Podcasts about by march

SOUNDING THE ALARM FOR CLIMATE ACTIONMARCH 1ST 2021Produced by Vivien LangfordGuests:These are ARRCC members who are leading Sacred People Sacred Earth (arrcc.org.au)Tejopala Rawls  (Buddhist)  Fahimah Badrulhisham (Muslim ) Dr Byron Smith  (Christian)These are the film makers from the Transitions Film FestivalRob Innes Producer of the film YOUTH ONSTRIKE Maiysha - Yr 12 student and youth leader who vlogged for this fast paced film. Nathan Havey - Director of "Beyond Zero"Emmanuel Cappelin - Director of "Once you know" Action1. Please sign GreenFaith International's multi faith statement calling for a recovery from COVID which will help create a more just world order while tackling the climate crisis.It has been signed by hundreds of high-profile leaders of a wide range of faiths as well as regular people of faith and we'd love you to sign this and ask others to do the same. By March 11 we aim to have the signatures of thousands of religious leaders and individual people of faith and spirit.2. See the trailer  for Youth on Strike hereYouth On Strike! | Youth On Strike! & CitizenKid: Earth Comes First | Transitions Film Festival (eventive.org)Book your ticket to see it online at TICKETS & PASSES 2021 – Transitions Film Festival Millions of people from faith groups around the world will be sounding the alarm for Climate Action 11am on March 11th. It's the 11th hour and it heralds a year of action leading up to the UN Cop meeting in Glasgow in November. We'll talk to a Buddhist, a Muslim and a Christian and you may be surprised how radical they are.Then we go to the Transitions Film Festival. We'll hear about three films. Once you know, Beyond Zero and Youth on Strike.The long interview  will be with Rob Innes and Maiyesha but the other directors will speak to us at length in later shows.Climate Action is involving wider circles of people now. The students want to be at the decision making table not just because they are young but because we want to hear what they have to say about their future. 

On today’s show we’re talking about the link between online and offline and the world of real estate in particular. When I look to see where real estate is going, I look to online innovators. That seems counter-intuitive. After all, we live in an offline world. When we think of the online world, your first thoughts might go to Facebook, or Instagram, or TikTok or ClubHouse. How could those technologies possibly disrupt the world of real estate? It makes no sense. In my view, the disruption to the physical world is going to come from the online world. The catalyst for disruption in real estate won’t come from a new building technology per se. Although there are a number of innovations in technology that are changing the way buildings are designed and constructed. I look to those companies that are upending business using technology. We’re talking about how Travis Kalanick, the founder of Uber, and most recently of Ghost Kitchen startup called Cloud Kitchens. This was merely an idea a year ago. Today, some top chefs in NYC have abandoned their expensive real estate and are serving the take-out market out of commercial kitchens located in less expensive industrial space, rather than the prime location kitchen with the fancy ground floor restaurant dining room attached. I attend a daily meeting with Glenn Sanford, CEO of EXP Realty. You might be wondering what I’m doing hanging out with the CEO of a real estate brokerage. I’m not a real estate agent and don’t want to be. Apart from the word of real estate, there’s no real connection. What sets Glenn apart from others in the space is that he speaks like a software designer. He uses language, terms and metaphors that came out of the world of software development. It’s not an act. He simply exudes it. As we’ve talked about recently, When I look at the systems he has used to build his business, there’s no doubt in my mind that he is thinking scalability, the kind of scalability that can only be matched in an online world. His company has experienced the kind of growth that only a software company can achieve. It would have been near impossible in a bricks and mortar business. It used to be the case that an impressive office with a sprawling lobby and layers of assistants made an impressive first impression for a prospective client, or an aspiring employment candidate. Today, that’s a distant memory. I’ve been using zoom for meetings for several years now. But my use of zoom has expanded dramatically. Even in the past week, I have spent no less than 6 hours a day in zoom meetings on some days. In December of 2019, zoom had about 10 million daily active participants. By March this had grown to 200 million and by April, over 300 million. How did zoom scale their enterprise by a factor of 30 in the span of months? The ease of use of zoom and the excellent performance made this possible. It turns out that Zoom uses Amazon’s web services data center. They’re one of the largest suppliers of third party data services. Amazon’s server farm was easily able to scale the service offering to meet the needs of zoom’s growth. None of these shifts individually represent a major change. But cumulatively, the compound effect of all these changes on the design of real estate is significant. I don’t need to dedicate as much wall space for book cases anymore. How many people used to have a video studio in their homes 20 years ago? Hardly any. Today, I know of dozens. If I was designing a home for this coming decade, I would be designing it differently compared with only a few years ago. Back in the day, homes and apartments used to have a built -in cabinet for the delivery of fresh milk. Today, nobody would even think of that. But a secure e-commerce locker makes a lot of sense. We know that technology is changing rapidly. We have no idea what building technologies will look like in 30 years from now.

We interpret Kevin Colbert’s GM-speak, "As we sit here today, Ben is a member of the Pittsburgh Steelers.”By March 17 all teams have to meet the salary cap. With an overhang of at least $14 million, what’s the best way for the Steelers to get under the limit?Art Rooney assures us that we’re not in rebuilding mode. What are the chances of the Steelers being competitive next year?COVID constrained the 2021 finances, but it looks like the NFL will be awash in cash in 2022.Hit us up on Twitter at @Steelersoutpost Shoot us an email at Steelersoutpost@gmail.com

  Around 40 episodes ago, we discussed Chinggis Khan fighting for control of the Mongolian steppe. Now, some 90 years later in our chronology, we will discuss his grandson sending Mongol armies across the sea to lands beyond Chinggis’ imagination. While Japan, Vietnam and Burma were all subjects of invasions towards the end of Kublai Khan’s life, all of these were regions relatively close to Yuan China, directly bordering its subject territories. Our discussion today focuses on a much less obvious target: the island of Java in modern Indonesia. The expedition against Java was one of the last military campaigns ordered by Kublai in his long life, and like many of these later invasions, cost the Yuan heavily in men and resources for little gain. I’m your host David, and this is Kings and Generals: Ages of Conquest.   In the 13th century, Eastern Java and parts of the neighbouring islands of Sumatra and Borneo came under the influence of the Kingdom of Tumapel, named for the city of the same name on the island of Java- or atleast it was the same name until the reign of King Jaya Wisnuhardhana, who changed it to Singhasari. You’ll find this state therefore referred either as the Kingdom of Tumapel, or Singahsari.The Tumapel kings were not absolute rulers, with much of their kingdom made up of loosely controlled vassal kings and chiefs. Rather, their significance for our purposes came from their place on a  lucrative position along the maritime trade routes going through Indonesia and across the southern coastline of the Eurasian landmass. By the 12th century, the island of Java was one of China’s chief suppliers of pepper and safflower dye, along with Bali. The island exported rice, and held trade contacts from China to India. In turn, they imported gold, silver, lacquerware, iron goods and ceramics from China. The southeast Asian sea trade was a valuable market which had been expanding considerably since the ninth century- and one which now attracted the attention of a man hungry for conquest and with less and less patience for, well, patience.   By the 1280s, Kublai Khan had completed his conquest of China proper, but good, overwhelming victories were frustraingly eluding him in Central Asia, Japan, Vietnam and Myanmar, and as he advanced in years, the knowledge that he was failing to bring the world under Mongol authority must have weighed heavily on him. Now in his seventies, with his poor health, depression, deaths of his friends and family, increasing removal from affairs of state and awareness of his own impending mortality, Kublai must have been desperate for victories to console his aching spirit. In addition, the economic aspects must not be overlooked -though they were not separate, from Kublai’s point of view, but merely a component of universal rule. Kublai’s Yuan dynasty, while obviously influenced by China’s Confucian norms and traditions, felt no need to bind themselves to it, and kept for instance, the Mongolian practicality regarding merchants. Rather than treat them as inherently lower class, they were invited and rewarded, and trade as a whole encouraged. This took a notable form on the recent completion of the conquest of the southern Chinese coastline. Soon after the imposition of Mongol rule at the end of the 1270s, a new Bureau of Maritime Trade was established as the major port of Quanzhou. The Bureau not only oversaw and taxed the trade in and out of Quanzhou, but sought to actively encourage it as well as the settlement of foreign traders there. Contacts were made across the region- the Southeast Asian coastline of course, but also the Phillipines, Indonesia including Java and Sumatra and to India and Iran’s southern coastline. We, have for instance, south Indian style Hindu temples with Tamil transcriptions in Quanzhou from this period, and knowledge of a significant Muslim population and resettled Persian. To the Islamic world Quanzhou was known as Zayton, by which Marco Polo recorded the name. The Yuan Dynasty had a keen interest in trade, and sought to extend their control over it throughout the region- at the same time extending the Mongols’ heavenly Mandate to rule the whole of the world.   On these considerations, Kublai Khan increased diplomatic missions across the seas of southern Asia, from Malabar to Sri Lanka, ordering the monarchs and peoples across the sea to submit to the Great Khan, as per the wish of Eternal Blue Heaven- something it should be noted, many of these states did do. In fact, for the privilege of  trading with China, most regional states already undertook a sort of yearly tribute to whichever Chinese dynasty ruled the requisite ports they wanted access to. The Chinese dynasties were generally content to accept the trade and maintain the image of themselves as the Sons of Heavens, the centre of the world in name even if it wasn’t  quite so in practice, and the Son of Heaven did not exercise actual authority in these states. The Mongols, as many a state in eastern Asia rudely learned, generally did not share the same view; to be a vassal to the Great Khan was a complete submission, which required making your resources and peoples available to the Khan’s desires, measured through censuses to catalogue them and make the necessary demands. When Kublai sent his diplomatic missions over the seas, they often were sent to not just reaffirm or increase the tribute, but increase the extent to which these overseas monarchs needed to comply to the will of the house of Chinggis Khan.   One such mission, led by one Meng Qi, arrived in the court of the king of Tumapel, Kertanagara, sometime in the 1280s. Kertanagara had been the King of Tumapel since the 1260s, and had shown himself a haughty individual and firm convert to Tantric Buddhism. Since his ascension he had expanded his kingdom, over the 1270s  subduring parts of eastern Sumatra and by the 1280s, most of the island of Java itslf. By all accounts, Kertanagara was quite keen to solidify his control of the local trade and spice routes, and very, very keen on not having to share it with the distant ruler of China. In the various sources, after feeling insulted by the envoy Meng Qi or his demands, Kertanagara’s either insulted him, branded his face with a hot iron, cut his nose off or outright killed him. In either case, he had committed a grievous insult on an envoy of the Great Khan, which you may remember, was not something the Mongols took lightly.    Kertanagara’s calculation was likely a simple one. He did not want to increase the share of tribute sent to China for the privilege of trading. However, in order to maintain that wealth he very much needed to keep trading with China, and it's unclear to what extent trade may have been disrupted during the long war between the Mongols and the late Song Dynasty. It was a reasonable assumption that the island of Java was well outside the range of an actual attack from China, leaving him physically secure from a Chinese repercussion. Once tensions had cooled, Kertanagara could send an apology mission and resume trade, without having provided a greater portion of it to China.    These were reasonable assumptions, but rather incorrect, as they relied on an assumption of reasonable retaliation by the opposing party. By the later 1280s, the deaths of Kublai’s closest confidant, his wife Chabi, chosen heir Jingim and his most important advisers, as well as alcoholism and depression had clouded his judgement, and he was quite beyond being reasonable. Kublai’s earliest campaigns against the Dali Kingdom and Song Dynasty were marked by thorough preparation and intelligence gathering, taking advantage of weaknesses within the enemy to bring the final victory. Now isolated and depressed, surrendered by yes-men who lacked the ability to stand up to him and desperate for victory after the continuous news of defeat across his frontiers, Kublai had come to rely on throwing manpower at a problem, hoping now tactical successes would automatically lead to strategic victories. Kublai’s knowledge of Java must have been minimal, but he was well past the point of caring. The ruler of a puny island somewhere in the sea had no right to insult the Master of the World. And so, Kublai ordered an attack upon the island of Java and Kingdom of Tumapel, to bring its king Kertanagara to heel and resume the tribute payments.   Briefly, we can comment on the rather different version of events which appears in the Javanese sources. In the medieval Javanese and Balinese sources, the incident with Meng Qi the envoy is unmentioned. Instead, Kublai was a friend of the minister Madura Wiraraja, who requested Kublai come provide military assistance to the royal family of Tumapel. In this verison, the throne was usurped by Jayakatwang, whom we shall meet shortly, and Kublai’s forces quite respectfully came, defeated the usurper, placed the rightful heir, Kertanagara’s son-in-law Raden Vijaya, on the throne and took in exchange only a beautiful princess for Kublai to marry. Generally speaking, most reconstructions rely on the Chinese sources instead, though the Javanese sources are interesting for how they justify and depict the Yuan presence.   Regardless of the cause, an invasion fleet and army were prepared in 1292. 20,000 men, mainly from southern China, were mobilizied aboard 1,000 vessels. The army was led by the former Song commander Gao Xing, the navy by the Uighur Yiqmis, and all were under the overall command of the Mongol Shi Bi. Having learned from the disastrous naval assaults on Japan and Dai Viet, onboard they had a year’s supply of grain and 40,000 ounces of silver to purchase more supplies. The commanders met with Kublai himself before their departure: the Khan told Shi Bi to leave naval matters to Yiqmis’ expertise, and that they must proclaim on their arrival they were not an invasion force, but merely there to punish Kertanagara for harming a Yuan envoy. Whether Kublai was serious, or hoping this ruse would allow his forces to snatch victory, we cannot say.  Departing in winter 1292-93, they made a short stopover in Champa, now paying tribute and at peace with the Mongols. There, officers were dispatched on diplomatic missions to Lamuri, Samudra, Perlak and Mulayu in Sumatra, seeking tribute and submission. By March 1293 the fleet was off the coast of Java, and preparing to make landfall. It was decided to send a diplomatic force ahead of the main fleet, as by now the Yuan commanders were under no pretensions their army was inherently invincible, particularly as it had only a minor Mongolian component. It was hoped that by diplomacy, and with a good  threat of violence, they  would convince Kertanagara to submit and avoid having to make landfall in an foreign country with little gathered intelligence. If there was no progress on the diplomatic front in a week, the fleet was to follow up as a show of force.   The diplomatic mission found no success, for matters had changed considerably in Java by the time of their arrival. The haughty king of Tumapel, Kertanagara, was dead. He had been killed by his vassal, Jayakatong of Gelang, based in Kediri. Kertanagara’s son-in-law, Raden Vijaya, based in Majapahit, was resisting him, and the Yuan fleet had arrived in the midst of a civil war. A week after the envoys were sent, the armada landed at Tuban, where part of the army under Gao Xing and Yiqmis disembarked and began to march to Pachekan. The rest of the army was to follow aboard the ships under the command of Tuqudege, sailing through the Straits of Madura to meet the land force in March. At Pachekan, Jayakatong’s navy blocked the Brantas River, but made no move against the Yuan. There, the Yuan commanders landed and set up a banquet, inviting the Javanese to come over and discuss terms. No response was made by the Javanese, and after a while the Yuan fleet and army advanced. Jayakatong’s navy retreated before them and after garrisoning Pachekan, the Yuan forces made their way inland along the Brantas.    As they moved inland, they were greeted by envoys of Raden Vijaya, begging Yuan help: the young prince had only a small force, and  Jayakatong’s army was now on its way to attack Vijaya’s base at Majapahit. In exchange, Vijaya would submit happily to the Great Khan. Seeing that this could be the key to gaining the submission of Java by supporting Vijaya, Yiqmis ordered Gao Xing to take a part of the army and intercept Jayakatong, while Yiqmis took the rest of the force to reinforce Majapahit. Jayakatong managed to evade Gao Xing, reaching Majapahit. There, Yiqmis had already assembled his forces to meet the tired forces of Jayakatong. Standing off for the night, when Gao Xing arrived the next day with the rest of the Yuan troops, together they drove off Jayakatong’s army. Raden Vijaya once again promised his total submission to the Great Khan if the Yuan forces helped him secure Java against Jayakatong, and after providing them maps, a week later they set off for Jayakatong’s capital of Kediri.    The Yuan moved in three columns: the fleet on the Brantas River under Tuqudege, with Gao Xing and Yiqmis taking their forces up either bank, while behind them traveled a large force from Majapahit under Raden Vijaya. The army made good time, and only a few days later had reached Kediri, where Jayakatong had a large army prepared for them. The next day, from the morning until early afternoon, Jayakatong’s force advanced three times, and three times they were repulsed with heavy losses by the arms of the Yuan Dynasty and Majapahit. By the end of the day, Jayakatong’s army broke, fleeing across the river or into Kediri itself, where Jayakatong too retreated. The Yuan immediately assaulted the city, and by nightfall Jayakatong had come forward to surrender.    For the next week, the Yuan were the masters of Java. Raden Vijaya’s promised submission now had to come: for this, he desired to return to Majapahit with a small, unarmed Yuan escort to properly witness his formal submission. While that force departed for Majapahit, Shi Bi sent most of the army back to Pachekan, while he stayed in Kediri with a small force, thinking he had handily conquered Java for his Khan.   Unfortunately for Shi Bi, he was not so lucky. Once he saw that the Yuan troops had let their guard down, at the end of the day Raden Vijaya killed the Yuan escorts who followed him back to Majapahit, rallied his armies and urged the people of Java to repel the foreign invaders. Only narrowly did Shi Bi escape the trap for him at Kediri. He fought his way back to Pachekan, losing in one account up to 3,000 men. Back aboard the ships the commanders argued over whether to counter attack Raden, or to retreat, ultimately choosing the latter. Not knowing the country, outnumbered and unlikely to find local support, realistically they choose the best option to secure the lives of the rest of their men.    While they did bring back some trophies, maps of Java, population registers, spices, gold, silver, rhino horn and prisoners, this did little to offset the costs of the campaign. Not as disastrous as the invasions of Japan or Vietnam, the Yuan had been unable to turn a tactically well executed campaign into a strategic victory, and paid for it with a humiliating retreat. Kublai was furious, punishing Shi Bi, Yiqmis and Gao Xing, stripping them of a third of their property and rewarding them with 50 blows from the rod. Once Kublai Khan died in early 1294, there was no stomach to avenge that defeat, or those others suffered in Southeast Asia.  By contrast, Raden Vijaya was able to found a new empire based in Majapahit, which would come to dominate much of modern Indonesia and Malaysia and was perhaps the most powerful empire to ever be based in the region, a Golden Age founded in large part due to Mongol assistance. By the end of the 1290s, after Kublai’s death, Vijaya sent missions to the Yuan Dynasty to resume the valuable trade contacts. Despite their reputation for destruction across much of Eurasia, in the Javanese chronicle there is but a single reference to the Mongols destroying towns and sending people running in flight- perhaps due to the mainly Chinese origin of the army. Consider how the memory of the invasion was that of Kublai coming to assist his friends in exchange for a beautiful princess; to excuse, perhaps, their attack on their erstwhile allies or Kertanagara’s murder of the envoy, always a heinous act, the Yuan troops turned into a helpful, legitimizing force, in a way. A rather different view than their forces earned in many other places.   The Java campaign marked the end of the Yuan Dynasty’s overseas expansion, capping off Kublai’s life with one last failed campaign. The campaigns of the 1280s and 90s served as stark reminders for Kublai’s successors, whose attention would mostly turn inwards with rare exceptions. The huge costs of all these campaigns served to burden the Yuan economy, filling its offices with corruption and mismanagement that would never be shed. Further, these campaigns did little to endear the recently taken former Song territories, who provided much of the manpower for these invasions, to their new masters, laying seeds for later troubles for the Yuan, to be discussed in future episode, so be sure to subscribe to the Kings and Generals Podcast for more. If you’d like to help us keep bringing you great content, please consider supporting us on patreon at www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals. This episode was researched and written by our series historian, Jack Wilson. I’m your host David, and we’ll catch you on the next one.   

Sanhnhea robsa anak bramanh is a first-level enchantment, with a range of 90 feet, a duration of up to an hour, and requires concentration to maintain. This spell places an aura around the target that attracts negative emotional energy.  The manifestations could include disapproval, aggression, and even hatred.  The animosity has no bounds as it will elicit a reaction from not only people but also animals, insects, birds and any living thing with a defense mechanism. Sanhnhea robsa anak bramanh was discovered in Thailand in 2001.  The magical authority intended to keep the spell confidential, but it was leaked in 2004.  Rampant misuse spread across the southern provinces.  In July 2005, Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra assumed wide-ranging emergency powers to deal with the southern violence, but the insurgency escalated further.  Despite little progress in curbing the violence, peace was promised to the region by 2008.  By March 2008, however, the death toll surpassed 3,000.  Parts of Thailand fell into anarchy as criminal elements began taking control. The problem persists today.  Over 6,500 people died and almost 12,000 were injured between 2004 and 2015. Sanhnhea robsa anak bramanh is not banned in the United States as it is used to extract venom from snakes and insects to create anti-venom.  But, it does require a permit and misuse against a person could be a felony depending upon the level of injury sustained.

“Nobody is an industry of one." - Peerview Data“...The S&P 500, or simply the S&P, is a stock market index that measures the stock performance of 500 large companies listed on stock exchanges in the United States.” - Wikipedia Why does talking about this matter? What does it have to do with financial planning?-Knowing what the S&P can be helpful if understood correctly, and harmful if understood incorrectlyThe S&P 500 was introduced by Standard & Poor's in 1957 as a stock market index to track the value of 500 large corporations listed on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) and the NASDAQ Composite.During its first decade, the value of the index rose to nearly 700, reflecting the economic boom that followed World War II.From 1969 to early 1981, the index gradually declined–eventually falling to under 300–while the U.S. economy grappled with stagnant growth and high inflation.During the financial crisis that has come to be known as the Great Recession, the S&P 500 fell 57.7% beginning in October 2007 and bottoming out in March 2009.By March 2013, the S&P had recovered all its losses from the financial crisis, and over the last decade, the S&P has climbed more than 400% to reach all-time record highs.Need help creating a plan?Visit oakmontadvisory.com/blueprint and sign-up for a 15-Minute call with an advisor 

On today’s show we’re going to take a short trip through the history books. We’re not going back to Roman times, or ancient Greece. Although there are numerous powerful lessons in history that we could easily apply to today’s environment. No. On today’s show we’re going back to the fall of 2019, and then we’re going to go back to the fall of the year 1999. 2019 seems like a distant memory. The economy seemed to be humming along nicely. Unemployment was at a historic low. Stock market valuations were considered irrationally high in 2019. We were in the 4thquarter of one of the longest albeit slowest economic expansions on record. Extrapolating continued expansion seemed foolhardy at best. But today’s wounded economy is totally different: only partly recovered, possibly facing a double-dip, probably facing a slowdown, and certainly facing a very high degree of uncertainty. Yet the market is much higher today than it was in 2019 when the economy looked fine and unemployment was at a historic low. Today the P/E ratio of the market is among the highest in history and the economy is fragile to say the least. Let’s go back to 1999. My company Tundra Semiconductor went public on February 8, 1999 on the Toronto Stock Exchange. The Shares priced at $9.25 but were in such demand that they opened at $13.10 and closed their first day of trading at $13.24. We were part of that .com euphoria. We didn’t know it. We were too wrapped up in counting our rising daily net worth. At one point, my stock options were worth millions. By March of 2000, the stock hit a high of $78. We were all on top of the world. We were extrapolating to when our stock might be worth $300 to $400 a share. We were absolutely delusional. It was a very powerful and humbling lesson in greed and the dangers of the echo chamber of groupthink. Everyone in the tech industry was rationalizing the valuations. The idea that people would skip the pet food aisle at the grocery store and order their pet food from a separate specialty retailer online was clearly nuts. But those companies still managed to attract stock valuations in the billions. When the bubble burst, most of that paper wealth, that monopoly money wealth evaporated. I know of some people who exercised their options, triggering a tax obligation, and then didn’t sell the stock. So they were left with stock that was worth far less that when they exercised. The remaining value wasn’t even enough to pay the tax obligation. Some people had to mortgage their house to pay the tax bill on money they never got to put in their bank account. That’s how confident people were in the valuation of these companies. I think about an interview with Scott McNealy, former CEO of Sun Microsystems. He said “What were you thinking?”. He was asking this of investors paying a “ridiculous” ten times revenues for his stock at the height of the .com mania. If you bought Sun Microsystems stock in 1994, you would have seen a 100x increase in value by the time it hit the peak price of $253. So here we are. Tesla stock is trading at 1600 times trailing 12 month earnings. It has an enterprise value of 802 billion dollars. The stock is trading at 28 times revenue. Sun Microsystems was a relative bargain at only 10 x revenue. When the world finally woke up and said this is nuts. The stock came back to earth. By 2008, the stock had lost 98% of its value compared with 2000. $1.3T worth of paper value was wiped out in the .com bubble burst. The resulting economic recession was partly caused by the difficulty that many companies faced in raising capital needed to expand their businesses. It forced contraction in thousands of businesses which resulting in economic contraction. So here we are. We are in a major bubble. That is as plain as day.

Elections Series. Episode #3 of 4. 1968 was an extremely turbulent and painful year in the United States of America. The Vietnam War was in full swing, as well as the protest movement against it. Gallup Poll results in February of 1968 showed that fully half of the American populace disapproved of President Lyndon B. Johnson’s (LBJ) handling of the war in Vietnam. By March of 1968, LBJ notified his party and the nation that he would not run for a second full term in office. In April of 1968, beloved civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated. In June of the same year, popular NY Senator and former Attorney General Robert Kennedy (RFK) was assassinated. Then, the August Democratic National Convention in Chicago erupted in protests and police violence, the likes of which many in the U.S. had never seen. Needless to say, 1968 was a traumatizing year for the U.S and I’ve just mentioned the high points! Today as an addition to our series about important elections, we’ll be discussing the American presidential election of 1968 within the context of the larger political and social upheaval happening in the U.S. during that time. Find show notes and transcript at www.digpodcast.org Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

By March 1989, Florence Broadhurst’s case had been cold for over a decade. But a string of murders in suburban Sydney, Australia brought renewed attention to the legendary designer’s mysterious death. 

Welcome to 2021 and a New Season of the ReMIND U Podcast! At the beginning of each year, many of us set goals and and resolutions for the New Year. Whether it's losing weight, or saving money, we often try to meet goals that can sometimes cause us more stress. By March, we have thrown these goals out the window or become frustrated with the process. Does this sound familiar? In this episode, Dr. Kristie offers the idea of living life according to your values as opposed to the traditional "New Year, New You" goals. Our values are the compass that guides our lives and helps us find more moments of joy, compassion, and meaning. In light of the pandemic and the sociocultural struggles we are all facing, let's allow our values to guide us in this New Year!

Senseless Things & 3 Colours Red with Ben Harding in conversation with David Eastaugh The definitive Senseless Things line-up formed in summer 1987 when Nicholls returned to take over bass, with the new recruit, former BBC clerk Ben Harding acquiring the vacant guitarist's role. The band regularly appeared at The Clarendon in Hammersmith, London playing both downstairs in the Broadway bar and upstairs in the main auditorium. Taking their musical cue from the Ramones and the Dickies, and their spiritual lead from fellow guitar outfit Mega City Four, the quartet embarked upon a hectic touring schedule, often playing on the same bill as Mega City Four, Snuff and Perfect Daze. The band's first releases were singles given away with issues of Yo Jo Jo[8] and Sniffin' Rock fanzines.[7] By March 1988 the band had attracted the attention of the BBC Radio 1 DJ John Peel, who invited them to record the first of three sessions for his programme. The "Up And Coming" 12" followed, then "Girlfriend" the following year, both on Way Cool Records. Their first album, Postcard CV, was released in 1989, capturing the energy of their concerts by packing ten tracks into twenty two minutes. Record Collector called it "sprightly pop-punk/ indie with touches of Buzzcocks and the Undertones". The album was rounded off by "Too Much Kissing", which was released as a single and was to become their signature track.

The nation was hit by multiple crises from as early as New Year's day, when bushfires were ravaging regional Australia. By March the first wave had arrived and unprecedented action was taken - a national cabinet of federal, state and territory leaders formed. Outbreaks emerged in aged care facilities, putting the most vulnerable at risk. City of Melbourne moved to stage 4 measures as new daily cases soared into the hundreds. Treasurer Josh Frydenberg unveiled the budget deficit in October, promising a strong recovery.

In this episode of Intermittent Fasting Stories, Gin talks to Rebecca from Boston, MA.This episode is brought to you by Green Chef! Green Chef is the #1 meal kit for eating well, and the first USDA-certified organic meal kit company. Go to GreenChef.com/ifstories90 and use code ifstories90 to get $90 off including free shipping!Rebecca was athletic and swam competitively for many years, and was always “body conscious.” When her high school boyfriend told her she needed to lose weight, Rebecca says, "From then on, I became extremely weight-obsessed. It hurt deeply." After college in 2015, she went through another emotional breakup that sent her into deep depression. This traumatic event was the trigger for obsessive thoughts about food, and Rebecca was diagnosed with Binge Eating Disorder. She felt like a failure. Desperate to succeed with weight loss, Rebecca began to count calories and track macros, still struggling with binge eating. In 2017, Rebecca broke her foot, and then lost her mom, using food as comfort. As a result, she rapidly gained 20 pounds. By March of 2019, Rebecca's doctor prescribed antidepressants, which helped her to gain another 40 pounds by November of that same year. At this point, Rebecca weighed 212 pounds and felt awful. One day while online, she stumbled across some Dr. Jason Fung YouTube videos on calories and body fat storage. She then came across the Intermittent Fasting Podcast. Rebecca began IF with 16:8, but found it was not enough for her. After learning about other IF protocols on the Intermittent Fasting Podcast, she switched to a OMAD approach. She loves that IF is a flexible lifestyle.Rebecca has experienced many health benefits, such as her skin tags fell off. And most importantly, she hasn't binged in a year! She no longer thinks about food constantly. Rebecca feels mentally better, and is much more productive during the day. She has lost 64 pounds, going from 212 to 148 pounds. Advice to new IFers: "What works for one, might not work for you! Be kind to your body, stick to it, and the results will come." Get Gin’s books, including her latest New York Times Bestseller, Fast. Feast. Repeat., available wherever you buy books! http://www.ginstephens.com/get-the-books.htmlShare your intermittent fasting stories with Gin: gin@intermittentfastingstories.comFollow Gin on Twitter @gin_stephensFollow Gin on Instagram @GinStephens

Bitcoin is dominating the financial news these days with a dramatic climb in value. Heading into the final week of November, its value has reached $18,500 in early trading. This rapid increase in price has increased the demand for Bitcoin in a number of different ways. The Winning Poker Network was paying out more than $100 million monthly in Bitcoin. More recently, that figure has increased to $160 million. This represents close to 95 percent of this popular poker site’s monthly payouts in winnings. The trend should continue as long as this bull run continues.Next up, Clark County Judge Rules Nevada Gaming Regulators in Wynn CaseMultiple allegations of sexual misconduct by Steve Wynn came to light in January of 2018. By March of that year, he resigned his position as CEO of Wynn Resorts. He also sold all of his stock shares in the Las Vegas casino company. In 2019, the Nevada Gaming Board (NGCB) filed a lawsuit against Steve Wynn. The Board was seeking to permanently ban Wynn from any involvement in the Nevada casino industry. More recently, Clark County District Judge Adriana Escobar ruled against the NGCB in this matter. She stated that the board does have the ability to declare Wynn unsuitable to hold a Nevada Gaming license.In the next story, The Mirage and Mandalay Bay Plan Mid-Week ClosuresDue to rising cases of COVID-19 coupled with low mid-week demand, many Las Vegas hotels are reducing hours. While they will all remain open on the weekends, many will close Tuesdays and Wednesdays. MGM Resorts just announced that the Mirage and Mandalay Bay will close their hotels from Tuesday until noon on Thursday. This starts Nov. 30. Other properties on the Strip with mid-week closures include Park MGM, LINQ, Planet Hollywood and Encore. This will only impact its hotels. Casinos and other resort amenities will maintain regular business hours. Some plan to resume normal hotel operations after the first of the year.In the last story, FOX Sports Wisconsin Part of Network Sports Gambling PartnershipFOX Sports Wisconsin has the broadcast rights to the MLB’s Milwaukee Brewers and the NBA’s Milwaukee Bucks. It is part of a regional network of 21 stations dedicated to sports-related content. A few years back, this network was purchased by Sinclair Broadcasting based in Maryland. That company has recently formed a sponsorship deal with Bally’s Corp to rename this network. The logical choice would be Bally’s Sports. This is a 10-year deal worth $85 million. This could also result in the ability of live sports betting through this network where legal. Bally’s plans to develop a mobile betting app with the necessary interactive capabilities.

Following US Election Day results, it's important to remember the alligators and kittens, a concept to approach overall mental wellbeing. The negative influences in life are alligators and all of the things that make life better are kittens. Focus on getting rid of the alligators. It's a human bias to focus on the negative. How do you focus time and attention on the things that make life better? For Brad, he cut watching the news out of his life which has helped him to achieve a better mental framework for life. The business model of the new is to keep you watching through the next commercial break. They cause anxiety. You can stay informed without being a part of that model. Control what you can control and you will be in a better financial position four years from now regardless of the election outcome. There is so much outside of our control right now and worrying about it isn't productive. Despite the number of people who are confident they know what will happen to the stock market as a result of the election, the fact is that we just don't know. Market uncertainty is one of the reasons to have a plan for your money regardless of what is going on and automate it. Not only is it difficult to try and time the market, but you need to get it right twice, both when you buy and when you sell. The FI community is about long-term thinking. It's not about quarterly earnings or even five-year trends, but performance over multiple decades and the decisions that will help get you to the wealthiest point over that time period. With that long-term thinking in mind and in a time of calm, it's a great time to write down your investor policy statement. Having a plan for your investments, written down in an investor policy statement helps you to avoid being reactionary or make rash decisions. In February, the Dow hit a high of 29,500. By March 20th, it had dropped 20-30% and many predicted it would go even lower. Defying the dire predictions, the Dow recovered 30-40% of its gains within a few months. The problem with making market predictions is that there are far too many variables for you to account for and again, you have to get it right twice. Even the professions are wrong 50% of the time. What chance do you have of making your investment decisions around emotion enough to stay solvent or long-term or outperform the market over the long-term? Essentially no chance. The highest likelihood of long-term financial success is to control the expenses on your investments. Low-cost index funds are going to be your best bet. Following your investor policy statement and injecting new money when you can benefits you with dollar-cost averaging. Time in the market is much more powerful than timing the market. ChooseFI listeners are creating space and making progress in their lives. Patty commuted to paying off debt within five years and just made her last payment, including more than $40,000 in credit card debt. Joe replied to Brad's email, The FI Weekly, Joe shared that he and his wife transferred his 403(b) from a high-fee broker to Vanguard and also started on their journey to earning travel rewards by opening a Chase Sapphire Preferred card. November 8th is the LAST CALL to apply for the Chase Sapphire Preferred card with its highest-ever bonus of 80,000 Ultimate Rewards points after spending $4,000 in the first three months. For more info, go to ChooseFI.com/CSP. Teachers are primarily the ones using 403(b)s, most of which are laden with really high fees and very few options. ChooseFI plans to have an episode in the coming months with Dan Otter discussing doing better with your 403(b). Crystal sent in a message saying that she had no idea about fees and was investing with Edward Jones. Her investments hadn't done much over the last five years and now she's educating herself, but the fees appear to be hidden. Since the market has done so well over that last five years, the reasons why Crystal hasn't made money are because she wasn't invested in a strategy that allowed her to keep up with the market or she was getting crushed by the fees. Brad says finding the expenses for his old company's 401k options was relatively easy. Included in the table of investment options, one of the columns listed expenses. Other titles may be expense ratio or expense percentage. The numbers may range from 1.50 to 0.03. Without a nicely organized table, you may need to look up the expense ratio by looking up the ticker symbol. A low-cost index fund investment strategy is simple and not complex enough to require help from a professional. In contrast, a complex investment plan is probably costing you a lot of money. With an actively-managed fund, a person, or team of people, are making decisions on what to buy and when to sell. Through the fees, you end up paying them for their time. And then the data shows that they aren't even keeping up with the market. The difference between expense ratios of 0.1% and 1.0% is tens of thousands to millions of dollars over time after compounding. Brad ran through a scenario originally published to RichmondSavers.com reviewing the impact fees have on an investment portfolio over a 40-year timeframe. The result was that a high expense ratio and advisor fees cut the potential net worth in half. Even target-date funds may not get the returns you expect because they are too conservative for you. It's good to think about what you are invested in and how much it is costing you. ChooseFI's new website is now live! Check it out at ChooseFI.com or ChooseFI.com/start. There are still some issues to be fixed, but if you are having trouble finding anything let us know and send us your feedback to feedback@choosefi.com. The feedback on The Simple Startup classes has been overwhelmingly positive. Kids aged 10-18 have been getting off the video games and acquiring new skillsets to future-proof their lives. Rob Phelan has figured out how to offer the course year-round and the next session starting January 18th is open for enrollment. Registration will be open until January 8th or until it sells out. Previous sessions have always sold out. Register at ChooseFI/startup for The Simple Startup between now and November 15th and save $10. Use promo code “podcast” and save another 15%. Share what you are doing and how your life has changed by replying to Brad's email newsletter, The FI Weekly, and have the chance to win one of the books from ChooseFI Publishing. Sign up at ChooseFI.com/start. Christian Choosefi'd his view of the pandemic. He's focused on the positive things, like spending more time with his family, time to exercise, eating healthier, and saving $4,500 this year. Resources Mentioned In Today's Conversation The Simple Path to Wealth by JL Collins ChooseFI Episode 019 JL Collins The Stock Series Part 1 ChooseFI Episode 220 HelpFix My 403(b) Vanguard Funds and the Impact on Your Investment article published on Richmondsavers.com Start building a better portfolio today at Fundrise and get your first 90 days of advisory fees waived Cut your unlimited wireless plan with Mint Mobile Register for The Simple Startup Winter Challenge and get 15% using code podcast Get started on your path to financial independence at ChooseFI.com/start If You Want To Support ChooseFI: Earn $1,000 in cashback with ChooseFI's 3-card credit card strategy.  Share FI by sending a friend ChooseFI: Your Blueprint to Financial Independence.

By March 2021: Google will only index mobile content Hello, and thanks for listening to SEO tips today. John Mueller from Google reminded SEOs during PubCon this year that by March 2021, it will only be indexing mobile-friendly content. If you have anything on Desktop that is not on mobile (content, comments, reviews, etc…) it [...]

With the loss of control over the western half of the Mongol Empire, Kublai Khan was left to direct his considerable energies against the single strongest holdout to Mongol rule; the Southern Song Dynasty, dominating China south of the Huai River since the early 1100s. An immense economic and military power, the conquest of this dynasty would be no small feat- trying to do so claimed the life of no less that Kublai’s predecessor the Grand Khan Mongke in 1259, as covered in episode 31. The completion of the conquest of China was to be Kublai’s greatest accomplishment; but first Kublai needed to overcome the mighty walls of Xiangyang, the key to Song China. I’m your host David, and this is Kings and Generals: Ages of Conquest.       As discussed in episode 31 and 32, at the end of 1259 Kublai was forced to withdraw from his campaign against the Song, returning to his residence in Inner Mongolia where he declared himself Khan in the first months of 1260. The led to war between Kublai and his brother Ariq Boke for the throne, culminating with Ariq’s surrender in 1264 and Kublai securing his title as Khan of Khans. However, the upheaval of this conflict broke Mongol imperial unity, and by the mid 1260s the Mongol Empire was irrevocably broken into independent Khanates. Kublai had little authority over these western Khanates, his effective power only with difficulty reaching to the Altai Mountains and the Tarim Basin.        Unlike the previous Khans whose power centres were in Mongolia proper, Kublai’s very legitimacy was tethered to his Chinese territory. Aside from his own personal interests in Chinese culture, it had been the resources of northern China which had allowed him to overcome his brother Ariq. Abandoning Karakorum in Mongolia, which was exposed and difficult to support, Kublai moved his capitals south: first at Shangdu, in what is now Inner Mongolia on the very border of the steppe and China; and then at the site of the former Jin Dynasty capital of Zhongdu, where modern Beijing sits. This was Dadu, the “great city” in Chinese, or as it was known to Turks, Mongols and Marco Polo, Khanbaliq, the Khan’s city. The indications were clear from the outset; Kublai was not just a Mongol Emperor, but Emperor of China- though the specifics of this political aspect we will explore in a future episode.        As a part of this, Kublai needed to bring the Song Dynasty under his rule. Kublai, much like his brothers, was a firm believer in the eventuality of Mongol world domination.  It was not a debate of if, but when. Kublai may have cultivated an image as a more humane conqueror than the likes of Chinggis or Mongke, but he was a conqueror nonetheless. The Song Dynasty had to accept Mongol overlordship or be destroyed. For a man also trying to overcome his ‘barbarian’ origins to show himself as rightful ruler of China, having a rival dynasty claiming to be the heirs of the illustrious Han and Tang Dynasties was a major hurdle to his legitimacy in the eyes of many Chinese. The flight of refugees from north China to the Song Dynasty was considerable throughout the thirteenth century, and any revolt within Kublai’s domains could see Song aid, financial, moral or military.       The subjugation of the Song to solidify his rule as both a Mongol Khan and a Chinese Emperor was, in Kublai’s mind, absolutely necessary. The problem was actually doing that. Warfare with the Song broke out in 1234, months after the final defeat of the Jin Dynasty. Thirty years later, in 1264, the frontier had hardly shifted. The Mongols controlled the territory across the Song’s northern and western frontiers, including Tibet and the Dali Kingdom in Yunnan. Even the northern Vietnamese Kingdom of Dai Viet, known to the Chinese as Annam, now paid tribute to the Khan. Advances against Song were difficult; western Sichuan was under a tenuous Mongol hold, unmoved since Mongke’s death in that province. The Mongols had found they could often easily penetrate the Song border, but holding territory was another matter. Unlike northern China, marked by the relatively open North China Plain, the south was a myriad of thick forest, mountains, rivers and canals, the available space covered in rice paddies and other agriculture. This was not the open terrain so suited to Mongol cavalry warfare. The humidity and heat grew ever more oppressive the farther south one travelled, spreading diseases the Mongols and their horses struggled against. It was also home to the largest cities in the world. The Song capital of Linan, modern Hangzhou, held well over one million people- about the population of Mongolia when Chinggis Khan unified the tribes in 1206. The Song fielded a regular army of at least 700,000, supported by a large navy. The many huge cities built along the Yangzi River could be resupplied by naval support, an area in which the Mongols had little experience. The thoroughly planned campaign of Mongke in 1258-9 had wrought much devastation but little gain, and on the Mongol withdrawal at the end of 1259 the Song reoccupied most of the lost territory.       A military conquest of the Song was an immense task, and something Kublai wanted to avoid. Soon after declaring himself Khan in 1260, he sent an emissary with terms. The Song Emperor, Lizong of Song since 1224, could continue to reign as a client of the Khan. They had merely to recognize Kublai as the Son of Heaven and they could continue to rule, with of course yearly tribute and prayers in the name of the Khan. It was, from Kublai’s point of view, a chance for them to enjoy great prosperity and avoid the many hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of lives that would be lost by further fighting.  Since it didn’t involve extensive retribution as punishment for thirty years of fighting, Kublai must have thought it a very generous offer.       Kublai’s envoy, one of his top Chinese advisors named Hao Ching, was promptly imprisoned. He would not be released for 15 years. Hao Ching had run afoul of the man now in charge of the southern Song, the infamous Jia Sidao. To some, Sidao was the last intelligent man in Hangzhou, deftly guiding the dynasty against an indomitable enemy, outmaneuvering his foes and a political mastermind let down by a corrupt and rotten dynasty. To others, Sidao is the archetypal “bad minister,” overconfident and inept, downplaying the Mongol threat and hiding the truth from the emperors until it was too late. For some, he is best known as the ‘Cricket Minister,’ who liked to train the insects to fight each other. Sidao’s role in the fall of the Song is complicated, though his 15 year mastery of the Song court saw the loss of the final chance to avoid disaster.       Unlike the majority of the court officials, Jia Sidao was no graduate of the Examinations from which most bureaucrats from the Tang to the Qing were chosen. Born in 1213 to a military family in Zhejiang province, Sidao’s father Jia She was a respected Song military commander in Shandong, and Sidao followed in a variety of military and civil positions in strategic areas along the Yangzi River. Sidao’s good fortune was helped by his talent and the fact his sister was a favourite consort of Emperor Lizong. Lizong and Sidao did not meet until 1254 when Sidao was Associate Administrator of the Bureau of Military Affairs, and immediately struck up a friendship. Promotions quickly followed. The relationship seems to have been genuine; contrary to the Netflix series where Sidao’s rise is due to his sister’s influence, Sidao’s sister had died in 1247, leaving Sidao to ascend on his own charisma and competence.        In Sichuan when Mongke attacked in 1258, Sidao returned east after the Khan’s death. His timing was good; the removal of the Chancellor of the Right, Ding Daquan, left an opening at the top of the Song court, which Lizong replaced with his buddy Jia Sidao at the end of 1259. One of Sidao’s first acts was to play up Kublai’s withdrawal, acting as if Sidao had won a great victory. It was Sidao who imprisoned Kublai’s envoy, Hao Ching in 1260. Acting as sole Chancellor from 1260 onwards, Sidao wished to fervently resist the Mongols, something in which the court was in agreeance. How to do it was another matter. For Sidao, an important step was fiscal reform to strengthen the dynasty. The economic cost of the war was immense. A massive standing army, destruction of valuable regions across the frontier, alongside rampant corruption and hyperinflation of their paper currency put the Song court in a precarious economic position. Sidao ordered land surveys in 1262 to find those avoiding taxation. In 1263, he ramped this up with his Public Fields Measures, wherein officials with tax exempt status had  their excess lands confiscated. The government was supposed to purchase the land from the owners, but they were largely paid in the increasingly worthless paper money, or the land was outright seized.  Sidao hoped to use this land to grow the foodstuffs necessary for the Song army, but his effort had the side effect of creating a large body of Song officials and elite highly antagonistic to Sidao.        Sidao also set up letter boxes to anonymously report corruption and official offensives. It was a fine sentiment, though it turned out many of these corrupt officials also happened to be the ones Sidao didn’t like. Removing and at times executing those who stood in his way, Sidao appointed his own men to their positions. The polarization of the court was intense, though Sidao could overcome this as he had the strong support of the Emperors. Lizong died suddenly in November 1264, succeeded by his 24 year old nephew Zhao Qi, known by his temple name Duzong of Song. Duzong, if anything, had an even closer relationship with Jia Sidao, who had been his tutor. Duzong was much more interested in extravagant feasts and women than affairs of state -hardly the image of austerity expected when facing the threat of the Mongols, when other lordly men were required to give up lands and sons for the cause. The new Emperor was immensely loyal to Sidao, and in some depictions subservient to him. In 1269 when Sidao played with resigning from the court, Emperor Duzong came on his knees begging and crying for Sidao to return, which Sidao did with the dismissal of more of his court foes.       While this was going on, Sidao was putting substantial investment in defense, especially around the region of Xiangyang, which we will get to shortly, and in improving the walls of the capital. Diplomatic efforts were at their lowest with the Mongols since the outbreak of war in the 1230s, and even though Kublai Khan routinely released captured Song merchants and prisoners in an effort to build goodwill, Jia Sidao did not budge. And since Sidao controlled the court and policy of the Song, the Song court did not budge either.       Aside from retaking some cities and border skirmishing, Jia Sidao did not take any larger offensives against Kublai during his occupation with Ariq in Mongolia. Sidao likely recognized that, with their well-built walls and defensive weapons supported by rivers and ships, the Song’s defense could stick up to the Mongols. Yet on the offense, especially in the more open territory of the north, the Song armies would suffer the same results they had on every other northern expedition in the Dynasty’s 300 year history; a dismal defeat against the cavalry based armies.  Perhaps the most notable effort at undermining Kublai’s rule in north China was by encouraging a Chinese warlord in Shandong allied to the Mongols, Li Tan, to revolt. Despite both he and his father, the Red Coat warlord Li Quan, having fought the Song for decades, Li Tan was not feeling like he was favoured under Kublai. Encouraged by Song promises and Kublai’s conflict with Ariq, in February 1262 Li Tan declared for the Song and threw off Mongol rule.        It took about a month for Mongol forces to arrive and defeat Li Tan’s rebels in the field. Li Tan was caught in August 1262 and executed. The Song had provided no direct aid for Li Tan, whose small forces were quickly overcome by Mongolian and Chinese under Shih Tienzi, a Northern Chinese whose family had loyally served the Mongols since the late 1210s. Jia Sidao may have wanted to see if the Chinese of the north would rise up against the Mongols, but the Mongol response was quick enough to violently put a stop to any talk of rebellion. The most significant outcome of the rebellion was upon Kublai himself. Not only had Li Tan, a Chinese warlord considered a loyal subject of the Khan rebelled, but Li Tan’s father-in-law Wang Wentung was found to have been complicit. Wang Wentung was the Chief Administrator of Kublai’s Central Secretariat, and one of the most influential figures in Kublai’s administration. Executed only weeks after Li Tan’s initial revolt, it was a blow to Kublai’s trust of the Chinese in his government. In the aftermath, Kublai decreased the power of many of the Chinese in the upper echelons of the bureaucracy, replacing them with Central Asians, Muslims, Turks and Tibetans. Many of the Chinese warlord families who had served the Mongols since Chinggis Khan saw their holdings reduced or forfeited. The family of Shih Tienzi, a man noted for his loyalty to the Mongols over many decades of service, ceased to be feudal lords, though this was partly on Tienzi’s urging in order to not lose the trust of the Khan.  Such was the effect of Sidao’s effort to undermine Mongol rule in North China.       Kublai’s first years as Khan were focused on consolidating and establishing his governing apparatus of northern China, and for the first half of the 1260s conflict with the Song was relegated to border skirmishes. Aside from diplomatic efforts to encourage a surrender of the Song Dynasty, Kublai also offered great rewards and lands for defectors in an effort to encourage desertions. Here, Kublai had some successes, perhaps the most notable early on being Liu Zheng, who became one of Kublai’s staunchest supporters and the ardent proponent of a navy. Liu Zheng and other like minded men convinced Kublai that the key was not multi-front attacks, but seizing control of the Yangzi River, the backbone of the Song realm where the Dynasty’s most prominent cities sat. To do this, the Mongols needed to build a navy and take the stronghold of Xiangyang.       If you look at a topographic map of China, three river systems should stand out to you, running in three lines from west to east. The northernmost and the longest is the Yellow River, which curls from the foothills of Tibet down into the Ordos desert, where it forms its great loop before cutting across the north China plain to spill out into the sea by the Shandong peninsula. This was the barrier which the Jin Dynasty moved their capital behind in an effort to protect themselves from Chinggis Khan. South of the Yellow River is the Huai, the shortest of the three rivers here, which marked the border between Jin and Song for a century, and now served as the Mongol-Song border line. By Kublai’s time, the Mongols had failed to hold it, the area south of the Huai a mess of canals and smaller rivers serving agriculture, terrain unsuited to cavalry maneuvers. Our third river on the map is the Yangzi, a wide and fast flowing river which was the natural defense against any northern invader. The most populated cities in the world were clustered along it, including the Song capital of Hangzhou, a short trip south from the River’s eastern end on the ocean. The Yangzi could only be crossed with difficulty, and the Song used it as a highway to reinforce and resupply cities, ferry troops and generally prevent a Mongol conquest. Lacking any beachheads on the Yangzi, the Mongols had nowhere to build up a navy and begin to challenge Song authority there.       That is, except for the Han River. Nestled between the mountains of Sichuan in the west and end of the Huai river to its east, runs the Han River, cutting north to south to intersect with the Yangzi at what is now Wuhan. The Han was the strategically vital access point, one where the Mongols had the potential to build up a river fleet in security before assaulting the Yangzi. Kublai knew this, and so did Jia Sidao, who for this reason spent huge amounts improving the defences of the twin cities of Xiangyang and Fancheng, which today are the super-city of Xiangfang. Sitting on opposite sides of the Han River, the two cities stood at the edge of the Song Dynasty and the Mongol Empire. Xiangyang and Fancheng were both huge, well fortified with wide moats, well provisioned and guarded by large garrisons and a variety of counter siege weapons. With both cities right on the river, they could continually be resupplied and deny the Mongol advance. Liu Zheng and the other Chinese defectors argued that Kublai should forget the favourite Mongol ploy of vast pincer movements. The Song had resources and moral enough to withstand these. Instead, the defectors argued, Kublai needed to throw his total might against Xiangyang and Fancheng.        Preparations began in the second half of the 1260s with the creation of a river fleet. In 1265, the Mongols won a battle at Tiaoyu Shan in Sichuan against the Song, capturing 146 boats. Koreans, Jurchen and Northern Chinese were put to work building more ships; in early 1268, officials in Shaanxi and Sichuan were ordered to construct another 500 vessels. By the last months of 1268, a large force of Mongols, Turks and northern Chinese converged upon Xiangyang and Fancheng. The Song defector Liu Zheng was placed in charge of the Mongol fleet, blocking off the Han River south of the cities to cut them off from the Yangzi. Aju, Subedei’s grandson, was entrusted with the siege of Fancheng; Shih Tienzi, the Chinese warlord long in service to the Khans, held overall command outside the walls of Xiangyang. A frontal assault was dismissed; the wide moats and thick walls were all but impervious to the catapults the Mongols brought with them. Attempting to storm the cities would result in heavy losses. No, they would need to be starved out. To do so, the Mongols erected walls and defensive works around the cities to cut off land access, while Liu Zheng and his fleet prevented Song reinforcements from the river.        In December of 1268 the garrison made an attempt to break out before the cordon could be tightened, but this was repulsed. The Song commander in Xiangyang, Lu Wenhuan, was a steady hand and kept moral up. They probed the Mongol besiegers continuously, trying to find the weak point in the lines. By March 1269, Shih Tienzi requested another 20,000 reinforcements from Kublai for this reason. The large cities and river access made closing them off a great challenge.       While Jia Sidao has often been accused of hiding the details of the siege of Xiangyang from the Song court, this is a baseless accusation. Duzong of Song may have taken little interest in military matters, but it was beyond the skill of Jia Sidao to hide the massive efforts going on outside Xiangyang; everyone along the Yangzi River would have known of it. The court was very much aware of the siege; the annals of the Song Dynasty, the Song shih, describe the court heaping rewards onto the defenders of Xiangyang in order to encourage their resistance. The court was still united in the opinion of resisting Kublai, even if the how was not agreed upon. Sidao sent multiple armies to relieve the defenders, some of them led by his own brother-in-law, Fan Wenhu. In August 1269, the first of these relieving forces sailed up the Han River to Xiangyang, but was defeated by the Mongol fleet and their boats captured.        In March of 1270 another attempt by the garrison of Xiangyang to break out was defeated and another Song relief fleet was repulsed. Though by then the city was largely closed off by the ever expanding Mongol fortifications, the Mongol commanders needed more men: 70,000 men and 5,000 more ships were requested, giving an image to the scale of the task to really surround these cities. Xiangyang was a whirlpool pulling in men from across the Mongol and Song empires, neither side willing to budge. Several times in later 1270 and 1271 Sidao’s brother-in-law Fan Wenhu led fleets up the Han River to assist Xiangyang, and each time the new Mongol navy proved victorious. The skilled Mongol fleet commanders, most notably the Chinese Liu Zheng and Zhang Hongfan, were adept at this river warfare, luring the Song into ambushes and developing a lengthy system along the Han to detect approaching fleets and communicate response. Jia Sidao ordered attacks on Sichuan, along the border and even a naval attack on the Shandong peninsula. His hopes these would divert Mongol resources were dashed, as most of these were inconclusive, won only minor victories or were outright disasters, as with the Shandong attack. All Sidao achieved was the wasting of Song resources while the noose tightened on Xiangyang.       Though the Mongol navy had a good chokehold on Xiangyang and Fancheng, the cities stood defiant. Well stocked and moral still high, any sort of frontal assault would still result in high losses and possibly allow the Song to break the siege. In 1272 one relief force actually pushed through to reach the city, albeit with heavy losses of most of their men and resources.  Kublai needed something to bring the siege to an end, and reached out west to see about acquiring some news tools.       In 1271, Kublai’s nephew Abaqa sat on the throne of the Ilkhanate. Abaqa was Hulegu’s son, and unlike his cousins in the Golden Horde, still recognized Kublai as the nominal head of the empire. When Kublai’s envoys arrived in 1271 asking for something to assist in the siege, Abaqa had just the ticket. Abaqa sent two Muslim siege engineers, Ismail and Ala al-Din, experienced in the newest advancement in projectile weaponry; the counterweight trebuchet. Developed in Europe in the early thirteenth century, it spread to the crusader kingdoms by the end of the 1250s, where Hulegu may have utilized them in his campaign in Syria in 1260. They were pretty nifty; instead of manpower, as required by the Chinese catapults the Mongols used, the trebuchet used its counterweight and gravity to hurl projectiles with greater accuracy, power and distance.        By the last weeks of 1272, Ismail and Ala al-Din arrived outside the walls of Fancheng and began to build the machines. In December, the first shots were launched into the walls of Fancheng. Within days, they were breached, the Mongols in the city and Fancheng was overrun. A massacre was conducted on those found within, ensured to be visible from the walls of Xiangyang. Still, Xiangyang held out.  Carefully, the trebuchets were disassembled and transported across the river. In the first weeks of 1273, the weapons were carefully set up at  the southeastern corner of Xiangyang. The trebuchets were carefully calibrated and launched a projectile supposedly nearly 100 kilos in weight. The first shot hit a tower along the city walls, a crack like thunder heard across Xiangyang. Panic set in, Xiangyang’s formerly untouchable walls now under real threat.       One of the Mongol commanders, a Uighur named Ariq Qaya, rode to the walls and called for the city’s commander, Lu Wenhuan. He commended Wenhuan on his skilled resistance, but now it was time to submit; do so now, and he would be rewarded by Kublai. Resistance would meet the same end as Fancheng. Lu Wenhuan recognized there would be no relief force from the Song for him now. On the 17th of March, 1273, Lu Wenhuan surrendered Xiangyang to the Mongols. After a 5 year siege, the battle was decisely won in the favour of the Mongols, and the Han River could now become a veritable shipyard for the Mongol advance on the Song.       The fall of Xiangyang sent shockwaves across the Song Empire; Jia Sidao’s authority was greatly undermined, though Duzong of Song’s confidence in him was not shaken. He had  now to prepare for a full river and land invasion of the Song heartland. For Lu Wenhuan, the Mongols kept their promise; siding with the Khan, he would now lead the Mongol spear thrust against the Song. Xiangyang was perhaps the decisive victory in the Mongol-Song war, its fall ensuring the Mongols had a route to truly conquer the dynasty. So great was the story that Marco Polo retold it time and time again on his return to Europe; either through his own ‘enhancing’ of the story, or that of his ghost-writer Rustichello, the account was shifted to remove the Muslims’ role from the siege. Instead, Polo, his father and his uncle became the ones who shared the knowledge of the trebuchet with Kublai. Considering that the siege ended in early 1273, and Polo did not arrive in China until 1274 or 5, we can rather safely dismiss that. However, Polo, the Chinese language Yuan Shi compiled around 1370, and Rashid al-Din, writing in Iran in the early 1300s, all include the story of Kublai gaining his siege equipment from westerners.  Polo just happened to be the only one indicating it wasn’t a Muslim.     Kublai Khan was now poised to end the forty year long war with the Song Dynasty, completing the conquest of China begun by Chinggis Khan some sixty years prior. Our next episode will look at the fall of the Song Dynasty, so be sure to subscribe to our podcast. If you’d like to help us continue bringing you great content, please support us on patreon at www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals. I’m your host David, and we’ll catch you on the next one. 

Rachel Dayoub describes herself as just an average lady and a single mom trying to do the best she can.But in February this year (2020), she headed to the supermarket in her home town of Pittsburg, like any other day, but this time things were different - 2 men had decided to target and stalk her.She was suddenly scared for her life and more scared that her kids may not have a mother if she didn’t somehow make her way out of this terrifying situation.After a few days of being scared, even in the safety of her own home, she knew she had to look for the silver lining and find a way to reduce the chance of this type of thing happening to others.By March, Rachel had founded Whispering Force - self defence classes for women and girls.Despite being challenged by the lack of spare time to run this program, Rachel says there is no choice - the community has to be safe.“I never want any woman or child to feel fear in their own community and that they cannot take care of themselves.”Mentions:FB - https://www.facebook.com/whisperingforce

Amazingly, America has become a nation of socialists, asking in dismay: “Where’s the government?” These are not born-again Bernie Sanders activists, but everyday people of all political stripes (including previously apolitical multitudes) who’re now clamoring for big government intervention in their lives. Nothing like a spreading coronavirus pandemic to bring home the need that all of us have – both as individuals and as a society – for an adequately-funded, fully-functioning, competent government capable of serving all. Instead, in our moment of critical national need, Trump’s government was a rickety medicine show run by a small-minded flimflammer peddling laissez-fairyland snake oil. “We have it totally under control,” Trump pompously declared after the first US case was confirmed in January. For weeks, as the pandemic spread out of control, he did nothing – an increasingly anxious public found that they couldn’t even get reliable test kits from Trump’s hollowed-out government health agencies. Still, he shrugged off all concern and responsibility: “By April, you know, in theory,” he said, “when it gets a little warmer, it miraculously goes away.” Not exactly a can-do Rooseveltian response to a national crisis! By March the inconvenient fact of a rising death toll exposed this imposter of a president as incompetent, uncaring… and silly. That complete absence of White House leadership is why a deadly pathogen is now raging practically everywhere across our land, unknown millions of us are being infected, a “closed indefinitely” sign has literally been hung on the American economy, and even our people’s social and civic interactions – the essence of community life – have been halted. Right-wing politico Grover Norquist once said he wanted a government so small “I can drag it into the bathroom and drown it in the bathtub.” Trump has shown us what such a small-minded government looks like. And what it costs us.

This is Roald Tweet on Rock Island. In July of 1863, Union troops arrived on this island to build a prison. By December, some 5,600 Confederates—many captured during the Battle of Lookout Mountain—had arrived here to face one of the worst winters on record in Rock Island. By March, 679 prisoners had died.

Falls Fintech almost didn’t happen.  The 12-week accelerator program started on March 9th, 2020.  By March 13th, participants had to pack up and go. But the story doesn’t end there…   What kind of fintech entrepreneurs would let a little thing like a global pandemic stop them from innovating? In today’s Challenger Series episode, I’m excited to be joined by 3 amazing guests involved with the accelerator program: Nikkee Rhody, SVP, Co-Founder and Managing Director at Falls Fintech and Vice President - Product Development & Marketplace Strategies at Central Payments.  Fonta Gilliam, CEO and Co-Founder at Invest Sou Sou. Rishi Chand, Account Manager at Mastercard. We discuss: -How Falls Fintech started -How they overcame the pandemic -What the post-COVID-19 future holds for fintech To ensure that you never miss an episode of Payments Innovation, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or here and don’t forget to check out our YouTube!

#Babypowder #Johnson&Johnson ? #Carcinogenic A carcinogen is any substance, radionuclide, or radiation that promotes carcinogenesis, the formation of cancer. This may be due to the ability to damage the genome or to the disruption of cellular metabolic processes. In February 2016, Johnson&Johnson was ordered to pay $72 million in damages to the family of Jacqueline Fox, a 62-year-old woman who died of ovarian cancer in 2015: the company said it would appeal.[149] By March 2017, over 1,000 U.S. women had sued J&J for covering up the possible cancer risk from its Baby Powder product; the company says that 70 percent of its Baby Powder is used by adults.[150] In August 2017, a California jury ordered Johnson & Johnson to pay $417 million to a woman who claimed she developed ovarian cancer after using the company's talc-based products like Johnson's Baby Powder for feminine hygiene. The verdict included $70 million in compensatory damages and $347 million in punitive damages. J&J said they will appeal the verdict.[151] In October 2017, the Missouri Eastern District appeals court on Tuesday threw out a $72 million jury verdict. The appeals court ruled 3-0 that Jacqueline Fox's lawsuit lacked jurisdiction in Missouri because of a U.S. Supreme Court decision that imposed limits on where injury lawsuit can be filed which ". . . establishing a lawsuit's jurisdiction requires a stronger connection between the forum state and a plaintiff's claims." Subsequently, this ruling would kill three other recent St. Louis jury verdicts of more than $200 million combined. Fox, 62, of Birmingham, Alabama, died in 2015, about four months before her trial was held in St. Louis Circuit Court. She was among 65 plaintiffs, of whom only two were from Missouri.[152] In July 2018, a St. Louis jury awarded nearly US$4.7 billion in damages to 22 women and their families after they claimed asbestos in Johnson & Johnson talcum powder caused their ovarian cancer.[153] Conversely, in December 2019, a St. Louis jury ruled in favor of #Johnson&Johnson in the case of a single plaintiff who had used the company's talc-containing baby powder for thirty years with a similar claim.[154] In 2019, the company's CEO, Alex Gorsky, declined to appear at a United States congressional hearing on the safety of J&J's Baby Powder and other talc-based cosmetics. J&J spokesman Ernie Knewitz said that the subcommittee had rejected the company's offers to send a talc testing expert or a J&J executive in charge of consumer products.[155] In August 2018, J&J said that it removed several chemicals from baby powder products and re-engineered them to make consumers more confident that products were safer for children.[156] --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/vegansteven/message

It was 2014, and I had been hustling trying to build my branding agency for 3 years. From the outside, I looked like I was succeeding. I had a super cool office in Brooklyn, NY, two full-time employees, and the last project I was invited to pitch for was a 20,000 square foot restaurant in Times Square that wanted that cool Brooklyn vibe. I had all the glitz of a successful owner, but behind the scenes, things looked very different. I was networking every day, hoofing it around NYC to meet with whomever would have coffee with me, I was pitching project after project and either not hearing back or just losing them. And my overhead was high. By March 2014, we had maxed out all of our credit cards, were overdrawn on our bank accounts, and had no idea how we were going to make payroll in two weeks. I was desperately trying to figure out how to bring money in. Not only did we need money to live, but we needed to pay back this $40,000 we now owed. Tell the prospects with proposals that we would bargain with them? Network… MORE? Just cry in the corner with my fingers crossed that one of these proposals would close in the next week and pay a deposit? And if none those things worked, I assumed the only option left would be to give up, admit that I FAILED to all my friends and family, and get a regular job. I was working SO hard to get clients and busting my butt 24/7 to be at the beck and call the few clients we had, so why couldn’t my business at least support itself? I had the best intentions, I had done my homework, read every book, studied other success stories, pounded the pavement networking, took courses, and was willing to work round the clock on my business while giving my all to deliver for my clients… I was doing everything that every expert, guru, mentor, and colleague had recommended. I had even thrown money at my problems by hiring other service providers to solve them for me and not only did that not work either, but it also cost me more money I didn’t have. But despite all my knowledge, experience, and effort, none of it was showing up in my bank account. It felt unfair. I was depressed and felt more and more like a failure. And one night, while having dinner with my husband and business partner Steve, I was in a catatonic daze over the crushing burden of my failing business while he was just chatting along as if everything was fine, making me even more anxious! Just as my anxiety was turning to rage, the adrenaline must have heightened my senses and I snapped out of my failure coma to hear him say “...why don’t we just let the employees go?” For all my butt busting and desperate efforts, I am embarrassed to admit that I had not even considered that as one of my options and that was a wake-up call. Because I was trying to create an agency, a big business that looked like what I imagined success was, in my mind, letting our employees go would be failure and the end of my business. Because I was on a trajectory of building an agency, I refused to entertain any ideas that felt like backtracking and saw any of my efforts that didn’t achieve that goal as failures. I was so set on a specific idea of what a successful business looked like, that I was actually entertaining closing our business to get a normal job instead of entertaining the idea of running a different kind of business. Now Steve had my attention and he was saying more great stuff… he said we had built a LOT of value in our business, had a lot of experience, great work to show and happy, satisfied clients. We weren't at a dead end, we actually had tons of options of what we could do with what we had created and achieved. He forced me to entertain the idea that there were infinite options available to us, and just because they were different from what I had originally planned, didn’t mean they were inferior. My lightbulb not only went off – it popped. A huuuge weight had been lifted off of me and I was able to see my business with a ruthless, cutting clarity that was unencumbered by my previous fears of failing (because I already had!). Now I was free to do ANYTHING. Immediately, my new terminator vision was assessing my business problems. Fact: We couldn’t afford the employees right now and hadn’t been able to for some time, hence the debt, so keeping them was no longer an option. I had been avoiding that fact for months. The second I accepted it, relief washed over me. We won’t need to find $8,000 for them this month. WOW. I had just made $8,000 in a moment of clarity. I’m gonna date myself here but you know that game Minesweeper? Where you’re clicking the boxes without clicking the mines? And every once in a while you click an empty box and the whole area opens up all at once? That’s what this was like. Everything broke open for me. THAT was the moment I became the boss of my business & my whole demeanor changed We started looking at our business as a clean slate and started brainstorming like crazy all the possible ideas of what we could do next. We started listing all the skills and assets we had and how to make money off them. We questioned why we had done everything the way we had, and why we felt we had to do it that way. We were EXCITED for the first time in a long time. It was like when we first started our business and anything was possible again. We were no longer desperately trying to do what we thought we had to succeed. We were asking ourselves what we really wanted out of our business and how we could structure it to get it. In that MOMENT, I went from being at the mercy of my business and the situation I was in, to stepping up and showing my business who’s boss. Before that moment... I thought MONEY was my biggest problem. So I thought if I just had more money, more clients, more work, things would be better. Before that moment... I blamed all the people I was pitching for my business’ problems. They would take our proposals and then end up hiring other, less expensive companies... how could I compete with that?! So I thought they’re just ignorant of the value of my services. Before that moment... I thought I was doing the best I could at marketing my business. I was networking like a maniac. I was posting on Facebook, blogging, trying to speak at events. Nothing I was trying was bringing me enough business, so I thought marketing doesn’t really work. Before that moment... I thought clients were really difficult and annoying. They always wanted more, more, more, and never wanted to pay what the work was worth (and almost never on time). So I thought clients suck and there’s nothing I can do about it However, after my breakthrough moment, I could see how all these beliefs weren’t true and had been limiting my ability to succeed. I now realized there were always, so many more possibilities available to me that I had never even considered. And I had the power to whip my business into exactly what I wanted it to be. And so I did. Over the next few months… I went from being oppressed by my business to leading it. I went from being stuck in a whole bunch of assumptions and stories that were holding me back, to being free to entertain, create, and experiment with new ways to run my business. I also realized that it could go any number of ways and a lot of those possibilities started to look way more attractive than my original plan of building a big agency with lots of employees. In the 12 months that followed we changed our entire strategy and made $500,000 selling our branding services, and we did it without the employees while working less than we had before. Not just that, but every year since we continued to make more and work less than the previous year. Each year we set new goals for how we want to live and work backward from those goals to mold our business to support the lifestyle we want. The extra income and time also created space to grow my business in other ways. I wrote and marketed a best selling book, I became a speaker, I’ve written hundreds of articles on my blog and Forbes column, I learned how to build, market and successfully sell multiple online courses, and we’ve traveled to over 30 cities and countries, sometimes taking months off at a time for adventures. All while working less than 25 hours a week. That didn’t just happen. It happened because I MADE IT happen. You see, Showing your business who’s boss all starts with OWNERSHIP. And no, I don't mean that you own your business. I mean you show up and own your shit in your business. Everything I’ve accomplished since my business “rock-bottom” moment happened because I started owning mine, and showing my business who’s boss. I started taking responsibility for everything that was happening, starting with why clients were happily asking for proposals... and then hiring others who were cheaper. I started owning that it wasn’t that the clients that were cheap, it was us. We either weren’t pitching the right people, we weren’t making a good enough case for them to hire us, or both. I started owning that more money wasn’t going to solve our business problems. In those moments of desperation, had we closed a client like I desperately thought I needed, we would have been in the same situation a month later. Another client, some more money… they weren’t going to fix the FUNDAMENTAL problems in our business. I started owning that my fear of failure, or even worse, my fear of looking like a failure, was blinding me to all the opportunities in front of me. I was so concerned with being successful according to other people’s definition of success, that I didn’t even know what success really meant for ME! I finally realized that I would never be successful until I figured that out. I started owning that I had been operating my business for the past few years by trying things, and then crossing my fingers hoping they would work. When they didn’t work I would just throw up my hands and say “oh well, it didn’t work” and then move on to the next option, instead of trying again until I MADE it work. I started owning that all the mistakes I had made were not mistakes, they were actually HUGE, VALUABLE lessons that could teach me how to build a really strong business, if I would only LISTEN. I started owning that if I wanted to be a business owner, I needed to operate like a  business owner. That means understanding that the service you provide is the product, NOT the business. The business is the machine: the brand, money, the process, the marketing, and the sales. If I wanted to show my business who was boss, I needed to be the boss of a business and not just try to hock our services to whomever was willing to pay for them. Shifting from being at the mercy of my business to showing it who’s boss every day since then, has been THE difference between constantly hustling while fearful of things not working, to feeling like I can hold my entire business in my hand, and manipulate it to do what I want. And as what I want evolves and changes, I can use my business to fulfill those new goals. How would you feel if you had that kind of power and control over your business? If you felt like you could use it as a tool to get what you want, instead of this hungry beast that you are constantly trying to feed? How could you use your business to both fulfill you, AND enjoy your life more? Steve helped switch the light on for me that night, and if you let me, I’m going to switch that light on for you, and every service expert who is fed up with struggling to get the results they want from their business. It’s about how you show up each day, looking for possibilities and opportunities where others see problems and challenges. It’s about taking ownership so you can make decisions from a place of power and confidence. It’s about showing up ready to kick ass and take names like the boss you were meant to be. If you want more of that in your business, then I started this podcast to inspire you to start showing your business who’s boss.

video: https://youtu.be/8fEaaCfHii8 We’re in the midst of an economic collapse. By March 20 the markets had fallen over 33% from their highs. A huge amount of money has been printed by the FED. There's been trillions in corporate bailouts. Millions are unemployed. When the economy crashed in '08, people were angry and wanted financial change. Now the economy has crashed again, people are as angry as ever and looking for change once more. But this crash is different from '08, because now we have cryptocurrency: a choice in money. What are the implications of this? Crypto devs Amaury Séchet, Chris, Pacia, Tobias Ruck, and I chat about the economy, the role of cryptocurrency in the current economic climate, and why decentralized tech is more important than ever. Full 1 hour panel available for NBTV members at NaomiBrockwell.com/memberships Stream taken from the "Future of Bitcoin" livestream: https://youtu.be/qTR4xJ6hkcE?t=16837 All cryptocurrency addresses and social media pages listed here: https://cointr.ee/naomibrockwell I fund my channel entirely with community support. If you would like to become a member of NBTV, all the membership options are here: Naomibrockwell.com/memberships Huge thank you to all the NBTV members who keep this channel running!

In 2010, Agatha Kulaga and Erin Patinkin founded Ovenly, which they originally envisioned as a bar-snack business, providing bars with better alternatives to beer nuts and potato chips. Over the course of ten years, Ovenly transformed into a combination wholesale/retail bakery, with four retail locations and a healthy wholesale business selling to coffee bars and upscale grocers. By March of 2020 it had grown into a business with more than fifty employees and a new, about-to-open location at Kennedy Airport. Then, when the pandemic struck, it had to close up shop both as a baked goods retailer and as a wholesaler. And in what Agatha called the most heartbreaking decision she has had to make as a pro-socially-minded businesswoman (many of their employees were people who have faced high hurdles entering the workforce), Agatha and Erin had to lay off just about their entire staff. On this episode of Special Sauce, we get to hear the Ovenly story in Agatha's own words.  Once you hear Agatha tell her story I'm sure you'll want to do something about the situation she and the hundreds of thousands of small food-business owners, and their millions of employees, find themselves in. I urge you to visit the Independent Restaurant Coalition's website to find out what you can do.  -- The full transcript for this episode can be found over here at Serious Eats: https://www.seriouseats.com/preview?record=453144

If you are anything like me, when you graduated from University, you were pretty young, naive and not 100% on where to turn next.This certainly was not the case for this week’s podcast guest. After a very brief stint with a travel and fashion magazine, Angelica knew she needed to follow her desire for creative freedom and pursue a career as an entrepreneur.Quickly spotting a gap in the market, in March 2014, Angelica took the leap and launched About Time Magazine. That digital site that offered everything it was “about time” you did in London. Personal, well-curated, and to the point the site soon took off as Angelica and her team of writers offered the very best unique options for Londoners and tourists alike.As Angelica details in the podcast, it was not easy feet. She navigated her way through the challenges many businesses owners face, such as; building a team, making some initial mistakes when approaching brands, and finding her place as a Founder.Well, overcoming those challenges paid off. About Time magazine has built a loyal audience and has a monthly readership of 85,000, alongside over 100,000 followers on social media. Taking the decision work out of what to do in your free time, it has become the go to site for time-poor Londoners.By March 2019, as About Time Magazine grew in followers and writers (with over 90 now contributing), Angelica looked to other projects. After witnessing the demand for more offline interactions, Angelica launched the About Time Academy. The Academy would be a curation of live panel events, masterclasses and talks by leading experts, entrepreneurs and leaders.After a successful series of events, Angelica has now evolved the Academy to include her passion for supporting fellow female entrepreneurs. September 2019 saw the first #shestarteditlive festival which was a one-day festival dedicated to the future of women in work.Angelica’s incredible work has not gone unnoticed, as she’s featured in major publications such as Forbes, Elle Magazine and Real Business to name a few.We obviously HAD to chat with Angelica and not only find out how she managed to become such a multi-business powerhouse, but also discover the realities behind starting a business fresh from University. Angelica offers incredible insight into the lessons she has learnt along the way (including how to be a Manager when you really just want to be mates with everyone!) and gives an insight on more incredible business ventures she has planned for the future. **Please note, we recorded this in March knowing that the episode would go out after the March She Started It Live Festival. Unfortunately, due to the COVID-19 outbreak, Angelica had to postpone the festival for the safety of everyone involved. So, there is some talk about the upcoming festivals. I hope you can understand that we have kept it in as there will be many more festivals in the future, and we are very much behind this innovative concept!*

The first confirmed case of COVID-19 in the U.S. was identified in January. By March, most of us had been strongly advised – if not ordered -- to keep at least 6 feet away from other people in public and pretty much to confine ourselves to our homes. Since many of our regular activities and pastimes are now off-limits, what are we doing to fill the time? Are we bored yet? Are if we are bored, is that a problem? Dr. Erin Westgate, an assistant professor of psychology at the University of Florida, studies boredom, procrastination and why some thoughts are more engaging than others. ​She offers some thoughts on how to use this downtime constructively and why not all procrastination is bad.

“Heaven has abandoned China owing to its haughtiness and extravagant luxury. But I, living in the northern wilderness, have not inordinate passions. I hate luxury and exercise moderation. I have only one coat and one food. I eat the same food and am dressed in the same tatters as my humble herdsmen. I consider the people my children, and take an interest in talented men as if they were my brothers. We always agree in our principles, and we are always united by mutual affection. At military exercises I am always in the front, and in time of battle am never behind. In the space of seven years I have succeeded in accomplishing a great work, and uniting the whole world in one empire. I have not myself distinguished qualities.”       So opens a letter from Chinggis Khan in 1219. Though he did not write it himself, as no evidence suggests he ever learned to read or write, he may have dictated much of what was written down. Emphasizing his nomadic background and lifestyle, his military qualities and extreme humility, it’s easy to imagine this as part of the many ultimatums the Mongols sent to rulers across the world, demanding their submission by the will of Eternal Blue Heaven. However, this was not sent to any monarch, but a Taoist sage, and the letter goes on to describe the graces of one Qiu Chuji, begging him to come and provide his wisdom- and the secret to eternal life- to Chinggis Khan. The elderly Qiu Chuji agreed, and made the difficult journey from northern China, through Mongolia and Central Asia to finally meet Chinggis Khan in what is now modern Afghanistan. In this episode, we’ll relay to you one of the lesser known, but most intriguing episodes in the life of history’s greatest conqueror. Not a military campaign, but a religious discussion, one which illuminates some of the personality of Chinggis Khan. I’m your host David…       As always, context is key! In thirteenth century China, the three most noteworthy belief systems were Buddhism, Confucianism, and Taoism. Their history, and how they intertwined and affected one another, is fascinating but far beyond the scope of this episode. Each strongly influenced daily life and government in China, had done so for centuries and still does today. They were not monolithic belief systems, nor singular ecceleisatical entities like the Roman Catholic Church, and various sects and trends impacted each of  these systems over their combined millenia of adherence. What interests us in this episode is a sect of Taoism which combined elements of Buddhist and Confucian thought that emerged in the mid 12th century, the Quanzhen sect, meaning ‘complete realization’ or ‘complete perfection.’ Founded by Wang Zhe, a man who historical commentators have defined more for his eccentricity than sanctity, the Quanzhen quickly became associated with prolonging life, perhaps indefinitely, through controlling one's internal alchemy, which includes among other things, total celibacy. Thus the Quanzhen leadership, among them Qiu Chuji, were invited to the Jurchen Jin capital of Zhongdu in 1188 to share their knowledge with the ailing emperor, Shizong of Jin. The fact that Jin Shizong died the next year, and that Wang Zhe had died in 1170 at age 57, did little to dispel the association.        Qiu Chuji was among Wang Zhe’s earliest disciples, and after the master’s death, became one of the sects leading figures, eventually earning the title of Master Changchun. After Shizong of Jin’s death, Qiu Chuji was largely confined to his home region in north China’s Shandong peninsula, and along with other Quanzhen leaders, cultivated the sect’s popularity until it became one of the most popular of north China and the Jin Empire. As we know, the thirteenth century was not a good time for the Jurchen Jin state, and Mongol forces invaded in 1211, quickly grinding down the empire. In this time, Qiu Chuji received invitations from both the Jin court and Chinese Song Dynasty to the south, inviting him to come and share his knowledge. Both were declined. The sage may have been rather surprised when a messenger arrived from the Great Khan of the Mongols in 1219.        How did Chinggis Khan learn of Qiu Chuji?  That takes us to some interesting characters. One was Liu Zhonglu, personal name Liu Wen, a Jin defector, Chinggis Khan’s personal Chinese physician, a herbalist also skilled in the making of whistling arrows. The Mongols prized men of useful skills, as well as archery, so Liu Wen was a snug fit in the Khan’s expanding entourage. It was he who heard of the Taoist sage and brought him to Chinggis’ attention, having heard rumours Qiu Chuji was over 300 years old. He told the Khan that the Taoist would be able to share these secrets and prolong his life.       The meeting was encouraged by another figure of growing influence, a Khitan scholar named Yelu Chucai. Chucai is worth a digression as he is among the most famous of the non-Mongolian administrators of the empire, though his importance would not come until the reign of Ogedai. The Khitans, you may recall, were a people related to the Mongols who had once ruled northern China during the Liao Dynasty, from the 10th century to 1100s, before being conquered by the Jurchen ruled Jin Dynasty. Yelu Chucai was a distant relation of the Liao ruling clan, and his own father had been a personal attendant to Emperor Shizong of Jin.  He would have followed in his footsteps as a highly educated, sinicized servant of the Jin, if it wasn’t for the Mongol invasion. Stationed inside Zhongdu, the city of his birth, during the terrible final siege in 1215, Chucai was deeply traumatized by the intense suffering and horrors he witnessed. Had it not been for the three years of intensive Buddhist training he underwent following the siege, it seems unlikely he would ever have reared his head for posterity. But finding peace and purpose within the teachings of the Buddha, Yelu Chucai developed a steely resolve and determination to do his greatest to reduce further sufferings.  In 1218 he was summoned to Mongolia, gathered in a Mongol search to find ministers to govern their new empire- as a Khitan, educated in Chinese government but of kin to the Mongols, he was highly prized. In April of that year, he met Chinggis Khan in person, who was immediately impressed by the tall, deep voiced and long bearded Yelu Chucai- the Mongols would call him Urtu Saqal, ‘long beard.’       On meeting him, Chinggis Khan stated “Liao and Jin have been enemies for generations; I have taken revenge for you.”     To which Chucai responded: “My father and grandfather both served Jin respectfully. How can I, as a subject and a son, be so insincere at heart as to consider my sovereign and my father as enemies?”         Loyalty to one’s lord was something Chinggis Khan valued above almost all else, and would honour the Khitan for this. So Yelu Chucai entered his service, acting in a variety of roles, such as astrologer, adviser and court scribe. Hearing Liu Zhonglu’s notification of Qiu Chuji, Chucai encouraged the meeting, hoping the Taoist would be able to help pacify the Khan’s more violent tendencies. It is likely Chucai drafted the letters to Qiu Chuji, though he would in time come to regret this.       Was Chinggis genuinely enticed by the idea of eternal life? As always, the personal thoughts of the man are unknown to us. Rarely did Chinggis Khan ever find a single use for anything- while Qiu Chuji could bring the secrets to immortality, he was also a highly influential religious leader within territory the Mongols wished to conquer. To have him on their side would prove valuable in both the spiritual realm- for his prayers could entice Heaven’s continued support for the Mongols- and in the physical realm, as to bring the many Quanzhen followers into accepting and supporting Mongol rule would ease and consolidate the conquest. If a religious leader was unwilling to accept Mongol rule, then he must be destroyed.       The implicit threat behind this would have been clear to Qiu Chuji when Liu Zhonglu arrived with Chinggi Khan’s message and 20 armed Mongols in late 1219. Declining was not really an option for Qiu Chuji, though he may have been eager to attach his name to the growing hegemon of northern China; such an attachment would only strengthen the place of Quanzhen, and save them from Mongolian retribution.        Qiu Chuji and several disciples, protected by Liu Zhonglu and his men, set out in early 1220, traveling through the war torn  north China. We are rather fortunate to have one of Qiu Chuji’s disciples record the journey for us- it has been translated into English twice, by Emil Bretschneider and Arthur Waley. Both are available to read for free online: look up Bretschneider’s Mediæval Researches From Eastern Asiatic Sources, or Waley’s Travels of an Alchemist, if you wish to read the full, fascinating itinerary. In April they reached the Mongol occupied ruins of Zhongdu, now renamed Yen, where Qiu Chuji was received by escatic crowds. There the party received unfortunate news, as Chinggis had set out on the great Khwarezmian campaign- they were reaching Yen while Chinggis was resting his horses near the fallen capital of Muhamamd Khwarezm-shah, Samarkand. Qiu Chuji  understandably did not want to make the long journey to Central Asia, but Liu Zhonglu would not have it, and forced him on. Qiu Chuji’s next stalling tactic was directed at the large group of young girls Liu Zhonglu was collecting to present to the Khan. For reasons relating to purity and celibacy, Qiu Chuji refused to travel in their company, and a perhaps flustered Liu Zhonglu sent a messenger to Chinggis to inform him. They spent most of the rest of 1220 near Yen, awaiting the Khan’s reply, when in winter messengers arrived from Chinggis’ youngest, and perhaps only, surviving full brother, Temuge [te-moo-guh], who wished to hear his words.   In February 1221 they set out again, having received the Great Khan’s replies- one of which was a reminder for Liu Zhonglu to take the utmost care of the master. Before they departed, Qiu Chuji is said to have told his adherents in Yen he would return in three years time. Traveling north, they passed through the fortifications which the Mongols had broken through in 1211. Crossing the Yehuling, the site of the bloody battle of the Badger’s Mouth Pass, they saw the ground still littered with bleached human bones, 10 years after the engagement.  Around April or May, the party reached Temuge’s encampment in northeastern Mongolia. There, Temuge inquired about the secrets to prolonging life, to which Qiu Chuji told him it was improper for the prince to learn these secrets before the emperor. Getting the hint, Temuge supplied the travellers with oxen and carts to help them on their journey and hurry them onto his older brother.       The voyage is of great interest to scholars, as it provides a fascinating view of early imperial Mongolia, visiting the Orkhon Valley and encampment cities like Chinqai Balasghun, where they met the eponymous Chinqai, a senior minister of the empire ordered to help expedite the journey.  Jurchen and Tangut princesses that Chinggis had taken as wives came out to greet Qiu Chuji, as did various Chinese who had been transplanted west to serve the Mongol war machine. Sadly, we don’t have time to share all the details of the lengthy and difficult journey westwards, following roads cut by Mongol armies en route to Khwarezm, or at times, forced to tie ropes around carts and animals to lift or lower them through passes in the mountains. Details of cities they passed by or through, like Beshbaliq, Almaliq, Urumqi and the former Qara-Khitai capital of Balasagun are provided, In December 1221, they finally reached Samarkand, Qiu Chuji wintering in the palace of the late Khwarezm-shah. Likely at this time, he met Yelu Chucai and spent time discussing religion and philosophy.        Judging from the writings of Qiu Chuji’s disciple, the master found great pleasure in Samarkand, particularly in its gardens, describing them as finer than those in China. There he noted that Samarkand had a quarter of its former population, but had been repopulated somewhat by Chinese, Khitans, Turks and Tanguts who had travelled with the Mongol army. The party stayed in Samarkand in comfort until April 1222, when a Tangut messenger from Chinggis arrived.     “Sainted man, thou hast arrived from the country where the sun rises; thou hast met great difficulties in crossing mountains and valleys; indeed, thou hast taken great pains. I am now about to return, but I wait impatiently for thine explanation to me of the doctrine of the Tao. Do not delay meeting me.”  ...read the Khan’s letter to Qiu Chuji. At that time, Chinggis was making his steady way north after his victory over the Khwarezmian prince Jalal al-Din Mingburnu in November 1221 on the borders of India. Qiu Chuji met Chinggis Khan somewhere south of the Amu Darya River in what is now Afghanistan, on the 22nd of May 1222, where the Khan was joyed that this old man had made such an arduous voyage to meet him. After allowing him a meal, the Khan asked rather bluntly:       “Sainted man, you have come from a great distance. Have you a medicine of immortality?”       To which Qiu Chuji replied, equally bluntly:   “There are means for preserving life, but no medicines for immortality.”   Counter to what  you might have expected, at least publicly, Chinggis Khan lauded Qiu Chuji for his honesty. For a man to travel such a distance and  hardship at his age, only to tell the World Conqueror, “no,” required quite some courage, and the Khan always respected that. The Khan was not yet finished with him though, and ordered him to have a tent pitched next to his own. They were to together travel higher into the valleys of the Hindu Kush to rest and wait out the summer heat, though uprisings took Chinggis Khan away before he could speak with the master again. Qiu Chuji requested to return to Samarkand in the Khan’s absence, which Chinggis reluctantly agreed to, providing him a 1,000 man escort.   As Chinggis spent the next months putting down local rebellions, Qiu Chuji again in the palace of Shah Muhammad, enjoying melons and bathing. By the end of August, Chinggis Khan was ready for him, and sent for Qiu Chuji. A particularly erie detail mentioned is that while traveling south to rejoin Chinggis, Qiu Chuji passed the ruins of the once great city of Balkh: only dogs could be heard  barking within.    Chinggis once more showed the master great respect and patience. Presented to Chinggis by the minister Chinqai, Qiu Chuji was not required to bow or kneel before the Khan. When the Khan offered him airag, the traditional fermented mares’ milk so beloved by the Mongols, Qiu Chuji refused to drink it. Everyday he invited Qiu Chuji to join him for dinner, and everyday he declined, saying he preferred seclusion. The master told Chinggis to keep his soldiers distant, for the noise annoyed him, and when the army moved north in the autumn of 1222 and wintered near Samarkand, Qiu Chuji was given leave to take up in Shah Muhammad’s palace once more.    Over the course of this period, Chinggis Khan and Qiu Chuji had several meetings, Chinqai and Liu Zhonglu present, the Khitan governor of Samarkand Yelu Ahai acting as translator between the Mongolian and the Chinese. Together they discussed the concepts of the Tao, Chinggis supposedly being quite interested. Qiu Chuji’s disciple failed to provide specific details of these discussions, though we know he urged Chinggis to show mercy on the Chinese, establish a buffer state in north China and lift taxes for three years. In January 1223 their journey back east resumed, though the Taoist showed himself displeased with the progress of the army.  By March he was asking to set out on his own, hoping to return to his native Shandong before the end of the year. Chinggis urged him to stay, saying his sons would soon arrive and would like to hear of the doctrine and that he himself needed more information. Qiu Chuji cooly replied that he had told the Khan everything he knew.       Later that month while hunting wild boar, Chinggis Khan was thrown from his horse: the boar failed to charge and gore the Khan, avoiding the fate of Game of Thrones’ Robert of House Baratheon. When he learned of this, Qiu Chuji called it a warning from heaven, a sign that the Khan should give up hunting in his old age. Reluctantly, Chinggis gave up this favourite activity… for two months. Qiu Chuji’s advice on abstaining from sexual intercourse to prolong his life was likewise ignored. Continuing to badger Chinggis to allow him to leave, the Khan finally acquiesced and in April 1223 they seperated. The master declined the gifts Chinggis Khan offered, except for a major one: an edict declaring Taoists exempt from taxation and corvee labour        Qiu Chuji returned to Yen, modern Beijing, in the first months of 1224, within 3 years as he had foretold. He spent the remainder of his life in that city, dying in August 1227, the same month as Chinggis Khan.  We just mentioned the edict proclaiming Taoists exempt from taxation. Well, part of the original edict was that no more Taoists would be ordained. This was followed up with a proclamation a few months later making Qiu Chuji the head of all the Taoists and Buddhist of China. The consequences of this were many. It’s not sure what exact role Qiu Chuji had in what followed, as he fell ill not long after he returned to Yen and the Khan’s edicts may have been taken advantage of by ambitious disciples. Almost immediately this turned into thousands flocking into Quanzhen temples to escape taxation and forced labour for the Mongols. Likely, thousands of lives were saved through this, and Quanzhen Taoism quickly became the most influential religious sect of North China.  One scholar, Yuan Hao-wen, estimated that by the late 13th century, some 20% of northern Chinese were adherents. Even today, it remains one of the most popular forms of Taoism in China. Less positively, was that the Khan’s elevation of Qiu Chuji’s status over Buddhists turned into free license to confiscate Buddhist temples, destroy Buddhist artifacts and texts and force the conversion of Buddhist monks and nuns.    When the Buddhist Yelu Chucai returned to Yen in 1228, he was infuriated by what he found there, and how the Quanzhen had taken advantage of the privileges granted to them, compounding Chucai’s existing dislike of Qiu Chuji. Initially they had been friendly, but Yelu Chucai soon found Qiu Chuji to be totally ignorant of Buddhism, and came to see him as a fraudster taking advantage of the Khan’s generosity and power. In 1229, Yelu Chucai wrote a lengthy work criticizing Qiu Chuji and his positions, while blaming himself for having encouraged the meeting. He further accused Qiu Chuji of being fully complicit in the seizure and desecration of Buddhist temples, and it is in Chucai’s account we are told that Qiu Chuji died on the toilet, but his followers covered this up and said he died while at prayer. Yelu Chucai’s work provides a fascinating counterbalance to the more hagiographic account of the journey provided by Qiu Chuji’s disciple, though Chucai’s writing remains difficult to access, leaving Qiu Chuji’s reputation intact as a ‘saviour’ of the Chinese. The influence of Quanzhen Taoism, and it's armed conflict with Buddhists continued until the reign of Chinggis’ grandson Kublai, when their privileges were drastically reduced and forced to return Buddhist temples.        What did Chinggis Khan think of Qiu Chuji? He seems to have enjoyed his company, and would certainly have had respect for an old man who made the long journey to his court. If he was disappointed in the failure of Qiu Chuji to provide an elixir of immortality, he did not show it publicly. Since the main account of these meetings was from a follower of Qiu Chuji, we must note he had a vested interest to make the relationship between the two look as good as possible, securing Quanzhen privileges as they were granted at the Khan’s behest.       On the internet, their relationship is famous for the following letter, sent from Chinggis to Qiu Chuji not long after their final meeting in 1223:   “You left me and set out on your travels in the Spring and were still on the road during the great heats of the summer. I hope you suffered no inconvenience and were well supplied with post-horses. I hope that you were always provided with plenty to eat and drink and were never stinted. I hope the officials at Hsuan-te [Xuande] and elsewhere treated you properly.  Hope that the common people came to hear you. Are you well and in good spirits? Here I am always thinking about you, O Holy immortal. I have never forgotten you. Do not forget me.”       It is… a little unbecoming for the world conqueror, making him appear rather desperate for Taoist’s affection, like a high school student trying to win back his crush. There are two things to keep in mind:   The most obvious is that this letter was sent in very basic and repetitive simple  Chinese. Form wise, it is totally alien to the literary flourishes, metaphors and references from writing of scribes like Yelu Chucai. Arthur Waley suggested that because the Chinese is so basic, that perhaps this was Chinggis Khan himself dictating it in Chinese. He had Chinese speakers in his entourage for well over a decade, meaning he had plenty of time to learn to make simple sentences in the language. So the letter may have come across particularly love-lorn because the Khan couldn’t do much better than that. Chinggis Khan knew Qiu Chuji was a very popular figure in northern China. Getting Qiu Chuji to encourage his many followers across China to accept Mongol rule and pray for them may have been the Khan’s ulterior motive throughout. Note how Chinggis hopes the common people came to hear him- to hear him spread the word of accepting Mongol rule, and to pray for them. Then, the final line “I have never forgotten you. Do not forget me.” While it can be read as a rather sappy declaration, we might wonder if there was a threat  hidden between the lines. Should Qiu Chuji choose to forget about the Khan and proclaim for the Jin Dynasty, Chinggis and his men would not forget about him, and their arrows never missed their mark…       Shortly after the departure of Qiu Chuji, Chinggis Khan learned of the death of his general Mukhali in China, how Tangut forces had abandoned him and were now in peace talks with the Jurchen Jin. The aging Chinggis Khan was about to partake on the final campaign of his long life, so be sure to subscribe to the Kings and Generals podcast and to continue helping us bring you more outstanding content, please visit our patreon at www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals. Thank you for listening, I am your host David and we will catch you on the next one!

Two moms in rural Collin County have come up with an ingenious way to protect doctors and their families from getting sick after long shifts at the hospital. Medical staff don’t just need PPEs right now. They also need RVs. Emily Phillips is married to an ER doctor and got worried that her husband could bring home COVID19 since both she and their 8-year-old son suffer from asthma. So, Emily got on Facebook last week and asked if she could borrow an RV to allow her husband to come home – but still stay outside to prevent any possible exposure. Within six days, Emily’s one Facebook request has turned into an entire Facebook Group with a couple thousand members and RV owners across the country lending their motorhomes to doctors they’ve never even met. Emily Phillips and her new friend, Holly Haggard, joined the Jasons in a lively conversation. Also, in the episode, COVID19 blindsided a lot of businesses in our state. But not the grocer, HEB. In January, the popular Texas supermarket chain started making calls to suppliers and retailers in China to see what kind of impact they were experiencing from the coronavirus. Those phone calls paid off. By March, when cases began surfacing in Texas, HEB was ready. It enacted an emergency plan, raised hourly pay for workers and changed store hours to address the conflict. Dan Solomon, a writer for Texas Monthly, called the Jasons from Austin to share some fascinating details from his magazine story of how HEB planned for the pandemic.More Infos: Rvs 4 MDs Inside the Story of How H-E-B Planned for the Pandemic, Texas Monthly  

By March 11th, 1945 the U.S. soldiers had discovered that the only bridge the Nazi's had failed to demolish was the Ludendorff Bridge leading to the town of Remagen. In a race to get to the Germans before they blew up the the last connecting piece of the Shrine river the U.S. soldiers immediately began a full-scale attach on the bridge. Military engineers from the U.S. were able to dismantle most of the bombs the Germans had left on the bridges structure. It didn't take long for the U.S. soldiers to fully secure the bridge and reach the other side.

Tamarack, California sits up in the Sierras of that state at an elevation of 6,913 feet. Located just south of Reno and Lake Tahoe it is home to one of the premiere ski venues in the United States and even the world for that matter, and for good reason. Snowfall averages an incredible 443” a year.  During the winter of 1911 the central part of California was impacted by one snowstorm after another. By March 11, 1911 snow on the ground measured an incredible 471” – the greatest snow depth ever measured in one place in the United States, a record that still holds today.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

By March of 1945 the U.S., Canadian, and British forces had done serious damage to the Nazi army. With barely any line of defense left the Nazi's began to retreat across the Rhine. As they crossed the river they attempted to blow up all the bridges. On March 3rd 1945, the U.S. 9th and Canadian 1st officially teamed in a fight along the West bank that would later lead to the Battle of Remagen.

Sanhnhea robsa anak bramanh is a first-level enchantment, with a range of 90 feet, a duration of up to an hour, and requires concentration to maintain. This spell places an aura around the target that attracts negative emotional energy.  The manifestations could include disapproval, aggression, and even hatred.  The animosity has no bounds as it will elicit a reaction from not only people but also animals, insects, birds and any living thing with a defense mechanism. Sanhnhea robsa anak bramanh was discovered in Thailand in 2001.  The magical authority intended to keep the spell confidential, but it was leaked in 2004.  Rampant misuse spread across the southern provinces.  In July 2005, Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra assumed wide-ranging emergency powers to deal with the southern violence, but the insurgency escalated further.  Despite little progress in curbing the violence, peace was promised to the region by 2008.  By March 2008, however, the death toll surpassed 3,000.  Parts of Thailand fell into anarchy as criminal elements began taking control. The problem persists today.  Over 6,500 people died and almost 12,000 were injured between 2004 and 2015. Sanhnhea robsa anak bramanh is not banned in the United States as it is used to extract venom from snakes and insects to create anti-venom.  But, it does require a permit and misuse against a person could be a felony depending upon the level of injury sustained.

Monica Wood, MD, is a certified Orthopedic Hand Surgeon and started practice in August 2007. By March 2011, she began having symptoms that were diagnosed a year later as multiple sclerosis. On March 4, 2014, she had an episode of severe vertigo followed by worsening of her balance and walking ability that ended her career. She successfully navigated the complex social security and disability system and has reinvented herself as an entrepreneur.

And when you think about it, it's amazing that we even made it to this grand national holiday called Thanksgiving and I know that we know kind of the basic details in 1620, the pilgrims come over on the Mayflower, they land and Plymouth in Massachusetts. But do you remember some of the details? It was late December in 1620, it was cold, it was miserable, they were sick, they hadn't had proper food provisions, there was no place for them to live, there were no provisions immediately available like, our grocery stores, right? And so within one month of their arrival, 10 of the 17 fathers had died. By March only four of the 17 mothers were still alive. By Easter, almost half of all of the riders on the Mayflower, were dead. It is a gruesome scene. Many people have past, they had a tense relationship with the indigenous population, they've tried to figure out how they're ever going to make it. And yet, in less than a year's time in less than six months, from Easter, they were bound and determined to have a celebration of thanks, because they were alive and God was good and there was a reason to celebrate even though so much tragedy had happened, so much difficulty, so much turmoil friends. This is why we give thanks on Thanksgiving, we celebrate the fact that God is good all the time. Not just some of the time we celebrate the fact that God is a provider of every good and perfect gift and no matter what our life circumstance, we need to celebrate this powerful gift. Not just at Thanksgiving but all the time. Listen to how one of the psalmist put it. I'm gonna invite you to read scripture with me just for a minute. You're gonna take note fairly quickly that there's a kind of an antiphone, a repetitive phrase that goes on in Psalm 136, I'm gonna read a few verses, and I'm just gonna sort of pause and I'm not hold up my hand and I'm gonna invite you to read the refrain. The refrain is, his faithful love endures forever. Will you join me as we read scripture from Psalm 136, "Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, his faithful love endures forever, give thanks to the God of gods, his faithful love endures forever. Give thanks to the Lord of Lords, his faithful love endures forever give thanks to Him who alone does mighty miracles, his faithful love endures forever. Give thanks to Him who made the heaven so skillfully his faithful love endures forever. Give thanks to Him, who placed the earth among the waters his faithful love endures forever. Finally, Verse 26, "Give thanks to the God of heaven, his faithful love endures forever. God's faithful Love really does endure God gives us an amazing life. It is not perfect, it does not go as we all hoped every single day, every single moment, but life actually is good and the psalmist reminds us that we ought to give thanks, that the God who put the stars in heaven, and the sun and its place in the earth on its axis, and the God who gave us the breath of life and the God who calls us into reality, and inter-relationship with others that God needs to be think that God needs to be honored that God deserves our undivided gratitude. It’s why I believe this statement that's there in your notes that gratitude is a response to God's abundance, in our lives. It's a way for us to say... God, I'm so grateful for all that you have done are doing and will do. Gratitude is a response to God's abundance, and it brings us joy. Have you ever noticed that when you are grateful, your whole demeanor changes, when you say thank you to somebody or when you're grateful for some act or some set of circumstances have you ever noticed... You feel better, you feel slightly different? It sort of changes everything about what's going on in that moment, and I'm convinced that that's what gratitude is for. This response to the blessings of God and as those blessings come we simply respond to God and share out of the abundance that God has already offered and it's just that response and it brings joy.

The Senseless Things special with Morgan Nicholls in conversation with David Eastaugh Senseless Things formed around the musical partnership of songwriter Mark Myers aka Mark Keds (vocals, guitar) and Morgan Nicholls (bass, originally guitar), who as eleven-year-olds in Twickenham, Middlesex put together Wild Division in the early 1980s. With the addition of drummer Cass Browne (also occasionally known as Cass Cade and Cass Traitor) they became the Psychotics, playing various venues in their local area despite still being at school. Their first gig together as the Senseless Things (named after a phrase used in Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream and Julius Caesar) followed at the subsequently-demolished Clarendon in Hammersmith, London, in October 1986. Auxiliary members at this stage included a keyboard player, Ben, and a guitarist, Gerry, who deputised for Nicholls while the latter was studying for his O levels. The definitive Senseless Things line-up formed in summer 1987 when Nicholls returned to take over bass, with the new recruit, former BBC clerk Ben Harding acquiring the vacant guitarist's role. The band regularly appeared at The Clarendon in Hammersmith, London playing both downstairs in the Broadway bar and upstairs in the main auditorium. Taking their musical cue from the Ramones and the Dickies, and their spiritual lead from fellow guitar outfit Mega City Four, the quartet embarked upon a hectic touring schedule, often playing on the same bill as Mega City Four, Snuff and Perfect Daze. The band's first releases were singles given away with issues of Yo Jo Jo and Sniffin' Rock fanzines. By March 1988 the band had attracted the attention of the BBC Radio 1 DJ John Peel, who invited them to record the first of three sessions for his programme. The "Up And Coming" 12" followed, then "Girlfriend" the following year, both on Way Cool Records. Their first album, Postcard CV, was released in 1989, capturing the energy of their concerts by packing ten tracks into twenty two minutes. Record Collector called it "sprightly pop-punk/ indie with touches of Buzzcocks and the Undertones". The album was rounded off by "Too Much Kissing", which was released as a single and was to become their signature track. In 1990 the band signed with What Goes On Records, just as the label collapsed, resulting in an abortive EP release. The band then signed to Vinyl Solution subsidiary Decoy Records, who released the four-track EP "'Is It Too Late?", produced by Jon Langford of the Mekons. The group stayed with Decoy for "Can't Do Anything", (also produced by Langford), which prefaced an appearance at the Reading Festival; the band then signed to Epic Records at the start of 1991. The subsequent album The First Of Too Many saw the band experimenting with other styles including acoustic songs, and the single "Got It At The Delmar" entered the Top 50 of the UK Singles Chart. Allmusic praised the album's blend of "bubblegum pop" and "gobstopping hard rock", likening the band's sound to the Who and the Replacements. Two further Top 20singles followed in 1991/1992 - "Easy To Smile" and "Hold It Down". The band toured the United States, supporting Blur, and went to Japan for the first time, appearing on talent show Ika-Ten. Cover art for the first two Senseless Things albums and most single releases around the same period was provided by comic artist Jamie Hewlett, creator of Tank Girl and later Gorillaz. The second single from their third album, 1993's Empire of the Senseless, "Homophobic Asshole" (with promotional video directed by Steven Wells) received critical acclaim but was released reluctantly by their record company due to the band's choice of title and failed to chart highly. Follow-up single, "Primary Instinct", an equally political (anti-racist) lyric but a more radio-friendly title, had slightly more commercial success. In a further Mekons connection, the album shared its title with a track from the 1989 album The Mekons Rock 'n Roll, itself named for a Kathy Acker novel. In 1995, the band released a final album, Taking Care Of Business accompanied by two singles, "Christine Keeler" (renamed from "Christian Killer") and "Something To Miss". The latter's b-sides included a Replacements cover as well as a song co-written with Lenie from Mambo Taxi. Senseless Things went into permanent hiatus the same year after farewell tours of the UK and Japan.

December 2013.  I get offered a job by Golden Boy Promotions to call a fight. Had no experience in the boxing world, but why not? By March, I was calling fights on National TV. Here’s the story of my leap into boxing.

December 2013.  I get offered a job by Golden Boy Promotions to call a fight. Had no experience in the boxing world, but why not? By March, I was calling fights on National TV. Here’s the story of my leap into boxing.

Ronald Reagan 40th U.S President from January 1981 to January 1989. Prior to his presidency He was a Hollywood actor and union leader before serving as 33rd Governor of California from 1967-1975. Born: February,6 1911 Died: June 5, 2004 Bel Air Los Angeles CA. Branch/Service US Army Air Forces. During his administration the unemployment rated was the highest in Morden era. By March of 1982 it had reached 9% and in December of that year the unemployment 10.8% . Prior to the 2007/2009 recession the 1981-1982 was the worst in United States since the Great Depression. Indeed the nearly 11% unemployment rate reached late in 1982 remains the Apex of the Post World War|| era. Recently the political have released a recording between Nixon and Ronald Reagan that was recorded back in 1971 were Ronald refers to African leaders as Monkeys. Now u see Trump is the only Racist President. Just because they smile and Shook your hands it doesn’t mean they like u. You can’t change a person character or nature of snakes. You have to know who’s your enemy. Don’t get fooled by those who claimed they love in your face but behind your back the hate you. It’s time we invest more in building our community instead wasting our on those politicians. None of those politicians have our best interest at heart. It’s we come together as one nation. Call in Let’s discuss --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/johnrosemberg/support

Are you keeping your New Year's Resolutions? Remember those? How are you doing on them? If you are like many Americans that make New Year's Resolutions, the answer is probably a resounding "no." Statistically speaking, research has shown the following: By the end of January, approximately 64 percent of us have dropped our New Years Resolutions. By March 1st, more than 80 percent of us have dropped those New Year’s Resolutions and goals. Anecdotally, you know it's true because you can see this at the gyms: the crowds that created standing room only and long wait times for equipment have eased up or evaporated completely. The pool is empty, and there is room (once again) for you to roll out your yoga mat (don't worry, grunty-farty guy is still there with you). So, I'll ask you again: Are you keeping your New Year's Resolutions? Are you still following the steps outlined in our Health and Fitness Renew You Kickstart? For more information, please go to the article titled "Four Tips for Keeping New Year's Resolutions" at Small Scale Life. (https://www.smallscalelife.com/four-tips-new-years-resolutions/) Sign up for the 2019 Health and Fitness Renew You at Small Scale Life as well! (https://www.smallscalelife.com/renew-you-in-2019/)

  When I had my stroke at 46, it took a little while for the medical team to settle on the cause. I suppose that's a good thing. We don't want them to rush to a conclusion. Ultimately, they concluded the probable cause was a history of high blood pressure. It didn't make sense to me at the time. In 2015 I developed high blood pressure, AKA hypertension, but I didn't know. That's the thing about high blood pressure -- it doesn't hurt. There was no pain. I only found out because during the last week of December, I began have massive 30 minute pouring nosebleeds every other day. I checked my blood pressure on a home blood pressure machine, and it registered more than 200 over 160. That and the random surprise bleeding got me into the doctor's office. They measured my BP at 162/102. So it had dropped from apparently ER levels by that time. Over the course of the next few months, we worked to get my BP under control through medication and some diet tweaks. By March of 2016, my BP was coming in at 105/75. Be February of 2017, it was down to 100/70. And on June 3, 2017, I had my stroke. I had serious high blood pressure for maybe a year to a year and a half. I had it under control for a year before my stroke. So how could previous high blood pressure cause a stroke? This week, Dr. Nirav Shah, a neurologist at Swedish Medical Center in Seattle and the founder and CEO of Sentinel Healthcare, returns to Strokecast to answer that very question as we talk about just how high blood pressure causes stroke.   Bio Dr. Nirav H. Shah is a fellowship trained neurologist and sub-specialist in cerebrovascular and stroke medicine with board certifications in: neurology, stroke medicine, carotid neurosonology, transcranial doppler ultrasound, and neuroimaging. He is a practicing neurohospitalist and served as the stroke medical director at Swedish Medical Center in Seattle. Academically, he is interested in emergent and critical care neurology research and is an associate editor for The Neurohospitalist, a peer-reviewed journal. He enjoys mentoring trainees and collaborating on publications and conference presentations. Outside of clinical care Dr Shah is collaborating with experts to develop scalable technologies capable of ameliorating healthcare’s challenges. He consults with startups and investors to develop technologies and devices so that one day they are available to his patients. He has worked with companies to meet FDA regulations for approval as well as to help them understand the provider perspective of product-market fit. Dr. Shah is also the CEO and Founder of Sentinel Healthcare. He is also a passionate traveler and photographer. Hack of the Week After I lost the use of my left arm, eating became a challenge for some dishes. Sushi was easy. Steak was difficult because to cut a steak, you need to hold it still with your fork and slice with the steak with the knife in your other hand. So how do you manage this out at a restaurant?  You've got a couple options. One, of course is to just skip cutting it, pick up the slab of meat with the one usable hand and start chowing down. Of course your dining companions may not prefer that choice. The other option is incredibly simple. When you place your order, ask them to have the kitchen cut up the steak for you.  That's it. It's a simple request that will take them just seconds and it solves your problem. Links Lipohyalinosis https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lipohyalinosis C. Miller Fisher on Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C._Miller_Fisher C. Miller Fisher On AHA Journals https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/STROKEAHA.112.661512 Atherosclerosis on WebMD https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/arteriosclerosis-atherosclerosis/symptoms-causes/syc-20350569 Arteriosclerosis / atherosclerosis on Mayo Clinic https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/arteriosclerosis-atherosclerosis/symptoms-causes/syc-20350569 Lacunar Stroke on Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lacunar_stroke Lacunar Infarction and Small Vessel Disease: Pathology and Pathophysiology https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4325635/ Effect of reducing blood pressure with medications immediately following ischemic stroke https://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-11-effect-blood-pressure-medications-immediately.html Blood Pressure-Lowering Treatment After Subacute Stroke to Prevent Recurrent Stroke, Major Vascular Events, and Dementia https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/full/10.1161/STROKEAHA.118.023087?url_ver=Z39.88-2003&rfr_id=ori:rid:crossref.org&rfr_dat=cr_pub%3dpubmed Higher Blood Pressure May Be Linked to Brain Disease, Alzheimer’s https://www.rush.edu/news/press-releases/higher-blood-pressure-may-be-linked-brain-disease-alzheimers Nirav  on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/nirav-h-shah/ Nirav at Swedish https://www.swedish.org/swedish-physicians/profile.aspx?name=nirav+h+shah&id=271893 Nirav on Twitter http://twitter.com/NeuroNirav The Neurohospitalist http://journals.sagepub.com/home/nho Nirav’s Photography www.thoughtpotential.com Where do we go from here? Control your blood pressure. If you don't know what it is, find out. Talk with your doctor to develop a plan to drive it to safe levels -- under 120/80 Post a link to this episode on your Facebook, LinkedIn, or Twitter account by using the link http://strokecast.com/bloodpressure  If you'd like to hear more from Nirav, check out his other appearances by going to http://Strokecast.com/Nirav Don't get best…get better   Strokecast is the stroke podcast where a Gen X stroke survivor explores rehab, recovery, the frontiers of neuroscience and one-handed banana peeling by helping stroke survivors, caregivers, medical providers and stroke industry affiliates connect and share their stories.

Earlier this year, I met Nina Larsen Reed at WPPI. I instantly liked her and new that I had to have her on the show. Nina is passionate about education, quotes the same books I do, and has only been a professional photographer for four years. And this was actually just her first year photographing weddings. She set a modest goal of booking 10 for the year. By March, she'd already booked 22! How impressive and exciting is that? Be sure to tune in to hear how she launched her wedding business, why having a hyper-niche is so important, and how she converts Instagram followers into clients.

In this episode of Unspoken, Ruthie and Miles sit down with the beloved writer, illustrator, and speaker, Mari Andrew. After a season of grief and loss in 2016, she decided to do a drawing a day and placed them on Instagram to keep herself accountable. By March 2018 she had almost a million Instagram followers and published her first book, “Am I There Yet”, which went on to be a New York Times best seller. Join us and see what drives the amazing drawings we all see and love from Mari. She gives us the gift of words and insight into the emotions we all feel but can’t find the words for. Discover and become absolutely obsessed with Mari's illustrations and heart-felt writings here.

In February of 2006, a documentary film crew from Dallas, Texas followed a young woman as she began her career in the porn industry. By March, she had disappeared. Directors: Brian Skiba, Liam Owen Writer: Michael Z. Gordon Stars: Justin Henry, Jose Rosete, Laurie Love See more » --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/gruesome-hertzogg/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/gruesome-hertzogg/support

Your Big Why | Coffee is for Closers It was just under a year ago that my last business crashed to the ground. Little did I know what a blessing in disguise that was. I started my last business, FITzee Foods, with a strong mission and a ton of ambition. I was on a crusade for a healthy planet, and my freshly-prepared meals were going to change the world. By March of 2017, the dream had fizzled out, and the mission proved to be impossible. With a heavy heart, I conceded defeat and closed down FITzee Foods for good. But from that disaster, some pretty magical stuff started to emerge. The more I analyzed this epic fail, the more I realized that EVERY successful person had at least ONE similar story.   I remembered numerous off-the-record conversations I’d had with wildly successful entrepreneurs. Stories of disappointments and losses that they usually kept close to the vest. That’s when the lightbulb went off in my head. What if as entrepreneurs, we talked about the REAL stuff? Like the times we lost a major deal. The days that we couldn’t make payroll. The lawsuits we endured. The rent we couldn’t pay. And that somehow, some way, all of us came back for more. And eventually made it. I was staring my biggest failure in the face, and just like that, I realized my ultimate WHY. My friends, business is hard enough. It’s next to impossible if you don’t have a powerful WHY. And that WHY needs to light you up like a Christmas tree, or it will never keep you going. On this episode, it’s all about the WHY. How to discover yours, why you need to know it, and how it can help you weather any storm...IF it’s strong enough. Tune in and let me show you how to harness the power of WHY in YOUR business! Do YOU have a burning question about your WHY? Or a question about anything else sales-related? How about getting a little bit of hot set coaching on my Facebook Live from yours truly? If you’d love a chance at a 30-minute, 1:1 hot-seat coaching session LIVE on Facebook with me, The Pitch Queen, it’s your lucky day! Shoot me an email at hello@thepitchqueen.com and tell me who you are, what you do, and how I can help you rock your sales and change more lives. Spaces are limited. Is one of them YOURS? **** What if you’re still lost on the road to your passion and purpose, though? If that WHY has been eluding up to this point, I’ve got something that’ll help you get clear on what really drives you. My brand new checklist, “5 Steps To Your Ultimate WHY,” will help you discover your purpose, ignite your passion, and lead you to the mission you’ve been searching for. This checklist is going to help you get to the heart of what you do, find your strengths, and underscore your value. From there, it’ll help you figure out what drives you the most. Your ultimate vision. The reason WHY you do what you do. And the thing that’ll keep you inspired, focused, and steady even when the road gets rough.Your purpose, passion, and WHY are waiting! *** Join me every Saturday Morning with your morning cup of joe or tea for your special Success Unfiltered bonus episodes of Coffee Is For Closers. Each week I’ll share my best sales tips, secrets, and tricks for entrepreneurs to learn sales without the sleaze, so that you can close more deals and serve more people with your product or service! To share your thoughts:  Email The Pitch Queen @ hello@thepitchqueen.com Ask a question over at www.ThePitchQueen.com Share Success Unfiltered on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, & LinkedIn To help the show out: Please leave an honest review on iTunes. Your ratings and reviews really help and I read each one. Subscribe to the show on iTunes. Connect with The Pitch Queen & Join the others in the Royal Family: Website: http://www.thepitchqueen.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thepitchqueen/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thepitchqueen/   Twitter: https://twitter.com/thepitchqueen LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michelleweinstein/   **** What if you’re still lost on the road to your passion and purpose, though? If that WHY has been eluding up to this point, I’ve got something that’ll help you get clear on what really drives you. My brand new checklist, “5 Steps To Your Ultimate WHY,” will help you discover your purpose, ignite your passion, and lead you to the mission you’ve been searching for. This checklist is going to help you get to the heart of what you do, find your strengths, and underscore your value. From there, it’ll help you figure out what drives you the most. Your ultimate vision. The reason WHY you do what you do. And the thing that’ll keep you inspired, focused, and steady even when the road gets rough.Your purpose, passion, and WHY are waiting! Here’s to brewing YOUR Sales Success! Music produced by Deejay-O    www.iamdeejayo.com  

Hello and welcome to the Friday 15th June edition of EV News Daily. It’s Martyn Lee here with the news you need to know about electric cars and the move towards sustainable transport.   TESLA MODEL 3 SHOWS OFF ITS SPEED IN EXHILARATING SALT FLATS RUN Tesla Model 3 on Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah. One of the most awesome experiences had in my Trinity! #Tesla @Tesla @elonmusk #Model3 @Model3Owners Michael Striker (@Michael7Striker) "Model 3’s batteries were not even fully charged when he conducted his high-speed run, and the vehicle was entirely stock with 18″ Aero Wheels" according to Teslarati: "According to Striker, however, he opted to pull back on the throttle when he reached 90 mph. The Model 3 Performance, according to Elon Musk, would be 15% faster than the BMW M3 on the track, with a 0-60 mph time of 3.5 seconds and a top speed of 155 mph. Tesla expects to start manufacturing the Model 3 Performance starting this July."   ALL-ELECTRIC, 680-HORSEPOWER VOLKSWAGEN I.D. R TEST AT PIKES PEAK In the wee hours of the morning, The Drive was present for Volkswagen's onsite test of its electric Pikes Peak prototype race car. Romain Dumas is a three-time pikes peak winner and will be driving. The Drive reports: "Despite starting phase two of the day's testing on the upper half of the mountain without a full charge, Dumas maintained momentum through his first run on the upper half of the course, grappling with regenerative braking systems all the way."   13,000 PEOPLE EXPECTED TO ATTEND RENEWABLE ENERGY FAIR IN CUSTER About 13,000 people are expected to attend the Midwest Renewable Energy Fair in Custer this weekend. MREA executive director Nick Hylla: ""This is probably one of the most exciting things that's happened during my tenure here … the incredible growth in electric transportation and options that are out there. We'll have probably every variety of electric vehicle here on display, probably more than 100 vehicles."   UPS PLACES ORDER FOR 950 WORKHORSE ELECTRIC DELIVERY TRUCKS com reports: "Shipping giant UPS said it will buy 950 electric delivery trucks from Workhorse Group in what looks to be a key order for the electric vehicle startup." "This tops an earlier UPS order for 50 of the trucks that was part of a test program. Workhorse describes the vehicles as Class 5 N-Gen electric vans. UPS and Workhorse collaborated on the design of the zero-emissions vehicle." says Trucks. "With 60-kilowatt-hour battery packs the N-Gen vans can travel up to 100 miles before they need to be recharged. The cost will be about $6 to travel 100 miles, which is significantly lower than the expense of fuel to run gas or diesel-powered trucks. The all-electric delivery vehicles will cost about the same as conventional trucks but will have a lower operational cost over their expected life because they will be less expensive to maintain, Hughes said. UPS would save about $170,000 a van compared with a similar diesel delivery truck if it kept the Workhorse vehicles for 20 years, their expected lifespan"   POWER UTILITIES TO EARN $11 BILLION IN REVENUE WITH EV DEMAND Occasionally newspapers or those talking down EVs will put a story out there saying we'll face meltdown the moment someone plugs in their car and tries to make a coffee. Not only are most grid operators saying it's not an issue, a new report says they have a vested interest in making it work, as power shifts from oil forecourts to the power companies. The report also recommended that in order to meet the rising demand of charging stations, governments have to quickly facilitate standardisation of charging infrastructure and incentivise R&D for advanced charging technologies.   MINI BOSS: GOING ELECTRIC IS A REAL CHALLENGE The boss of Mini says it's one of the hardest brands to switch to EV power because of it's small size. Peter Schwarzenbauer said: “Electrifying Mini is quite a challenge, chiefly because of the small footprint of the cars. “But if you look at the role of electrification in the urban environment and the desire to be local emissions-free, there is no other brand with the credentials of Mini. It should be a natural fit, and that is the direction we’re moving towards for the future. The success of the plug-in hybrid Countryman shows what can be achieved, and the full electric Mini that is coming will show another step.” Autocar report: "The BMW Group is known to be working on solid-state batteries in partnership with Toyota, with a sale date mooted to be around 2025. Both smaller and more powerful than today’s batteries, they could potentially pave the way for a range of fully electric Minis."   COULD PANASONIC TRIPLE PRODUCTION OF EV BATTERIES Whilst some car makers who are catching up are having to get their batteries from wherever they can, Tesla get all their packs from Panasonic and that's not changing for a while yet. Tesla's target is to produce 5,000 Model 3s a week by the end of June. Tesla Chief Executive Elon Musk recently told analysts on the company's first-quarter results call: "We think we can get the cobalt to almost nothing." Tesla batteries use the NCA or lithium, nickel, cobalt and aluminium formula, while other car manufacturers have chosen to go with lithium, nickel, cobalt and manganese (NCM) compounds" according to Channel News Asia: "Worries about cobalt shortages have prompted many to seek to alter the composition of the cathode part of the NCM battery to eight parts nickel, one part cobalt and one part manganese"   ELECTRIFY AMERICA INVESTS $44 MILLION TO MAKE SACRAMENTO A 'GREEN CITY' As part of the settlement for #dieselgate, VW had to set up Electrify America, to build out a charging infrastructure and increase the adoption of EVs. And now we've just heard details of how investment in Sacramento, California, will bring a series of initiatives to the City. $44million will be spent on a 'Green City' plan. The first part of the plan is two new car sharing schemes and of course the vehicles will all be Zero Emission. By March 2019 you will be able to use Gig, an EV sharing scheme where you don't have to return the car to where you hired it from, but rather any designated parking space inside a 13-square mile area where they operate. You will be billed according to time or use or the distance travelled. CNET explains: "The other car sharing service is called Envoy, and it's a round-trip car-sharing service (more like ZipCar) where users book, then pick up and return the car to the same spot. Envoy will feature a fleet of 142 vehicles spread in pairs across 71 locations, and each vehicle will have a dedicated Level 2 EV charger." Electrify America will also be investing in 12 new electric buses to run from the University Of California. But what about EV charging for you and I? "There are plans to build out the region's electric vehicle charging infrastructure by adding 10 quick chargers capable of charging at 50-, 150- and 350-kilowatt. These charging stations will be open to the public, and part of the funding used to build them will also go to the charging infrastructure for both of the upcoming car-share programs and the electric bus service" according to CNET.   COMMUNITY     You can listen to every previous episode of this podcast on iTunes, Google Play, Spotify, YouTube, TuneIn, Stitcher, and the blog https://www.evnewsdaily.com/ – remember to subscribe, which means you don’t have to think about downloading the show each day, plus you get it first and free and automatically. It would mean a lot if you could take 2mins to leave a quick review on whichever platform you download the podcast. And if you have an Amazon Echo, download our Alexa Skill, search for EV News Daily and add it as a flash briefing. Come and say hi on Facebook, LinkedIn or Twitter just search EV News Daily, have a wonderful day, and I'll catch you tomorrow.   CONNECT WITH ME! evne.ws/itunes evne.ws/tunein evne.ws/googleplay evne.ws/stitcher evne.ws/youtube evne.ws/soundcloud evne.ws/blog

TROY PIERCE on: - Facebook: www.facebook.com/troypierce - SoundCloud: @troypierce HOW I MET THE BASS on: - Facebook: www.facebook.com/howimetthebass - Twitter: www.twitter.com/howimetthebass - Mixcloud: www.mixcloud.com/HowIMetTheBass 3 QUESTIONS to TROY PIERCE: Q: Going through your mix offers a huge spectrum of electronic music. Tell us about your selection. How did these tracks have an impact on your later doings? A: I was a bit overwhelmed at first by the concept of this mix actually, there is so much amazing music that I wanted to include. The more I thought about it though it started to make sense to focus on my time in New York, before I started making music and before I moved to Berlin. I move to New York in January 1994 to attend photography school. When I moved there I went alone and didn’t know a single person in the city, seems kind of crazy now thinking about it but at the time it seemed totally rational. By March 94 I bought my first turntables/mixer and started buying a lot of records. NYC at the time had some great record stores and I lived within walking distance to some of the best ones. The music I was discovering from 1994 - 2002 really formed the foundation of my style and I still play most of these tracks on the mix to this day. There are a quite a few tracks that are “pre” 94 that I came across in shops, some gems that I might have heard on a mix tape or remember from some Chicago/Detroit party. “We Are Phuture” and “Heat It Up” where Chicago classics while “Lyot”, “Glob” and “The Groove” where Detroit bombs. I felt it was really important to include those as I didn’t really find them until I was in NYC. While I was selecting tracks for the mix I was having a hard time editing the selection down so I came up with a “test” for each track… “Does it give me chills”? This simple criteria made it really easy to cut my track listing down from more than sixty to the nineteen I used on the mix. I have listened to the mix a few times since finishing it and I feel like it’s a really accurate window into where I came from musically. There is a common thread of spooky weirdness that still runs through the music I make and play today. Looking back on this track list I feel really lucky to have been able to experience parties in Chicago and Detroit at such an influential moment in electronic music. The music I heard at those parties guided me through the record stores of New York and helped cultivate my sound. Q: You´ve been a producer and DJ for decades. How do you still find motivation and inspiration to keep things running? A: Not to over simplify it but I still think it’s fun making/playing music that people enjoy. Q: A statement in your biography says: “I like making and playing weird music for weird people”. So which weird Pierce-music can we expect soon and what´s coming up next on Items & Things? A: I have a few different projects in the works, one of my oldest friends from New York Jaesun Celebre and I have been working on stuff the last year… spooky techno, what a surprise! There are some older tracks from Marc Houle and I that are planned for Items & Things as well as a new collaboration between us. I also have a collection of “Lost Tracks” that I would like to release, music from the last years that never made it out of the studio but I really like so lets see how that goes.

Midweek Motivation is a weekly episode featuring the wisdom and stories of host Tommy Cakes. This episode is all about adding fun to get stuff done (fun to done).  Many of us set goals and resolutions, only to fall apart or abandon them on Day 2.  Why is that?  Maybe the problem is that you relate your goals to dreadful toil and bloodletting instead of enjoying the process and having some fun!  In case you are having trouble understanding the audio file, the following is a translation of the audio file from host Tommy Cakes. Who is Tommy Cakes? Live on the Small Scale Life Podcast, it is Midweek Motivation featuring Tommy Cakes. Hey, how are you?  I am Tommy Cakes.  Who am I?  I'm a guy from someplace, friends with some people and doing some things.  Don't worry about it! What I can tell you is that I am in the import and export business. I import knowledge I export that information at premium prices! I will give you a little coastal cosmopolitan insight and motivation weekly on Small Scale Life Introduction – Fun to Done This is a Late Week Motivation this week. What can I say?  Business has been good and keeping Tommy Cakes on the run.  This is a good thing: it means more stuff is happening and Tommy is getting paid!  Fortunately, I have some time to relax before I go to the lounge, so I am going to get this done for you! Many of us set lofty goals and resolutions with the best intentions.  We dream big and then make grand announcements to all of our family and friends.  We say things like, “This time is different; I am ready.  This is my chance to change!  My goal is X!” We see this all the time at the start of a new year.  As we talked about in Episode 13, we concoct all kinds of goals and resolutions, and by the end of January, 64% of us have stopped trying.  By March 1st, 80% of us have dropped off.  Haven’t you noticed it at the gym, pool or in the sauna recently?  There are a lot less waiting for a machine, a lane or bench space for the gun show to begin. Why is that? Goals and Resolutions Don’t Work We have the best intentions when we start with our big goal and resolutions.  We don’t intend to fail.  We want change, but then something happens. Psychologically, we associate goals and resolutions with pain, misery and drudgery.  Who wants to be miserable eating kale when you can have some fantastic lasagna, red wine and cannoli? We see this with people trying to lose weight.  They set a goal, and then they think the quickest way to get to done is to start running, yet they can hardly walk around the block.  After two days of jogging, they are so sore they can’t even move!  This destroys motivation, and then the poor person gives up.  Kevin Geary talked about this in an interview here on Small Scale Life.  Michael Bell also talked about this during his discussion about fitness and weight lifting in Season 2, Episode 25. Midweek Motivation: Fun to Done Instead of pushing a massive bolder up a steep hill, we all need to rethink our goals and resolutions and inject the fun to done mentality into our everyday lives. Why not?  The project or work needs to get done somehow! Instead of hating to eating kale or broccoli, why not add a little butter to it? Instead of running or jogging, why not go for a hike in a beautiful place or walk with your spouse or the dog? Notice I did not equate the two! Instead of swimming laps in a pool, why not swim with your kids or in a lake? Instead of working out in a stale, sweaty gym, why not work in the garden or yard? Inject the fun to done mentality into your goals and resolutions.  Make it an adventure or a journey.  Stop making it a miserable marathon of sweat, blood and tears.  Identify something you like to do and incorporate your goals into that activity.  You might find that you get things done AND have some fun while doing it.  After all, how do you think Tommy Cakes got on the air in the first place? That’s all I got this week.  Add some fun into your lives!  This is Tommy Cakes, and I’ll see you next week!  Bada boom, bada bing! “Finish: Give Yourself the Gift of Done” This episode was inspired by author Jon Acuff in his book “Finish: Give Yourself the Gift of Done.”  As a person who has “squirrel syndrome,” which is a trait of ENFP personality types, I have found that adding some fun into my work and my goals has helped me accomplish so many more things.  Why?  Because those fun things are so much more enjoyable to do and complete! Not everything is going to be fun.  Taxes are boring, painting a room is tedious and filing reports is downright dull.  However, you can overcome that and get things done. In the book (particularly Chapter 4), Jon Acuff has some great techniques for getting projects done and goals achieved.  I recommend you listen or read his book today!  It is actually a fun read!  Get after it, and add fun to done to your life! Special Thanks from Tommy Cakes I would like to thank Greg Burns from Natures Image Farm and Doneil Freeman from Freeman Family Farms for the INSPIRATION to do this Midweek Motivation Podcast.  You two ARE the wind beneath my wings! Also I would like to thank Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) for the "Kool Kats" theme music. Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/. Badda boom, badda bing!  Dat's how we do it!

By the spring of 1972, the Vietnam War - in which my U.S. Army brother and I both served - was supposed to be "winding down." President Richard Nixon's commitment to "Vietnamization" - training, equipping & "supporting" the South Vietnamese government & military - was well underway. In February 1972, the U.S. Army's 101st Airborne - the last U.S. ground combat division in The Republic of Vietnam - headed home. By March 1972, U.S. combat troop levels "in country" had dropped from a high of 500,000 American Soldiers & Marines in 1969 to just two Army brigades guarding fixed installations and a few thousand U.S. "advisors" embedded with South Vietnamese forces. With President Nixon facing re-election - and making overtures to Beijing & Moscow - North Vietnam's General Vo Nguyen Giap convinced the Politburo in Hanoi that the spring of 1972 was the "perfect time" to strike a devastating blow against the U.S. supported government in Saigon. Giap chose noon, Thursday, 30 March - the eve of Good Friday and Easter weekend and the holiest of holidays for Christians in South Vietnam - as "H-Hour." His intent was to make this assault an even greater propaganda victory than "Tet 1968." He nearly succeeded. Tens of thousands of North Vietnamese troops and hundreds of tanks and armored vehicles poured across the Demilitarized Zone and raced toward a strategic bridge U.S. Navy "Seabees" had built over the Cua Viet River near the town of Dong Ha, less than 8 miles south of the DMZ. It was there that a battalion of Vietnamese Marines and a handful of American advisors were all that stood in the way of the enemy. Among them - U.S. Marine Captain John Ripley - was determined to keep the North Vietnamese Army from crossing the river. The raw courage and personal resolve he showed has become legend in the annals of American military history. To make this riveting documentary, our War Stories team returned to Vietnam with my dear departed Marine friend, Colonel John Ripley. We retraced the epic battle & walked ground we both defended when we served in 3rd Battalion 3rd Marine Regiment. You'll also meet the South Vietnamese Marine Battalion Commander - Major Nguyen Binh - whose men fought to the death beside Captain Ripley in Dong Ha during the Easter '72 offensive. If you're not moved by the accounts of the eyewitness participants in this bloody fight, seek immediate medical attention. Your heart may have already stopped. That's an order!

Midweek Motivation is a weekly episode featuring the wisdom and stories of host Tommy Cakes. How many of you set your New Year’s Resolutions and gave it up already?  You need to keep going.  Results are not guaranteed, but you will be better off in the long run for trying. In case you are having trouble understanding the audio file, the following is a translation of the audio file from host Tommy Cakes. Who is Tommy Cakes? Live on the Small Scale Life Podcast, it is Midweek Motivation featuring Tommy Cakes. Hey, how are you?  I am Tommy Cakes.  Who am I?  I'm a guy from someplace, friends with some people and doing some things.  Don't worry about it! What I can tell you is that I am in the import and export business. I import knowledge I export that information at premium prices! I will give you a little coastal cosmopolitan insight and motivation weekly on Small Scale Life Introduction A lot of us get to the end of the year and we are excited to get a new slate and a new chance to do things different.  Many of us want to change something in our lives: Lose weight Get healthy Stop drinking Stop smoking Travel more Get ride of clutter Get organized Start a new business Others - yada yada yada How many of us set goals and resolutions for the New Year?  How many of us have already dropped by the wayside and punted on those goals? Statistically speaking, research has shown that 31 days after the first of the year, 64 percent of you have dropped your New Years Resolutions.  By March 1st, more than 80 percent of you have dropped those New Year’s Resolutions and goals.  You can see this at the gyms: the crowds that created standing room only and long wait times for equipment has eased up or evaporated completely. How many of you are like that?  Does one of these questions describe your state of mind: Do you get frustrated with your progress and results? Did you fall back into your same old patterns? Do you lack the time to put into this resolution? Do you lack a game plan for success? Did you forget the reason why you started? There are ways to break the chains of failure and defeat.  You can accomplish your goal successfully! 4 Tips to Keep Going It is tough to keep going, especially when times are tough.  Here are some ideas on how to keep motivated and making progress: Get a coach or accountability partner – Working with someone can help push and motivate you when you lose motivation. A good coach or accountability partner has your back and will keep you on task, even when times are hard.  After all, you don’t want to let that coach or accountability partner down! Start small; go low and slow – Too many of us go all out after we haven’t been doing something for a long time. Then we get really, really frustrated when change doesn’t happen or when you are sore.  Go low and slow, but do it consistently.  It will help with your recovery and motivation. Make it part of your daily routine – Block off some time every day to devote to your goal. Focus on that doing activities that get you closer to that goal during that time.  Do not get distracted by people or screens! Track your progress – Take notes and document your progress. It might not seem like you are moving a mountain initially, but when you look back after a month or a year, you will see how far you have come! Midweek Motivation Lesson: Keep Going Change is hard.  We are impatient creatures, and when results aren’t immediately seen, we throw up our hands and stop doing what we are doing. Keep going.  Keep pushing yourself.  You might be on the verge of a breakthrough, but you will never know if you give up.  Do the following things to keep going: Get a coach or accountability partner Start small; go low and slow Make it part of your daily routine Track your progress That’s all I got this week.  This is Tommy Cakes, and I’ll see you next week!  Bada boom, bada bing! Sources Sources for today’s Midweek Motivation include: New Study Reveals How Long New Year’s Resolutions Usually Last 80% of New Year's resolutions fail by February — here's how to keep yours How long do people keep their New Year resolutions? Special Thanks from Tommy Cakes I would like to thank Greg Burns from Natures Image Farm and Doneil Freeman from Freeman Family Farms for the INSPIRATION to do this Midweek Motivation Podcast.  You two ARE the wind beneath my wings! Also I would like to thank Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) for the "Kool Kats" theme music. Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/. Badda boom, badda bing!  Dat's how we do it!  

Highlights 1917 key events in review |@ 01:30 Wilson’s 14 points |@ 07:50 Crisis for the allies - Mike Shuster |@ 11:45 A Century in the Making - Sabin Howard |@ 16:45 Speaking WW1 - Tank |@ 25:00 The Education Program - Dr. Libby O’Connell |@ 26:30 100 Cities / 100 Memorials Round #2 deadline |@ 32:40 The Chaplains Corps in WW1 - Dr. John Boyd |@ 33:15 American Women Physicians in WW1 |@ 39:10 PAFA at Frist |@ 40:30 The Buzz - Katherine Akey |@ 41:15----more---- Opening Welcome to World War 1 centennial News episode #54 - It’s about WW1 THEN - what was happening 100 years ago this week  - and it’s about WW1 NOW - news and updates about the centennial and the commemoration. Today is January 12th, 2018 and our guests this week include: Mike Shuster discussing the situation facing Allied forces at the outset of 1918 Master sculptor Sabin Howard telling us about how, meeting a man named Richard Taylor is transforming his approach to creating the sculpture for the National World War One Memorial in Pershing Park Dr. Libby O’Connell speaking with us about the commission’s Education program Dr John Boyd with the history of chaplains in the Armed Forces during WWI And Katherine Akey, with the Buzz - with some great selections from the centennial of WWI in social media WW1 Centennial News is brought to you by the U.S. World War I Centennial Commission and the Pritzker Military Museum and Library. I’m Theo Mayer - the Chief Technologist for the Commission and your host. Welcome to the show. [MUSIC] Preface You know---- Our way-back machine not only travels in time, but also in space so as we roll back 100 years, but are also going up to 10 thousand feet to get a high level view of what happened in 1917 and a glance into the future for what to expect for this upcoming year ---  in the war the changed the world! [SOUND EFFECT] World War One THEN 100 Year Ago This Week [MUSIC TRANSITION] Looking back across 1917 from way up here,  we can see: Wilson being sworn in as the President who promises to keep us out of the war, but events early in the year, pressure from the allies, aggressive and presumptuous actions by Germany, builds up by spring to a declaration of war. We see a massive rush to mobilize for war. We see our allies struggling with ever more massive and devastating loss of treasure and men - standing on the brink of devastation - and we see the eastern allie - Russia - go through two revolutions in one year - the first - which collapses the Tsarist government - the second - late in the year -- when Lenin and the bolsheviks take over and effectively drop Russia out of the war, This is to Germany’s great delight, anticipating the freeing up of massive resources -- with which Germany can deal the allies - a knock-out punch - in an upcoming spring.   Let’s zoom down for a bit closer look at 1917   In late January, early February Germany resumes unrestricted submarine warfare - reneging on promises made to Wilson after the 1915 sinking of the Lusitania. The US severs diplomatic ties with Germany.   In an attempt to draw the US into the fight, Britain passes along a secret telegram showing an offer by Germany to Mexico promising great rewards including Texas and New Mexico - if Mexico will toss in with Germany - and help take down the US. This does not sit well. By March with Germany attacking shipping everywhere - the Wilson asks congress to put Navy armaments and sailors aboard US merchant ships. Congress doesn’t go for it - so he issues an executive order to the same effect. While over in Russia - Revolution #1 - and Tsar Nicholas II abdicates.. By the end of march, Germany’s blatant aggression against the US gets Wilson’s cabinet to vote unanimously in favor of declaring war. April is big… On the 2nd Wilson delivers a war address to congress, and four days later -  on April 6th -- congress votes to go to war. Over in Europe - French Commander in Chief General Robert Nivelle cranks up a strategic plan that is so flawed and costly in french soldiers lives --- it sets up a French army mutiny ----  NIvelle gets the boot - and the French forces come back online. In May America cranks up the war machine in a big way! Wilson appoints George Creel to head the Committee on Public Information.. Creating a historic government propaganda machine. Congress also passes the selective service act and all men between 18 and 32 have to register. Meanwhile - John J. Pershing is appointed to head of the American Expeditionary Force and goes over to France to assess the situation. June - To deal with strong war opposition at home -  congress passes the US Espionage Act - A massive attacks on “freedom of speech” that makes {QUOTE) all false statements intended to interfere with the military forces of the country or to promote the success of its enemies (UNQUOTE)  illegal. In other words - if you speak up against the draft or the war - you are going to prison. And people do. Same month, the first US troop arrive in France - but not yet to fight - they are there to prepare the way for our army. In July Pershing makes a request for an army of a million men - then just a few weeks later --- revises his request upwards to 3 million. On the fighting front, July, August and september see the first use of Mustard Gas on the battlefield --- and campaigns in the Belgic regions of Ypres and Passchendaele. America is busy building and equipping the largest fighting force of its young history. Money is raised, Industries are nationalized, units are mobilized, the population is galvanized by Mr. Creel and his minions. October marks a disastrous war effort for the italians at the battle of Caporetto --- and in November -  Revolution #2 - the bolsheviks take over  under Lenin and end the battle on the Eastern Front. November also sees the expanded use of a new war machine in the battlefield - the Tank! And at the end of the year - the Brits bring home a little holiday surprise as they finally turn around their struggle with the ottoman empire and defeat the Turks, taking Jerusalem in December. Wow -   Ok… now we’re gonna  zoom back up and look forward at 1918 from overview. Germany’s kaiserslacht, is their big offensive - hoping to deal the allies a death blow… it includes five major offensives over the spring and early summer; The allies lose ground - then gain it back with help of Americans who are coming online Things turn around --- and over the fall, the central powers admit defeat -- one by one so that in November, an armistice is declared… The fighting stops and now some of WWI’s most fascinating stories emerge - as the aftermath of the war, the negotiations, and America’s war cranked economy try to settle on and into a new world order. Wilson’s fourteen points It all actually starts this week. On January 8, 1918 President Woodrow Wilson addresses the U.S. Congress with what would later become known as his "Fourteen Points" the fundamental to America's War Aims.   Inconceivably … up until now, there has been no explicit statement of war aims by any of the nation’s who engaged in this mad destruction.   At his request, a team, led by Walter Lippmann --- and longtime Wilson advisor Colonel House generate a memorandum called “The War Aims and the Peace Terms it Suggests.” from which Wilson crafts one of his most important and influential speeches of his administration - the Fourteen Points. The first six enumerate the causes of world war, and urge: The elimination of secret treaties in favor of open agreements Free navigation of the seas Removal of all economic barriers and established equal trade between nations The reduction of armaments The adjustment of colonial claims and the self-determination of colonized populations in regard to their own sovereignty The evacuation of all Russian territory by the German armies The next seven proceed to rearrange the map of Europe, effectively eradicating the old imperial borders of specific territories and creating independent states. This included: the evacuation of Belgium, the release of French territory, (particularly Alsace-Lorraine), the readjustment of the frontiers of Italy into “clearly recognizable lines of nationality,” the autonomy of Austria-Hungary, the release of occupied territories in the Balkan states, the establishment of political and economic independence along “historically established lines of allegiance,” as well as access to the sea -  for the Serbs Assured sovereignty of Turkey from the Ottoman empire, as well as the right of other nationalities to develop autonomy The establishment of an independent Polish state, with access to the sea And, finally, his fourteenth point -- the creation of a world organization that would provide a system of collective security for all nations - the foundations of the League of Nations. An auspicious beginning for 1918, establishing  a world changing doctrine in what TRULY IS the war that changed the world! [poignant audio hit]   All year, we will be bringing you with us,. on an incredible journey through these amazing times for our national and our global heritage. There are stories of suffering and heroism, humanity and technology, defeat and triumph, diplomacy ...and diplomatic failures. Introducing Dr. Edward Lengel So --- To help us understand all this, starting next week, we will be joined regularly by Dr. Edward Lengel. Dr. Lengel is an American military historian, Chief Historian of the White House Historical Association and sits on the US WWI Centennial Commission’s historical advisory board. Ed gives historians a good name! He is smart, well spoken, an author, and a devout storyteller. We look forward to his contributions to WW1 Centennial News THEN… State of the war front end of 1917: http://today-in-wwi.tumblr.com/post/169156769262/state-of-the-war-end-of-1917 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_G._Lengel [SOUND EFFECT] Great War Project Back with us now is Mike Shuster - former NPR correspondent and curator for the Great War Project Blog. Mike - first of all - welcome back - we missed you over the Holidays -  so… your January post CRISIS FOR THE ALLIES is a great setup piece for 1918 - what are they facing as they roll into the new year? [Mike Shuster] Mike Shuster from the Great War Project blog. We also put some links in the Podcast notes to the articles we missed from Mike over the Holidays. LINK: http://greatwarproject.org/2018/01/07/american-force-resists-integration/ http://greatwarproject.org/2017/12/21/starvation/ http://greatwarproject.org/2017/12/18/the-grim-reality-facing-the-british/   [SOUND EFFECT]   The Great War Channel Over to the Great War Channel on Youtube - They have been producing videos about WW1 since 2014  from a european perspective. A bunch of new episodes were released over the last weeks, including: Transcaucasia in World War One The Sopwith Snipe - WW1 Pilot’s Gear Machinations in the British High Command Inside the Rolls Royce Armoured Car German Anti Tank Units And more. To see their videos about WWI Follow the link in the podcast notes or search for “the great war” on youtube. Link: https://www.youtube.com/user/TheGreatWar World War One NOW It is time to fast forward into the present with  WW1 Centennial News NOW - [SOUND EFFECT] this section is not about history, but rather - it explores what is happening now to commemorate the centennial of the War that changed the world!   A century in the making For 2018 we are introducing a new segment - It’s called: A century in the making - America’s WW1 Memorial in Washington DC. As our regular listeners know, we are building a   national WWI Memorial at Pershing Park in the capitol. It’s a big project. It’s complicated. It’s hard. It’s been a long time coming. So over the coming weeks, we are going to be bringing you along on an insider’s journey that explores this grand undertaking and adventure. The centerpiece of the memorial -  located in this urban park -  just two blocks from the White House -  is planned as a massive bronze bas-relief sculpture that tells the story of both the human and the national experience of the war that changed the world. Joe Weishaar - our brilliant young visionary, who won the international design competition for this memorial -- brought in an incredibly talented artist and sculptor onto his team - Sabin Howard… a traditionally trained - modern classicist sculptor - Sabin has taken on the challenge of telling the American WWI story at scale, in bronze, and for posterity. Sabin Howard - Meeting Richard Taylor So we are going to kick off this series with an interesting story about how Sabin - the traditionalist - has gotten hooked up with Richard Taylor - a tech visionary who has helped Directors Peter Jackson and James Cameron manifest their visions for Lord of the Rings and Avatar…. Welcome, Sabin! Sabin, You are a traditionally trained sculptor - a Modern Classicist - you work with the human form - in a very traditional way - but for this project you are combining classic sculpture with some very high tech. How did that happen, and how are you using cutting edge technology in creating this master work for America? [SABIN INTERVIEW PART I] That was the first installment of “A century in the making - America’s WW1 Memorial in Washington DC” Next week, Sabin will tell us how he is integrating his traditional sketch and clay sculpture process with 3D imaging, programmable milling and additive manufacturing technologies to literally cut years into months for the test / iterate / and retest process in creating a maquette - a 9 foot manifestation of the sculpture. Only YOU can build this memorial “A century in the making” has another part to it that is unique for our weekly podcast. You are more involved in this project than you may realize. Congress - who authorized this memorial - made it the LAW that the National WWI memorial has to be built with individual and corporate funding - no government funding allowed!  Only you can build this memorial -- So I’m going to be asking you to go to WW1CC.org/memorial --- to help honor the memory of those who shaped the world we enjoy today -- with their honest and genuine commitment to our American ideals --- and their personal sacrifice of effort and blood - Now Wer’e not asking you to jump into a bunker with mud and lice ---- all we are asking you to do is to go to wwicc.org/memorial or just pick up your cell phone - heck- it’s probably in you hand right now! Go to your texting app and text the letters ww1 to the number 91999. You can give any amount - Give once or “subscribe to the project” with a monthly gift ===  because you see - this really IS America’s WWI Memorial. Thank you - link:http://www.sabinhoward.com/WW1cc/ https://www.theepochtimes.com/the-next-step-in-a-soldiers-journey_2397769.html https://fineartconnoisseur.com/ www.ww1cc.org/memorial Events As we enter 2018, many commemorations, both big and small, are coming up to remember and honor the service of America and Americans during WW1. You’ll find many of these in the U.S. National WW1 Centennial Events Register at ww1cc.org/events. There are events all across the US and we are now beginning to add key events from abroad as well. On any given day you’ll find literally dozens of WWI related events listed - small, local commemorations and large, international ones. The register is America’s official record of commemorations of the centennial of WWI And you can add your OWN WWI centennial event to the register - with the big red SUBMIT MY EVENT button on the page - even including livestream and social media events. And finally, we wanted to share with you that the American Battle Monuments Commission has published its upcoming commemorative events in France and Belgium. The link to that calendar is included in the podcast notes. Link: www.ww1cc.org/events https://www.abmc.gov/news-events/news/world-war-i-centennial-ceremonies-abmc-sites#.WkzlsdKnFlZ Speaking WW1 And now for our feature “Speaking World War 1” - Where we explore the words & phrases that are rooted in the war  --- One of most iconic new weapon technologies of WWI is the tank. “They rode into WWI on Horses and rode out on Tanks” is a popular phrase that describes the times. This is the grand evolution of the Armored car,  and every side in the conflict tried to create an effective machine. but the British beat everyone to the punch with their Landship, premiering the Mark I in September, 1916. Until then - this was a new secret weapon! The machines were called "tanks" in a ruse describing the big metal things as "water carriers," supposedly for use on the Mesopotamian Front. So in conversation --  the engineers referred to them as "water tanks" or, simply, "tanks." Interestingly, the British Landships Committee even decided to change its name for the same secretive reason, renaming itself the Tank Supply Committee. By the time the machines rolled over the fields of Cambrai in the winter of 1917, not only did the tanks get stuck - but so did the name… no one went for the name land ships - they were simply known then and are still today --- as Tanks -- this week’s word for Speaking WW1. See the podcast notes to learn more! link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_tank Education Interview with Dr. Libby O’Connell In our Education section  -- As we tell every week in our closing - bringing the lessons of WWI into the classroom is one of the Commission’s prime goals - and here to tell us more about the Commission’s education program is Commissioner Dr. Libby O’Connell. Welcome, Libby! [greetings] To start, could you tell us a bit about the education initiative at the commission?  What’s happening now and what are the goals for 2018? Libby - I understand you are now tying the education program to the Memorial program - how does that work? Thanks so much for being on the show again! Dr. Libby O’Connell, World War One Centennial Commissioner, historian and author. Learn more about the education program at ww1cc.org/edu or by following the link in the podcast notes. link:http://www.worldwar1centennial.org/educate-home.html 100 Cities/100 Memorials [SOUND EFFECT Moving on to our 100 Cities / 100 Memorials segment about the $200,000 matching grant challenge to rescue and focus on our local WWI memorials. This coming Monday - January 15, 2018 - the submission period for the second and final round of grant application-- closes. Then we will start the process of selecting the second 50 Awardees to round out the 100 awardees. Check the podcast notes for a link to the program or go to ww1cc.org/100memorials. Link: www.ww1cc.org/100memorials Remembering Veterans Chaplains in the War This week in our Remembering Veterans section -- we’re joined by Dr John "Jay" Boyd,  Historian for the United States Army Chaplain Corps. He is here to tell us more about the history of chaplains in the armed forces and their special role during World War One. Welcome, Dr. Boyd! Dr. Boyd, just to start us off -- What IS a chaplain and what is their role in the military? In WW1- we suddenly had an army - and it was made up of a very diverse group of soldiers -  Was any attention given to the increasing diversity of the troops? There are many stories about the chaplains of World War 1-- does any one in particular stand out to you? Do you have a favorite? Thank you so much for joining us. Dr. John Boyd is the Historian for the United States Army Chaplain Corps. Learn more about chaplains in the military by following the links in the podcast notes. Link: http://usachcs.tradoc.army.mil/ http://bpnews.net/48738/us-entry-to-wwi-remembered-as-chaplaincy-catalyst http://archnyarchives.org/2015/11/10/military-chaplains-in-world-war-i/ http://mentalfloss.com/article/29695/12-heroic-us-military-chaplains [SOUND EFFECT] Articles and Posts American Women Physicians Calling all women doctors - This story is for you!! In articles and posts-- from our rapidly growing website at ww1cc.org -this week, this week there is an article about the American Medical Women’s Association (AMWA) - Now they have created a remarkable new online exhibit, "American Women Physicians in World War I". When the United States entered the war in 1917, women physicians numbered less than 5% of all doctors. Many were eager for the chance to serve their country. But when the Army Surgeon General sent out a call for physicians to serve in the Medical Corps, the women who applied were rejected. Women physician leaders across the country protested this decision and petitioned the government, but the War Department didn’t budge. Despite the stance of the Government, women physicians found ways to participate. Some became civilian contract surgeons in the U.S. Army or served with the French Army. Others volunteered with humanitarian relief organizations. Learn about this amazing story and women physician’s contributions and legacy in WWI by reading the article or by visiting the online exhibit using the links in the podcast notes. Link: http://www.worldwar1centennial.org/index.php/communicate/press-media/wwi-centennial-news/3926-new-online-exhibit-explores-american-women-physicians-in-world-war-i.html https://www.amwa-doc.org/wwi-exhibition/   WW1 And American Art: Interview Also in Articles and posts this week, we recently interviewed the staff of the Frist Center in Nashville, Tennessee, to discuss the landmark exhibition World War One and American Art, which was organized by the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. The exhibition has been touring the country for the last year and is on view at the Frist through January 21st. The exhibit includes 140 works in all kinds of media, including the monumentally large John Singer Sargeant piece -- Gassed. Frist Center curators and directorial staff responded to our questions about the show, about the war, and about impact on the local region. Read the interview by following the link in the podcast notes. Link: http://www.worldwar1centennial.org/index.php/communicate/press-media/wwi-centennial-news/3923-last-chance-to-experience-world-war-i-and-american-art-exhibit-at-the-frist-center-in-nashville.html   The Buzz - WW1 in Social Media Posts And that brings us to the buzz - the centennial of WW1 this week in social media with Katherine Akey - Katherine, what did you pick to tell us about this week? [Katherine Akey] Hi Theo! Follow up to the Halifax Explosion Happy New Year, everyone! We’re glad to be back. Before we broke for the holidays in December, we talked a fair amount about the disastrous Halifax explosion of 1917. Recently, we shared an article on our Facebook page with some interesting contemporary news about that very incident. The article outlines the discovery by a Canadian arborist of some odd material lodged in a large pine tree near Halifax -- debris from the explosion 100 years ago. Shards of unidentified flying objects got lodged into the city’s canopy when the explosion occurred and to this day, lumber mills as far as the southern United States still don’t dare touch logs from Halifax, knowing some hidden metal artifact could wreck their machinery. Read more about the history hidden in the trees around Halifax by visiting the article at the link in the podcast notes. link:http://www.macleans.ca/news/canada/a-century-after-the-halifax-explosion-grim-reminders-can-still-be-found-in-trees/ The Poilu Censorship Workaround Lastly this week, I wanted to share a really amazing article from the Centenaire website, the official national centennial organization in France. The story comes from the Municipal Archives of Marseille, where one archivist discovered a sneaky and smart strategy to get around the heavy censoring of wartime letters. Jean Bouyala, who went on after the war to become a prominent surgeon, was one of several Poilus who found a way to write secret messages on their letters. It sounds bizarre, but by writing first using their saliva, then having the letter’s recipient brush black ink over the page, the saliva stanzas become legible, a darker black writing in the midst of the ink wash on the page. This way, the Poilu were able to send home messages that would otherwise have been blocked by the censor. A link to the article is in the podcast notes along with photographs of the magic-ink letters. Saliva-- the key to clandestine correspondence! And that’s it this week for the Buzz! Llink:http://centenaire.org/fr/tresors-darchives/le-secret-des-poilus-pour-dejouer-la-censure Outro Thank you all for listening to another episode of WW1 Centennial News. We want to thank our guests... Mike Shuster from the Great War Project Blog Sabin Howard, master sculptor and artist Dr. Libby O’Connell, World War One Centennial Commissioner, author and Historian Dr John Boyd, Historian for the United States Army Chaplain Corps And Katherine Akey, the shows line producer and the commision’s social media director… And I am Theo Mayer - your host. The US World War One Centennial Commission was created by Congress to honor, commemorate and educate about WW1. Our programs are to-- inspire a national conversation and awareness about WW1; this podcast is a part of that…. Thank you! We are bringing the lessons of the 100 years ago into today's classrooms; We are helping to restore WW1 memorials in communities of all sizes across our country; and of course we are building America’s National WW1 Memorial in Washington DC. We want to thank commission’s founding sponsor the Pritzker Military Museum and Library for their support. The podcast can be found on our website at ww1cc.org/cn   on  iTunes and google play ww1 Centennial News, and on Amazon Echo or other Alexa enabled devices. Just say: Alexa: Play W W One Centennial News Podcast. Our twitter and instagram handles are both @ww1cc and we are on facebook @ww1centennial. Thank you for joining us. And don’t forget to share the stories you are hearing here today about the war that changed the world! [music] We’ll the only thing I can think to say is.. Tanks a lot... So long!

Each new year is full of resolutions, goals and ideas. By March most people have reverted back to their old ways. If you are tired of being last and want to learn how to win in 2018. Join the man who knows what winning is all about. Best selling author, real estate broker and investor Louis Howard as he shares powerful principles that can make you a millionaire

On June 23rd 2016 the UK people narrowly voted to leave the EU but where are we now? By March 2019 the U.K need to strike a deal with the EU to navigate Brexit effectively. However what is the process in between? >What has happened so far? >What is scheduled to happen? >What do the UK want? >What does the EU want? >What do different EU nations want? Any questions, comments or equiries? hello@disunomics.com Shout outs: @Th3Conversation - Twitter @thecnvrstn @demoballingPB - Twitter @Demoballing - IG www.demo-balling.com learn how to trade the forex markets! My podcasts are mastered by the excellent Complex Studios. For more information check them out! www.thecomplexstudio.co.uk

Ancient archaeological Site found on the Coast For as long as I can remember, archaeologists have been talking about the ice free corridor that ran from Alaska, across the Bering Strait to Russia and all the way past Calgary. We were told that this was the route that the ancestors of all the first nations on the continent would have taken as they migrated from Asia to the new world. Back in episode 6 (www.mountainnaturepodcast.com/ep006 I talked about some chinks in the armour of that tried and true theory. Two studies cast some serious doubt on the ice free corridor migration. In one study, researchers looked into a large glacial lake called Lake Peace that sat smack dab in the middle of the corridor. It would have completely blocked the route of any traveler looking to make their way through the corridor. As they examined the sediments below this lake, they learned that food animals like bison and jack rabbits didn't show up in the sediments until around 12,500 years ago. They theorize that the landscape did not support enough food for anyone migrating through the area before that time. The lack of food resources would have stopped any large scale migration. By the time this route would have opened up, archaeological sites farther south would have made these travelers followers rather than leaders. Other studies have shown possible human sites in Monte Verde South America at least 15,000 years ago and in Florida 14,500 years ago. It seems there must have been another way to get south. A second study looked at bison populations through the ice free corridor. Researchers investigate 78 skulls from now-extinct steppe bison and examined the mitochondrial DNA. They also carbon dated the fossils. Prior to the opening of the corridor, both populations had been separated for a long enough period to be considered different genetic populations. It wasn't until 13,000 years ago that the two groups of bison began to intermingle. The fossil dates also imply that the corridor opened up from south to north as opposed to the other way around. Based on the dates of some of these other sites, like Monte Verde, people had already made it south of the corridor by that time. Scientists have long speculated about a possible coastal migration route, but for years, there was not a speck of evidence of an actual coastal migration. Part of the reason is likely that some areas would have been submerged by rising ocean levels as the glaciers melted. Finally, recent discoveries off the coast of British Columbia have found a 14,000-year-old site on Triquet Island, a lonely island some 133 km north of Port Moody which is located on the north end of Vancouver Island. 14,000 years makes this site one of the earliest cultural sites on the continent, with the exception of a few already mentioned in this story. It also shows there may have been a viable coastal route long before any ice-free corridor opened up. The first nations that call Triquet Island home are the Heitsuk Nation. For generations,  their oral traditions have talked about an area of land that never froze during the ice age. The Hietsuk stayed there as a refuge during those years. For the Heitsuk, it is an affirmation of their long-held oral history. It is also yet another example of first nations oral histories proving to be more factual than some of the western histories. After all, it was first nations stories that led to the discovery of both of the lost Franklin ships over the past several years after remaining hidden to history for more than 170 years. The site revealed fish hooks, spears and fire making materials. All it took was a small amount of charcoal from one of the fire pits to carbon date the site. One of the most puzzling parts of the story is that in the area of Triquet Island, the ocean levels remained fairly consistent over the millennia. This allowed for the island to remain inhabited throughout many thousands of years. As archaeologists excavated through the layers of dirt, with each representing a layer of time, they could see an evolution of hunting and fishing techniques. The research was led by Alisha Gaubreau, a Ph.D. student at the University of Victoria, along with a scholar from the Hakai Institute. This research organization focuses on long-term studies of remote areas of coastal British Columbia. This is an amazing discovery and may help to spur a flurry of new studies across a variety of scientific disciplines as researchers try to ferret out additional clues to potential coastal migration routes. Does this mean that nobody walked through the ice-free corridor - absolutely not. They may not have been the first to see the lands south of the corridor, but I still like to think of them as the first Calgary Stampede. A Ribbon of Steel was just a National Dream When we look at the opening up of western Canada, two great events stand out. The fur trade which opened a vast land to exploration, and the Canadian Pacific Railway. This ribbon of steel really is the tie that binds this nation together and without it Canada might not exist...at least not in the way it does today. Prior to our building an all Canadian railway, a lot of talk drifted north from the U. S. about annexation of the Canadian west. One American politician was elected with the rallying cry of 54-40 or fight! Forget the 49th parallel, they wanted everything up to the 54th. That would have put a real dent in western Canada especially when you realize that communities like Banff are just on the 51st parallel. When we hear about the ‘Oregon’ territory, it was NOT the state of Oregon, it was a much larger area. It included present day Oregon, Washington and the lower half of British Columbia. It was much later that the various states were delineated. Well lucky for us, but unlucky for Americans, American intentions were diverted south by the Civil War. What that horrible conflict did for Canada was it bought us time, time to cement our sovereignty over our western lands. Prior to B.C. joining confederation, it had already experienced a gold rush in 1858 that saw some 30,000 prospectors flood into the territory. As a result, the British government created the colony of B.C. that same year. Just 6 years later, in 1964, they instituted a kind of representative government. Simultaneously the colonies in the eastern part of British North America were talking about Confederation. A legislative assembly with a regional governor was established in 1866 which placed Victoria as the capital. Some debate occurred in British Columbia about joining the fledgling nation of Canada in order to provide some security against American aspirations in the western portions of North America, especially after the U.S. purchased Alaska in March of 1867. While there was support in B.C. towards joining Canada, there was also some staunch opposition. However in 1869, when Canada purchased Rupert’s Land and the Northwest Territories from the Hudson’s Bay Company, suddenly the new nation was right up to the eastern boundary of the colony. A three person delegation was sent to Ottawa and after some heated debate, politicians in Ottawa did what politicians do, they sat down with their counterparts from British Columbia and they began to make promises. They said: “if you join Canada we’ll build you a railway” and British Columbia said ‘sold’. In fact, they joined Canada so fast that they joined as a full province on July 20, 1871, when this country was just 4 years old. That may not sound impressive, until you realize that Alberta and Saskatchewan did not become provinces until 1905, more than 30 years later. Nobody knew better than British Columbians how important this link with the rest of the country would be, but also how impossible it would be to build. The government dispatched an army of surveyors across the western wilderness in order to find a route for the transcontinental railway. Pierre Burton in his book The National Dream stated: “no life was harsher than that suffered by members of the Canadian Pacific Survey crews and none was less rewarding, underpaid, overworked, exiled from their families, deprived of their mail, sleeping in slime and snowdrifts, suffering from sunstroke, frostbite, scurvy, fatigue and the tensions that always rise to the surface when weary dispirited men are thrown together for long periods of isolation, the surveyors kept on, year after year Pierre Burton in his book The National Dream stated: “no life was harsher than that suffered by members of the Canadian Pacific Survey crews and none was less rewarding, underpaid, overworked, exiled from their families, deprived of their mail, sleeping in slime and snowdrifts, suffering from sunstroke, frostbite, scurvy, fatigue and the tensions that always rise to the surface when weary dispirited men are thrown together for long periods of isolation, the surveyors kept on, year after year “No life was harsher than that suffered by members of the Canadian Pacific Survey crews and none was less rewarding, underpaid, overworked, exiled from their families, deprived of their mail, sleeping in slime and snowdrifts, suffering from sunstroke, frostbite, scurvy, fatigue and the tensions that always rise to the surface when weary dispirited men are thrown together for long periods of isolation, the surveyors kept on, year after year They explored great sections of Canada--the first engineers scaled mountains that had never before been climbed, crossed lakes that had never known a white man's paddle and forded rivers that were not on any map. They walked with a uniform stride developed through years of habit, measuring the distances as they went, checking altitudes with an aneroid barometer slung around the neck and examining the land with a practiced gaze, always seeing in the mind's eye the finished line of steel--curves, grades, valley crossings, bridges and trestles, tunnels, cuts and fills” Seventy-four thousand kilometres of Canadian wilderness were surveyed during the first 6 years of the survey. Of that, 12,000 was properly charted. Many of the people we refer to as ‘surveyors’ were really just the first step of the process. Men like A.B. Rogers really should be referred to as the pathfinders. A long line of others would need to follow their footsteps once a route was determined. First came the axemen who cleared the route of brush, making way for the chainmen. They would break the line into 30m or 100-foot sections and place a stake at the end of each section and labeled with how many chain lengths it was from the start of the division. Behind them came the transit men. They’re the mathletes of the crew. They’ll look at each bend in the route and estimate the angles of the turns. They note river crossings, changes in landscape and obstacles the route may encounter. And finally, come the levelers who placed elevation benchmarks every 1,500 feet or 457 metres. By 1877, 25,000 bench marks had been placed and more than 600,000 stakes had been pounded in by the Chainmen. It wasn’t long before the chief surveyor, Sandford Fleming found it difficult to find men that were tough enough to endure the challenges of survey life. By mid-summer 1871, he had already dispatched some 800 men on 21 survey parties but many of them were unfit to the task. As he wrote: "Many of those we were obliged to take, subsequent events proved, were unequal to the very arduous labour they had to undergo, causing a very considerable delay and difficulty in pushing the work." He also had to deal with political meddling and nepotism. He was constantly pressured to hire family members or friends of eastern politicians. With unfit and incompetent men in the wilderness, entire crews simply abandoned their posts when the going got tough. In the season of 1871-2, two parties simply quit and wandered home when the temperatures started to get cold. The surveyors traveled through areas where the local first nations had never before seen a white man. On surveyor, Henry Cambie came across a group of natives that would simply not believe that hair actually grew on his face. Another surveyor accepted a seat on a bear skin rug next to a young native woman, not realizing that that was the equivalent of a marriage proposal. After a few tense negotiations, he managed to trade her back to her father for a nice ring that he had been wearing. In the winter of 1875-6, the expedition of E.W. Jarvis in the Smoky River Pass in the Rockies really highlighted the hardships these surveyors endured. In January, Jarvis, along with his assistant C.F. Hannington and dogmaster Alec Macdonald headed out from Fort George with 6 natives and 20 dogs. The weather dropped to -47C. One evening Macdonald knocked on the door of their winter shack completely encased in ice from head to toe. Another day, as they got the dogsleds ready to go in the morning, the lead dog stood up, gave a feeble tail wag and then fell over dead with his legs frozen solid right up to the shoulder. They carried few supplies and just two blankets each and a thin cotton sheet for a tent. After a time, they began to suffer from ‘mal de raquette’ or snowshoe sickness which left them lame simply from walking hundreds of kilometres in large snowshoes. As can often do in the mountains, they experienced a brief chinook wind on one occasion with the temperature increasing from -42C to +4C in a single day. The sudden change left them exhausted. Another morning, they were mushing along the frozen surface of a river when they had to stop suddenly when they found the entire dog team on the thinly frozen overhang of a waterfall. Beneath their feet, the river plunged 65m. Another evening, they made camp beneath the beautiful blue of a glacier. In the middle of the night, huge blocks of ice broke off of the glacier and came crashing through their camp. They described: "masses of ice and rock chasing one another and leaping from point to point as if playing some weird, gigantic game" Surprisingly, even though a chunk of limestone more than 3 metres thick bounced past them, they were left somewhat dazed but even more surprisingly, unharmed. By March, their dogs were dying on a daily basis and the men began to believe that they would never see their families again. At one point Hannington wrote in his journal: "I have been thinking of 'the dearest spot on earth to me' - of our Mother and Father and all my brothers and sisters and friends--of the happy days at home--of all the good deeds I have left undone and all the bad ones committed. If ever our bones will be discovered, when and by whom. If our friends will mourn long for us or do as is often done, forget us as soon as possible. In short, I have been looking death in the face..." In the end, though they did survive. Hannington had lost 15 kg and when they finally reached Fort Edmonton and received fresh food and water it brought on spasms of dysentery and vomiting as it had been so long since they had eaten proper food. In the end, they covered 3036 km over 162 days on the trail. Fifteen hundred of those kilometres were done on snowshoes with the final 530 carrying all of their supplies on their backs because, by this time, all their dogs were dead. Usually, about this point, people come up with a pretty good question...why? Clearly, the work left a little to be desired and the pay, well the pay was even worse. The answer to that question can also be summed up in one word – immortality. They hoped that somewhere along the way their name would linger on a map or, hope beyond hope, that they would go down as the man who had found the route through which the transcontinental railway would pass. We’ll continue this story in future episodes. Golden Eagles People often have a vision of the mountains with eagles soaring overhead and wolves howling in the distance. These idealized pictures often hide the harsh realities of mountain life. It's a tough place to earn a living. In 35 years of guiding, I have yet to hear a wolf howl, lots and lots of coyotes, but nary a wolf. Never has a cougar crossed my path, wolverines, yes, but no cougars. The mountain landscape is a place of secrets with animals and birds constantly striving to survive in a landscape that constantly conspires against them. Travel to the north coast of British Columbia and you've entered the land of milk and honey for many animals and birds. You'll find yourself tripping over bald eagles and great-blue herons. The density of black and grizzly populations can be an order of magnitude higher than it is here simply because there is more food. Golden eagles are a northern specialist. They thrive in high latitude landscapes hunting many of the small game animals that share their environment. They are also the most popular avian national animal. Golden eagles are the emblem of Albania, Germany, Austria, Mexico, and Kazakhstan. They are an exciting siting in the Canadian Rockies, but in 1992, biologist Peter Sherrington stumbled upon something truly unique on an outing in Kananaskis Country in March of that year. As he looked up from the top of a small summit, he noticed a tiny speck high above him. As he studied it, he realized it was a golden eagle. Cool, I've just won the wildlife lottery for the day. Before long though, there was another speck, and then another. Any time you see a single golden eagle is exciting, but to see more than one, astounding. By the end of the day, he had counted more than 100. It didn't take Sherrington long to realize that something was out of the ordinary. As he put it in a recent story in the Calgary Herald: "Every time we looked up, there were more golden eagles,” he said. “Everybody thought of the mountains as barriers, but we established they were very serious avian highways.” Sherrington has spent every spring and fall since staking out the area as the research director for the Rocky Mountain Eagle Research Foundation. Now at age 72, he has the opportunity to share the spectacle with thousands of visitors each year that flock to the area to see the spring and fall migrations of golden eagles. Just how many eagles pass through this area every spring and fall? When the foundation first began tracking eagles, there were some 4,000/season. Last year only saw 2,500. In fall of 2007, they witnessed almost 5,500 golden eagles. According to Sherington, this is "the greatest eagle migration in the world, and it's right on our doorstep. It truly is a world-class phenomenon." The drop in numbers of the years that the foundation has been counting the eagles is a reflection of the environments that they call home. They overwinter in the states where they are occasionally captured in traps meant for coyotes. However, it may be more a reflection of snowshoe hare populations in their summer homes in the far northern areas of Alaska and the Yukon. It won't be long before the eagles begin to point south at the end of the summer nesting and hunting season. If you'd like to volunteer with the foundation or learn more about their work, you can visit them on their website at www.eaglewatch.ca. Next up, British Columbia abdicates its responsibility for managing wildlife New BC Wildlife Agency Announced Conservation organizations in British Columbia are reeling after the provincial government announced the creation of a new Wildlife Management Agency to be funded by hunting revenues. In late March 2017 the B.C. Government announced that all the revenue from hunting licenses would be reinvested into wildlife management in the province. B.C.'s Minister of Forests, Steve Tomson called it "a significant investment and significant initiative on the part of the provincial government". He went on to state: "This will have great benefit for wildlife populations and wildlife management in British Columbia. It will benefit rural communities throughout the province," Along with a proposed budget of $5million in the first year and revenues of 9-10 million on subsequent years, $200,000 was budgeted as part of a consultation process to determine the structure and priorities of the new agency. British Columbia organizations related to hunting are applauding the move, including the B.C. Wildlife Federation, Guide Outfitters Association of B.C., Wild Sheep Society of B.C., Wildlife Stewardship Council and the B.C. Trappers Association. All five agencies signed a memorandum of understanding to collaborate in supporting the new agency. Not a single, not consumptive conservation organization has stepped up to support this new agency. As a biologist, this seems like the hunting groups are lining up to manage the organization and that seems a little like the fox guarding the chicken coop to me. Time and again, hunting organizations focus only on huntable species. How do we protect the remainder of the 136 species of mammals, 488 species of birds, 20 amphibians and 16 reptiles? On June 27, twenty-three organizations focusing on protecting wildlife in British Columbia sent an open letter to the province. The organizations include the B.C. SPCA, Bear Matters, Get Bear Smart Society, Humane Society, Raincoast Conservation Foundation, the Wildlife Defense League, Wolf Awareness Inc and Zoocheck Canada, amongst numerous other stakeholders. In the letter, they state: "The wildlife of the province belongs to all British Columbians and has by law been held by the government in trust, to conserve the wildlife itself, and to ensure the rights of all members of the public. The British Columbia Wildlife Act states that “Ownership in all wildlife in British Columbia is vested in the government.” That means that elected representatives can be held accountable for their wildlife decisions through general elections and in courts. Indeed, a groundswell of public unhappiness with the way our wildlife has been mismanaged (grizzly bear trophy hunt) was a significant issue in the recent election." It continues "In announcing the proposed new agency, Energy and Mines Minister Bill Bennett stated in the media that “The government is afraid to manage wolves, or afraid to manage grizzly bears in some cases because of the politics of that. Hopefully, an agency that is separate from government can make decisions that are in the best long-term interest of wildlife and just forget about the politics and do what is best for the animals.” The letter continues: "We are sorry to learn that Minister Bennett believes our government representatives cannot apply the wildlife laws and science in an unbiased manner, since we believed that’s what they were elected to do. However, they are accountable to voters, whereas an independent agency would not be. It would have no duty to represent all British Columbians, and would be far more susceptible to influence by special interest groups." Finally, the letter calls for the government to: Cancel the plan for an “independent” agency. Increase the wildlife management staff and funding of government ministries. Recognize that BC has a biodiversity crisis; it requires a shift in focus from juggling numbers of game animals for hunters, to applying the science of ecology. Recognize that all British Columbians are stakeholders in our wildlife. All interest groups should be equally empowered. Only about 2% of the total BC population are registered hunters, whereas a huge majority of British Columbians care about the welfare of our wildlife and ecosystems. A wildlife agency that is not tied to the government for accountability would mean that there was no requirement for the province to intervene in wildlife matters. It creates a situation where special interest groups can move in and manage based on their own agenda. In addition, if the funding is based upon hunting revenue, there is an inherent motivation to increase that revenue by granting more hunting permits. It's a negative spiral that could easily result in priorities being shifted away from things like wildlife viewing and towards consumptive uses like hunting and trapping which fund the program. Numerous studies have shown that wildlife viewing brings in much more money to the provincial coffers than does hunting. This is particularly true for iconic species like whales and grizzly bears. Birding as well is a huge economic driver. And generates 10s of millions of dollars annually to the B.C. economy. Under the species at risk at, the B.C. Government is required by law to develop recovery plans for designated species. They cannot simply sidestep federal law by saying that we aren't in charge of wildlife anymore. I stand with these organizations against a government that is abdicating its responsibility to manage wildlife in a sustainable way. If you want to get involved, send a letter to your MLA if you live in British Columbia. Every voice counts.

The Filmmakers Podcast is a small fraction of the critical conversations currently taking place across the indie film community. The podcast reaches out to the next generation of filmmakers, who continue to look for inspiration and guidance. On today's show the host Damien Swaby will be talking to Shema Jones Born in Houston, TX, and raised in Los Angeles, CA, where her love and passion for performing arts is taking her to places she's always dreamed of. Shema's had the opportunity to be a part of the film industry on and off since she was signed with, Academy Kids, at just 10 years old. In 2014, she took home the Nashville Film Festival Sci-Fi Short Screenwriting Award. Within the past few years, she's booked two international commercials (Nissan & ShoeDazzle), starred in five short films & co-starred in one feature (notably, 'A LOVE UNDEFINED' was an official selection of Atlanta's 2015 Bronze Lens Film Festival), & wrote & self-published a positive mantra book: 'Shema Jones | Life Notes'; all while representing herself. After writing, co-directing, starring in and producing her first dramatic short last year, 'A LOVE UNDEFINED', she ventured into the production side of the film industry. Her journey as a production assistant lasted for less than six months and by January 2016, she was hired by a production house in North Hollywood, HDFilms, as a production coordinator and producer. There she simultaneously assisted in the coordination of three hosted/loosely scripted shows: 'Movie3Some', 'Reel Kids', and 'Weekend Ticket'. By March of 2016, she accepted a position as a visual creative in the production department of her choice of worship, Cottonwood Church of Los Alamitos, CA. Now in 2017, the possibilities are endless! She's currently producing a psychological, sci-fi piece that she's co-written, co-directing, and starring in under her filmmaking/film-loving hub: fiktiv™ FILMS. Shema is an award-winning actress, writer, and overall creative excited about pushing her seemingly limits & growing to become one of the greatest to ever do it. Withholding two degrees, an Associate of Arts in Fashion Design/Marketing & a Bachelor of Science in Organizational Communication ... Shema's showing no signs of slowing down; actively making her mark throughout film, spreading love, style, & understanding ... the world is definitely in for some awesomeness from this Pisces creative. twitter: @DamienSwaby @JustShemaBaby Instagram: @damien_swaby_videographer @JustShemaBaby Here is her showreel https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zUG6O8wE6tY

Malcolm X May 19, 1925 – February 21, 1965 born Malcolm Little was an American Muslim minister and human rights activist. To his admirers he was a courageous advocate for the rights of blacks, a man who indicted white America in the harshest terms for its crimes against black Americans; detractors accused him of preaching racism and violence. He has been called one of the greatest and most influential African Americans in history. Malcolm X was effectively orphaned early in life. His father was killed when he was six and his mother was placed in a mental hospital when he was thirteen, after which he lived in a series of foster homes. In 1946, at age 20, he went to prison for larceny and breaking and entering. While in prison, Malcolm X became a member of the Nation of Islam, and after his parole in 1952, quickly rose to become one of the organization's most influential leaders. He served as the public face of the controversial group for a dozen years. In his autobiography, Malcolm X wrote proudly of some of the social achievements the Nation made while he was a member, particularly its free drug rehabilitation program. The Nation promoted black supremacy, advocated the separation of black and white Americans, and rejected the civil rights movement for its emphasis on integration. By March 1964, Malcolm X had grown disillusioned with the Nation of Islam and its leader Elijah Muhammad. Expressing many regrets about his time with them, which he had come to regard as largely wasted, he embraced Sunni Islam. After a period of travel in Africa and the Middle East, which included completing the Hajj, he repudiated the Nation of Islam, disavowed racism and founded Muslim Mosque, Inc. and the Organization of Afro-American Unity. He continued to emphasize Pan-Africanism, black self-determination, and black self-defense. In February 1965, he was assassinated by three members of the Nation of Islam.

John Wilson returns with a new series of Mastertapes, in which he talks to leading artists about the album that made them or changed them. Future programmes in the series include Donovan discussing 'Sunshine Superman', Steel Pulse returning to 'Handsworth Revolution' and Squeeze talking about 'East Side Story' Series 5, Programme 1, A-side. 'Rhythm & Blues At The Flamingo' with Georgie Fame At the age of 16, former apprentice cotton weaver, Clive Powell, successfully auditioned for pop impresario Larry Parnes who then forced him to change his name to Georgie Fame. After touring alongside Marty Wilde, Joe Brown, Gene Vincent and Eddie Cochran, Georgie played the piano in Billy Fury's backing band, the Blue Flames. By March 1962 it was Georgie Fame and the Blue Flames who began a three year residency at the Flamingo Club in London's Soho. Including tracks like 'Night Train', 'Work Song', 'Baby, Please Don't Go' and 'Do The Dog', 'Rhythm And Blues at the Flamingo' captured the vibrancy and excitement of the famous and notorious club which played a significant part in the breakdown of racial prejudice in post-war British society. Here Georgie Fame talks candidly with John Wilson about the album that started it all and, together with some of the original Blue Flames (including guitarist Colin Green, saxophonist Mick Eve and trumpeter Eddie 'Tan Tan' Thornton) as well as his two sons Tristan and James Powell, play exclusive versions of some of the key tracks. The B-side of the programme, where it's the turn of the audience to ask the questions, can be heard on Tuesday 22nd December at 3.30pm. Producer: Paul Kobrak.

Oxygen on comet 67P Molecular oxygen (O2) detected on comet Churymov-Gerasimenko 67P, has scientists baffled. Current models of the formation of our Solar System do not predict conditions that would allow for O2. Bees and antimicrobial drugs The antibacterial properties of honey have been exploited for thousands of years, but now scientists at the University of Cardiff are using honeybees to collect and identify plant-derived drugs which could be used to treat antibiotic resistant hospital pathogens. By screening honey for these plant compounds and identifying the plant through the pollen grains in the honey, researchers can narrow down the active ingredients and even exploit this to get bees to make medicinal honey. Reproducibility of science experiments A lot of science experiments, when redone, produce different result. Professor Dorothy Bishop chaired a report, out this week, on reproducibility in science. She explains why reproducibility is important, why failures are due to many factors beyond fraud, and how measures, such as pre-registration and collaboration on large expensive experiments, can help make science more robust and repeatable. Reintroduction of beavers In National Mammal Week and the Mammal Society UK is giving a whole day of its national conference at Exeter University over to the reintroduction of European beavers. In February last year a group of beavers were spotted apparently having been living and breeding on the River Otter in Devon for quite some time. By March this year an attempt by DEFRA to remove them had been challenged by local campaigners and now a 5 year watch period has been set up over which time the effects of the beavers on the ecosystem will be monitored. But how might the renegade rodents have been influencing the ecosystem? And with another project currently underway to reintroduce the Pine Marten, a large relative of the weasel, to Wales is there a new public focus on mammal reintroductions in the UK? Producer: Fiona Roberts

Satanic Panic. August 12, 1983. Judy Johnson calls the Manhattan Beach police to report that the 25 year-old son of the owner of the McMartin preschool had molested her two and a half year-old son. In October of that year, Children's Institute International began interviewing potential victims of ritual, sexual abuse by employees of the school. By March, seven in all are charged with 115 counts of child sexual abuse. In the end, just two of them would face court and seven years and $15 million dollars later the entire prosecution of the members of the daycare center would end with a whimper. Who was Judy Johnson and why did she suspect her child had been molested? What did the children say happened at the school? What evidence did investigators uncover? Did the devil do it? Joel Osteen & Damien Echols are perceived as polar opposites, but just how big of a part do our perceptions play in this? How big of a role was the media and why?

March to May Brief BioMarch To May’s Darren Guyaz (guitar, vocals, keyboard) and Beth Wesche (Celtic harp, vocals) first met in December 2012. By March 2013, the folk/indie/Americana duo had co-written their first two songs, by April they had a paid gig under their belts, and by May they had a name and shows booked out into the months ahead. Before settling in Seattle, Washington, where the act is now based, both Darren and Beth had traversed the Western Hemisphere separately. Darren migrated from the northern Appalachians to his birth-state of Montana, before heading on a South American adventure across the Andes mountain range, eventually falling in love with Seattle and the Pacific Northwest. The daughter of a US Foreign Service Officer, Beth also spent time in the Andes, as well as a host of US states on both coasts, before moving to Seattle, just blocks from where her beloved Celtic harp had been created, years before. The duo has drawn comparisons to acts like The Civil Wars, Damien Rice, the Swell Season, The Banner Days, and Robert Plant and Alison Krauss. The Water’s Edge is the debut release from March To May, out April 25th, 2015.For more information, visit www.marchtomay.com.

EPISODE 132 JERRY ROYCE LIVE! 5.0 out of 5 stars A must read!, June 19, 2014Verified Purchase(What's this?)This review is from: Hello My Name Is... Forgiven (Kindle Edition)What I love is that Ms Balom really bears her soul as she shares her own story/ journey towards forgiveness. It is very honest and raw and I definitely think that her readers will connect as a result. Also, be prepared to WORK because the tips that she shares are very practical but also make you dig deeper. If you are ready and willing to do your work, this book will give you the tools to go there. am sharing my story in an effort to encourage and inspire someone else who may have walked or be walking a similar journey...When I first embarked upon the journey of starting my first business, Temple Body Fitness, I had a business partner and a lot of dreams. We had the common goal of helping people lose weight and live healthier lives. We struggled through the first few months building our clientele and our reputation. We grew through word of mouth from our satisfied clients. It was a great feeling, unlike any I had ever experienced before. I knew that I was doing what I was created to do, help people and make an impact on their lives. I was pursuing my degree, and had started my women's group Hadassah's Retreat. I was finding myself on my own personal spiritual journey and was beginning to feel as if my life was good and going in the direction I wanted... I was finding my purpose.At first it felt like I started down this spiral...I found out my partner was being "unprofessional" and having a personal relationship with a client.I dissolved the partnership & set out to rebuild my business.I was in two car accidents two weeks apart, neither one was my fault, go figure, lol!Then one day, it seemed as if my whole world began to crash, literally. Initially after the accidents I had the customary aches and pains but assumed that they would go away after a few weeks. I began seeing a chiropractor the week after the accident and thought that soon enough I would be back up and at it again, being the strong woman I was used to being.That was not been the case. After the first few weeks of treatment I was relieved of some of the pain, but that was short lived. My Chiropractor began questioning why I would experience relief for a few days and then spiral back into a pattern of pain. I experienced excruciating neck and back pain, indescribable migraines, intense aches in my joints, my ribs kept popping out of place, and numbness in my hands and feet just to list a few things. I kept trying to push forward thinking that I would be okay and it would go away after my body adjusted and bounced back from the trauma of the car accidents.Again, this was not the case. Instead of getting better I kept getting worse. By March 2006 I had an upset stomach all the time and migraines everyday. I started experiencing mood swings that I couldn’t explain. I had a hard time remembering things. I was lucky if I got four hours of sleep a night. The numbness and tingling in my hands and feet got worse. I started struggling with depression and anxiety. The joy of finding my purpose was gone, replaced by anger at what was happening..."Next thing I knew, they were picking me up of the floor"By June 2006 I was struggling to sit through classes for a few hours a day. By this point i had done an MRI that showed damage to my vertebrae in my neck and lower back and diagnosed me with Degenerative Disk Disease. Then, in August 24, 2006, my body crashed because it couldn’t take anymore.I went to class one day and everyone kept asking if I was okay because I was walking sideways and looked as if I were in pain. I kept saying yes, trying to keep up a good front. I thought after class was over I would go home, lie down and rest. Again, this was not the case. I was in the middle of a conversation with a fellow classmate when all of a sudden I felt as if I were in a tunnel. His voice started fading out and getting farther and farther away. I was looking at him but it seemed as if this black cloud was moving in front of my face and blocking out everything else.Next thing I knew, they were picking me up of the floor. I had collapsed and my entire body had begun to convulse. Because God is so awesome, a friend of mine at the time was a former Nurse, Fire Fighter/Paramedic and Army Medic and was able to help me during that situation. After about 45 minutes the spasms stopped and I thought wow I must really be tired and went home to lay down... I thought maybe I just needed a few days rest. This was on a Thursday so I figured Id just sit still that weekend and my body would find its balance. I thought by Monday Id be back in class and feeling better.LOL!!! How wrong I was?!By that Sunday night I was feeling even worse, and finally had to go to the emergency room that Monday. I had a constant headache, was having constant spasms and convulsions and my hands and feet kept going numb and I was starting to have nerve irritation. I had the unfortunate experience of being assigned to an ER doctor that had never seen a case like mine and he tried to convince me that I was crazy and needed to have a psych evaluation. I left the hospital feeling even worse mentally and physically than I had before I'd gotten there. All they had done was to tell me it might be a neurological problem and given me morphine to stop the constant spasms and ease the pain.Over the next few weeks I continued to get progressively worse: I had constant muscle spasms in my back, chest, neck and right arm (the longer they lasted, they spread to my whole body) Every time the barometric pressure (atmospheric pressure) changed I would get an excruciating migraine Frequent numbness and tingling sensations in my arm, hands, legs and feet Constant joint pain Extreme sensitivity to any sensory input (light, sound, touch, etc.) My nervous system was totally confused and there were times when I couldn’t go to sleep for 3-4 days at a time, then other days when I couldn’t stay awake Constant mood swings and panic/anxiety attacks

EPISODE 132 JERRY ROYCE LIVE! 5.0 out of 5 stars A must read!, June 19, 2014Verified Purchase(What's this?)This review is from: Hello My Name Is... Forgiven (Kindle Edition)What I love is that Ms Balom really bears her soul as she shares her own story/ journey towards forgiveness. It is very honest and raw and I definitely think that her readers will connect as a result. Also, be prepared to WORK because the tips that she shares are very practical but also make you dig deeper. If you are ready and willing to do your work, this book will give you the tools to go there. am sharing my story in an effort to encourage and inspire someone else who may have walked or be walking a similar journey...When I first embarked upon the journey of starting my first business, Temple Body Fitness, I had a business partner and a lot of dreams. We had the common goal of helping people lose weight and live healthier lives. We struggled through the first few months building our clientele and our reputation. We grew through word of mouth from our satisfied clients. It was a great feeling, unlike any I had ever experienced before. I knew that I was doing what I was created to do, help people and make an impact on their lives. I was pursuing my degree, and had started my women's group Hadassah's Retreat. I was finding myself on my own personal spiritual journey and was beginning to feel as if my life was good and going in the direction I wanted... I was finding my purpose.At first it felt like I started down this spiral...I found out my partner was being "unprofessional" and having a personal relationship with a client.I dissolved the partnership & set out to rebuild my business.I was in two car accidents two weeks apart, neither one was my fault, go figure, lol!Then one day, it seemed as if my whole world began to crash, literally. Initially after the accidents I had the customary aches and pains but assumed that they would go away after a few weeks. I began seeing a chiropractor the week after the accident and thought that soon enough I would be back up and at it again, being the strong woman I was used to being.That was not been the case. After the first few weeks of treatment I was relieved of some of the pain, but that was short lived. My Chiropractor began questioning why I would experience relief for a few days and then spiral back into a pattern of pain. I experienced excruciating neck and back pain, indescribable migraines, intense aches in my joints, my ribs kept popping out of place, and numbness in my hands and feet just to list a few things. I kept trying to push forward thinking that I would be okay and it would go away after my body adjusted and bounced back from the trauma of the car accidents.Again, this was not the case. Instead of getting better I kept getting worse. By March 2006 I had an upset stomach all the time and migraines everyday. I started experiencing mood swings that I couldn’t explain. I had a hard time remembering things. I was lucky if I got four hours of sleep a night. The numbness and tingling in my hands and feet got worse. I started struggling with depression and anxiety. The joy of finding my purpose was gone, replaced by anger at what was happening..."Next thing I knew, they were picking me up of the floor"By June 2006 I was struggling to sit through classes for a few hours a day. By this point i had done an MRI that showed damage to my vertebrae in my neck and lower back and diagnosed me with Degenerative Disk Disease. Then, in August 24, 2006, my body crashed because it couldn’t take anymore.I went to class one day and everyone kept asking if I was okay because I was walking sideways and looked as if I were in pain. I kept saying yes, trying to keep up a good front. I thought after class was over I would go home, lie down and rest. Again, this was not the case. I was in the middle of a conversation with a fellow classmate when all of a sudden I felt as if I were in a tunnel. His voice started fading out and getting farther and farther away. I was looking at him but it seemed as if this black cloud was moving in front of my face and blocking out everything else.Next thing I knew, they were picking me up of the floor. I had collapsed and my entire body had begun to convulse. Because God is so awesome, a friend of mine at the time was a former Nurse, Fire Fighter/Paramedic and Army Medic and was able to help me during that situation. After about 45 minutes the spasms stopped and I thought wow I must really be tired and went home to lay down... I thought maybe I just needed a few days rest. This was on a Thursday so I figured Id just sit still that weekend and my body would find its balance. I thought by Monday Id be back in class and feeling better.LOL!!! How wrong I was?!By that Sunday night I was feeling even worse, and finally had to go to the emergency room that Monday. I had a constant headache, was having constant spasms and convulsions and my hands and feet kept going numb and I was starting to have nerve irritation. I had the unfortunate experience of being assigned to an ER doctor that had never seen a case like mine and he tried to convince me that I was crazy and needed to have a psych evaluation. I left the hospital feeling even worse mentally and physically than I had before I'd gotten there. All they had done was to tell me it might be a neurological problem and given me morphine to stop the constant spasms and ease the pain.Over the next few weeks I continued to get progressively worse: I had constant muscle spasms in my back, chest, neck and right arm (the longer they lasted, they spread to my whole body) Every time the barometric pressure (atmospheric pressure) changed I would get an excruciating migraine Frequent numbness and tingling sensations in my arm, hands, legs and feet Constant joint pain Extreme sensitivity to any sensory input (light, sound, touch, etc.) My nervous system was totally confused and there were times when I couldn’t go to sleep for 3-4 days at a time, then other days when I couldn’t stay awake Constant mood swings and panic/anxiety attacks

In 1262, it looked for all the world as though the royal party was back in control and the whole struggle for reform was over. But that was before you take into account the ability of Henry, Eleanor and their son to get up the collective English nose. So de Montfort was able to return and once again the battle was on. This time though, the royal party fought back right away, and won a string of victories. By March 1264, De Montfort was drinking at the last chance saloon.