Podcasts about casualties

This week on Screentime John Fardy talks to John C Reilly about his new one man show ‘Mister Romantic' which is coming to the Ambassador, as well as some iconic films like ‘Magnolia' and ‘Casualties of War.' John is also joined by Liam Cunningham who discusses his role in ‘Palestine 36' which looks at the Arab Revolut in Palestine. Liam also talks about his activism and career.

Patience will be the death of you. In a world that tells you it's okay to stand still, discover the truth that you are either getting better or you are getting worse, there is no in between. In episode 826 of the Savage Perspective Podcast, host Robert Sikes sits down with leadership expert and author Marcus Aurelius Anderson to discuss why most people get stuck in a victim mentality. They explore how to choose your adversity, build true resilience, find your purpose, and take immediate action. This conversation provides a straightforward guide to fixing your mindset, developing self leadership, and understanding that if you are not actively moving forward, you are falling behind.Ready to apply these principles of discipline and crush your physical goals? Join Robert's FREE Bodybuilding Masterclass and learn the system to build a superior physique. You can sign up here: https://www.ketobodybuilding.com/registration-2Get Keto Brick: https://www.ketobrick.com/Subscribe to the podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/42cjJssghqD01bdWBxRYEg?si=1XYKmPXmR4eKw2O9gGCEuQChapters:0:00 - Why Action is Better Than Reaction 1:19 - What It Takes To Put On A World-Class Event 3:23 - The Difference Between Excellence and Perfection 5:49 - How To Turn Adversity Into Victory 7:25 - How To Get Out Of Your Own Head 9:04 - Why You Must Choose Your Adversity 10:36 - The Myth of Maintenance: Are You Getting Better or Worse? 12:11 - Why Patience Will Be The Death Of You 13:12 - How To Figure Out What You Really Want 15:05 - The Brutal Truth About How Much Time You Have Left 16:55 - How To Find Your Life's Purpose 19:02 - Memento Adversis: A New Way to Think About Hardship 20:49 - The Adversity Perception Cycle: Victim vs. Victor 23:25 - You Can Choose Your Hardship, Or It Will Choose You 25:49 - The Truth About People Who Call Themselves "Victims" 28:51 - Casualties vs. Victims: What's The Difference? 30:22 - Why Life Gets Harder As You Get Older 33:06 - Nature vs. Nurture: Where Does True Grit Come From? 35:51 - A Story That Will Change Your Perspective On Hardship 39:13 - How To Help Someone Without Being Insensitive 42:40 - The #1 Mistake People Make In Conversations 45:42 - How Pragmatic Empathy Makes You A Better Leader 49:18 - Is Technology Creating a Generation of Victims? 51:55 - The "Walking Dead" Generation 53:23 - Are You An Asset or a Liability? Here's How To Know 58:55 - Can You Pass This Basic Physical Test? 1:01:02 - You Don't Rise To The Occasion, You Default To Your Training 1:02:21 - How To Carry Yourself So People Don't Mess With You 1:05:18 - The Real Definition of Leadership 1:08:41 - How To Know If You Have a Strong Belief System 1:11:20 - The Biggest Problem With The "Mindset" Industry 1:13:54 - Are You Sabotaging Your Own Success? 1:17:36 - The Most Powerful Thing You Can Do For Yourself 1:20:25 - Want To Stand Out? Be More Authentic 1:23:48 - Is The Modern World a Broken System? 1:28:06 - How To Find The Work You Were Meant To Do 1:30:45 - Why You Should Think Of Yourself As a Brand 1:33:45 - Everyone Wants To Be Strong, But No One Wants The Adversity 1:38:13 - You Have More Physical Capacity Than You Realize 1:40:02 - The Warrior Standard: Leave Everything On The Field 1:42:22 - We're Going To Workout After This, Right? 1:46:44 - The Downside of Being a High Achiever 1:50:03 - You Are The Average of The 5 Emotions You Feel Most 1:52:25 - Where To Find Marcus Aurelius Anderson

Episode: 3334 In Praise of Humble Lint.  Today highlighting a former fabric byproduct.

First things first, fun without Dave already happened. Ron and Ben saw The Casualties, Adolescents, Adicts, and Dwarves. All of those bands have been around for a long time - like 30-40 years - and that definitely doesn't make us old.It's another Bad Religion episode title. They put on a badass show at Punk in the Park, and they're old like us, too.This episode is sort of a nod to Fletcher. Yep, he broke your guitar. No, he wasn't trying to be a real asshole. Fat Mike knows that's part of punk. Sometimes you have to go to the hospital to live what you say you believe. The circle pit is a fundamental part of a punk show, but you might lose a tooth while you're in there. When you fall down, though, the pit is a family. Everyone has your back, man.Sometimes people are dicks (yeah, us too, even if we try hard not to be), but it seems to be a weakness in safety that there's not a lot of room for defending our process of belief. We've talked about dogma in safety before, but this is different. This is a conversation about how we deliver and receive dissent. Contemporary safety has grown a lot in terms of talking about empathy and understanding context, and that bails on it completely at the first sign of skepticism. Let's talk about the fundamental attribution error as something we need to be aware of and minimize, and then just assume the worst of people at work or in life. Is it just us?Stealing (and paraphrasing) from Carsten Busch a little bit, shouldn't the "New View" be asking why things made sense to Heinrich - or others - instead of judging it based on the standards of today?It's not a consequence-free world, though. Swapping skepticism for assholery might mean living with the knock-on effects of a decision. But starting with the assumption that everyone wants a safe company, we're just sorting out the details.That means that learning about rules, biases, and beliefs isn't just learning about others - we have to apply the same standards to ourselves. Context, intent, care, and system design aren't just things that shape others; we own them too.Way back in Episode 1, we promised to try and avoid corruption between process and intent. It's sometimes uncomfortable to have to explain our beliefs, but that's a feature, not a bug."Don't hear what I didn't say" might be a good way to start. DISCLAIMER: You probably shouldn't take anything in this podcast too seriously. Punk Rock Safety is for entertainment only. It's definitely not a replacement for professional or legal advice, and the fair amount of piss-taking, shithousery, and general ridiculousness ought to clue you into the fact that no one - and no organization - is endorsing (or un-endorsing, if that's a thing) any products, ideas, or other things. Except NOFX. We definitely endorse them.Oh, and give your money to Punk Rock Saves Lives. They're a rad organization that works in mental health, addiction, and human rights. And they're awesome people who can use your help to keep on kicking ass at what they do.https://www.punkrocksaveslives.org/Let us know what you think at info@punkrocksafety.com or on our LinkedIn page.Merch at punkrocksafetymerch.com

HEADLINE: Escalating Border Conflict Between Pakistan and Afghanistan GUEST NAMES: Bill Roggio, Husain Haqqani SUMMARY: A major border conflict has erupted between Pakistan and Afghanistan, resulting in significant casualties and air strikes. The tension is rooted in the Afghan Taliban supporting the Pakistani Taliban (TTP) and historical issues over the Durand Line. Pakistan views the Afghan Taliban as ungrateful clients, threatening Pakistan's stability. 1920

HEADLINE: Escalating Border Conflict Between Pakistan and Afghanistan GUEST NAMES: Bill Roggio, Husain Haqqani SUMMARY: A major border conflict has erupted between Pakistan and Afghanistan, resulting in significant casualties and air strikes. The tension is rooted in the Afghan Taliban supporting the Pakistani Taliban (TTP) and historical issues over the Durand Line. Pakistan views the Afghan Taliban as ungrateful clients, threatening Pakistan's stability. 1848

HAPPY HALLOWEEN! Chris and Joe are back to discuss PTA's latest, and possibly greatest, directing effort: 'One Battle After Another'. They answer the question: does it REALLY deserve to be frontrunner for Best Picture? The guys also chat about the string of big budget films underperforming at the box office and what might be the common thread between them. Lastly, Joe tells his tales from Beyond Fest 2025, and Chris share details about seeing The Wizard of Oz at the Sphere in Las Vegas.  WE LOVE YOU ALL!

Elder Joel Hart

News for the week of October 13: • BREAKING: Multiple casualties after explosion in Tennessee (1:24) • BREAKING: Sweeping layoffs extend to more departments (5:20) • ICE chief: These protests make NO SENSE (14:12) • Widow SHOCKED after man who killed husband gets slap on wrist (25:28)

DJ Jesse Luscious talks about 2 Fat Wreck Chords alums he loved working with- Mean Jeans & The Last Gang- & dives into Swedish crust punk with Anticimex / Wolfpack / Wolfbrigade! He also spins new tracks from The Members, Damage Party, DFMK, Volume A.D., Boum Patat, & Killing Kind, classics from AC/DC, Pansy Division, Devo, The Hip Priests, Phenomenauts, SimpleTones, Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, The Vicious Cycles MC, The Death Wheelers, Nausea, Go-Nuts, Dead And Gone, The Casualties, The Vandals, Chakra Shakers, The Noise, Negazione, & Manic Hispanic, and the Luscious Listener's Choice! Members- Solitary Confinement Pansy Division- Son Of A Preacher Man Phenomenauts- Science And Honor Simpletones- California Mean Jeans- Totinos Mean Jeans- Coors Light Mean Jeans- Pop Rocks Go-Nuts- You Drive Me Ape (You Big Gorilla) Last Gang- Strange Fruit Joan Jett And The Blackhearts- Spinster (Edit) Noise- Living Kills Chakra Shakers- Jellybeans Manic Hispanic- I Want To Be A Cholo Vandals- Anarchy Burger (Hold The Government) (edit) Killing Kind- Choking Devo- S.I.B. (Swelling Itching Brain) (live) Boum Patat- Mort Subite Vol. A.D. - Doomsday Signal Negazione- Niente Hip Priests- Last Train Wrecks Vicious Cycles- If It Looks Like A Cop Death Wheelers- Moto Vampire Wolfbrigade- Day By Day Wolfbrigade- In Darkness You Will Feel No Regrets Anti-Cimex- Going Down Casualties- We Are All We Have DFMK- Mi Rutina Damage Party- Oh Bondage! Up Yours! Dead And Gone- Wires Nausea- Extinction AC/DC- Let Them Eat Rock (live)

Host Faust Checho exposes how Bill Clinton's rise from Arkansas governor to president completed the Bush–Clinton blueprint: turning the Boys on the Tracks cover-up, Whitewater, Waco, and the Oklahoma City bombing into milestones in the creation of America's modern security state.This is Part 5, the finale of Faust's explosive series exposing how the Bush–Clinton machine evolved from covert wars to total domestic control.As the Bush–Clinton dynasty tightened its grip, Arkansas became the prototype for covert power — a proving ground where autopsies were altered, investigators silenced, and scandals rebranded as reform. In this explosive finale of the Bush-Clinton corruption series, Faust traces how scandal in Saline County evolved into the Clinton Body Count, how REX 84 and Operation Night Train foreshadowed a domestic war machine, and how policies like the 1994 Crime Bill, NAFTA, and the Telecommunications Act transformed America into the surveillance state we live in today. From Mena to the Rose Law Firm, from Haiti to Kosovo, the same networks of money, drugs, and blackmail that fueled Iran-Contra were refined under Bill Clinton — and exported worldwide.Topics in this episode include:

749,960 views Streamed live on Oct 7, 2025 #AFU #UN #Arestovich #Shelest #Sobchak #Zelensky #war #Putin*Fundraiser for a pickup truck for the 22nd Separate Mechanized Brigade

In this episode of The President's Daily Brief: A leaked document from inside Russia's own Defense Ministry reveals staggering battlefield losses in Ukraine and raises new questions about Moscow's ability to sustain the war. President Trump says he's “sort of made a decision” on supplying long-range Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine—even as the Kremlin ramps up its warnings and threatens retaliation if the plan moves forward. Israel's Shin Bet says it has foiled an Iranian weapons smuggling plot into the West Bank—the latest sign of Tehran's continued efforts to arm and fund anti-Israel militants. And in today's Back of the Brief—a Florida man is arrested for allegedly starting California's deadly Palisades Fire, which killed twelve people earlier this year. To listen to the show ad-free, become a premium member of The President's Daily Brief by visiting https://PDBPremium.com.Please remember to subscribe if you enjoyed this episode of The President's Daily Brief.YouTube: youtube.com/@presidentsdailybrief American Financing: Call American Financing today to find out how customers are saving an avg of $800/mo. NMLS 182334, https://nmlsconsumeraccess.org. APR for rates in the 5s start at 6.327% for well qualified borrowers. Call 866-885-1881 for details about credit costs and terms. Visit http://www.AmericanFinancing.net/PDBLean: Visit https://TakeLean.com & use code PDB for 20% off Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, Sean and James discuss the horrific human costs of the Vietnam War, including the nature and number of casualties on each side, the specific number of people that each side had killed and wounded, and the experience of those who were captured and made prisoners of war.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

My guest is DJ Shipley, a former Tier 1 operator Navy SEAL and now a top public educator on how to build mental and physical health and reach top-level performance in any endeavor. DJ's life is one marked by extraordinary strivings, wins, setbacks and comebacks that together have shaped his approach to overcoming challenges of all kinds and to daily life. DJ explains a regimen of clear, practical steps and a mental stance that can allow anyone—male, female, young or old—to build extreme resilience of mind and body and to be successful in family and work. We also discuss his experience with new, emerging treatments for addiction, PTSD and depression that many people, not just veterans, are benefiting from. The tools DJ describes to “stack small wins” and to be ultra-intentional about your mindset will be of immense benefit to anyone wishing to achieve the best version of themselves. Read the episode show notes at hubermanlab.com. Thank you to our sponsors AGZ by AG1: https://drinkagz.com/huberman Rorra: https://rorra.com/huberman BetterHelp: https://betterhelp.com/huberman Eight Sleep: https://eightsleep.com/huberman Function: https://functionhealth.com/huberman ROKA: https://roka.com/huberman Timestamps (0:00) DJ Shipley (4:03) Mental & Physical Health, Tools: Morning Routine & Micro-wins (8:35) Balancing Work & Family, Tools: Compartmentalization, "Control the Controllable" (13:46) Sponsors: Rorra & BetterHelp (16:25) Phones, Social Media vs Focus, Negativity, Tool: Consistency & Sleep (23:05) Routine & Stressors, Exercise & Benefits, Tool: Morning Workout (29:24) Body Awareness, Hurt vs Injury (33:53) Physical Injury & Rehab; Exercise; Mobility, Tool: 5-Day Workout Program (44:26) Sponsors: AGZ by AG1 & Eight Sleep (47:29) Skateboarding, Career, Navy SEAL, BUD/S & Embracing Discomfort (56:13) BUD/S, Motivation & Mental Resilience (1:02:18) Navy SEALs, Iraq War & Casualties, Compartmentalization (1:08:41) Public Press; Extortion 17, Operation Red Wings; Death of Friends (1:16:25) High Performers, Social Media Negativity & Legacy (1:19:37) Sponsor: Function (1:21:24) Family Legacy, Military & Purpose, Navy SEAL Culture, Wife & Relationship (1:30:10) Second Deployment, Helplessness & Trauma, Inspiration & Reverence (1:38:30) Skydiving, Injury & Mental Resilience; Medical Retirement & Addiction (1:49:17) Art Therapy, Skateboarding, Electrocution & Recovery (2:00:57) Physical Recovery, Trainer Vernon Griffith (2:04:38) Miracles, Higher Power; Work & Life Tension (2:12:52) Sponsor: ROKA (2:14:39) Physical & Mental Posture, Suicide, Depression, Tool: Control the Controllable (2:21:22) Suicide, Mental Health & Darkest Hour, Ibogaine, 5-MeO-DMT (2:31:18) Ibogaine & Empathy, 5-MeO-DMT & Ego Death; Returning Home, Tool: Dials Not Switches (2:42:42) Psychedelics, Mental Health Plasticity; Veterans' Solutions, Addiction (2:50:39) Medical Ibogaine, Anger, Numbing Out & Hate; Dogs (3:03:42) GBRS Program, High Standards, Functional Fitness, Tool: Fitness Test (3:17:50) Self-Care, Longevity & Fitness, GBRS Program (3:24:45) Self-Respect, Tools: 20-Minute Walk & Relationships; Micro-wins (3:32:57) Acknowledgements, American Flag Hat, Patriotism (3:40:00) Zero-Cost Support, YouTube, Spotify & Apple Follow, Reviews & Feedback, Sponsors, Protocols Book, Social Media, Neural Network Newsletter Disclaimer & Disclosures Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In 2003, just days before the U.S. invaded Iraq, a US Army base in Kuwait—Camp Pennsylvania - was hit with a deadly insider attack. In this weeks Urban Valor episode, Army Sergeant Major Bart Womack recounts the terrifying night a fellow soldier threw grenades into tents full of sleeping American troops. It was the first insider attack of the Iraq War, and it came from within their own ranks.But that wasn't the only time Bart faced death. He also survived a tense firefight in the Korean DMZ, where North Korean forces opened fire on his patrol during one of the most dangerous standoffs of the Cold War era.From a DMZ shootout in Korea to a fatal betrayal in Kuwait, this is the true story of an American soldier who witnessed war before it even officially began.

Luke's HAARP Time Warp: Part 11 Marion's expands her control. Based on a post by somethin fishy, in 15 parts. Listen to the Podcast at Explicit Novels. Marion, in the meantime; was busy with some paperwork and hadn't even looked up yet. “Why don't the two of you have a seat” she pointed to a couple of chairs across from her “and I will be with you in a minute” Marion finished what she was working on and looked up. The older noble had to catch his breath for Marion was breathtaking. Her eyes were shimmering and her hair was reflecting the light with golden rays. She had a very light tan and her lips were bright red. The shirt that she had on hugged her curves nicely and the necklace that she was wearing matched her eyes. “What can I help you two gentlemen with today?” Marion asked. Gabriel then left the room with a stack of papers and gently closed the door. “We have come back to discuss my wedding proposal with you.” “Ah” Marion said as she leaned back in her chair. “And what exactly are you proposing again? Sorry but I have had a very busy week.” “That is quite alright lass. I am proposing you marrying me. After the wedding your lands will then be under my protection and I assure you they would be quite safe for I have the most powerful army in the midlands at my disposal.” “So, what will happen to my people if I were to marry you?” “They would also be under my protection.” “I see.” The nobles were really quite happy with themselves for they figured that Marion was about to give in. “So, what would happen if I refuse to marry you?” “My army will invade and lay waste to everyone before it.” “I see” Marion said without emotion “So you are trying to extort my hand in marriage?” “No, not at all milady. I just want to see the people of this province under strong leadership so that they are not tempted to stray.” Marion nodded and gave them a warm smile. “Well milords it seems that you leave me no choice” The two nobles smiled at hearing this. “Let me ask you two idiots something?” The warmth in Marion's voice vanished “Do either of you know what this ring on my finger means?” With this Marion held her left hand up and showed off her ring that Luke had given her. “Well do you?” “No, we do not.” “Well, “gentlemen” this ring means that I am already married and I am very happy.” She then called toward a closed door off to her left “Luke, honey, can you step in here for a minute?” “Seriously Marion? I'm about to be buried in paperwork.” “Just for a minute. Please?” “Fine.” Seconds later the door opened and through it came the biggest man the nobles had ever seen in their lives. Not only that but this big man was in some kind of uniform. “What's up sweetheart” “These are the nobles that I was telling you about the other week.” She then turned back to face the nobles. “Gentlemen, meet my husband; General Luke MacDougall.” The nobles were now petrified for this ogre looked like he could pick them up, throw them out, and get them to fly over the city walls. “So, you want my wife's hand in marriage? I must say you don't look like much and I bet that neither of you could possibly keep up with her for she is extremely active in bed and every other flat surface now that I think about it.” Marion snickered at this and earned herself dagger looks from the nobles. The older one went for his sword forgetting that it had been seized when he entered the castle gates. Marion bent over and picked up two swords. She unsheathed them and threw one of them to Luke. He kind of looked at the sword. “You call this letter opener a sword, sweetheart?” He retreated into his office for a second and came out with a large object. He tossed Marion's sword back to her and unsheathed his sword. It was almost three feet long, but in his hands was a single-handed sword. The sword itself was beautiful with the wavy lines running through the steel of the blade and the polished brass of the hilt and pommel. “Now this is a sword” he said smiling in his cold way. The nobles were growing more terrified by the second and the younger one was ready to piss his pants for he had never been so scared in his life and he had been in a large number of battles. When he looked at his older brother, the look that greeted him shook him out of his paralysis for his older brother was beyond scared. The younger one's diplomatic skills then came into play. “We are deeply sorry if we have offended you in any way Milady Marion, but we didn't know that you were already married and when I last met you didn't give any clue that you were.” “Actually, I did. If you had bothered to look past my tits, I have been wearing this ring ever since I was married to Luke last winter. Now gentlemen if nothing else we really need to get back to work. Oh, one more thing. You two will have a heavy escort on your way out for I want none of the women who work for me attacked. I heard all about your roaming stares during your last visit.” With that Marion called for her guards. “See these two gentlemen and their entourage out of York if you will please. If they try anything funny; kill them, no questions will be asked.” The guards snapped to attention “Yes, ma'am.” To the nobles “this way if you please” The nobles turned and almost fled out of the room. They collected their entourage and high tailed it out of York. They didn't stop running until they were kilometers away. When they were sure that they were far enough away the older one exploded: “The fucking cunt treat me like that! I will teach her the meaning of the word respect if I have to whip it into her!” The younger brother agreed fully with him. “We need to go talk to Duke Vincent for I heard that he recently had one of his plots stopped by Marion and it was one that had cost him dearly.” “Then what are we waiting for?” exclaimed the older brother. He and Vincent weren't exactly friends but in no way were they enemies. If the bothers approached him with an offer of alliance against Marion, they knew that he would agree and this would give the combined army a strength of almost ten thousand men with a number being men-at-arms and knights. Chapter 51. Gabriel came back in the door with more papers to find Marion with her legs wrapped around Luke's waist. “Hey! Seriously? You two going to start without me?” Marion looked over her shoulder and smiled at Gabriel “Of course, not sweetie! I was just thanking Luke” Gabriel was far from convinced. “So, what was that about? They didn't look happy when they left.” “That was the nobles who wanted to marry me.” Gabriel snickered at hearing this for those two nobles were ugly. “So, now what?” This time Luke responded with no humor in his voice: “Give orders to mobilize the army, Colonel. Those two basically declared total war on us” Gabriel was stunned but when Marion gave a nod, she went into action. Gabriel was out the door and was sending couriers to gather the army commanders to go over plans. Once Gabriel had left, Marion looked back at Luke “Well, what do you think?” “I think those two nobles are about the dumbest people that I have ever met, but we need to be careful here. It has to look like they started this war so we need them to make the first blow. After all the king is scheduled to be up here in about four months and the reports that we have been getting from Norway and Normandy are matching what happened in my timeline. The last thing I want to do is to have the king's army after us.” “Okay so what do you suggest?” “Moralize the army and make sure that they are completely rearmed, properly equipped, and trained. We might have to be a bit creative on how to get those idiots to attack but I don't think so.” “How much time do you think we have?” “Not more than a couple of weeks. At least now we have trains coming from Bard's steel works to York and the tracks to the lake district are only about a month away from being completed. Once they are done, we will be able to move the army around very rapidly. Even now with all the nice roads that are being built, army can move very fast. Also, we now have almost sixty artillery pieces and some of them are steel breach loaders.” “Well then we should probably get to work then.” “Hold on there, sweetheart.” Luke picked Marion back up as she walked by him causing her to squeal in delight. Luke then placed her on her desk and started nibbling on her neck. As always, this got Marion's juices flowing and they could both smell her pussy. Luke gave her an evil smile as he ran his hand over her crotch; causing her nectar to soak through a bit. Marion returned the favor by rubbing Luke's cock and causing some of his pre-cum to soak through his pants. Marion had been giggling when Luke picked her up and now, she had started to softly moan. This increased when Luke united her pants and pulled them off in one motion. Marion quickly untied Luke's pants and they just fell off. Both of them were so horny that they didn't need any foreplay this time. Luke sunk his cock into Marion in one thrust causing Marion to moan loudly. This was nothing though compared to what was to come. Luke put Marion's heels on his shoulders so that he had unrestricted access to his wife's pussy. Within six thrust, Marion was screaming at the top of her lungs as Luke thrust into her. With each thrust she could feel the veins on his cock rubbing her G-spot and his tip kissing her cervix. Not only that but he had one of his hands in a place to where he could flick her clit. This always drove Marion to new heights of ecstasy and it did this time as well. She started moaning in sync with Luke's thrusting, much to the amusement to everyone in the outer office. As Luke pushed harder into her, her moaning got louder. By this time Gabriel had got back to the office and joined in the pool the office employees had set up. This time Gabriel had bet that Luke and Marion would climax at the same time. Of course, Gabriel had the advantage here, being that she slept with Luke and Marion every night, but surprises can still happen. The last time this happened, Marion had managed to get Luke to fire first and Gabriel had lost almost a week's pay. Soon Marion's voice got even louder for she was now screaming at the top of her lungs again and was begging Luke the fuck her brains out. Luke had been pounding her senseless and she had quickly reached orgasmic heights. Marion, of course, wasn't defenseless in theses battles and soon she deployed her ace in the hole. She started flexing her Kegel muscles and this caused Luke to start moaning. Now the battle to make the other cum first was on. Luke used his cock to rub Marion's g-spot and his strong thumb to rub her clit in circles as his other hand had slipped under her shirt and was working one of her tits. Marion was using her Kegel muscles to rhythmically massage Luke's member and she had managed to reach around and was rubbing his balls. She was also talking dirty to him. Within five minutes they were both desperately trying to make the other one cum while holding their own off. Neither one of them succeeded and they exploded together. Marion's eyes were going in different directions and Luke's had rolled up into his head as his orgasm had been one of those that caused every muscle in his body to contract. Marion also let out a scream that actually shattered a glass that was sitting on nearby table. As soon as they were done, Luke collapsed on the floor and Marion couldn't move off her desk. She was also having problems with the light in the room for it was blinding her. Her pussy felt like it had a river flowing out of it for their cum mixture ran out of Marion's pussy and down the side of her desk. Luke had passed out on the floor and it would take him almost half an hour to get up and even then, he was shaky. Marion would take even longer before she could even think about moving for it would be almost forty minutes before she could function and she would be walking with a slight limp for the rest of the day. Out in the office, Gabriel cleaned up for she made much more then she had lost the last time. Of course, she had to share the pool with a couple of other employees who had bet the same as she had but she didn't mind for this was all fun and games. This was one of the reasons that everyone loved working for Marion for you never knew when the mood would strike her or Luke and they would be loudly fucking in their office. Of course, Marion was a very good boss for she was fair and usually easy going. If she fucked up then she would admit it and take full responsibility. Many of the employees loved that they could tease her about her sex life and usually they were able to even get a laugh out of Marion. Finally, Marion and Luke almost crawled out of their offices and got a standing ovation from the other office workers. Luke and Marion both moaned with pain and covered their ears. Their orgasms had given them killer headaches and Marion's pussy hurt bad enough that she was limping a bit. This only brought more laughter from her office workers. Her lover Gabriel was the worst of the lot as usual. She came up to Marion and put a hand on each side of Marion's face. “Oh Marion. What did that ogre of a husband do to you? You look like shit!” The office erupted into even more laughter as several of the employees fell over and a couple raced to the restrooms. “Oh, gee thanks Gabriel for that's just what a woman in pain wants to hear.” Was Marion's only response. With that Gabriel lost it and fell over as well. Marion and Luke somehow made it back to their chambers and fell asleep in bed without even removing their clothes first. When they woke up it was dinner time. This time they asked for some food to be delivered for neither of them felt like going to get something. They were expecting a servant to bring their food but they ended up with Gabriel. This meant more teasing for neither Luke or Marion had enough energy right now to do much about it. Sure, enough Gabriel let them have it with both barrels. Lots of stuff about wearing each other out and them getting too old to keep up. Gabriel could really rub this one in for Luke was eight years older than Marion and Marion was a couple of years older than Gabriel. After Luke and Marion had got dinner down, they went back to bed and stayed asleep until it was time to wake up the next morning. Chapter 52. When the brothers got to Duke Vincent's castle, they found it in an uproar. The duke was mobilizing his forces for he was getting ready to strike at Marion. When the brothers offered an alliance with Vincent, he was at first reluctant for he wanted all the land for himself. He agreed though when the brothers told him that they didn't want land, they wanted Marion and Gabriel for their personal whores. They then told the story of how she embarrassed them and they wanted revenge. “Can you two have your forces here within a week?” “Not a problem for we gave mobilization orders before we took off to meet with that bitch. In fact, if one of us can get out of here within the hour we should be able to start getting troops here within a day or two.” “Good. That bitch cost me over five hundred pounds sterling and my people didn't even manage to accomplish anything. I learned this morning that the guard that my men had been able to buy off was discovered and executed before he could strike.” With that, the younger brother took off so that he could ride back to their castle and get the first units of troops on the road. While he did this, the older brother went over their plans with Vincent and the other commanders. So far it was proving impossible to get their hands on whatever devil weapon that Marion's forces had been using and worse than that, they still hadn't found anyone who was willing to give them the secret of how they worked. Apparently, they were all either scared to death of Marion's husband or they were extremely loyal to her. The other brother confirmed that her husband was indeed one extremely scary person. Vincent didn't really care about the husband for he was more worried about the firearms that Marion used. After hours of debate, they finally came up with what they thought might be a workable plan. They would lure Marion's army into a trap and catch them off guard. Then the knights would be able to ride down those worthless peasants and the ones not killed would be put back to work on one of Vincent's or the bother's estates. It took almost a week to get the army ready and anyway it took that long to gather all their spies' reports and draw up maps of Marion's lands. Once they were in her lands, they would be able to use her road network to travel much faster and with the wealth that was rapidly concentrating in the area, they would be fixed for supplies and they might not even have to pay their men. This was a good thing for the nobles because they had just over ten thousand men in total when they had finished combining the armies. Six thousand of them were levy spearmen. The other four thousand were men-at-arms and knights. This was an extremely large army for the time period but they had managed to get extra recruits by promising them large amounts of loot from Marion's lands. Marion's army commanders all met the morning after the brothers were rejected. They all went over their spy reports and came to the conclusion that this was going to be their hardest battle yet. At least this time they had even more advanced weapons. They now had breach loading artillery that were made of steel and fired explosive shells. They also had mortars that were capable of firing out to three hundred meters. The biggest thing they had this time was almost six thousand men and woman in uniform with almost fifteen hundred being cavalry. Dragoons would have been a better term though, for their primary weapon was their rifles. They all carried swords but were not really trained all that well in their use. Marion and her commanders waited as Vincent mobilized his troops and the brothers combined their forces with Vincent's. Fortunately, they had all taken Luke's advice to heart and didn't just assume that they would win because they had superior weapons. If they ever needed reminders of this then they would have to face Luke on the training grounds with him playing the Op For commander. He would win about half the time and he wasn't using firearms. He won with ambushes and by forcing Marion's commander to engage him only under conditions that favored him. Through these wargames Marion's commanders were learning fast and if they couldn't learn they were relieved of command. The plan that they came up with was to use their dragoons to run circles around the enemy troops and raid constantly. The orders were to hit and run. Under no circumstances were they to let themselves get bogged down. After all it was far better at this stage to run away and be able to fight again then it was to stand and fight and die. The commanders developed plans for all kind of situations including ambush. This was how Luke guessed that the enemy would try to neutralize their firearms and he had done the same thing on the training grounds. By now though Marion's commanders knew how to defend against ambushes. After almost a week the spies reported that the combined army was on the move. Their supply lines were much thinner than what they should have been and it didn't take an expert to figure out why. The enemy was planning on raiding and living off the land. Marion immediately sent word to all villages in the path of the enemy to be ready to evacuate. Anything that couldn't be taken with them was to be destroyed. Nothing of value was to be left for the invaders. Marion's army marched out the following day. She gave orders that they were to march right through the city on their way to the front. As the army marched through the city, every citizen came out to cheer on their army. They all knew of the invasion and they knew what would happen should the enemy troops get to York. The person that was leading the parade was none other than Luke and the cheers that he got were deafening. He and Marion were now very popular, the citizens had even forgiven Marion for having an interest in woman for Gabriel was increasing in popularity as well. Two people however would definitely not be going on this expedition. Pollyanna had been confined to quarters until after she gave birth and Alice was her attending physician. By this time Pollyanna was almost ready to give birth and everyone was guessing that it would be within the next week or so. Thankfully she had recovered fully from her beating and most days she was able to get at least some work done. Alice had already warned her that she could hear two fetal heartbeats so they were expecting twins. Gabriel had made two cribs, one for each kid. Marion had given Pollyanna two sets of clothes for the kids, and Luke had given her a side-by-side stroller so that they wouldn't have to carry the babies everywhere. By now Alice was finally engaged and her fiancé was proving himself very competent in the medical field. Normally he didn't hang around with the rest of the group because he found it uncomfortable being around someone as open as Marion or Gabriel. It wasn't their sexuality that made him uncomfortable, it was their willingness to discuss sexual topics that made him uncomfortable. Plus, Luke had scared the shit out of him early in his romance with Alice and he still hadn't recovered. Alice of course took it in stride for she knew Luke well so she wasn't scared by him. Marion's army first rode the railroad to the Bard's steel mill. This saved them two days of marching for with the railroad it only took them an hour or so the get there. From there Luke's scouts kept a constant eye on the invading forces. With Luke commanding the army, Marion and Gabriel had stayed behind in York to continue their work there. Every village in the enemy's path had been abandoned and burnt so the invaders were suffering within days of crossing into Marion's territory. To make matters worse, Luke's dragoons were constantly harassing the foraging parties and made life very difficult for them. This slowed down the invaders even more. What should have been only a couple days march turned into a week's march and by the end of the week the men were starving so bad that they started killing the extra horses. Luke had been waiting for this. He knew that with the enemy army hungry and desperate for supplies that he could force them into combat where it would be best for him. He chose a wide-open area, one in which he could use his artillery to their full effect. His new artillery could fire a round well over a mile and he wanted to use that fact to pound the enemy army to pieces before they were able to close with him. He would also deploy another secret weapon in this battle. It was a tethered hot air balloon with telegraph wires attached to one of the ropes so the observer could tell the commander on the ground just what was happening. With this, Luke's artillery was even capable of accurate indirect fire. Something that was unheard of. Since he had been extremely careful on when and where he ran trials on this new weapon, he was sure that the enemy didn't know about it. Luke kept his troops in hiding until the enemy had entered the open field. Only then did Luke lead his troops out of cover. The enemy had taken a road that went through the trees so his artillery couldn't pound them as well as it could have if they had been in the open. Since Luke also had troops in those forest as well, he didn't fire his artillery at all. It was at this time as well that he deployed his balloon. Before the battle he had taken the time to walk the field with his commanders and they all memorized it. The artillery was positioned on the edge of the woods and was covered with brush to hide them until the right moment. As the tail of the enemy army came into view, Luke gave the order and the artillery was uncovered. Chapter 53. This expedition was turning into a nightmare for Vincent and the two brothers. As soon as they entered Marion's lands every village that had been overflowing with wealth just a couple of weeks before were now abandoned and burned to the ground. Every head of livestock was gone or dead while every kernel of grain was gone as well. Some of the building that the army came across were still burning, meaning that they had been abandoned only hours before. Worse yet was the fate of the foraging parties. They would go out in the morning and by noon they would be all dead. Once in a while their bodies would be found and they would always be stripped of everything of value. Many had strange wounds that some of the men that were from the lake district identified as gunshot wounds. Others had been cut down with a sword. Every bridge that the army came to had to be rebuilt and they would always lose a few men to skirmishing fire. When the knights would try and catch the shooters, they would disappear only to start shooting from a different direction. Trees had been cut down over the road. When the army stopped to clear the way, a few of them would be killed either by gunfire or booby traps in the forest. By far the worst was at night. Sentries would be killed by having their throats slit and the camp would usually be subjected to nightly cavalry raids. These raids never lasted for more than five minutes but they were noisy and usually ran off some of the horses or other livestock. Tents would be set on fire and a few dozen men would be killed. Within a week the noble's army was getting desperate. Extra horses were killed just so the soldiers would have something to eat. Vincent and the brothers finally had to admit to themselves that they were just foolish to have even tried attacking Marion's lands and they were planning on turning around and getting the hell out of Marion's lands. Then one day the attacks stopped. There was still enemy cavalry in the distance but all they did was watch the noble's army stumble on. This went on for a day or so until the army came to a wide-open clearing. The army had been marching since yesterday morning and they were all exhausted. They hadn't even stopped for the night. It wouldn't have done them any good anyway for they had no food left and almost all the horses had been killed. This field looked like a good spot to set up camp for the day. At least they wouldn't be ambushed when they were out in the open like this for the nearest forest was at least five hundred paces away. After the army had rested, they would return to their own territory. It wasn't long before the army knew that it was in serious trouble. It started when a strange object was seen rising over the trees. Nobody had ever seen anything like it before. It slowly rose above the trees and then Vincent saw a flash of light from below the object. This was the flash of light being reflected off a shiny object. Then movement along the tree line caught his attention. Whatever was going on, they were in very serious trouble. “Form Up!” he yelled as he rode his horse through the army. “Form Up For Marion's Bastards Are Upon Us!” Every soldier in the army started rushing around. Some were fighting to get their equipment on, but most of them were looking for their officers. The night march had really caused confusion in the ranks and they hadn't had time to straighten themselves out yet. Things turned really chaotic when the enemy artillery opened up. Worse still the fire was deadly accurate and they were firing some kind of exploding shell. Within minutes the army was reduced to a mob. At least Vincent and the older brother had managed to get it going the right direction. Right toward the enemy. The plan, if one could call it that; was to simply rush the enemy and then let the soldier's anger finish things up. At first things seemed to be working for the heavy guns stopped firing and Vincent could see them being hooked up to horses and withdrawn. This only caused the soldiers to rush forward faster for they all thought rightly so that the enemy was retreating and they wanted to repay some of their causalities that they had been suffering for the last week. Luke watched calmly as the enemy formation had been shredded by his guns. The gunner's accuracy was now such that they would only miss once in a while. The other gunners in fact would constantly harass the any crew that missed twice in a row. They had been firing as fast as they could and they truly loved their new guns. Before they could only fire many once every two minutes, now they could fire once every thirty seconds or so. Their fire was much more accurate as well. When the enemy had closed half the distance, Luke ordered the artillery back. They would retreat back into the woods, set back up, and load with canister shot in case things went really bad. As the artillery got out of the way, the infantry came into position. Unlike the enemy soldiers, Luke's troops were well rested and well fed. They had even managed to get a hardy breakfast in their bellies that morning. The lookout in the balloon reported that no other enemy troops were in sight and indeed there was no signs of enemy cavalry trying to get behind them. Luke still kept his best dragoons in reserve, just in case. He watched as his soldiers got into formation and they stood quietly as they waited. Vincent and his army were now closing rapidly on the enemy's position. The older noble brother was proving to be a very good commander and he was in the thick of things as he worked on getting the army organized. The younger one had been killed when an artillery round exploded right next to him. The older brother would make sure that the enemy paid dearly for that if it was the last thing he ever did. By the time they had closed to within only three hundred paces of the enemy position, the army was becoming increasingly organized as the officers got the men under control. Vincent rode up to the older brother: “Everything going well?” “Aye. As well as can be expected. By the way younger brother was killed in that; whatever that was.” “I am truly sorry for he was an honorable man and quite intelligent. I think that it is about time to make these bastards pay.” “Aye” Vincent rode in front of the army waving his sword and encouraging his men forward. As the army crossed the three hundred pace mark, new smoke appeared from the woods. This smoke went in a more upwardly direction and everyone was puzzled by this. With seconds though they had their answer when exploding shells came raining down from heaven. When the smoke started, Vincent looked ahead and his blood ran cold for he was staring at a large army that was in very good formation. Strange thing was that they appeared to be only two ranks deep. Then flags appeared up and down the enemy line. White flags with a red cross through the center of them. The flag of St. George as Luke was heard to call it. Vincent ordered a full charge for they had to close faster than those blasted things could drop more death on them. His army responded and charged. As the enemy crossed the three hundred meter mark, Luke ordered the motors to start firing and to take their firing directions from the balloon observer. He knew that in a minute or two nobody on the ground was going to be able to see a damn thing. As the mortars started firing, Luke ordered Marion's colors uncased. Soon her flags were waving gently in the morning breeze. The enemy army actually began to pick up the pace which surprised Luke a bit, but as he thought about it, the enemy commander really didn't have any other choice. For them it was either die slowly from ambushes and starvation or death on the battlefield. At least on the field, they had a slim chance of victory. Luke gave his mortars a few minutes to soften up the enemy some more. Finally, he turned to his bugler: “Send the order to the infantry that they are to open fire.” The bugler sounded the signal and within seconds the infantry started firing. The battlefield was covered in a thick blanket of smoke as the troops were firing as fast as they could. Luke still knew what was going on due to the observer in the balloon. Within a minute all organization had broken down in the enemy ranks and they returned to being a mob. Problems arose when the lead elements got into the smoke cloud. Now the observer was blinded as well. At least there was no other enemy troops in the area though. Luke was now relying on his sense of hearing and his previous battlefield experience to gage how the battle was going. At places along his line the sound suddenly dropped off. This meant that enemy troops had made it through and his troops had to resort to hand-to-hand combat. Luke rode up and down the lines encouraging his troops as he went. Luke then ordered his dragoons to make a fast ride around the end of the line and hit the enemy from behind while the infantry made a bayonet charge. He gave his dragoons a couple of minutes to get into position and when he heard their signal, he called for a charge all across the line. He also ordered the mortars to cease firing for he didn't want causalities from friendly fire. All up and down the line, Luke's infantry advanced into the smoke with bayonets at the ready. His dragoons were riding in behind with sabers drawn. What came next was a blood bath. Vincent's army had now been mauled badly. The older brother had been killed as had many of his officers. Most of Vincent's officers were also dead for that matter. But through all this smelly smoke a ray of light appeared for some of his infantry and men-at-arms were now coming into contact with Marion's troops. Marion's troops were proving to be extremely tough but at least they were now taking casualties as well. Suddenly he heard a trumpet sound from somewhere behind him. In front of him all the shooting stopped and another trumpet sounded. Vincent then realized that they were now dead for the enemy now had men in front and behind them. To prove his point, he soon heard the unmistakable sounds of cavalry charging them in the rear and soon he saw troops emerge in front of him all dressed in green and charging forward with some kind of short spear. He then realized that he was actually looking at these so-called firearms. This was his last thought as one of Luke's female soldiers appeared in front of him and before he could react, she drove her bayonet through Vincent's throat and bashed him in his face with her gun butt as she went by. The bayonet thrust had severed his cardioid artery and his blood was spraying out everywhere. The gun butt to the face had broken his nose and shattered his teeth. Within minutes, Vincent Duke of Sheffield was dead. Chapter 54. Luke walked the battlefield as soon as the smoke had cleared. All of his soldiers were ranging over the battlefield, looking for survivors. Luke had always been amazed at how many came through truly murderous battles without a scratch. This one however wasn't going to be one of them. Every enemy soldier he found was dead or almost dead. The ground was so covered with bodies that one couldn't take a single step without stepping on at least one body. Once in a while Luke found one of his own, if they were alive, he rendered aid and stayed with them until a stretcher could get there. Usually though they were also dead. In those cases, Luke would say a short prayer for them and if their eyes were still open, he would close them and move on. Fortunately, one of the things that he had always insisted on was an efficient casualty evacuation system. It was truly making itself felt on this battlefield for there was casualties everywhere. After going over the battlefield for over an hour, all the still living had been evacuated back to the field hospital. Now it was time to bury the dead. The enemy troops were simply stripped of anything useful and thrown into a mass grave. All of their dead were given a full military funeral and messages were sent out to the next of kin to inform them of their loss. Along with the message was the departed personal effects and the loot that they were entitled to from the battle. Luke had given orders that all his loot was to be divided up and sent to the families of the dead. After all he didn't need it for, he was extremely wealthy already. All things considered though; Luke's casualties were very light. He had suffered only eighty dead or wounded while his opponents had been annulated. Luke's dragoons had captured the remains of the baggage train and they spent a couple of days rounding up the small fragments of enemy army that had escaped. Luke spent three days resting his army and resupplying them. He was also waiting on his medical staff to finish up before he continued his advance. Also, his dragoons had to finish clearing the area so he was in no real hurry. When he was finally ready, he started the march to Sheffield. As they went, they rebuilt destroyed bridges and repaired other infrastructure. It took Luke a solid week of rebuilding until they came to the limits of Marion's land. By this time the villagers here coming back to rebuild as well. The villagers had all been paid by Marion's agents for most of their losses. This was something that she had put into place when she was still on the run to help get the villagers to cooperate. After she had gained power, she kept the policy in place. After Luke had crossed the border, he stopped rebuilding and only improved the infrastructure enough to keep the supplies coming. This allowed him to speed up drastically. He did leave detachments behind to continue to improve the infrastructure. Along the way several dumb nobles tried to make an issue of Luke's army crossing their lands and they soon learned that Luke and his army were not people that you wanted to cross for every noble who did, had his castle destroyed and his lands seized. If the noble didn't try to cross Luke then they would be left alone. Most of them even saw a massive jump in business for Luke's army paid for everything. If one of his soldiers tried to steal, they would be flogged. Rape and murder both carried death sentences. Just the method of execution was different. It only took Luke four days to reach Sheffield and when he got there all the possessions of the nobles who had attacked Marion's lands were seized and their families thrown out. Luke would usually let them keep one place of dwelling but it was never one of their nicer ones. Usually, it was just a simpler home that he let them keep. The land was sold to the peasants and town folk in the same way that the land in the lake district had been divided up. When church officials crossed him, they got the same treatment for he had no sympathy for a bunch of corrupt religious officials. They would always be dealt with in the same way. All of their commercial interest would be seized and they were forbidden to acquire more. At one small church Luke was met by an old padre. Luke jumped off his horse to talk: “Well good afternoon padre.” “Good afternoon, sir.” “Please, there is no need to be formal. Luke will do fine.” “Well, are you going steal my church too?” “I do not steal churches. Those churches that were seized were led by corrupt people that had no right to be called “Men of God” and you know that. Plus, those men attacked me not the other way around.” “It is still a sin to destroy sacred land.” “Father. I am only going to tell you this one time. I care not what you consider a sin. I sleep with two women and one for those is Marion of York. The other is her chief bodyguard and lover Gabriel. As for destroying sacred land goes, I have never done any such thing. I have never destroyed a church or cemetery for that is the practice of barbarians while I believe that every man and woman have the God given right to believe what they want and therefore are free to interpret the word of god how they want. If this offends you; too bad.” The pastor was taken back by everything that Luke had said. The pastor was going to protest when he looked at the faces of the troops surrounding Luke. Almost a third of them were woman and some of them wore officer markings and they were all watching him like a cat watching a mouse. He quickly came to the conclusion that it might be best for him not to argue with the new law in town and retreated back into his church. As promised Luke didn't harm the church. He had been impressed enough with the father to step into the church and looked around for a while. He even apologized for him losing his temper a bit earlier. At first the father was cautious but as some time passed in Luke's company, the he grew to actually like Luke the person. This was after Luke had explained that Luke the person and Luke the general were two different people. After sending a couple of hours with the father, Luke had to go back to war. Luke spent almost a month in the Sheffield area while his army worked to pacify the area and to improve the infrastructure. The improvements were paid for using the loot from nobles and churches that tried to interfere with Luke's army. Stone bridges were built over rivers and streams. Paved roads were built to link the towns of the area together. Luke also built schools for the area's people to learn how to read and write. Some hospitals would be built, but Luke held off on that for what good was it to build hospitals when there wasn't enough doctors and nurses to staff them. The labor for all this building was provided by the locals and they were paid well for it. Within weeks of arriving in the area, Luke had to put down a noble's rebellion because he rejected Luke's freeing of his serfs. It goes without saying that he didn't survive his attempts to get rid of Luke's army. By July the area had calmed down and Luke started to send the army back home. Chapter 55. Marion had sent the rest of the day after Luke left feeling sorry for herself. It was partially her fault that her husband was off to war again. She knew that Luke still had nightmares from his time in the marine corps and even he said that he would probably be having them for the rest of his life. These nightmares were always at their worst just after battles and on these nights, it was everything Marion could do to keep him calm and help him get any sleep at all. Now she wasn't with him and this weighed on her. As she and Gabriel were settling down that night, they were just beginning to talk about Marion's feelings when they got an urgent message. Alice wanted to see them on the double. This could only mean one thing; Pollyanna was going into labor. Both ladies rushed putting their clothes back on and rushed to infirmary. This was where Alice's message said to find them. When they got there, they found Pollyanna on an examination table and she was already in a gown. Matt wasn't there because he was off with Luke. Marion and Gabriel would be Pollyanna's emotional support. Every once in a while, Alice would step in and check on Pollyanna. Pollyanna wanted to try to have a regular birth for getting cut open made her nervous even though Alice had already done a large number of C-sections and had never ran into complications. Alice had the tools set up nearby; just in case. Through the night, either Marion or Gabriel would be up with Pollyanna and would help her by getting her cool water or changing out the damp rags that they were using to keep Pollyanna as comfortable as possible. The sun was just coming up the next morning when things started to pick up of Pollyanna and within a couple of hours, she had given birth to twin girls that weighed about three and a half kilograms apiece and were as beautiful as their mother. Pollyanna was so exhausted that she soon fell asleep. This told Gabriel and Marion that it was time to go. They were both happy, tired, sore, and had piles of work to do. That day drug by as it seemed to Marion that every form was getting longer. Finally, it was time for dinner and the end of the workday. After dinner they stopped by to check on Pollyanna and learned that she would be released in the morning. She was excited to be able to get back to work for she had some ideas regarding the hot water system that Luke had been tinkering with. During her extended stay in the infirmary, Pollyanna had seen how hard of a time the staff was having with heating water over a fire whenever they needed hot water and they needed a lot of hot water. Her first goal was to fix this for them and get hot water for everyone in the building. It would take her almost a solid week of going over all of Luke's designs to make her first prototype. Building this, she learned a lot which she incorporated into the next prototype. This one was capable of heating almost a thousand litters to almost boiling after only two hours in the sun. The first area to get hot water from the heater was the infirmary where it was a godsend for them. Now they suddenly had a lot of extra time that could be spent on taking care of patients instead of warming up water. The rest of the building followed over the next week with Marion and Gabriel the last ones to get running hot water. Their first evening with running hot water turned out to be a very memorable one indeed. Usually, the ladies would bath together; but at first, they were going to take their showers separate for they didn't know if they would have enough room. Gabriel got in first and took some time to shave. This was something that they did every couple of days so that they would stay smooth. Marion sat on their bed and watched. She could see that there would be enough room for both of them but Marion wanted to wait until after Gabriel had finished shaving. When she had finished shaving, she turned her back to Marion and that was the chance that Marion was waiting for. She quickly stripped off her clothes and silently entered the shower behind Gabriel. Gabriel yipped when Marion slid her hands over Gabriel's solid ass. As Gabriel turned her head, Marion's lips were right there and they quickly started kissing. It took them all of five seconds to figure out that taking showers together was so much more fun than bathing. Gabriel had the soap so she ran it over Marion's toned body making sure to get everything a couple of times. One of the things that Gabriel noticed was that the soap was really slippery and that gave her an idea. When she got her fingers in between Marion's ass checks; Gabriel went for it. She slipped one of her fingers into Marion's puckered star. The look in Marion's eyes simply could not be duplicated so Gabriel started sawing her finger in and out. After getting over her shock, Marion started pushing back into Gabriel's hand and groaning softly. Those groans got louder when Gabriel inserted a second finger; and louder still with the third. By that time Gabriel had one hand working Marion's ass hole and the other one working her clit and cunt. This way it didn't matter what way Marion went; she was fucking herself. Gabriel working Marion to heights never before seen, for if Marion got too close then Gabriel would stop and wait for Marion to calm down a bit before continuing. Finally, Marion hit her limit and her eyes rolled back into her head as she squirted all over and fainted. The only thing that kept Marion from crashing into the floor was Gabriel still had her fingers in Marion's ass and cunt. She gently laid Marion on the floor and made sure that Marion was clean. As Gabriel was finishing up, the water started to turn cold. Gabriel stepped out and dried herself off before she turned her attention to Marion who was still passed out. Gabriel smiled to herself as she gently picked Marion up and took her to the bed. She dried Marion off before she pulled the covers up over her. Gabriel read for a while before she too climbed into bed and cradled her lover before falling to sleep. The next day was a busy one for Marion and Gabriel for the city was bustling with all the refugees flooding into town. One of the city ordinances was that no livestock other than horses were allowed in town, so Marion had a corral set up just beyond the city limits on some land that she owned. The peasants would keep their livestock there and for a very small fee they would be taken care of so that the peasants could spend some time in town. She was also on the lookout for merchants trying to take advantage of the rural folks. Any merchant caught price gouging would be fined heavily. After a couple had been caught, the rest decided that making a little bit of extra money off the peasants just wasn't worth the risk of Marion's wrath. At least everyone in the castle had running hot water and they were taking full advantage of it. Everyone was showered and the kitchen personal were finding that having hot water made cleaning dishes much easier. In the hospital though it was a life saver for the running hot water made cleaning the medical gear so much easier. All the peasants had a hard time learning about the sanitary practices of York because they were so different from anywhere else in the world. That evening both Marion and Gabriel were exhausted when they drug themselves into their chambers. This time Marion went to take a shower first. She had her own private water heater so that she would have hot water. Just as she had finished shaving and Gabriel was about to get in with her, someone knocked at the door. At this time of evening, this had to be important news. Gabriel answered the door without even bothering to put anything on after all almost all the staff had seen her naked at some point and if someone did try and touch her, she was known to break the bastard's hands. The messenger gave Gabriel the message, saluted, and left. Gabriel shut the door and read the message. “Marion, honey, you might want to read this for yourself.” Marion shut the water off and got out. After she dried herself off; Marion took the message from Gabriel and saw that it was from Luke. “Vincent Duke of Sheffield and both brothers K I A. Duke's army crushed. Casualties eighty killed and wounded. Will be spending a week in current positions to allow army to rest and refit before proceeding on to Sheffield. Luke MacDougall; Commanding General” After Marion read the message, she just spent some time looking at it. She missed Luke terribly and if it hadn't been for Gabriel then she would have gone crazy by now. Speaking of Gabriel; she had climbed into the shower. Marion went over and climbed back into the shower. They began to soap each other down. When Gabriel was going to put her fingers in Marion's ass, she slapped Gabriel's hands away. This time it was Marion's turn to finger Gabriel's ass. She made sure that her fingers were really soapy and she pinned Gabriel against the wall for Gabriel was being funny and fighting back. Both girls were giggling as Marion's fingers found their target. She slipped one of her fingers into Gabriel's ass and she moaned. As Marion started sawing her finger in and out, Gabriel closed her eyes and was enjoying the feeling. Marion then turned up the heat as she slipped another finger into Gabriel's super tight ass. Gabriel started to thrust back into Marion's hand. She was practically begging Marion to put the third finger in and Marion certainly wasn't going to deny her lover, Marion pushed the third finger in and used her other hand to finger Gabriel's clit and finger bang her at the same time. Marion could actually feel her fingers that she had in Gabriel's ass with the fingers that she had in Gabriel's cunt. Gabriel sawed back and forth, and going in circles fucking herself with Marion's fingers. Marion timed her finger movements to push in as Gabriel was moving toward that hand and in this way, Gabriel would get maximum penetration. It only took a couple of minutes for Gabriel to start yelling at the top of her lungs. By this time, she was having continuous orgasms. Her pussy and ass muscles were squeezing Marion's fingers so hard that she wondered if Gabriel might actually break her fingers off. Finally, Gabriel cam so hard that she fainted. Marion's ears were ringing from Gabriel's yelling so she was distracted enough to allow Gabriel to fall to the floor. The floor hitting Gabriel in the face woke her up a bit. Marion still had to rinse her off then dry both of them off. Marion half carried Gabriel to the bed where she laid Gabriel down and covered her up. Marion cleaned up the bathroom a bit and then went to bed as well. The next month went much of the same way except the refugees started filtering back home to rebuild their homes. At least much of their crops hadn't been damaged because it wasn't even close to maturity. Over the month more and more homes got solar hot water heaters and Marion made sure that they had the water to heat up. She ordered the construction of several giant water towers near the town to keep the water pressure even. They would use steam engines to pump the water up and then gravity would make the water flow through the town. For water pipes they used re-enforced cast concrete. This made for very strong pipes that wouldn't be toxic like the lead pipes of ancient Rome. Marion had even had fire hydrants put in to help the new fire department fight any fires that happened to start. The fire department used a steam powered water pump to boost the pressure to useable firefighting levels. Luke insisted on separate sewer and storm drains when he designed to sewer system. When Marion had asked him about this, he told her that by doing it this way the untreated sewage wouldn't get into the environment. After all many people and animals relied on the river for their water. He was always careful about pollution and after he explained it to Marion, she was as well. After all, God might have given humans the Earth to rule as they see fit; but why would you want to destroy God's handy work. He also went on about making sure that his children had clean air to breath and clean water to drink. She could definitely see the merits of his arguments and as long as their survival wasn't in jeopardy, she was in full support of Luke's environmental goals. He of course understood that if they didn't win then his goals didn't matter one bit so that's why he took shortcuts that made him cringe. It was the end of June when Marion got another message from Luke saying that the Sheffield area had been pacified and that he and most of the army was on their way back home. To be continued in part 12, Based on a post by somethin fishy, for Sex Stories.

The core principle of journalism is to "seek the truth and report it," a mission that is constantly challenged by those who don't want the truth to be told.The First Amendment protects journalism in the United States, yet there is a growing concern about governmental restrictions on press freedoms. Journalists are facing unprecedented attempts to silence them through lawsuits and intimidation, raising alarms about the future of the free press.Can the truth survive an assault by the US Department of War?Read the transcript and notes for this episode on our website. Key Takeaways The First Amendment guarantees freedom of press and speech, but these rights are increasingly under attack by new government restrictions and litigation. Journalism is crucial for democracy as it holds power to account, yet current trends threaten to stifle investigative reporting and free expression. The lines between news, opinion, and entertainment are blurring, demanding that audiences become more critical of their media consumption. Young journalists may become discouraged from pursuing hard-hitting stories, leading to a prominent decline in investigative journalism. Advocacy and support for journalistic freedom are vital in preserving a healthy, informed democracy and counteracting misinformation. Follow the podcastIf you enjoyed this episode, please follow Copper State of Mind in Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or any other podcast app. We publish new episodes every other Friday. Just pick your preferred podcast player from this link, open the app, and click the button to “Follow” the show: https://copperstateofmind.show/listen Need to hire a PR firm? We demystify the process and give you some helpful advice in Episode 19: "How to Hire a Public Relations Agency in Arizona: Insider Tips for Executives and Marketing Directors." CreditsCopper State of Mind, hosted by Abbie Fink and Dr. Adrian McIntyre, is brought to you by HMA Public Relations, a full-service public relations firm in Phoenix, AZ.The show is recorded and produced by the team at Speed of Story, a strategic communications consultancy for PR agencies and marketing firms, and distributed by PHX.fm, the leading independent B2B podcast network in Arizona.If you like this podcast, you might also enjoy PRGN Presents: PR News & Views from the Public Relations Global Network, featuring conversations about strategic communications, marketing, and PR from PRGN, "the world's local public relations agency.”

In this episode, we dig into some big moves across markets. Spotify is shaking things up with Daniel Ek stepping down as CEO and a new co-CEO model taking over. Nike finally posts sales growth after a tough stretch, but margins remain under pressure as rivals like On and Hoka keep gaining ground. Algoma Steel gets a $500M government loan as tariffs hammer its U.S. exports, raising questions about its future. We also break down Air Canada’s revised guidance following its labour dispute, and take a look at Costco’s strong results and what its valuation means for investors. Tickers of stocks discussed: SPOT, NKE, ASTL.TO, AC.TO, COST Check out our portfolio by going to Jointci.com Our Website Our New Youtube Channel! Canadian Investor Podcast Network Twitter: @cdn_investing Simon’s twitter: @Fiat_Iceberg Braden’s twitter: @BradoCapital Dan’s Twitter: @stocktrades_ca Want to learn more about Real Estate Investing? Check out the Canadian Real Estate Investor Podcast! Apple Podcast - The Canadian Real Estate Investor Spotify - The Canadian Real Estate Investor Web player - The Canadian Real Estate Investor Asset Allocation ETFs | BMO Global Asset Management Sign up for Fiscal.ai for free to get easy access to global stock coverage and powerful AI investing tools. Register for EQ Bank, the seamless digital banking experience with better rates and no nonsense.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

S3.50 - The Chicago Table - Casualties of the Wild by Wererat Studios

In today's sermon, our Global Lead Pastor, Pastor Shola Okodugha, begins a new teaching series titled “Serpents and Doves.”He first emphasizes the importance of valuing wisdom-filled messages that God sends to His church. Every sermon is not just about the power dimension but also about God's wisdom. The Word of God is life-giving and directional. Wisdom is as critical as anointing, favour, and relationships for fulfilling destiny. Jesus Himself required four things to fulfill His earthly assignment:• The Anointing• Favour with God and man• Men (relationships)• WisdomIf Jesus needed these, so do we. Without wisdom, power alone will leave a believer frustrated and vulnerable.Matthew 10:16 says, “Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves.” Pastor Shola highlights that believers are sheep, dependent on the Shepherd, often defenseless on their own. The world system is full of wolves; predatory, political, manipulative. Our survival and success strategy is to combine:• The wisdom of the serpent (shrewdness, observation, strategy, timing)•The innocence of the dove (purity, gentleness, integrity)Wisdom is profitable to direct (Proverbs 4:7). Spirituality without wisdom equals irrelevance. God designed the earth to run by rules; ignoring them is not faith, but negligence. Shrewdness is not sin when guided by purity; it is maturity. Believers are called to do the Lord's work in the devil's playground and must therefore master both spiritual power and practical wisdom.Sheep are described as:• Led by shepherds• Defenseless• Easily frightened• Having sharp hearing and seeing• Intelligent with strong memory• Emotionally complexSerpents are known for moving with wisdom, being hard to predict, and operating with timing and strategy. Doves are gentle, pure, and upright in dealings.Practical lessons Pastor Shola highlighted include:• In career and business, believers must understand that politics and negotiation are part of the system of the earth. • In relationships and marriage, wisdom is needed with in-laws, especially during wedding preparations. Do not overshare or plant seeds of animosity. He also stressed that joint accounts are not a biblical command; every couple must choose the financial structure that truly works for them. Loyalty in partnerships or friendships must be mutual, not one-sided.• In decision-making, it is not enough to say “God told me.” Every decision should be tested against the Word of God and weighed by trusted, seasoned counselors who can serve as circuit breakers to help with timing, placement, and seasons.Key scriptures include Proverbs 1:5, which says a wise man will hear and increase learning, Luke 16:8, which says the children of this world are often more shrewd than the children of light, Exodus 4:2–4 where Moses' rod becomes a serpent showing that God's wisdom must swallow worldly wisdom, and Proverbs 30:18–19 which speaks of the way of a serpent on a rock as representing wisdom in movement.In concluding the sermon, Pastor Shola highlights that you will not survive earth's wolf systems with innocence alone, you need serpent-level wisdom. Innocence without wisdom leads to casualty. OUR CREED"As sure as God helps us,We will not give upWe will not cave inWe will not quitWe will not failWe will not dieUntil our job is doneAnd victory is won"——Partner with us to spread the influence of God all over the world. Give - https://pay.squadco.com/TheNewglobal——BROADCAST DETAILSMinister: Pst. Shola OkodughaDate: 23rd September 2025——Stay ConnectedSubscribe to the latest content: http://bit.ly/subscribethenewliveWebsite: http://wearethenew.org/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wearethenew_global/#TheNewLive #SholaOkodugha

One dead and two are critically injured after a shooting at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) field office occurred in Dallas this morning, according to local authorities.In other news, the long-awaited study on the causes of autism has now been released. The Food and Drug Administration has declared that acetaminophen, also known as Tylenol, can cause autism in children if their mothers take it often while pregnant. We'll discuss this topic and others in this episode of “Crossroads.”Views expressed in this video are opinions of the host and guests, and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.

President Trump has a long list of grievances against many U.S. colleges and universities. He's complained about antisemitism on campuses, of gender- and race-based course offerings, even communist indoctrination. To force change, the government has increasingly used the power of money. It's withheld billions in research funding and clamped down on international student visas. This week on The Sunday Story, NPR Correspondent Elissa Nadworny explores what the disruption means for the future of higher education in America.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Send us a textWe cover the tragic stabbing of Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska, Charlie Kirk's latest headlines, and a mix of trending stories from the week. Plus, don't miss Yesenia's Sports n Stuff — all the highlights, drama, and hot takes you need.

In this week's episode of The Men Behaving Badly Rewatch, Cory and Tom are considered rare condition as they discuss the series 3 episodes 1-3, Lovers, Bed, and Casualties. Blog Post

French hospitals have been told to prepare for mass casualties by March 2026, a sobering signal that Europe is bracing for a potential large-scale conflict. In this episode, Neil breaks down the Coalition of the Willing's latest security commitments to Ukraine, why Russia is threatening to seize British assets, and what these timelines mean for ordinary people.From military build-ups to financial retaliation, the signs point toward escalation rather than peace. Neil also shares practical steps you can take now – from hedging with gold and silver to building multiple income streams – to stay resilient in uncertain times.Support the showThanks for listening. For more commentary, join my newsletter! Click here to stay in touchSee you next time!

We'd love to have your feedback and ideas for future episodes of Retail Unwrapped. Just text us!Crisis management has become a requisite strategy in today's fractious marketplace. The socio-political landscape has become a minefield for retailers where one misstep can trigger unprecedented consumer backlash and boycotts. In today's hyperconnected environment, every consumer with a smartphone becomes a potential crisis catalyst, documenting empty shelves and operational failures that go viral instantly. Join Shelley and crisis management expert Edward Segal to learn why successful retailers must shift from reactive damage control to proactive crisis prevention. Their conversation reveals how major retailers are failing in everything from Cracker Barrel's tone-deaf new logo rollout to a succession of mismanaging DEI initiatives. The result is that customer credibility and trust are eroded, turning loyal customers into vocal critics. Listen and learn why traditional crisis management approaches are obsolete and why there is an emerging need for chief geopolitical officers to navigate an increasingly polarized marketplace and build crisis prevention systems before problems spiral out of control. Special Guest: Edward Segal, Best-Selling Author and Crisis Management ExpertFor more strategic insights and compelling content, visit TheRobinReport.com, where you can read, watch, and listen to content from Robin Lewis and other retail industry experts, and be sure to follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.

* China will host 20 world leaders at the 25th SCO Summit * Hamas confirms Mohammad Sinwar's death * Casualties as train derails in Egypt's Matrouh province * Thousands protest Israeli genocidal war on Gaza near Venice Film Festival * Türkiye, France and Spain criticise US for blocking Palestinian officials

Summary of Events The shooter, identified as Robin Westman (born Robert Westman, 23 years old), carried out an attack at a Catholic church and school during mass. Weapons used: pistol, rifle, and shotgun. Casualties reported: 2 children (ages 8 and 10) killed, 17 others injured (14 children and 3 adults). The shooter allegedly took their own life inside the church. The FBI labeled the case as a hate crime and domestic terrorism targeting Catholics, though local police had not fully confirmed the motive. Shooter Background Legally changed name from Robert to Robin at age 17. Described as transgender by commentators in the text. Left behind videos, writings, and a manifesto with disturbing content: Admiration for previous mass shooters. Anti-Catholic, anti-Trump, and anti-Israel messages written on firearms and magazines (e.g., “Kill Donald Trump,” “Israel must fall”). Obsession with school shootings and extremist rhetoric. Mother previously worked at the same school; shooter graduated from it in 2017. Political & Media Reactions Trump administration officials and FBI leadership framed the shooting as an act of religiously motivated hate. Commentary in the document accuses Democrats and liberal media of downplaying the hate-crime angle and focusing instead on gun control. References to Amy Klobuchar, Jen Psaki, and the Minneapolis mayor, criticizing their calls for tighter gun laws and for allegedly ignoring the ideological/mental health aspects. The mayor’s emotional remarks about gun violence and children’s safety are quoted, but framed as anti-gun rhetoric. The commentary repeatedly emphasizes a pattern of transgender shooters and accuses mainstream media of suppressing that detail. Please Hit Subscribe to this podcast Right Now. Also Please Subscribe to the The Ben Ferguson Show Podcast and Verdict with Ted Cruz Wherever You get You're Podcasts. And don't forget to follow the show on Social Media so you never miss a moment! Thanks for Listening X: https://x.com/benfergusonshowYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@VerdictwithTedCruzSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Be sure to visit cultureproof.net Please consider supporting the Culture Proof Podcast. We aim to bring engaging content that will challenge and equip Christians to live according to the Straight Edge of Scripture. All gifts are tax deductible. Our Address is: S.E. Ministries PO Box 1269 Saltillo MS, 38866   Episode sponsors: BJUPress Homeschool We Heart Nutrition – Use the code CULTUREPROOF for 20% off Accountable2You – Try free for 10 days Culture Proof Listeners  THANKS!   Culture Proof Podcast Theme song "Believers" courtesy of Path of Revelation    

#usopen #usopen2025 #flushingmeadows #usopentennis#wimbledon2025 #tennis #livetennis #tennis2025 #rg #rg2025 #rolandgarros #rolandgarros2025 #eala #alexeala #alexandraeala #draw #livedraw #reaction #wta #atp #tennisplayer #atptour #atptourcalendar #wtatour #wtatourcalendar #sw19 #frenchopen #frenchopen2025 #wimbledon #rg #joaofonseca #fonseca #rio #braziltennis #fonsecalive #joaofonsecalive #fonsecalivefree #fonsecastream #rafa #rafanadal #novakdjokovic #igaswiatek #iga #iganation #vamosrafa #nole #nolefam #alcaraz #carlosalcaraz #janniksinner #swiatek #rybakina #raducanu #emmaraducanu #qualies #sw19 #groundspass #thequeueBecome a member of the Talking Tennis community and enjoy perks such as emojis, badges and exclusive content:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCP7UDVQocV665yTn30vBJVA/joinCheck out our website...https://www.talking-tennis.com/Subscribe to our podcast...Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/43f2LvpQA7rxGbaRXqRMxHApple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/de/podcast/talking-tennis/id1652349752Amazon Music: https://podcasters.amazon.com/podcasts/1e8c717a-0be6-4145-adf5-aee32501a1aeFollow us on...Twitter: https://twitter.com/TalkingTennisTTFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/TalkingTennisTTInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/talkingtennistt/COPYRIGHT DISCLAIMER: Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favour of fair use and no copyright infringement is intended.#tennis #live #livestream #free #commentary #watchalong #talkingtennis #LiveTennis2024 #LiveTennis #LiveCommentary #TennisLive #sports Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

RP and Listra come back from biological warfare! Germs and antibodies clashed in a no-holds-barred struggle for supremacy. Casualties included Govan's back, Listra's kidney and some dignity.Find us onhttps://twitter.com/3rdfactionshowhttps://twitter.com/MsListra https://bsky.app/profile/mslistra.bsky.social and Twitch.tv/Mslistrahttps://twitter.com/briccostud and Twitch.tv/Briccostudhttps://twitter.com/RPGamer4life and Twitch.tv/RPGovanDiscord Serverhttps://discord.gg/jNYr9mVNN7You can email the show onthethirdfactionshow@gmail.com

In this episode of Good Morning Liberty, Nate Thurston and Charles 'Chuck' Thompson discuss a variety of topics, starting with their new studio setup and a humorous exchange about a convenience store chain. They delve into Nate's recent trip to Yellowstone as well as the challenges of staying connected in today's world. The duo addresses the ongoing war in Ukraine, the European leaders' meetings in Washington, and the potential for peace talks led by Trump. They also tackle the controversy surrounding an Israeli government official caught in a child solicitation sting in Nevada. Finally, they discuss the potential dangers of radioactive shrimp sold at Walmart, highlighting how government budget cuts can affect food safety. The episode combines light-hearted banter with in-depth discussions on current events, making it an engaging listen. (06:12) European Leaders and Zelensky's Visit (09:55) Trump's Efforts to End the War (18:58) Press Secretary's Response and Media Tactics (26:19) Casualties of War (26:36) Possible Outcomes of the Ukraine-Russia Conflict (27:32) Diplomacy and Virtue Signaling (29:04) Public Opinion Polls on Ukraine (31:21) Trump's Controversial Comments (35:26) Israeli Official's Scandal in Vegas (51:51) Radioactive Shrimp Warning   Links:   https://gml.bio.link/   YOUTUBE:   https://bit.ly/3UwsRiv   Check out Martens Minute!   https://martensminute.podbean.com/   Follow Josh Martens on X:   https://twitter.com/joshmartens13   CB Distillery 25% off with promo code GML   cbdistillery.com   Join the Fed Haters Club!   joingml.com   secure.thomasmassie.com/donate  

The suffering caused by the war in Gaza has grabbed the world's attention. But that suffering isn't just limited to the enclave's human inhabitants.

Abdul unpacks the week in public health, which includes: Vinay Prasad's exit from FDA Susan Monarez's confirmation to lead CDC New childhood vaccination data The EPA's move to rollback the endangerment finding Why more experts have been ousted from ACIP Then Abdul interviews professor Dr. Brian Willoughby about his research on porn use among young people, and what parents should know about modern porn content. Note: We recorded this episode before RFK Jr announced the cancellation of $500 million in funding for mRNA vaccine development. However, Abdul and Katelyn discussed the threat of mRNA research cuts in our May 7 and June 3 episodes. (their May convo begins at 00:11:00 / their June convo begins at 00:16:00) Check out our shop at store.americadissected.com for our new America Dissected merch – including logo shirts, hoodies and mugs. And don't miss our “Vaccines Work. Science Matters.” t-shirts! 

If you support us on Patreon, you may know that we have been doing Aftershows weekly for many years. We are releasing Aftershows from the past (two years old) on Fridays for everyone's enjoyment. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K_L1zkE8XQU Digital Casualties Aftershow We have an AI haiku quiz sent in by listener Jake. Can Greg and CJ figure out the games being described by these Bard-crafted haiku? Listen and find out! If you have an idea for a game we can play in the Aftershow, email it to us at playeronepodcast@gmail.com! Thanks for your support!

Ray Johnston, senior pastor of Bayside Church in Sacramento, CA, reflects on decades of ministry and how to stay encouraged in ministry even when you feel done, why cynicism is incurable, how to finish well, and how to park your ego so you can raise up a team of all-stars. This episode is a 90-minute breakdown of what a long obedience in the same direction and finishing well look like.

Live from the Presbaru on a rainy afternoon, Brad talks about the content of the article linked below—The Casualties of Contemporary Worship. https://presbycast.substack.com/p/the-casualties-of-contemporary-worship

This week, the girlies are hairy on main to address the question: why are we so obsessed with being smooth? From ancient sugaring practices to TikTok lasers, they trace the cultural history of body hair and explore how whiteness, misogyny, hygiene myths, and beauty marketing all converged to make your stubble a moral failing. Digressions include Eliza's ongoing war with air travel, Lena Dunham's latest press tour, and non-qualified med spas that will definitely leave you botched. This episode was produced by Julia Hava and Eliza McLamb and edited by Allison Hagan. Research assistance from Kylie Finnigan. To support the podcast on Patreon and access 50+ bonus episodes, mediasodes, zoom hangouts and more, visit patreon.com/binchtopia and become a patron today. SOURCES: A full Brazilian or all natural: understanding the influences on young women's decision to remove their pubic hair  ASU professor encourages students to defy body hair norms  Body Hair Removal: The 'Mundane' Production of Normative Femininity.  Caucasian Female Body Hair and American Culture  Darker-skinned people urged to take extra precautions as laser hair removal industry booms  From flint razors to lasers: a timeline of hair removal methods Hair or Bare?: The History of American Women and Hair Removal, 1914-1934 History of Hair Removal  How the beauty industry convinced women to shave their legs  How Much A Beauty Editor's Hair Removal Routine Actually Costs  Male Stigmatization of Female Body Hair Mapping 'Gross' Bodies: The Regulatory Politics of Disgust  Plucked: A History of Hair Removal by Rebecca Herzig ‘Plucked': Race, gender, science, medicine converge in history of hair removal Pubic Hair Grooming Prevalence and Motivation Among Women in the United States  Shaving and fashion: A storied history The Casualties of Women's War on Body Hair The Hair-Raising History of Women's Body Hair  The History of Female Hair Removal  The Naked Truth: Why Humans Have No Fur The Strange Secret History Of Hair Removal Will Blow Your Mind  Trends in body hair removal as depicted through art UNSHAVED resistance & revolution in women's body hair politics  Why women feel pressured to shave

PREVIEW: UKRAINE: Colleague John Hardie underlines that Russia makes little advance for large casualties in the summer campaign season. More to come. 1855 CRIMEAN WAR

Last time we spoke about Black Saterday and Operation Iron Fist. Conflict erupted in Shanghai on August 13, when Japanese marines disguised as civilians provoked Chinese guards, resulting in fierce gunfire and urban warfare. Both sides engaged in skirmishes around vital locations, with the Eight Character Bridge becoming a focal point. On August 14, air raids misfired catastrophically, killing over a thousand civilians in what became known as "Black Saturday." In an attempt to regain control, Chiang Kai-shek authorized Operation Iron Fist, a bold offensive targeting Japanese strongholds. The attack commenced early on August 17, involving coordinated assaults aimed at exploiting weak points in the enemy defenses. However, poor coordination, entrenched opposition, and the complexity of urban combat resulted in further devastating losses for the Chinese troops. By August 18, Operation Iron Fist had failed, with the Japanese reinforcing their positions and announcing a strategic shift towards expanded military engagement.   #158 The Battle of Shanghai Part 3: The Chinese Counteroffensive “Drive them into the Sea!” Welcome to the Fall and Rise of China Podcast, I am your dutiful host Craig Watson. But, before we start I want to also remind you this podcast is only made possible through the efforts of Kings and Generals over at Youtube. Perhaps you want to learn more about the history of Asia? Kings and Generals have an assortment of episodes on history of asia and much more  so go give them a look over on Youtube. So please subscribe to Kings and Generals over at Youtube and to continue helping us produce this content please check out www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals. If you are still hungry for some more history related content, over on my channel, the Pacific War Channel where I cover the history of China and Japan from the 19th century until the end of the Pacific War. On August 18, the Japanese military reinforced their presence in Shanghai, shipping an additional 1,400 marines from Manchuria to bolster the ranks of the Japanese Shanghai Special Naval Landing Force or “SNLF”. Yes, all of you who don't listen to my Pacific War week by week podcast are going to get a lot of acronym lessons soon. And yes, they are not quote en quote real marines, but like most telling these stories its easier to refer to them this way. This influx of troops was a significant escalation in the ongoing conflict, heightening tensions as the battle for control intensified. As the battle in Shanghai raged on, a growing sentiment emerged among Chinese leaders that crucial chances had been squandered. On August 18, Chiang Kai-shek sent his trusted aide, Deputy War Minister Chen Cheng, to confer with General Zhang Zhizhong at the front lines. They assessed the situation and agreed that instead of attacking the heavily fortified Hongkou area, they should redirect their focus to the Yangshupu district. The aim was to breach the defenses and split the Japanese forces along the Huangpu River. This strategic shift was precisely what the German military advisers and frontline commanders had anticipated, signaling a decisive move away from their earlier hesitance to engage within settlement boundaries. As attrition took its toll on the Chinese troops already committed in Shanghai, the responsibility for the offensive was placed on the newly arrived 36th Infantry Division, a unit highly trained by German forces. They were positioned to advance from the eastern edge of Hongkou, with two regiments tasked to march south toward the Huangpu. In the early hours of the 19th, two regiments of the 36th launched their long-planned attack, moving swiftly towards the front lines. The night was illuminated by the flames of sabotage and incendiary bombs, aiding visibility amid the chaos. However, the assault quickly faced significant challenges. Many of the Chinese soldiers were inexperienced, becoming easy targets for Japanese infantry positioned in rooftops and upper-story windows. In the absence of cover, some troops were forced to take shelter behind the fallen bodies of their comrades. For a moment, the Chinese troops felt a surge of hope, believing they could push the Japanese into the Huangpu River. General Zhang Fakui, observing from the opposite bank, envisioned a breakthrough. However, upon reaching Broadway, parallel to the river, they confronted a formidable barrier. High walls guarded the wharves, and even the largest artillery pieces struggled to breach the defenses. Attempts to scale the steel gate resulted in devastating fire from entrenched Japanese machine gunners, while fortified factories like the Gong Da Cotton Mill proved equally impenetrable. As the Chinese forces suffered under relentless bombardment, their momentum diminished. The 88th Infantry Division, previously effective, showed signs of disarray and hesitated to engage. Compounding their woes, Japanese reinforcements arrived, swelling their ranks to 6,300 well equipped marines. Despite these challenges, the Chinese committed to deploying their newly acquired British built Vickers tanks, a symbol of their efforts to modernize their military over the years. But with each hour, the balance of power tilted further in favor of the Japanese forces. Meanwhile the 87th Infantry Division was assigned two armored companies, yet it suffered catastrophic losses. The tanks, recently shipped from Nanjing, had crews untrained in coordinated assaults, and many were left without infantry support. The Chinese forces struggled to secure adjacent streets, allowing Japanese armor to outflank and destroy their tanks. The Japanese, too, faced coordination challenges between their armor and infantry, resulting in some of their tanks being annihilated by Chinese anti-tank weapons. On the 20th, General Zhang Zhizhong inspected the Yangshupu front and encountered a former student leading a tank company ready to attack the wharves. The tanks, hastily repaired and ill equipped for battle, faced fierce enemy fire, and the young officer expressed concern about the infantry's ability to keep pace. Despite Zhang's insistence that the assault must proceed, the attack ended in disaster as the tank company was decimated by shells from anchored vessels. The battle blended modern warfare with tactics reminiscent of earlier centuries. An officer named Wu Yujun managed a position during a Japanese cavalry attack on the 18th. After two unsuccessful assaults, Wu set an ambush that resulted in the annihilation of the Japanese riders. This incident illustrated the stark contrast on the battlefield where Chinese soldiers often confronted a technologically superior enemy while grappling with their own inexperience.  Many of the Chinese units arriving in Shanghai were very green, countless having never faced battle before, and their lack of experience proved costly in the initial days of fighting. Brigade Commander Fang Jing of the 98th Division observed that his soldiers constructed inadequate fortifications that crumbled under the Japanese 150mm howitzers. He lamented, “Often, the positions they built were too weak and couldn't withstand the enemy's artillery,”. On the 20th, 5 Chinese aircraft returned after yet another unsuccessful attack on the Japanese battleship Izumo, which remained anchored in the Huangpu. During their flight over western Zhabei, they encountered two Japanese seaplanes. One Chinese pilot broke formation, diving steeply to fire a brief machine-gun salvo, but his plane was quickly shot down, bursting into flames before crashing. The Chinese attacks had posed a significant threat to Japanese bombers, particularly the vulnerable Mitsubishi G3M medium aircraft targeting Shanghai and central China. Japan's First Combined Air Group suffered heavy losses, with half of its medium attack planes damaged or destroyed within the first three days of fighting. However, the Chinese pilots, largely inexperienced and inadequately trained, began to falter against the superior Japanese fighters, eventually withdrawing from the skies over Shanghai. Ground troops expressed frustration over the lack of effective air support, as they rarely saw their planes after the 20th, instead carrying out major troop movements only under the cover of darkness. The Japanese air superiority drastically affected operations on the ground, dictating when Chinese soldiers could eat and transport supplies. Without effective fighter protection and limited anti-aircraft capabilities, the Chinese troops were left exposed. Most of their anti-aircraft weaponry consisted of 20mm Solothurn guns that were ineffective against aircraft and were more often used against infantry. Officers hesitated to use these guns for fear of revealing their positions to the enemy.  By the morning of the 21st, the 36th Division had been relentlessly attacking the wharf area for over 48 hours, yet victory remained elusive. Although some tanks had infiltrated the wharf, they were met with dishearteningly strong Japanese defenses and a well-manned enemy presence. The commanders recognized that they had advanced too quickly without securing their flanks, and their reserves, which could have provided crucial support, remained in the rear. Reluctantly, they concluded that a withdrawal was necessary. The retreat was a painful acknowledgment that pushing the Japanese into the Huangpu River would not be as straightforward as hoped. Part of the Chinese failure stemmed from an inability to execute joint operations across different military branches. German advisors noted that artillery support for the forces in Yangshupu from the Pudong side was limited. In contrast, Japanese naval guns were actively providing support, significantly relieving the pressure on their marines. This imbalance resulted in heavy losses for the Chinese, with the 36th Division suffering over 2,000 casualties by the late 22nd. Meanwhile, Japanese naval aircraft attempted to impede the movement of additional Chinese troops to Shanghai by bombing the railway from Suzhou. Although several bridges were destroyed and railway stations sustained damage, the delays were minimal, offering some reassurance to Chinese commanders who understood that reinforcements were essential for a successful continuation of the battle. The light cruiser Jintsu, carrying the 3rd Division, set to land six miles north of Shanghai, while the 11th Division would disembark a dozen miles further up the Yangtze River. By the evening of the 21st, the task force arrived at the Yangtze River and the Saddle Islands off the river estuary. The soldiers had to transfer to smaller vessels capable of navigating the shallow waters of the Huangpu River.  On the 23rd, Matsui Iwane got aboard the light cruiser Yura and was greeted by Rear Admiral Chuichi Nagumo, then the commander of the 8th cruiser division. Yes, the same man who would be blamed for losing at Midway in 1942. The Japanese fleet had made a strategic sweep as far south as Hangzhou Bay the previous day to disrupt Chinese troop movements and force them to spread thin along the coast. However, with the landings imminent, it was clear the assault would happen at Wusong and Chuanshakou. Initially, Matsui preferred landing both divisions at Chuanshakou for a sweeping advance into the lightly defended countryside west of Shanghai, which would encircle tens of thousands of Chinese soldiers. The 3rd Fleet, however, proposed a bolder strategy: the 11th Infantry Division would proceed with the landing at Chuanshakou, while the 3rd Infantry Division would land at Wusong, directly confronting the heavily concentrated Chinese forces around Shanghai. This plan aimed to exert pressure from both the front and the rear, a tactic that could yield success but risked high casualties if faced with stiff Chinese resistance. Aware of the operation's risks, the naval officers sought to ease potential tensions with their army counterparts by offering over 500 elite marines to support the assault, preparing for what could be a pivotal moment in the campaign. Shortly after midnight on the 23rd, the marines designated as the primary assault wave at Wusong arrived in a convoy of steamers from Shanghai. Their arrival was eagerly anticipated, as they would spare the 3rd Division from being the first to land. As the naval artillery barrage reached a deafening climax, the boats glided across the smooth water towards the shore. Any time a Chinese machine gun opened fire, it drew immediate response from the Japanese gunners, swiftly silencing the threat. Meanwhile, trench mortars onshore targeted the advancing vessels, but their rounds fell harmlessly into the water without causing any damage. At 3:00 am, the first landing craft reached the bank, dropped anchor, and lowered its ramp. The marines waded ashore, climbing the 15 foot high dike to survey the terrain. Suddenly, machine gun fire erupted from a Chinese position just 50 yards away, cutting down several marines. Undeterred, the marines charged with fixed bayonets across the open field. An explosion marked the spot where a soldier had triggered a landmine, followed by more detonations, but there was no retreat; they pressed on, swarming over the Chinese trench and engaging in a brief yet fierce hand-to-hand struggle. Within moments, they had taken the position. The marines quickly cleared the area, paving a path to their immediate objective, a military road running parallel to the Huangpu River. While setting up defensive positions, the 3rd Division began to disembark at the water's edge. By 8:00 a.m, the divisional command stepped ashore as the last unit to arrive. Meanwhile, naval pilots were busy bombing and strafing roads further inland to impede any enemy reinforcements. The landing had unfolded with remarkable success, marking a significant moment in the operation and setting the stage for greater advances by Japanese forces. Meanwhile the 11th division began setting foot on the beach north of Chuanshakou at 3:50 am. As the soldiers advanced towards the town's outskirts, they encountered only minimal resistance as Chuanshakou was defended by a single Chinese company.  Matsui was pleased with the outcome; everything had unfolded according to plan and, in fact, better than he had dared to hope. Casualties in both divisions were surprisingly low, amounting to little more than 40 soldiers. At 5:30 am, Zhang Zhizhong received an urgent phone call at his new headquarters in a small village near Nanxiang. On the line was Liu Heding, commander of the 56th Infantry Division, reporting that an enemy force of unknown size had landed near Chuanshakou. With heavy bombardment disrupting communications, details were scarce, but Zhang immediately recognized the gravity of the situation: a new front was opening, complicating his command significantly. Realizing he could not effectively manage the situation from Nanxiang with communications down, Zhang decided to head to the command post of the 87th Infantry Division in Jiangwan, a town closer to the landing area. By the time he arrived at the 87th Division's base, it was nearly 9:00 am. He was informed that the Japanese had not only landed at Chuanshakou but also at Wusong. Recognizing the urgency, he quickly dispatched half of the 87th Infantry Division and a regiment from the recently arrived Training Brigade, an elite unit fresh from Nanjing, to respond to the threat. Given that the 56th Infantry Division alone could not secure the area around Chuanshakou, Zhang assigned the 98th Infantry Division to defend most of the Yangtze riverbank under threat. He also dispatched the 11th Division, which had just arrived in the Shanghai area with Deputy War Minister Chen Cheng to move toward Luodian, a town just a few miles from the landing zone at Chuanshakou.  Meanwhile, the Japanese forces were advancing swiftly. While the main landing contingent engaged in fierce fighting for control of Chuanshakou, a small unit of a few hundred soldiers was dispatched down the road to Luodian. Marching under the scorching August sun, the reservists, weary from the trek, found little resistance upon reaching Luodian. They hastily set up camp without adequately preparing defenses, making them vulnerable targets. Later that afternoon, advance units of the 11th Infantry Division reached Luodian, shaken but determined to attack even after facing air raids on their journey. The ensuing skirmish was swift; within an hour, the Japanese were repelled. Back over at Wusong Hu Guobing received orders to push back the Japanese on August 21st. He led his regiment towards the Japanese lines, as his platoons dispersed further, dividing into smaller squads. Soon, the sharp crack and rattle of small arms fire resonated along the regiment's front. Battalion Commander Qin Shiquan, a graduate of the Central Military Academy, led two companies toward the enemy positions, taking care to remain unnoticed. When they drew close enough, he ordered his bugler to sound the charge. Then, raising his Mauser pistol, he turned to face his men and shouted, “Attack! Attack!” This sudden noise revealed his position, making it vulnerable. Japanese observers hidden nearby quickly relayed his coordinates to warships offshore. Within minutes, shells began to rain down on the unit with alarming accuracy. Amidst the storm of fire unleashed by the Japanese, all semblance of order disintegrated, and chaos ensued as each unit fought to survive. Hu Guobing spent most of the day dodging Japanese aircraft that circled overhead, waiting for targets to emerge. As Hu Guobing recalled “It felt as though the enemy could see everything. It was crucial not to act rashly. Our only real options were to take cover in a hole or hide behind a ridge”. The gunfire continued throughout the afternoon and did not relent until darkness began to fall. Only then could the soldiers breathe a little easier, grab a few bites of their field rations, and quench their parched throats with sips from their water canteens. Seizing the relative safety of night, they hurried to improve their positions, knowing that once dawn arrived, it would be too late; a shallow trench or inadequate camouflage could spell doom. Although it had been Chiang Kai-Shek's decision to place Zhang Zhizhong and Feng Yuxiang in charge of Shanghai, now designated the 3rd War Zone, he was having regrets. In a telephone conversation with Feng Yuxiang shortly after the Japanese landings, Chiang emphasized the importance of monitoring the younger front-line commanders. He urged “Don't hesitate to give them advice,”. Feng assured him that he would not hold back. He then recounted an anecdote about General Nogi Maresuke, who, during the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905, allegedly delegated all major decisions to his chief of staff. Feng told him “The frontline commanders possess courage and a fighting spirit. Their role is to take orders and engage in battle. Mine is to stay back, like Nogi, write a few poems, and wait for the inevitable,”. Chiang persistently insisted, “Regardless of the situation, don't be shy. Share your insights with them.” “Of course,” Feng responded. “If I notice something amiss, I'll address it without hesitation. You can count on me.” However, this assurance did little to calm Chiang's concerns. A great concern was Zhang Zhizhong. Much of his rhetoric about fighting the Japanese seemed to lack substance. Zhang had not demonstrated the necessary resolve to launch attacks against the small Japanese forces in the city when decisive action could have turned the tide of the battle. With Japanese reinforcements firmly entrenched in two locations within the greater Shanghai area, it was now too late to pursue a quick victory over the enemy. Compounding the issue, Zhang appeared to spend an excessive amount of time making grandiose statements to the newspapers rather than focusing on the ground situation. Chiang's frustration was palpable, and it was shared by his German advisors, who concurred that Zhang lacked the requisite “toughness” to confront Japanese resistance effectively. The decision to send Deputy War Minister Chen Cheng to the front was an early indication that Chiang was considering replacing Zhang. In a particularly humiliating twist, Zhang was not even informed of Chen Cheng's appointment and learned about it indirectly through other field commanders. Fearing that he was being sidelined, Zhang Zhizhong hurried to the 3rd War Zone headquarters in Suzhou to assess the situation. While in Suzhou, called Chiang, whom began harshly criticizing him for being so far behind the front lines. “What are you doing in Suzhou? What are you doing in Suzhou?”. Zhang Zhizhong replied “Mr. Chairman, I'm back in Suzhou to discuss important strategic matters. Otherwise, I'm constantly at the front What's the matter with you?” Chiang was incensed by this perceived disrespect. “What's the matter with me? You ask me what's the matter with me!” His voice rising to a hoarse shriek, Chiang Kai-shek abruptly hung up. At this point, Zhang must have had little doubt that his days as the chief field commander were numbered. The Japanese landings had accomplished their immediate objective of relieving pressure on the small marine forces holed up in Shanghai. As a result, the Chinese were forced to halt their attacks on Hongkou and Yangshupu and had to reconsider how to allocate their resources across various fronts. If the Japanese landing party grew large enough, the Chinese forces could risk becoming the target of a Japanese pincer movement. In essence, within a few days, they had shifted from an offensive posture to a defensive one. Against this backdrop, Chen Cheng,  leading the 15th Army Group, arrived in Suzhou on August 24th. His presence aimed to bolster resistance, and he was also there to familiarize himself with local conditions, as he was expected to take on a greater role at the front shortly. Chen's confident demeanor and readiness to overrule local commanders indicated that real authority already resided with him. While he agreed with Zhang Zhizhong's plans from the previous day to counter the landings, he deemed them insufficient given the threat posed by the fresh Japanese troops. Consequently, he ordered that more soldiers be redeployed from Shanghai proper to the landing zones. To counter the dire situation, Falkenhausen devised a plan aimed at reigniting enthusiasm for the offensive among the Chinese forces. During a meeting on the 25th, he proposed rallying all troops in the Luodian area to mount a coordinated attack from all sides against the Japanese landing force. Emphasizing the German preference for a decisive strike, he aimed to push the invaders back into the Yangtze. The assembled officers expressed their agreement with the plan. However, as dawn broke, the optimism from the night's discussions began to wane. It had been 48 hours since the landings, and the Japanese army had solidified its foothold at Chuanshakou, rapidly approaching a point of strength that would make it nearly impossible to dislodge them. Tanks and artillery were assembled along the riverbank, while engineers constructed a pier to facilitate the faster unloading of troops and supplies. They had already established a bridgehead that extended 10 miles in length and reached a depth of five miles, initiating the construction of a road heading inland, an evident preparation for a major offensive. In a secret report to Chiang Kai-shek, Falkenhausen outlined the challenging situation as the Japanese consolidated their material advantages. “It should be noted that the enemy's army and navy operate in close coordination. Although their land-based artillery is still relatively weak, this is offset by their robust naval artillery and ship-based aircraft,”. He further noted that the airfields on Chongming Island contributed to Japan's now “complete air superiority, as a result, the main operations on our side should be executed after dark.”  From late August onward, most Chinese movements occurred after sunset. Only then could Chinese and Japanese infantry engage on more equal footing, without the overwhelming advantage provided by air support. Night became the great equalizer in the uneven battle for Shanghai. During the day, the relentlessly active Japanese forces seemed to be everywhere. They deployed rubber boats up small rivers to scout and disrupt. Their observation balloons hovered on the horizon, keeping a vigilant watch on the Chinese and swiftly scrambling aircraft upon detecting any movement. They combined technological superiority with a bravery that bordered on the suicidal; when faced with the prospect of capture, many Japanese soldiers preferred death. Following a fierce battle in the vicinity of Luodian, the Chinese retrieved the body of a sergeant major who had committed hara-kiri, while a gravely injured private was found attempting to slit his own throat with his bayonet. Luodian remained the immediate target for nearly all the Japanese forces in the area, facing the same Chinese units that had driven them out on August 23rd. The Chinese were well entrenched in and around the town, but they lacked the numbers to consider launching offensive operations against the Japanese at Chuanshakou. Instead, their priority was to strengthen their defenses. While waiting for the Japanese to resume the assault, they endured massive and sustained bombardment. Among the Chinese officers, there was a growing sense of crisis and a palpable fear that their defensive line could collapse at any moment. From their perspective, the Japanese appeared to be gaining momentum. However, the situation looked quite different from the Japanese invaders' point of view. Japanese casualties began to rise as the Chinese reinforcements sent to the Luodian area started to make an impact. Two days after the landings, the number of dead and injured from the 11th Division had exceeded 400, and the toll continued to climb. Among the casualties was a senior staff officer who was killed moments after stepping off his landing craft at Chuanshakou, struck down by a Chinese aircraft that had evaded Japanese fighter cover. The death toll escalated so quickly that not all bodies could be cremated, as was customary for the Japanese; privates and junior officers were hastily buried instead. For an army that prided itself on honoring its fallen soldiers more than those left alive, this was a significant blow to morale. The 3rd Division faced different challenges in its sector. It was subjected to relentless attacks on the first day of the landing and had to repel two further major enemy assaults on the second day. Additionally, it experienced occasional shelling from Chinese artillery located on the Pudong side. The greatest threat, however, came from the division's right flank. North of the landing zone lay Wusong Fortress, which had been guarding the approach to Shanghai since the wars against British and French forces in the mid-19th century. From their fortifications, Chinese infantry and artillery continuously targeted the Japanese as they disembarked from their boats and advanced inland. They also fired upon small vessels navigating up the Huangpu River, delivering supplies to the division. As the 3rd Division expanded its bridgehead in the days following the landing, Wusong Fortress remained a persistent threat, impeding the buildup of Japanese forces on shore. Compounding the Japanese sense of being encircled, the village of Yinhang to the south was also under Chinese control. This, combined with the steadily increasing number of Chinese defenders in front of the landing zone, created a challenging tactical situation for the Japanese. Although initial casualties had been lighter than the planners had feared, the number of Japanese losses began to rise. By the 25th, the 3rd Division, often referred to as the “Lucky” Division, reported over 300 accumulated casualties. Two days later, that number had escalated to 500, the majority of whom were killed in action. On the 28th, the 3rd Division was finally able to capture the village of Yinhang, freeing itself somewhat from the tactical constraints it had faced up to that point. On the same day, following an intense naval bombardment, the 11th Division launched an assault on Luodian. Leading the charge was Wachi Takaji, a 44-year-old regimental commander who surged forward with his sword drawn, personally dispatching several enemies along the way. The Chinese defenders were driven out of the town and fled down the roads leading inland. By noon, Luodian was firmly under Japanese control.  However August 29th marked a significant triumph for Chinese diplomacy, as Chiang Kai-shek's signed a non-aggression treaty with the Soviet Union. The pact between Nanjing and Moscow laid the political and diplomatic groundwork for Soviet military aid to China while ensuring that the Soviet Union would not reach an agreement with Japan as long as hostilities continued. Initially, Chiang Kai-shek had been wary of Soviet intentions, expressing concerns in his diary on August 1st, when the diplomats were preparing the treaty, that he feared the Kremlin might use the agreement to pressure Japan into signing a similar pact with Moscow. However, following the signing, skepticism gave way to optimism. Three days after announcing the treaty, Chiang confidently predicted in a speech that the Soviet Union would eventually enter the war against Japan. Chiang would not be wrong about that, but it would only come in 1945, officially. Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin had a clear reason to encourage China to engage in a full-scale war with Japan: it would secure Russia's western flank while he focused on the strategic challenges posed by a Europe dominated by Hitler. A conflict with China could drain Japanese resources, thereby reducing the threat from Asia in the long term. Exasperated British diplomats attempted to warn Chiang Kai-shek about what they perceived as a Soviet ruse, advising that the Russians “only have their own interests in mind.” Nevertheless, this did little to undermine the Chinese leader's belief in the Soviet Union's willingness to help. At a deeper cognitive level, there was a reason why Chiang Kai-shek and his associates clung to the belief that not only Soviet aid but also direct Soviet participation in the hostilities was imminent. This aligned with their expectations of how a war with Japan would unfold. The Chinese General Staff's War Plan A, drafted in 1937, was based on the premise that a conflict with Japan would soon trigger a larger conflict involving either the Soviet Union or the United States. Thus, the key objective for China was to withstand the superior Japanese forces until relief could arrive from a more powerful ally, whether that be Russian or American. This strategy was not as naive as it might seem; it was based on the understanding that neither Moscow nor Washington would want to see Japanese power grow too strong on the Asian mainland. Despite the capture of Luodian and Yinhang, the Japanese continued to face significant challenges. Their grip on the Shanghai region remained highly precarious, relying on control of two isolated pockets north of Shanghai and a beleaguered garrison within the city. Due to their numerical inferiority, they were under intense pressure from Chinese forces. The landings at Wusong and Chuanshakou had initially bolstered the manpower in the Shanghai area by fewer than 8,000 troops, and although reinforcements were gradually arriving, the pace was slow. Matsui Iwane recognized the need for a more radical increase in troop levels to achieve a decisive outcome. By the end of August, he cabled Tokyo, arguing that to complete the operation successfully, he required a total of five divisions or at a minimum the release of the 11th Division's Amaya Detachment, currently stationed in northeast China, to reunite with the division at Chuanshakou. The Japanese imperial staff and navy command responded mostly favorably, agreeing to redirect the detachment to Shanghai alongside several units of the elite marines. One week after the landings, Wusong Fort continued to pose a significant problem for the 3rd Division and the navy, which was responsible for supplying the division. Chinese artillery fire made anchoring near the landing zone a perilous endeavor, resulting in several naval officers being killed when caught in the wrong place at the wrong time. At times, the shelling was so severe that vessels had to interrupt their operations and retreat to a berth in the middle of the Huangpu River, unloading only part of their supplies. Matsui now planned for the 3rd Division to launch a frontal assault on Wusong, while the 11th Division would maintain a support role, dispatching only one regiment to assist. The attack commenced at 10:00 am on August 31rd. Following an intensive naval and aerial bombardment involving 30 planes, a regiment from the 3rd Division boarded landing craft, sailed down the Huangpu River, and landed on the riverbank north of Wusong. Throughout the afternoon and into the evening, the soldiers engaged in fierce skirmishes with scattered Chinese units in front of Wusong in preparation for a final entry into the city. Meanwhile, the Asama Detachment from the 11th Division initiated its part of the offensive by marching along the bank of the Yangtze toward Shizilin. On the morning of September 1st, the Japanese tightened their grip on Wusong. The regiment from the 3rd Division seized a hamlet west of Wusong and readied for an assault on the town itself. The defending Chinese forces put up strong resistance, and it was not until late afternoon that the Japanese made any significant progress, aided by artillery fire from their ships. The Asama Detachment experienced somewhat greater success that day, successfully capturing the fort at Shizilin in the afternoon. The Japanese launched their final offensive against Wusong at dawn on the 2nd. To their surprise, the fort fell with relative ease. By 10:00 am, Matsui saw the Rising Sun flag hoisted over Wusong. “I felt boundless gratification,” he noted in his diary.  With the fall of Wusong, the town of Baoshan became the last major obstacle to uninterrupted Japanese control of the riverbank, stretching from Chuanshakou to the outskirts of Shanghai. The fort at Baoshan also posed a significant threat to Japanese naval operations due to its strategic location at the confluence of the Yangtze and Huangpu rivers. Chiang Kai-shek fully recognized the importance of Baoshan and ordered a battalion of the 98th Infantry Division to hold the town at all costs. Baoshan had one notable advantage: like many ancient Chinese towns, it was encircled by a thick city wall that had historically helped fend off invaders and still served its defensive purpose well. The Japanese were acutely aware that Baoshan favored defense, and even a small contingent of Chinese forces could potentially hold out for an extended period.  On the 4th, the 3rd Division sluggishly advanced toward Baoshan. Around mid-afternoon, an artillery unit arrived to assist by bombarding the city wall. Despite this support, the Japanese soldiers, sent in waves to scale the wall, suffered significant casualties and failed to penetrate the defenses by nightfall. At noon on September 5, Japanese bombers launched an air raid on Baoshan, while naval artillery rained shells indiscriminately over the town's gray roofs. The land attack began an hour later when Japanese tanks advanced toward the town gates. The Japanese pressed the Chinese defenders into a shrinking perimeter. By sunset, the defenders were left with only 100 soldiers. The night passed without incident, as the Japanese refrained from attacking without air support, but everyone knew that dawn would herald the end. Just as the sun rose above the horizon, the assault resumed. As the city neared its fall, the defending commander Yao Ziqing ordered a soldier to escape and report the situation to his superiors. Unnoticed by the Japanese, the soldier scaled a wall and fled into the surrounding countryside, becoming the sole survivor of the battle. He carried with him a message from the battalion: “We are determined to stay at our posts and to continue fighting the enemy until each and every one of us is killed.” I would like to take this time to remind you all that this podcast is only made possible through the efforts of Kings and Generals over at Youtube. Please go subscribe to Kings and Generals over at Youtube and to continue helping us produce this content please check out www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals. If you are still hungry after that, give my personal channel a look over at The Pacific War Channel at Youtube, it would mean a lot to me. Despite initial Chinese hopes for a counteroffensive by the newly arrived 36th Infantry Division, their inexperience and poor coordination led to heavy losses. As the Japanese gained reinforcements, they executed strategic landings at Chuanshakou and Wusong, overwhelming Chinese defenses. Amidst escalating casualties, Chinese troops struggled to maintain morale. However, their resolve to fight persisted, even as defeat loomed over the besieged city and its defenders.

Gaza's largest remaining hospital, the Nasser Hospital in the southern city of Khan Younis, has stopped admitting casualties because of Israeli troops operating nearby. We speak to a doctor who is an emergency physician there. Also on the programme: Kurdish PKK rebels have begun disbanding after a decades-long insurgency against the Turkish state; and scientists say the mystery interstellar object spotted last week by astronomers could be the oldest comet ever seen, possibly more than seven billion years old. (Photo: Medical personnel work in an operating room at Nasser Hospital, which Gaza's health ministry says is at risk of shutting down due to the Israeli blockade of fuel, as the ongoing shortage has already forced the facility to reduce its capacity. Credit: Reuters)

It's been over three years since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine and the human toll is growing on both sides.Recently, politicians and journalists have declared a grim milestone, one million Russian casualties.But is this number accurate? Tim talks to Seth Jones, from the Center for Strategic and International Studies, and Olga Ivshina, from the BBC Russian service, to investigate this statistic.If you've seen a number in the news you think we should take a look at, email the More or Less team: moreorless@bbc.co.ukPresenter: Tim Harford Producer: Nicholas Barrett Series producer: Tom Colls Production co-ordinator: Brenda Brown Sound mix: Gareth Jones Editor: Richard Vadon

Trump's Strike on Iran Backfires Strategically (01:00:44 – 01:06:13) Analysis of how Trump's attack may have accelerated Iran's nuclear ambitions rather than halting them, with commentary on the pattern of U.S. and Israeli deception, and the possibility that Iran now views nuclear weapons as the only viable deterrent.USS Liberty Incident and Israeli Aggression (01:13:31 – 01:14:23) References Israel's attack on the USS Liberty during the Six-Day War, highlighting how historic false flag narratives and military aggression continue to shape distrust in Israel's claims and conduct. Iran ClaimsStrategic Victory and Imposes Ceasefire (01:20:03 – 01:21:35) Iranian state media frames its missile strikes and restraint as forcing a ceasefire, portraying U.S. requests for peace as desperate and claiming success in resisting regime change efforts.Doubt Cast on Effectiveness of Bunker Buster Strikes (01:30:11 – 01:36:15) Reports and satellite imagery raise questions about the actual damage caused by U.S. bunker buster bombs on Iran's nuclear sites, with estimates that the attacks delayed Iran's program by only months.Diplomatic Theater and Israeli Influence (01:43:09 – 01:44:46) Comments on Trump's efforts to appear firm with Israel, suggesting the U.S. lacks real leverage and that Israel controls the dynamic. Accusations that U.S. foreign policy ultimately follows Israeli priorities.Cautionary Comparison to Iraq and Potential for U.S. Casualties (01:53:26 – 01:55:44) Highlights the far greater size and population of Iran compared to Iraq, warning that war with Iran would be far deadlier and more complex, potentially repeating the same long-term entanglements.Trump's MIGA Campaign and Theatrical Ceasefire (02:01:43 – 02:06:34) Trump's "Make Iran Great Again" slogan accompanies claims of decisive strikes and ceasefire diplomacy, though media and military sources suggest chaos, contradictions, and limited success in damaging Iran's nuclear program.Foreign Lobbying and Alleged Israeli Manipulation of U.S. Policy (02:14:29 – 02:18:34) Recalls historical and recent examples of Israeli influence over U.S. policy, describing the Iran strike as a war waged for Israel's benefit and criticizing congressional and presidential deference to pro-Israel figures and lobbies.Criticism of Child Gender Transition Policies (02:33:24 – 02:36:01) Segments argue against child gender transition procedures, including hormone use and surgery, asserting that children lack the maturity to make such decisions and that it constitutes abuse regardless of parental consent.New Jersey Bill on Homeschool Surveillance Sparks Outrage (02:44:18 – 02:49:54) A proposed bill would require annual wellness checks for homeschoolers by state officials, prompting criticism over government overreach, ideological enforcement, and threats to privacy and parental rights.Collapse of Computer Science Job Market Amid AI Boom (02:57:07 – 03:00:20) Reports a dramatic decline in computer science enrollment and job prospects as AI displaces entry-level coding roles, challenging the notion that tech remains a secure or future-proof career path.Church Shooting Thwarted by Armed Congregation (03:14:28 – 03:22:31) A gunman attacked a Michigan church but was quickly neutralized by staff and a church deacon who ran him over with a truck. The segment highlights preparedness, the mental health status of the shooter, and praise for decisive self-defense.Rising Persecution of Christians in India (03:26:05 – 03:30:00) Reports show a growing number of attacks on Christians in India, allegedly driven by accusations of forced conversions and encouraged by Hindu nationalist influence. Legal protections appear inadequate, and persecution is described as systematic and increasing.Syrian Church Bombing and U.S. Foreign Policy Critique (03:33:39 – 03:36:29) ISIS is blamed for a deadly church bombing in Damascus. The discussion connects the attack to destabilizing U.S. and Israeli foreign policies, with reflections on how past wars have endangered Christian communities.Medvedev's Reaction to U.S. Strikes on Iran (03:39:15 – 03:45:15) Russian official Medvedev lists ten consequences of U.S. strikes on Iran, including ineffective results, increased nuclear ambitions, strengthened Iranian unity, and worsening international perception of the U.S.Empire Maintenance and Endless War Critique (03:47:12 – 03:51:07) Draws from Rutherford Institute arguments against U.S. global military presence, asserting wars are for empire rather than defense and highlighting the economic and moral cost of the military-industrial complex.Proud Boys and Populists Turn on Trump Over Iran Strikes (03:55:30 – 03:58:18) Critics within Trump's populist base react negatively to his recent bombing of Iran, citing betrayal of anti-war promises and reevaluating his leadership in light of repeated military aggression. Follow the show on Kick and watch live every weekday 9:00am EST – 12:00pm EST https://kick.com/davidknightshow Money should have intrinsic value AND transactional privacy: Go to https://davidknight.gold/ for great deals on physical gold/silver For 10% off Gerald Celente's prescient Trends Journal, go to https://trendsjournal.com/ and enter the code KNIGHT Find out more about the show and where you can watch it at TheDavidKnightShow.comIf you would like to support the show and our family please consider subscribing monthly here: SubscribeStar https://www.subscribestar.com/the-david-knight-showOr you can send a donation throughMail: David Knight POB 994 Kodak, TN 37764Zelle: @DavidKnightShow@protonmail.comCash App at: $davidknightshowBTC to: bc1qkuec29hkuye4xse9unh7nptvu3y9qmv24vanh7Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-david-knight-show--2653468/support.