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Last time we spoke about the beginning of the Battle of Hong kong. Japan's rise as a threat to British interests accelerated through the 1920s and intensified after invading China. Britain's response remained contradictory—diplomatically conciliatory yet militarily apprehensive. While Singapore and Malaya received substantial reinforcements, Hong Kong was acknowledged indefensible, yet the 1936 Defence Scheme attempted to fortify it as an island fortress. Governor Northcote urgently advocated evacuation, recognizing the futility of defense. London rejected this, fearing it would demoralize China and forfeit sovereignty claims. Reinforcement requests from commanders like Grasett fell on deaf ears until Grasett independently lobbied Canadian leaders. This persistence finally convinced Churchill to dispatch two additional battalions. On December 8, 1941, Japanese forces attacked across three fronts with overwhelming force. Within hours, the RAF was destroyed on the ground, demolitions proved ineffective, and British units rapidly retreated toward the Gin Drinkers Line, facing an enemy that outnumbered and outmaneuvered them from the opening moments.   #217 The Battle of Hong Kong Part 2: the Island Aflame 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. Around 1500 hours on 9 December, Colonel Doi of the 228th Regiment arrived at Needle Hill, just north of the Gin Drinkers Line, ahead of his main force. For two hours he studied the British defensive positions through binoculars, noting trenches and bunkers—and to his surprise, washing lines fluttering with white clothes. The sight spoke volumes about the 2 Royal Scots' lax discipline. Then fog descended, reducing visibility to barely twenty meters, and heavy rain obscured the landscape. Doi sensed a fleeting advantage but lost radio contact with his battalions. Worse still, the Shing Mun Redoubt lay outside his regimental boundary, making an unauthorized attack a serious breach of protocol. When his units finally arrived, supporting artillery remained unavailable, held up by demolished roads. Doi chose to attack anyway. Doi ordered the 2nd Battalion to scout the eastern approach while the 3rd Battalion spearheaded the main assault. Major Nishiyana commanded the 3rd, sending Lieutenant Wakabayashi and Kasugai with 150 volunteers to lead. The Shing Mun Redoubt itself comprised five concrete pillboxes and an artillery observation post, connected by underground tunnels named after London landmarks—Piccadilly, Haymarket, and others. The whole complex sat on small rises above Jubilee Dam, then the British Empire's tallest. Defending the redoubt was A Company, 2 Royal Scots, under Captain Jones—just three officers and 39 men. One platoon of 25 soldiers under 2nd Lieutenant Thompson held the forward positions. Against this stood 150 Japanese attackers, with another 1,500 troops in reserve. Battalion orders forbade using the concrete works as fighting positions; they were meant for the Vickers machine-gun team and artillery protection. No mines could spare the redoubt's perimeter. On the night of the 9th, roughly half the defenders sheltered in the observation post while the remainder manned pillboxes 401b and 402. At 2000 hours, Thompson led a nine-man patrol northward to check Needle Hill and Shing Mun Valley. Despite two and a half hours in the field, the patrol returned at 2220 hours without detecting the Japanese force massing just 500 meters away. By that time, Lieutenant Kasugai's assault group had crossed Jubilee Dam undetected, bypassed unmanned Post X, and assembled below Pillbox 401b. At 2200 hours, Japanese sappers cut through two lines of wire. At 2300—H-Hour—Lance Corporal Laird heard movement in the bushes and opened fire. The Japanese answered with grenades and rushed the pillbox lines. One team entered the tunnel system; another hurled grenades through the air vents. Corporal Campbell swung his Vickers toward Pillbox 401, catching Japanese headquarters personnel in the open. Sergeant Robb mustered a counter-attack force of thirteen men. Five fell as casualties—Laird, Basnett, Coyle, Casey, and Jardine. Casey was killed; only Jardine escaped. The alert triggered gunfire from the observation post's defenders, and Forward Observer Wilcox called down 4.5-inch and 6-inch artillery fire. Without strong reinforcement and leadership, four Royal Scots and an Indian sentry abandoned the northern positions and withdrew to the observation post. Captain Jones received orders from Brigade to counter-attack, but delegated the task to Thompson. As Thompson attempted to leave the observation post, he found the gate locked from outside. This calamity had a backstory: just before the attack, Thompson had admitted a civilian at the request of Force 163 (SOE's sabotage unit in Singapore). Private Wylie had taken the observation post key from Lance Naik Kishan Singh and, upon exit, locked the gate behind him. The three officers were now literally locked out of the battle. Second Lieutenant Mochizuki and his platoon infiltrated through open trenches and began attacking the observation post from above, attempting to breach the hatches. The defenders held for three hours before Japanese sappers forced explosives down the air vents. At 0230 hours, the blast killed two Indian signallers inside. Thompson sustained a severe eye wound from grenade shrapnel; Jones and Warrant Officer Mead were both wounded. The remaining fifteen defenders surrendered; eleven became casualties. Meanwhile, a Rajput patrol engaging Japanese forces in the river valley managed to drive them back toward the redoubt. One final pillbox endured for another eleven hours before suffering the same sapper treatment. By 0400 hours on 10 December, the entire redoubt was lost. For just two killed, the Japanese had achieved a decisive victory—the breakthrough that would shift the entire campaign's trajectory. By dawn, a Japanese flag flew triumphantly from Point 255.   Major-General Maltby's assessment was stark: "This was calamitous, for Shing Mun was the key to the whole of the left position." Yet the Japanese perspective differed sharply. Having achieved a breakthrough, Colonel Doi received astonishing orders to withdraw—his success had transgressed into the 230th Regiment's sector and violated the meticulously prepared war plan. Doi refused. After heated confrontation with Major-General Ito and Lieutenant-General Sakai, his insubordination was later censured, though a divisional staff officer, Oyadomani, bore the scapegoat's burden of rebuke for failing to restrain Doi's initiative. With Shing Mun secured, Doi methodically fed reinforcements into the position. Throughout December 10th, the Japanese remained uncertain of their advantage and adopted a cautious strategy, probing British lines to exploit the evident disorder. Brigadier Wallis ordered the Royal Scots to mount an immediate dawn counterattack supported by the Rajputs and artillery. Lieutenant-Colonel White demurred; his battalion lacked any reasonable prospect of success. The resulting counterattack proved half-hearted at best. At first light on December 11th, the Japanese pressed Golden Hill forcefully, only to be repulsed by Captain Newton's Rajputs and gunfire from HMS Cicala. White positioned D Company in shallow shell scrapes and rusted wire—inadequate defenses against Japanese assault. Captain Pinkerton led a desperate bayonet charge that morning, temporarily clearing the Japanese and enabling the evacuation of wounded. Yet B, C, and D Companies absorbed devastating losses; Captains Rose and Richardson fell commanding their positions. With the Royal Scots collapsing, X Company of the Winnipeg Grenadiers and armored support rushed westward to seal the widening gap along Castle Peak Road. Meanwhile, Maltby grappled with alarming reports: Japanese landings on Lantau Island southwest of Hong Kong. Heavy artillery drove them back. A second probe at Aberdeen, where Special Naval Landing Forces approached within 300 yards of the naval base, was repelled by Canadian machine-gun fire. In hindsight, these were mere feints—never intended as the primary thrust. The stratagem succeeded. Maltby retained his island reserves—the Middlesex and two Canadian battalions—precisely where they would be needed. Had Wallis executed a forceful counterattack on December 10th with the Royal Scots and brigade reserves, the Rajputs might have retaken Shing Mun while the Japanese remained disorganized. Instead, Colonel Doi faced a furious Sakai, who had flown down from 38th Division headquarters at Taipo for what amounted to a pre-court-martial examination. The moment passed. After only 48 hours of combat, Maltby concluded the mainland was indefensible. The three battalions would withdraw intact to Hong Kong Island to assume their fortress defense roles. The naval commodore objected—demolitions, supply transfers, and troop ferrying required more time. The evacuation order was deferred 24 hours until noon on December 11th. At that hour, the decision was finalized: the mainland would be abandoned under cover of darkness. Further demolitions followed—the China Light and Power Station, the cement works on Tsing Yi Island, the docks. Yet Brigadier Wallis believed this merely a precautionary measure; he anticipated holding the mainland for at least another week. The withdrawal avoided Kowloon's congested streets, where street fighting and fifth columnists might have entrapped the British—a calculation that proved prescient, as an IJA advance column of 350 men from the 3/230th infiltrated Kowloon on the morning of December 12th to cut off the retreating garrison. The Royal Scots and Canadians retired south to Shamshuipo Barracks and Jordan Road Pier in western Kowloon; the Rajputs and supporting gunners withdrew eastward to Ma Lau Tong, which anchored the fortified Devil's Peak Peninsula. Maltby intended to hold this commanding position permanently—it was easily supplied across the narrow Lyemun Strait. The evacuation proceeded largely as planned. The Canadians and Royal Scots embarked on the afternoon and evening of December 11th under Punjabi covering fire. The Punjabis faced a harder journey—a moonlit scramble along steep Kowloon hills laden with supplies but critically short of mules. One group lost its way at a crucial junction, splitting into two columns. One proceeded toward Devil's Peak as planned; Battalion Headquarters descended into Kai Tak Airport, threaded through Kowloon City, and was evacuated by Star Ferry at Tsim Sha Tsui, fighting until the final moment as the last man boarded. The Rajputs' commander, unable to reach his Punjabi counterpart, abandoned Ma Lau Tong for the closer Hai Wan line near Devil's Peak. By 0400 hours on December 12th, the Punjabis and one Rajput company, accompanied by the gunners of the 25th Medium Battery, crossed Lyemun Strait to Hong Kong Island. Morning evacuations continued with minimal Japanese interference—a surprising restraint. Naval support proved crucial. The withdrawal completed by the morning of December 13th, though 170 mules were lost to the desertion of Chinese laborers—a deprivation that would haunt the subsequent campaign. During this passage, the IJN attempted shore bombardment. The Japanese cruiser and supporting vessels found themselves outranged by the defenders' 9.2-inch guns. The damage inflicted proved sufficient to discourage future naval adventures; for the remainder of the battle, the IJN maintained a cautious distance and played only a peripheral role. The speed and execution of the withdrawal apparently caught the Japanese unprepared. Their most probable expectation had been a full-scale assault on Devil's Peak accompanied by heavy bombardment—a day earlier, an assault without artillery preparation had been driven back with severe losses. The British appeared stronger than anticipated. The defense of the mainland had lasted only five days. With the mainland secured, the Japanese pivoted toward Hong Kong Island. The first move was diplomatic rather than military. At 0900 hours on December 13th, a small boat bearing a white flag crossed the harbor. It carried Colonel Toda, Lieutenant Mizuno, Mr. Othsu Dak, and two European women—the prominent and heavily pregnant Mrs. Macdonald and Mrs. C. R. Lee, wife of the Governor's secretary, accompanied by her two dachshunds. The surrender terms were flatly rejected. Major Boxer delivered the written refusal personally. Mrs. Macdonald remained in Hong Kong to give birth; Mrs. Lee and her dogs returned to Kowloon. The Japanese commenced systematic shelling of selected targets. On December 13th, a 9.2-inch gun on Mt. Davis was silenced; Belcher's Fort sustained damage. The following day, a 3-inch mount on Mt. Davis was hit, killing Chinese gunners and triggering morale collapse; some deserted. On December 15th, the barrage shifted to the northern shoreline, deliberately targeting pillboxes. At 2100 hours that night, approximately three Japanese companies attempted crossing the harbor in rubber rafts toward Pakshawan but were driven off by machine-gun fire. Fifth columnists intensified their operations—signaling with mirrors, sniping from concealed positions, spreading propaganda to encourage Chinese desertion. Their impact might have been catastrophic had not Rear-Admiral Chan and Colonel Yee, armed with tommy guns and grenades, systematically eliminated many of these saboteurs. By December 16th, half the pillboxes between the racecourse and Lyemun Strait lay destroyed. The intended crossing site was unmistakable. On December 17th, the Japanese dispatched a second peace mission—Colonel Toda's team now accompanied by Mrs. Lee with her dachshunds and a pregnant Russian woman. Again, the overtures were rebuffed. On December 18th, the bombardment reached new intensity. Oil storage tanks ignited, sending dense black smoke cascading across the northeast corner of the island—perfect concealment for what was to come. All signs pointed to imminent assault.  I want to note something here, you sometimes hear about how race played a role in the Pacific War and indeed it did. Racist attitudes were found on both the western and Japanese side of the war. There is a fantastic book dedicated to this by the way called, War without Mercy by John Dower, highly recommend it. What is interesting is how these racial attitudes actually affected decision making during the war. Take General Sakai's night amphibious assault for example. Western soldiers such as the Canadians in Hong Kong reported they were told by their commanders that quote "Don't worry about the Japanese, they can't see at night, they all wear glasses" another Canadian soldier wrote in a diary "They don't see well, especially at night we knew this as a matter of fact." Indeed the week before the outbreak of the battle of Hong Kong, Canadian officers attending a briefing by a British officer were informed that "Japan's aircraft were mostly obsolete, its air force had little practice in night flying, and its pilots were myopic and thus unable to carry out dive-bombing attacks". You might be asking yourself, why did they think the Japanese were myopic? The scientific explanation of the day was this "That the Japanese suffered widespread inner-ear damage. What caused this? Japanese motherhood, the practice of strapping babies to their mothers backs, it was explained caused their heads to bounce about, like when they harvested rice and permanently impaired their sense of balance". I particularly love this quote, one of my professors dedicated an entire class to the bizarre racial attitudes before and after the pacific war. There was a belief the Japanese could not see well at night, many western air force commanders actually believed there were times of day like at dawn or dusk where Japanese pilots would not operate because of this hindrance. American military commentator Fletcher Pratt in 1939 analyzed Japan's military strengths and explained it had four major weaknesses. The first was scarcity of resources such as iron, and steel. The second was that the Japanese "can neither make good airplanes nor fly them well" as a result of " the Japanese as a race have defects of the tubes of the inner ear, just as they are generally myopic. This gives them a defective sense of balance, the one physical sense in which an aviator is not permitted to be deficient.". The third was that the Japanese were short-tempered and were inclined to waste men unnecessarily when operations did not go well. The fourth was that the Japanese would simply never date to provoke a war with the US. Again Mr Pratt was an American military commentator whose information came from multiple accounts given by high ranking military officials! The British military maintained that the Japanese avoided night operations on land because they were simply incapable of caring them out well, while they avoided nighttime aerial attacks, as well as dive-bombing for the same reasons Pratt said quote "their pilots were poor and their aircraft inferior.". So take this all to mind when I talk about how certain ranking officers go about making their decisions. By the evening of 14 December, evacuated mainland units had regrouped on Hong Kong Island. The defensive structure was restructured into two brigades: Brigadier Wallis commanded the East Brigade from Taitam Gap, while Brigadier Lawson headed the West Brigade from Wongneichong Gap. This reorganization placed the 5/7 Rajputs across the north-east perimeter, defending over 3,500 metres of coastline with B Company positioned on the hills behind Taikoo Docks. The Royal Rifles of Canada held the north-east corner from Stanley to points south, with reserve positions at Lyemun. Two HKVDC companies supported from Taitam Valley and Pottinger Gap, while the veteran Hughsiliers manned the North Point power station. British and Canadian artillery provided fire support across the northern approaches. The West Brigade held the north-western and south-western shores. The 2/14 Punjab stretched from Causeway Bay to Belcher's Point, protecting Government House and General Maltby's headquarters, with battalion headquarters at Mid-Level. The Winnipeg Grenadiers covered the south-west from Wanchai Gap, with one company detached to the brigade headquarters at Wongneichong Gap. The 2 Royal Scots, severely mauled at Shing Mun, were held in reserve with fresh replacements from the HKVDC. The Middlesex Regiment's companies were dispersed along 72 pillboxes encircling the entire shoreline, while an improvised Z Company of clerks, musicians and cooks defended battalion headquarters at Leighton Hill. Supporting artillery included 9.2-inch and 6-inch guns on Mt Davis and 4.7-inch guns at Belcher's Point. As darkness fell on 17 December, Japanese reconnaissance swimmers reached Taikoo, confirming the crossing site despite detection. Reinforcements arrived: 18 additional heavy bombers from Guangzhou and 26 fighters from Taiwan joined the aerial assault. The crescendo of artillery fire on the 18th, combined with masses of small craft gathering across the harbour, signalled the imminent invasion. Japanese divisional headquarters shifted to Ma Tau Wei near Kai Tak Airport; the 23rd Army moved to Taipo. The invasion force disposed itself with the right flank embarking from east and west of Kai Tak, the left from Devil's Hill area. At 1800 hours, the invasion order was issued; by 1930 hours Sakai himself arrived in Kowloon to oversee the crossing. At precisely 2000 hours, the 2/228th Regiment silently paddled their collapsible craft toward Taikoo Docks and the nearby sugar factory as artillery support commenced. Colonel Doi embarked with 80 headquarters personnel aboard a large barge, leading the second wave. The conditions favoured the invaders—a moonless night, sporadic showers, and thick black smoke from burning oil tanks obscured their movement. They reached the midpoint undetected before searchlights and machine-gun fire scattered the small boats, separating commanders from their units. Despite this chaos, the assault pressed forward. At 2140 hours the artillery shifted to deeper targets; at 2145 hours the first wave of 3/230th landed at North Point, followed minutes later by 2/228th and then 2/229th. Three red flares signalled a successful landing. All six Japanese battalions were ashore by midnight, though wire fencing delayed their advance and Bren carriers added to the confusion on the beach. General Sano arrived at Taikoo one hour later. The 5/7 Rajputs bore the initial brunt of the assault. Despite days of preliminary shelling, the Rajputs mounted a stubborn defence; Japanese casualties mounted rapidly. The anti-tank company suffered so grievously that only a single gun remained operational. The Japanese plan was tactical rather than frontal—bypass isolated positions for later elimination and push rapidly toward high ground. Overwhelmed by numerical superiority and losing most of their officers, Rajput resistance gradually crumbled. Contradicting all evidence, Maltby remained convinced the main Japanese assault would strike directly at Victoria from Kowloon. He therefore withheld the counter-attack, instead dispatching a platoon of Middlesex troops, Royal Marines, naval personnel, and the Rajputs' reserve company—supported by artillery—to establish a defensive line blocking the Japanese advance toward Central District. Three HKVDC armoured cars were sent to protect East Brigade headquarters; two more reinforced the Middlesex battalion headquarters. It was manifestly inadequate against six Japanese battalions. In post-war dispatches, Maltby conceded his grave miscalculation: he believed he faced at most two battalions, not a full division. As the 3/230th broke through D Company of the 5/7 Rajputs, the 2/230th came ashore nearby and wheeled westward toward Victoria. Their advance halted abruptly at the North Point power station, held by an extraordinary force: four officers and 36 men of the HKVDC Hughsiliers Platoon—alongside 39 civilian volunteers from China Light & Power and Hong Kong Electric, including the station manager Vincent Sorby—plus eight Free French soldiers commanded by Captain Jacques Egal, a Shanghai businessman turned soldier. Without exception, these men were World War I veterans, many aged 55 or older. Some had fought in the Boer War. Major J. J. Patterson, the Hughsiliers' commander, had served with Allenby's Camel Corps and been mentioned in dispatches six times; he was chairman of Jardine Matheson and a legislative councillor. Private Sir Edward Des Voeux, 8th Baronet, a millionaire bullion trader and secretary of the Hong Kong Club, had enlisted as a private when deemed too old for mobilization. Private T. A. Pearce, 67 years old, was chairman of J. D. Hutchison & Company and secretary of the Hong Kong Jockey Club. Captain Bruch, the second-in-command, aged 60, chaired a major trading house. The list extended through Hong Kong's business elite, each choosing to fight rather than flee. These old men held an entire regiment at bay. When Patterson called for aid, Maltby dispatched an HKVDC armoured car with a platoon from Z Company, 1 Middlesex, but the reinforcement was ambushed before reaching the station; only nine soldiers, including 2nd Lieutenant Caruthers, broke through. Unable to dislodge the defenders by assault, the Japanese resorted to bombardment. By 0145 hours on 19 December, surrounded and ammunition exhausted, the defenders withdrew to King's Road behind a disabled bus. The Japanese deployed three machine guns, killing or mortally wounding all but Private Geoghan. A Japanese officer, believing all dead, cautiously approached—only to have Geoghan, despite his wounds, surge from cover and charge. He killed the officer and four soldiers before collapsing from wounds. Somehow Geoghan survived. Those old men—civilians and reservists, businessmen and veterans—held the entire western Japanese advance for 18 hours, buying Maltby precious time to withdraw forces and establish a new defensive line. Their stand at North Point became one of the campaign's most improbable acts of defiance. As the 2/229th Regiment advanced southward toward Mt Parker, the 3/229th landed at Aldrich Bay and turned eastward toward Lyemun, where they seized an HKVDC 6-inch gun. Major Bishop of the Royal Rifles of Canada, unaware of the landings, dispatched 15 Platoon under Lieutenant Scott to check on A Company of the Rajputs. Unexpectedly, they encountered armed men in civilian clothes at Lyemun's gate—the first indication of the Japanese presence on the island. Yet senior officers dismissed initial reports of landings and lost positions as exaggerated, a critical miscalculation that proved catastrophic. At Lyemun Fort, the 5th Anti-aircraft Battery of the HKVDC was caught completely unaware and surrendered after minimal resistance. The Japanese then committed one of many atrocities that would characterize the battle, bayoneting 29 survivors. Alerted by 15 Platoon's report, Bishop attempted a counter-attack with two platoons to retake the fort, but the defenders could not scale the six-meter wall and withdrew with nine men killed. As the 2/229th pressed southward toward Mt Parker, they overran the Salesian Mission, which had been converted into an Advance Dressing Station. No. 8 Company of the 2/229th systematized a massacre of medical personnel and the wounded—an atrocity that would later become pivotal evidence at Colonel Tanaka's war crimes trial. Yet amid the chaos, several medical staff and wounded survived to testify: Gunners Y. K. Chan and Martin H. C. Tso of the 5th Battery, Captain Osler Thomas of the HKVDC, Captain Martin Banfill of the Royal Canadian Medical Corps, and Corporal Norman Leath of the Royal Army Medical Corps. C Company of the Royal Rifles, reinforced with captured Japanese machine guns abandoned by fleeing Rajputs, inflicted heavy casualties on the attackers, with one Japanese company suffering over 65 percent losses. Yet overwhelmed by superior numbers and suffering nearly two platoons worth of casualties themselves, the Canadians were forced to withdraw, leaving only a reinforcement platoon under Lieutenant Blaver on Mt Parker. When Captain Clerke arrived at dawn with 16 Platoon to reinforce the position, he found over 100 Japanese already entrenched. With no artillery support and only two platoons available, Clerke had no choice but to withdraw, abandoning Mt Parker to the enemy. By dawn on the 19th, the East Brigade faced catastrophe. Infantry strength had been halved, and losses of artillery were equally devastating. A series of misunderstandings and misinterpreted orders led coastal gun crews at Capes D'Aguilar and Collinson to destroy their own guns in confusion or lose them to the advancing Japanese. Of the entire artillery complement, only one 18-pounder and two 3.7-inch field guns remained operational. Wongneichong—literally "yellow muddy creek" in Chinese—occupies the center of Hong Kong Island, a valley separating the eastern hills (Mt Parker, Mt Butler, Jardine's Lookout) from the western massif (Mt Nicholson, Mt Cameron, Victoria Peak). This narrow gap formed the critical artery linking northern and southern Hong Kong, making Brigadier Lawson's decision to place West Brigade Headquarters there strategically sound yet tactically vulnerable. Recognizing the exposed position after the landings, Major Lyndon had located an alternative site south of Mt Nicholson, scheduled to open the following day. In response to the Japanese landings, Lawson dispatched three platoons of Winnipeg Grenadiers to block the advance. Lieutenant C. D. French took 18 Platoon to Mt Butler, Lieutenant G. A. Birkett's 17 Platoon moved to Jardine's Lookout, and Lieutenant L. B. Corrigan's platoon took the north-west approach to the Gap. As on Mt Parker, both French and Birkett were killed almost immediately, their small forces overwhelmed by battalion-strength enemy forces with artillery support. By morning on the 19th, two battalions each of the 230th and 228th Regiments were pushing for the high ground. The 2/230th rapidly occupied Jardine's Lookout while the 3/230th moved to Mt Nicholson and the 2/228th advanced toward the Gap itself. No. 3 Company of the HKVDC under Major E. Stewart held pillboxes around Jardine's Lookout, while No. 1 Company under Captain Penn defended Taitam Valley with forward positions at Quarry Gap. The pillboxes, despite heavy bombardment, held longer than anticipated—some for as long as 24 hours. Stewart maintained his company headquarters until the 22nd, four days of continuous fighting without adequate ammunition, food, or water. No. 3 Company suffered 80 percent casualties and ceased to exist as a cohesive unit. Realizing that the enemy had penetrated to Mt Butler, Brigadier Lawson decided counter-attack was essential. Major A. B. Gresham of A Company, Winnipeg Grenadiers, was ordered to retake Mt Butler and clear Jardine's Lookout. The Canadians initially succeeded, with Warrant Officer 2 J. R. Osborne leading a bayonet charge, but a strong counter-attack by three Japanese companies drove them back by 2200 hours. The Canadians held firm until 1500 hours, when Gresham attempted surrender despite waving a white flag—the Japanese shot him regardless. In the chaos that followed, a Canadian killed a Japanese officer in response, triggering a grenade barrage. Warrant Officer Osborne caught the grenades and hurled them back as fast as they came, but one landed in an impossible position. Without hesitation, Osborne threw himself on the grenade to save his comrades. This act of supreme self-sacrifice earned him a Victoria Cross—the first Canadian VC of World War II. At dawn on the 19th, Maltby dispatched A Company of the 2 Royal Scots under Captain K. J. Campbell to reinforce the Gap, but they lost all their officers with only 15 men reaching Lawson's headquarters. A group of sailors under Commander A. L. Pears came from the south, but were ambushed en route; only a few reached the Postbridge—a house just south of the Gap—which became an isolated strongpoint. The 3/230th captured the police station perched on a mound at the southern point of the Gap, then swept eastward to seize the anti-aircraft guns of 7th Battery (barely 250 meters from brigade headquarters) and continued uphill toward Taitam Hill to capture additional 6-inch and 3.7-inch guns. Maltby's response was to call down final protective fire from the HKSRA in Happy Valley, inflicting massive casualties on the 3/230th. At 1000 hours on the 19th, Lawson reported that his headquarters was surrounded and he was about to "go outside and shoot it out." Captain H. A. Bush provided covering fire as Lawson and his entire staff, including Middlesex signallers, were cut down by machine-gun fire across the Gap. Lawson's body was discovered two days later halfway up the hill behind his headquarters, dead from a gunshot wound to the thigh. Lieutenant Kerfoot of the 2/14 Punjab with his three Bren carriers arrived minutes too late to save him. IJA who saw the fight made a note stating "he died heroically". At 1330 hours on the 19th, Maltby issued "Operation Order No. 6" calling for a massive counter-attack to commence 90 minutes later. The plan was ambitious: A and D Companies of the 2/14 Punjab were to attack east from Victoria to North Point to relieve the Hughsiliers, while HQ Company of the Winnipeg Grenadiers and the 2 Royal Scots were to attack the Gap and Jardine's Lookout. Eight field guns were promised but never materialized. There was no reconnaissance, no proper orders, and minimal coordination. The Canadians were to rendezvous with the 2 Royal Scots at Middle Gap at 1530 hours, but the Scots were late; the Canadians advanced without them. Captain Pinkerton of D Company, 2 Royal Scots, was ordered at the last minute to attack up Wongneichong Gap Road—the same route A Company had taken only seven hours earlier and been decimated—because it was reported as "lightly held." Captain A. M. S. Slater-Brown led the advance with three Bren carriers and attached engineers, followed by D Company of the Winnipeg Grenadiers. Just as the carriers reached the burnt-out trucks of A Company, they too were ambushed. Mortars and machine-gun fire rained down from Jardine's Lookout, where the Japanese occupied captured HKVDC pillboxes. Slater-Brown and 2nd Lieutenant Bell, the battalion intelligence officer, were killed instantly. The Royal Scots waited in the roadside ditches until 0200 hours before launching an attack on the police station, reaching the steps before Pinkerton was severely wounded. Captain Ford's composite company attack at 0300 hours also failed. Simultaneously, C Company under Lieutenant F. L. Stanier attacked Jardine's Lookout—also unsuccessfully. This series of piecemeal assaults cost the Royal Scots eight officers and 68 soldiers. Growing increasingly desperate, Maltby ordered Major Hodkinson, Officer Commanding HQ Company of the Winnipeg Grenadiers, to attack the Gap and proceed to Mt Parker. Requesting reinforcements from A Company and the Royal Scots, Hodkinson launched his assault with covering fire from Lieutenant Corrigan on Mt Nicholson. The Grenadiers managed to reach Mt Nicholson with only five unwounded men, though Corrigan's group advanced to within 300 meters of the Gap road. Then came an unexpected stroke of fortune: while skirting Mt Nicholson, Hodkinson's group stumbled upon approximately 500 Japanese—probably from the 3/230th—eating lunch without posting sentries. The Winnipeg Grenadiers unleashed devastating fire, inflicting heavy casualties. By 1745 hours, Hodkinson's force was only 100 meters from Repulse Bay Road. With four men and a 2-inch mortar, Hodkinson worked his way to the abandoned brigade headquarters, bringing 20 walking wounded with him. He established a foothold at the Gap, receiving orders to attack the police station at 2200 hours. Two HKVDC armoured cars with Vickers machine guns came in support, but accurate enemy fire disabled both. Like Pinkerton before him, Hodkinson reached near his objective before being severely wounded. For this action of determination and courage, Hodkinson was awarded the Distinguished Service Order. By the morning of the 20th, the Japanese had consolidated control of the Gap, but elements of D Company, Winnipeg Grenadiers, still held various pillboxes north of the position. Initially, 17 and 18 Platoons occupied forward positions with Company Headquarters and 16 Platoon in reserve, positioned across Wongneichong Road almost directly opposite brigade headquarters. Forward positions were rapidly overrun and cut off from the company. They fought without officers until withdrawal to battalion headquarters became necessary. With Captain A. S. Bowman killed and Captain R. W. Philips wounded, command fell to Lieutenant T. A. Blackwood. An attempt by B Company to relieve D Company on the evening of the 20th failed catastrophically, killing all officers and 29 men. With fewer than 50 men remaining—all wounded—Lieutenant Blackwood continued inflicting heavy casualties on the Japanese until 22 December, when exhaustion and the complete absence of ammunition, food, and water forced surrender. D Company killed over 200 Japanese soldiers. Post-war Japanese reports refused to believe that a single company had held the Gap for so long. For their stubborn defense, Philips and Blackwood were awarded the Military Cross, and three enlisted men received the Military Medal. The battle of Wongneichong Gap was characterized by fragmented planning and poor coordination. On the night of the 19th-20th, no fewer than three separate companies attacked the police station, with another company assaulting Jardine's Lookout—all within five hours, all independently organized by local commanders. Had these disparate actions been coordinated into a single simultaneous assault, fortress headquarters' objectives might well have been achieved. By the end of the 20th, the British had lost the vital ground of Wongneichong, though Postbridge House remained as an isolated holdout. For the Japanese, Wongneichong became the single costliest engagement since the invasion began, with over 800 casualties and the regimental commander of the 3/230th seriously wounded. 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.   Japanese landings on 18-19 December overwhelmed the East Brigade. Brigadier Lawson died defending the vital Gap. Desperate, uncoordinated counter-attacks by British and Canadian troops failed to dislodge the enemy. D Company Winnipeg Grenadiers held the position for four days against overwhelming odds before surrendering. The Japanese suffered 800 casualties but secured this critical strategic ground.

Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett is a Guyanese diplomat and candidate for Secretary-General of the United Nations. If selected, she would become both the first woman and the first person of Indigenous descent to lead the world body. She joins Mark for a substantive conversation about her vision for the UN at a moment of profound strain on the multilateral system. Drawing on her experience representing Guyana on the Security Council, Rodrigues-Birkett discusses what she learned about the UN's strengths and limitations in preventing and resolving conflict—and what she would do differently as Secretary-General. She also lays out her approach to global development and global health, and makes the case for diplomacy and international cooperation as essential tools for tackling the challenges ahead.

Trigger warning: This episode contains discussion of miscarriage and pregnancy loss. If you think you may find this difficult to listen to, please choose another episode xYou might know her from Pop Idol, starring in the West End as Tina Turner, or her recent stint joining Take That on tour, but this week Zoe Birkett is reflecting on her role as a mum.Zoe shares with Gi how she never imagined motherhood for herself, how meeting her husband changed everything, and why returning to a career she loves has made her a better mum.She also opens up about her experience of pregnancy loss while performing as a leading lady in the West End, opening up about navigating grief behind the scenes, and the support that helped her through. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How do you keep an arable farming business profitable in an environment of changing markets, tightening regulations, and unpredictable weather? In this episode, Matt and Wade are joined by David Birkett, Canterbury arable farmer, to explore how he uses data, irrigation, and a simplified cropping system to make better decisions and build resilience into his operation. David shares how his rotation balances productivity with practical constraints like harvest timing, soil traffic, and seasonal risk.The team unpack David's approach to nutrient management, including organic matter testing, nitrogen mass budgeting, and simple on-farm strip trials to validate decisions. They also dive into precision agriculture, discussing the value of yield monitoring, satellite imagery, and variable rate applications, and why understanding the numbers remains critical for decision-making. David also shares insights from his governance roles with FAR and Federated Farmers, covering seed certification, traceability, biosecurity, research funding, and the future of New Zealand's arable sector. 

In this episode, hosts Dirk Knemeyer and David Heron sit down with Jake Birkett, the veteran indie developer behind Grey Alien Games. Jake is perhaps most famously known in the industry for his "No-Hit Wonder" philosophy—a survival strategy that has allowed him to thrive as a full-time indie developer for over 20 years without relying on a single "mega-hit". The conversation explores the fascinating evolution of Jake's career, from his early days creating seasonal match-3 games like Spooky Bonus to his recent breakthrough with the FMV horror-themed Forbidden Solitaire. We delve into the "Birkett Ratio," a proprietary metric for predicting Steam sales, and discuss the pragmatic reality of the 2026 indie market.  

Send us Fan MailTwenty-five years after its release, GYPSY 83 has become something rare in independent cinema: a film that grew more meaningful with time.On this special episode of The Fixate & Binge Podcast, I am joined by writer/director Todd Stephens and actor Birkett Turton to celebrate the enduring legacy of a film that has evolved from an overlooked independent release into a beloved cult classic.Todd Stephens has long been recognized as a trailblazer in Queer Cinema, creating deeply personal stories centered around identity, belonging, friendship, and the search for connection. With GYPSY 83, he introduced audiences to an unforgettable road movie about two young people discovering themselves, finding confidence, and creating their own chosen family.We revisit the making of the 2001 film starring Sara Rue as Gypsy and Birkett Turton as Clive, exploring the incredible chemistry between its two leads, the challenges of bringing the story to life, and how a movie that was not initially embraced by critics has gone on to inspire generations of fans.Todd and Birkett share behind-the-scenes memories from production, reflect on the film's cultural impact 25 years later, and discuss why GYPSY 83 continues to resonate with audiences searching for stories about acceptance, individuality, and finding your place in the world.Before welcoming my guests, I also have a little fun discussing the early backlash toward Christopher Nolan's upcoming THE ODYSSEY and offering a playful message to those already writing off a film before they've even seen it.This episode is a celebration of independent filmmaking, Queer Cinema history, and the rare films that become more powerful as the years go by.Thank you for listening! You can find and follow us with the links below!Read our Letterboxd reviews at:https://letterboxd.com/fixateandbinge/Follow us on Instagram at:https://www.instagram.com/fixateandbingepodcast/?hl=msFollow us on TikTok at:https://www.tiktok.com/@fixateandbingepodcast

Mike and Charlie discussed UL AD Bryan Maggard's departure for Missouri and Miami's extension for star LB Jordyn Brooks. The guys listened to South Carolina's comments at SEC Media Days about star quarterback LaNorris Sellers. Mike and Charlie spoke to a WWL listener about the upcoming Tulane-LSU game and the NFL's need to use all-grass fields. Dave Birkett, a Lions reporter for the Detroit Free Press, joined Sports Talk. Birkett shared his thoughts on Lions GM Brad Holmes, Detroit's offensive talent, and the Lions' questions on defense.

Dave Birkett, a Lions reporter for the Detroit Free Press, joined Sports Talk. Birkett shared his thoughts on Lions GM Brad Holmes, Detroit's offensive talent, and the Lions' questions on defense.

In this episode, host farmers Sophie Gregory and Ally Hunter Blair put some listener questions about farm diversification and viticulture, to Annabelle Rout, a lawyer from Birketts LLP. Annabelle is also Birkett's Head of Viticulture. 

I chat with the creator of Forbidden Solitaire, Jake Birkett, about how he finally made a hit indie title after 20 years! ► Play Forbidden Solitaire► Check out Full Time Game Dev (50% Off)► Wishlist Twisted Tower

Trent Kusters chats with Jake Birkett of Grey Alien Games. Together they discuss how he worked together with Night Signal Entertainment on their card-slashing "horror" collaboration, Forbidden Solitaire; the importance of managing scope with small teams; how to properly understand Steam user engagement; and his GDC talk How to Survive in Gamedev for Eleven Years Without a Hit through the scope of the current development landscape.  This episode is supported by Xsolla Episode Host: Trent Kusters Producers: Claudio Tapia and Josh Chu, The Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences If you enjoyed this episode, please consider subscribing and leaving us a rating and review. Support the show and get all of our episodes early/ad-free: https://bit.ly/4kU34Lt Follow us: linktr.ee/AIAS Please consider supporting game dev students with: AIAS Foundation

Atual embaixadora do país, em Nova Iorque, participa de diálogo interativo com Estados-membros e sociedade civil nesta quinta-feira; corrida pelo cargo máximo da organização conta agora com dois homens e quatro mulheres. 

In 2024 Gisèle Pelicot waved her legal right to anonymity for the trial of her then husband, declaring that shame has to change sides. Her then husband had drugged and raped her and invited other men to rape her, filming as they did so. He was found guilty of her aggravated rape, along with 46 other men. Another two were found guilty of attempted rape and a further two were found guilty of sexual assault. Gisèle has now written her memoir, A Hymn to Life and joins Nuala McGovern talk about her decision to have an open court, the devasting effect on her and her family of her ex-husband's actions and finding love again in her 70s.For the first time since 2023, a women's match will take centre stage in the tournament's primetime night session at the French Open. The coveted slot has been dominated exclusively by men's matches since then. The absence has drawn growing criticism from players and fans, questioning why they've been overlooked. But now, a fourth round clash between – Belarus's Aryna Sabalenka current number one player and former number 1 Japan's Naomi Osaka finally breaks that run. Tennis reporter Karthi Gnanasegaram joins us.72% of those affected by osteoporosis are women. The government promised to roll out fracture liaison services to every NHS Trust in England two years ago. But there is still no progress or plan. Just over half of NHS Trusts currently have them. Nuala speaks to the Royal Osteoporosis Society CEO Craig Jones and expert Dr Nicola Peel, as well as Irene Baker who says her osteoporosis wasn't treated properly for five years as she has no specialist service in her area.She came to fame on one of the first TV talent shows back in 2002, and twenty four years later Zoe Birkett's now out on tour with Take That. She's played Tina Turner in the West End and the lead in The Bodyguard. She tells us all about performing with Gary, Howard and Mark and stepping into Lulu's shoes on their hit record Relight My Fire for their tour The Circus Live.Presenter: Nuala McGovern Producer: Kirsty Starkey

Quintus Maugham built a machine meant to serve him perfectly, but each improvement left him more uneasy in his own home. When a robot begins answering commands in ways its inventor never intended, one man must decide whether he created a servant—or surrendered something far more dangerous. The Maugham Obsession by August Derleth. That's next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast.August Derleth has appeared on the podcast twice before, first with “Birkett's Twelfth Corpse,” followed by “A Traveler in Time.”Today's story first appeared in the June-July issue of Fantastic Universe in 1953 on page 107, The Maugham Obsession by August Derleth…Next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast, A desperate young executive discovers that his office safe has become a doorway to the future, and every exchange leaves him richer than before. But when impossible money starts circulating through New York banks, Peter Merton realizes the people on the other side may not care what happens to him once their experiment is finished. Peter Merton's Private Mint by Harlan Ellison.

How would Detroit Lions fans react if Brad Holmes allows Maxx Crosby to become a Chicago Bear? Also Detroit Free Press' Dave Birkett reports that Brad Holmes is likely to stay put during NFL free agency.

In the third hour, Matt Spiegel and Dan Wiederer were joined by Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press to react to legendary head coach Bill Belichick being snubbed by the Pro Football Hall of Fame in his first year on the ballot. Birkett is one of the Hall of Fame voters. After that, CHGO host Jay Zawaski joined the show to discuss the state of the Blackhawks' rebuild.

The Federated Farmers arable chairman, who grows wheat, barley and vegetable seeds in Leeston, just south of Christchurch, said growers should be harvesting but are sitting on their hands as Canterbury has suffered another tough harvesting season. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Matt Spiegel and Dan Wiederer were joined by Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press to react to legendary head coach Bill Belichick being snubbed by the Pro Football Hall of Fame in his first year on the ballot. Birkett is one of the Hall of Fame voters.

Runic writing carries connotations of magic and fantasy, but it was a widespread, useful, and long-lasting system of writing. Professor Tom Birkett has written a fantastic overview of runic writing that returns it to the real time and place in which it existed - Runes: A Concise History.Patrick launched a brand-new history show! It's called Past Lives, and every episode explores the life of a real person who lived in the past. Subscribe now: https://bit.ly/PWPLAAnd don't forget, you can still Get The Verge: Reformation, Renaissance, and Forty Years that Shook the World in hardcopy, ebook, or audiobook (read by Patrick) here: https://bit.ly/PWverge.Listen to new episodes 1 week early, to exclusive seasons 1 and 2, and to all episodes ad free with Wondery+. Join Wondery+ for exclusives, binges, early access, and ad free listening. Available in the Wondery App https://wondery.app.link/tidesofhistorySee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

December 19, 2025 - Season 16, Episode 66 of The Terrible Podcast is now in the can. In this Friday morning episode, Alex Kozora and I get right to talking about the Pittsburgh Steelers as they prepare to play the Detroit Lions on the road on Sunday afternoon. We open this show by going over the latest regarding the transactions that they Steelers made since our Wednesday show. We discuss OLB Jeremiah Moon being signed off the Carolina Panthers practice squad and what that might mean for the next few weeks. The steelers also signed LS Cal Adomitis to the practice squad on Friday so we discuss the possibility of him being elevated on Saturday for Sunday's game. As usual, Alex and I look at the Steelers' latest injury report for their upcoming game and how there's a possibility that several players could miss the Sunday game in Detroit against the Lions due to health reasons. The Lions' latest injury report is also covered during this segment. On Thursday, we once again heard from two of the Steelers' coordinators, Arthur Smith and Teryl Austin, so Alex and I recap the main talking points to come out of those media sessions. We welcome Dave Birkett of The Detroit Free Press back to the show on Friday, and he helps us preview the Steelers-Lions game. Birkett has covered the Lions for many seasons, and he certainly knows that team inside and out. We get his thoughts on several things related to the Sunday afternoon game in Detroit and his recap of the Lions' season to date in addition to his outlook for the team moving into Sunday in addition to his final score prediction. If not already doing so, make sure to follow Dave on X/Twitter at @davebirkett and make sure to read his work here: https://www.freep.com/staff/2648005001/dave-birkett/. After finishing with Birkett, Alex and I provide our own preview of the Steelers-Lions game. We break down what we are looking for out of each team on both sides of the football Sunday afternoon. Alex and I then give our picks against the spread for the remainder of the Week 164 NFL games provided by show sponsor MyBookie.ag. We also give our final score predictions for the Steelers-Lions game. This 104-minute episode also discusses several other minor topics not noted above and we end this episode by answering several emails we received from listeners. steelersdepot.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Guest Warren Birkett, retired consultant from Wybirk and Associates and the reason we had Y2K Working for IBM in the 1960's & 70's Solving problems with computers of the day Trying to speed up the compute time, removing the “19” from the date thus creating the Y2K problem that no one at the time thought would ever exist

Federated Farmers’ arable group chairman on a surge in dairy conversions in Canterbury, as low wheat prices and a high milk payout tempt growers to swap crops for milk.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Notes and Links to Ellen Birkett Morris' Work        Ellen Birkett Morris is the author of Beware the Tall Grass, winner of the Donald L. Jordan Award for Literary Excellence, judged by Lan Samantha Chang, published by CSU Press. She is also the author of Lost Girls: Short Stories, winner of the Pencraft Award and finalist for the Clara Johnson, IAN and Best Book awards. Her fiction has appeared in Shenandoah, Antioch Review, Saturday Evening Post, and South Carolina Review, among other journals. She is a winner of the Bevel Summers Prize for short fiction. Morris is a recipient of an Al Smith Fellowship for her fiction from the Kentucky Arts Council.    Morris is also the author of Abide and Surrender, poetry chapbooks. Her poetry has appeared in The Clackamas Literary Review, Juked, Gastronomica, and Inscape, among other journals, and in eight anthologies. Morris won top prize in the 2008 Binnacle Ultra-Short Edition and was a finalist for the 2019 and 2020 Rita Dove Poetry Prize. Her poem “Abide” was featured on NPR's A Way with Words. Her essays have appeared in The New York Times, Newsweek, AARP's The Ethel, Oh Reader magazine, and on National Public Radio.    Morris holds an MFA in creative writing from Queens University-Charlotte. She attended the Kentucky Women Writers Conference on fellowship and teaches creative writing at The Virginia Piper Center at ASU in Tempe, Arizona and The Carnegie Center for Literacy and Learning in Lexington, Kentucky. Morris has spoken and taught at the 2018 Antioch Writers Workshop, 2019 Kentucky Women Writers Conference, 2022 Writer's Block Festival and 2022 Louisville Book Festival. Buy Beware the Tall Grass   Ellen's Website   Review of Beware the Tall Grass from Heavy Feather Review  At about 3:40, Ellen responds to Pete's question about receiving the Donald L. Jordan Award for Beware the Tall Grass At about 5:30, Ellen talks about the different resonance the book has a year plus after its publication; she highlights feedback from people with interesting comments about the continuing resonance of the Vietnam War At about 7:10, Ellen provides a summary of the novel At about 8:20, Ellen relays seeds for the book, particularly based on a NPR segment from 2014 At about 10:30, Ellen responds to Pete's questions about any cynicism in exploring the stories of past lives' remembrance, and she expands on how she dealt with the spiritual/reincarnation  At about 12:45, Pete and Ellen stan over Andrew Porter's (Episode 294 guest) The Imagined Life At about 13:25, Ellen speaks beautifully of her mother as an “advocate”  At about 14:50, Ellen talks about how she put into practice the saying about “put your characters into trouble,” particularly with regard to Eve, one of two protagonists, and her mother  At about 16:05, The two discuss the exposition for main character and one of two narrators, Thomas, and how the loss of his horse affects him  At about 18:00, Ellen describes the agony in writing a particularly brutal and sad scene from the book At about 19:00, The two discuss Eve's friend, Amy, and ideas of peace and tranquility  At about 20:00, Ellen reflects on the “hasty decision” pointed out by Pete, made by both Thomas in the novel and in real-life, for those who signed up for the army At about 21:30, Ellen talks about Dan in the novel and his family history that makes him act more logical even when the surreal comes out At about 23:00, The two discuss Thomas' decision to enlist for Vietnam, and how it was perhaps subtly influenced by his father's past service At about 24:00, We Were Soldiers Once and Young and Ellen's uncle and soldiers' logs are cited as inspirations for Ellen's writing At about 26:00, Pete lays out some of Charlie's  At about 27:00, Ellen reflects on Carrie's faith in Thomas' coming back safe from Vietnam At about 27:40, The two reflect on connections in the novel to Tim O'Brien's The Things They Carried At about 28:50, The two discuss two crises that bring much stress to Eve At about 29:50, Ellen talks about a caustic and “sinister” fellow soldier of Thomas' and giving him some “roundness” At about 31:30, Ellen talks about the emotional difficulty in writing a death in the novel At about 34:40, Ellen cites her poet background as she discusses the book's titular metaphor and its multiple uses, and she describes the background of the book's cover  At about 37:45, The two discuss family histories and shared traits over the generations in discussing Charlie's channeling of past traumas  At about 39:00,   At about 41:00, Pete asks Ellen about regression theory and therapists who deal with those thought to be experiencing past lives At about 43:20, Ellen responds to Pete's question about how home and Carrie and his child on the way inspire Thomas; Ellen tells an anecdote about almost changing POVs in the novel At about 44:30, Ellen talks about balancing the personal and the geopolitical in drawing up the Vietnam War scenes At about 46:40, The two discuss the idea of the story that repeats itself throughout the generations, and Ellen describes a moving and profound trip to Ireland that shows the “continuity of history” You can now subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts, and leave me a five-star review. You can also ask for the podcast by name using Alexa, and find the pod on Stitcher, Spotify, and on Amazon Music. Follow Pete on IG, where he is @chillsatwillpodcast, or on Twitter, where he is @chillsatwillpo1. You can watch other episodes on YouTube-watch and subscribe to The Chills at Will Podcast Channel. Please subscribe to both the YouTube Channel and the podcast while you're checking out this episode.       Pete is very excited to have one or two podcast episodes per month featured on the website of Chicago Review of Books. The audio will be posted, along with a written interview culled from the audio. His conversation with Hannah Pittard, a recent guest, is up at Chicago Review.     Sign up now for The Chills at Will Podcast Patreon: it can be found at patreon.com/chillsatwillpodcastpeterriehl      Check out the page that describes the benefits of a Patreon membership, including cool swag and bonus episodes. Thanks in advance for supporting Pete's one-man show, DIY podcast and extensive reading, research, editing, and promoting to keep this independent podcast pumping out high-quality content! This month's Patreon bonus episode features an exploration of flawed characters, protagonists who are too real in their actions, and horror and noir as being where so much good and realistic writing takes place. Pete has added a $1 a month tier for “Well-Wishers” and Cheerleaders of the Show.     This is a passion project, a DIY operation, and Pete would love for your help in promoting what he's convinced is a unique and spirited look at an often-ignored art form.    The intro song for The Chills at Will Podcast is “Wind Down” (Instrumental Version), and the other song played on this episode was “Hoops” (Instrumental)” by Matt Weidauer, and both songs are used through ArchesAudio.com.     Please tune in for Episode 303 with Amber Sparks, the author of the short story collections And I Do Not Forgive You and The Unfinished World. Her writing has appeared in The Paris Review, Granta, Slate, and elsewhere.    This episode airs on October 14, Pub Day for her novel Happy People Don't Live Here.    Please go to ceasefiretoday.org, and/or https://act.uscpr.org/a/letaidin to call your congresspeople and demand an end to the forced famine and destruction of Gaza and the Gazan people.

*** Content warnings: Animal cruelty ***After respected dermatologist Dr David Birkett was found bludgeoned to death in his Middlesbrough home, police struggled to uncover a motive or identify a suspect for what appeared to be a targeted attack.As the months passed by with no arrests, it began to look like the assailant had succeeded in his plan to pull off the perfect murder. But then the cracks began to show. ---Narration – Anonymous HostResearch & writing – Elsha McGillCreative direction – Milly RasoProduction & music – Mike MigasAudio editing – Anthony TelferSign up for Casefile Premium:Apple PremiumSpotify PremiumPatreonFor all credits and sources, please visit https://casefilepodcast.com/case-330-david-birkett Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

...in which we open Series 2 of Countrystride by exploring Eycott Hill in the northeast corner of the Lake District National Park – a landscape in recovery. In the company of Kevin Scott, Northern Reserves Manager at Cumbria Wildlife Trust, we learn about the reserve's extraordinary transformation – from near-monocultural sheep pasture to a thriving upland patchwork of wildflower meadows, species-rich acid grassland, marshes and mires. Setting out from the botanically-rich hay meadows – in late summer bloom – we consider whether traditional management techniques might be augmented for wildlife by swapping the mower for cattle. Pausing at a badger sett and heather stands – that bloomed again the moment sheep made way for Belties – we learn about the hill's unusual geology, and how that has shaped its diverse range of habitats. Summiting the lowly Birkett of Eycott Hill, we marvel at the 270 degree panorama, get soaked in an unforecast shower, then get reflective, asking whether the concept of the shifting baseline is still relevant in conservation, why the economics of traditional sheep farming no longer work, and why 'rewilding' is a term Kevin avoids. We close by reflecting on what the transformation of the hill can teach us about approaches to land management elsewhere in the Lakes. More about Eycott Hill from CWT: cumbriawildlifetrust.org.uk/nature-reserves/eycott-hill

Federated Farmers is welcoming new Government proposals to make farm health and safety rules more practical - and grounded in real-world standards. The Government will spend two months consulting with farmers to determine whether farm kids are safe to do certain chores, including feeding animals, watering plants and collecting eggs. Federated Farmers' health and safety spokesperson David Birkett says farmers have raised questions - and the clarification would be useful. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I chat with the Jake Birkett about how he survived as an indie for decades.► Check out Viverse: https://viverse.com/BRUSH► Check out Forbidden Solitaire: https://store.steampowered.com/app/3414580/Forbidden_Solitaire/► Learn how to make a game studio from your bedroom, free: https://www.fulltimegamedev.com/opt-in-how-to-make-six-figures

Kirsten Birkett discusses with Lee Gatiss her new commentary on Proverbs in the Hodder Bible Commentary series.

Shihan Terry organising Misogi every year if you would like to join in get in touch with him: https://roninway.uk/ Back street Karate Support Karate For Mental Health CIC Grab a t-shirt! https://kfmhcic.creator-spring.com/ Don't forget to grab your Karate Journal to document your journey: Karate Journal Link: https://amzn.to/3l9spmt If you found value in this episode or enjoyed it, please consider sharing it with your friends on social media. And if it didn't resonate with you, feel free to pass it along to your enemies – perhaps they'll find it enlightening! Support the show at no extra cost to you by shopping on Amazon through my affiliate link, where I receive a small commission on your purchases. It's a win-win! Find the link below. Amazon Affiliate Link: https://amzn.to/3qqfuhy And check out our shop for exclusive merchandise, including the Anxious Black Belt Mug: Les Bubka's Shop: https://lesshop.ammhub.com/accessories/anxious-black-belt-mug About Les Bubka: Author, Karate coach, entrepreneur, and creator of the #Hikite4ever T-shirt. Les promotes inclusive Karate with a focus on the mental health aspects of training. Teaching nationally and internationally. Let's connect: info@lesbubka.co.uk Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

From 'Take The North' (subscribe here): Dan Wiederer is joined in this episode by Dave Birkett, who covers the Lions for the Detroit Free Press. Birkett shares all the knowledge he can about two intriguing Bears head coaching candidates: Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson and Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Dan Wiederer is joined in this episode by Dave Birkett, who covers the Lions for the Detroit Free Press. Birkett shares all the knowledge he can about two intriguing Bears head coaching candidates: Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson and Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

"Fear was a huge thing for me, but I reached a point where I thought, if I don't do this now, I'm never going to do it." – Ellen Birkett Morris In this episode, we sit down with award-winning author Ellen Birkett Morris to discuss her fascinating journey into the world of writing and her latest novel, Beware the Tall Grass. Ellen shares insights into overcoming fear, mastering the art of storytelling, and the serendipitous inspiration behind her novel—a story that spans time, connects lives, and challenges beliefs. From her childhood encounters with storytelling to her bold leap into the publishing world, Ellen's journey is an inspiring testament to perseverance and passion. Whether you're a seasoned writer or a dreamer waiting to take the plunge, this conversation will resonate deeply. Key Takeaways: Overcoming Fear: Ellen discusses her early struggles with the fear of failure and how she learned to embrace the process of being bad before becoming great. The Long Apprenticeship: The years of dedicated writing, submitting to journals, and refining her craft that led to Ellen's "overnight success." Inspiration from Unlikely Places: How an NPR story about past-life memories in children inspired Beware the Tall Grass. Crafting a Novel: Ellen's creative process, including weaving together dual narratives and creating dramatic tension with "echoes" between timelines. Small Press vs. Big Five: Why Ellen chose a small press for her novel and how it impacted her journey as an author. Building a Writing Career: Ellen's advice on starting small, finding the right publication for your work, and persevering through rejection. The Power of Storytelling: Insights on paying attention to life's moments and channeling them into compelling narratives. Buy Beware the Tall Grass Amazon: https://amzn.to/49tKMMd Bookshop.org: https://bookshop.org/a/54587/9798988732105 Connect with Ellen Website: https://www.ellenbirkettmorris.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ellenbirkettmorriswriter/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ellenbirkettmorris/ Connect with Mike Website: https://uncorkingastory.com/ Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSvS4fuG3L1JMZeOyHvfk_g Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/uncorkingastory/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@uncorkingastory Twitter: https://twitter.com/uncorkingastory Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/uncorkingastory LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/uncorking-a-story/ If you like this episode, please share it with a friend. If you have not done so already, please rate and review Uncorking a Story on Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. #WritingCommunity #FictionWriters #AuthorInterview #Storytelling #OvercomingFear #WomenWriters #WritingTips #NovelWriting #IndieAuthors #CreativeProcess Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Direct from tech for Oliver! in the West End, the amazing Jamie Birkett! The post Jamie Birkett appeared first on Putting it Together.

Understanding the systemic drivers of health disparities within marginalized populations is complex. In this episode, Michelle Birkett, PhD, explains how she uses network and quantitative methodologies to study the health of marginalized populations, particularly sexual and gender minority youth. She also discusses her new center, the Center for Computational and Social Sciences in Health, and the importance of transdisciplinary research. 

In this special episode of the Buying Online Businesses podcast, Jaryd Krause sits down with Alex Birkett, co-founder of Omnisense Digital, an Organic Growth Agency that specializes in creating revenue-generating SEO and content strategies for ambitious B2B brands. Alex, who has also worked with industry leaders like HubSpot and helped scale companies like Jasper AI through their SEO campaigns, shares his insights on the evolving world of search engine optimization. Together, Jaryd and Alex explore what's changing in SEO, what remains constant, and where search trends may be headed. They dive into the impact of tools like ChatGPT, how AI fits into the SEO landscape, and why it's not a case of choosing between automation and traditional methods but embracing both. Alex also highlights the dangers of relying on easy, replicated content and offers expert advice on how businesses should approach SEO moving forward. Packed with actionable insights, this episode is a must-listen for anyone navigating the complexities of SEO today. Tune in and hit the ‘Play” button! to uncover the latest SEO strategies and learn how to stay ahead in the ever-shifting search world!  Episode Highlights 02:50 How did Alex start in SEO? 09:45 Today's SEO strategies that works   16:00 Find a business that isn't replicable 23:20 Where is SEO going? 31:20 Where to find Alex? Key Takeaways ➥ Alex emphasizes that SEO is a long-term, compounding effort. The early stages may show small progress, but consistent, high-quality work over time can lead to impressive results. ➥ Focusing on original research and data from your own product can differentiate you. Surveys and unique insights offer fresh content that's hard to replicate, which can drive traffic and backlinks. ➥ Relying on AI to mass-produce content can lead to temporary success but poses long-term risks, especially for established companies. Shortcuts may work for affiliate bloggers but are risky for brands with significant reputations.   About The Guest Alex Birkett is a co-founder of Omniscient Digital, an organic growth agency that builds revenue generating SEO and content programs for ambitious B2B brands. He's worked for a bunch of great companies as an SEO one of which ws HubSpot and he lives in Brooklyn, NY.   Connect With Alex Birkett ➥ https://beomniscient.com ➥ https://alexbirkett.com   Resource Links ➥ BOB SEO Services - https://buyingonlinebusinesses.com/seo-services/ ➥ Buying Online Businesses Website - https://buyingonlinebusinesses.com ➥ Download the Due Diligence Framework - https://buyingonlinebusinesses.com/freeresources/➥ Sell your business to us here - https://buyingonlinebusinesses.com/sell-your-business/ ➥ Site Ground (Website Hosting) - https://bit.ly/3JBEC1u ➥ Active Campaign (Email Software Provider) - https://bit.ly/3DCwYQH ➥ Ezoic (Ad Network) - https://bit.ly/3NuVR5P  

Are you struggling to differentiate yourself in a saturated market? Are you finding it hard to win enterprise clients and manage complex relationships with them?On the other hand, perhaps you're looking for ways to create high-quality content at scale, or demonstrate the long-term value of SEO to your stakeholders and clients?If any of those resonate, the latest episode of Agency Journey will be useful for you.Alex Birkett is the co-founder of Omniscient Digital, an organic growth agency that partners with B2B brands to build SEO programs. With a background in scaling agencies and working with enterprise clients like SAP, Adobe, and Loom, Alex shares his expertise on agency differentiation, content operations, and winning big clients.In this episode of Agency Journey, Alex dives into the strategies behind building a successful SEO agency, from differentiating your services to managing enterprise client relationships. He emphasizes the importance of developing a clear point of view and consistently delivering value to your target audience.Whether you're looking to scale your agency, improve your content operations, or land more enterprise clients, this episode is packed with actionable advice and insights from Alex's experience.Episode Insights:

In this 1548th episode of Toronto Mike'd, Mike chats with musician Chris Birkett about his life in music, recording and producing Sinéad O'Connor's iconic “Nothing Compares 2 U,” collaborting with other A-list artists like Talking Heads, Dexys Midnight Runners, Alison Moyet, The Pogues, Buffy Sainte-Marie, Quincy Jones, Mel Brooks and Steve Earle and recording his own music. Toronto Mike'd is proudly brought to you by Great Lakes Brewery, Palma Pasta, Ridley Funeral Home, The Advantaged Investor podcast from Raymond James Canada, and RecycleMyElectronics.ca. If you would like to support the show, we do have partner opportunities available. Please email Toronto Mike at mike@torontomike.com

With only around 200 GW of the potential 700 GW pipeline needed to meet Great Britain's electricity demand, many projects will never reach completion. Many of these projects will never be completed, and some ‘zombie' projects that are stuck in the queue with no real chance of progressing take up valuable grid connection space.It's becoming clear that the current system, where projects are connected on a ‘first in, first connected' basis, is creating major delays. As critical deadlines approach, there's growing pressure to add more renewable energy and improve the grid connection process.In this episode, Ed Porter is joined by Ed Birkett, Director of New Projects at Low Carbon, UK Development. Over the conversation, they discuss:How changes in Contracts for Difference auctions could help reach net zero targets.Issues with long lead times for integral equipment needed for grid connections.The current state of the grid connection queue and what could be done to improve the system. Insight into the types of costs involved at each stage of the development process for solar. Why we need to find a balance between strategic planning and the market-based approach to connecting to the grid. About our guestLow Carbon's mission is to create renewable power capacity for the world, at scale. Through building, developing and managing solar, wind and waste-to-energy projects, whilst limiting environmental impact. Low Carbon also has a dedicated Asset Management team that oversees a ~1GW portfolio of operating renewable energy assets. For more information on what they do, head to their website. About Modo EnergyModo Energy provides forecasts, benchmarking, data, and insights for new energy assets - all in one place.Built for analysts, Modo helps the owners, operators, builders, and financiers of battery energy storage solutions understand the market - and make the most out of their assets. Modo's paid plans serve more than 80% of battery storage owners and operators in Great Britain and ERCOT.All of our podcasts are available to watch or listen to on the Modo Energy site. To keep up with all of our latest updates, research, analysis, videos, podcasts, data visualizations, live events, and more, follow us on Linkedin or Twitter. Check out The Energy Academy, our video series of bite-sized chunks explaining how different battery energy storage systems work. For more information on grid connections, check out our written research.

With only around 200 GW of the potential 700 GW pipeline needed to meet Great Britain's electricity demand, many projects will never reach completion. Many of these projects will never be completed, and some ‘zombie' projects that are stuck in the queue with no real chance of progressing take up valuable grid connection space.It's becoming clear that the current system, where projects are connected on a ‘first in, first connected' basis, is creating major delays. As critical deadlines approach, there's growing pressure to add more renewable energy and improve the grid connection process.In this episode, Ed Porter is joined by Ed Birkett, Director of New Projects at Low Carbon, UK Development. Over the conversation, they discuss:How changes in Contracts for Difference auctions could help reach net zero targets.Issues with long lead times for integral equipment needed for grid connections.The current state of the grid connection queue and what could be done to improve the system. Insight into the types of costs involved at each stage of the development process for solar. Why we need to find a balance between strategic planning and the market-based approach to connecting to the grid. About our guestLow Carbon's mission is to create renewable power capacity for the world, at scale. Through building, developing and managing solar, wind and waste-to-energy projects, whilst limiting environmental impact. Low Carbon also has a dedicated Asset Management team that oversees a ~1GW portfolio of operating renewable energy assets. For more information on what they do, head to their website. About Modo EnergyModo Energy provides forecasts, benchmarking, data, and insights for new energy assets - all in one place.Built for analysts, Modo helps the owners, operators, builders, and financiers of battery energy storage solutions understand the market - and make the most out of their assets. Modo's paid plans serve more than 80% of battery storage owners and operators in Great Britain and ERCOT.All of our podcasts are available to watch or listen to on the Modo Energy site. To keep up with all of our latest updates, research, analysis, videos, podcasts, data visualizations, live events, and more, follow us on Linkedin or Twitter. Check out The Energy Academy, our video series of bite-sized chunks explaining how different battery energy storage systems work. For more information on grid connections, check out our written research.

Lee Gatiss chats to Kirsten Birkett about her upcoming book on class in the Evangelical church in England.

Bill welcomed award-winning novelist and short story writer Ellen Birkett Morris back to the show. Ellen's novel Beware the Tall Grass is the winner of the Donald L. Jordan Award for Literary Excellence, judged by Lan Samantha Chang. She is the author of Lost Girls: Short Stories, winner of the Pencraft Award. Her fiction has appeared in Shenandoah, Antioch Review, Notre Dame Review, and South Carolina Review, among other journals. She is a winner of the Bevel Summers Prize for short fiction. Morris is a recipient of an Al Smith Fellowship for her fiction from the Kentucky Arts Council.

On the latest episode of Now, Appalachia, Eliot interviews author Ellen Burkett Morris about her debut novel BEWARE THE TALL GRASS. Morris is also the author of Abide and Surrender, poetry chapbooks. Her poetry has appeared in The Clackamas Literary Review, Juked, Gastronomica, and Inscape, among other journals and in eight anthologies. Morris won top prize in the 2008 Binnacle Ultra-Short Edition and was a finalist for the 2019 and 2020 Rita Dove Poetry Prize. Her poem “Abide” was featured on NPR's A Way with Words. Her essays have appeared in Newsweek, AARP's The Ethel, Oh Reader magazine, and on National Public Radio. Morris holds an MFA in creative writing from Queens University-Charlotte. She attended the Kentucky Women Writers Conference on fellowship and teaches creative writing at The Virginia Piper Center at ASU in Tempe, Arizona and The Carnegie Center for Literacy and Learning in Lexington, Kentucky. Morris has spoken and taught at the 2018 Antioch Writers Workshop, 2019 Kentucky Women Writers Conference, 2022 Writer's Block Festival and 2022 Louisville Book Festival.

Our website - www.perksofbeingabooklover.com. Instagram - @perksofbeingabookloverpod Facebook - Perks of Being a Book Lover. To send us a message go to our website and click the Contact button. This week we have a remix episode because we are attending the LA Festival of Books. We catch up with author Ellen Birkett Morris. We first spoke to her in 2020 about her short story collection, Lost Girls, and now she has recently published a novel Beware the Tall Grass. So we will hear a little something old and a little something new from her in that episode. Books Mentioned in this Episode: 1- Beware the Tall Grass by Ellen Birkett Morris 2- Lost Girls by Ellen Birkett Morris 3- Harriet The Spy by Louise Fitzhugh 4- James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl 5- Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl 5- Arabel's Raven by Joan Aiken 6- Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout 7- Gulp: Adventures on the Alimentary Canal by Mary Roach 8- Stiff: The Curious Lives of Cadavers by Mary Roach 9- Bonk: The Curious Coupling of Science and Sex by Mary Roach 10- Lake Life by David James Poissant 11- Tell The Wolves I'm Home by Carol Rifka Brunt 12- The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate 13- The One and Only Bob by Katherine Applegate 14- Door to Door Bookstore by Carsten Henn translated by Melody Shaw - 5 Star Read recommended by Sarah Phillips @cosymidlifebooknook Article mentioned in this episode: lawnlove.com/blog/best-cities-for-book-lovers/

Our website - www.perksofbeingabooklover.com. Instagram - @perksofbeingabookloverpod Facebook - Perks of Being a Book Lover. To send us a message go to our website and click the Contact button. This week we have a remix episode because we are attending the LA Festival of Books. We catch up with author Ellen Birkett Morris. We first spoke to her in 2020 about her short story collection, Lost Girls, and now she has recently published a novel Beware the Tall Grass. So we will hear a little something old and a little something new from her in that episode. Books Mentioned in this Episode: 1- Beware the Tall Grass by Ellen Birkett Morris 2- Lost Girls by Ellen Birkett Morris 3- Harriet The Spy by Louise Fitzhugh 4- James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl 5- Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl 5- Arabel's Raven by Joan Aiken 6- Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout 7- Gulp: Adventures on the Alimentary Canal by Mary Roach 8- Stiff: The Curious Lives of Cadavers by Mary Roach 9- Bonk: The Curious Coupling of Science and Sex by Mary Roach 10- Lake Life by David James Poissant 11- Tell The Wolves I'm Home by Carol Rifka Brunt 12- The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate 13- The One and Only Bob by Katherine Applegate 14- Door to Door Bookstore by Carsten Henn translated by Melody Shaw - 5 Star Read recommended by Sarah Phillips @cosymidlifebooknook Article mentioned in this episode: https://lawnlove.com/blog/best-cities-for-book-lovers/

It's a special edition of Take The North, as Dan Wiederer is joined by longtime Lions reporter Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press! Birkett helps us understand how the Lions went from perennial NFL bottom-feeders to NFC North champions and to the NFC Championship Game under the guidance of head coach Dan Campbell. Plus, what is it about Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson that makes him a hot head coaching candidate? And how does he think the Lions will do against the 49ers in the NFC Championship? To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This month, I've got the joy of introducing you to Dr Thomas Birkett, a lecturer in Old English and Old Norse at University College Cork, Ireland. He is the author of Reading the Runes and Legends of Norse Mythology. He teaches courses on Norse myth, medieval literature, and Old English language at UCC, and occasionally takes time out to sail with the crew of a reconstructed Viking ship. In this conversation, we chat about some Norse legends, the difficulties of trying to reconstruct a practice from the Norse myths, and why the Norse myths have survived thanks to their historical context! Buy Legends of Norse Mythology: Enter a world of gods, giants, monsters and heroes at https://amzn.to/3RBwRwg (affiliate link). Find Dr Birkett on X at @NorseinCork. Get your free guide to home protection the folklore way here: https://www.icysedgwick.com/fab-folklore/ Become a member of the Fabulous Folklore Family for bonus episodes and articles at https://patreon.com/bePatron?u=2380595 Fabulous Folklore Bookshop: https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/fabulous_folklore Enjoyed this episode and want to show your appreciation? Buy Icy a coffee to say 'thanks' at: https://ko-fi.com/icysedgwick Pre-recorded illustrated talks: https://ko-fi.com/icysedgwick/shop Request an episode: https://forms.gle/gqG7xQNLfbMg1mDv7 Get extra snippets of folklore on Instagram at https://instagram.com/icysedgwick 'Like' Fabulous Folklore on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fabulousfolklore/ Find Icy on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/icysedgwick.bsky.social Tweet Icy at https://twitter.com/IcySedgwick

Buckle up to experience our VERY FIRST EPISODE - this week's REWIND features Amber Benson (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) facing it off against Jeremiah Birkett (Seinfeld, Euphoria). Amber is playing for LA Food Bank and Jeremiah is playing for St. Jude's. Rate, review and subscribe @youshouldknowbetterpodThis show is part of the Spreaker Prime Network, if you are interested in advertising on this podcast, contact us at https://www.spreaker.com/show/4953069/advertisement

In this insightful episode, we sat down with Adam Birkett, the Global Trading Lead at Cargill Ocean Transportation division, which trades physical and derivative cargo, freight, and shipping products globally across all major markets, to delve into the profound concept of "The Power of Non-Attachment in Trading."Adam has spent nearly his entire career at Cargill Ocean Transportation. He has been a trader, led a major trading team, worked in Risk Management, and then transitioned to becoming the lead for the trading side of the business, overseeing over 80 traders across multiple centres worldwide.At the core of our conversation lies a fundamental principle: the ability of traders to distance themselves from ego-driven impulses and negative outcomes while making critical decisions amidst market turbulence. Adam eloquently describes how seasoned traders master the art of non-attachment, disentangling their identities from their trading activities, whilst also candidly acknowledging how challenging this is to do and sustain in real-time.Adam discusses how, by detaching from ego-based desires and fears of negative outcomes, traders can achieve greater mental clarity and emotional equilibrium. This enables them to navigate the unpredictable waters of the market with a calmer, more rational mindset. Adam emphasizes the importance of staying true to one's trading process and not succumbing to impulsive reactions to market fluctuations and unfavourable outcomes.In this enlightening chat, Adam illustrates his views with real-world examples from his extensive experience, speaks candidly about his own humbling episodes in his career, and shares some insights into the work they do at Cargill to aid better decision-making and performance across their highly successful business.AlphaMind: Powering Performance in Global Markets AlphaMind brings powerful change, growth and development to people and businesses within global markets. Driven by a deep understanding of how markets work, and how people and businesses function within them, we partner with clients to create personal performance improvements that elevate returns across their trading activities.Go to the AlphaMind website to know more.

We've made it to our 100th episode!! A definite milestone for the Claima Stories Family! And we're doing it with none other than whom GQ Magazine has crowned them Streetwear's First Family. Chris Gibbs, owner of Union LA and his partner Beth Birkett Gibbs, owner of Bephie's Beauty Supply, film director, and creative collaborator with Chris amongst many other forms of storytelling. Yes, this is streetwear's first family and they are so much more. As we discussed the evolution of streetwear, what it's like seeing the world through the eyes of their two boys, the pros and cons of LA and NYC, the algorithms of social media, and the value of community; growth at every level for this couple comes with grace and they're navigating it as only a first family would.Co-Founder of Claima and Former Nike Marketer, Bimma Williams interviews leading and emerging creatives and entrepreneurs of color about how they were able to build their own tables by turning their hobbies, side hustles, and ideas into thriving small businesses.From these stories, listeners will learn how to claim their dream careers by stepping into the world of entrepreneurship. Featuring Melody Ehsani, Dapper Dan, Jeff Staple, Karleen Roy and more.Follow Claima Stories and Bimma Williams on Instagram: @claimastories and @bimmawilliams

Dr David Birkett was an unassuming, quiet man, eminent in his fields of both Dermatology and Paleopathology, and well liked and respected by all who knew him. So when he answered a knock at his Middlesbrough door one night in February 1990, he couldn't for a second have considered that the figure stood before him meant him harm. Harm was an understatement. It was the first action of an individual who is one of the strangest - and certainly most dangerous - we have come across on The True Crime Enthusiast Podcast, and whose story I bring here. The episode contains details and descriptions of crimes and events, including descriptions of injury detail and with reference to animal cruelty, that some listeners may find disturbing, and or distressing, so discretion is advised whilst listening. Music used in this episode: "The Descent" by Kevin Macleod. All music used is sourced from https://filmmusic.io/ and used under an Attribution Licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) Show Sponsors BetterHelp: This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/tce  and get on your way to being your best self. Playlist Tracks The Murder Capital - Return My Head Just Mustard - Still The True Crime Enthusiast's Fundraiser For Macmillan Cancer Support References  Crimewatch Redux - The Murder of Doctor Birkett (1990) Crimewatch UK May 1990  Murdertown S2E3 - Middlesbrough  Assorted articles available from Newcastle Evening Chronicle; Newcastle Journal; Huddersfield Daily Examiner; Newcastle Sunday Sun – available from British Newspaper Archive   Killer Reginald Wilson who bludgeoned Middlesbrough doctor to death to be moved to cushy open prison | Daily Mail Online Notorious murderer who bludgeoned doctor to death 'to be moved to open prison' - Teesside Live (gazettelive.co.uk) The sadist who bludgeoned doctor to death then plotted to kill police officers - Teesside Live (gazettelive.co.uk) Brutal killer who murdered popular doctor finally caught because of a plastic bag - Mirror Online Murderer's 'whole life' sentence overturned | The Northern Echo Psychopath's "whole life" sentence overturned | The Northern Echo Notorious murderer who bludgeoned doctor to death 'to be moved to open prison' (msn.com) BBC NEWS | England | Tees | Hammer killer to serve 30 years BBC News - Teesside hammer killer refused Guardian interview 'If he ever gets out, I am sure he will kill again' | The Northern Echo I I Irii — “ Wm Sunday Sun Sunday 3 25 24 Sunday Sun Sunday June 3 1990 —4 I | Sunday Sun (Newcastle) | Sunday 03 June 1990 | British Newspaper Archive Downfall Of A Psychopath | Newcastle Journal | Friday 26 July 1991 | British Newspaper Archive 13 Aug 1990, 6 - The journal. at Newspapers.com https://history.rcplondon.ac.uk/inspiring-physicians/david-anthony-birkett https://academic.oup.com/book/8779/chapter-abstract/154921261?redirectedFrom=fulltext Follow/Contact/Support The True Crime Enthusiast Podcast Facebook Facebook Discussion Group Twitter Instagram Youtube Website TTCE Merchandise Patreon Page Remembering David.