Podcasts about Eighth

Clint x

I Don't Like Brain Bleeeeeeeeeds! Star Trektember the Eighth. Roasty fun. Grizzle in my Spizzle. Less of a Biff, More of a Tumble. Ribbed by Brian for your pleasure. Sherlock, Knick Knack, give the dog a bone. Using the whole timer with Brian Dunaway. Day Z, it's so stupid. Hey Bright Bobby, Bam A Lam! Be Here, or Be Dumb. Just confirmed, you are in fact a Bozo. Hot mess TMS. Adam Sandlerberg. Report card bankruptcy and more on this episode of The Morning Stream. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I Don't Like Brain Bleeeeeeeeeds! Star Trektember the Eighth. Roasty fun. Grizzle in my Spizzle. Less of a Biff, More of a Tumble. Ribbed by Brian for your pleasure. Sherlock, Knick Knack, give the dog a bone. Using the whole timer with Brian Dunaway. Day Z, it's so stupid. Hey Bright Bobby, Bam A Lam! Be Here, or Be Dumb. Just confirmed, you are in fact a Bozo. Hot mess TMS. Adam Sandlerberg. Report card bankruptcy and more on this episode of The Morning Stream. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of The Sauna Trail, Hudson and Daniel join Risto to look at a few unique saunas in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. They have a rich culture of sweat bathing, and most of the saunas are home-built and unique.LINKSWebsitehttps://www.thesaunatrail.comInstagramhttps://www.instagram.com/thesaunatrailFacebookhttps://www.facebook.com/thesaunatrailMUSICDirge of the Night by Tied With TwineCONTENTS00:00 Intro01:50 First sauna02:58 Second sauna: Is it a sauna?03:39 Third sauna05:33 Fourth sauna05:57 Fifth sauna06:20 Sixth sauna06:43 Seventh sauna07:33 Eighth sauna08:02 Ninth sauna08:49 Tenth sauna10:16 Eleventh sauna12:00 Twelfth sauna

Rob Cesternino and Taran Armstrong sit down with the latest evictee from the BB27 house.

Rob Cesternino and Taran Armstrong sit down with the latest evictee from the BB27 house.

How do you lead when lives depend on split-second decisions and there's no room for top-down delays? In this episode, we dive deep with Marc Koehler. Marc is a former U.S. Navy Nuclear Submarine Officer turned CEO. He has empowered over 55,000 leaders through his consulting firm, Lead With Purpose. While most leadership experts offer theoretical frameworks, Marc brings the real-world experience of 35+ years navigating high-stakes environments where outdated command-and-control simply doesn't work. Discover how to spot leadership gaps before they sink your team and why building leadership at every level isn't just strategy—it's survival.   Episode Highlights: 00:45 Meet Marc Koehler: From Navy to CEO 03:06 The Eighth of an Inch Story 05:21 Transition to Leadership Consulting 05:47 Leadership Principles from Submarine to Business 11:34 Connecting Employees to the Mission 18:04 Dynamic Leadership and Consistency 20:22 Challenges in Leadership Transformation 24:31 How to Connect with Marc Koehler Show Links:  Home - Lead With Purpose Marc Koehler | U.S. Navy Nuclear Submarine Officer | Keynote Speaker http://linkedin.com/in/marckoehler https://instagram.com/marckoehlerspeaks https://facebook.com/marckoehlerspeaks https://www.tiktok.com/@marckoehlerspeaks

Have you ever heard of the "eighth sphere"? What is it, and how is it important to us today? Technocratic agendas correspond with occult principles that have long been hidden from the masses, but thanks to a few brave souls, some of these esoteric agendas have become available to those who diligently search for insights into them...Reading from Rudolf Steiner's lecture titled, "The Occult Movement in the Nineteenth Century GA 254 - Lecture V", originally delivered on October 18, 1915 in Dornach, Switzerland...This one is a barn-burner... Part 2 will be available tomorrow for paid subscribers...www.alchemicaltechrevolution.comMake a donation to support the broadcast at:https://buymeacoffee.com/alchemicaltechrevolution

Listener David has proposed SEVEN times - never been married...AND he's working on an EIGHTH! These were crazy stories! Also - Kat's son Liam checks in before his first day back to school....and he's PUMPED!

The Washington Nationals' struggles hit rock bottom as the team dropped its eighth straight game to close out a brutal August. With the worst monthly ERA in franchise history, poor starting pitching, and an offense stuck at the bottom of MLB in batting average, the Nationals' season continues to unravel. Adding to the frustration, All-Star pitcher MacKenzie Gore landed on the injured list with shoulder inflammation, while young starter Cade Cavalli was hammered by the Yankees in his latest outing. With Andrew Alvarez set for his MLB debut, the Nationals must find answers quickly to stop the slide and salvage September. Take control of your data and keep your private life private by signing up for DeleteMe. Now at a special discount for our listeners. Today get TWENTY PERCENT off your DeleteMe plan by texting HIT to 64000. The only way to get twenty percent off is to text HIT to 64000. That's HIT to 64000. Message and data rates may apply.

The reign of Henry the Eighth saw many rhymes created, many of which survive today as children's nursery rhymes

The NRLW Warriors are looking to snap a 2 match skid as they come up against the Dragons. They're currently sitting 7th on the table, and a win is crucial in keeping their playoff hopes alive. D'Arcy talked to Patricia Maliepo, ex Black Fern and current NRLW Warriors five eighth, to preview this weekend's match up, and discuss how she found the transition between Rugby Union and Rugby League. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As with the murders of Israeli embassy workers Yaron Lischinsky and Sara Lynn Milgrim in 2025, a story that conveniently ran interference for Israeli soldiers threatening to kill foreign diplomats in the West Bank just hours before, the August 27, 2025, mass shooting at Annunciation Catholic School-Church did something similar for another story about Israel twice bombing a hospital the same week, killing patients, aid workers and journalists. The shooter, Robin Westman, was classified by the following political affiliations as such:   The political right blamed his trans identity, implying drugs were involved, and accused the political left of inciting the violence because one of the messages written on his equipment included “kill Donald Trump.” The whole of LGBTQ was indicted, and he was referred to as having been “groomed.”  The political left blamed the far-right, guns, and Nazism, because among a collection of writings and messages the shooter had scribbled on his equipment phrases like “6 million wasn't enough,” “Israel must fall” and “Jew gas.” He had also spoken of murdering “filthy Zionist Jews” in a video manifesto and wrote in a journal “Free Palestine” using the Cyrillic alphabet.  Robin Westman (or Westwoman) also strangely wrote “release the list” next to an upside down cross that we can be assured had nothing to do with St. Peter. On two separate ammo magazines he wrote “suck on this” and “where is your God” respectively. Strangely, it appeared that below the former he drew a bird above the Arabic word “Mashallah.” These details were used as evidence that his influence was Islam, and that Muslims were coming to kill Jews.   However true any of the above actually is the fact remains that a supposedly antisemitic mass shooter decided to take his anger about Zionism out on Catholics, and children specifically, at a facility where his mother found employment. Something was seriously wrong with this story. First, the concerns of drugs, hormone therapy, puberty blockers, and radical leftwing rhetoric is a valid concern; but blaming the shooting on “transgenderism” serves no other role than to incite and obfuscate. Second, the accusations of Nazism against Westman by the leftwing seem to be a great example of why you aren't supposed to throw stones in a glass house; isn't the political left perceptually the party of anti-Israel? Third, someone who wants “the list,” presumably of Jeffrey Epstein's clients, released could be motivated by either political bias, or by an anarchial spirit against all organized government. Fourth, the tropes about “6 million” dead Jews and Jews being gassed are nothing but atrocity propaganda and gas lighting in light of the facts. Also, the phrase “Israel will fall” is itself anti-Nazi since the latter helped to establish the former. Fifth, the phrase “Free Palestine” has been associated with nearly every act of public violence in the U.S. since October 7, 2023. Sixth, the idea that this shooter was influenced by Islam makes even less sense if he wrote “where is your God,” unless that phrase was meant to imply that he believed the Christian God was different than Allah, an Arabic word for God; and for added confusion on this point, there are three Abrahamic religions, including Islam, Christianity and Judaism. Seventh, the word “Mashallah” denotes the beauty or greatness of something and is a protective charm against the evil eye; it is especially popular among Arabic Christians. Eighth, why would a kid who grew up in a Christian community, presumably, grow to hate Jews, Israel, and Zionists so bad that he would decide to carry out an act of violence against… Catholic children?Within hours, understandably, the FBI began investigating the incident as an “act of domestic terrorism and hate crime targeting Catholics.”  We are to believe the word “Mashallah” indicates his Islamic inspiration, which itself is beyond confusing because the word draws on beauty and peace, not violence. Put another way, a Christian anti-Zionist who hated Jews became a Muslim, though he doesn't actually believe in God, and then killed Catholics.An equally peculiar question can be asked about why someone who wanted to “kill Donald Trump,” a leftist chant, would write supposedly radical, rightwing, Nazi phrases - themselves the modern language of the political left - on their equipment before carrying out a shooting against the Church?  It seems clear that the rhetoric here is meant to convince us once again that not only are Muslims terrorists, but godless ones that should be shown no mercy; we are to imagine that Muslims hate Jews and Christians so much they will slaughter their children; the mysterious writing is intended to confuse and obfuscate, creating unclear conditions where emotions override critical thinking; the upside down cross facilitates the subconscious Christian reaction. Even more bizarre is the fact that above the Arabic word “Mashallah”, itself semitic, was what appeared to be a bird drawn on one of the magazines. Birds play a role in the Islamic holy texts as symbols of wisdom and guides from Allah, similar to Huginn and Muninn, the sacred ravens of Odin. Birds also fly, swim, walk on land, and are symbols of fiery rebirth like the phoenix. This must have a deeper meaning because not only is a bird representative of the four elements, i.e., GOD, but the shooter wrote “like a phoenix we rise from the ashes” on his equipment too. For the layman these things appear to indicate some sort of cryptic symbolism, which no doubt Internet sleuths will argue over for months or years to come. But what it may mean in context is yet another covert insult to God. Finally, we read from the Jewish Telegraphic Agency of another curious phrase written by the shooter: “A YouTube account believed to have belonged to Westman shared videos prior to the shooting in which gun parts and smoke grenades can be seen with neo-Nazi messaging including, ‘6 million wasn't enough,' ‘Burn Israel,' ‘Israel must fall' and ‘Destroy HIAS,' a reference to the Jewish humanitarian organization. The videos were removed after the shooting. HIAS was also targeted in online writing by Robert Bowers, the man convicted of murdering 11 Jews in the Tree of Life synagogue shooting in Pittsburgh in 2018.”                    Based on what we learned about HIAS earlier, the picture here begins to form into a clear remedy for all the confusion. Why would a Christian inspired by Islam and a hatred of Jews, specifically blaming HIAS for facilitating illegal immigration, also hate Donald Trump while simultaneously writing or saying things considered rightwing, and then after all is said and done kill Catholic children as punishment for what the Jews supposedly had done? All the propaganda and rhetoric surrounding Jews conveniently became a national story just as the country is questioning why Israel bombed a hospital, waited for journalists and aid workers to arrive with help, and then bombed the facility a second time. According to the New York Post, “the deranged gunman mused about assassinating President Trump and Jews,” but instead decided on the “children of innocent civilians.” The Robin Westman shooting appears to be CIA-Mossad intelligence operations, if not the even itself then the response.*The is the FREE archive, which includes advertisements. If you want an ad-free experience, you can subscribe below underneath the show description.FREE ARCHIVE (w. ads)SUBSCRIPTION ARCHIVEX / TWITTER FACEBOOKWEBSITECashApp: $rdgable EMAIL: rdgable@yahoo.com / TSTRadio@protonmail.comBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-secret-teachings--5328407/support.

जानें कैसे ज्योतिष के विभिन्न पहलुओं का विश्लेषण किया जा सकता है, जैसे कि:- मिर्गी (एपिलेप्टिक सीजर्स) के संकेत कुंडली में कैसे देखें- कुंडली में समलैंगिक या समान सेक्स प्रवृत्तियों के संकेत- मेष और वृषभ लग्न में लग्नेश और अष्टमेश की भूमिका और इसके प्रभाव- शनि और बृहस्पति की युति का प्रभाव दशा और गोचर में- चंद्रमा के दशा में क्या देखें और इसके परिणामज्योतिष से संबंधित प्रमुख विषय:- कुंडली विश्लेषण: जानें कैसे कुंडली के विभिन्न पहलुओं का विश्लेषण किया जा सकता है- ग्रहों का प्रभाव: शनि, बृहस्पति, चंद्रमा और अन्य ग्रहों के प्रभाव को समझें- दशा और गोचर: दशा और गोचर के प्रभाव को समझें और इसके परिणामों को जानें#ज्योतिष #Astrology #कुंडलीविश्लेषण #ग्रहोंकाप्रभाव #दशागोचर

Stealing is a horrific crime of violence, whether its being done by a shoplifter taking a candy bar or a businessperson enriching themselves by taking advantage of their employees and customers. Such things make our souls cry out for JUSTICE to be done!But do you understand what justice is? Because, in God's view, it doesn't involve punishment or prison sentences. What?! Am I sure? Yes, I am, because Biblical justice is spelled out and it is based on redemption and reconciliation. It provides an opportunity for the offender to be brought into the community rather than removing them from it. And this is about SO MUCH MORE than taking things....

Zechariah's final vision sends four powerful chariots from between bronze mountains to patrol the earth, executing God's sovereign judgment. But the vision gives way to a startling command: Zechariah is to craft a royal crown and place it not on the governor, but on Joshua the High Priest. Why would God command the merging of the royal and priestly offices, an act forbidden in Israel's history? Or better yet, to whom is this unusual act pointing forward?  The Rev. Steven Theiss, pastor of Immanuel Lutheran Church in New Wells, MO, joins the Rev. Dr. Phil Booe to study Zechariah 6.  The Persian king Cyrus issues an astonishing decree: the exiles may go home. Among them are the Jews—God's chosen people—whom this pagan ruler not only repatriates, but commands to rebuild the temple of the Lord. Ezra 1–4 tells of their return, the joy of restored worship, and the crushing opposition that brings construction to a standstill. Then the prophets Haggai and Zechariah speak with God's authority, calling His people to courage, repentance, and hope. In Ezra 5–8 the temple is completed, worship flourishes, and hearts are renewed in God's Word. This series on Thy Strong Word follows the events in the order they happened, revealing how the Lord moves kings and prophets, overcomes opposition, and restores His people. Thy Strong Word, hosted by Rev. Dr. Phil Booe, pastor of St. John Lutheran Church of Luverne, MN, reveals the light of our salvation in Christ through study of God's Word, breaking our darkness with His redeeming light. Each weekday, two pastors fix our eyes on Jesus by considering Holy Scripture, verse by verse, in order to be strengthened in the Word and be equipped to faithfully serve in our daily vocations. Submit comments or questions to: thystrongword@kfuo.org.

NB I will put out my thoughts on the Comstock Inc (LODE.NYSE) earnings call in my mid-week commentary. A reminder: Sundays are for thought pieces, currently around gold as my book on that subject is about to come out. Midweek is for market stuff.“I'm Henry the Eighth, I am!Henry the Eighth, I am, I am!”Fred Murray and R. P. WestonHistory has given Henry VIII mixed reviews. Never mind the wife-killing, he was the king who boldly stood up to papal supremacy, paving the way for freedom, Reformation and the buccaneering spirit which marked the Tudor age. That said, I doubt Henry knew at the time what the long-term consequences of his papal stand-off would be.His Great Debasement, however, must be one of the greatest inflationary thefts by a ruler on their people in British history. Even William Pitt pales in comparison. Never speak ill of the dead and all that, but extravagant (and not in a good way), power-mad, and hypocritical are all adjectives that spring to mind about Henry VIII. Historian Simon Sebag Montefiore goes further, declaring him egotistical, paranoid and tyrannical, and listing him as one of History's 101 Monsters, alongside Vlad the Impaler and Adolf Hitler.How prosperity ended serfdomWhen Henry VIII was crowned king in 1509, the national finances were in rare good shape. His predecessor Henry VII had broken the mould of mediaeval English monarchs. Rather than wage war, he avoided it. His reign saw just one overseas conflict. He pursued marriages and alliances overseas instead. He had a formidable business brain: rather than resist economic change and new technology, he encouraged it - and then taxed it. In doing so, he built up extraordinary wealth for the Crown. He became the first English king for centuries to run a surplus. Imagine! His taxation and legislation of the nobility ended the power of the barons and, effectively, feudalism itself, while establishing the freedom of the mercantile classes to trade. England got its first blast furnace, and so began its iron industry. The wool trade blossomed, and the farming of sheep accelerated the decline of serfdom (land no longer needed working in the same way), and the country was changing to a money- rather than land-based economy. Henry VII also had new coins issued to ensure a standard currency. Weights and measures were also standardised (though not for the first nor the last time).Things however changed with his son, Henry VIII - and rapidly. One of Henry VIII's first acts, two days after his coronation, was to arrest the two men responsible for collecting his father's taxes, Sir Richard Empson and Edmund Dudley. He charged them with high treason and they were duly executed. Today's HMRC officers don't know how lucky they are.War is an expensive business, when you lose.Not a man known for his humility, he was happy to usher in the idea that kings had Divine Right, an issue that, 100 years later, would cause a civil war and the death of 200,000 people. Never mind his Great Debasement, which we will come to in a moment, the idea that a king was appointed by God and had Divine Right must be another of the greatest frauds perpetrated on a nation by its rulers. Anyone who dissented was treasonous or heretical, often executed without formal trial - or simply banished.He got involved in numerous costly and largely unsuccessful wars both on the continent and up north in Scotland. War is an expensive business when you lose. These, coupled with a personal extravagance that people are still talking about, meant he was constantly on the verge of financial ruin.To pay for it all he introduced numerous new taxes, including a tax on beards, which, given his own facial hair, has to go down as one of the ruling classes' great do-as-I-say-not-as-I-do moments. In 1523 he demanded 20% of people's income. (20% seems like a pipe dream today). He sold crown land, dissolved monasteries, and seized the assets of over 800 religious houses—land, gold, silver, everything—under the guise of reforming the church and rooting out corruption. Any money paid to Rome and the Pope was “redirected” to the royal coffers. In doing so he robbed local communities of their support systems - almshouses and so on. But still he couldn't get enough money - and so he ordered what became known as the Great Debasement. The amount of gold and silver in coins was reduced and, in some cases, replaced entirely with copper.Subscribe! Upgrade! You know you want to.Bad money drives out good - Gresham's observation which became lawIt began in 1542 with a secret indenture. Production of current coins would continue, but new coins would also be secretly minted, including the previously unsuccessful testoon, with significantly less gold and silver. The coins would be stockpiled in Westminster Palace. But in 1544, a lack of bullion arriving at the mint prompted the government into phase two of the scam and the debased coins were allowed to enter general circulation. Merchants soon discovered the new silver groats had been debased, and they began fetching a lower price. Coins of a similar value but with a higher precious metal content were hoarded and so disappeared from circulation - a classic case of bad money driving out good, as Gresham's Law goes. Not only a classic case - the actual case which made Thomas Gresham articulate his law in the first place. The king's testoons were copper coins with a thin layer of silver on top, not unlike Diocletian's denarii. Over time the silver would wear off, especially around the nose on Henry's face on the coin, which protruded a little and so wore away quicker, exposing the copper underneath. So did Henry VIII get the nickname Old Coppernose.If you are interested in buying gold and silver coins which haven't been debased, as always I recommend The Pure Gold Company. Pricing is competitive, quality of service is high. They deliver to the UK, the US, Canada and Europe or you can store your gold with them. More here.The debasement continued after Henry VIII's death in 1547, and was eventually revoked by his successor Edward VI in 1551. Over the course of the seven year debasement, the purity of gold coins slipped from 23 carat (96%) to 20 carat (83%), while silver coins steadily fell from 92.5% (sterling silver) as low as 25%. That's a theft of 83% of the silver.When Elizabeth I came to power in 1558, the debasement had affected both trading relationships (foreign merchants often refused to accept English coins) and confidence in the monarchy. Elizabeth's advisors William Cecil and Thomas Gresham persuaded her that these problems could be solved with sound money. Following Gresham's advice, the government passed a law which ended the legal tender status of debased coins but also banned “good” coins from entering foreign markets. Then in 1560 Elizabeth I had all debased coinage removed from circulation, melted down and replaced with higher fineness, newly minted coins - soon to be harder-to-clip milled rather than hammer-struck coins. The crown made a tidy £50,000 from the recoinage. That's seignourage for you.if you enjoyed this article, please like, share etc - it helps a lot.Stories like this fill the pages of The Secret History of Gold (although this one didn't actually make the cut).The Secret History of Gold is available to pre-order at Amazon, Waterstones and all good bookshops. I hear the audiobook, read by me, is excellent. The book comes out on August 28.Hurry! Amazon is currently offering 20% off.Until next time,DominicBitcoin, Gold and Hidden TaxesI recorded this interview when I was in Prague earlier in the summer. I actually forgot I did it, but Archie has just released it now, so if you fancy a fireside chat, here it is: This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.theflyingfrisby.com/subscribe

Text: Exodus 10:1-2Keywords: Pride, Stubbornness, Rebellion

August 9, 2025Today's Reading: Introit for Pentecost 9 - Psalm 147:8-11; antiphon: Psalm 147:7Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 25:1-22; 1 Corinthians 3:1-23“His delight is not in the strength of the horse, nor his pleasure in the legs of a man,but the Lord takes pleasure in those who fear him, in those who hope in his steadfast love.” (Psalm 147:10-11)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Racing fans delight in the fastest car and the winning driver. Hockey fans delight in the forward with the best plays, most goals, and fastest time down the ice. Baseball fans delight in the swiftness of a base runner rounding third and heading for home plate. Now, when it comes to God, we expect him to play by our rules of the game. Only, he doesn't. God doesn't take a page out of our playbook. No. He writes a completely new book with completely different rules, ones based not on our righteousness and strength, but on his. Life is lived not on our goodness and power, but in his grace and mercy.What brings God joy and delight? Psalm 147 reminds us that it's not our strength, not our wisdom, not our goodness—not our anything—that causes God to delight in us. No. What brings God delight is when we hope—not in ourselves—but in his steadfast love. What brings the Lord pleasure is when we see that of ourselves we have no strength, but that all our strength is in the steadfast love of Jesus, crucified and risen. What brings the Lord great joy is when we delight in his work for us, not our own work for him. What puts a big smile across God's face is when we look to him for righteousness instead of relying on our own self-righteousness. This is what it means to fear the Lord. Not that God is going to dive out from behind the bushes and jump scare us like some kind of cheap horror movie, but that he who could destroy us in our sin instead delivers us from sin. That we trust in him who chases us down like a sheepdog with his steadfast love, all the days of our lives. That he who could condemn us for our trespasses says in Christ, there is no condemnation. That he who could sentence us to eternal punishment takes all sin, all death, all punishment of the Law upon himself. In all of this, the Father delights in His Son, and through the death and resurrection of His Son, Jesus, the Father delights in you as well.In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Almighty Father, in Your Son, You loved us when not yet begun Was this old earth's foundation! Your Son has ransomed us in love To live in Him here and above: This is Your great salvation. Alleluia! Christ the living, To us giving Life forever, Keeps us Yours and fails us never! (LSB 395:4)Rev. Samuel Schuldheisz, pastor of Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church in Milton, WA.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, KY.Step back in time to the late Reformation and learn about a divisive yet inspirational figure: Matthias Flacius Illyricus. His contributions to Lutheranism still echo in our teachings today, from the Magdeburg Confession to parts of the Lutheran Confessions. Learning about Flacius's life will help you understand more intricacies of the Reformation than ever before.

August 8, 2025Today's Reading: 1 Corinthians 1:26-2:16Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 24:1-22; 1 Corinthians 1:26-2:16“But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God.” (1 Corinthians 1:27-29)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Remember Gideon? God sends him to deliver Israel from the Midianites. He tells twenty-two thousand Israelites to take a hike back home, leaving only ten thousand. Still too many. God tells Gideon's men to go down to the creek for a drink. The ones who drink like dogs, lapping the water—those are the ones who are staying. All three hundred of them matched up against the hordes of Midianites. And if that isn't wild enough, they head out to battle with torches and clay jars and not a sword in sight. How weak. How foolish. And yet, the Lord brings victory and delivers Israel. God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise.Remember Elijah? God sends him up to the top of Mt. Carmel to engage in a little prophetic duel with the prophets of Baal. Once again, God's people are in a jam. Wicked Ahab and the infamous Jezebel are making an idolatrous mess of Israel. So, God does what he does best: he delivers his people, but he does it in a rather strange way. Elijah digs trenches. Baptizes the entire place, soaks the whole thing. Not once. Not twice. Three times. You can imagine the prophets of Baal having a good laugh. Look at Elijah. So weak. Such a fool. And yet, Yahweh sent fire down on the altar, and the prophets of Baal came to a brutal end. And once again, God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise. Remember Jesus' life? God chooses what is foolish in the world—an unwed, Virgin, a backwater little town, a lowly manger, a life of itinerant preaching, and a ragtag bunch of fishermen, a zealot, and a tax collector—to deliver and declare his salvation. And then, in the greatest of all displays of weakness and foolishness, God in the flesh goes and suffers a shameful death on the cursed tree of the cross. Once again, God delivers, rescues, and saves in the most unlikely way. God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise. Why does God work this way? So that our hope and confidence rest in his outrageous grace and not in our own strength or wisdom. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Here we have a firm foundation, Here the refuge of the lost: Christ, the Rock of our salvation, Is the name by which we boast; Lamb of God, for sinners wounded, Sacrifice to cancel guilt! None shall ever be confounded Who on Him their hope have built. (LSB 451:4)Rev. Samuel Schuldheisz, pastor of Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church in Milton, WA.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, KY.Step back in time to the late Reformation and learn about a divisive yet inspirational figure: Matthias Flacius Illyricus. His contributions to Lutheranism still echo in our teachings today, from the Magdeburg Confession to parts of the Lutheran Confessions. Learning about Flacius's life will help you understand more intricacies of the Reformation than ever before.

August 7, 2025Today's Reading: Catechism: What Sins Should We Confess?Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 20:24-42; 1 Samuel 21:1-23:29; 1 Corinthians 1:1-25Before God we should plead guilty of all sins, even those we are not aware of, as we do in the Lord's Prayer; but before the pastor we should confess only those sins which we know and feel in our hearts. (Explanation of What Sins Should We Confess?, Luther's Small Catechism)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. There's an old expression used when someone gets stuck on the same topic and says the same thing over and over again; they're a broken record, we say. This is a perfect picture—or should we say, soundtrack—of Christ's Church. God calls his church to be a broken record. Not the kind that blasts an annoying earworm of a song into your head, but a blessed broken record playing the same thing over and over again. And what is that theme song? The record the church is called to keep spinning is the constant refrain of God's steadfast love, mercy, grace, and forgiveness.This is why Martin Luther once called the Church a mouth-house of forgiveness. The Church is a megaphone of God's grace and mercy. The Church stands in the wasteland of this fallen world like John the Baptist stood in the Jordan River announcing the Good News: “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” (John 1:29)This is why Christ builds his Church. You can find entertainment anywhere in the world. You can find social clubs and hobby groups all over social media. There are many good gifts God gives outside of his church, but the one thing we cannot find anywhere else is God's word and sacraments, his Gifts of forgiveness for you. For this reason, Christ built his Church and founded it on forgiveness. For you! His forgiveness won for you on the cross and given to you in Baptism, Absolution, the Gospel, and the Supper. After all, there are only two places where our sin can rest: on our shoulders or on Jesus'. And this is why he came, so that all our sin would rest on his shoulders on the cross. This is also why he gives us his Gifts of confession and forgiveness, and why the Church is a broken record, announcing God's forgiveness on repeat until Jesus returns. In the meantime, Jesus sends pastors to hear our confession and forgive our sin, every Sunday in Divine Service, and privately when guilt gnaws at you, or a particular sin sticks with you like that annoying pebble stuck in your shoe. And when we confess our sins, God who is faithful and just, will forgive our sin and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Forgive our sins, Lord, we implore, That they may trouble us no more; We, too, will gladly those forgive Who hurt us by the way they live. Help us in our community To serve each other willingly. (LSB 766:6)Rev. Samuel Schuldheisz, pastor of Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church in Milton, WA.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, KY.Step back in time to the late Reformation and learn about a divisive yet inspirational figure: Matthias Flacius Illyricus. His contributions to Lutheranism still echo in our teachings today, from the Magdeburg Confession to parts of the Lutheran Confessions. Learning about Flacius's life will help you understand more intricacies of the Reformation than ever before.

August 6, 2025 Today's Reading: Acts 28:16-31Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 20:1-23; Acts 28:16-31“From morning till evening he expounded to them, testifying to the kingdom of God and trying to convince them about Jesus both from the Law of Moses and from the Prophets.” (Acts 28:23)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Martin Luther once said, “Anywhere you cut the pages of Scripture it bleeds the blood of Christ.” That means when we open up the Old Testament, we don't have to search for Jesus like one of those “Where's Waldo” books or strain our eyes to see him like looking at some kind of optical illusion. It's not just that the Old Testament tells us about Jesus here and there, as if Jesus is a marmot or a prairie dog, poking his head up now and then. Jesus isn't just in the Old Testament. Jesus is the Old Testament. Luther is simply echoing what Jesus says in Luke 24:44.“These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.”When the apostles teach and preach the gospel in the book of Acts, they turn to the Old Testament to show how the same Lord who appeared in many and various ways throughout the Torah of Moses and the prophets has now appeared in the flesh. This is Paul's strategy as he catechizes the Jews in Rome as well. Being a good apologist, and knowing his audience, Paul goes to the Old Testament to argue, persuade, and convince his Jewish hearers that Jesus is the Christ. When Paul says, like he does in Romans, that Jesus is Lord, he's saying that the Lord of the Old Testament is the same Lord who became incarnate by the Holy Spirit and was born of the Virgin Mary. The same Lord who met Abraham under the oaks of Mamre is the same Lord who was born under the Law to redeem us under the Law and to become the curse for us by dying on the tree. The same Lord who met Moses in the burning bush now meets us by becoming one with us, Immanuel, God with us. The same Lord who appeared and spoke to the prophets has now appeared as the Word made flesh. And this same Lord who is present in the books of Moses and the prophets is now the same Lord present for you in all the Scriptures, from Genesis to Revelation. And the prophets, apostles, and evangelists continue to bear witness to Christ crucified and risen for you.In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.If Christ had not been raised from death Our faith would be in vain, Our preaching but a waste of breath, Our sin and guilt remain. But now the Lord is ris'n indeed; He rules in earth and heav'n: His gospel meets a world of need– In Christ we are forgiv'n. (LSB 486:3)Rev. Samuel Schuldheisz, pastor of Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church in Milton, WA.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, KY.Step back in time to the late Reformation and learn about a divisive yet inspirational figure: Matthias Flacius Illyricus. His contributions to Lutheranism still echo in our teachings today, from the Magdeburg Confession to parts of the Lutheran Confessions. Learning about Flacius's life will help you understand more intricacies of the Reformation than ever before.

"The Eighth Green Man" is a weird tale by the Cornish author, Gladys Trenery, writing as G. G. Pendarves. First appearing in Weird Tales in its March 1928 edition, the story was described as follows: "An uncanny horror befell the guests of the innkeeper when the Green Men held their revels."

August 5, 2025 Today's Reading: Colossians 3:1-11Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 19:1-24; Acts 28:1-15“For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.” (Colossians 3:3-4)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Springtime rolls around on the calendar, and you take a handful of pumpkin seeds, dig a hole in the garden, drop the seeds in the earth, and bury them. It's a funeral of sorts. The seed dies in the earth, but there's life hidden in the seed as well. Before long, the seed sprouts, vines grow, leaves burst out, and that first orange pumpkin appears.This annual gardening pattern is a picture of what Paul teaches us in Colossians. Being the Master Gardener that he is, God likes to hide things as well, burying them in the ordinary things of life. On Sunday morning your pastor—and fellow sinner/saint—stands before the congregation uses ordinary human words, sentences, and grammar, and yet hidden in those words is a gracious declaration of Good News: “In the stead and by the command of my Lord I forgive you all your sin in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” Later on in the Divine Service, you approach the altar, kneel, open your mouth, and reach out your hand to receive a plain, ordinary wafer of bread, and you drink from a cup full of wine. And yet, hidden in these earthly things is more than meets the eye: Jesus' Body and Blood and his promise of forgiveness. The same is true in Holy Baptism. The pastor takes good old H2O from a faucet, pours it in a bowl, splashes and empties it over your head. And hidden in and with the water is God's promise, pardon, and peace. Through these gifts of words, water, bread, and wine, God is hiding his goodness and grace for you in the ordinary gifts of creation, and in turn, he ensures that your life is like that pumpkin seed you plant in the garden. Your life is hidden with Christ. In Holy Baptism, he buries you with Christ and raises you to new life in Christ, so that one day, when the Gardener returns on the Last Day, he'll do for you what he did in his own resurrection on the third day. Like the seed that is tossed in the earth and later gives life, when Christ our Lord returns, he who is the firstfruits and the firstborn from the dead will return to bring you new life and bring you into the new creation.In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Death has lost its old dominion, Let the world rejoice and shout! Christ, the firstborn of the living, Gives us life and leads us out. Let us thank our God, who causes Hope to spring up from the ground; Christ is risen, Christ is giving Life eternal, life profound. (LSB 479:3)Rev. Samuel Schuldheisz, pastor of Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church in Milton, WA.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, KY.Step back in time to the late Reformation and learn about a divisive yet inspirational figure: Matthias Flacius Illyricus. His contributions to Lutheranism still echo in our teachings today, from the Magdeburg Confession to parts of the Lutheran Confessions. Learning about Flacius's life will help you understand more intricacies of the Reformation than ever before.

TJ Rives, the Buccaneers' sideline reporter, joined Sports Talk to discuss Tampa Bay's training camp. Rives shared his thoughts on quarterback Baker Mayfield, head coach Todd Bowles, and general manager Jason Licht. He also celebrated Mike Evans' legendary career and reviewed the rest of the NFC South.

“With all its eyes the natural wo,rld looks out / into the Open. Only our eyes are turned / backward, and surround plant, animal, child / like traps, as they emerge into their freedom. Bianca and Mathias Svalina talk about Rilke’s 8th elegy!

August 4, 2025Today's Reading: Ecclesiastes 1:2, 12-14; 2:18-26Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 18:10-30; Acts 27:27-44“There is nothing better for a person than that he should eat and drink and find enjoyment in his toil. This also, I saw, is from the hand of God, for apart from him who can eat or who can have enjoyment?” (Ecclesiastes 2:24-25)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.C.S. Lewis once said, “God likes matter; he invented it.” And once you open up the Bible, it doesn't take you long to discover exactly how true that is. God is a God of means. God gave Adam and Eve every tree of the garden to eat, except for the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. Even in their sin, guilt, and shame, God used something else of his creation—the skin of a sacrificed animal—to clothe them. God sent the animals two by two to Noah, who built an ark. God fed manna and quail to Israel in the wilderness. God gave atonement and forgiveness through the flesh and blood and sacrifices of the tabernacle and temple. God is a God of means who loves to use the matter he created to bless and serve his creatures with his good Gifts.Solomon knows that God is a God of means. Although God is heavenly, high, and holy, he also loves his creation, comes down to his creatures, and uses the stuff of his creation to bless his people in body and soul. Food. Drink. Rest. These simple, ordinary, daily things are gifts from God's hand. This is what we pray for in the Fourth Petition of the Lord's Prayer: give us this day our daily bread. So, when you eat breakfast, second breakfast, lunch, or dinner, this is from the hand of God. When you put on your socks or sport mode your Crocs, this is from the hand of God. But that's not all that comes from God's hand. God is a God of means at his table as well. God takes his extraordinary grace and mercy and gives it to us in the ordinariness of water, human speech, a piece of bread, and a cup of wine. God still likes matter, and he uses it to bring you the Gifts that matter the most: forgiveness, grace, mercy, peace, and joy. The water poured over your head at Baptism was from the hand of God. The words of Good News given to you in Scripture and Absolution are from the hand of God. The bread and cup placed in your hand, Jesus declares is his Body and Blood for you; this, too, is from the hand of God. After all of that, what else is there to do but to eat, drink, and rejoice in the labors of Christ for you.In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.In what You give us, Lord, to do, Together or alone, In old routines or ventures new, May we not cease to look to You, The cross You hung upon– All you endeavored done. (LSB 853:4)Rev. Samuel Schuldheisz, pastor of Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church in Milton, WA.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, KY.Step back in time to the late Reformation and learn about a divisive yet inspirational figure: Matthias Flacius Illyricus. His contributions to Lutheranism still echo in our teachings today, from the Magdeburg Confession to parts of the Lutheran Confessions. Learning about Flacius's life will help you understand more intricacies of the Reformation than ever before.

A weekly podcast covering women's sports news.This week: The Melbourne Vixens are SSN Champions, Tia- Clair Toomey- Orr has won her 8th CrossFit Games title and Brazil have won a thrilling Copa America Femenina final.For the key story, we discuss the Federal Government's decision to welcome home the 1980 Moscow Olympic Team, 45 years on from the gamesGet the wrap delivered into your inbox as a weekly newsletter! Subscribe here for the newsletter + don't miss a merch drop. ⁠⁠⁠https://bit.ly/tfapsubscribe⁠⁠⁠A rising tide lifts all boats. Shop our brand new TFAP merch: ⁠⁠https://www.thefemaleathleteproject.com/shop⁠⁠Buy our kids book The A to Z of Who I Could Be, or book for adults GIRLS DON'T PLAY SPORT.

Our guest today is a founding member and the original bass guitarist of one of the most beloved bands of that era. The group that gave us; “I'm Into Something Good,” “Mrs. Brown, You've Got a Lovely Daughter,” and “Henry the Eighth.” Herman's Hermits from Manchester, England. Karl Green was there when Herman's Hermits became international stars, charming the world with cheeky humor, unforgettable hooks, and go old-fashioned showmanship. Karl makes reference to his recent appearance at “Let it Be” in Waukesha.

PIT PASS INDY PRESENTED BY PENSKE TRUCK RENTAL – SEASON 5, EPISODE 57 – IndyCar's Alex Palou takes over Monterey with Eighth Win. Also, drivers Pato O'Ward, Santino Ferrucci and Rinus VeeKay July 29, 2025 Show host Bruce Martin recaps Alex Palou's near-perfect weekend in the Java House Grand Prix of Monterey at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca in Monterey, California. Martin has exclusive interviews with the three-time NTT IndyCar Series champion Alex Palou as the Chip Ganassi Racing extended his lead in the standings to 120 points with just three races remaining. Also, exclusive interviews with drivers Pato O'Ward of Arrow McLaren, Santino Ferrucci of AJ Foyt Racing and Rinus VeeKay of Dale Coyne Racing. On the highways, the raceways and every pit stop in between, Penske Truck Rental keeps you moving forward. Gain ground with Penske! For more INDYCAR coverage, follow Bruce Martin at X, previously known as Twitter, at @BruceMartin_500

The US Space Force's (USSF's) X37-B spaceplane is scheduled to lift off for its eighth mission on August 21. Firefly Aerospace is targeting a valuation of about $5.5 billion in its US initial public offering. Boeing's Defense, Space and Security Division reported $6.6 billion in revenue for Q2, and more. Remember to leave us a 5-star rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Be sure to follow T-Minus on LinkedIn and Instagram. T-Minus Guest Our guest today is Cinematographer Kevin Curran. You can connect with Kevin on LinkedIn. Selected Reading US Space Force scheduled to launch eighth X-37B mission Firefly Aerospace seeks $5.5 billion valuation in IPO as US space race heats up- Reuters Boeing Reports Second Quarter Results Russia's Roscosmos, NASA to hold first in-person talks at heads level since 2018, Russia says- Reuters Team Led By MDA Space Selected For Canada's Lunar Utility Vehicle Study Spire Global Awarded European Space Agency Contract for Weather Data Journey Joins Starlab to Design the Commercial Space Station Experience National Aeronautics and Space Act of 1958 (Unamended) - NASA T-Minus Crew Survey Complete our annual audience survey before August 31. Want to hear your company in the show? You too can reach the most influential leaders and operators in the industry. Here's our media kit. Contact us at space@n2k.com to request more info. Want to join us for an interview? Please send your pitch to space-editor@n2k.com and include your name, affiliation, and topic proposal. T-Minus is a production of N2K Networks, your source for strategic workforce intelligence. © N2K Networks, Inc. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hey all,Welcome to the Serial Tay-Pop Episode 8. We'll be covering Taylor Swift's EIGHTH album "folklore" and who in K-Pop should cover her songs.This week we are enjoying our favourite Chaberton Bacchus wine.Hope you enjoy and stay tuned for more episodes coming soon!

In today's Tech3 from Moneycontrol, SEBI clears PhysicsWallah's confidential IPO, ChrysCapital eyes a $3 billion exit pipeline, and Nexus looks to raise $700 million for its next fund. Plus, Trump takes aim at tech outsourcing to India, and Sundar Pichai weighs in on the fierce AI talent war as Big Tech offers nine-figure deals to stay ahead. All this and more, in under 10 minutes!

Shukri and John discuss a variety of topics from television, to sports, to teaching, on this episode of The Class X Podcast.Email us at: theclassxpodcast@gmail.com

Last time we spoke about the fall of Wewak. In June 1945, Allied forces, led by General George Stevens, intensified their campaign to capture the strategic town of Wewak in New Guinea. After years of grueling combat, they relentlessly pressed against entrenched Japanese defenses, including the remnants of General Mano's 41st Division. The Australians achieved critical victories by securing vital supply routes and establishing new airfields, facilitating their advance. By May 8, after intense fighting, Australian troops effectively seized Wewak Point, eliminating entrenched Japanese soldiers in bunkers and caves. Despite suffering casualties, the Australians distinguished themselves through bravery and tactical ingenuity. Ultimately, the successful capture of Wewak marked a pivotal moment in the Pacific campaign, showcasing the determination and spirit of the Allies as they pushed towards victory in the Pacific Theater, bringing an end to a crucial chapter of the war. This episode is Operation Downfall Welcome to the Pacific War Podcast Week by Week, I am your dutiful host Craig Watson. But, before we start I want to also remind you this podcast is only made possible through the efforts of Kings and Generals over at Youtube. Perhaps you want to learn more about world war two? Kings and Generals have an assortment of episodes on world war two and much more  so go give them a look over on Youtube. So please subscribe to Kings and Generals over at Youtube and to continue helping us produce this content please check out www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals. If you are still hungry for some more history related content, over on my channel, the Pacific War Channel you can find a few videos all the way from the Opium Wars of the 1800's until the end of the Pacific War in 1945.  After the fall of Okinawa, the Allies were mopping up campaigns across the Asia-Pacific and planning for what was assumed to be the most cataclysmic battle yet, the invasion of the Japanese home islands. First we are going to travel back to Luzon. By mid-June, General Krueger's 6th Army had successfully captured all key objectives in northern Luzon, southern Luzon, and the area east of Manila, which serves as the capital of the Philippines. Although General Yokoyama's poorly equipped 41st Army had been rapidly scattered and forced into hiding, General Yamashita's Shobu Group still retained enough strength to continue its resistance in northern Luzon. The Shobu Group was primarily gathering its units in a desperate last-stand position along the rugged valley of the Asin River, an area known for its difficult terrain. Interestingly, General Krueger underestimated Yamashita's strategic intentions, still expecting him to make his final stand in the Cagayan Valley, located in the northern part of Luzon. With this assumption, Krueger believed that if General Beigthler's 37th Division could maintain its rapid advance towards Aparri, situated at the northern tip of Luzon, they might be able to conclude the Luzon Campaign in a pivotal stroke. However, intelligence indicated that units of the Shobu Group were retreating into the Cordillera Central mountain range, a formidable natural barrier, located between Routes 4 and 11. In response, Krueger ordered the 1st Corps to exert strong pressure on this mountainous region from the north, south, and west. To implement this strategy, General Swift directed the 6th, 25th, and 33rd Divisions to clear the supply route between Baguio and Aritao, ultimately sealing off Yamashita's last-stand position from the south. Meanwhile, Colonel Volckmann's guerrilla forces were instructed to advance east from Cervantes to capture the crucial junction of Routes 4 and 11 at Sabangan. Recognizing the importance of controlling key roadways, the 63rd Regiment was tasked with pushing up Route 4 to seize the strategic location of Kiangan. In the south, the 130th Regiment began probing southeast towards Pigkian, while the 20th Regiment continued to apply pressure on the remnants of the now-battered 2nd Tank Division. Ultimately, General Iwanaka's weakened forces narrowly avoided entrapment along the Bambang-Pingkian road, retreating northward via treacherous mountain trails and river valleys. They reached the Tubliao area just as early July arrived, illustrating the persistent and relentless nature of this campaign. Looking northward from Cervantes, Volckmann's guerrilla fighters launched attacks toward both Mankayan and Sabangan. By the end of June, their efforts had pressured the beleaguered 19th Division to hastily withdraw from Bontoc, a significant town located in central Luzon, and Sabangan. However, General Ozaki's forces maintained a formidable defensive position at the Lepanto Mine, an area known for its mineral wealth and strategic significance. On June 16, the 63rd Regiment began its advance up Route 4, which runs north through the central highlands toward Kiangan, a town that was critical for controlling the region. By the evening of the following day, American forces had successfully breached the defensive line established by the 105th Division at the Rayambugan Farm School, a local educational institution that was repurposed for military use during the conflict. Continuing their push, the 63rd Regiment encountered the main defenses of General Tsuda on June 19 along Route 4. However, over five days of fierce fighting, utilizing only one battalion for the attack, gained little ground for the Americans. Recognizing the need for greater force, they reinforced their assault on June 24. By June 26, the 63rd began to break through towards Hucab, a small settlement, and by June 29, they had overcome the last organized resistance in the area. Meanwhile, the 37th Division also made significant advances. Resuming its drive up Route 5 on June 17, the 148th Regiment successfully pushed forward to Naguilian, a town that marks a key waypoint on this route. Two days later, the front-line troops reached Bangag, yet here they encountered increased resistance. They were now facing elements of Major-General Yuguchi Shuntaro's 80th Brigade, which was attempting to move south along Route 5. In a series of running engagements from June 19 to 23, the 37th Division inflicted heavy casualties, killing over 600 Japanese soldiers and capturing nearly 285 more in the challenging fifteen-mile stretch between Bangag and Balasig. The remnants of the Yuguchi Force were ultimately forced to retreat eastward into the rugged and uncharted wilderness of the Sierra Madre mountain range, illustrating the intense and chaotic nature of the conflict. General Krueger deemed it essential to execute an airborne operation over the northern Cagayan Valley to ensure the success of the 37th Division's advance. It's possible that Krueger's motivation also stemmed from a desire to secure northern Luzon before the 8th Army took control of operations, which was scheduled for July 1. Despite contrary reports from various sources, including the United States Armed Forces in the Philippines Northern Luzon, 1st Corps, the 37th Division, and ALAMO scout teams, Krueger concluded that Japanese forces in the Cagayan Valley were retreating "in wild disorder on Highway 5 towards Aparri." It's worth noting that, in actuality, the general movement of Japanese troops had been southward for weeks, and no Japanese unit intended to take refuge in Aparri, a flatland area surrounded by mountains that made it a poor defensive position. Based on his assessment of the situation, Krueger decided that in order to achieve the complete destruction of the fleeing enemy forces, he would launch a vertical envelopment of airborne troops to close any escape routes and prevent the Japanese from evading capture in Aparri. Consequently, on June 21, Krueger ordered a battalion combat team from the 511th Parachute Infantry of the 11th Airborne Division to parachute near Aparri on June 23. However, on June 21, the Connolly Task Force entered Aparri without facing any opposition. By the evening of June 22, elements of the Task Force had advanced ten miles south along Route 5, managing to secure the Camalaniugan Airstrip, a crucial airfield integral to the logistics of both sides. Despite the successes of the reinforced Connolly Task Force, Krueger did not change his mind about the desirability and necessity for the airdrop. Instead, he concluded that the "seizure of Aparri without opposition by elements of the Connolly Task Force on 21 June 1945, together with the almost unopposed advance of the 37th Division, indicated clearly that the time had come for mounting the airborne troops to block the enemy's retreat in the Cagayan Valley." It is not clear just what retreat Krueger expected to block. On the morning of June 23, the paratroopers dropped into Camalaniugan unchallenged and immediately began their advance southward to make contact with the 37th Division. That same day, the 129th Regiment took over the offensive, heading north towards Tuguegarao, a significant town in the region. Tuguegarao fell without resistance by June 25. By nightfall, forward elements of the 129th had pushed ten miles beyond Tuguegarao, reaching the town of Iguig. The following day, June 26, the forces made contact with the paratroopers at the Paret River, further solidifying their position. By the close of June, Japanese resistance in the Cagayan Valley had subsided, and General Yamashita's Shobu Group, still capable of fighting, found itself encircled in a last-stand area that would become known as the Kiangan Pocket, named by the Filipino-American forces engaged in its reduction. As the campaign progressed, the last elements of the 25th and 33rd Divisions were relieved. General Gill's 32nd Division took over control of the Baguio-Ambuclao sector, while the bulk of General Hurdis' 6th Division assembled at Hucab. This marked a significant transition as it signaled the conclusion of operations for Krueger's 6th Army and Swift's 1st Corps. The command would soon shift to General Eichelberger's 8th Army and General Griswold's 14th Corps, who would carry out further operations throughout Luzon. General Griswold's plans called for relentless pressure to be maintained against the Shobu Group, which was concentrated in an area known as the Kiangan Pocket. In line with this strategy, Volckmann's guerrilla fighters continued their assaults towards key locations such as Mankayan, Sabangan, and Bontoc. The 126th and 127th Regiments advanced north along Route 11 and into the Agno Valley, engaging mixed forces from the 58th Independent Mixed Brigade and the 19th Division. Simultaneously, the 20th and 63rd Regiments were preparing to renew their attack against the 105th Division located at Kiangan, as the advance led by General Hurdis had been halted by torrential rains that had severely damaged roads and bridges. Meanwhile, the 1st Regiment made its own push northward along Route 4 towards Banaue, a town famous for its rice terraces and mountainous landscape. On July 9, Volckmann's 15th Regiment finally secured Sabangan. The following day, the 11th Regiment captured Bontoc while the 66th Regiment began to break through the defenses set up by General Ozaki in the Lepanto Mines-Mankayan area. By July 12, Kiangan fell to the 63rd Regiment; however, they soon faced even heavier rains, which compelled General Hurdis to halt his advance once again. On July 20, the 1st Regiment reached Banaue. The next day, they made contact with elements of the guerrilla 11th Regiment at Polis Pass before turning east along Route 389. Here, they aimed to engage a concentration of around 2,500 Japanese soldiers from the 103rd Division and the 4th Air Division. Back in the west, Mankayan also fell on July 20. Five days later, elements of the 15th and 66th Regiments made contact at the junction where Routes 11 and 393 intersect. The 19th Division was withdrawing into the upper Agno Valley to establish defensive positions, blocking the northern, western, and southern approaches to Toccucan, a small but strategically important area. The 15th and 121st Regiments began their assaults toward Toccucan, but they soon encountered remnants of the 19th Division, who proved to be still capable of effective resistance. At the same time, the 66th Regiment moved south along Route 11 to establish contact with troops from the 32nd Division, pressing the offensive forward. Looking east on July 24, the 20th Regiment took over positions at Kiangan and began an advance towards Kiangkiang and the Asin River. However, the Americans encountered greater resistance than anticipated along this route, making only a meager gain of three miles by August 15. At the same time, other units were dispatched south towards Tubliao to block the retreat of General Iwanaka's remaining forces. On July 29, elements of the 66th and 127th Regiments finally established contact near Gambang. They then shifted east into the Agno Valley, close to Buguias, and initiated a southward drive to link up with the 126th Regiment, which they successfully met on August 8. By August 15, Volckmann's guerrillas found themselves four miles short of Toccucan from the northwest and a mile and a half short from the west. In the eastern front, elements of the 1st and 11th Regiments advanced south from Banaue along Route 390, reaching a point about five miles south of Banaue by August 9. That same day, they also cleared Route 389 to the east, securing additional pathways for movement. Additionally, during this time, the 37th Division conducted vigorous patrols east of the Cagayan River, pushing enemy troops deeper into the Sierra Madre mountains. Unfortunately, this relentless pressure resulted in an estimated 1,000 Japanese casualties by August 15. Throughout a month and a half of grueling fighting in steep, treacherous terrain and under miserable weather conditions, the Filipino-American forces struggled to project any significant strength into the Asin Valley. They suffered approximately 1,650 casualties in total. In contrast, the 8th Army estimated that Japanese casualties during the same period reached around 13,500, with many killed or succumbing to starvation and disease. This marked the effective conclusion of the Luzon Campaign, a campaign that would soon be overshadowed by Japan's surrender. General Yamashita estimated in June that he had sufficient supplies to sustain his forces until mid-September. Given the scale of effort the 8th Army was willing to dedicate to the campaign between July 1 and August 15, it seems likely that Yamashita would have met this deadline. When food supplies were depleted, Yamashita planned for his most effective remaining troops to attempt a breakout from the Asin Valley into the mountains of far northwestern Luzon, where he hoped to find more provisions. Those not involved in the breakout were to conduct banzai attacks along all fronts to cover the retreat of the main forces. Yamashita anticipated that whether or not the breakout succeeded, it would signal the complete disintegration of his forces. He even planned to commit hara-kiri amidst the chaos of battle. As a result, the end of the war arrived about a month before Yamashita was prepared to officially acknowledge his defeat. By any measure, the Shobu Group accomplished the delaying mission that Yamashita had envisioned. Throughout the 6th Army's control of operations on Luzon, the maximum commitment of major ground forces against the Shobu Group included four reinforced U.S. Army infantry divisions, one separate regiment combat team, an armored group, Volckmann's , and the Buena Vista Regiment. When hostilities ceased on August 15, the Shobu Group was still "entertaining" three reinforced divisions: the 6th, 32nd, and 37th. Additionally, it had a significantly strengthened, the Buena Vista Regiment, and various other guerrilla units. After the war concluded, approximately 50,500 Japanese troops emerged from the mountains of northern Luzon, with nearly 40,000 of these coming from the Asin Valley's last-stand area. Ultimately, the war ended with about a third of the Shobu Group's peak strength still alive and capable of conducting organized and determined delaying operations. It is clear that, over the seven and a half months since January 9, the Shobu Group executed a remarkably effective delaying action. Despite the circumstances, the 14th Area Army had achieved its objective of tying down as many Allied forces as possible in Luzon. This diversion was critical, as it allowed the Japanese Empire valuable time to fortify its defenses in the Home Islands.  Reflecting back to January, General Prince Higashikuni Naruhiko's General Defense Command was operating with a modest force for the land and air defense of Honshu, Shikoku, Kyushu, and the Izu Islands. The primary focus had been on building naval and air power for Operation Sho-Go. In Kyushu and southwestern Honshu, the Western District Army, led by Lieutenant-General Yokoyama Isamu, consisted of only the 86th Division and the 12th Air Division. Meanwhile, the Central District Army, commanded by Lieutenant-General Kawabe Masakazu in central Honshu and Shikoku, had the 44th and 73rd Divisions supported by the 11th Air Division. To the northeast, in Honshu and the Izu Islands, General Fujie Keisuke's Eastern District Army maintained the 72nd Division, along with both the 1st and 3rd Imperial Guards Divisions, the 66th and 67th Independent Mixed Brigades, and the 10th Air Division. Additionally, Lieutenant-General Uemura Toshimichi's 36th Army was positioned as a mobile reserve in the Kanto and Shizuoka area, comprised of the 81st and 93rd Divisions, along with the 4th Tank Division. Further north, Lieutenant-General Higuchi Kiichiro's 5th Area Army had deployed the 7th and 77th Divisions, the 1st Air Division, and the 12th Air Fleet stationed in Hokkaido. It also maintained a mixed brigade at Karafuto. Lieutenant-General Terakura Shozo commanded the 27th Army in the Kuril Islands, which included the 42nd and 91st Divisions, along with the 43rd and 69th Independent Mixed Brigades, and the 3rd and 4th Amphibious Brigades, as well as the Chishima 1st Brigade and Naval Base Force. The air situation was equally dire; Japan had only around 550 aircraft available for offensive operations and a total of about 770 aircraft and 1,200 anti-aircraft guns designated for defensive roles. As preparations for Operation Ten-Go unfolded, the air and ground units in Japan underwent significant reorganization in February. This restructuring led to the formation of several military commands, including Admiral Ugaki's 5th Air Fleet based in Kyushu, Vice-Admiral Maeda Minoru's 10th Air Fleet in Kanto, Lieutenant-General Yoshimoto Teiichi's 11th Area Army in northeast Honshu, derived from the now-defunct 27th Army, and additional area armies such as Fujie's 12th in east-central Honshu, Lieutenant-General Okada Tasuku's 13th in west-central Honshu, Kawabe's 15th in western Honshu and Shikoku, and Yokoyama's 16th in Kyushu. The reorganization of high-level military headquarters was not the sole initiative at this time. The Japanese Empire also approved a large-scale mobilization plan that called for the deployment of 42 divisions, 18 independent mixed brigades, and six tank brigades, amounting to approximately 1.5 million personnel. Following the fall of Iwo Jima and Okinawa, and with intelligence indicating that the Soviet Union was redeploying troops from the European theater to the Far East, Japan began preparing for the defense of its homeland. This preparation involved activating the 1st and 2nd General Armies to replace the General Defense Command and implementing Operation Ketsu-Go. The strategy for Operation Ketsu-Go outlined that the Imperial Japanese Army would strive to defeat American forces while their invasion fleet remained at sea. The plan aimed to deliver a decisive blow against the American naval forces by first destroying as many aircraft carriers as possible, utilizing the special attack units from both the Air Force and Navy. As the amphibious forces approached the range of homeland airbases, the entire air combat strength would be deployed for continuous day and night assaults against these ships. The focus of these air operations was to disrupt American landing plans, targeting primarily troop and equipment transports. Should any American forces successfully land, these would be swiftly assaulted by the IJA to secure a decisive victory. The primary objective of the ground operation was to eliminate the American landing force right on the beach. Operation Ketsu-Go was designed as a comprehensive joint defense effort, mobilizing the full capabilities of the Army, Navy, and Air Force. The Navy's essential role was to protect the coasts by attacking invasion fleets using combined surface, submarine, and air forces. The Air General Army would closely coordinate with the Navy to locate and destroy American transports at sea. If the invasion forces succeeded in landing, the local Area Army would take command of all naval ground forces in its assigned territory and would exercise operational control over air units in support of the ground operations. A key component of the Ketsu-Go operational planning involved reinforcing sectors under attack by units transferred from other regions. Given that U.S. air raids had already severely impacted the transportation network, plans were made for troop movements to be conducted on foot. If the battle at the beach held no promise of a successful outcome, the conflict would inevitably shift to fighting inland. To prepare for this, interior resistance was planned. Guard units and Civilian Defense Corps personnel, along with elements of field forces serving as a nucleus, would be utilized as resistance troops. Their mission would involve attriting American forces through guerrilla warfare, espionage, deception, disruption of supply areas, and blockades as enemy landing forces advanced inland. This operation divided Japanese territory into seven zones, where air and naval special attack forces were directed to eliminate invading forces at sea and to establish an aggressive coastal defense. Field Marshal Sugiyama Hashime's 1st General Army established its headquarters in Tokyo, assuming control over the 11th, 12th, and 13th Area Armies. Meanwhile, Field Marshal Hata Shunroku's 2nd General Army set up its headquarters in Hiroshima, overseeing the 15th and 16th Area Armies. Additionally, to provide a cohesive command structure for all Army air units participating in the campaign, an Air General Army headquarters was formed under Kawabe. On the naval front, Admiral Toyoda took command of the General Navy Command, granting him supreme operational authority over all Navy surface and air forces. In the coming months, the Japanese continued to prepare for the anticipated invasion by mobilizing new units and diverting existing forces from Manchuria and other regions. By August, Yoshimoto's 11th Area Army had been reinforced to include seven infantry divisions and two infantry brigades. The 12th Area Army, now under General Tanaka Shizuichi, was significantly larger, comprising 20 infantry divisions, two tank divisions, eight infantry brigades, three tank brigades, three artillery brigades, and one anti-aircraft brigade. Okada's 13th Area Army was organized with six infantry divisions, three infantry brigades, one tank brigade, one artillery brigade, and one anti-aircraft brigade. The 15th Area Army, under the command of Lieutenant-General Uchiyama Eitaro, was formed with eight infantry divisions, three infantry brigades, one artillery brigade, one anti-aircraft brigade, and two tank regiments. Yokoyama's 16th Area Army included a substantial force of 15 infantry divisions, eight infantry brigades, three tank brigades, three artillery brigades, and one anti-aircraft brigade. Additionally, Higuchi's 5th Area Army consisted of six infantry divisions and two infantry brigades. In tandem with these ground preparations, Lieutenant-General Sugawara Michio's 6th Air Army and Ugaki's 5th Air Fleet were assigned the critical role of launching a powerful air counterattack against the American invasion fleet, targeting carriers, gunnery ships, and transport vessels. In conjunction with elements from the 1st Air Army, 5th Air Army, 3rd Air Fleet, and 10th Air Fleet, the Japanese strategy focused on executing strikes against US carriers. For this task, 330 IJNAF aircraft were specifically assigned. An additional 250 aircraft from both the IJAAF and IJNAF were designated to target gunnery ships, while transports would be subjected to round-the-clock suicide attacks over a span of 10 days. Various aircraft types,including trainers, transports, float planes, bombers, and obsolete fighters, would be used in kamikaze missions. The air assaults on the transports would also incorporate all available aircraft not assigned to other operational duties. Although Japanese fighters had limited effectiveness against B-29 raids, they were expected to inflict damage on the invasion fleet. It was essential, however, that IJAAF and IJNAF fighters first establish air superiority over the targeted areas. Achieving this goal was a questionable assumption, especially given the formidable strength of US air power. By the end of June, nearly 8,000 aircraft, predominantly kamikazes, had been assembled for what was expected to be a decisive battle, with an estimated additional 2,500 planes likely to be produced by the end of September. To enhance their efforts, Kaiten suicide midget submarines and various special attack units were also designated to target any invading fleet, underscoring the significance of suicide attacks in Japanese military strategy. The hope was that these suicide, or tokko, units would inflict a 30 to 50 percent loss on the invading forces. However, as of June 30, only 1,235 surface special-attack boats and 324 underwater types had been produced, significantly hampering Japan's preparations for the impending decisive battle. In preparation for the seizure of Japan's industrial heart through an amphibious invasion, General MacArthur was laying the groundwork for a significant military operation. On April 3, the Joint Chiefs of Staff designated him as the Commander in Chief of the United States Army Forces in the Pacific. This appointment granted him administrative control over all Army resources in the Pacific, with the exceptions of the 20th Air Force, the Alaskan Command, and the Southeast Pacific forces. Additionally, all naval resources in the Pacific, except those in the Southeast Pacific Area, were placed under Admiral Nimitz's control, making them available for major operations against Japan. With the conclusion of the war in Europe, plans were proposed to redeploy 10 infantry divisions, 5 armored divisions, and 72 air groups to the Pacific. Consequently, the total forces in the Pacific were set to increase from approximately 1.4 million Army troops as of June 30 to nearly 2,439,400 by December 31. On June 2, the 20th Air Force was reorganized into the U.S. Army Strategic Air Force under General Carl Spaatz. This command would oversee the newly formed 20th Air Force led by Lieutenant-General Nathan Twinning, which had been reorganized from the 21st Bomber Command, and Lieutenant-General James Doolittle's 8th Air Force, which was restructured from the 20th Bomber Command and slated for deployment in the Ryukyus. Simultaneously, MacArthur was developing plans for Operation Downfall, the ambitious strategy for invading Japan. This operation envisaged a massive offensive against the islands of Kyushu and Honshu, utilizing all available combined resources from the Army, Navy, and Air Forces. The invasion plan consisted of two key operations: Operation Olympic and Operation Coronet. The American plan for the invasion of Kyushu focused on seizing only the southern part of the island, delineated by a line extending from Tsuno on the east coast to Sendai on the west. The 3,000 square miles included within this boundary were considered sufficient to provide the necessary air bases for short-range support in the final operations planned against the industrial centers of Honshu. Within the selected southern region for invasion, known as the "Olympic" plan, there were four lowland areas identified as suitable for the development of major airfields. The first area extended from Kagoshima, located on the western shore of Kagoshima Bay, through a narrow corridor to the Kushikino plain along the East China Sea. The second area ran northward from Shibushi on Ariake Bay, traversing a winding valley to Miyakonojo. The third area began at Kanoya, situated east of Kagoshima Bay, and followed the coastline of Ariake Bay. The fourth and largest area was located north of Miyazaki on the east coast. Four months after American troops first landed on Kyushu, the next decisive amphibious operation against Japan was set to be launched. Code-named Coronet, this invasion targeted the Kanto Plain area of Honshu and was scheduled for March 1, 1945. The operation was tasked to two armies: the First and the Eighth, assigned to conduct a major assault against the heartland of Japan. Their immediate objective was to destroy all opposition and secure the Tokyo-Yokohama area. General MacArthur would personally command the landing forces and oversee ground operations on the mainland. Accompanying him would be the advance echelon of his General Headquarters, which would operate as the Army Group Headquarters in the field. The initial landings would involve 10 reinforced infantry divisions, 3 marine divisions, and 2 armored divisions. These forces, launched from the Philippines and Central Pacific bases, would be continuously protected by the ships and aircraft of the Pacific Fleet, alongside land-based air support. Thirty days after the initial assault, each army was set to be reinforced by a corps of 3 additional divisions. Five days following this reinforcement, an airborne division and an AFPAC Reserve Corps consisting of another 3 divisions would be made available. In total, these 25 divisions were tasked with seizing the Kanto Plain, including the general areas of Tokyo and Yokohama, and carrying out any further operations necessary to overcome Japanese resistance. The strategic reserve for the entire operation would comprise a corps of 3 divisions located in the Philippines, along with sufficient reinforcements from the United States, allowing for the deployment of 4 divisions per month. For Operation Olympic, General Krueger's 6th Army was appointed to lead the effort, employing a total of 14 divisions that were already positioned in the Pacific. Meanwhile, the 1st and 8th Armies were designated to conduct Operation Coronet, comprising a total of 25 divisions primarily sourced from the redeployment of troops and equipment from the European theater. Eichelberger's 8th Army planned to land on Sagami Bay and subsequently fan out to secure the western shores of Tokyo Bay, reaching as far north as Yokohama. Concurrently, General Courtney Hodges' 1st Army was set to land at the Kujukuri beaches, with the objective of pushing west and south to clear the eastern shores of both Tokyo and Sagami Bays. To mitigate the risks associated with landing on the heavily fortified and well-garrisoned islands of Japan, a comprehensive campaign of air-sea blockade and bombardment was advocated.  The 20th Air Force, launching from bases in the Marianas and the Ryukyus, aimed to cripple Japan's industrial capacity by ruthlessly attacking factories and transportation systems. This steady assault from the massive B-29 bombers was expected to severely diminish Japan's ability to sustain its large military organization and effectively distribute its remaining power. Simultaneously, carrier task forces would conduct repeated raids on crucial coastal areas, targeting enemy naval and air forces, disrupting shore and sea communications, and supporting long-range bombers in their strikes against strategic objectives. The Far East Air Force, also based in the Ryukyus, would focus on selected targets intended to dismantle Japan's air capabilities both in the homeland and in nearby regions of North China and Korea. By intercepting shipping and shattering communication lines, the Far East Air Force aimed to complete the isolation of southern Kyushu, preparing it for an amphibious assault. As the target date approached, it was planned that these air raids would intensify, culminating in an all-out effort from X-10 to X-Day. In the final ten days before the landing phase, the combined bombing power of all available planes, both land-based and carrier-based, would be unleashed in a massive assault. The objectives included reducing enemy defenses, destroying remaining air forces, isolating the target area, and facilitating preliminary minesweeping and naval bombardment operations. The fortifications within the designated landing areas would be overwhelmed by tons of explosives, while naval vessels and engineering units worked to eliminate underwater mines and barriers. With such concentrated power backing them, it was anticipated that the amphibious forces would be able to execute their assault landings with minimal losses. This strategy aimed to minimize casualties, further diminish Japan's air capabilities, and cut off reinforcements from Asia. There was even a possibility that such measures could compel Japan to surrender, thus eliminating the need for a significant landing on the Home Islands. In a notable first, Admiral Spruance's 5th Fleet and Admiral Halsey's 3rd Fleet were to operate simultaneously. Admiral Spruance's fleet would focus on the landing operations, while Admiral Halsey's fleet would provide strategic support through raids on Honshu and Hokkaido. On July 28, the 16 fast carriers of Admiral McCain's Task Force 38 and the four British carriers of Admiral Rawlings' Task Force 37 commenced operations to weaken the air, naval, and shipping capabilities of the Home Islands. By mid-August, Vice-Admiral John Towers was assigned command of a reinforced Task Force 38, tasked with executing a series of strikes against Japan east of the 135th meridian, while General Kenney's Ryukyus-based Far Eastern Air Forces targeted objectives to the west. Additionally, Rawlings' Task Force 37, enhanced to nine carriers, launched diversionary strikes against Hong Kong and Canton. Starting on October 18, the 3rd Fleet began aggressive operations against aircraft, airfields, and shipping in Kyushu, Shikoku, and Honshu to isolate the assault area for the upcoming Kyushu invasion. Six days later, the Fast Carrier Task Force was divided into Task Force 38 and Task Force 58. Task Force 38 retained 12 fast carriers specifically for strikes against Japan. The pre-invasion air strikes, surface bombardments, and minesweeping operations in the Kyushu landing zones commenced, steadily increasing in intensity as they approached X-Day on November 1. The ten fast carriers of Vice-Admiral Frederick Sherman's Task Force 58 would provide direct support for the Kyushu landings, which were to be conducted by Admiral Turner's Task Force 40, consisting of 800 warships and 1,500 transports. In this effort, three Fire Support groups, each accompanied by an escort carrier group, would launch preemptive assaults on the designated Olympic landing zones.  Off southeastern Kyushu's Ariake Bay, Rear Admiral Richard Connolly's 3rd Fire Support Group (TG 41.3), comprising 6 old battleships, 6 cruisers, 13 destroyers, and 34 support craft, was tasked with eliminating coastal batteries at Toi Misaka, Hi Saki, and Ariake Bay. Additionally, they would target seaplane bases and suicide boat/submarine pens at Oshima, Odatsu, Biro Jima, and Sakida, followed by softening defenses at the XI Corps landing beaches. Meanwhile, approximately 30 miles north along Kyushu's southeastern coast, Rear Admiral Ingolf Kiland's 7th Fire Support Group (TG 41.7), consisting of 3 old battleships, 8 cruisers, 11 destroyers, and 35 support craft, would bombard coastal batteries, suicide-boat nests, and seaplane bases located at Tozaki Hana, Hososhima, and Miyazaki. This group would also destroy rail junctions at Tsumo Jogasaki and Tsuno to disrupt reinforcements heading south, before finally shelling the I Corps invasion beaches near Miyazaki. Off southwestern Kyushu, Rear Admiral Giraud Wright's 5th Fire Support Group (TG 41.5), with 4 old battleships, 10 cruisers, 14 destroyers, and 74 support craft, was set to hammer fortifications within the Koshiki Retto and at the beaches between Kaminokawa and Kushikino. Their mission included knocking out Noma Misaki and Hashimi Saki coastal batteries, the Akune seaplane base, and Kushikino's airfield, while also cutting the Akune–Kushikino road and rail lines. Ultimately, they would provide heavy fire support for the V Amphibious Corps landing beaches. Meanwhile, General Krueger planned to first secure Kagoshima and Ariake Bays as crucial ports of entry. Following that, the objective was to push inland as far as the Tsuno-Sendai line to block mountain defiles and prevent any enemy reinforcements from the north. As a preliminary operation, on October 28, the reinforced 40th Division, now under Brigadier-General Donald Myers, was assigned to seize positions in the Koshiki Island group opposite Sendai. The objective was to establish emergency naval and seaplane bases on these islands while also clearing the sea routes to the coastal invasion area of Kushikino. The 40th Division was also tasked with making preliminary landings on the four islands of Tanega, Make, Take, and Lo off the southern tip of Kyushu, with the goal of safeguarding the passage of friendly shipping through the strategic Osumi Strait. On November 1, General Krueger's three main corps were set to conduct simultaneous assault landings in the designated objective areas. Major-General Harry Schmidt's 5th Amphibious Corps would land near Kushikino, drive eastward to secure the western shore of Kagoshima Bay, and then turn north to block the movement of enemy reinforcements from upper Kyushu. Meanwhile, General Hall's 11th Corps was to land at Ariake Bay, capture Kanoya, advance to the eastern shore of Kagoshima Bay, and then move northwestward to Miyakonojo. Following this, Swift's 1st Corps would assault Miyazaki on the east coast, subsequently moving southwest to occupy Miyakonojo and clear the northern shore of Kagoshima Bay, thereby protecting the northeast flank. Additionally, Major-General Charles Ryder's 9th Corps, initially held in reserve, was selected to execute a diversionary feint off the island of Shikoku while the other three assault corps advanced on the actual landing beaches. Finally, Krueger kept the 77th Division and the 11th Airborne Division in Area Reserve, prepared to follow up the invasion forces. Should these units prove insufficient to fulfill their assigned tasks, a buildup from units earmarked for Coronet would be initiated at a rate of three divisions per month. On the other side, the Japanese anticipated that Kyushu would be the next target and identified the same beaches selected for Operation Olympic as the most likely landing sites. In response, Generals Hata and Yokoyama concentrated the formidable 57th Army under Lieutenant-General Nishihara Kanji around the areas of Ariake Bay and Miyazaki. Meanwhile, Lieutenant-General Nakazawa Mitsuo commanded the 40th Army, which was positioned in the Ijuin-Kagoshima sector to the west. Hata's mobile reserves were stationed near Mount Kurishima, consisting of at least five divisions and several independent brigades, prepared to swiftly engage enemy forces before they could establish secure beachheads. Although Yokoyama and Hata did not anticipate an invasion in northern and central Kyushu, they had many units distributed throughout the region. The Japanese government prioritized defensive preparations for Kyushu over those for Honshu, hoping that a fierce defense of Kyushu would deter American forces from attempting a similar operation on Honshu. I would like to take this time to remind you all that this podcast is only made possible through the efforts of Kings and Generals over at Youtube. Please go subscribe to Kings and Generals over at Youtube and to continue helping us produce this content please check out www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals. If you are still hungry after that, give my personal channel a look over at The Pacific War Channel at Youtube, it would mean a lot to me. General Krueger's forces tackled Japan's Shobu Group in Luzon, while preparing for Operation Downfall, the invasion of Japan itself. Despite tough terrain, American forces made significant gains, encircling the Japanese. Meanwhile, Japan readied for defense, mobilizing troops and launching air counterattacks. As the Allies pressed forward, the impending invasion loomed, with strategies developed to land on Kyushu and Honshu. Ultimately, intense battles shaped the eve of an operation that would determine the war's fate and change history forever.

A new campaign in Harrisburg is working to reconnect Pennsylvanians with a powerful—but largely erased—chapter of the capital city's history. The “Look Up, Look Out” campaign seeks to reimagine Harrisburg’s Old Eighth Ward, a vibrant and diverse neighborhood that was demolished in the 1910s to make way for Capitol Park. The effort uses historical research and digital tools to draw connections between the once-thriving community and today’s cityscape of state offices and government workers.Support WITF: https://www.witf.org/support/give-now/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

“Abortion numbers can triple, and still Ireland refuses to acknowledge that the reluctant repealers were wrong, wrong, wrong. The Eighth was saving lives in the thousands.” So says Breda O'Brien, Columnist with the Irish Times and Patron with the Iona Institute. Breda spoke to Ciara this morning.

In a competitive labor market, students graduating from high school need skills that can translate into meaningful careers. PREP KC is a leading K-12 education intermediary in the Kansas City region, bringing educators and industry professionals together to give students real-world learning opportunities and prepare them for in-demand careers.   Responding to increasing demand for data literacy across all industries, PREP-KC launched its Data in Action course in 2023 to give eighth-grade students early exposure to data analytics. It aims to prepare students for high-demand careers and develop their interest in math and science fields.    MDRC will conduct an evaluation to test whether this course can help boost academic achievement and whether more students will opt for a high school pathway in science, technology, engineering, or math.    In this episode, Leigh Parise talks with Doug Elmer, vice president of PREP KC and Zeest Haider, research associate at MDRC, to learn more about the program and the evaluation.

This is good: https://sharethemeal.org/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Eighth sermon in our series: "Strangers in a Strange Land"Scripture: 1 Peter 3:8-22Mark HutchinsonTeaching Pastor

Sho Alli and Nick Ashbourne break down the Blue Jays' 6-3 loss vs. the Athletics to wrap up the first half of the season with a 55-41 record - how do people feel about how the first 96 games went, and what are expectations for the second half? They get into a tough outing from José Berríos, Addison Barger clubbing his first home run off a left-handed pitcher, John Schneider with a fiery on-field display following his fifth inning ejection, and discuss the post-break rotation lineup as announced by Schneider post-game. Plus, they read some scouting reports on JoJo Parker, who the Blue Jays selected eighth overall in the 2025 MLB Draft (47:29). The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Sports & Media or any affiliates.

Senior MLB Writer for The Athletic joins the show to discuss what the Blue Jays will do at the MLB draft. Law shares his thoughts on the Jays and if they should be buyers heading into the trade deadline.

Sho Alli and Nick Ashbourne break down the Blue Jays' 3-2 win over the Angels to complete the sweep at the Rogers Centre to complete a perfect seven-game homestand! They take your calls and texts, and discuss the overall vibes with the team - how good does it feel to see a team get contributions from everywhere, up and down the roster? They also chat about some of the specifics from this game, including Kevin Gausman notching nine strikeouts over 5.2 IP, Ryan Burr's terrific return from the IL, Addison Barger with some late-game defensive theatrics, and Jeff Hoffman locking down the game. Plus, they react live to Alejandro Kirk being named as an American League All-Star reserve by Major League Baseball. The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Sports & Media or any affiliates.

In this episode, I'm joined by one of America's most thoughtful national journalists: Mike Grunwald. You may know him from his work at Time, Politico, or The Washington Post, or from his critically acclaimed books about the Obama administration and the history of the Everglades. He's also now a contributing columnist at the New York Times. But for the purpose of this episode, Mike is here to discuss his third book, We Are Eating the Earth: The Race to Fix Our Food System and Save Our Climate. In this sweeping and deeply reported work, Mike tackles one of the most uncomfortable truths of our time: our global food system, especially animal farming, is a leading driver of climate change, deforestation, wildlife extinction, and more. But rather than simply doomscroll through the apocalypse, We Are Eating the Earth offers a clear-eyed, often witty, and ultimately hopeful exploration of how we might transform our food system to produce more food while using fewer resources. In our conversation, we discuss some of the biggest food and climate myths—like whether organic or so-called “regenerative” agriculture is necessarily better for the planet—as well as Mike's views on what will actually work to slash humanity's footprint on the planet. (Spoiler: eat less meat, waste less food, and use fewer biofuels are among his biggest points.) Mike also clarifies his views on animal welfare, including the welfare of chickens and pigs, and his (lack of) concern about falling fertility rates. It's a wide-ranging conversation that's got something for everyone interested in a future with fewer hungry people and more land rewilded.  

This episode features "The Eighth Pyramid" written by Louis Inglis Hall. Published in the June 2025 issue of Clarkesworld Magazine and read by Kate Baker. The text version of this story can be found at: https://clarkesworldmagazine.com/hall_06_25 Support us on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/join/clarkesworld?

Rick Wakeman was onstage from the age of five and looks back with us here on a life of live performance – jazz and blues bands, the Strawbs, Yes – and ahead to this autumn's tour performing King Arthur and the Six Wives of Henry the Eighth. “I wake up every morning, throw off the duvet and – if nothing else has fallen off – have a great day!” There's more … ... how it feels when the rock press call you ‘Tomorrow's Superstar!' at the age of 24. … the contract he once had to sign that said “Mister Wakeman will wear at least one of his capes during the performance”. … seeing the Bonzos in 1965, “Viv Stanshall so paralytic he sang the entire set lying down”. … being on a packed tube to Gants Hill and suddenly realising he was on the cover of the Melody Maker he was reading. … Mrs Symes, his piano teacher, who launched his career (aged five). … his teenage band Atlantic Blues “who ended Wipe Out eight times faster than it started”. … the day his Strawbs' Hammond organ solos were applauded by the Telegraph and Times. … early piano sessions for Cat Stevens, Ralph McTell and Al Stewart. … aspects of touring that prove “financially non-viable”. … and how Wolf Hall rebooted the legend of Henry the Eighth. Plus Atomic Rooster, Charlie Chaplin, Arthur Brown, green PVC trousers and a cape collection that includes “four originals”. Buy tickets here: https://www.rwcc.com/live.php#ere2025Find out more about how to help us to keep the conversation going: https://www.patreon.com/wordinyourear Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

With the dust settled on the annual RotoWire staff fantasy football draft, Nick Whalen and Joe Bartel dive into the full results and react to their favorite -- and least-favorite -- values. Nick talks about his WR-heavy build and having to chase RBs later in the draft, while Joe also went with a WR-WR start.00:00 Intro02:20 Draft strategy based on pick slot08:20 David Montgomery, Travis Etienne, Rachaad White10:00 Running backs flying off the board12:00 Breaking down Joe's draft + JSN in Round 214:30 Breece Hall, Marvin Harrison, Jaylen Waddle, Rome Odunze17:55 DK Metcalf, Chris Olave, Quinshon Judkins23:20 Picking from the No. 8 spot + Trey'veon Henderson, Jaylen Warren26:30 Mid-round QB values31:05 Eighth-round WRs: Deebo, Pearsall, Jennings, Aiyuk33:55 Tight end results + best values37:10 Late QB strategy in a shallow draft40:10 Trey Benson42:00 MarShawn Lloyd43:15 Josh Downs, Emeka Egbuka, Keon Coleman Full draft board: https://sleeper.com/draft/nfl/1233504472022392833 The Ultimate Fantasy Football Experience Giveaway can only take place in Las Vegas.Circa Resort and Casino wants to bring your 12-team league to draft in Vegas and be treated like VIPs during their stay. One winning league will receive a 2-night stay at Circa Resort, a poolside cabana for your fantasy football draft, limo transportation to and from the airport and more! Click here to submit your free entry today! Get the latest fantasy sports insights, expert analysis, and premium tools at RotoWire.com—enter promo code YOUTUBE15 at checkout to receive 15% off any product.