Mira issues a correction after spreading misinformation about Johnny Carson and Porter Wagoner...Mira gets a new tattoo...the Otherppl podcast is about to turn 15....Brad lands a huge interview...Angry Adam is AWOL...the Tom Cruise nostalgia tour continues...Days of Thunder 2 is in the works...Anne Hathaway to co-star...Randy Quaid weighs in...Hunter Biden appears on yet another podcast...reports that Joe visited him in his crack den in the presidential motorcade...met a homeless crack addict named Bicycles...the serial Butt Sniffer of California strikes again...Mira begrudgingly absolves Bill Maher and Mel Gibson...Dolly Parton's 100th birthday song...& more... *** ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Otherppl with Brad Listi⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ is a weekly podcast featuring in-depth interviews with today's leading writers. Available where podcasts are available: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, etc. Get ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠How to Write a Novel,⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ the debut audio course from DeepDive. 50+ hours of never-before-heard insight, inspiration, and instruction from dozens of today's most celebrated contemporary authors. Subscribe to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Brad's email newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Support the show on Patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Merch⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Bluesky⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Email the show: letters [at] otherppl [dot] com The podcast is a ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠proud affiliate partner of Bookshop⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, working to support local, independent bookstores. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How do you harness the power of visualization and unbreakable mental toughness to navigate extreme physical challenges and life-altering health battles? In this episode of The Slight Shift Show, Chris and Angela welcome a very special guest. Chris's wife and "hero," Kathy Berlow! From raising a large family to competing as a bodybuilder, completing an Ironman, running marathons, and climbing Mount Kilimanjaro, Kathy shares the mindset required to tackle extraordinary physical feats. The conversation takes a deeper, more emotional turn as Kathy opens up about surviving a grueling year-and-a-half struggle with nerve pain following surgery, and how she is applying her visualization techniques to her current fight against breast cancer. How to take on life's toughest battles! The Shift to "Go Big or Go Home": How supporting family at races inspired Kathy to jump from a half-Ironman goal to committing to a full Ironman, just to hear her name called at the finish line. Overcoming Skill Barriers: Learning to ride a clip-in bike and swim in open water from scratch, including handling race-day setbacks like losing wetsuit privileges in the Hudson River. The Power of Anchors & Visualization: Using mental pre-framing, songs (like Queen's Bicycle), and arm tattoos to push past intense physical discomfort. Navigating Medical Validation & Chronic Pain: Kathy's journey through a year and a half of debilitating nerve pain, the mental toll of second-guessing herself, and the relief of finding the right surgeon. Compartmentalization in Crisis: Managing a cancer diagnosis just two days before her son's wedding while remaining fully present for her family. Please join us for this inspiring episode and story!

Play The Mighty Challenge, Thursday September 3 edition to see if you have the answer! 

Bicycle Talk. Episode 496 September 2nd. 2026.     Ron's Rant:   Crashing your bike just sucks. A shout out to Tadej Pogacar. On a positive side:  Great weather, great riding!  School is back! Stay extra alert. Mechanical minute and cycling tips:  Is cycling good for my legs. How about their appearance?  Content:   Mayor […]

A sculpture has been stolen from outside the iconic Hundertwasser Art Centre in what seems like an unsophisticated heist. Police want to hear from anyone who saw a person on a bike cycling around Whangarei with a big wooden sculpture tucked under their arm. Hundertwasser Art Centre director, Joost de Bruin spoke to Melissa Chan-Green.

We recorded a few weeks prior because someone stole our time, so we finally get around to talking The End Of Oak Street, the first episode of Lanterns and an elegy to Hayden Panettiere, Juliette Barnes herself from Nashville, before facing up to the Italian post-war melodrama and ‘Very Important Film On All The Film Lists', which is something this show tends to avoid for the sake of lesser-watched/considered films, but Johnny needs to tick some of the lists off. All this plus a game of name the film from the stolen/destroyed vehicle. THE FERRYMAN UPON THE PLAINS - Andrew's First Novel - Out Now! https://www.amazon.co.uk/Ferryman-Upon-Plains-Andrew-Jones-ebook/dp/B0F39C3WM4/

As late summer reaches its peak, the garden begins to bow beneath its own fullness. In this episode, I explore Doyo, the transitional season associated with the Earth element and how we have to work this time of year to stay grounded.  

DopeyCon Tickets:https://buytickets.at/thedopeyfoundation/2345507 PAtreon: www.patreon.com/dopeypodcast Episode summary Hunter Biden joins Dopey for an unusually raw conversation about trauma, grief, addiction and recovery. He explains why alcohol initially worked for him, how drinking progressed from manageable binges to vodka hidden around the house, and how the death of his brother Beau preceded his descent into crack addiction. Before Hunter arrives, Dave contemplates his recent resentment problem after an argument over Susan's ice cream, reads a letter from a listener currently using cocaine and vodka, and shares stories involving LSD dropped into someone's eyes, a handful of Xanax swallowed during an arrest and a first meth experience that turns into full-blown DEA psychosis. Following the interview, Dave reveals that the Santa Monica studio looked like an “OnlyFans crack den.” After listening to the conversation, the studio operator disclosed that he was only five days free from crack and alcohol. Hunter embraced him in what everyone recognized as a genuine recovery god shot. All that plus much much much more!!!!!! https://www.workithealth.com/dopey/ https://substack.com/@hunterbiden Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The final day of the Oregon Coast Trail adventure begins at Barview Jetty with one major decision: take the short road walk toward Garibaldi or head back onto the beach for one last stretch of hiking. The beach wins, giving James and I a fitting final chapter to our first successful backpacking trip in years—and plenty of time to start thinking about what comes next. maybe James won't cause us to miss a bus next time? Pedalshift Live - September 11, 5pm PT! Topics TBA, but it's a summer closeout and certainly a preview of some stuff coming in the fall. ALSO we're doing a super fun giveaway exclusively for people that make it to the live show itself… there's some incentive for ya! ALSO ALSO, some special previews of all sorts of things. Am I being cagey? YES. Show up anyways! Chat room is fun, live shows are fun… but if you can't make it, it's the pod for the following week. pedalshift.net/live! Email reminders coming too. Maybe some previews of my previews? Who knows? Sign up here. "My Tent is not Viable" Check out this absolutely hysterical special design awarded to Brock and I to memorialize our night 1 mishap... See more of Simone's designs here. The Pedalshift Project 450: Oregon Coast Trail - Part 3 Waking up at Barview Jetty after a slightly better night's sleep—and some bonus fireworks from Garibaldi Days. Breaking camp with damp tents, questionable battery-charging logistics and a decision to make about the day's route. Road walk toward Garibaldi or return to Rockaway Beach? Naturally, the beach wins. A few physical reminders of the previous day's nearly 11 miles, including the lingering consequences of bad sand. Meeting a touring cyclist at camp with an impressive résumé that includes the C&O, GAP and Empire State Trail. Another reminder that there were considerably more bicycle tourists on the Oregon Coast than expected. Tim and James make it official: they're backpackers again. Why backpacking may be easier to share with more people than bike touring—and why it may become a regular part of future Pedalshift adventures. Heading north along the beach toward Rockaway for the final hiking segment of the trip. Yesterday's brutal headwind finally becomes today's much gentler tailwind. A little filtered sunshine and substantially easier conditions make Day 3 feel like a victory lap. An IT band issue provides one last reminder that walking on soft sand changes your gait in some interesting ways. Looking back on three days that provided a surprisingly complete shakedown: climbing, beach walking, rain, wind, good sand, bad sand, camping and multimodal transit. Arriving in Rockaway Beach and wrapping up the hiking portion of the adventure. Food, another encounter with the cyclist from camp and the beginning of the journey home. Back into multimodal mode: bus to Tillamook, bus to Portland, retrieve the car and eventually drive back to Seattle. Plenty of waiting around reminds everyone that transit-based adventures occasionally involve the advanced outdoor skill of sitting somewhere for a while. Final verdict from James: "Great trip." Three days later, the experiment feels like a pretty staggering success. Backpacking appears destined to become part of the Pedalshift adventure mix—including the possibility of combining hiking and cycling on future trips. Next up: the takeaways episode, including gear lessons, what worked, what didn't and why this backpacking thing might stick. Statistics Route choices 2 Sand types still 2 Wind normal! Bicycle tourists encountered MORE! Transportation segments after Rockaway 3 Buses James is permitted to cause me to miss 0

Bicycle Talk. Episode 495 August 26th 2026.     Ron's Rant:  Why do I have to rely on the BBC to get bicycle infrastructure information in the US? Farewell to Tim Blumenthal.  On a positive side: Bike lanes are traffic calming! Shout outs to Kansas City and Seattle. AI is about to transform cycling as […]

***This is a preview of a Patreon-exclusive bonus episode. For complete access to this and all of our bonus content, plus ad-free versions of regular episodes, merch discounts, presale tickets to live shows, and more, become a Patreon supporter of The War on Cars.*** What can bicycles do for cities? That's the question we asked attendees at this year's Velo-city Conference, organized by the European Cyclists' Federation and held in the Italian city of Rimini. Lots of mayors and elected officials and even advocates talk a lot of what cities should do for cycling, but making it easier for people to cycle in a city unlocks a host of benefits, even for people who will never get on a bike. Hear what people from places around the world—including Mozambique, India, Switzerland, France, and the U.S.—think about the power of the humble bicycle to transform streets, society, and our planet. Our bestselling new book, Life After Cars: Freeing Ourselves from the Tyranny of the Automobile, published by Thesis, an imprint of Penguin Random House, is available wherever books are sold. And don't miss our upcoming live shows, including our return to Hunter College on November 6th. Check out the full schedule at LifeAfterCars.com. www.thewaroncars.org

In his new book If You Want to Win, You've Got to Fight, transportation activist Carter Lavin shares strategies about how to create the change we want to see in our communities. Whether it's more protected bike lanes, improved bus service, or safer streets for pedestrians, Carter provides a comprehensive toolbox of campaign tactics and advocacy tips. He is co-founder of the TransBay Coalition and has helped lead and study over a hundred advocacy campaigns across the United States. Carter Lavin joined us this episode, recorded in February.

The full version of this episode (59 minutes & Ad-free) is available for Silk+ Members (FREE for a limited time!) and includes access to over 600 more episodes from these podcasts: Calm History (130+ episodes) History Showcase (25+ episodes) Sleep Whispers (430+ episodes) ASMR Sleep Station (50+ episodes) 1 & 8-Hour Nature Sounds (50+ episodes) 1 & 8-Hour Background Sounds (30 episodes) … Continue reading *Sample* | Wright Brothers: From Bicycle Builders to Airplane Engineers | Bedtime Sleep Stories about History (Bonus Episode #101)

Missed this morning's Prospector Show on ROCK 107? Catch up with Prospector's Prime Cuts, your daily recap of the funniest moments from NEPA's morning radio show. On today's episode: • Talk About an Upgrade! AC/DC has a new opening act for one night only in St. Louis, and it's Foo Fighters! Dave Grohl gets to live out a childhood dream by opening for one of the bands that helped make him want to play rock and roll in the first place. • Go or No Go — from the Pittston Tomato Festival to everything else happening around NEPA, we help you figure out what's worth getting off the couch for this weekend. • Prospector's NO K Fun Run — finally, a race Prospector has been training his entire life for. Absolutely NO running required. The NO K is coming Saturday, October 10 at Breaker Brewing Outpost in Archbald, with live music, a T-shirt, a medal for successfully going nowhere, and proceeds benefiting Team Allied Services. • inTEXTicated — the drunken texts you forgot you sent... until somebody reminds you the next morning. • Prospector's Rant — driving around NEPA can already feel like a contact sport. Add bicycles to the mix and everybody needs to figure out how to share the road without trying to kill each other. • Prospector's Yambag of the Week • Plus more weird, funny, and completely unnecessary moments from the show. Stay caught up on Northeast PA radio, classic rock, NEPA events, prank-free stupidity, listener laughs, and the daily nonsense you might have missed on the Prospector Show.

The Transformation Ground Control podcast covers a number of topics important to digital and business transformation. This episode covers the following topics and interviews:   Putting AI Inside ERP Is a Ferrari Engine on an Old Bicycle Is the Business Finally Taking the Wheel? (Jan Baan, Founder & Chairman - Rappit) ERP Should Propel EBITDA — Not Consume It   We also cover a number of other relevant topics related to digital and business transformation throughout the show.  

Bicycle Talk. Episode 494 August 19th 2026.     Ron's Rant: Strava segments on a group ride?  And the inequity of Female professional bicycle racer salaries.   On a positive side:  Atlanta Georgia has it right!   Mechanical minute and cycling tips:  Learn to ride your bicycle later in life. Cycling benefits for older adults. […]

You write; they talk. Bicycle gangs are good, schools are overrated, chronological snobbery is bad, vocations are always plural, and Chris waxes poetic about his favorite hot dog.

In this episode of Bicycle Retail Radio, Lewis Sherratt, General Manager of Citrus-Lime, discusses the operational challenges facing today's specialty bicycle retailers and how connected technology can help shops improve the customer experience.From inventory accuracy and ecommerce to smarter buying decisions and the future of retail, Lewis shares practical insights to help retailers stay competitive in an evolving market.Contact Citrus-Lime:Patrick Clapp - PatrickC@citruslime.comPatrick Leslie - Patrick.Leslie@citruslime.comSupport the show

Tree Bicycle Company is back with Sam Schulte in the drivers seat after an extended hiatus and he has big things in the works!Sam and Tree always pushed innovation in BMX and throughout the years worked on projects and tech that has made its way through the rest of the industry. He invented the spline drive adapter and several other things that we talk about in addition to the entire history of Tree. It's also widely known that sam has eaten raw meat for quite a long time and we talk at length about it. This was a fun conversation to learn about http://treebicycleco.comTree's Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/treebicyclecoSam's Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/samfromtreeDiet Info - https://primaldietcoaching.com/Thank you for choosing to spend your time watching one of my videos! If you enjoyed it, let me know in the comments below and if you're new, please consider subscribing! - http://bit.ly/Brant_MooreJoin the public Discord - https://discord.gg/NjY5j8ZyA6Just being here is support enough for me, but if you'd like to support the channel directly there are a few ways you can below.MooreBMX Merch - T-Shirts, Stickers, Mugs, & More - www.moorebmx.bigcartel.comMooreBMX Mug Club - 1 Year Long BMX Art Exhibition On Mugs, Shirts, & Prints - Patreon.com/brantmooreBecome a Member - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWGijuL19i21bgv_ow2i2YA/joinPatreon - https://www.patreon.com/brantmooreShout Out & THANK YOU To Platinum Members: Kurinsky FamilyGold Members: Adam Ortiz, Geoff Meade, Brian Lang, Wooder Designs, 1nJimid8tor!!All Discount Codes Below At One Link: https://beacons.ai/brant_mooreSave 10% on Alienation or Nowear BMX Parts or literally ANYTHING else from DANSCOMP with code "BRANT" at checkout! - www.danscomp.comSave 30% on MKS Motokicks shoes with the code "BRANT" at www.mksmoto.comSave 10% on supplements for you brain and body from ONNIT with the code "BRANT" at https://onnit.sjv.io/c/4933475/347302/5155Onnit Free Trials: https://onnit.sjv.io/c/4933475/1621437/5155Sponsors - Park Tool, Alienation BMX, Nowear BMX, MKS MotokicksPodcast Episodes - https://bit.ly/moorebmxpodcastBMX News - http://bit.ly/bmx-newsBMX For Beginners - http://bit.ly/bmx-for-beginnersBMX Tips & Tricks - http://bit.ly/bmxtipsBMX Brake Guide - http://bit.ly/bmx-brake-guideBMX Geometry Explained - http://bit.ly/bmxgeometryTalking BMX - http://bit.ly/talkingbmxBMX Jams & Events - http://bit.ly/bmxeventsBMX Games - http://bit.ly/bmxgamesLip Lords - http://bit.ly/liplordsplaylistMy Equipment - https://www.amazon.com/shop/brant_mooreInstagram - https://instagram.com/brant_moore/#bmx

John Maytham speaks to sports scientist Ross Tucker about bicycle helmet safety and what helmets can and cannot protect cyclists from in serious crashes. Afternoon Drive with John Maytham is the late afternoon show on CapeTalk. Presenter John Maytham is an actor and author-turned-talk radio veteran and seasoned journalist. His show serves a round-up of local and international news coupled with the latest in business, sport, traffic and weather. The host’s eclectic interests mean the program often surprises the audience with intriguing book reviews and inspiring interviews profiling artists. A daily highlight is Rapid Fire, just after 5:30 pm. CapeTalk fans call in to stump the presenter with their general knowledge questions. Another firm favourite is the humorous Thursday crossing with award-winning journalist Rebecca Davis, called “Plan B”. Thank you for listening to a podcast from Afternoon Drive with John Maytham Listen live on Primedia+ weekdays from 15:00 and 18:00 (SA Time) to Afternoon Drive with John Maytham broadcast on CapeTalk https://buff.ly/NnFM3Nk For more from the show, go to https://buff.ly/BSFy4Cn or find all the catch-up podcasts here https://buff.ly/n8nWt4x Subscribe to the CapeTalk Daily and Weekly Newsletters https://buff.ly/sbvVZD5 Follow us on social media: CapeTalk on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CapeTalk CapeTalk on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@capetalk CapeTalk on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ CapeTalk on X: https://x.com/CapeTalk CapeTalk on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@CapeTalk567 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Lissa audio: free bicycle helmet giveaway for kids!

Stolen_Bicycles

One Utahn is breaking records on his bike, averaging 30 mph for 200 miles! Matthew Lefthand tells the Deseret News that he hopes to complete a 24-hour cycling record next year too. We turn to our own cycling expert, Greg Skordas, for a chat on the significance of this milestone.

In this episode of the Red Eye Report, we discuss Bicycles. Where the hell did they even come from? It is an interesting story, and the fact that early iterations were called 'Boneshakers' says a lot. Also on the show, four middle-aged men shake their fist and yell at technology, and Trump uses his cabinet as bait on Air Force One while he slips away with his golf caddy in an airline food delivery vehicle.    Download the Red Eye Report wherever you get your podcasts.  theredeyereport.com

Today we're reviewing Voyage to the Planet of Prehistoric Women (1968), the story of a cool Russian sci-fi movie about an exploratory mission to Venus which an American studio dubbed and re-cut to include telepathic “prehistoric” women, for some reason. In truth there's very little prehistory in this one, so we get to talk about space travel for forty minutes! (Astronomers and engineers, please send your complaints and corrections to screensofthestoneage@gmail.com) Links Watch Voyage to the Planet of Prehistoric Women (1968) on YouTube Watch Planeta Bur (Planet of Storms) (1962) on YouTube Watch Voyage to the Prehistoric Planet (1965) on YouTube Asimov's Three Rules of Robotics Mant! – Matinee (1993) Venus Missions to Venus Venus Life Finder Self-driving cars and the Trolley Problem The Passengers by John Marrs Are Autonomous Vehicles safer than Human Drivers? Bicycle couriers in Canada can claim food as a fuel expense Contact Website Bluesky Facebook Letterboxd Email ArchPodNet APN Website: https://www.archpodnet.com APN on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/archpodnet APN on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/archpodnet APN on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/archpodnet APN Store Affiliates Motion Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Travel Is Back visits Mackinac Island, Michigan, for a practical Great Lakes getaway built around the ferry ride, historic downtown, bicycles, Fort Mackinac, Arch Rock, quiet island roads, trails, local food, and the famous fudge shops. Johnny Mac walks through how to plan the visit, how to get around without a car, when to go, what to pack, and how to balance the busy waterfront with the quieter interior of the island. This episode was prepared with the assistance of AI tools, giving us more time to travel and bring you even more destinations. Follow Travel Is Back wherever you listen to podcasts and find all 200 plus destinations in our back catalog.Some episodes use AI for research, writing assistance, and occasional voiceover when Johnny Mac is unavailable. His point of view, and his insistence on finding the best local taco remains entirely human.

Tom tries dry shampoo and Molly explains the baby bicycle. Then Tom breaks down a burger, while Molly buys a double color tank top.LINKS:The baby bicycleCalling people a "burger" for their basic taste Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Spending the summer on Block Island is an unforgettable escape, and stopping by Aldo's Bakery in Old Harbor is a must-see tradition. For over 50 years, this family legacy has served scratch-made pastries, fresh bread, house-made ice cream, and their famous boat-to-boat harbor delivery. Even the crew from Block Island Talk Radio stopped by to celebrate the island's favorite spot, because a visit to Aldo's always feels like coming home.Block Island Talk Radio host Andrew Castellano sat down with Leo Leone, who manages Aldo's Mopeds & Bicycles. Leo explained that he was born into the family business and shared his passion for helping visitors explore the island via mopeds, bicycles, golf carts, and convertible rentals. The pair discussed the unique hurdles of managing seasonal operations, such as annual hiring and navigating safety concerns regarding tourists drinking alcohol while operating rental vehicles. Leo also highlighted the continuous evolution of their business to keep offerings fresh for returning multi-generational families. 

Wilbur and Orville Wright are remembered for accomplishing what many believed was impossible—but their remarkable achievement began with a simple toy, curious minds, and parents who encouraged them to explore. Their story reminds us that failure is not the end, teamwork multiplies our strengths, and the next world-changing idea may already be taking flight in the imagination of a child.Share with Kidology.org/podcast239THE KARL BASTIAN PODCAST (Formerly KidminTalk) is the Podcast of "Kidologist" Karl Bastian, founder of Kidology.org and host of The Karl Bastian Podcast. He is a children's pastor, speaker and entertainer. His life mission is to Equip and Encourage those who minister to children.KarlBastian.club is home to Karl's coaching - check it out today!Listen to past editions of this podcast at KarlBastianPodcast.comSend Support via: Kidology.org/donatePLEASE SUBSCRIBE and HIT THAT ALERT BUTTON TOO!Follow Karl: Subscribe at KarlBastian.club Blog: Kidologist.com Facebook: Facebook.com/karl.bastian Twitter: @Kidologist Instagram: @KarlBastian or @KidologyorgNEW: KidsMinistry.ai - check it out!Support the show

Bicycle Talk. Episode 493 August 12th  2026.     Ron's Rant:   NYPD Summer Streets was mostly once again a joyous event, though the NYPD did what it could to spoil the fun again..  Padded bra cheating claim rocks Tour de France Femmes as bizarre theory swirls around cycling? Really?  On a positive side:  I'm […]

On our episode this week Kathryn catches up with friend of the podcast, and founder of All Bodies on Bikes, Marley Blonsky. With her recent move to the west coast Marley opens up about what prompted the move, and why Portland feels like home. This year Marley took a step back from running All Bodies on Bikes, and is now working on the sales floor at River City Bicycles in Portland. She gives her perspective on what she's learning in the role, why she loves it, and some of the trends she is seeing in the bike industry from the sales side. Marley will be having a knee replacement in the fall, after a long journey with a knee injury that has affected her life for years. She gives us an honest look at the challenges that she has faced as a person in a larger body trying to seek treatment for her injury. Marley also discusses her decision to use a GLP-1, and how she has handled the use of this medication as an endurance cyclist. Earlier this year Marley released a children' s book called Rag Tag Best Friends Bicycle Club. She tells us about where the inspiration for the story came from, as well as where you can buy the book.Learn more about Marley on her website marleyblonsky.comCheck out Marley's signature collection with Shredly at https://shredly.com/ and use the code GirlsGoneGravel at checkout to save 15%!

Get a recipe and look at an old photo of Joni's sweet mother Lindy here. --------Thank you for listening! Your support of Joni and Friends helps make this show possible. Joni and Friends envisions a world where every person with a disability finds hope, dignity, and their place in the body of Christ. Become part of the global movement today at www.joniandfriends.org. Find more encouragement on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and YouTube.

Taylor Nichols just finished biking from Los Angeles to Michigan to show that it is possible and that biking is a great way to travel. Taylor co-hosts that popular Bike Talk podcast dedicated to all things biking. The show can be heard across the country on public radio stations and can be found as a podcast as well. For more information, check out their website.

Today's story: E-bikes combine traditional cycling with battery-powered assistance, helping riders travel faster, climb hills, and cover longer distances with less effort. They are popular for commuting, school drop-offs, deliveries, and light exercise. But they're more expensive and weigh more than traditional bicycles. Transcript & Exercises: https://plainenglish.com/887Get the full story and learning resources: https://plainenglish.com/887--Plain English helps you improve your English:Learn about the world and improve your EnglishClear, natural English at a speed you can understandNew stories every weekLearn even more at PlainEnglish.comMentioned in this episode:Hard words? No problemNever be confused by difficult words in Plain English again! See translations of the hardest words and phrases from English to your language. Each episode transcript includes built-in translations into Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese, German, French, Italian, Japanese, Polish, and Turkish. Sign up for a free 14-day trial at PlainEnglish.com

⁠Join⁠⁠⁠ the Village of Nothing Much App! Order Kathryn's new book ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠On the Street Where You Live⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠NMH Merch, Autographed Books and More!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Listen to our bedtime story show, Nothing Much Happens⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Sit Meditation with Kathryn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Follow us on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Nothing Much Happens⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for more Village fun! Sign-Up for our Newsletter ⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠ to be in the know! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

⁠Join⁠⁠⁠ the Village of Nothing Much App! Order Kathryn's new book ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠On the Street Where You Live⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠NMH Merch, Autographed Books and More!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Listen to our bedtime story show, Nothing Much Happens⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Sit Meditation with Kathryn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Follow us on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Nothing Much Happens⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for more Village fun! Sign-Up for our Newsletter ⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠ to be in the know! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hello at thebottomforty@gmail.com 

Ted Maxwell lives in Bethnel Green, a neighborhood in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. Only 29% of households in Tower Hamlets own a car, one of the lowest rates of car ownership in the United Kingdon. He is part of Save Our Safer Streets, a group of Bethnal Green residents and business owners who want to keep and improve the newly built pedestrian-friendly streets in the area that are being threatened with removal by Tower Hamlets Council.

So beyond being the famous turtleneck guy, what exactly did Steve Jobs do during his long tenure at Apple? According to Aaron Sorkin and Danny Boyle's STEVE JOBS (2015), he did... everything and nothing. We discuss a Great Man biopic from a writer who truly believes in Great Men. PATREON-EXCLUSIVE EPISODE - https://www.patreon.com/michaelandus/posts/732-bicycle-for-164653829

Trick taking is an especially hard genre of games to teach. But it doesn’t have to be! 0:00:00 Fact for 427 The world record for a Rube Goldberg machine with the most steps is 427 steps. The record was set in China in 2021, and here’s the video of it in action: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VpLDfkLBJ0Q Sponsor Message If you’re interested in getting help planning through the financial ramifications of a change in your life, head over to firstmovefinancial.com/familygamers to schedule a free 15 minute call and see how First Move can help you. 0:05:30 What We’ve Been Playing Dream Runners (our review)EnthroneLittle Alchemists (our review)Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring Trick-Taking GameEndangered Rescue: Galapagos Penguins *A Place for All My Books (our review)Dice Words *SuspendQuacks of QuedlinburgUnmatched: Stars and Stripes (with T-Rex!) (*) first time mentioned on The Family Gamers Podcast 0:32:55 The Family Gamers Community Shout out to our newest community members! Thanks for joining us. #Backtalk We asked about your hidden gem games. Read the answers on Facebook (two responses) or #backtalk channel of the Discord. 0:40:30 Grow into Trick Taking Games What is trick taking? A game mechanism used in many card games. A “trick” is formed by every player in turn playing one card from their hand to the center. Then the “trick” is won by one of the players and set aside. (Usually won by the highest value played in the led suit.) Most trick taking games require players to “follow suit” and match the suit of the first played card, if they can. Many trick taking games have a “trump” suit that is considered higher than all others. There are all kinds of variations with partnering, bidding, and how tricks are won. Room to Grow Our goal with Room to Grow is to bring your kids – or your family – through a series of games that grow in complexity. Normally, we take a beginner game, an intermediate game, and an advanced game (and some honorable mentions). They offer a plan for growth for players to get comfortable with that mechanic, and all are family-friendly. Beginner: Hearts Played with a standard 52-card deck. A “must-follow” game. No trump suit. No bidding (you don’t have to guess how many tricks you’ll win). Heart cards and the Queen of Spades are bad, you don’t want to win them. But you can attempt to shoot the moon; if you can get all 13 cards AND the Queen of Spades, you take 0 (bad) points and all your opponents take 26 points. We like Hearts because the rules are simple, the math is pretty easy, and it’s still enough to learn why you want to lose tricks sometimes and win tricks other times. Bicycle cards has full instructions on how to play Hearts. Intermediate: Add a little more with Wizard or Rebel Princess Rebel Princess is very much like Hearts, but with a fun theme (princesses avoiding princes and frogs) and with some special powers. Read Nick’s review of Rebel Princess, and the expansion Happily Never After. In the other direction, Wizard is a basic trick taking game with bidding. The first round is only one trick, the second round is two tricks, etc. After being dealt your card(s), you decide how many tricks you think you can win in the round. The closer you can get to your bid, the more points you get, and the round acts like a multiplier when you get your bid correct. Learn more about Wizard on Wikipedia. Advanced Twists with Two Players or Cooperative Trick-Taking Jekyll vs Hyde is one of our favorite games, a trick taking game for just two players, with a much smaller deck and potion cards that can activate chaotic powers. One player wants to balance tricks won vs lost, the other player wants to maximize the difference. Read or watch our review of Jekyll vs. Hyde. An entirely different twist on the genre is cooperative trick taking games. And the best one to start with is The Crew: Quest for Planet Nine. It provides a series of missions, each with different goals and restrictions. Your communication is limited to a one-time-use token/card each round. Can you work together to get the right trick(s) to the right person? Read our review of The Crew: Quest for Planet Nine. Even More Trick Taking There are lots of variations on trick taking. Some games, like Off With Their Heads! even do away with the “taking” part of trick-taking. Check out our list of trick taking games for more. 0:58:50 New Backtalk Question What’s your best board game story? Were you playing against someone and able to “trick” them into believing one thing while you did something else? Tell us on the #backtalk channel on our Discord, or in our Facebook community. Find Us Online: Facebook: @familygamersaa and thefamilygamers.com/communityTwitter (X): @familygamersaaInstagram: @familygamersaaTikTok: @familygamersaaBluesky: @familygamersaaThreads: @familygamersaaYoutube: TheFamilyGamers or join the Family Tabletop Community on Discord! thefamilygamers.com/discord Or, for the most direct method, email us! andrew@thefamilygamers.com and anitra@thefamilygamers.com. PLEASE don’t forget to subscribe to the show, tell your friends about the show, and leave us a review at Apple Podcast or whatever your podcast subscription source is. We’re also on Amazon Music, TuneIn, and Spotify. You can also now find us on YouTube Music! So pull it up and give us a listen while you’re toiling away at work :) If you’d like to support The Family Gamers, there’s three ways to do that. First, you can pick up some sweet sweet merch: T-shirts, hoodies, mugs, and stickers! Go to store.thefamilygamers.com You can also support us on Patreon, if that’s more your speed. We have a few different support tiers from just a couple of dollars to show your appreciation – which we appreciate – up to five, ten, or even $20/month. There are all sorts of different rewards you can get, which we tried to make unique. You can see those at thefamilygamers.com/patreon. Thirdly, you can start your Amazon shopping at TheFamilyGamers website, using our Amazon affiliate link. Music for The Family Gamers Podcast is provided with permission from You Bred Raptors? The Family Gamers is sponsored by First Move Financial. Go to FirstMoveFinancial.com/familygamers to learn how the team at First Move Financial can help you pile up the victory points. The post Episode 427 – Room to Grow: Trick-Taking Games appeared first on The Family Gamers.

Bhaskar Sunkara grew up in Delhi, India, and moved to the states when he started working. He has lived in San Fransisco for several decades now, and has spent a lot of his professional life building systems (infrastructure, observability and now, analytics). His prior startup, AppDynamics, was eventually acquired by Cisco. In general, he stays curious about how things work, and likes to deconstruct systems to figure out how they work. Outside of tech, he is a big sports fan, enjoying football, baseball, cricket and basketball. In fact, he grew up watching Michael Jordan and the bulls.Bhaskar noticed that business teams were drowning in dashboards, and as such, were not sure how to take the next steps in the business. He and his team realized that what people needed was not a retroactive view, but a proactive one - something more akin to a 24x7 analyst.This is the creation story of Bicycle AI.SponsorsUnblockedTECH DomainsMezmoBraingrid.aiLinkshttps://bicycle.ai/https://www.linkedin.com/in/bhaskarsunkara/Our Sponsors:* Check out Cash App and use my code CASHAPP10 for a great deal: https://cash.app* Check out Plaud AI and use my code CODESTORY for a great deal: https://plaud.aiAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

What happens when two people on the same bike tour decide to have two completely different adventures? On this edition of The Pedalshift Project, day two of the Sprocketshift Oregon Coast adventure with Brock Dittus starts with a split decision in Tillamook. Brock points his bike north for a long, wet ride toward Cannon Beach. I slow things way down for cheese, side quests, a little local riding, and maybe a bit of a rethink about what I actually want out of bicycle travel these days. Two riders. Two very different days. One extremely cheap bus ride. Will the bike and bus gods allow us to reunite for fish, chips, oysters, and beer in Astoria?     A reminder about our cool spinner giveaway! If you signed up for the Pedalshift email list like I told you last week, or you already were… check your inbox! Reply back to me with that email at pedalshift@pedalshift.net by Sunday July 19 at 11:59pm PT and voila! You're entered! What do you win? Only the second of its kind functioning spinner designed by Simone, the creative mind behind the 5 timers award and future Pedalshift merch. Check out the GIF of my favorite fidgety thing in the shownotes. And good luck everyone who enters!     Oregon Coast Bike Tour with Brock Dittus – Part 2   Day two of our northbound Oregon Coast bike tour begins in Tillamook with a major change of plans.   With uncertain weather, challenging terrain, and Oregon Coast bus schedules that aren't lining up particularly well, Brock Dittus and I decide to split up for the day. Brock heads north by bicycle toward Cannon Beach. I stay behind for a much lower-mileage day exploring Tillamook by bike before using public transit to fast-forward north.   The result is something a little different for The Pedalshift Project: two simultaneous tour journals from two riders having completely different bicycle touring adventures.   Two Riders, Two Very Different Oregon Coast Adventures   Brock leaves Tillamook with an ambitious goal: ride north toward Astoria and see how far he can get.   His day includes:   Intermittent rain that becomes considerably less intermittent A thoroughly soaked ride through Rockaway Beach The climbs and terrain of the northern Oregon Coast Neahkahnie Mountain Roughly 40 miles of challenging bicycle touring The strategy of simply not stopping because stopping means getting cold A reminder that wet jeans and long-distance cycling are not necessarily natural allies   Meanwhile, I embrace something closer to a bicycle-assisted vacation day in Tillamook:   A visit to the Tillamook Creamery The realization that I actually had been there before… roughly three decades ago A stop at Blue Heron A visit to the Tillamook farmers market Some local exploration by bike A side quest involving the elusive Oregon delicacy known as meadowfoam honey An extremely inexpensive bus connection north   Same bike tour. Very different days.   Rethinking How I Bicycle Tour   My slower day in Tillamook raises a bigger question about how I want to approach bicycle travel going forward.   For years, my touring style has often focused on moving from Point A to Point B. The places along the route are part of the experience, but mileage and reaching the destination can easily become the priority.   That means I've ridden through places like Tillamook many times without actually spending much time experiencing them.   This day was different.   Instead of riding through Tillamook yet again, I stayed. I visited places I'd skipped on previous Oregon Coast bike tours. I explored. I followed a side quest. I rode when I wanted to ride and stopped when I wanted to stop.   And it may represent a bit of a shift in how I think about bicycle touring.   The length of a bicycle trip doesn't always have to be measured by the number of miles ridden. Sometimes the bike is the thing that gets us to the experience.   Brock's 40 Miles of Type Two Fun   While I'm contemplating a new philosophy of slower bicycle travel over cheese samples, Brock is having a very different day.   Rain. Hills. Wet clothes. More rain.   Despite the conditions, he makes excellent time north from Tillamook, riding through Rockaway Beach and over the challenging terrain toward Cannon Beach.   He ultimately reaches Cannon Beach after roughly 40 miles of riding and decides that he doesn't need to ride all the way to Astoria to prove anything.   The original goal may have been a much longer day, but sometimes knowing when you've already had the adventure is part of the adventure.   Also: prolonged rain, soaked clothing, and friction are apparently a combination worth avoiding.   This is useful bicycle touring information.   Reunited in Cannon Beach   Thanks to a combination of bicycles, buses, location sharing, and an Oregon Coast transit schedule that somehow works out, our two routes converge in Cannon Beach.   From there, we take the final bus together to Astoria.   The total cost of taking public transportation from Tillamook to Astoria?   Two dollars.   For bicycle tourists interested in combining cycling with transit on the Oregon Coast, the regional bus network can create some remarkably inexpensive options for shortening or modifying a route.   Astoria: Fish, Chips, Oysters, and Bicycle Touring   We end the day in Astoria with beer, seafood, oyster shooters, and a comparison of our radically different adventures.   That leads us back to a question that has come up repeatedly on The Pedalshift Project:   Where are all the bicycle tourists?   Even during prime touring season on the Oregon Coast—one of the best-known bicycle touring routes in the United States—we encounter remarkably few loaded touring cyclists.   Is traditional road-based bicycle touring declining?   Are more cyclists choosing gravel and off-road bikepacking routes?   Are hikers increasingly becoming the primary users of Oregon's hiker-biker campsites?   And if bicycle touring numbers continue to decline, what could that mean for the future of the infrastructure that makes routes like the Oregon Coast possible?   Our data set is hardly scientific, but after several years of seeing the same pattern, it's becoming harder to dismiss.   Sometimes the Constraints Make the Bike Tour   This weekend also offers another reminder about bicycle travel: sometimes the trip you wouldn't have chosen is the trip that produces the best stories.   If we'd had several weekends available, we probably would have avoided this one because of the weather.   Instead, this was the weekend we had.   Rain. Bus schedules. Route changes. A split adventure. Unexpected stops.   Brock compares it to Brian Eno's Oblique Strategies: introducing limitations and constraints that force you to approach something differently.   In our case, the constraints became the bike tour.   Also in This Episode   The Tillamook Creamery: the Disneyland of cheese Why ice cream at 10:30 in the morning is a defensible life choice The search for Oregon meadowfoam honey Bicycle touring through Tillamook, Rockaway Beach, Cannon Beach, and Astoria Combining bikes and public transit on the Oregon Coast Cannon Beach's continuing role as a mildly cursed bicycle-touring destination Businesses without Wi-Fi The mysterious economics of an artisanal s'mores establishment Oyster shooters and the deeply questionable possibility of oyster Jell-O Brock's return to podcasting Why talking to your bus driver can save your connection A final full-circle return to Salem   Statistics   Riders beginning the day together: 2 Riders immediately splitting up: 2 Cheese establishments visited: 2 Approximate miles ridden by Brock: 40 Approximate miles ridden by Tim: 6–8 Bus fare from Tillamook to Astoria: $2 Prawns consumed: 8 Pieces of cod consumed by Brock: 3 Pints consumed: 1 each Smokes broken: 1 Questionable oyster Jell-O concepts developed: 1 Flats: zero