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Daily Soap Opera Spoilers by Soap Dirt (GH, Y&R, B&B, and DOOL)
Click to Subscribe: https://bit.ly/Youtube-Subscribe-SoapDirt The Young and the Restless spoilers show that Michael Baldwin (Christian Jules Leblanc) and Kyle Abbott (Michael Mealor) find themselves in hot water with the women in their lives, while Billy Abbott (Jason Thompson) struggles to keep promises he may not be able to fulfill. Sally Spectra (Courtney Hope), worries about her future at Abbottcom as Amanda Sinclair (Mishael Morgan) reveals she's now working for a mysterious figure, Duma. Y&R spoilers reveal that Phyllis Summers (Michelle Stafford) plots her next move, hoping to turn the tide in her favor. Devon Hamilton (Bryton James), Lily Winters (Christel Khalil), and Nate Hastings (Sean Dominic) grapple with the news of Amanda's new affiliation. Damian Kane (Jermaine Rivers) makes a significant decision about his future, which could stir things up in Genoa City. More spoilers for Young and The Restless indicate that Victoria Newman (Amelia Heinle) faces a potential turning point in her relationship with Cole, while Audra Charles (Zuleyka Silver) finds herself at odds with Kyle. As the week progresses, Victor Newman, aka "The Mustache" (Eric Braeden), plans a surprise for his wife Nikki Newman (Melody Thomas Scott), and Diane Jenkins (Susan Walters) attempts to find her place among the Abbott family. Visit our Young and the Restless section of Soap Dirt: https://soapdirt.com/category/young-and-the-restless/ Listen to our Podcasts: https://soapdirt.podbean.com/ And Check out our always up-to-date Young and the Restless Spoilers page at: https://soapdirt.com/young-and-the-restless-spoilers/ Check Out our Social Media... Twitter: https://twitter.com/SoapDirtTV Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SoapDirt Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/soapdirt/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@soapdirt Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/soapdirt/
KwaZulu-Natal Transport MEC Siboniso Duma has expressed deep concern over payment delays affecting over 2,000 service providers. Duma says the R1.5 billion in outstanding payments is linked to technical glitches in a new accounting system. MEC Duma says management is working with the national treasury and provincial treasury to clear these payments. This comes after frustrated contractors yesterday, including road builders and public transport providers, stormed the Department's offices, demanding long-overdue compensation for their work. Elvis Presslin spoke to KwaZulu-Natal MEC for Transport and Human Settlements, Siboniso Duma
Marcin Duma, szef IBRIS, analizuje przedwyborcze trendy:➡️ Czy ktoś spoza duopolu ma szansę na drugą turę?➡️ Dlaczego Polska to nie Rumunia, jeśli chodzi o głosowanie za granicą?➡️ Kto tworzy „kandydata zbiorowego” i dlaczego nie porywa wyborców?➡️ Jakie znaczenie może mieć debata i ostatnie dni kampanii?Zarejestruj się na konferencję Poland–USA Relations in a New Era: Security and Business: https://usa-poland.com/Zgłoś się do Szkoły Przywództwa Instytutu Wolności: https://szkolaprzywodztwa.pl/ .Mecenasi programu: Zapoznaj się z warunkami oprocentowania wolnych środków w OANDA TMS Brokers: https://go.tms.pl/UkladOtwartyUM Casa Playa: https://casaplaya.pl/zakup-nieruchomosci-w-hiszpanii-pdf-instruktaz/ AMSO-oszczędzaj na poleasingowym sprzęcie IT: https://amso.pl/Uklad-otwarty-cinfo-pol-218.htmlMódl się z Hallow: https://hallow.app.link/ukladotwartyhttps://patronite.pl/igorjanke ➡️ Zachęcam do dołączenia do grona patronów Układu Otwartego. Jako patron, otrzymasz dostęp do grupy dyskusyjnej na Discordzie i specjalnych materiałów dla Patronów, a także newslettera z najciekawszymi artykułami z całego tygodnia. Układ Otwarty tworzy społeczność, w której możesz dzielić się swoimi myślami i pomysłami z osobami o podobnych zainteresowaniach. Państwa wsparcie pomoże kanałowi się rozwijać i tworzyć jeszcze lepsze treści. Układ Otwarty nagrywamy w https://bliskostudio.pl
Zajrzyj do starożytnej księgi Apokalipsy! Seria 365 krótkich rozważań pomaga wyjaśnić każdy werset z jej 22 rozdziałów napisanych tajemniczym językiem i wypełnionej symbolami, które dla wielu są trudne do zrozumienia. Audiobook obejmuje wszystkie główne tematy i zagadnienia tekstu w możliwie praktyczny sposób. © 2022 Amazing Facts International. All rights reserved. © 2025 nadzieja.fm. Creative Commons Attribution, BY-NC-ND 4.0 PL, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/legalcode.pl.
Daily Soap Opera Spoilers by Soap Dirt (GH, Y&R, B&B, and DOOL)
Click to Subscribe: https://bit.ly/Youtube-Subscribe-SoapDirt Young and the Restless predictions indicate that Amanda Sinclair (Mishael Morgan) is set to make a triumphant return to Genoa City, seemingly for payback, while Sharon Newman (Sharon Case) steps up to play hero. Y&R predictions hint that Victor Newman (Eric Braeden) and Billy Abbott (Jason Thompson) are locked in a tense confrontation, with Phyllis Summers (Michelle Stafford) acting as the wild card. Phyllis's potential alliance with Victor and her quest for revenge against Billy is a major highlight of the week. Amanda's unexpected appearance, speculated to be in connection with the elusive Duma, adds more intrigue to the storyline. The Young and the Restless spoilers show that Daniel Romalotti (Michael Graziadei) and Tessa Porter (Cait Fairbanks) find themselves on the brink of crossing a line, causing Mariah Copeland (Camryn Grimes) to break down in guilt. As the plot thickens, Phyllis's fixation on Duma raises questions about her intentions. And more Y&R spoilers reveal that Sharon and Nick Newman (Joshua Morrow) team up in a familiar territory, which might be an attempt to put Phyllis back on track. Visit our Young and the Restless section of Soap Dirt: https://soapdirt.com/category/young-and-the-restless/ Listen to our Podcasts: https://soapdirt.podbean.com/ And Check out our always up-to-date Young and the Restless Spoilers page at: https://soapdirt.com/young-and-the-restless-spoilers/ Check Out our Social Media... Twitter: https://twitter.com/SoapDirtTV Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SoapDirt Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/soapdirt/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@soapdirt Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/soapdirt/
Država je, kot v pogovoru potrdi tudi avtor sam, najbolj osebna, intimna pesniška zbirka od njegovih treh do zdaj izdanih. V njej se spoprime s preteklostjo, kot pravi. Razpoloženje njegove tretje zbirke, izdane pri založbi Literarno društvo IA v zbirki Črna skrinjica, usmeri tudi uvodna pesem Duma 2022, v kateri se Krmelj opre na Šalamuna in parafrazira njegov verz »hodil po zemlji sem naši in dobil čir na želodcu« v »po državi pozabljenih študentov in praznih stanovanj / svet se je bližal koncu«. O njegovem odnosu do Šalamuna, pesnjenja, naselja Fala pri Mariboru in še o marsičem Krmelj pripoveduje Marku Golji. Nikar ne zamudite. Foto: Marko Golja
Skąd biorą się ogromne problemy FC Barcelony w obronie? Jaki wkład w awans Interu miał Piotr Zieliński? Czy Szymon Marciniak spotkał się ze słuszną krytyką? Mówi wicenaczelny "Piłki Nożnej".
01:00 A hosszú 444-cikk Szilágyi Ákos verseskötetéről, benne az író közéleti publicisztikai műveinek gyors áttekintése. Bevezető helyett. Szilágyi Oroszország politikai fejlődéséről a posztszovjet korszakban: Oroszország elrablása, Borisz sztár és a sztárevicsek, Túlirányított demokrácia. 03:00 Az ukrán háború kitörése után írott cikke: Finis Russia. Rolf Peter Sieferle: Finis Germania. Auschwitz nem akar elmúlni. 06:00 Oroszország és Európa sorsa összefügg. Ma is. Európa himnusza oltári nagy giccs. 07:20 Oroszország nem tudott himnuszt produkálni a kilencvenes években. (A Szovjetunió felbomlása után Mihail Glinka Hazafias dal – Patrioticseszkaja Pesznya – című műve lett az orosz himnusz, de szöveg nélkül. A 2000-ben hatalomra került Putyin kifogásolta, hogy a sportolók nem tudják énekelni a szövegtelen himnuszt, ezért végül azt a megoldást találták ki, hogy visszahozták a szovjet himnusz dallamát, és Szergej Mihalkov írt rá új, kommunistamentes szöveget.) 13:30 A birodalom vándorlása. Moszkva és Róma. 14:30 Nagy Péter furkósbottal próbálta bekergetni Oroszországot Európába. 15:20 Clausewitz Borogyinónál léptet fakó lován. 17:00 Rilke orosz költő akart lenni. De még a bolsevikok is europizáltak. 22:50 Trauma zone – a BBC dokumentumsorozata a posztszovjet Oroszországról. 24:45 Szibirizácijá: terjeszkedés keletre. 27:30 Senki nem akarja Kínát Kínában naggyá tenni. Romantikus titanizmus. 29:00 Zsirinovszkij vs. Trump. Ripacspolitikusok. 29:40 Trump táncol, Jelcin táncol. 31:00 Ha eljutottál a véres erőszakig, akkor megszűntél létezni. 31:50 A 93-as Duma-választások eredménye: a Zsirinovszkij-féle Liberális Demokrata Párt szerezte a legtöbb mandátumot. Zjuganov kommunista pártja nyerte az 1995-ös Duma-választást, Zjuganov maga pedig az óriási médiaellenszélben szűk második lett a semmiből visszahozott Jelcin mögött az 1996-os elnökválasztáson. 33:40 Jelcin táncoltatták. Trump magától táncol. 35:37: A szövegben az 1995-ös orosz elnökválasztás hangzik el, valójában az elnökválasztás 1996-ban volt, 1995-ben parlamenti (Duma-)választások voltak. 39:30 Elon Musk és Lázár, a fehérbohócok. 44:00 A mesterséges intelligencia fejlesztésén múlik a világ valódfi sorsa, az ukrán háború senkit sem érdekel. Oroszország facér lány, három évig Kínának riszálta magát, de nem kellett. 52:00 Orbán a Bermuda-háromszögben. A magyar történelemben nem példa nélküli a mellényúlás. 56:00 Curtis Yarvin posztfasiszta blogger és filozófus. 63:00 Magyar Péter után lohol a Fidesz az online térben. Magyar túl komoly, nincs humora. 71:00 A nagy színjáték mögött zajlik Amerika és Oroszország közeledése. 83:00 Kant: Örök béke 91:00 „Nincs tehetségünk kicsinek lenni.” (Babits) A birodalmi elitnek több korlátja van, a nemzetállami szinte korlátozhatatlan. 93:00 Trianon-vallás vs. Európa. Miért nem fogható föl, hogy megszűnt a Románia és Magyarország közötti trianoni határ? 98:00 Az ukrajnai háborúnak idén vége lesz. 101:00 Az illiberális korszak vége. Ez már nem a liberalizmus és illiberalizmus harca, hanem a világhegemóniáért folyó küzdelem. A technofeaudalizmus kísértete. Ha választani kéne alkotmányos monarchia és illiberális demokrácia között… 107:00 Rendszerváltó hangulat Budapesten. Hol vagyunk már vízágyútól, gumibottól? Kamera! 110:00 Ha megszületik a szuperintelligencia, minden beszélgetésünk értelmét veszti. Succession: a legnagyobbak mércéjével mérhető művészeti, erkölcsi teljesítmény. Shakespeare-i minőség. 116:00 A rendszer vért fagylal. 121:00 Európa múzeum. (Giorgio Agamben) See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Daily Soap Opera Spoilers by Soap Dirt (GH, Y&R, B&B, and DOOL)
Click to Subscribe: https://bit.ly/Youtube-Subscribe-SoapDirt Young and the Restless, spoilers show that Chelsea Lawson Newman (Melissa Claire Egan) plots her next move, while Phyllis Summers (Michelle Stafford) is on the warpath against Billy Abbott (Jason Thompson) and Sally Spectra (Courtney Hope). More Y&R spoilers indicate that Damian Kane (Jermaine Rivers) and Lily Winters (Christel Khalil) try to uncover the mysterious Duma's identity, and Mariah Copeland (Camryn Grimes) confesses a grave mistake to her mother Sharon Newman (Sharon Case). Next week's spoilers for The Young and the Restless reveal that Billy Abbott's criticism of Diane Jenkins's (Susan Walters) redesign of the Abbott mansion causes friction. Simultaneously, his girlfriend Sally Spectra and Chelsea Lawson Newman are leaving their jobs with Summer Newman (Allison Lanier), causing a crisis for Summer who decides to head to Italy. The tension escalates when Phyllis Summers confronts Billy and Sally, and Adam Newman (Mark Grossman) is assigned by Victor Newman (Eric Braeden) to thwart Billy's new venture. Meanwhile other spoilers for for Y&R hint that Lily Winters and Damian Kane are investigating the elusive Duma, and Mariah Copeland confides in Sharon Newman about a regrettable incident that happened while she was out of town. Visit our Young and the Restless section of Soap Dirt: https://soapdirt.com/category/young-and-the-restless/ Listen to our Podcasts: https://soapdirt.podbean.com/ And Check out our always up-to-date Young and the Restless Spoilers page at: https://soapdirt.com/young-and-the-restless-spoilers/ Check Out our Social Media... Twitter: https://twitter.com/SoapDirtTV Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SoapDirt Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/soapdirt/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@soapdirt Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/soapdirt/
(00:00) Wstęp(3:03) Kto wygrał debatę? Kto nie wykorzystał swojej szansy? (7:05) Czy debaty zmieniają trendy?(10:39) Co było w tej debacie istotnego?(13:28) Kto przegrał i dlaczego?(21:16) Konwencje Nawrockiego i Trzaskowskiego(43:00) W jakim momencie kampanii jesteśmy?(46:03) Czy Menzten może dogonić Nawrockiego?(48:26) Czy Biejat może być nowym liderem lewicy?(55:43) Co w drugiej turze może zadziałać? Kto będzie miał większe szanse?Zapraszamy na konferencję - prezentację raportu Instytutu Wolności autorstwa prof. Andrew Michty „Na linii frontu. Jak budować bezpieczeństwo Polski i regionu?” 12 maja w Warszawie. Link do biletów i programu: https://app.easycart.pl/checkout/81598656/na-linii-frontu-jak-budowac-bezpieczenstwo-polski-2Zgłoś się do Szkoły Przywództwa Instytutu Wolności: https://szkolaprzywodztwa.pl/ .Mecenasi programu: Zapoznaj się z warunkami oprocentowania wolnych środków w OANDA TMS Brokers: https://go.tms.pl/UkladOtwartyUM Casa Playa: https://casaplaya.pl/zakup-nieruchomosci-w-hiszpanii-pdf-instruktaz/ AMSO-oszczędzaj na poleasingowym sprzęcie IT: https://amso.pl/Uklad-otwarty-cinfo-pol-218.htmlMódl się z Hallow: https://hallow.app.link/ukladotwartyLink do zbiorki na samochód dla ukraińskiej brygady walczącej pod Charkowem: https://zrzutka.pl/en6u9a Zamów książkę Igora Janke: https://patronite-sklep.pl/produkt/sila-polski-igor-janke/https://patronite.pl/igorjanke ➡️ Zachęcam do dołączenia do grona patronów Układu Otwartego. Jako patron, otrzymasz dostęp do grupy dyskusyjnej na Discordzie i specjalnych materiałów dla Patronów, a także newslettera z najciekawszymi artykułami z całego tygodnia. Układ Otwarty tworzy społeczność, w której możesz dzielić się swoimi myślami i pomysłami z osobami o podobnych zainteresowaniach. Państwa wsparcie pomoże kanałowi się rozwijać i tworzyć jeszcze lepsze treści. Układ Otwarty nagrywamy w https://bliskostudio.pl
00:00 Dzień dobry!06:43 W co ostatnio graliśmy?28:16
Daily Soap Opera Spoilers by Soap Dirt (GH, Y&R, B&B, and DOOL)
Click to Subscribe: https://bit.ly/Youtube-Subscribe-SoapDirt Young and the Restless spoilers for April 21-25, 2025 see Jack Abbott (Peter Bergman) and his son Kyle Abbott (Michael Mealor) are set to taunt an unknown individual, as Nate Hastings (Sean Dominic) grows increasingly suspicious. On Wednesday, April 16th, a dubious offer from Victor Newman (Eric Braeden) to Audra Charles (Zuleyka Silver) would leave Nate outraged if he knew its true nature. Meanwhile, Lily Winters (Christel Khalil) seeks information from Damian Kane (Jermaine Rivers) about his boss, setting off her brother, Devon Hamilton (Bryton James) on the CBS soap opera. Y&R spoilers see Abby Newman (Melissa Ordway) reveals a shocking ordeal to Lily, involving a fake Alan Laurent (Christopher Cousins) and a twisted kidnapping plot. Jack and Kyle manage to turn one of Victor's spies into a double agent while a cryptic challenge from Audra to Kyle indicates a plot to break up his relationship with Claire Grace Newman (Hayley Erin). Victor, on the other hand, eagerly anticipates Billy Abbott's (Jason Thompson) upcoming fall. On Thursday, April 17th, Nikki Newman (Melody Thomas Scott) yearns for peace between the Abbott and Newman families, while Victor continues his vendetta. Jack and Diane Jenkins (Susan Walters) strategize against Victor's sabotage plans. On Friday, April 18th, Diane puts Michael Baldwin (Christian Jules Leblanc) in a tough spot, possibly seeking a way to shut down Victor's plans. Spoilers for Young and Restless see Michael increasingly torn after Daniel Romalotti (Michael Graziadei) appeals to his better angels. Amy Lewis (Valarie Pettiford) worries after Lily discusses Damian's involvement with the shady Duma. Victor's relentless pursuit of the Abbotts tests his family's patience, while Jack, Diane, and Kyle stay on high alert. Watch for Audra's plan to break up Kyle and Claire and Victor's plans for Nikki's big birthday bash the week of 4/21 - 4/25/2025. Visit our Young and the Restless section of Soap Dirt: https://soapdirt.com/category/young-and-the-restless/ Listen to our Podcasts: https://soapdirt.podbean.com/ Check out our always up-to-date Young and the Restless Spoilers page at: https://soapdirt.com/young-and-the-restless-spoilers/ Check Out our Social Media... Twitter: https://twitter.com/SoapDirtTV Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SoapDirt Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/soapdirt/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@soapdirt Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/soapdirt/
Țările care își doresc sisteme democrate sunt percepute periculoase de dictatorul mai ales dacă se află în vecinătatea apropiată a Rusiei. Dacă va câștiga războiul cu Ucraina, NATO și coaliția internațională, așa cum vede el confruntarea de forțe, „va avea grijă de Caucaz.” Va încerca să supună și dacă nu se supun, va ataca Armenia, Georgia și Kazahstanul. Iată avertismentul lui Ghenadi Gudkov, un politician rus, fost membru al FSB (Serviciul Federal de Securitate al Rusiei), care s-a opus regimului si trăiește acum în exil. „Fără rezistență, Georgia va deveni o provincie a Rusiei lui Putin,” este un titlu din radiotavisupleba.ge, Europa Liberă în limba georgiană, care a realizat un interviu cu Ghenadi Gudkov, un politician rus care s-a opus regimului, este considerat terorist de către ruși și trăiește în exil. Fost membru al FSB (Serviciul Federal de Securitate al Rusiei), apoi deputat în Duma de Stat, Ghenadi Gudkov s-a opus deschis regimului lui Putin.Politicianul explică de ce consideră Visul Georgian, partidul aflat la putere în țară, drept aliat al Kremlinului, de ce crede că unitatea populară este factorul decisiv pentru viitorul Georgiei – și, în sfârșit, de ce crede că, dacă nimic nu se va schimba, Georgia va suferi aceeași soartă ca și Belarus.„Va fi un stat totalitar... modelul rusesc: tot ce s-a întâmplat în Rusia se va întâmpla și aici, dar într-un timp mult mai scurt”, spune Gudkov, politicianul care a rupt-o cu regimul de la Kremlin în „epoca de aur” a puterii Putin-Medvedev.Acesta consideră că dacă Putin rămâne la putere, mai devreme sau mai târziu va ataca Armenia, Kazahstanul și Georgia.„De ce ar trebui să atace, de exemplu, Georgia, dacă Visul georgian este la putere (și face tot posibilul să nu enerveze Kremlinul?” întreabă jurnaliștii de la Europa Liberă din Georgia.„Pentru că toate țările care au tendință spre democrație sunt periculoase pentru Putin, mai ales dacă se află în vecinătatea apropiată a Rusiei. Georgia este în prezent la o răscruce între trecut și viitor. Și vedem că Georgia începe să regreseze parțial, să revină la un regim autoritar. Dacă Putin rămâne la Kremlin, trebuie să înțelegem că nu se va opri: după victoria asupra Ucrainei, a NATO și a întregii coaliții occidentale - exact așa percepe el victoria în războiul ucrainean, va avea grijă imediat de Caucaz - Georgia, Armenia... Cum va încerca să facă asta? În primul rând, într-o manieră pașnică, cei de la putere trebuie să devină oamenii lui Putin care să-i îndeplinească instrucțiunile. (...) Dacă nu i se vor supune, vor fi presiuni, o lovitură de stat, o revoltă armată, tulburări - tot ce se află în arsenalul Kremlinului. Dacă nici asta nu funcționează, atunci va fi război. Ocupație directă,” avertizează Ghenadi Gudkov .Atacul de la Sumy – răul absolut„Răul absolut.” Ministerul de externe ucrainean a cerut liderilor lumii să răspundă ferm la lovitura cu rachete asupra orașului Sumy, în duminica Floriilor, pe 13 aprilie, aflăm din Ziarul Grupului pentru Drepturile Omului din Harkov, khpg.org.Pe 13 aprilie, Rusia a lansat două lovituri cu rachete în centrul orașului Sumy, provocând moartea a cel puțin 34 de persoane, inclusiv 2 copii și rănirea a 119 oameni, dintre care 15 copii. Cel mai mare număr de morți a fost în troleibuzul care trecea prin apropiere locului unde a căzut cea de a doua rachetă. Oamenii se întorceau acasă după slujba de Florii. Potrivit șefului administrației militare regionale Sumy, aproape toți pasagerii și șoferul au murit. „Rusia este condusă de ucigași”, a declarat ministrul de externe ceh, Jan Lipavský.Autoritățile ucrainene au deschis o anchetă pentru o nouă crimă de război comisă de Rusia.UE a prelungit politica de „transporturi fără viză” cu Ucraina până la 31 decembrie 2025Anunțul a făcut făcut de Comisia Europeană citată de thepage.ua.Acordul de transport rutier sau „transportul fără viză” între Ucraina și UE permite transportatorilor ucraineni și europeni să opereze fără autorizații speciale pentru transportul bilateral și de tranzit, ceea ce simplifică logistica și reduce birocrația.De la intrarea în vigoare a acestui regim în 2022, importurile către UE prin transport rutier din Ucraina au crescut cu 42% în volum și 28% în valoare, în timp ce exporturile UE către Ucraina au crescut cu 37% în volum și 50% în valoare.Datorită „transportului fără viză”, Ucraina exportă peste 200.000 de tone de mărfuri către UE, iar importurile sunt la același nivel.Primul Parlament moldovenesc a marcat acum 35 de ani începutul unui drum spre liberateRepublica Moldova a marcat recent aniversarea a 35 de ani de la constituirea primului Parlament, relatează stiri.md.„Primul Parlament a marcat începutul unui drum spre liberate, independență și democrație, a deschis ușa către o societate pluralistă, în care libertatea și drepturile omului sunt valori fundamentale,” a spus Maia Sandu.Șefa statului a declarat că primul Parlament „a avut curajul să spună lucrurilor pe nume, a readus tricolorul, a oficializat utilizarea limbii române, a votat Declarația de independență pe 27 august 1991.”„Avem o șansă istorică să ancorăm definitiv Moldova în lumea liberă, democratică și prosperă, prin integrarea în Uniunea Europeană. Dar pentru ca acest drum să reușească, trebuie să rămânem fideli valorilor care ne-au unit atunci – statul de drept, libertățile fundamentale și respectul față de instituțiile democratice”, a declarat Maia Sandu. Salome MIKADZE, GéorgiaValeriia SEREDENKO, UcrainaInna SEREDIUK, UcrainaKateryna MAZUR, UcrainaMadalina RUJANSCHI, Moldavie
Daily Soap Opera Spoilers by Soap Dirt (GH, Y&R, B&B, and DOOL)
Click to Subscribe: https://bit.ly/Youtube-Subscribe-SoapDirt The Young and the Restless sees the lives of Audra Charles (Zuleyka Silver), Summer Newman (Allison Lanier), Nick Newman (Joshua Morrow), and Lily Winters (Christel Khalil) take new twists and turns. Damian Kane's (Germain Rivers) past actions may come back to haunt him, while Audra Charles' desperation could lead her to make questionable decisions. Meanwhile, Nick Newman's return could rekindle an old flame. Y&R sees Damian Kane owes a debt to a mystery man named Dumas (Billy Flynn). Lily Winters pressures Damian to reveal the truth about his relationship with Duma, leading to tension in their relationship. Audra Charles risks everything in her deal with Victor Newman (Eric Braeden). Audra's involvement with Kyle Abbott (Michael Mealor) and Claire Grace Newman (Hayley Erin) could jeopardize her relationship with Nate Hastings. Young and Restless sees Nick Newman may find romance with Sally Spectra (Courtney Hope) upon his return from Europe. Audra and Summer form an unlikely alliance to break up Kyle and Claire's relationship, potentially paving the way for Summer's reunion with Kyle. Visit our Young and the Restless section of Soap Dirt: https://soapdirt.com/category/young-and-the-restless/ Listen to our Podcasts: https://soapdirt.podbean.com/ Check out our always up-to-date Young and the Restless Spoilers page at: https://soapdirt.com/young-and-the-restless-spoilers/ Check Out our Social Media... Twitter: https://twitter.com/SoapDirtTV Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SoapDirt Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/soapdirt/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@soapdirt Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/soapdirt/
Trwająca kampania przed wyborami prezydenckimi „jest właściwie o niczym” - ocenia Marcin Duma, założyciel i prezes Fundacji IBRiS. – Miałkość wystąpień, miałkość przekazów jest niesamowita – zauważa rozmówca Michała Kolanki w programie „Rzecz o polityce”.Gościem programu Michała Kolanki #RZECZoPOLITYCE był Marcin Duma, szef pracowni IBRiS Kup subskrypcję „Rzeczpospolitej” pod adresem: https://czytaj.rp.plWięcej na stronie: https://www.rp.plX: https://x.com/rzeczpospolitaFacebooku: https://www.facebook.com/dziennikrzeczpospolitaLinkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/rzeczpospolita
Dr. Chris Duma, President and Founder of Regeneration Biomedical, is developing stem cell therapies to treat neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's, ALS, and multiple sclerosis. Their approach involves directly injecting the patient's stem cells into the brain ventricles to stimulate the brain's innate stem cells to repair and replace damaged neurons. Current clinical trials are showing promising results and, notably, minimal side effects compared to other Alzheimer's drugs. Chris explains, "So our focus is to treat the full disease and make a difference in the disease's progression. The way the disease presents itself and the way that the disease is actually cured. The focus until now has been to target particular areas of abnormality in patients' brains. Those with Alzheimer's disease, as we know, have plaques in the brain, and they have tangles in the brain. Alzheimer's disease was discovered or invented by a pathologist in the early 1900s. When they sliced the brain of an Alzheimer's patient, they found these abnormal collections of protein, and they called them plaques and tangles. The target of most research and most treatments have been monoclonal antibodies to these plaques and tangles. And we at Regeneration Biomedical do not necessarily feel that that is the cause of the problem. We think that they're the end product of cell death. So, what you need to do is fix the problem from the origin, and there might be nothing other than a stem cell that could do that. So that is our trajectory, and that's where we are today." "We had rogue stem cell clinics out there that were giving stem cells for every possible disease, and patients were lured to places like Mexico, Germany, and China to get very expensive stem cell treatments that were probably completely worthless. The difference between them and us is that we're an FDA-cleared trial. We have gone to the FDA to do this and believe me, you are right, the FDA opening up their arms to stem cells is absolutely brand new. We're actually one of the newest kids on the block who can do this. What we're doing with our stem cells, which is directly injecting them into the brain, which we can discuss later, is the first in the world. We're at that threshold now that the FDA is probably looking more and more into this and more and more into personalized medicine. And that's what this falls into the category of as well." #RegenerationBiomedical #AlzheimersDisease #AlzheimersResearch #RegenerativeMedicine #StemCellTherapy #NeurodegenerativeDiseases #MedicalInnovation regenerationbiomedical.com Download the transcript here
Dr. Chris Duma, President and Founder of Regeneration Biomedical, is developing stem cell therapies to treat neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's, ALS, and multiple sclerosis. Their approach involves directly injecting the patient's stem cells into the brain ventricles to stimulate the brain's innate stem cells to repair and replace damaged neurons. Current clinical trials are showing promising results and, notably, minimal side effects compared to other Alzheimer's drugs. Chris explains, "So our focus is to treat the full disease and make a difference in the disease's progression. The way the disease presents itself and the way that the disease is actually cured. The focus until now has been to target particular areas of abnormality in patients' brains. Those with Alzheimer's disease, as we know, have plaques in the brain, and they have tangles in the brain. Alzheimer's disease was discovered or invented by a pathologist in the early 1900s. When they sliced the brain of an Alzheimer's patient, they found these abnormal collections of protein, and they called them plaques and tangles. The target of most research and most treatments have been monoclonal antibodies to these plaques and tangles. And we at Regeneration Biomedical do not necessarily feel that that is the cause of the problem. We think that they're the end product of cell death. So, what you need to do is fix the problem from the origin, and there might be nothing other than a stem cell that could do that. So that is our trajectory, and that's where we are today." "We had rogue stem cell clinics out there that were giving stem cells for every possible disease, and patients were lured to places like Mexico, Germany, and China to get very expensive stem cell treatments that were probably completely worthless. The difference between them and us is that we're an FDA-cleared trial. We have gone to the FDA to do this and believe me, you are right, the FDA opening up their arms to stem cells is absolutely brand new. We're actually one of the newest kids on the block who can do this. What we're doing with our stem cells, which is directly injecting them into the brain, which we can discuss later, is the first in the world. We're at that threshold now that the FDA is probably looking more and more into this and more and more into personalized medicine. And that's what this falls into the category of as well." #RegenerationBiomedical #AlzheimersDisease #AlzheimersResearch #RegenerativeMedicine #StemCellTherapy #NeurodegenerativeDiseases #MedicalInnovation regenerationbiomedical.com Listen to the podcast here
Daily Soap Opera Spoilers by Soap Dirt (GH, Y&R, B&B, and DOOL)
Click to Subscribe: https://bit.ly/Youtube-Subscribe-SoapDirt Young and the Restless predictions hint that Victor Newman (Eric Braeden) is set to devise two cunning plans involving Audra Charles (Zuleyka Silver) and Nikki Newman (Melody Thomas Scott). The primary objective is to separate his granddaughter, Claire Grace Newman (Hayley Erin), from Kyle Abbott (Michael Mealor). Y&R predictions also show that Audra, who is caught between her feelings for Nate Hastings (Sean Dominic) and her ambition, may try to strike a balance. Meanwhile, Victor's second plan aims to steal Jabot for Nikki as a grand gesture, which could further fuel the existing feud between Victor and Jack Abbott (Peter Bergman). And, Young and the Restless spoilers reveal that Sharon Newman (Sharon Case) and Phyllis Summers (Michelle Stafford) join forces to rescue Traci Abbott (Beth Maitland) from Alan Laurent (Christopher Cousins). Concurrently, Summer Newman (Allison Lanier) admits her jealousy over losing Kyle to Claire, prompting her to end things with Chance Chancellor (Conner Floyd). Summer might also conspire with Audra to split Kyle and Claire. And more Y&R spoilers indicate that a mysterious business tycoon, Aristotle Duma, arrives in Genoa City and could be Lily Winters' (Christel Khalil) secret admirer. However, Lily remains cautious due to information she received from Victor about Duma. Visit our Young and the Restless section of Soap Dirt: https://soapdirt.com/category/young-and-the-restless/ Listen to our Podcasts: https://soapdirt.podbean.com/ And Check out our always up-to-date Young and the Restless Spoilers page at: https://soapdirt.com/young-and-the-restless-spoilers/ Check Out our Social Media... Twitter: https://twitter.com/SoapDirtTV Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SoapDirt Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/soapdirt/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@soapdirt Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/soapdirt/
Um ano e meio de guerra e sem perspecitva de término. Já o CATARGATE.......Bloco 1- Guerra segue em Gaza sem perspectiva de cessar-fogo no período próximo e exército amplia a evacuação e controle de territórios.- Terrorismo judeu na Cisjordânia: vilarejos de Jibna e Duma são atacados nas últimas semanas.- Mísseis vindo do Líbano e ataque de Israel a bairro de Beirute controlado pelo Hezbollah.Bloco 2- Netanyahu nomeia novo chefe do Shin Bet mas, depois de sofrer pressão, volta atrás. - Desenvolvimento do Catargate: assessores são presos e Netanyahu presta depoimento.- Conselheira Jurídica e Ben Gvir buscam acordo para que ele possa ser ministro da segurança pública.- Bennett volta ao jogo e registra o partido "Bennett 2026".- Movimento Hashomer Hatzair cancela a exibição do No Other Land após ameaças.Bloco 3- Hapoel Tel-Aviv vence o Valência e vai à final da Eurocopa- Dica cultural- Palavra da semanaArtigo sobre o Catargate - https://www.ladoesquerdo.com/post/o-que-%C3%A9-o-catargatePara quem puder colaborar com o desenvolvimento do nosso projeto para podermos continuar trazendo informação de qualidade, esse é o link para a nossa campanha de financiamento coletivo. No Brasil - apoia.se/doladoesquerdodomuroNo exterior - patreon.com/doladoesquerdodomuroNós nas redes:bluesky - @doladoesquerdo.bsky.social e @joaokm.bsky.socialsite - ladoesquerdo.comtwitter - @doladoesquerdo e @joaokminstagram - @doladoesquerdodomuroyoutube - youtube.com/@doladoesquerdodomuroTiktok - @esquerdomuroPlaylist do Spotify - Do Lado Esquerdo do Muro MusicalSite com tradução de letras de músicas - https://shirimemportugues.blogspot.com/Episódio #295 do podcast "Do Lado Esquerdo do Muro", com Marcos Gorinstein e João Miragaya.
Daily Soap Opera Spoilers by Soap Dirt (GH, Y&R, B&B, and DOOL)
Click to Subscribe: https://bit.ly/Youtube-Subscribe-SoapDirt Young and the Restless is set to unveil another intriguing plot twist involving Tucker McCall (Trevor St. John) and the enigmatic Aristotle Dumas. The show's writers, Chuck Pratt and Josh Griffith, have carefully crafted the storyline, dropping compelling hints and red herrings that have kept fans on the edge of their seats. Y&R sees the mysterious billionaire Dumas, who has been a longstanding rival to Victor Newman (Eric Braeden), has ties to several Genoa City residents, leading many to believe that Tucker McCall could be the man behind the pseudonym. This speculation is further fueled by Duma's apparent interest in the Abbott family, particularly Ashley Abbott (Eileen Davidson), and his efforts to wrestle Chancellor away from Victor on the CBS soap opera. The Young and the Restless sees Tucker's potential motives could be multifaceted, ranging from rekindling his relationship with Ashley to protecting his son, Devon Hamilton (Bryton James), from Victor's predatory business tactics. Additionally, Tucker's past with Audra Charles (Zuleyka Silver), and his possible desire for retribution against Victor for his treatment of her. Visit our Young and the Restless section of Soap Dirt: https://soapdirt.com/category/young-and-the-restless/ Listen to our Podcasts: https://soapdirt.podbean.com/ Check out our always up-to-date Young and the Restless Spoilers page at: https://soapdirt.com/young-and-the-restless-spoilers/ Check Out our Social Media... Twitter: https://twitter.com/SoapDirtTV Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SoapDirt Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/soapdirt/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@soapdirt Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/soapdirt/
Daily Soap Opera Spoilers by Soap Dirt (GH, Y&R, B&B, and DOOL)
Click to Subscribe: https://bit.ly/Youtube-Subscribe-SoapDirt Young and the Restless spoilers for April 7-11, 2025 see Lily Winters (Christel Khalil) will lose her composure, Sally Spectra (Courtney Hope) will face a stumbling block, and Traci Abbott (Beth Maitland) will be fraught with worry. Jack Abbott (Peter Bergman) finds himself distracted during an outing with Diane Jenkins (Susan Walters), raising concerns about Victor Newman (Eric Braeden) targeting Claire Grace Newman (Hayley Erin) and Kyle Abbott (Michael Mealor) on the CBS soap opera. Spoilers for Young and Restless see Phyllis Summers (Michelle Stafford) disputes Billy Abbott (Jason Thompson) over the mysterious Dumas. As tension rises, Damian Kane (Jermaine Rivers) questions Holden Novak (Nathan Owens) over rumors spreading around town about him and Duma. The plot thickens when Sally finds herself discussing Billy's business decisions with Phyllis, leading to further disputes. Diane is anxious about Traci's situation with the impostor, Alan Laurent (Christopher Cousins) the week of 4/7 - 4/11/2025. Visit our Young and the Restless section of Soap Dirt: https://soapdirt.com/category/young-and-the-restless/ Listen to our Podcasts: https://soapdirt.podbean.com/ Check out our always up-to-date Young and the Restless Spoilers page at: https://soapdirt.com/young-and-the-restless-spoilers/ Check Out our Social Media... Twitter: https://twitter.com/SoapDirtTV Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SoapDirt Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/soapdirt/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@soapdirt Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/soapdirt/
Graduation Day. Book 3 in 18 parts, By FinalStand. Listen to the ► Podcast at Explicit Novels."You know nothing of what you speak of, Ishara, yet you now feel free to insult us," she simmered."Don't know, don't care. It was all before my time. I care about the 'here-and-now' as well as what we do in the future. What I am asking you is what concrete item or 'thing' can be provided to House Zorja to put this blood feud behind you. Name it and House Ishara will endeavor to procure it for you.""We are not merchants," Jana's eyes narrowed."No. I didn't imply you were. If you want new sandals for everyone in your House, I'll find you new sandals. If you want 100,000 acres of ranchland, I'll find you the land. Name it," I persisted."Our prestige cannot be bought," she 'explained'."No, but a blood feud with House Ishara can be avoided by making a request of us in the same way as expressing your desire to harm my daughter can be expressed by denying my offer," I hardened. "And 'fuck you very much' if you think I won't use every son, daughter, mother, aunt, and uncle of Ishara when I come gunning for House Zorja too.""You wouldn't dare bring outsiders into this," Klavdiya interjected."Why not? The offices of Ishara handed House Zorja the coup of the century ~ the capture of the People's Liberation Army Navy nuclear carrier. A member of House Zorja commanded that task, yet they did so by leading forces marshalled by House Ishara, outsider forces. You may wish to keep playing by old rules concerning who is and isn't part of a House, but I am not so constrained, sisters.""So Klavdiya, if House Meenakshi pursues its blood feud with House Zorja, House Ishara will gleefully join them in the pummeling. And we have Isharans in the 9 Clans, the Khanate and the Illuminati who will gladly help us out in slapping them around like the old-fashion curmudgeons they are showing themselves to be, or, House Zorja may request a gift from House Ishara and we will happily clear accounts between them and House Meenakshi in the name of our daughter, Parvati. Their choice.""You are still on the mats," Elsa reminded me. Sikia coiled protectively next to us."And you said something about a lesson being long overdue," Pamela smirked, "Kitten.""Cáel Ishara," Shawnee said in a soft voice, "perhaps it is germane to the argument: the fault of the blood feud rests with House Zorja, not House Meenakshi."I fell on my back, carrying Tad fi with me. She gasped out in surprise while remaining closely cuddled with me. Her right hand never left my lips."Why does no one tell me this shit?" I moaned."You are hard," Tad fi announced. "Are you ready to have more sex?" She was sounding upbeat about our prospects. She was also ignorant of our surroundings being deaf and blind to the mortal realm."Gossamer Wing," I created a pet name for the augur, "we are lying on the sparring mats of a large combat arena in the central Full-blooded training center for Havenstone with roughly 500 sisters in attendance (the audience had grown). While I am enticed by your scent, words, proximity and sweet memories of what we've shared, I'm probably going to be badly beaten up really soon for a terrific diplomatic snafu.""But then we can have sex?""Yeah. I'm totally up for having sex with you after they release me from Medical," I assured her. I looked around her to a very unhappy Mahdi."Can you find it in your heart to forgive House Zorja? Anything I can,""Yes," she abruptly cut me off.What the fuck?"At this time, my hatred of House Ishara, and you in particular, make any grievance I have with House Zorja pale in comparison. You have bewitched my only daughter. She bares your child, and it will be a wonderful child if the soiled augur you've stuck your cock in is to be believed," she ground out bitterly. "I want to go home. I want to find enemies to kill. And when I do, Cáel Ishara, know each and every one of them will carry your face in my mind."She turned to Jana. "Do you agree that we both hate Ishara enough to put aside our current differences?"Jana studied Mahdi, me, then Mahdi again and agreed. She stood. Mahdi stood. They clasped arms like Amazons, then hugged like sisters."Agreed. He is much worse."My thoughts on the matter. Woot! I was having sex! Oh, and I was making Aya happy by ending a blood feud."My admiration of you continues to increase," Krasimira looked at me. "This diplomacy stuff is harder than it looks yet you pull it off so effortlessly.""Yay me!" I muttered."Keeper, are we done?" Sikia asked Krasimira."I believe so," the older Amazon rose to her feet. Sikia was far faster in rising."Mahdi of Meenakshi, you have insulted me and my augur. Defend yourself," she snarled. If Tad fi hadn't been immediately present, Mahdi wouldn't have even warranted a warning no doubt."Had you done your job," Mahdi flowed into her fighting stance, "you both wouldn't be pregnant.""Whoa now," I struggled to rise while keeping Tad fi close and my body between her and the Meenakshi/Zorja side of the mat. "Sikia, I can't let you fight. You're pregnant too.""Don't be stupid, Cáel Ishara," Sikia retreated off the mat, so she could shed her jacket and footwear. "Amazons have fought pregnant for thousands of years.""Hold on now," NYPD Sgt. Larisa Kutuzov said in English as she moved forward. I was a millisecond too late. Larisa's foot touched down on the mat and Marlene Zorja popped her one, a hand chop to the larynx. The senior cop stumbled forward."Mom!" shouted Nikita. Marlene followed up with a leg sweep, putting Larisa face first on the mats, then a fist strike to the back of the head, knocking her out. Neat and tidy in less than two seconds.Nikita was about to charge in when Chaz stopped her."Footwear," he advised in the tone of voice I had learned to associate with him and imminent violence. The moment he stopped her, he was quickly removing his own socks and shoes. Virginia and Pamela were doing the same. I was allowed freedom of movement because I was holding Tad fi. Krasimira exited because of her unique status. The rest were already barefoot."Gale, could you please stay with Tad fi," I tried to hand her off."No," Gale looked me over. "I will fight." No hint on whose side she would be fighting on. Krasimira came to my rescue."I'll take her.""Tad fi," I told the augur, "I have to go get beaten up now, but I promise I will be back for you directly.""This is not your fight," Krasimira said. "The words and deeds are Sikia's.""A, she carries my child and B, the deeds being called into question are my fault.""You told me once they were the Will of Ishara," Krasimira mused."We are one in the same," I gave a lopsided grin."Be careful," Tad fi pleaded. "Your future is a chaotic jumble, I cannot see,""Eh, I've been very bad. We'll talk about it later. Gotta go," I headed onto the mats.Pamela was giving the ground rules to the 'normals': No 'fair warnings'. No 'fair play'. No 'time outs'. You fought until unconscious, or you surrendered."This is going to suck," Virginia assessed our odds. Two Amazons had removed Larisa from the mats and were tending to her. Nikita was kneeling by her side until she heard Virginia, then came our way.Besides Sikia, we had Pamela, Chaz, Virginia, myself and Nikita. Oneida stepping up was nice. She wasn't a great combatant, but we dearly needed the help. Gale joining us was, unsettling. Amazons don't play fair, so this could be a ruse.Against us were all three Zorja and both Meenakshi ~ I imagined Rhada felt she had something to prove to her mother. They'd picked up ten other Amazons and Rhonwenn Nemain. Klavdiya joined them to counterbalance her baby sister. Eight to seventeen ~ ouch."Damn," a familiar voice from my first days on the job spoke up from behind me, "we almost missed this." I didn't dare look over my shoulder. Desiree stepped between Chaz and Virginia. Rachel came up on my left and Tiger Lily on my right. At the tail end of our line was Mona, Meridian, Brielle and Wiesława. Fifteen to seventeen was looking much better, especially considering Desiree had brought five Security Detail warriors with her, all of whom were moving to further bolster our numbers."Rachel," Elsa looked to her underling, "you have no idea why you are fighting.""It is for Cáel. So it must be for a better tomorrow," Rachel laughed."Very well," Elsa smirked."You!" Mahdi pointed at me, and we both charged. It was a jumbled nightmare of clashing bodies, war cries and flashes of movement all around. Our side had two main advantages -While Chaz was by no means the best hand-to-hand combatant present, he knew the basic Amazon style and most Amazons didn't know his. Added to his overall height and bulk advantages, he bought us time.Of greater importance, Rachel, Tiger Lily and Mona had extensive training working as a team, which none of the opponents had.Elsa was the most dangerous individual on the mat. Pamela was the second most dangerous, so Elsa grabbed a couple of partners and ganged up on her to drive her off the mats. Chaz went next, out-Elsa'ed and beaten unconscious. The issue was, it took her too long to accomplish those two feats. By the time she rounded on me, Rachel and Tiger Lily, our half of the field had wiped out theirs. It was six of us (me, Rachel, Tiger Lily, Gale, Wiesława and Desiree) versus four of them (Elsa, Marlene, Klavdiya and Rhonwenn).Still, I was facing Elsa, so a judicious bit of treachery was required."Gale," I huffed and puffed, "please retire. I don't want you to fight your sister.""What?" Gale snapped. She'd taken a beating, yet remained feisty."No, fighting her sister is okay with me," Desiree scowled. "We are still facing fucking Elsa.""All the other women you have mated with have failed. I remain," Gale trumpeted."Oh, you are right," I half-turned. "All the reason you are more precious to me.""Really?""Of course," I deepened my introspective appreciation of her."Oh," and Klavdiya punched Rhonwenn. That was an 'oh, Cáel Ishara must actually care for my baby sister and not be just a Playa' on Klavdiya's part. Yeah. I'm a horrible fucking person at times.Rachel, Tiger Lily and I rushed Elsa. Marlene pivoted to ward against Klavdiya while Gale and Wiesława stormed in against her. Desiree helped Klavdiya finish drubbing Rhonwenn before they combined to force Marlene off the mats. Elsa chose to go down swinging in a dogpile of bodies. I took an ear-ringing blow to the head which allowed Rachel to apply a chokehold and it was lights out for the Head of SD.After some water bottles went around and those concussed returned to wakefulness, the resolution of the brawl was decided. Mahdi apologized to Sikia. It was short, terse and sparing of any empathy, yet was within the bounds of Amazon etiquette. She departed with Rhada, which left me to pick up the pieces, starting with Nikita's mom."Oh," the older woman moaned then, "Ms. Fredrickson? What are you doing here?""Avenging you, Mother," Nikita fluffed up the truth. "She, Cáel and the others cleaned house on the woman who jumped you and her allies.""Desk Sergeant," Desiree gave a curt nod."This isn't over," Larisa winced as she moved to a sitting position."Mrs. Kutuzov, it is over," I headed off a colossal waste of time. "This is my daily life and part of your daughter's life with JIKIT. You will find scant witnesses and no tape recordings of these events. This craziness is just another day in the life here at Havenstone. You stepped on the mat and thus became fair game to any physical confrontation an opponent cared to mete out. Consider this sovereign soil of an independent nation-state.""We," she looked around. "You kicked their asses?""Definitely," Pamela gave a feral snarl."This is plain nuts," she shook her head, winced in cranial pain, then put her aching head in her hands."One of the reasons we've put our dating in hiatus," Nikita comforted her mother while looking at me, and smiling affectionately.Ah, for fuck sakes! I was engaged to someone else and having a dozen kids by ten different women. How could I still possibly be considered viable dating material? Oh yeah, martial valor, laughing at death, I hung out with truly exceptional cool people and I would always be in need of saving, a plus for a crusader like Nikita.I had so many allies to tend to, but only one who seemed to be making an exit. I swooped down on Tad fi long enough to place her fingers to my lips."I'll be right back, friend of a friend in need," and off I went. I caught Tavi of House Stolgos just outside the door. She wasn't avoiding me. She'd been observing Chaz and he had been otherwise occupied.My British companion had played a pivotal role in the combat and taken his beating like a man. He'd been rendered unconscious. So had many others, so no stigma was attached to his loss. Post-battle, he had chosen to sit on his haunches, knees up, talking to several of the Amazons, both kneeling and standing. A few had been bystanders and a few others foes.He stayed on his ass to reduce his height advantage. Letting Amazons make eye contact while not having to look up at you created definite benefits. His good natured approach to his role in the fight and pummeling earned him positive vibes as well. He made it clear the tussle to him was not macho-personal. He was my 'brother / sister / sibling' spiritually-speaking via Pamela adopting us both as her 'grandsons', so my fights were his fights. Sikia had my (Cáel's) child, so that bond extended to her as well ~ family.Pamela and I had schooled him on Amazon psychology and those lessons were now paying serious dividends. 'The Male' hadn't wanted to fight them ~ 'Amazons are tough' he'd confessed, he knew this because he worked with several every day on JIKIT~ but family was on the line, so he fought. Mahdi had apologized, so the matter was settled. The other Amazons he'd fought? They had fought for their reasons and he was okay with not questioning them about it.Why? He was conscious of his conspicuous status as a 'guest', knew he was in no way an Amazon, and was not privy to what motivated them. He didn't want to be an Amazon. He had his own, much younger, martial tradition he was proud of, yet was eager to learn from the vastly greater Amazon war lore because 'winners' didn't have a gender-bias and no other tradition could compete with the Amazons' 3,000 years.Under normal circumstances, the women around him wouldn't have given credence to his praise. He was a male after all. Through the tiny tear I'd created in their insulating social fabric, Chaz was building upon his own exploits. In the after-battle analysis, the Amazons reflected on the realization Elsa had concentrated on him as her number two objective, second only to Pamela who scared everyone who knew anything about her. That bolstered Chaz's appeal.For the Amazons who thought a male would get all pouty and cry over being beaten up by a girl/girls, Chaz was breaking the mold. He wasn't angry. He was amused. The fight had been a learning experience and he'd felt honored to watch, no matter how briefly, a warrior of Elsa's caliber fight. He'd explained 'I', Cáel Wakko Ishara, considered Elsa one of the top 5 combatants I'd ever seen, which included Ajax the Unconquered. The others were Sakuniyas, reborn Amazon and former Queen of Assyria, Saint Marie, the Golden Mare, and Pamela, the Cliff-walker.More happy Amazons because the list's only non-Amazon was a dead Hero from the Trojan Wars and it was well known I 'got around' (aka dealt with violent outsiders.) Chaz was telling the truth, almost. The 'fifth' person on the list was Alal, but explaining him would be difficult, so Chaz edited him for this particular audience. Good man.In the hallway, "Tavi, a moment," I called out. She slowed down, took a few more steps allowing me to catch up."Yes Ishara?" she gave me her best neutral look. Yep. She was jealous."I beg two favors from you," I quickly went down to one knee in her path. That caught her off guard and left her in the awkward position of me being terribly close and staring up at her."I, I will listen," she muttered."I would like to know if you are pregnant," I asked very softly. Yes, she was, but she didn't want to tell me. She contemplated pushing past me. It would be very easy. "I know I am stepping beyond the boundaries between warriors. Please. My destiny has brought you two together. I am at fault here." 'Fault' was the key word."If I have a son, he will be given to the Queen," Tavi's face was stern and unforgiving. "He will live.""That's not what he's worried about," I shook my head. "He wants to be a father to your daughter, Tavi. He wants to introduce you to his mother and grandmothers, maybe his sisters too, if that can be arranged.""Huh?""He is not like me, Tavi. There is no other in his life, but you.""I, I will not leave my House for him," she protested angrily."He would never ask you. That doesn't mean he doesn't want to remain at your side for years to come. He can be a father to your child and not be a part of House Stolgos in the same way you can be a mother to your child and not be a part of Clan Tomorrow.""Oh," she furrowed her brow. "How would this possibly work?""I have an 'in' with the Queen," I winked. "I'll work out something.""He knows I will never stop being an Amazon," she elucidated intensely."Absolutely. He is an intelligence operative after all. He's figured a few things out for himself.""Why doesn't he tell me these things?""Tavi, he threw his body on top of me to shield me from a bomb blast, so he's undoubtedly brave, but telling you what is in his heart is scary for him. As his brother, I see behind his silence,""Oh, what should I do?" she was vexed."Go back in there, demand to speak with him and tell him the truth," I stood up."The truth?""That you are going to have a little StolgosTomorrow-ite running around sometime next year," I exuded confidential friendliness."Cáel Ishara," she tilted her head slightly, "you don't know much about infants, do you?""Nope," I pseudo-confessed. I actually did know something about newborns. I'd studied up so I could make a move on a cute girl whose free time was eaten up by babysitting, so I 'helped out'. Oink."They aren't 'running around'," she turned to head back into the gym, "until the ninth month at the earliest. Normally, running doesn't happen until the eighteenth month.""My fiancée has a three-year old, so she should be able to help me through some of the hardest parts," I babbled along. Tavi didn't give a crap.In we went. Tavi stormed straight toward the bevy of Amazon babes concentrating on 'her' Chaz."Color Sergeant Tomorrow," she abruptly interrupted. "A moment of your time.""Ladies," Chaz uncoiled himself from the surrounding women. The Amazons were either mildly put off, they thought they were about to get laid, or pissed off, they were sure they were about to get laid, and Tavi was stomping on their happy."Yes, Ms. Gentry," Chaz linked his hands behind his back in a 'rest easy' stance. 'Gentry' was the fake last name Tavi used in the outside world. She motioned toward the windows with her head. Off they went. I couldn't hear what was being said, but my lip reading skills were up to the task.T: (I am pregnant)C: (I love you)T: (Oh) ~ stunned. Go Chaz!C: (Well, I don't imagine the Amazons have a marriage ceremony and an Anglican service would be inappropriate, so perhaps we could research a Scythian ritual which could make both families happy) ~ delivered in the patented smooth Chaz style.T: (Marriage? To you?)C: (I will not submit to being anyone's slave nor would I ever ask you to submit to me. Outside of that, will you be my partner and my partner alone until the cliffs separate us?)T: (Amazons are not monogamous)C: (I am)T: (I will, I mean, can I think about this?)C: (I am not going anywhere, Tavi){Pause}T: (Did you put Ishara, Cáel Ishara up to this?)C: (Yes)T: (Why?)C: (I imagine he explained what I am feeling better than I could)T: (Oh, do you want me to meet your mother and grandmothers?)C: (Absolutely)T: (Okay)C: (Okay ~ you would like to meet my Mother and Grandmothers?)T: (No, yes, I mean, yes I would like to meet them and I am okay with you being with no other woman until the cliffs separate us, and I will do the same, no other males)C: (If I pick you up, hug you and kiss you, will your sisters freak out?)T: (I don't know)So Chaz swept Tavi up until her head was higher than his (a feat, considering their 8" height differential) and kissed her deeply. Mumbled words followed. Tavi wrapped her legs around Chaz's waist and out they went. Around me were angry murmurings of the 'did that Amazon just run off with our man' variety. Not my problem. I had plenty of different Amazons wanting my attention. Hallelujah!{8:00 pmDon't try this at home.I covered my face with a pillow and pressed down hard. I'd already tried breathing exercises, meditation and even contemplated more cranial trauma before thinking up this particular crazy idea. It took some mental effort and accessing some of my Alal-'pain sorting' skills to accomplish, but in the end, I felt myself 'let go'.I sat up."Hello," Tad fi beamed."Hey," I took a deep breath. Since we were talking, I must have passed out. Her eyes wandered over the room."Is this the world as you see it?" she wondered. Oh yeah, I had to be creating the environment for her to enjoy.Sikia was kneeling on the bed a foot away, her gaze moving between the two of us. The 'grayness' of her form suggested she was wholly in reality and not in the 'Ishara-space' the goddess had shown me and I was now sharing with my augur."This is how you see me?" she examined her fingers, her wrists, then some long locks of her hair."You are more beautiful," I answered. The impact of my words crossing over drew her eyes back to me. It was the magic of hearing for the normally deaf girl. I concentrated, peeled back some fantasy and attached a realistic form to Sikia. Tad fi followed my gaze."Your hair," she addressed her guardian, "It is lighter than I imagined."Sikia said something I couldn't understand, muffled as it was by my dreaming."I cannot hear you, but I see you through his eyes," the augur carried on her conversation. They touched. It had to be somewhat bizarre for Sikia. As she reached for Tad fi's hand, her friend intercepted the extended member. Their fingers intertwined before completing the journey to the guardian's lips."Don't cry, no, we couldn't have, no, we shouldn't have knocked him out sooner. I don't think he was aware of this discipline when we first met. Were you, Cáel?""No. Perhaps if I had understood more about the consequences of seeing ghosts, I might have," I tapered off. "Now that we know. I can try this more often.""Your health?" Tad fi worried."I might be immortal," I confessed. I was confessing because I was desperately seeking a way to share some of my genetic quirkiness with her ~ some strength to carry her through this pregnancy and spare her life, Dot Ishara be damned."And you would seek a way to spare me," she graced me with her gentle presence. Lying in the 'spirit' world was a whole lot tougher than in the flesh."Yeah. I've got some arcane lore rattling around in my head, plus I have a few outside sources I can ask for help. I'm not giving up on you.""I have foreseen my death.""Well, un-foresee it," I scolded her. "Dot Ishara told me we see what might happen, though nothing is guaranteed. So even your death isn't an absolute. Since it hasn't happened, I see no reason to let it happen. You are going to live to hold our daughter. If not, my immortality is worthless.""You can never save everyone. Sometimes you must let a few go to save the rest," she advised."If I find someone I'm not attached to, I'll let them go. I promise. Until then, I'm, ugh, I'm fading, and I'm keeping you.""We shall see," she murmured. I fell back into my body and into wakefulness."Now we have sex," Tad fi announced in a melodic voice."He is ready to perform," Sikia agreed. She was fondling my balls with one hand while her breath played across my rod. I sat up to see the augur climbing up the bed between my thighs. She kissed my glans, licked across its top, then kissed it again."I've got it from here," she told Sikia."What?" Sikia was confused. Tad fi's lips began to engulf my sceptre."Sikia, come here," I gently pulled on her arm. She was conflicted yet up some came.We started out with tender kisses on the lips. I kept drawing her toward me. My lips and tongue migrated down her chin and throat to her breasts. When she thought my target was her breasts, she was all onboard. That was a mere stop-off point on my journey, though I played around for a while.At the same time, I had to use subtle movements with my hips and clenches with my gluts to school Tad fi on her fellatio. Thankfully, I was doubly-blessed. This wasn't my first time schooling two girls at once and Tad fi could determine more from such minimal reactions due to her heightened sense of my muscle contractions through her touch than any other woman I'd ever met.When I began running my tongue in large lashes underneath her breasts, I confused Sikia once more. She was resistant as my hands on her hips pulled her higher so that my lips and teeth could tease her taut stomach while I twirled my tongue in her belly button. She giggled.I had been slowly wiggling down the bed, backing Tad fi up, so when it came time to mount Sikia on my face, I had the headboard room. I kept her muscular thighs securely in hand because the moment I had her happy, I pushed her up. She looked down, seeking guidance and I motioned her to turn around. She did the eye-ball math, realized she'd be facing her augur, and hastily obeyed. Of course, her movement on the bed alerted Tad fi through mattress vibrations.Sikia was sitting on my face, leaning down so she could run her hands through Tad fi's hair and along her face and lips (and my phallus). I kept my hands pressed between our bodies. My right made the sojourn to my pubic area to play around and give them both something else to suck on, my fingers. My left loitered around between Sikia's breasts and her clitoris when my lips were otherwise occupied.I could cup her clit with my tongue in a U-shape, rubbing it along my taste buds. Most of my time was taken up with my tongue broad lashing her vulva or tightly-twisted and delving into her cunt and my nose pushing against her brown hole. I could tilt myself up so I could make tongue-intrusions into her back passage as well. The first time, she squealed.Before she could decide if she wanted to make me stop (she did, virtually all first timers always default to asking their partner to stop, so you have to distract them), Tad fi wanted to know what had brought her reaction on. Then came Sikia's troubled revelation of what I was doing, how the augur shouldn't suffer through it, despite the increasing pleasure she was receiving, only to finally be unable to supply the answer as to why Tad fi shouldn't experience it too.Sikia shot me a treasured look of bewilderment. I'd brought her to orgasm with my tongue alone. I was a guy after all."Switch?" I suggested. Tad fi was still administering one of the slowest, most considerate blowjobs I'd ever experienced. She wasn't rushing toward anything. Sure, she was unschooled, but was devoting her incredible sensitivities to my pleasure and taking pleasure in her ability to bring me to such excitement."Change places?" she mused. "Okay." Tad fi's lips slid off me with one final, loud 'pop', then she used her spider-like fingers to climb up my body while Sikia traveled south. She lavished butterfly kisses on my face ~ childish, yet so very appropriate between us ~ and I mirrored the gesture.With some reluctance, she mounted me, facing Sikia. My tongue flicking across her clit on its first exploration brought out a joyous gasp. It only got better from there.The Long Slide Into Domestic Life:"Twins?" Hana snuggled into my arms. We were at her place, naked in bed together after a late late-night unscheduled meeting with some VIPs. Despite the late/early hour, she was alert, tense even. It had been a mentally stimulating late night encounter which had brought me to her bed."Yes. That is what Tad fi predicted," I inserted between raining kisses down on her forehead. Hana liked non-distracting attention when she was in this kind of mood. She was exhausting herself mentally as she was building up to being amorous."Ana-Călina and rp d?" she worked over the names on her tongue. "They have a special meaning?""Only if you are Hungarian and Romanian," I teased her. She elbowed me slightly. " rp d was the semi-mystical pagan warlord who led the Ten Tribes who became known as the Hungarians ~ the Magyar peoples ~ into the Carpathian Basin, present day Hungary. Ana-Călina was born a Byzantine princess of the storied House of Basarab; she married Radu Negru, thus becoming the first Princess of a free Wallachia ~ the foundation for a free Romania. She was also the great-grandmother of Dracula.""So they are famous names with regional historical significance, did they live long, happy lives?"" Árpád, no one knows for sure. His kids were quarrelsome, but they did manage to found a dynasty at the start of the second millennia which ruled for three centuries.""Ana-Călina, yeah. I think so," I continued. "She lived into her seventies and her eldest son left his country stronger, richer and safer than when he received it. She did out live her husband by over fifty years, and got to see her youngest grandson bury most of his rivals, the kids from her husband's first marriage.""Ah, what?" Hana rose up until we were eye to eye. Since she was naked, her boobs swayed slightly as she did so. My eye flickered. "Eyes forward, Mister," she playfully barked. "What happened to all her other grandsons?""Wallachia in the 15th century was a tad rough and tumble," I evaded."They killed one another?""Mostly they were killed by conspiracies amongst their boyars, nobles of the time.""Why does, Tad fi want to dredge up these names again?" she kept eye contact."Not a clue," I pleaded."But you think it is important?""No. I think you are important. Screw Fate. It can name its own kids. We can chose whatever names make you happy, except 'Up'. Up's been taken.""You've named another of your offspring 'Up'? That's cruel, or does that mean something in another language I'm unaware of?" she shifted her shoulders so her boobs wobbled again. Of course, I broke eye contact. I hadn't had sex in hours and her boobies were right there, damn it!"Actually, Pamela and I named this secret agent in Hungary that, just to fuck with his head," I divulged."Oh. Pamela. I should have known," she slowly smiled. "You are being very well behaved," she added. Woot! She noticed I wasn't throwing her down and pawing her delectable flesh. "One more thing before the nookie.""Name them. Their dead," I pledged."Not necessary," her sigh turned into a giggle. "If I'm going to be having twins, I'm going to be rather big come late March. We need an earlier wedding date."Oh, fuck me!"What do you have in mind?" I tried to keep the creeping dread out of my voice."New Year's Day?" she suggested. I did a quick calculation. That was annihilating 78 days out of what remained of my bachelor life. In 114 days my life would cease having any meaning whatsoever. I'd be a Mr. to someone's Mrs. The end"Sure, I can arrange to be killed before then," stumbled out of my mouth."What was that?" Hana pouted."Nothing Dear. Cosmic psychic intersection with an Al -demon; don't know what came over me," I fibbed."Man up," Hana bit my nose. "Our marriage won't be that bad if we both work at it. It isn't like I'm demanding celibacy from you." Then she mouthed 'yet'."Wait. Did you mean celibacy, as in no fun at all, or monogamy, as in only 'happy time' with you?" I desperately sought clarification."Oh," she pursed her lips. "I meant monogamy. I didn't mean to scare you.""Oh, thank goodness," I sighed."Here," her gaze turned tender. "Let me make it up to you." Hana placed one hand on my shoulder and rose up my body until my face was gently nestled in her bosom. Then she wiggled back and forth, basically because I'm a big baby and easy to please. I was alternating which nipple I was kissing in no time."Mmm," she murmured. "I've missed you." Her other hand's fingernails coasted down my abdomen and found 'Mr. Happy' had risen to attention. Okay, he'd been hopping up and down on my groin since she'd said we were 'going to bed' 30 minutes ago. Hana decided wrap up my shaft with her hand, then applied a few tender strokes. I reciprocated by cupping her left tit in one hand, forming a mound with her areola at the center, and began to twirl from the outside inward to her hardened nipple with just the tip of my tongue.It was 4 a.m. Why was I taking it slow when I had my final work review with Katrina in three hours? Hana deserved this and more. Why was Hana doing it? She was her own boss, plus her life was careening wildly outside of anything she'd imagined before she'd first laid eyes on me. Half of the financial empire she shared with her father was suddenly in the hands of a military dictatorship, her beloved father was dealing with the murder of her hated step-brother and she was marrying a Prince in a European cathedral which required someone high in the Vatican's approval process to use.Yeah, her life had gone nuts. Worse, she loved me. And I wasn't the kind of man she ever thought she'd love. She'd thought she'd never love anyone again after her life with her asshole of an ex-husband and their bitter, contentious divorce. I was barely someone she could classify, and Hana was a terribly ordered and organized person. Saying my life was messy was being generous. I was some mysterious warrior-diplomat-playboy-aristocrat who hung out with people more bizarre than me.Hana picked up her tempo. I switched breasts. Her motor was really starting to hum. Any other night, I could have moved straight to revving her up to an orgasm. I had the time to make it two without any problems. A good one and Hana would be happy and drift off to sleep. Instead, I intuited she wanted more, so we developed our own game of cat and mouse with her climax, and its suspension, being our ultimate goal.My left hand danced down the back of her ribcage like playing keys on a piano. It was a light, teasing gesture. Her hair the color of tarnished gold cascaded down as she began placing her own kisses upon my crown. Each move by one partner evoked a response by the other. Hana ran my glans over her glistening labia, getting it nice and slick. I worked down her waist, cupped her ass, and then glided over her thigh to the back of her knee where I started tickling her. She snickered."You are distracting me," she murmured. I wasn't. I knew these things."I like to get the feel of every inch of your flesh," I responded. More mirthful noises from her. Slowly, her gooey vestibule rubbed against and over the top, until I felt myself entering. There, she hesitated. I propelled my hips an inch up, twisted right then left before falling back down, a micro-fuck."Ah," she emoted her approval. "My turn." Hana's knees spread to the side, making a memorable sound on the silk sheets as she impaled herself. This time she rolled her hips forward, back, then did a slow 360 with me inside her, letting the slow progress over her spark memories for her to savor. "I never believed sex could be like this," Hana hiccupped."How so?" I knew the answer, but wanted her to put her chaotic passions to words. It would make her happier."Experimenting, silly. Stopping in the middle and doing, this," she reversed her hip rotations this time. "I never imagined a lover having such patience, or,""Yourself as being so openly sexually adventurous?" I finished."Yeah," she huffed. "I really, really owe your college professor, plus you and all your diligence, for this," at the last moment, she encountered the gateway to her G-spot. I knew precisely where that gem was. Previously, Hana had gained a vague idea where it was from the perspective of masturbation and our prior lovemaking. Now I had let Hana rediscover that joy with my cock as her tool to utilize as she wished."You realize pregnant women want even more sex," she hummed. She was vigorously working my cock now. Hana had bridged a huge gap, sexually. Normally, a woman of Hana's quality tried to please her man first with the hope her orgasm would soon follow. I was different. My greatest sexual gratification came from her ecstasy. She was confident in that now. By bringing herself to climax, she was making me excited for what would come next."That's okay," I propped myself up on one elbow now that Hana was riding me cowgirl-style. "I dig big chicks." The open-palm slap to the chest was a given."Hercege, you, you are horrible," she growled around a feral smile. The lip-biting, tongue-sucking kiss was equally vicious, primal and leading Hana to the end of her tether. Not only was Hana's sexual trust in me/us expanding, she was putting extra effort into her physical workout regime too. She might still have a ways to go to compete with an Amazon, but it was still going to be a great night."Hercegn , I am nothing but a twisted shadow of masculine lust whose every contour is cast by your muliebrous glow," I teased. Her eyes twinkled. Yes, definitely still going to be a great night."Okay," Hana yawned, "I give up. What does 'muliebrous' mean?" She'd been holding on to that for an hour and a half. It was five-thirty and I was dressing in my biking clothes before heading into work."From the Latin 'muliebri' which means 'womanly'," I answered. Her sleepy eyes drank in both my response and my physique. I had discovered another thing Hana liked and that was to expand her academic/linguistic frontiers. She was enchanted with the idea that I liked to engage her mind along with her body, sparking on all cylinders.She'd crawled over to my side of the bed, her head resting on my pillow, soaking up my scent as she watched me. I knelt down, kissed her on her ear, cheek and finally the side of her lips. Hana was beat."Have a good day and be careful," she mumbled. Her eyes closed. Her chest rose with one last, waking breath before her sleep rhythms took her."Ditto," I whispered. I snuck into Annela's room and planted a kiss on her head as well. The craziness of my life had a way of cascading over to the ones I loved. Loved? Oh boy,7:00 am Monday, September 8th, Graduation Day!Brielle and her buddy were humming along as the elevator doors closed. Once more, my 'hellish' schedule demanded I change in the elevator. I'd gone to gun practice with my bike clothes on, so I absolutely had to change into business attire in the magic box, in front of them.Juanita adjusting my tie was a less than subtle attempt to strangle me. I was about to be late to my final 'start of day' meeting as an intern in Executive Services, so her chastisement would have to wait. Who would have thunk it? Juanita would have to wait outside for this ceremony. Paula raced with me to be the last one in, only to have Daphne grace us with the 'news':"The meeting won't start for another fifteen minutes," she grinned. "Katrina is bringing up the 'new hires' for the fall program."I finger-flicked my head. The 84 days as an intern was merely the 'training wheels' period. To really be a member of ES was at least a two year training process. The Amazons around me had started their training for this gig when they were fifteen and were eighteen and nineteen now, their ID's said they were older for legal purposes.In theory, my four years in college was counted as 'preliminary' training and provided things such as acclimation to outsider culture ~ aka 'acting normal'. Logically, I would train under someone like Desiree or Buffy for a year before being a full-fledged member of the service."How many this time?" I asked Daphne since she seemed to be in the know."Twenty," she grinned. "We are getting two."I noticed there was still only my tiny desk in Katrina's office. That meant the new guys would be out in the office pool with everyone else. Probably for the best. The ladies were now used to having a male around, so would be careful in what they did and didn't say. I yawned."Tired," Fabiola smirked."Oh yeah," I stifled another yawn. "Met an emissary from the Pope." Fabiola glowered. "No. Seriously. I met an emissary from Holy See. I let Hana know I wanted to get married in a highly improbable place, a ruined cathedral, so she contacted the Catholic Church and one of their guys wanted to meet with me.""That had to be fun," Tigger grinned. "What does the Cult of the Nazarene think of you and the Goddess Ishara?""We actually discussed polytheism and the place of an omnipotent, omnipresent being in the scope of things," I placed my hands behind my back and rocked back and forth. "It was quite interesting. The guy knew his shit."By that, I meant he was probably with the Pope's Secret Service as well as a Brainiac with a PhD in something. He'd promised to be in touch as soon as he heard back from his superiors. He had this hot chick with him who I suspected was a nun. And if his driver wasn't ex-military, it was because he was still in the service. On the plus side, Hana had been beaming when we left, which assured me the meeting had gone well, so we had sex from 4 AM until 5:30, thus my current fatigued state."Are you going to abandon your faith?" Fabiola taunted me."I don't have faith, Fabiola of Minerva. Faith would imply I don't know there are supernatural entities screwing with our lives. I know they do exist, I've met a few. To satisfy your disingenuous curiosity, we discussed the nature of the Weave and it being the possible manifestation of God's Will.""How did that go?" Paula appeared interested."He strongly suggested I should 'revisit my Catholic roots' soon. By that, I think he meant I'm supposed to start attending church regularly," I shrugged. "The Pope is sending an envoy to the Great Khan too, so odds are good I'm getting married," I pronounced the last bit as the doom-laden prediction it was."Oh, yes," Fabiola reached passed Paula and smacked me in the chest with the back of her hand. "That is for insinuating you and I had intercourse to my Mother and the Council.""Was that chastising me for lying, or for not making it so?" I winked."Ah, no!" she pouted. "Stop lying about me."I looked down at my phone."We've got twelve minutes," I double-pumped my eyebrows. "Want to go to Katrina's bathroom?""What! No!" Fabiola
Daily Soap Opera Spoilers by Soap Dirt (GH, Y&R, B&B, and DOOL)
Click to Subscribe: https://bit.ly/Youtube-Subscribe-SoapDirt Young and the Restless spoilers see Nikki Newman (Melody Thomas Scott) is found conspiring with Lauren Fenmore (Tracey Bregman) behind Victor Newman's (Eric Braeden) back. Meanwhile, Lily Winters (Christel Khalil) confronts an individual, leaving viewers in suspense. In another twist, Chloe Mitchell (Elizabeth Hendrickson) attempts to manipulate Sally Spectra's (Courtney Hope) thoughts on the CBS soap opera. Y&R spoilers see Billy Abbott (Jason Thompson) finds himself in a predicament when both Phyllis Summers (Michelle Stafford) and Sally express their dismay over his decision to collaborate with Aristotle Duma. The tension escalates as Billy fails to convince Phyllis about the benefits of his partnership with Duma. Spoilers for Young and Restless see Chloe advises Sally to eliminate Phyllis from Billy's life, hinting at the possibility of Sally resorting to her earlier tactics. Lily's confrontation with Damian Kane (Jermaine Rivers) and Nikki's secret discussions with Lauren about Victor. The Newman family celebrates Adam Newman (Mark Grossman) and Chelsea Lawson Newman's (Melissa Claire Egan) reunion. However, the joy is short-lived as Lauren summons Nikki for a crucial discussion about Victor. Visit our Young and the Restless section of Soap Dirt: https://soapdirt.com/category/young-and-the-restless/ Listen to our Podcasts: https://soapdirt.podbean.com/ Check out our always up-to-date Young and the Restless Spoilers page at: https://soapdirt.com/young-and-the-restless-spoilers/ Check Out our Social Media... Twitter: https://twitter.com/SoapDirtTV Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SoapDirt Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/soapdirt/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@soapdirt Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/soapdirt/
Daily Soap Opera Spoilers by Soap Dirt (GH, Y&R, B&B, and DOOL)
Click to Subscribe: https://bit.ly/Youtube-Subscribe-SoapDirt Young and the Restless 2-week spoilers for March 24 - April 4, 2025 see Abby Newman (Melissa Ordway) grapples with danger and an unknown entity spices up the town's dynamics. Billy Abbott (Jason Thompson) apologizes to Sally Spectra (Courtney Hope), assuring her his relationship with Phyllis Summers (Michelle Stafford) is over. However, his secretive communication with Aristotle Duma raises suspicion. Victor Newman (Eric Braeden) is alerted about the delay in reports from the Glissade spies due to Jabot's ongoing integration process. His past rivalry with Duma resurfaces, leaving him wary of Duma's intentions on the CBS soap opera. Young and Restless spoilers see Nick Newman (Joshua Morrow) and Summer Newman (Allison Lanier) are concerned about Phyllis' deteriorating mental state following her kidnapping. Sharon Newman (Sharon Case) and Daniel Romalotti (Michael Graziadei) seek solace together, inching closer towards forgiveness. Nikki Newman (Melody Thomas Scott) appears to be in a constant conflict with Jack Abbott (Peter Bergman) - a disagreement that could potentially revolve around Victor's intentions for Claire Grace Newman (Hayley Erin) and Kyle Abbott (Michael Mealor). Traci Abbott shares her apprehensions about Alan Laurent (Christopher Cousins) with Jack. Spoilers for Y&R see Victor's actions startle the Newmans while Sally harbors doubts about Billy. Victor is in action, potentially leading to a confrontation with Jack. Ashley Abbott's return to the scene hints at an impending danger involving the Abbott sisters. In the midst of all this, Sally might confront Billy about his vengeful plans against Victor the weeks of 3/24-4/4, 2025. Visit our Young and the Restless section of Soap Dirt: https://soapdirt.com/category/young-and-the-restless/ Listen to our Podcasts: https://soapdirt.podbean.com/ Check out our always up-to-date Young and the Restless Spoilers page at: https://soapdirt.com/young-and-the-restless-spoilers/ Check Out our Social Media... Twitter: https://twitter.com/SoapDirtTV Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SoapDirt Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/soapdirt/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@soapdirt Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/soapdirt/
Cáel's second vacation with Aya and friends.Book 3 in 18 parts, By FinalStand. Listen to the ► Podcast at Explicit Novels.Loving your enemy is easy. You know precisely where the two of you standJust in case anyone cares, I do not hate China or the Chinese People. As a Global Power, the PRC is fair game as a great antagonist. Not only do they have, as of 2015, the world's largest economy, largest population and a truly global Diaspora, they also have a rather totalitarian governance system that enables them to devote scary levels of resources to any endeavor they set their minds to.I usually paint all governments to be entities capable of great good (rarely achieved) and great evil (because it makes such enticing fiction). In my stories, it often falls to the people within those institutions to make judgment calls on what is the right thing to do. In my final analysis, there are no 'Evil' governments, just evil people who use the system to get what they want(Right where we left off)"Aya," I spoke to her when she'd finished up by giving Mu a strong dose of a pain killer, "Now go back to the galley and find the nice medic-lady there. She has a bottle filled with some of those kick-ass sedatives. Inject everyone else but me, you, Zhen here and Mu, Mu's had enough drugs for one day.""Okay," she popped up. She turned fearlessly to face her former tormentors and jailors."I had them all swear an oath to Ishara to not kill, harm, or restrain you in any manner, so have fun hunting them down. You've got about thirty minutes.""Is Dot with us right now?" she gave me a bone-tired smile. I nodded. "This is going to be fun," she shouted and off she went.'I'll be by her side', Dot whispered to me. She rose forth from the seat within me and followed Aya out into Seven Pillars Hell. Technically, I believed it was the Diyu of the Fiendish Child. Those malicious bastards suffered every accident, misfortune, and nearly-impossible odds malfunction in the process of being subdued by a 9 year old Amazon.Four of them died in the process of trying to kill her, when stopping her became obviously impossible. Two had their guns blow up when they tried to shoot her, dismembering their hands and wrists. One guy was strangled in his emergency oxygen supply mask. The last guy lunged forward, slipped on a cup and broke his neck when his head was caught in a folded armrest.Twenty-eight nerve wracking minutes later."All done," she gave me an exhausted yet triumphant chirp. "Should I strap Mr. Mu into a chair? He's passed out.""Zhen, buckle your brother into a chair and hurry back. I'll hold us steady until you get back."Remember, I had only the use of my left hand. My right had to stay on the dagger to keep things powered up."Buckle-up after you've gotten Duan Mu secured, Aya. That's his proper name.""I know that. I was trying to keep them irritated so they would act irrationally. You taught me that," Aya bathed me in her sinister ways and means.Finally, it was down to me and Zhen. "Do you think we will succeed, Cáel Wakko Ishara?" "I'm giving it my best shot." "The little girl was right," Zhen groaned. "She told us we'd regret not killing you in New York when we had the chance. I thought she was being an annoying spoiled brat. I was wrong." Pause. "I know you have no reason to answer me truthfully, but when we, the rest of us, die, could you make sure my brother's body is returned to my father so that he can join our ancestors in the family grave?" "Why do you think I would lie to you now that we are alone?" That was a loaded question. I did the majority of my lying when I was alone with a woman. "I, will you give me your Oath, in your Goddess's name?" "Nope. My Goddess has pretty much been exhausted by your boys trying to break their vows to me and Aya. I'll tell you what I will do, " "What?" "Show me your tits and I'll promise to do my best." "What? You want to see me naked?" she grew indignant. "No!" It was her being a vaginal virgin (I knew the type ~ good oral technique and bed play, but no 'go-uppy' the cunt, or ass) and me not being Han Chinese, therefore being a 'Stinky Barbarian'. "Listen, I've never flown a commercial jet before and neither have you. Odds are we are both going to be dead in the next ten minutes. After all the hell you have put me through, can you at least give me some fucking inspiration. No one will ever know. Besides, imagining the perfect swell of your breast and the smooth tautness of your stomach, well, you are so damn perfect it is distracting!" I protested against the World's grand injustice (me not being Han and thus not worthy of seeing her goodies). "Do you really think we are all about to die?" she studied me. "I'm doing my best, but, yes, I believe we are," I stared deep into her dark brown orbs.'You are despicable,' Ishara chortled. 'I promise you, plant your seed and she will bear you a son.' "Very well, hold onto the controls," she said as she released her joystick. She rolled up her padded (high-tech body-weave) shirt carefully. I was a past master of looking while pretending not too look. Still, "Can I look yet?" I hesitantly questioned. Sure, we were about to slam an Airbus-350 into the Pacific Ocean, or a concrete runway, no lights, in a cyclone, but she was 'working it'. For all she knew, this striptease would be her last living memory. "No." A few seconds passed. "Now?" "No." Oh, her top was just cresting her highly aroused nipples, she had tiny, erect nipples. The smallest I had ever seen, but long, almost like tiny awls. Finally she'd played it out as long as possible. "Okay." "No, wait," I begged. "Let me make sure everything is stable. I want to look at you for as long as I can. This will probably be the last happy moment of my life, so I want to make the most of it." That made her happy. I puttered around for five seconds, then pivoted around to take in her full, topless view. I didn't say anything for the longest time. "Aren't you done yet," she grumbled. "We are about to crash." "Oh, sorry," I turned away. She rolled her top down quickly and we returned to trying to keep the people we loved most in life alive. I sensed as sense of disappointment in her nonetheless."Perfect," I whispered. She caught it. "What did you say? Is something wrong?" she worried, studying her crippled command console for any errors she might have missed. "I said 'perfect'. I knew it, your body is perfect," I confessed. Pause. "Oh, " "Now I have something to live for," I declared. "I will never let you see me naked again. This was a one-time thing!" "That's two things I have to live for then," I countered. "Bringing us in alive and seeing me naked once more?" she had to be sure. "I was going to say 'seeing you naked again' and 'living', but I can see that your priorities make more sense," I conceded. "Ah, you are right, that I am right." Pause. "Good luck." "On seeing you naked again, or surviving our landing." "Let's start out by landing the plane. "And then, Duan Zhen?" "We will see, Cáel Ishara."{9 pm, Tuesday, August 16th ~ 23 Days to go}{aka 2 am Wednesday, Aug. 17th ~ 22 Days to go (Havenstone time)}(The following is in Mandarin until I note otherwise)"What are you doing?" I struggled to keep the panic from my voice."Killing all these alarms," Zhen responded. She was grinding her teeth in frustration and fear. "There is nothing we can do to fix those problems.""My, right rudder, its barely responding," I grunted. This was fly-by-wire, not typical manual control, so my concern was entirely mental, not wanting to miss our turn south into the sole runaway on Johnston Atoll. With the steady degradation of the plane's electronics, we wouldn't make the 360 for another pass.Landing from the southern end of the runway would put the cyclone force winds behind us. There would be no way for the plane's two inexperienced pilots to make that miraculous landing happen. No, we had to approach form the north, into the winds and allow nature to slow us down."On it, I'm good," she confirmed that her co-pilot's systems were still doing their job. "Tell me when we are making our final approach." Zhen, my Seven Pillars of Heaven co-pilot (and designated assassin), couldn't see where we were going. Our avionics had perished earlier in this disaster.Goddess Dot Ishara was communicating with Goddess SzélAnya who was frolicking in this maelstrom; the Draconic Storm Divinity was in her element. Dot was 'in' her element as well ~ her last living mortal descendent (me), if you didn't count all those unborn offspring I'd been contributing to in the past few weeks.'Are you thinking about me, Wakko?' she whispered into my mind. I was Wakko Ishara. I was supposed to be Yakko, but that hadn't worked out. As the 'main girl' in the relationship between me, the leader of her Amazon House, and Yakko Ishara ~ my first Ishara ancestor ~ she earned the slot of Dot (see Warner Bros.) Ishara.One of her earliest gifts to me was to make my mind inviolate to ALL supernatural penetration which was the reason she was bothering to ask about my thoughts and intentions.'Yes,' I thought back. 'I'm worried you are expending too much energy on my behalf, Dot.''Opposed to leaving you alone with SzélAnya? I don't trust her around you. She'd make a little Dragon-offspring/avatar with you if I'm not careful.''If you aren't careful? Don't I get a say in all of this?''No. Trust me, she's clingy and you are more active than a whole temple of Babylon's whores. Her mortal avatar would further bond your two legends together and your Legend is already the prop, placed with House Ishara.' Translation: My Goddess was clingy. After all, she'd meant to say my legend was her 'property'."Flaps!" Zhen yelled at me. "Check your flaps. Mine keep shorting out.""On it," I replied. I'd 'zoned out', so she'd screamed at me to get my attention back on task. Altitude, 1200 meters, which meant flaps at, fuck if I knew."What do I set them, Oh Shit!" I realized I'd forgotten something horribly imperiling."What?" Zhen shot me a furious look."Fuel! We've got to start dumping the fuel!" I screamed."Why?""Fireball, Zhen. If we hit hard, this bitch will barbeque us," I spit the words. "Don't you watch any airplane crash movies?" I added."The Airbus 350 has plenty of, safeguards,""You mean like all the other ones that have failed us in the past half hour?""Opening main tanks #1 and #2," she grumbled. "If we are struck by another lightning bolt we could blow up in mid-air.""Won't happen," I feebly jested. "The Storm Goddess loves me.""Does she love my brother and I?""Nah. She wants you and everyone else on this plane dead, but she's humoring me right now.""Flaps," she reminded me. "Why would she care about you?""Having no other useful skills, I am a truly remarkable lover."Zhen spared me a blistering look."You have seized this aircraft from my brother, me and forty of our best Special Operations Strike Warriors. That does not qualify you as 'unskilled'," she lambasted me."Oh no? You should see a 'real' Amazon in action," I teased her. "I'm just an intern who hasn't yet completed his 84 day trial period." I also worked the flaps."Too much," she snapped. "If we drop below 400 kilometers per hour, these winds will slam us into the Pacific."I was adjusting the flaps appropriately as we began our final roll to the left when a cloud-to-cloud bolt of electricity coursed through our craft. We didn't blow up."Thank you, SzélAnya," I whispered."What?" Zhen worried. Fucking up now would be the end of us all.'Your gratitude is overdue, Cáel,' SzélAnya slipped her murmur into the crashing thunder and another lash of raw, natural fury. 'We will talk later.'"I thought you said she loves you.""Umm, did I forget to mention I told her I was going out for pizza and never called her back?""That makes no sense," Zhen glared at me briefly. I was gifted with a visual of our plane in perspective to the runway. Yay, five meter waves were smashing into the atoll. I adjusted our yaw to the right."We are three kilometers out," I advised her."Flaps, spoilers," I went over my limited Alal-knowledge. This stuff worked on a piston driven commercial liner and it was the only flight data I had."Landing gear," Zhen responded. She had to throttle up a little because all that drag was cutting into our speed.'You are being blown too far to the east,' SzélAnya advised. I did the best I could."What are you doing?" Zhen was starting to sweat."Responding to divine intervention.""I, I see it!" Zhen's panic turned to exultation as she could finally make out the pale concrete runway surrounded by the angry sea.Too disasters hit us simultaneously."The left landing gear is not fully deployed," Zhen cautioned me."We are coming in too fast anyway," I dryly noted. The Goddess had brought me in on target, but she knew nothing about aircraft aeronautics.The Airbus came down too hard, too fast and our left landing gear snapped on impact. Sarrat Irkalli's parting gift was decay. Every design weak point gave in. The front fuselage broke apart, my hand on the dagger slipped and the power died. The front 25% of the plane spun off to the west while the remainder shot down the runway and off the southern end of the island.Sadly we went off into the lagoon between the western side and the barrier reef. In a delayed bit of good fortune, our careening section went head to head against a massive storm surge."Go!" I screamed at Zhen.She snatched up her Jian that she had used to pin the undead necromancer Tsu. I was right behind her, though I did stop to retrieve Sarrat Irkalli's dagger and pluck the two bone reliquaries from his neck before following Zhen's tight, athletic buns out of the cockpit and toward Aya. My diminutive better half was still in her seatbelt and clutching the medical bag to her chest.(English) "Cáel, I think we are sinking," she noted with a twinge of concern and more courage than I felt like utilizing. As Zhen was rescuing her brother the enormity of my mistake sunk in. All the Seven Pillars people were unconscious thus unable to save themselves from drowning. Aya's survival came first. I'd worried about my 'would-be executioners' later.I swept up Aya so fast it took me a second to realize she was poking me. She had retrieved the trinkets Felix had given Mu, our phone cards, my Dot-treats and my Amazon blade. I quickly strapped the blade to my arm. The water was rushing in through the severed back section.I turned to see Zhen struggling with her brother. Her look said it all. She expected them both to die. She wouldn't abandon him to save herself and the waves were too rough to make it with him."Get as far as you can," I shouted to her over the typhoon strength winds. "I'll come back for you."Her face expressed how little faith she put in my promise. Zhen had no choice left to her. I cut off two lengths of seat-belt to give Aya a harness to wrap over my shoulder and opposite underarm. I used the second piece to create her harness I linked with my own. {Back to English as the primary language}"He'll come back for you," Aya tried to assure Zhen while I worked."Aya, take a deep breath then expel it," I advised. The second she did I dove into the water. I had never attempted to swim in water this nasty, but I had been dumped into a white water rapids before. That was the best I had.Somehow in the madness, I pointed myself in the right direction. Once more, the storm came to my rescue. Two monster waves picked us up and pushed us toward the edge of the runway.'Go to the north end of the island,' Ishara told me. There is a building there that will shelter you, and Cáel, I must leave now. Don't do it.''I can't not try,' I replied. 'Can you help Aya?' I gave one last appeal. No reply. I twisted southward to locate the next monster wave. My precious cargo pressed tightly to my upper torso, I flipped over so that my feet were facing toward the onrushing runway. I'm not as dumb as I look, or sound.I bent my knees in the same way they instruct you when you go cliff diving. Up we went. I pulled Aya and I as deep into the water as possible, up, up, crest and then down-down-down. My bare right foot hit something jagged and sharp. I'd worry about bleeding later. The momentum of that contact tried to tilt me head-first, but I resisted.My left foot slapped down on a hard, smooth, granular surface, the sea wall. Now I swam backwards with my free arm while I raced to get my right foot back under me. My body ended up surging forward, yet I was in control of my movements once more. I rolled with the impact, taking the brunt to my left shoulder while shielding Aya with my right. Three rolls and I was on my feet again."Aya!" I beseeched my companion."That was fun," she yelled back over the hurricane force winds. "Let's try to do this next year," the rest was lost. I kept staggering forward in about a foot of water that the storm had flooded over the land. I looked behind me.The next wave was unfriendly. The one behind that one appeared to be a lot like what I imagined a Berlin Wall-sized tombstone would look like. I ran. I survived the first wave then gave Aya a cautionary squeeze. I felt her tiny lungs inflate, soak up the salt-water spray and oxygen then flush the air back out.A few more steps then we plunged back sideways into the monster current ~ the wave had already crashed."What did you say?" I shook Aya as we surfaced once more."Next year, much later next year," she grinned up at me."Aya, do you think you can,""Yes. Go find them. You gave her your word," she hugged me."Stay on the runway, head north, Dot says there is a building up there that is still intact. Aya, take this," I handed her the pistol and a spare mag."Do you promise you won't let me die today?" she shouted over the winds. I had to think about that. Aya rammed the pistol and magazine into her medical bag's side pocket. Oaths had their own power and maybe, just maybe, Dot Ishara would help me honor this one."I swear to you, I will not let you die today," I yelled back."Then go and hurry," she hugged me as I cut her loose. "She needs you more than I do. Go!" With that, we separated. Aya slugged forward a few steps, was staggered by another wave then turned and gave me her 'thumbs up'.I turned to the south and the blinding winds and terrible surf. I had to try. Alal kicked in. Jumbo commercial airliners = no help. Shipwrecks = he'd survived a few. I mapped out in my mind the waves, winds and their direction relative to the plane. I could still make out its half-submerged shape.The edge of the runway had a U-shaped seawall which created a peak that channeled the waves. I couldn't see the structure itself due to the high tide, but I could locate the wall by watching the waves break. If I could get to the outside of the eastern peak, I would have an easier time going about this rescue. Also, if Zhen wasn't brought in by the same waves that saved Aya and I, she would be driven to the northwest, parallel to the island.I could intercept them. I'd effective killed everyone else. Maybe, I dove in.'Don't!'“Too late, SzélAnya,” I vaulted off the semi-submerged sea wall, then let the undertow pull me along the broken coral rocks the Navy had put there when they expanded the airfield in the 1960's.I kept my hands on the rocks, rock climbing in reverse. The waves passing overhead tried to pluck me up and return me to the land. I moved as rapidly as I could, until my muscles ached from the water's chill and oxygen starvation. My lungs were on fire. I let the next wave pull me up.Fortune favors the foolish should be my new motto. I broke the surface just after another large wave passed by. I kept my breathing short and steady, despite my burning hunger for air. Gulping air would only earn me a mouthful of salt water. I took the reprieve in the storm's efforts to drown me.The 'foolish' was waiting for me four meters away, slightly behind me and to the East. Zhen was being dragged past the atoll. I kept one eye on her progress and the other on the waves. A monster rolled up, I dove under and thus resurfaced less than two meters away. Zhen had Mu in a classic rescue swim position. He was still likely to suffocate in this downpour.The look in her eyes was, pure confliction. I cut through the last bit of ocean to be at her side. My first action was to point to the next tidal beast heading for us.(Mandarin) "I've got him. Dive beneath the wave," I hollered. Had she resisted, all three of us would have been screwed. She didn't.I took another deep breathe then sort of freaked her out. I clamped my mouth over Mu's and expelled my air into his lungs. My right arm snaked under his left with my hand grabbing the back of his head. I shoved his head tightly against my face, pressing his nose shut, then dove. Zhen was right behind me.After that, we had our routine down. Zhen took Mu every fourth wave. Breathing for both him and me was tough. I'd take him back for the fifth and slowly we made ourselves to the eastern shore. I hit first, fell flat on my face but kept a hold on Mu. I temporarily lost sight of Zhen. One life at a time.I lugged Mu up, staggered his unconscious and my exhausted forms a few feet and then was toppled by yet another wall of water. This time, when I returned to a standing position, I check Mu's breathing. He would make it. I few more steps, another wave. I kept my footing that time. Another, Zhen came careening our way from the North. The waves had swept her passed us.Zhen immediately looped her arm under Mu's right arm. That allowed her, me and our shared burden to slog another meter inland, then the next wave caught up with us. Zhen fell; I stumbled, but righted myself and thus kept Mu from being washed away. Zhen rolled a few feet forward, rebounded up, only to be shoved away when a gust of wind hit us.On her next attempt, she rejoined us. From that point onward, we were far enough away from the land's end so that we were slogging through standing water and could resist the waves that impacted us.(Mandarin) "You came back," she shouted.There were all kinds of romantic, chivalric and very true responses to that. I chose a half-lie. (Mandarin) "I really wanted to see your tits one more time," I yelled. The looks she gave me was priceless. She was convinced I was a lunatic ~ no doubt about it.While she puzzled out her reaction/retort, we chanced upon a Quonset hut. In its lee, we caught a break from the worst of the wind. We also picked up a little Epona who had made the same logical choice (to get out of the wind) as we had. My heart leapt for joy. She was grinning like an impish hellion as she tried to tell me something.I leaned down until her lips were touching my ear."I forgot to pack my swimsuit," she chortled."It's probably sitting at home along with my surfboard," I kissed her on the forehead. "How about we get inside, somewhere?" Aya nodded.(Mandarin) "Let's go," I roared. Zhen nodded briefly. We turned Mu around so we would be dragging him with his back to the winds. The journey to the structure SzélAnya had pointed me at (the J O C building) took over an hour and a half to cover the two kilometers. Along the way, Aya discovered her inner Peter Pan.That was the childish fiction I was going to use to explain what she did when I regaled this episode to her Mother, assuming we made it back. In common parlance, a gust of wind that must have been about 150 kilometers per hour picked her up and off she went. Hell, I'd honored my oath to Zhen. I dropped Mu and raced after my own personal good luck fairy.A freak micro-burst, shot Aya up so high I lost track of her in the rain.'Please'.I saw my tiny human javelin plummeting to earth several meters away. Aya had refused to mitigate her fate by releasing the medical bag. I jumped, caught her and took another hard spill to the ground, Aya on top of me. She said something to me.I made it back to my knees, clutching a standing Aya firmly to my chest."I said 'I've had enough fun for today," she sputtered. "Can we go inside now?"'You now owe me a life, I go,''Thank you'. If she heard me, she didn't acknowledge it. The storm didn't relent its assault, that was for sure.I couldn't risk losing Aya again. I had placed Zhen and Mu on solid ground so she returned to being my top priority. I slogged my way through the typhoon, cyclone, 'what have you', only to find a solid steel door between Aya and safety. I felt volcanic fury building up inside me. Then I remembered I still had a few firearms,The QCW spoke and the door popped opened. I raced around the first interior corner, deposited Aya, ran back to the door, reverse course, raced back to Aya, kissed her cheek then ran back out into the blinding rain and battering winds. Zhen was right where I'd left her. She had relied on me coming back, damn her.(The J S O C Building)Five minutes later, I had the Seven Pillars twins inside and the door wedged shut. We were all temporarily safe. Here and there small puddles of water had formed from leaks above, but otherwise the structure was solid, sound and safe. Zhen and Mu were on the opposite side of the room. After she tended to her brother, she looked my way.I took the medical bag from a wide-eyed and happy Aya."We are down to two of them," she shivered. "Perhaps you should ask her to surrender now, while they still can?" I snorted then chuckled."Do you really think the proud scions of Duan will bow before the Amazons?" I asked her. Aya fatigued mind worked that question over."No, you are right. I don't think they are smart enough to know when they are beat. Cáel, they called me 'Chǒul u de cuüw ', or something like that," Aya kept her eyes on Zhen. "What does that mean?" It took me a second to piece that together. You can tell a great deal about people if you catch them talking about you behind your backs, or when they think you can't understand what they are saying."Ugly Bug," I translated. Aya snorted."That was rude. We can call her 'L s la ninda'," she proclaimed loud enough for Zhen to hear, "and we can call him Amar."I had to applaud her choice of names for our would-be killers.See, L s la ninda roughly translated from Amazon to English as 'cupcake'. Amar was Amazon for 'calf' which was a play on his Mandarin name, 'Mu'."Dumu?" I indicated her. Aya's eyes sparkled. Duma was the diminutive for 'daughter'."Atta," she murmured back. That was 'respectful Father'; a title no Amazon girl had addressed a man with in, well maybe, ever. The term was largely religious and only used in the terms of female divinities referring to divine paternals."Take the gun," I withdrew the QSW-06 from the medical bag. "I'm going to take a look at Mu."I wasn't a surgeon, most of my medical skills were self-taught (I get hurt a great deal), I was personally acquainted with pain and I wasn't easily grossed out. Alal's past granted me beaucoup knowledge to fill in the gaps. Mu was going to be okay.His problems were the bullet hole, blood loss, our mutual damp condition and his complete exhaustion. Zhen knelt close by as I cut open his pants. The bullet was still in him. I was guessing the round had cracked his femur, not broken it. I cleaned out the wound with minimal disturbance to Mu's sleep. The antiseptic came next, followed by the wrapping and finally a syringe of general antibiotic.(Mandarin) "Let's find something to dress ourselves in and then we all need to get out of these wet clothes. If we don't shed these clothes soon, we'll get a chill we don't need," I advised.(Mandarin) "How bad is it?" she asked. She meant her brother's condition.(Mandarin) "He'll be okay. Feel free to try and kill me when you wish. He doesn't need me anymore." That, pretty much confirmed for her what she suspected, I was a lunatic.(Mandarin) "Well, okay. Thank you. I will not kill the child; I have given you my word."(Mandarin) "Are you talking about 'Ugly Bug'?"(Mandarin) "Oh. I thought she didn't know our language either," she blushed then frowned. "She never revealed she understood our words."(Mandarin) "She doesn't. Aya has a phenomenal memory. All Amazons are taught from a very young age to develop a strong eye for detail. This includes remembering words spoken around them, even if they don't know their meaning."That silenced her. The medical kit gifted us with five glow sticks.The women paired up to search the first, second, third and fourth floors; I didn't trust Zhen to find something useful and report it to me. I knew women. She wouldn't kill Aya tonight and Aya would keep her
Czy Mentzen może zostać prezydentem? Dlaczego kampania Nawrockiego nie idzie najlepiej? Czy wyborcy PiSu zagłosują na Mentzena? Czy Mentzen ma większe szanse na pokonanie Trzaskowskiego niż Nawrocki? Na te pytania odpowiada Marcin Duma, szef IBRIS. Geopolityczny rejs Zawiszą Czarnym: https://instytutwolnosci.pl/aktualnosci/zaproszenie-na-rejs-wolnosci-miedzy-nato-a-rosja/Mecenasi programu: Zapoznaj się z trendami rynkowymi na 2025 rok według OANDA TMS Brokers: https://go.tms.pl/UkladOtwarty Casa Playa: https://casaplaya.pl/zakup-nieruchomosci-w-hiszpanii-pdf-instruktaz/ AMSO-oszczędzaj na poleasingowym sprzęcie IT: https://amso.pl/Uklad-otwarty-cinfo-pol-218.htmlMódl się z Hallow: https://hallow.app.link/ukladotwartyLink do zbiorki: https://zrzutka.pl/en6u9a Zamów książkę Igora Janke: https://patronite-sklep.pl/produkt/sila-polski-igor-janke/https://patronite.pl/igorjanke ➡️ Zachęcam do dołączenia do grona patronów Układu Otwartego. Jako patron, otrzymasz dostęp do grupy dyskusyjnej na Discordzie i specjalnych materiałów dla Patronów, a także newslettera z najciekawszymi artykułami z całego tygodnia. Układ Otwarty tworzy społeczność, w której możesz dzielić się swoimi myślami i pomysłami z osobami o podobnych zainteresowaniach. Państwa wsparcie pomoże kanałowi się rozwijać i tworzyć jeszcze lepsze treści. Układ Otwarty nagrywamy w https://bliskostudio.pl
Kto się lubi, ten się czubi. To przysłowie właściwie wystarczyłoby do streszczenia fabuły „Dumy i uprzedzenia”. Ale i w klasycznej powieści Jane Austen, i w ekranizacji Joe Wrighta z 2005 roku liczy się także tło społeczne. Elizabeth Bennet przyszło się zakochać w panu Darcym w niesprawiedliwym świecie. Film można teraz oglądać na Netflixie. Autorka: Anna Konieczyńska Artykuł przeczytasz pod linkiem: https://www.vogue.pl/a/romantyczny-film-duma-i-uprzedzenie-z-keira-knightley-to-jedna-z-najlepszych-ekranizacji-powiesci-jane-austen
La guerra russo-giapponese e l'istituzione della Duma
"Es vienkārši kaut kā spītējos pretī tam, lai man viss būtu uzreiz, jo man gribas pašai cīnīties un pēc tam lepoties ar sasniegto. Nevis tā, ka: “Ā, nu, mammīte iedos,” bet gan tā, ka es pati esmu visu panākusi. Bet nebijas arī tā, ka man ir iedota karotīte mutē un viss ir kārtībā. Nē, ne vienmēr," rubrikā "Dzīvei nav melnraksta" stāsta Rūta Dūduma-Ķirse Rūta ir latviešu dziedātāja, kas izceļas ar spilgtu balsi džeza un popmūzikā. Rūta ir bijusi vokālās grupas “Framest” dalībniece un sadarbojusies ar vairākiem ievērojamiem Latvijas mūziķiem.
Regeneration Biomedical has developed a new technique to address neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's using stem cell therapy.Dr. Christopher Duma, has long been an innovator in neurosurgery using a gamma knife radiosurgery to treat glioblastoma. Now with Regeneration Biomedical, Duma is taking on neurodegenerative diseases with a first-in-human clinical trial where a patient's own stem cells are injected directly into their brain.On the podcast this week, we talk with Duma about his career in neurosurgery, the impetus for launching his biotech, the promise of stem cell therapy, and the challenges innovators face moving new therapies through the clinic.00:38 Introducing Dr Christopher Duma02:44 Advances and breakthroughs in neurosurgery05:33 The vision and impetus for Regeneration Biomedical10:45 Regeneration Biomedical's R&D pipeline14:12 Milestones ahead14:46 Advancing beyond Alzheimer's Disease15:52 Stems cells from fat cells19:42 Bypassing the blood-brain barrier22:45 Patient recruitment24:13 The treatment process27:10 The state of stem cell research in the US29:29 The challenge of financing innovative research32:15 Global stem cell research landscape33:14 Controversy in stem cell research34:00 Future horizons for Regeneration Biomedical37:23 Partnering with top pharma companies37:48 Advice for researchers and entrepreneursInterested in being a sponsor of an episode of our podcast? Discover how you can get involved here! Stay updated by subscribing to our newsletter
In this What's Next with Aki Anastasiou interview, Tracker COO Duma Ngcobo discusses South African crime statistics relating to business-owned vehicles. Ngcobo is a veteran executive with over 20 years of experience in the technology and telecommunications industries. In his current role as Chief Operating Officer at Tracker, which he assumed in 2021, Ngcobo formulates and implements strategies that promote operational efficiency and customer satisfaction. This includes leading initiatives that have successfully improved customer experience, reduced costs, and enhanced the company's market standing. In this What's Next interview, Ngcobo discusses the importance of the vehicle crime statistics Tracker recently published, and explains why hijacking business vehicles is so popular with criminals. He then explains how Tracker is leveraging the power of AI to improve business vehicle safety for its clients. Ngcobo also discusses geofencing, explaining how it can be used to protect businesses against vehicle-related crimes. He highlights other emerging technologies Tracker is investigating to protect its clients from malicious parties. Ngcobo concludes the interview by discussing what he believes the government and lawmakers can do to reduce business vehicle crime in South Africa.
Back Home, One week later.By FinalStand. Listen to the Podcast at Explicit Novels.There is something worse than waking up and not knowing where you are: you could wake up and not know who you are.Note: World Events Stuff ~ aka Why things are happening in Cáel's lifeThe phone was from Iskender. His boss, Oyuun Tömörbaatar (OT), the former UN ambassador from Kazakhstan and now the informal and unrecognized UN representative and chief diplomat of the Khanate to the same august body, wanted to talk with me, immediately. OT wasn't being diplomatic at the moment, that would come later.{Now this is going to get convoluted}Any inquiries to the Khanate that didn't also include immediate official recognition of the Khanate currently were being steered my (and Hana's) way. For all the behind closed doors crap, he had me, his loyal ass-monkey mutton-head. I held faint hope that this latest meeting would work out to my benefit. For the meeting, I traveled light, only Naomi (the Amazon) and Chaz (British SRR) watched over me.Now fathers who know me, hide their daughters. I'd earned my 'scoundrel' reputation. T. Sarangerel, OT's daughter, was in the room when Iskender ushered me in. She gave me an uncertain look, I shrugged and she smiled. It took me 3 nano seconds to figure that out, OT was scoping me out as a potential son-in-law. I was in Temujin's Inner Circle and a man who he trusted (a rarity). Any union with me would strengthen OT's clan's standing in the new regime.The genetic footprint Temujin, and his immediate family collectively, had put down in the 13th and 14th centuries CE today was vast. He needed that to make his plans for the internal reorganization of the Khanate work. The old republics would go away, to be replaced by a system akin to the Byzantine 'themes, the re-organization of regions based on the recruitment of the Tumens.The Khanate was aiming for an 'Autocratic Republic' ~ a term invented in the 19th century. My use of this terminology was based on my gut instinct, Alal's host of memories involving every form of governance, and my experience with human nature. That clued me in to what Temujin was up to, his Greater Plan. He wasn't going to form a false-front government. He was going to retain the decision-making powers and do so openly, thus 'Autocratic'.He also planned to have a bicameral legislative branch. The Upper House would be based in Tumens and bureaucratic leadership, intellectual standing, religious sects, and tribal entities. This body would be based on merit, not primogeniture. The Lower, main chamber, would be a democratically-elected assembly (aka a democratic republic) that advised him on policy matters, thus 'Republic'.All the power would remain in the Great Khan's hands and would be exercised by his genetic descendants (which some geneticists estimated as being as high as 25% of the Central Asian population.) Marrying into that extended family would be easy, the 'family' itself would have a vested interesting in supporting a state that benefited them.Men and women could exercise power in the government through marriage alliances, identical to the manner Hana was working through me. Being surrounded by very populous countries in various states of belligerence, empowering women wouldn't be an issue since every willing mind and pair of hands mattered. Outsiders who shone through could be offered a spouse and brought into the ruling elite since polygamy was permissible.In the Khanate there would be universal compulsive suffrage (everyone 18+ was legally required to vote) to decide on the representatives in the new legislative body. Everyone was expected to fight, so everyone voted. It would be modeled on the Duma of early 20th century Imperial Russia. Unlike the ill-fated Tsar Nicholas II, Temujin would be much more attentive to the voice of the people, in the Information Age, he had to.Or so I hoped. I spewed forth my ideas to OT who didn't agree, or disagree with my vision. Perhaps Temujin and I did share a bond that went beyond obligation. OT then pulled a 'Pamela'."He told me he knew immediately you were his brother when you and I shared that vision," he commented out of nowhere."His words: You (Earth and Sky) are the old. He (meaning me) is the new. He (me again) will show us the way." My, that was nice, obtuse and not at all helpful. What did OT want? My good buddy, the Great Khan, wanted to cash in on Hana's and my sudden popularity. His most pressing need remained 'time'. He needed to have a cease-fire in the wings when his offensive resumed the next day.The Earth and Sky had moved, well, the Heaven and Earth to get the Tumens and their accompanying national armies up and running after only a two day respite. Thanks to me, Manchuria was a mess. The Russians had carried out my 'Operation: Funhouse' with mixed, mostly positive results.Dozens of smaller Chinese military police units along the border went, 'inactive' was the term most often used in the media. They didn't disarm, yet they didn't fight the Russians either. They sat back and let events unfold. The issue wasn't the Chinese's willingness to fight and die for their country. It was the schizophrenic government in Beijing.The PRC didn't want to wage a war with the Russian Federation at that moment. The Khanate was the priority. There were two fundamentally incompatible courses of action favored for dealing with the Russians:One large group advocated a passive Option A: let the Russians step in and shield the three remaining provinces making up Manchuria that were still in Chinese possession. Later, China would use military, economic and political means to edge the Russians out, once the Khanate was dealt with.A sizable faction favored a more aggressive Option B: play a game of chicken with Vladimir Putin. Tell the Bear not to come across the border while threatening him with a bloody and pointless (for him) guerilla war if he did intervene. Events on the ground were not providing a lot of support for that school of thought,However, this split at the highest levels of leadership left the local and regional commanders to try and muddle through as best they could. To the local commanders defending the Amur River side of the Chinese-Russian border, common sense dictated that they not oppose the Russian crossings, because the Russian 35th Army would kill them.All their military units had gone west to the Nen River line. With no heavy weapons and little air support, the People's Armed Police (PAP) (paramilitary) and the Public Security Bureau (regular police) units would be wiped out for little gain.Russia's GRU (Military Intelligence) sweetened the pot by allowing the police units to remain armed and in formation. It could be argued that they weren't even committing treason. At any time, they could throw themselves into the battle, or form the core of a resistance movement. 'Conserving your strength' had been a hallmark of the Communist Chinese struggle against the Imperial Japanese and Nationalists forces from the 1920's until 1945 and it had served them well.For the party officials, civil authorities and the People's Liberation Army (PLA), Army Air Force (PLAAF), and Army Navy (PLAN) who had gone with Option B, things weren't working out. In the north of Heilongjiang province at Morin Dawa/the Nen River line, the regional commander of the ad hoc forces facing the Khanate decided to duke it out with the Russian 36th Army as well. He was boned from the get-go.The PLAAF's overall command and control had been badly disrupted in the first few hours of The Unification War and had never fully recovered. Of the 22 air regiments that the PLAAF had started the war with in the Shenyang Military District (NE China), only 5 remained as effective formations flying, on average, a meager 20% of their original complement of advanced Shenyang J-16's, J-11's, Chengdu J-10's and Xian JH-7's aircraft.Replacing their aircraft losses meant sending up aged Shenyang J-8's (rolled out in 1980) and Nanchang Q-5's (in 1970) to fly and die in droves fighting their technologically superior Khanate foes. To add insult to injury, China's fleet of 97 Su-30MKK/MK2's (built in Russia) had suffered numerous suspicious mechanical and electronic failures, rendering them either flying coffins, or space holders in bomb-proof shelters.Furthermore, of the forces arrayed in the far north, only two of the five air regiments were responding. Two of the other three had begun displacing south into the Beijing Military District and preparing to defend the capital city. The fifth formation had another problem, North Korea (, more on that later.)In opposition to those two Chinese air regiments (roughly 60 aircraft of mixed types) stood seven complete and fresh Russian air regiments (over 400 front-line aircraft) and that didn't include the regiment and elements of the Far East Naval Aviation which was ALSO watching North Korea (, again more on that later.) The latter was of small comfort to the forces trying to hold the already compromised Nen River line.Behind those valiant troops, along the much more defensible Amur River line, the commander of the key city of Heihe sided with the Option A group and let the Russian 35th Army cross the river unopposed. By the time the PLA commanding general of the 'Nen Force' (the 69th Motorized Division and the subordinate 7th Reserve Division) figured that out, he was already in a shooting war with the Russians. So his supply lines weren't in danger, they were lost.The final indignity took place at Zalantun. The commander of the 3rd Reserve Div. had died during the attempt to recapture Zalantun. His replacement died when his helicopter was shot down as he was coming to assume command. In the absence of these officers, the divisional chief of staff told his men, including two hastily hustled forward mechanized brigades, to put down their arms. That meant 'Nen Force' was completely cut-off and surrounded.One battalion of the 36th Russian Motorized Brigade (yes, too many 36's running around) disarmed the Chinese troops while the rest, plus the 74th Independent Motorized Brigade raced for the prize, the city of Qiqihar. The last major mechanized formation of the 36th Rus. Army, the 39th MB was following them. However, instead of manning Qiqihar's defenses, the Chinese garrison in that city was waging war on its own populace.It wasn't only in Qiqihar; chaos reigned throughout Heilongjiang province. The Provincial Head of the Communist Party, Wang Xiankui, supported Option A. The Provincial Governor, Lu Hao, went with Option B. Both figures were rising stars in the PRC. Wang had ordered the still forming Reserve Divisions and the PAP units to disperse, thus avoiding any untimely confrontations with the Russians.Lu, without consulting Wang, ordered the same forces to launch a violent crackdown on all dissident forces, specifically all racial minorities. (It turned out that Lu was also a member of the Seven Pillars and his witch-hunt was aimed at getting the Earth and Sky organization operating in Heilongjiang).For the men and women on the other end of those phone conversations, there was no 'right' answer. Lest we forget, their organizations were already degraded by the Anthrax outbreak. Both men were powerful and represented China's future leadership, so if the person in charge at the ground level obeyed the wrong one, they could be assured of being roasted by the other.Some did try to do both, repress and disband at the same time. That meant that in the process of making mass arrests among an already war-fearful and plague-fearful populace, the law enforcement infrastructure began disintegrating.The problem with Lu's/7P's plan was that there was no 'revolutionary' organization to round up. That wasn't how the Earth and Sky operated in North-East China. They remained in tiny sabotage and reconnaissance cells. While they were scurrying for cover from the police crackdown, an opportunity presented itself.The afflicted minorities were getting furious with their treatment. These minorities saw themselves as loyal Chinese, yet they were being dragged out into the streets, put in detentions centers and (in a few cases) summarily executed. Being less than 10% of the overall population, resistance had never crossed their minds. It seemed all that those defenseless people could do was pray for Russian intervention forces to arrive.Within that mix of fear, betrayal and rage, the E and S discovered a way to start the dominos falling. The small, well-armed and well-trained E and S cells began ambushing police detachments. Weapons from those dead men and women were turned over to the pissed off locals before the cell went off to stalk the next police unit.Wash, rinse and repeat. It became a perverse and bloody case of wish fulfillment. Lu and the 7P's had been looking for an insurrection and they started one. Even though a miniscule portion of the population was involved, from the outside looking in, it reinforced the Putin Public Affairs initiative that portrayed Putin (and his army) as coming in to restore order to a collapsing civil system, which he was helping disrupt.From Moscow, the PRC's indecisiveness looked like Manna from Heaven. For the massive numbers of Russian soldiers riding through the Manchurian countryside, it felt like they were rolling into Arkham Asylum. Unlike the NATO countries' professional armies, Russia remained a largely conscript force whose normal term of service was only one year. These unseasoned troops could never tell if the local military, military police and police would attack until they rolled up on the Chinese units.At the start of that Day One of Operation: Funhouse, the Russian ROE (Rules of Engagement) was 'Ask and Verify'. It was tactically advantageous for the belligerent Chinese forces to lie about their intentions, then begin shooting at the Russians when they got close enough to hurt them. By Day Two, the standard front-line Russian soldier had adjusted that ROE to 'if they look at us wrong, light their asses up'. By Day Three, the officers had stopped trying to enforce Moscow's ROE orders.That was fine for the combat and rear echelon support troops because both the Chinese and Russian governments had another series of problems and they all centered around Pyongyang and Kim Jong-un's declaration that North Korea would intervene as well, without letting anyone know who he was 'intervening' against. To keep everyone guessing, the North Korean' People's Army was massing on all three borders, facing off with the PRC, Russia and South Korea. To prove his diplomatic intentions, Kim pledged to only mobilize half of his reserves, merely 4,250,000 extra men and women to go with his 950,000 strong standing army.It didn't take a military, or economic genius to realize the North Korean's chronically 'near death' economy was stampeding off a cliff. The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) was in the middle of an oil crisis and Kim was increasing their fuel consumption by 400% while decreasing his workforce by 10%. To put it in perspective, the US unemployment was around 6%. Now imagine that in one week's time it would become 26%. One week, no severance packages. Would the population become unsettled?But wait, it gets better. The Secret War was colliding with the Real World in more places than Manchuria. Setting aside the assassination attempt (Grrr) of Hana Sulkanen, my fiancée, six Nipponese elders (two women and four men) appeared in the personal quarters of the Japanese Prime Minister on the first full night of 'Funhouse' and relayed their urgent requests.Those six were the Head of the Six (formerly Seven) Ninja Families and they were there at, my urging. Cause I'm an idiot and requiring the deaths of Romanians in my personal crusade obviously wasn't enough. Now I was asking the Japanese Defense Forces (JDF) to pony up as well. So take a deep breath and put on the hip-waders.You might be wondering why I would want the JDF, see, there was part of Operation: Funhouse that was hitting a predictable snag, namely the Korea People's Navy Force (KPNF) and the uncertain determination of the PLAN:The KPNF's vessels were rather old, small and crappy. They also had a love affair with anything that could launch a torpedo and they listed over 700 of these floating deathtraps (only 13 of which could be classified as surface warships) and the fanatical crews to take them into battle.The PLAN's numbers were far more realistic and the fleet generally more modern. Only their North (18 surface warships) and East Fleets (22 plus 5 'elsewhere') could play any role in an upcoming FUBAR, and both fleets were heading out to sea, mainly to avoid the sporadic, but increasingly effective Khanate air strikes.The FU to be BAR'ed was the Russian Far East Fleet (RFEF) (6 warships strong, ) that had seized on this crazy idea (per my suggestion) to sail south, around the Korean peninsula so they could land elements of the 55th Guards Red Banner Marine Brigade (the 165th Marine Regiment and the 180th Marine Tank Battalion).Theoretically they were going to be the 'Southern Shielding Force' that would interpose itself between the Khanate and Beijing. It should surprise no one that the RFEF's flotilla was unequal to the task of taking their destination, the port of Qinhuangdao, by amphibious assault. Fortunately for the Gods of War (which did not include me), there were five other navies involved.Meanwhile, South Korea was having kittens because their always crazy northern kin were slathering on the insanity. (In how many Buddhist countries do people flock to the temples and pray that their neighbor attacks someone, anyone else, but them? That wasn't a religious conundrum I wanted to deal with.) N.Korea mobilizing meant S.Korea had to mobilize, which sucked down on their GNP as well.Besides, N.Korean dams and coal-powered plants kept the lights on in Seoul. Erring on the side of caution, the S. Korea (aka Republic of Korea, ROK) Army suggested calling up only one million of their three million person reserve force in order to assure Cousin Kim that this was a purely defensive gesture. It didn't work. Kim Jong-un castigated the ROK for antagonizing him, despite his declaration that he 'might' feel like invading the South in the immediate future.Into the emerging crisis, the ROK Navy could sortie nineteen small surface ships. Japan's Navy wasn't up to its old imperial standards, but could still deploy 45 surface warships. The 800 lb. gorilla in the room was the core of the 7th Fleet stationed at Yokosuka, Japan, the USS carrier George Washington and her 14 escort vessels.If the George Washington was the gorilla, RIMPAC 2014 was King Kong. 22 nations, 50 ships, including the USS carrier Ronald Reagan were engaged in war games in the Central Pacific. With them were 5 vessels of the PLAN, had Kim Jong-un just kept his mouth shut, this wouldn't have been an issue. Hell, if the Khanate had not come into existence and launched its Unification War, but he had and they did,To show the US was taking this escalation seriously (without tipping their hand that they knew about Funhouse, Carrier Strike Group One (CSG 1) (the Carl Vinson +10) was rushing across the Pacific from San Diego. CSG 3 (the John C. Stennis +2) was being assembled hastily so that they could rendezvous with CSG 1 ASAP. So many brave souls running toward the danger, sometimes I hate myself.So now does it make sense that I found myself in a room with a US Senator tasked with riding herd on me?Anyway, there were the other three navies still unaccounted for, Taiwan / the Republic of China (ROC) (22 surface ships), Vietnam (7) and the Philippines (3). Taiwanese involvement was easy to explain, the PRC refused to acknowledge them as an independent country and probably never would.The Vietnam People's Navy was tiny in both numbers and tonnage. Five of the vessels were 1960's Soviet frigates. What Vietnam did have was a huge grudge against the PRC. The PLA invaded Vietnam in 1979 and devastated the northernmost provinces, killing as many as 100,000 civilians.The PLAN had walloped the VPN in 1974 (technically South Vietnam) and again in 1988. Out in the South China Sea were two island archipelagos; the Paracel (occupied by a small PLA garrison and claimed by the PRC, Vietnam and the ROC) and Spratlys Islands (disputed by Brunei, Malaysia, Philippines, the PRC, the ROC, and Vietnam).The Philippines had a grand total of three frigates (all between 50 and 70 years old). 99% of the time, they faced a hopeless struggle enforcing Philippines' South China Sea claims, except they were now experiencing that 1% where the PRC found itself in a life and death struggle. Even then, the PLAN's South Sea Fleet was hands-down the biggest player with 26 surface warships centered on the Carrier Liaoning.Except (and there always seems to be an 'except') virtually all the PLAN's naval aviation had gone off to fight the Khanate and it wasn't coming back, ever. In the air, the Philippines was next to useless. What did they have of offer in the struggle for the South China Sea? Bases. The ROC and Vietnam had much more to bring to the table.The Vietnamese People's Liberation Air Force (VPLAR) had about 50 front-line aircraft and 175 nearly obsolete models ~ the same models the PLAAF was now piloting. The ROC Air Force could put up 325 almost-new fighters that were now superior to their opponents on the mainland. Why would I give a shit?Things cascade. The Khanate Air Force took a two-day long deep breath as Putin's 'Policeman that only looks like an invading army' started their intervention. Forty-eight hours later, the Khanate started the fourth stage (the first lunge, defeat the PLA's counter-attack then the second lunge) of the campaign.Their initial air power was still skating on thin ice where maintenance was concerned. They need more time to thoroughly rest their pilots and bring all their top-flight equipment to 100% working condition. Against them, in two days the PLAAF's assets increased by over 250 fighters.In turn, the Khanate had added their constituent state air forces plus nearly 80 new cutting edge air planes and 25 drones. Phase Four saw rolling airstrikes all along the forces massing in front of the northern and central Tumens. For a few hours, the PLA thought they knew what was going on.They were wrong and this was where my meeting with OT came in. Jab with the right, cut them down with the left. The left in my case was Tibet. Yeah, Tibet. Economic value = not nearly enough. From the very start of the war, a small number of seemingly inconsequential air strikes had seriously eroded the PLA and PLAAFs combat power in the Tibetan Plateau while leaving the roads, bridges and towns intact.Common military logic dictated that the Khanate had to punch their way further east into Qinghai (to the south) and Gansu (to the north) provinces. That was where the population and industry where. Farther east were even greater numbers of people and factories and the Khanate forces in the North hadn't been strong enough to threaten to cut off the Qinghai-Gansu front. Then the Russians showed up and the Khanate forces threatening that flank doubled overnight.The PLA hastily reinforced their northern flank, using troops from their strategic reserves. The move resulted in incredible attrition by airpower to the freshly equipped formations. The PLA was about to get flanked, but not from the north. Southwest of Qinghai was Tibet. A third of the Khanate's mobile forces now swept around in a huge left haymaker to the south.My job? I needed the 'Free Tibet' forces in the US and UK to provide public and moral support to the Khanate move. As Khanate Special Forces seized crucial bottlenecks in Tibet, they needed the locals to keep their 'liberators' informed of PLA presences and undermine any attempt to create a guerilla movement.The five Tumens dedicated to being the Schwerpunkt (point of maximum effort) of this flanking maneuver were going to be on a tight timetable if they were going to surround the PLA forces in Central China.My plan was to convince the Tibetans that the PRC's 55 years of occupation was coming to an end and the Great Khan wanted to sign a 'Treaty of Mutual Respect' (my invention). This would require both the Khanate and Tibet to recognize each other's right to exist the moment a cease-fire was reached. That was it. No 'armed presence', or 'mutual defense' agreements.The treaty would be formally signed in Lhasa, the Tibetan capital, when the city was safe ~ as determined by the Central Tibetan Administration (the Tibetan Government in Exile, CTA). Riki came up with an additional sweetener and proved she was quickly adjusting to our group's extra-governmental capabilities.
Wie reagiert man in Russland auf die zweite Präsidentschaft von Donald Trump? Während nach seinem ersten Amtsantritt 2016 in der russischen Duma noch Jubel erklang, gab es nach Trumps Vereidigung am Montag vorsichtiges Abtasten und skeptische Stimmen. Aus Moskau berichtet Ulrich Heyden. Dieser Beitrag ist auch als Audio-Podcast verfügbar. Der Amtsantritt vonWeiterlesen
Ahead of this year's edition of Latvian national selection Supernova, Shiloh spoke to Rūta Dūduma, who is vying to represent Latvia at Eurovision 2025 with her song "Chemical". The post TEP Interviews: Rūta Dūduma (Supernova 2025) appeared first on That Eurovision Site.
This time, presenting Tebra - organic house DJ-producer from Serbia, which has spent the last 20 years on music production and DJing career, honing a distinct and unforgettable signature sound with an extensive discography, including original releases and a wealth of solid remixes for notable labels like Go Deeva, Bar 25, Cafe de Anatolia, HMWL and Hurry Up Slowly. Milojko Jaric music, the name behind Tebra's project, has earned critical acclaim in the organic, afro house, and progressive house scenes and could best be described as the most honest expression of emotional sound exploration, gaining supports from famous names around the globe as Adriatique, Lee Burridge, Space Motion and many others... Tebra ongoing progress as a live performer is strongly intertwined to the authenticity of his creative process, which is dedicated to generating unexpected sounds that never fail to communicate, engage and move. Don't miss this special mix set made by Tebra featuring some of his hottests remixes, unreleased tracks and some moody ethnic songs! ⚡️Like the Show? Click the [Repost] ↻ button so more people can hear it!
1:41Co wiemy o tej kampanii? Czy jest przestrzeń dla pojawienia się kogoś innego? 15:26 Jakie oczekiwania mają wyborcy? Czy jest elektorat rozwojowy? 22:43 Czego Polacy się najbardziej obawiają? 29:11 Jaki według wyobraźni Polaków powinien być prezydent? 44:09 Czy bez pieniędzy i struktury można zrobić kampanię? O kampanii prezydenckiej opowiada Marcin Duma, szef Fundacji IBRIS. Mecenasi programu: Ekovoltis: https://ekovoltis.pl/ ChatLab: https://www.chatlab.com/pl Zamów książkę Igora Janke: https://patronite-sklep.pl/produkt/sila-polski-igor- janke/ https://patronite.pl/igorjanke ➡️ Zachęcam do dołączenia do grona patronów Układu Otwartego. Jako patron, otrzymasz dostęp do grupy dyskusyjnej na Discordzie i specjalnych materiałów dla Patronów, a także newslettera z najciekawszymi artykułami z całego tygodnia. Układ Otwarty tworzy społeczność, w której możesz dzielić się swoimi myślami i pomysłami z osobami o podobnych zainteresowaniach. Państwa wsparcie pomoże kanałowi się rozwijać i tworzyć jeszcze lepsze treści. Układ Otwarty nagrywamy w https://bliskostudio.pl
Con un saldo de 14,000 muertos, 15,000 heridos y 16 millones de desplazados, la invasión rusa contra Ucrania cumplió este martes 1,000 días y el mundo teme una posible escalada mayor del conflicto justo en las postrimerias del mandato gubernamental del estadounidense Joe Biden que esta semana autorizó por primera vez a Kiev a utilizar sus misiles de largo alcance contra territorio enemigo, así como de las denominadas minas antipersonas. Al mismo tiempo está acelerando el ritmo de entrega de equipamiento y promete terminar de trasladar 6,000 mil millones de dólares pendientes del paquete de 61,000 millones aprobado meses atrás. La estrategia es clara, quedan dos meses para la toma de posesión de Donald Trump y Biden pretende asegurar en todo lo posible el apoyo a Zelensky. Con todo, los especialistas aseguran que Moscú sigue teniendo la iniciativa de la guerra. Lo mismo que el tiempo a su favor. Después de todo los rusos no necesitan escalar el conflicto ahora que precisamente esperan la entrada de Trump en el escenario, el 20 de enero. Claro que eso no implica no dar golpes en la mesa. Putin aprobó un decreto para actualizar la doctrina nuclear rusa, la amenaza más significativa de cuantos armamentos existen. Además, la Duma aprobó un incremento de casi el 25% en los gastos de defensa para el trienio 2025-2027. El temor de Occidente, que cerró temporalmente algunas de sus embajadas en la capital ucraniana ante la posibilidad de un ataque, es que, como dijo el vicepresidente electo JD Vance, "Ucrania tendría que resignarse a perder parte de su territorio" para acabar el conflicto como lo prometió tantas veces en campaña el impredecible Donald Trump, que hasta ahora no se ha pronunciado respecto del tema. Para tomarle la temperatura a este momento de la guerra conversamos mañana con Carlos Cascante, especialista en relaciones internacionales.
213 Guest Mix I Progressive Tales with Tebra Tracklist: 1. Tebra & Arkaya - Endless (Original Mix) [The Purr] 2. Tebra - Zhar (Original Mix) [Cafe De Anatolia] 3. Tebra - Vetar (Original Mix) [Go Deeva Records] 4. Tebra - Dodir (Original Mix) [Unreleased] 5. iLee - Pachanga (Original Mix) [Hurry Up Slowly] 6. Tebra & Hunter feat. Dianella - Uletay (Original Mix) [Unreleased] 7. Floyo, Kyle Linco - Don't Make Me A Fool (Tebra Remix) [Unreleased] 8. Tebra - Budan (Original Mix) [K-Club Music] 9. Duma & Lizwi - Zulu (Tebra Remix) [Unreleased] 10. Aaron Sevilla, iLee - Malaya (Original Mix) [AFRODISE] 11. B Beat Girls - For The Same Man (Tebra Remix) [Unreleased] 12. Tebra & DiMO - Most (Original Mix) [Katun] 13. Tebra - Meere Aatma (Original Mix) [Unreleased] • Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/tebra-official • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tebra_official/?hl=en • Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Tebra.Official • Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3kI19T2Y7mzINNIOGHTg5P • Official Website: https://www.tebramusic.com/ ___ • Visit our website: www.progresivnasuza.com • Follow us for the latest updates: linktr.ee/progresivnasuza • More info for you: office@progresivnasuza.com • Send us your demo: records@progresivnasuza.com • Elevation Series Inquiry: podcast@progresivnasuza.com
“Tug at my jacket – tell me what needs to be done.”Later today, Botswana's newly-elected president, Duma Boko, will be inaugurated in Gaborone – but he still found time this week for a discussion of his agenda with Africa Daily's Mpho Lakaje.In a wide ranging discussion he talks about signing a new deal with global diamond giant De Beers, how he wants to help people to become entrepreneurs, and why he wants to grant permits to undocumented Zimbabweans to make the system more ‘orderly' and to allow Batswana to acquire more skills.He also argues that politicians need to be more accessible if they are to do their jobs.
Heute: Donald Trump und der Faschismus in den USA, das Aus der Ampel, Volker Wissing, ein Impftipp, Sham Jaff zum Wahlsieg von Duma Boko in Botswana, Wissenschaft im Dialog, der Verteilungsbericht und eine gute Nachricht aus der Medizin. Mit einem Faktencheck von Katharina Alexander und einem Limerick von Jens Ohrenblicker.
Encontro pedido pela Missão do país na ONU deve discutir aspectos da “parceria estratégica” da Rússia com a Coreia do Norte, aprovada pelo Parlamento russo Duma em 24 de outubro; secretário-geral assistente para região, Miroslav Jenca, falará ao Conselho.
DALLAS, TX - Sam Golla, the 2022 #1 pick in the Major League Rugby Draft (out Cal), is a special person. That is abundantly clear in this week's edition of MLR Weekly. Passionate and resolute, Golla gives his version of what went down in Dallas, his move to the Anthem and his dedication to USA Rugby's Eagles.... Also on this week, Steve "Duma" Johnson of the potential Tampa MLR team, fills us in on that front, and the upcoming combine in Atlanta November 8th. Also, John Fitzpatrick of Rugby Morning joins Matt McCarthy re News, Rumors and related rugby happenings. Watch... Listen/Download the Podcast version... Please share and join our weekly newsletter: http://rugbywrapup.com/weekly-updates/ Find All Here: -Web: http://www.RugbyWrapUp.com -Twitter: https://twitter.com/RugbyWrapUp @RugbyWrapUp, @Matt_McCarthy00, @JonnyLewisFilms, @LizardRugby, @LanningZach, @ColbyMarshall2, @Junoir Blaber, @JWB_RWU, @MeetTheMatts, @Declan Yeats. -Face Book: https://www.facebook.com/RugbyWrapUp -Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/RugbyWrapUp -YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/RugbyWrapUp -Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/user/RugbyWrapUp #USARugby #MajorLeagueRugby #RugbyWrapUp #OldGlory #RugbyATL #MLR2020 #SixNations #WorldRugby #SuperRugby #Top14 #PremiershipRugby #Pro14 #URC #UnitedRugbyChampionship #RugbyOdds #RugbyBetting
Internationally acclaimed poet, comedian, actor and author of “Beyond the Gender Binary” Alok Vaid-Menon critiques the LGBTQ+ movement's myopia around intersectional politics, and, thanks to This Way Out's archives, discovers that their perspective echoes their Aunt Urvashi Vaid's analysis of “Virtual Equality” in the 1990s (Part 1, interviewed by Brian DeShazor). And in NewsWrap: Thailand King Maha Vajiralongkorn's royal assent officially redefines marriage as a legal union of two individuals, the Duma gives initial approval to a ban on the adoption of Russian children to countries that allow gender-affirming healthcare and marriage equality, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sues the federal government to avoid training prospective foster families to support a child's potential LGBTQ+ identity, free expression advocate PEN America finds that the number of books banned in U.S. public schools tripled during the 2023-2024 academic year, the FBI's annual Crime in the Nation report reveals that one-in-five of the exploding number of hate crimes in the U.S. were motivated by anti-queer animus, a study in the journal Nature Human Behavior based on The Trevor Project's new peer-reviewed research proves the link between anti-transgender legislation and youth suicides, and more international LGBTQ news reported by David Hunt and Michael LeBeau (produced by Brian DeShazor). All this on the September 30, 2024 edition of This Way Out! Join our family of listener-donors today at http://thiswayout.org/donate/ NOTE TO RADIO STATIONS: Beginning October 1, 2024, the weekly program uploaded to SoundCloud will include a pitch for This Way Out/Overnight Productions (Inc.). Stations can download a pitch-free version from radio4all.net or Pacifica's AudioPort.Org. For more information, contact Brian@ThisWayOut.org.
Since the start of the war between Israel and Hamas last year, the cry “From the River to the Sea” has been heard more and more as a pro-Palestinian slogan. But what river? What sea? And what exactly does the phrase mean? It's the subject of intense controversy. In this two-part series, reporter Tim Whewell travels from the River Jordan to the Mediterranean Sea, across a tiny stretch of land – just over an hour by car if you don't stop - that's perhaps the most argued-over in the world. Along the way, he meets shepherds and teachers, soldiers and gardeners, artists and activists - Palestinians and Israelis of many different views and backgrounds. The shortest line from the River to the Sea doesn't pass through Gaza. But everyone Tim meets on his journey across the Israeli-occupied West Bank of the River, and in Israel, is living in the terrible shadow of the October 7th Hamas attack on Israel and the war that's followed. The future of the often-beautiful, fast-changing, overcrowded region he crosses will be at the heart of any eventual solution to the Middle East conflict. In this first programme, he goes from the Jordan, through the Israeli settlement of Argaman, the Palestinian herding community of al-Farisiyah and the Palestinian village of Duma, ending up at the Israeli settlement of Shilo. What do people in those places think now – and do they have any hope for the future? (In Part 2, Tim leaves the West Bank and travels through Israel.) Presenter/producer: Tim Whewell Sound mixing: Andy Fell and Neil Churchill Production co-ordinator: Gemma Ashman Editor: Penny Murphy (Photo shows some of the people Tim meets in the two parts of the series. Clockwise from top left: Ben Levy, Israeli nature ranger; Sulieman Mleahat, Palestinian development worker; Susie Becher, Israeli political activist; Okayla Shehadi, retired Palestinian citizen of Israel.)