Podcasts about Emperor

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He grew up in Milan and became an army officer, where he distinguished himself so well that the Emperor Diocletian made him captain of the Praetorian Guard not suspecting that Sebastian was a Christian. In Rome, while fulfilling the duties of a courtier, he used his position to comfort and encourage his imprisoned fellow-Christians. By his labors and example he brought many to faith in Christ, including Chromatius, the Prefect in charge of persecuting the Roman Christians.   Sebastian had upheld two brothers, Mark and Marcellinus, who were awaiting execution for their faith. When the day of execution came, their father Tranquillinus, who had been a pagan but through Sebastian's example had converted, presented himself to Chromatius and announced that he too was a Christian. His testimony was so powerful that the hard heart of the Prefect was melted, and he himself resolved to become a Christian.   Caius, Bishop of Rome, gathered the new brethren (both men and women — not all of Sebastian's converts have been mentioned here) to embrace them and baptize them, but also to warn them of their coming Martyrdom. He instructed some to flee the city and others, headed by Sebastian, to remain in Rome, devoting their days to fasting, prayer and thanksgiving as they awaited their death. As the "company of Martyrs" did this, many came to them and were healed of ailments, and many joined them in confessing Christ.   When the time of martyrdom came, each member of the company was subjected to imaginatively cruel tortures before his execution. Sebastian himself was made to witness the deaths of all his companions, then to endure his own trial. He serenely confessed his unshaken faith before Diocletian himself before being taken to the place of execution. There he was tied to a post and made the target of a band of archers until his body bristled with arrows like the quills of a porcupine. He was left for dead, but when Irene, widow of St Castulus, came to bury him, she found him alive and tended his wounds. Amazingly, he recovered, and presented himself once again to the Emperor. Astonished and outraged, the tyrant ordered that Sebastian be beaten to death with clubs and thrown into the city's sewer. That evening, a pious Christian woman was told in a vision to retrieve his body and bury it in the catacombs. After St Constantine brought peace to the Church, Pope Damasus built a church over the site in the Saint's honor. For hundreds of years, many miracles were worked there through St Sebastian's intercessions.

Between the years 235 and 280 AD, the Roman Empire was a basket case. Emperors were dropping like flies, succession fights were common, pretenders routinely declared themselves Emperor, and whole regions broke away. It was not the most prestigious period for Rome.In Roman-controlled Syria, a fully Romanized city-state called Palmyra had become a wealthy and prosperous destination on various trade routes, as well as the last bulwark on the eastern frontier between Rome and the Persian Empire. As the Roman crack-up proceeded, the city appointed its first-ever king, Odaenathus, who ruled alongside his wife, Zenobia. When Odaenathus was assassinated in 267 - we don't know by whom - Zenobia took the reins of Palmyra and led it through an audacious territorial expansion, until Palmyra controlled basically all of the Eastern Empire, including Egypt.And then, as more Emperors bumbled through the halls of power in distant Rome, Zenobia gave up on them entirely and declared herself Empress of Rome, and her domain, the Palmyrene Empire, the equal of Rome itself.Listen ad-free at patreon.com/trashyroyalspodcast.To advertise on this podcast, reach out to info@amplitudemediapartners.com.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

December 17, 1398. The mighty nomadic warlord Timur captures and sacks the Indian city of Delhi, causing the deaths of 100,000 people. This episode originally aired in 2024. Support the show! Join Into History for ad-free listening and more. History Daily is a co-production of Airship and Noiser. Go to HistoryDaily.com for more history, daily.

In this special episode of Reid Riffs, Reid and Aria are joined by Pulitzer Prize–winning author, oncologist, and Manas AI cofounder Siddhartha Mukherjee for a few questions about cancer, AI, and the second edition of The Emperor of All Maladies. Reflecting back on the 15 years since its initial publication, Reid, Aria and Sid discuss how cancer prevention, early detection, and immunotherapy have fundamentally shifted while the disease continues to be a defining challenge of modern medicine. The conversation charts how AI can become a true engine of drug discovery and how Manas was built to be an AI-native biopharmaceutical company focused on developing entirely new medicines. The episode then broadens out to tackle the current cultural moment in Silicon Valley, questioning whether the Valley is entering a new Renaissance driven by more meaningful work, clearer values, and a renewed theory of human progress. The episode closes by grappling with AI's growing persuasive power in politics and public discourse, and the responsibility to design systems that elevate truth, agency, and humanity rather than distort them.

In 2011, Siddhartha Mukherjee won the Pulitzer Prize for his biography of cancer, “The Emperor of All Maladies.” Now, he's back with an update on how our understanding of cancer has advanced -- and what lies ahead.

Hey before I begin I just want to thank all of you who have joined the patreon, you guys are awesome. Please let me know what other figures, events or other things you want to hear about in the future and I will try to make it happen.   If you are a long time listener to the Pacific War week by week podcast over at KNG or viewer of my youtube channel you have probably heard me talk about Tomoyuki Yamashita, the Tiger of Malaya quite often. It goes without saying when it comes to Japanese generals of WW2 he stands out. Not just to me, from the offset of the war he made a large impression on westerners, he achieved incredible feats early on in the war. Now if you look up books about him, you will pretty much only find information in regards to his infamous war crimes trial. Hell it was so infamous the legal doctrine of hierarchical accountability for war crimes, whereby a commanding officer is legally responsible for war crimes and crimes against humanity committed by his subordinates, was created. This is known as the command responsibility or “the Yamashita standard”. His court case was very controversial, he remains a controversial figure, certainly to the people of territories he campaigned in, but I think what can be said of him the most is he was special amongst the Japanese generals. Anyways lets get the show on the road as they say.   So who was Yamashita? When he was 59 years old commanding forces in the Philippines against General Douglas MacArthur, he weighed 220 ls and stood 5 feet 9 inches. His girth pressed out against his green army uniform. He had an egg shaped head, balding, wide spaced eyes and a flat nose. He wore a short mustache, sort of like Hitlers, until it grayed then he shaved it off. He was not a very attractive man, Filipinos referred to him as “old potato face” while Americans called him “a florid, pig faced man”.   Tomobumi Yamashita was born in 1885, he was the second son of Dr. Sakichi Yamashita and Yuu Yamashita in Osugi village, on Shikoku island. Like most males of his day he was indoctrinated into military preparatory school from a young age. Yamashita had no chosen the army as a career, in his words ‘my father suggested the idea, because I was big and healthy, and my mother did not seriously object because she believed, bless her soul, that I would never pass the highly competitive entrance examination. If I had only been cleverer or had worked harder, I would have been a doctor like my brother”Yamashita would graduate from the 18th class of the IJA academy in november of 1905, ranked 16th out of 920 cadets.    In 1908 he was promoted to the rank of Lt and during WW1 he fought against Imperial German and Austro-Hungarian forces in the famous siege of Qingdao, which if you are interested I did an episode over on my Youtube channel about this battle. Its a very overlooked battle, but many histories firsts occurred at it like the first carrier attack. In 1916 he was promoted to captain and attended the 28th class of the Army War college to graduate sixth in his class that year. He also married Hisako Nagayama in 1916, she was the daughter of the retired General Nagayama.    It seems Yamashita's brush against the Germans in 1914 had a huge influence on him, because he became fascinated with Germany and would serve as assistant military attache at Bern and Berlin from 1919-1922. He spent his time in Germany alongside Captain Hideki Tojo, both men would run into each other countless times and become bitter rivals. Both men toured the western front, visiting Hamburg and witnessed first hand the crippling inflation and food prices that came from Germany's defeat. Yamashita said to Tojo then “If Japan ever has to fight any nation, she must never surrender and get herself in a state like this.” He returned to Japan in 1922, was promoted to major and served a few different posts in the Imperial Headquarters and Staff College. Yamashita became a leading member of the Kodoha faction, while Tojo became a leading member of the rival Toseiha faction. In 1927 Yamashita was sent again to Europe, this time to Vienna as a military attache. Just prior to departing he had invested in a business selling thermometers starting by one of his wife's relatives, the business failed horribly and Yamashita was tossed into debt, bailiffs literally came to seize his house. As told to us by his biographer “For a regular officer to have contracted such a debt, however innocently, was a disgrace. He felt he should resign his commission.” Yamashita's brother refused to allow him to quit, instructing him to leave for Vienna, while he resolved his debts. His days in Vienna were the best of his life, professed Yamashita. He studied economics at Vienna university and made friends with a Japanese widow, who introduced him to a German woman named Kitty and they had an affair. This would spring forward his reputation as an eccentric officer. Yamashita was obsessed over hygiene,and refused to eat fruit unless it was thoroughly washed. He avoided ice water, hated dancing and never learnt how to drive a car. One of his most notable quirks was his habit of falling asleep often during meetings where he legendarily would snore. Like I may have said in previous podcast and youtube episodes, this guy was quite a character, often described as a big bear.    Now this is not a full biography on Yamashita so I cant devolve to far into things, such as his first fall from grace. During the February 26th coup incident of 1936, Yamashita was a leading member of the Kodoha faction and helped mediate a peaceful end to the standoff, however in truth he was backing the coup. He simply managed to not get caught red handed at the time doing too much for the mutineers, regardless he lost favor with the outraged Emperor and many young captains whom he loved like sons killed themselves in disgrace. If you want to know more about the February coup of 1936, check out my series on Emperor Hirohito or General Ishawara, they both talk about it in depth and touch upon Yamashita's role a bit.    The coup led to the dissolvement of the Kodoha faction and the dominance of the Toseiha, led by Tojo. Yamashita tried to resign from the IJA, but his superiors dissuade him. He was relegated to a post in Korea, which honestly was a punishment. Yamashita would say “When I was posted to Korea, I felt I had been given a tactful promotion but that in fact my career was over. Even when I was given my first fighting company in North China, I still felt I had no future in the Army, so I was always on the front line, where the bullets flew the thickest. I sought only a place to die.”  He had some time to reflect upon his conduct while in Korea, he began to study Zen Buddhism. He was promoted to Lt General in November of 1937 and when the China war broke out he was one of those speaking out that the incident needed to end swiftly and that peaceful relations must be made with the UK and US. He received a unimportant post in the Kwantung army and in 1938 was assigned command of the IJA 4th division. He led the forces during in northern china against insurgents until he returned to Tokyo in July of 1940. His fellow officers lauded him as Japan's finest general. Meanwhile Tojo had ascended to war minister and one of his first moves was to send a delegation to Germany. Tojo considered Yamashita a ruthless and forceful commander and feared he would become a powerful rival against him one day. Yamashita would go on the record to say then “I have nothing against Tojo, but he apparently has something against me.” You see, Yamashita had no political ambitions, unlike Tojo who was by nature a political monster. “My life, is that of a soldier; I do not seek any other life unless our Emperor calls me.” In late 1940, Tojo asked Yamashita to lead a team of 40 experts on a 6 month train tour of Germany and Italy, a move that kept him out of Tokyo, because Tojo was trying to solidify his political ambitions. This is going to become a looming theme between the two men.   He was presented to Adolf Hitler in January of 1941, passing along messages from Tojo and publicly praising the Fuhrer, though privately he was very unimpressed by the man  “He may be a great orator on a platform, with his gestures and flamboyant way of speaking. But standing behind his desk listening he seems much more like a clerk.” Hitler pressed upon him to push Japan to declare war on Britain and the US. At the time of course Japan was facing China and had two major conflicts with the USSR, thus this was absolutely not in her interest. “My country is still fighting in China, and we must finish that war as soon as possible. We are also afraid that Russia may attack us in Manchuria. This is no time for us to declare war on other countries.” Yamashita hoped to inspect Germany's military techniques and technology to help Japan. Hitler promised open exchanges of information stating “All our secrets are open to you,”, but this would prove to be a lie. “There were several pieces of equipment the Germans did not want us to see. Whenever I tried to persuade the German General Staff to show us things like radar—about which we had a rudimentary knowledge—the conversation always turned to something else.”   Yamashita met with field Marshal Hermann Goring who gave him an overview of the war in europe. Goring would complain about Yamashita falling asleep during lectures and meetings and he believed the man was drunk often. Yamashita met Benito Mussolini in June of 1941 receiving a similar rundown to what he got in Germany. Yamashita visited Kitty in Vienna for a quick fling, but overall the trip deeply impacted Yamashita's resolve that Japan should stay out of the Europeans war and that Germany made a grievous error invading the USSR in June of 1941. This is what he said the members of the commission “You know the results of our inspection as well as I do. I must ask you not to express opinion in favor of expanding the alliance between Japan, Germany and Italy. Never suggest in your report that Japan should declare war on Great Britain and the United States. We must not and cannot rely upon the power of other nations. Japan needs more time, particularly as there may be aggression against us from Russia. We must have time to rebuild our defense system and adjust the whole Japanese war machine. I cannot repeat this to you often enough.” His report was similar, and it really pissed off Tojo who was trying to develop plans for a war against America. Yamashita would then get exiled to Manchuria in July of 1941, but Tojo's resentment towards him could only go so far, because Yamashita was one of their best generals and in his planned war against Britain and America, he would need such a man.   Yamashita's time in Europe reshaped his views on how to conduct war. He saw first hand blitzkrieg warfare, it seems it fascinated him. He consistently urged the implementation of new proposals calling for the streamlining of air arms; to mechanize the Army; to integrate control of the armed forces in a defense ministry coordinated by a chairman of Joint Chiefs of staff; to create a paratroop corps and to employ effective propaganda. Basically he saw what was working for the Germans against the allies and wanted Japan to replicate it. Tojo did not like many of the proposal, hated the fact they were coming from Yamashita, so he obviously was not keen on making them happen. Luckily for Yamashita he would be given a chance to implement some of his ideas in a big way.   On November 6th of 1941, Lt General Yamashita was appointed commander of the 25th Japanese army. His orders were to seize the Malay Peninsula and then the British naval base at Singapore. The Malaya Peninsula snakes 700 miles south of Thailand, a rugged sliver of land that constricts at its narrowest point to about 60 miles wide. It hold mountains that split the peninsula in half, some going as high as 7000 feet. During this time Malaya produced around 40% of the worlds rubber, 60% of its tin, two resources vital for war. At its very southern tip lies Singapore, a diamond shaped island connected to the mainland by a 1115 stone causeway. Singapore's largest asset was its naval base guarding the passage from the Pacific and Indian oceans. Together Malay and Singapore represented the key to controlling what Japan called the Southern Resource Area.   Singapore was known as the gibraltar of the east for good reason. It was a massively fortified naval base. The base had been developed between 1923-1938 and cost 60 million pounds, around 2 billion pounds today. It was 21 square miles, had the largest dry dock in the world, the 3rd largest floating dock and enough fuel tanks to support the entire royal navy for 6 months. She was defended by 15 inch naval guns stationed at the Johre battery, Changi and Buona vista battery. And despite the infamous myth some of you may have heard, these guns were fully capable of turning in all directions including the mainland. For those unaware a myth perpetuated after the fall of Singapore that her large 15 inch guns could not turn to the mainland and that this spelt her doom, no it was not that, it was the fact they mostly had armor piercing shells which are using to hit ships and not land targets. Basically if you fire an armor piercing shell at land it imbeds itself then explodes, while HE shells would have torn any Japanese army to pieces. Alongside the 15 inch monsters, there were countless other artillery pieces such as 9.2 inch guns. By December of 1941 Malaya and Singapore held 164 first line aircraft out of a total of 253 aircraft, but many of the fighters were the obsolete Brewster F2A Buffalo, a pretty slow, fat little beast that could take a licking as it was armored, but against the Zero fighter it was unbelievably outmatched in speed and maneuverability.    The Japanese acquired a major gift prior to the outbreak of war. On november 11th, 1940, the SS Automedon, a German raider attacked the HMS Atlantis which was carrying documents intended for the British far east command. The documents indicated the British fleet was not going to help Singapore; that Britain would not declare war if Thailand was invaded and that Hong Kong was expendable. The Germans gave the documents to the Japanese who were very excited by the information.    Starting in January of 1941, Colonel Masanobu Tsuji led the Taiwan Army Research section based on Formosa to investigate how a campaign could be waged in Malay and Singapore. His findings on the defenses of Malay and Singapore were summed up in these 3 points: 1. Singapore Fortress was solid and strong facing the sea, but vulnerable on the peninsular side facing the Johore Strait;  Newspaper reports of a strong Royal Air Force (RAF) presence were propaganda;  Although British forces in Malaya numbered from five to six divisions (well over 80,000 men), less than half were Europeans.    Now just a little bit about Tsuji as he was to become the chief of staff operations and planning under Yamashita. Tsuji was extremely insubordinate and a political schemer. He was a Toseiha faction fanatic, loyal to Tojo and thus definitely an enemy to Yamashita. Yamashita wrote of Tsuji in his war diary “is egotistical and wily. He is a sly dog and unworthy to serve the country. He is a manipulator to be carefully watched.” Tsuji would go on to have a infamous reputation for ordering atrocities in the name of his superiors, often without them knowing and this would be very much the case under Yamashita. Now using Tsuji's intelligence Yamashita began plans at his HQ at Samah, a port on Hainan island, starting in November of 1941 on how to launch the campaign. He was initially offered 5 divisions for the invasion, but he felt he could accomplish the objective with only three. There are a few reasons why he believed this; first, Tsuji's research suggested the peninsula roads would be the center of the battlefront and that the flanks would extend no more than a km or so to the left or right due to the dense jungle terrain (in fact Yamashita was planning to assault from the jungle specifically); 2nd intelligence indicated the defending troops were not of the highest caliber (the British were busy in Europe thus many of the troops in southeast asia were poorly trained, half were british regulars the rest were Australian, Indian and Malayan); 3rd Yamashita was aware “the Japanese army were in the habit of flinging more troops into the battle than could possibly be maintained” boy oh boy tell that one to the future boys on Guadalcanal. Thus he calculated 3 divisions was the maximum to be fed, equipped and supplied. Based on his recommendations the 25th army was created with 3 divisions; the 5th under Lt General Takuma Matsui; 18th under Lt General Renya Mutaguchi and the Imperial guards division of Lt General Takuma Nishimura. Supporting these would be two regiment of heavy field artillery and the 3rd tank brigade. Something that made Yamashita's campaign quite interesting was the usage and amount of tanks. He was invading with around 200 or so tanks consisting of the Type 95 Ha-Go light tank, type 97 Chi-Ha and Type 89 I-Go medium tanks and Type 97 Te-Ke tankettes. For aircraft he had the 3rd Air division, 459 aircraft strong with an additional 159 aircraft from the IJN to support them. The 3rd air division had a variety of aircraft such as Nakajima Ki-27 Nate's, Nakajima ki-43 Oscars, Kitsubishi ki-51 Sonia's, Kawasaki ki-48 Lily's, Mitsubishi ki-21 sally's, Mitsubishi ki-30 Ann's, Mitsubishi ki-15 babs and Mitsubishi ki-46 dinahs. For the IJN it was the 22nd air flotilla using Mitsubishi G3M1 Nell's, Mitsubishi A5M4 Claudes and some A6M Zeros. To say it was a lot of firepower at his disposal is an understatement, Yamashita was packing heat, heat he could use in a blitzkrieg fashion.   His staff at Samah identified 5 operational objectives: 1 Simultaneous capture of Singora and Patani, Thailand and Kota Bharu, Malaya.  2 Capture of all enemy airfields in southern Thailand and Malaya.  3 Occupation of Kuala Lumpur, Malaya.  4 Occupation of Johore Bahru, and control of Johore Strait.  5 Conquest of Singapore.    Colonel Tsuji, appointed Chief of Operations and Planning for the 25th Army, proposed the following plan which was readily approved:  Land the main strength of the 5th Division simultaneously and without warning at Singora and Patani, and at the same time land a powerful section of the 18th Division to attack Kota Bharu.  The troops disembarked at Singora and Patani to press forward immediately to attack the line of the Perak River Hand capture its bridge and the Alor Star aerodrome.  The troops landed at Kota Bharu to press forward along the eastern coast as far as Kuantan.    The landing at Kota Bharu, the only one in Malaya was expected to be opposed and quite risky. But if it was successful, it would create a useful diversion away from the main force landings in Thailand.   The landings took place around 2:15am local time on December 8th, about an hour and 20 minutes before the attack on Pearl Harbor. The landings went largely unopposed, except at Kota Bahru where the Japanese saw heavy resistance. The British had anticipated this landing point and created operation Matador, a plan to pre-emptively invade southern thailand to secure defensive lines against the Japanese, however this plan was never accepted by British high command for obvious political reasons. But on December 5th, with a Japanese invasion looking certain, suddenly London gave permission to the Far east commanders to decide if Operation matador should be activated or not. The commander in Malaya, General Arthur Percival recommended forestalling it, fearing to violate Thai sovereignty, which ultimately would be the doom of a defense for Malaya.   At the battle of Kota Bharu, the 9th infantry division of Major General Barstow attempted holding off the Japanese from taking the important Kota Bharu airfield. The 8th brigade of Billy Key had fortified the beaches with pillboxes, barbed wire and land mines. The Japanese took heavy losses, but they were able to find gaps and fill them up until Brigadier Key had to ask permission to pull out. The royal air force at Kota Bharu tossed Hudson bombers to hit the troop transports, but it was a suicide mission to do so. Meanwhile the IJA 5th division landed at Pattani and Songkhla in Thailand while the Imperial guards division marched over the border from French Indochina. The Japanese encountered very little resistance, the leader of Thailand Plaek Pibulsonggram had been trying to get assurances from the allies and Japanese all the way up until the invasion, once the Japanese landed he knew his best option was to play nice and sign an armistice. This basically spelt doom for malaya as the Japanese were given access to Thailand's airfields which they used to smash the forward airfields in Malaya.   The first day of aerial encounters were a catastrophe for the British. General Percival would comment “The rapidity with which the Japanese got their air attacks going against our aerodromes was quite remarkable. Practically all the aerodromes in Kelantan, Kedah, Province Wellesley, and Penang, were attacked, and in most cases fighters escorted the bombers. The performance of Japanese aircraft of all types, and the accuracy of their bombing, came as an unpleasant surprise. By the evening our own air force had already been seriously weakened.” Brigadier Key withdrew after causing an estimated 800 casualties upon the Japanese while taking roughly 465. While Kota Bharu was being fought over, Percival unleashed Operation Krohcol, a 2.0 of Matador seeing British forces cross into Thailand to intercept the incoming enemy. It was an absolute disaster, the British attackers were defeated not only by the Japanese 5th division, but some Royal Thai police also defended their territory. The operation had basically become a race to who could seize the important focal point first and the Japanese took it first thus winning decisively. To add to that misery, force Z, consisting of the battleship HMS Prince of Wales,, battlecruiser Repulse and 4 destroyers tried to intercept the Japanese invasion fleet only to be utterly destroyed by overwhelming Japanese airforces.   Within 4 days of the landings, the 5th division advanced from Singora through the town of Jitra to capture the RAF airfield at Alor star, around 100 miles away. Yamashita managed this using flanking techniques that saw his army take town after town and airfield after airfield. There were numerous natural obstacles to the advance such as dense jungles, very long supply lines, torrential rain and heat, but he had a secret weapon, bicycles. At Jitra Percival made his first major stand. Holding Jitra would safeguard the northern airfields of Malaya, but it was a folly to do so as the airfields in question were not provided adequate aircraft and the British lacked something extremely important to be able to defend themselves, tanks. Colonel Tsuji saw the fighting at Jitra first hand and reported “Our tanks were ready on the road, and the twenty or so enemy armored cars ahead were literally trampled underfoot … The enemy armored cars could not escape by running away, and were sandwiched between our medium tanks … It was speed and weight of armor that decided the issue.” The British had spread themselves far too thinly across a 14 mile front with jungle on their right flank and rubber plantations and mangrove swamps to their left. Yamashita used a innovative blitzkrieg like tactic, he combined his air, artillery, tanks and bicycle infantry to punch holes in concentrated attacks forcing allied defenders to withdraw. As Percival would write later in his memoirs “This withdrawal would have been difficult under the most favorable conditions. With the troops tired, units mixed as the result of the fighting, communications broken and the night dark, it was inevitable that orders should be delayed and that in some cases they should never reach the addressees. This is what in fact occurred … the withdrawal, necessary as it may have been, was too fast and too complicated for disorganized and exhausted troops, whose disorganization and exhaustion it only increased”    Yamashita had ingeniously thought of employing large numbers of bicycles for his infantry so they could keep up momentum and speed with his mechanized forces. Oh and he didn't bring thousands of bicycles over to Malaya, the real genius was that they were there ready for him. His intelligence prior to the invasion indicated nearly all civilians in malaya had bicycles, so when the Japanese came over they simply stole them. Half of Yamashitas troops moved in motor vehicles while the rest road on 18,000 bicycles. As noted by Tsuji “With the infantry on bicycles, there was no traffic congestion or delay. Wherever bridges were destroyed the infantry continued their advance, wading across the rivers carrying their bicycles on their shoulders, or crossing on log bridges held up on the shoulders of engineers standing in the stream.” They Japanese overwhelmed the defenders who were forced to fight, flee into the jungles or flee along the roads where they were simply outsped by the faster Japanese. The defenders left numerous stores of food, abandoned vehicles, and supplies that Yamashita's men would dub “churchill's allowance”. British Lt Colonel Spencer Chapmanwas forced to hide on the sides of roads watching Japanese pedal past remarking “The majority were on bicycles in parties of forty or fifty, riding three or four abreast and talking and laughing just as if they were going to a football match.” The Japanese had the ability to carry their gear on the bicycles, giving them an enormous advantage over the allies fleeing on foot. The Japanese could travel faster, further and less fatigued. When the British destroyed 250 bridges during their flight, “the Japanese infantry (to continue) their advance, wading across the rivers carrying their bicycles on their shoulders, or crossing on log bridges held up on the shoulders of engineers standing in the stream”. The British could not escape the bicycle blitzkrieg as it became known, countless were forced to surrender under constant pressure and relentless pursuit.    Alongside the bicycle warfare, whenever Yamashita faced terrain unsuitable for his tanks, he ordered amphibious landings further south to outflank the enemy's  rear.   Meanwhile the war in the air went equally terrible for the allies. The RAF had pulled back its best pilots and aircraft to deal with the war for Britain against the Luftwaffe. 21 airfields were in Malaya and Singapore, few of them had modern facilities, only 15 concrete runways. The heavy rain made the grass airstrips unusable. All the airfields were allocated around 8 heavy and 8 light anti aircraft guns. Quality radar units were completely inadequate. The Super Spitfires and Hyper Hurricanes were mostly in Britain fighting the Germans, while Buffaloes were allocated to Malaya. The Japanese airforces easily overcame the allied opposition and established air superiority quickly. Launching from airfields in Vietnam, they bombed all the airfields into submission and continuously applied pressure to Singapore. . The aerial dominance of the Zero and ‘Oscar' fighters served to undermine the morale of the British infantryman on the ground. As historian H. P. Wilmot has observed, “in the opening phase of the war the Zero-sen was just what the Japanese needed, and the Allies were devastated by the appearance of a ‘super fighter.' To add insult to injury, every airfield taken starting at the most northern going further and further south towards Singapore offered the Japanese new launching points to make for faster attack.   Yamashita's forces reached the southern tip of the peninsula in just 8 weeks, his men had covered some 700 miles, about 12 miles a day on average. They fought 95 large and smaller battles doing so. Multiple lines of defense were erected one after another to try and halt the Japanese advance, to kill their momentum. Starting at the beach landings, to Jitra, then to Kampar, over the Slim river, then Johor. The British failed to employ “leave behind forces” to provide guerilla warfare in lost territories leading not only the Japanese to easily consolidate their gains, the Thai's also came down and grabbed some territory. At the battle of Muar Major General Gordon Bennet deployed the allied defenders south of the Muar River and it was widely believed here they would finally halt the Japanese. Then the Imperial Guards division outflanked them performing an amphibious landing and advancing down the coastal route. The 5th Japanese division followed a parallel route through the center and the 18th division landed near Endau. The allies were thus surrounded and took heavy casualties, countless were forced to flee through swamps and thick jungle abandoned their stuff. Gordons 45th brigade were absolutely shattered, effectively disbanded and left north of the Muar river as the rest of the allies fled south. The defeat at Muar broke the British belief they could hold even a toehold on Malay. Percivals strategy to fight delaying actions until the arrival of reinforcements to Singapore had fatally undermined his troops ability to hold onto defensive positions. As the British governor of the Johore straits settlement, Sir Shenton Thomas would say on January 6th ‘“We … have gone in for mechanized transport to the nth degree. It is a fearsomely cumbersome method. We have pinned our faith to the few roads but the enemy used tracks and paths, and gets round to our rear very much as he likes.”” Yet alongside the conquest came a series of atrocities.    At the Parit Sulong Bridge south of the Muar, Captain Rewi Snelling was left behind with 150 wounded Australian and Indian soldiers not able to trek south. The Imperial guards division herded them into buildings, denied them medical treatment, many of the Indians were beheaded, others shot. This become known as the parit sulong massacre. Its hard to saw what Yamashita would have known about this incident, it technically was under the command of Takuma nishimura. On January 22nd, Nishimura gave the orders for prisoners to be forced outside, doused with petrol and set on fire. Nishimura would be sentenced to life in prison by a Singapore court, but on a flight back to Japan he was hijacked by Australian military police in Hong Kong who grabbed him and held a trial for the Parit Sulong massacre, finding him guilty and hanging him on june 11th of 1951.    When the Japanese reached the straits of Johore, Yamashita took several days to perform reconnaissance, allowing his forces to regroup and prepare to attack the massive fortress. His plan for the invasion would see the Imperial guards perform a feint attack on the northeast side of Singapore, landing on the nearby Palau Ubin island on february 7th. The 5th and 18th division would remain concealed in the jungle until the night of the night of the 8th when they would cross the Johore and hit the northwest side of Singapore. The causeway to Singapore had been blown up by the retreating British, but the ability for Singapore to defend itself from a northern attack was lackluster. When Churchill was told by Wavell the Japanese sat on the other side of the Johore strait ready to attack the fortress he said ““I must confess to being staggered by Wavell's telegram. It never occurred to me for a moment that … Singapore … was not entirely fortified against an attack from the Northwards …””   With barely enough supplies or logistical support for his campaign, Yamashita's rapid advance down the Malay peninsula walked a tightrope of what was possible. His 70,000 men of which 30,000 were frontline troops had overcome a British force double their number. In Japan he garnered the epithet “Tiger of Malaya”, which ironically he was not too happy about. Later on in the war he would bark at a German attache “I am not a tiger. The tiger attacks its prey in stealth but I attack the enemy in a fair play”.   By this point Singapore had swollen from a population of 550,000to nearly a million. Percival had a total of 70,000 infantry of mixed experience plus 15,000 clerks and support staff to man lines if necessary. 38 battalions, 17 Indian, 13 British, 6 Australian and 2 Malayan. He placed his weakest troops west of the causeway, near the abandoned naval base rather than nearby the airfield which he considered was going to be Yamashita's thrust. He placed his best forces over there, which would prove fatally wrong as Yamashita hit west of the causeway. Yamashita meanwhile could only muster 30,000 troops, he was outnumbered 2:1 and amphibious assaults called for the attacker to hold a 2:1 advantage for success. Yamashita's men were exhausted, they had suffered 4565 casualties, roughly 1793 deaths in their 55 day advance south. Worse yet, Yamashita had a critical supply issue. He had greatly exceeded his supply lines and had been surviving on the abandoned churchill stores along the way. His ammunition was critical low, it is said he was down to 18 functional tanks, allowing his men to fire 100 rounds per day, the fuel ran out, and as Yamashita put it “My attack on Singapore was a bluff—a bluff that worked. I had 30,000 men and was outnumbered more than three to one. I knew that if I had to fight for long for Singapore, I would be beaten. That is why the surrender had to be at once. I was very frightened all the time that the British would discover our numerical weakness and lack of supplies and force me into disastrous street fighting.” He told his men of the 5th and 18th division not to build any cooking fires so they could conceal their positions in the jungle as he gathered hundreds of collapsible boats and other crafts to ford the strait. He gathered 40 divisional commanders and senior officers to a rubber plantation and with a flushed red face read out his attack orders while pouring them Kikumasamune (ceremonial wine). He made a traditional toast and said “It is a good place to die; surely we shall conquer”. He had to get the British to surrender quickly, he had to essentially ‘bluff” his enemy. He had to make the British think he was fully armed and supplied for a prolonged siege, how could he do so? He fired his artillery like a mad man, knowing full well they would run out of shells.   Starting on February 3rd,  Yamashita's artillery supported by aerial bombings hit Singapore for 5 days. On the night of the 7th, 400 Imperial Guards crossed to the Ibin island performing their feint attack. Percivals attention was grabbed to the east successfully, while on the night of the 8th the 5th and 18th divisions assembled carefully at the water's edge. At 8:30pm the first wave of 4000 Japanese troops crossed the Johore strait aboard 150 small vessels. The noise of their engines was drowned out by artillery. The thinly spread Australian lines, 3000 or so men led by Major General Bennet were breached fast leading to pockets of surrounded australian troops. As Lewis Gunner cliff olsen recalled “We were horribly spread out and it was pitch black and they [Japanese troops] were very hard to see. They walked through us half the time.” A beachhead was formed, a soon 14,000 Japanese had crossed by dawn.    Communications broke down for the allies, Percival unwilling to believe the Japanese's main thrust was in the west declined to send reinforcements there. When he did finally realize the main thrust was in the west he began to withdraw troops from quiet sectors and built up a reserve. The Japanese held air supremacy and their artillery was fierce. The big 15 inch guns of singapore held mostly armor piercing shells designed to hit ships, there were few HE shells available. When they fired upon the Japanese the shells would hit the ground they would embed deeply before exploding doing little damage. The defenders had no tanks, basically no more aircraft. The last departing ships fled the scene as everything was burning chaos around them. Morale was breaking for the defenders. By the 9th, Japanese bombers were raining bombs on allied positions unopposed. Bennet was forced to pull men back to a new line of defense from the east of the Tengah airfield to the north of Jurong. Poor communications hampered the northern sector of Brigadier Duncan Maxwell whose troops actually battered the hell out of the Imperial Guards who had landed at 10pm on the 9th. The Imperial guards gradually managed a foothold on a beach, but Maxwell feared encirclement and withdrew his men against direct orders of Bennet. The retreat opened up the flank of the 11th indian division who were overrun. All of the beaches west of the causeway fell to the enemy, when they did Yamashita brought over his tanks to smash the new Jurong line. The Japanese could have potentially stormed the city center at this point, but they held back, because in reality, Percival had created a formidable reserve in the middle. The Australian 22nd brigade took the brunt of the fighting.    Yamashita was running out of reserves and his attacks were reaching their limit, but he needed the battle to end swiftly. Yamashita was shocked and shaken when he received a report that the British troop strength within the city was twice what they believed. With covert desperation, Yamashita ordered his artillery to fire until their last rounds and sent Percival a demand for surrender. “In the spirit of chivalry we have the honour of advising your surrender. Your army, founded on the traditional spirit of Great Britain, is defending Singapore, which is completely isolated, and raising the fame of Great Britain by the ut¬ most exertions and heroic feelings. . . . From now on resistance is futile and merely increases the danger to the million civilian inhabitants without good reason, exposing them to infliction of pain by fire and sword. But the development of the general war situation has already sealed the fate of Singapore, and the continuation of futile resistance would only serve to inflict direct harm and in¬ juries to thousands of non-combatants living in the city, throwing them into further miseries and horrors of war. Furthermore we do not feel you will in¬ crease the fame of the British Army by further resistance.”   Singapore had received another order prior to this from Churchill “It is certain that our troops on Singapore Island greatly outnumber any Japanese that have crossed the Straits. We must defeat them. Our whole fighting reputation is at stake and the honour of the British Empire. The Americans have held out on the Bataan Peninsula against far greater odds, the Russians are turning back the picked strength of the Germans, the Chinese with almost complete lack of mod¬ ern equipment have held the Japanese for AVi years. It will be disgraceful if we yield our boasted fortress of Singapore to inferior enemy forces. There must be no thought ofsparing troops or the civil population and no mercy must be shown to weakness in any shape or form. Commanders and senior officers must lead their troops and if necessary die with them. There must be no question or thought of surrender. Every unit must fight it out to the end and in close contact with the enemy. ... I look to you and your men to fight to the end to prove that the fighting spirit that won our Empire still exists to enable us to defend it.”   What was Percival to do? The Japanese had seized control over Singapore water reservoirs, the population would die of thirst within 2-3 days. Japanese shells were causing fires and death everywhere. People were panicking, trying to get on the very last boats leaving the port, even though that surely meant death to the IJN. An American sailor recalled “There was a lot of chaos and people killed on the docks during these bombardments. Everywhere you looked there was death. Even in the water there were dead sharks and people floating all around.” Defeatism was endemic. Australian troops were overheard saying “Chum, to hell with Malaya and Singapore. Navy let us down, air force let us down. If the bungs [natives] won't fight for their bloody country, why pick on me?” Sensing a complete collapse Percival formed a tight defense arc in front of the city, and by the 13th his commanders were telling him they believed Singapore was already doomed. Wavell was asked for approval for surrender, but he replied  “to continue to inflict maximum damage on enemy for as long as possible by house-to-house fighting if necessary.” Percival then told him the water reservoirs were taken, so Wavell sent back “YOUR GALLANT STAND IS SERVING A PURPOSE AND MUST BE CONTINUED TO THE LIMIT OF ENDURANCE”   On the 15th, Percival held a morning conference reported there was no more fuel, field gun nor bofor ammunition. In 24 hours their water would be done. He told them he would ask for a ceasefire at 4pm, by the end of the day Wavell gave him permission to surrender. Over at his HQ on the Bukit Timah heights, Yamashita was staring at a Union Jack fluttering over Fort Canning. Then a field phone rang, and a frontline commander reported the British were sending out a flag of truce.   Meanwhile back on February the 14th, Japanese forces reached the Alexandra Barracks hospital at 1pm. At 1:40pm a British Lt greeting them waving a white flag and was bayoneted on the spot. The Japanese stormed the hospital and murdered the staff and patients. 200 male staff and patients, badly wounded were bound over night and marched to an industrial estate half a mile away. Anyone who collapsed was bayoneted. The survivors of the march were formed into small groups and hacked to death or bayoneted. For a few days over 320 men and women were massacred. Only 5 survivors would give recounts of the event. It is suspected by historians that Tsuji was the architect of the Alexandra hospital massacre. This is because he was the instigator of countless atrocities he ordered unbeknownst to his superior commanders such as Yamashita.    Percival was ordered to go to the Ford motor factory to where he met with Yamashita. Yamashita was hiding his surprise that the surrender party came and as he glanced at the surrender terms he said through his interpreter “The Japanese Army will consider nothing but surrender,” Yamashita knew his forces were on the verge of running out of ammunition and he still held half troops Percival did, he was anxious Percival would figure it out. Percival replied “I fear that we shall not be able to submit our final reply before ten-thirty p.m.,” Percival had no intention of fighting on he simply wanted to work out specific details before signing the surrender. Yamashita was sure Percival was stalling. “Reply to us only whether our terms are acceptable or not. Things must be settled swiftly. We are prepared to resume firing.Unless you do surrender, we will have to carry out our night attack as scheduled.”” Percival replied ““Cannot the Japanese Army remain in its present position? We can resume negotiations again tomorrow at five-thirty A.M”. Yamashita screamed “Nani! I want the hostilities to cease tonight and I want to remind you there can be no arguments.” Percival replied ““We shall discontinue firing by eight-thirty p.m. Had we better remain in our present positions tonight?” Yamashita said yes and that firing would cease at 8:30pm and that 1000 allied men could keep arms to maintain order within the city. Yamashita stated “You have agreed to the terms but you have not yet made yourself clear as to whether you agree to surrender or not.” Percival cleared his throat and gave a simple nod. Yamashita looked at his interpreter “There's no need for all this talk. It is a simple question and I want a simple answer.” He turned to Percival and shouted, “We want to hear ‘Yes' or ‘No' from you! Surrender or fight!” Percival finally blurted out  “Yes, I agree. I have a request to make. Will the Imperial Army protect the women and children and British civilians?”Yamashita replied  “We shall see to it. Please sign this truce agreement”. At 7:50 the surrender was signed off, 40 minutes later Singapore was in the hands of the Japanese. In 70 days Yamashita took at the cost of 9824 casualties, had seized Malaya and Singapore, nearly 120,000 British surrendered. It was the greatest land victory in Japanese history.   Churchill called the fall of Singapore to the Japanese "the worst disaster and largest capitulation in British history" Churchills physician Lord Moran wrote The fall of Singapore on February 15 stupefied the Prime Minister. How came 100,000 men (half of them of our own race) to hold up their hands to inferior numbers of Japanese? Though his mind had been gradually prepared for its fall, the surrender of the fortress stunned him. He felt it was a disgrace. It left a scar on his mind. One evening, months later, when he was sitting in his bathroom enveloped in a towel, he stopped drying himself and gloomily surveyed the floor: 'I cannot get over Singapore', he said sadly   With the fall of singapore came another atrocity, the Sook Ching massacre. After February 18th, the Japanese military began mass killings of what they deemed undesirables, mostly ethnic Chinese. It was overseen by the Kempeitai and did not stop in Singapore, but spread to Malaya. It seems the aim of the purge was to intimidate the Chinese community from performing any resistance. According to postwar testimony taken from a war correspondent embedded with the 25th army, Colonel Hishakari Takafumi, he stated an order went out to kill 50,000 Chinese, of which 20 percent of the total was issued by senior officials on Yamashita's operations staff, most likely Tsuji. It is certain at the behest of Tsuji the orders were extended to Malay. The death toll is a tricky one, the Japanese went on the record to admit to 6000 murders, the Singaporean Chinese community and the Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew allege 70,000-100,000. Historians analyzing the scale of discovered mass graves after some decades think around 25,000-50,000. How much Yamashita knew of the massacre is debatable, the orders came from his office after all, but it seems Tsuji had orchestrated it. Many of Japan's generals wanted Yamashita to be appointed war minister, a move that obviously threatened then Prime Minister Hideki Tojo, who feared his rival. Tojo retaliated, ordering Japan's new war hero back to Manchuria. On the surface, the assignment appeared worthy as Yamashita would serve as the first line of defense against a possible Soviet invasion. But since the two nations had signed a neutrality pact in April 1941, and Soviets were bogged down fighting the Germans, immediate war appeared unlikely. In reality, Tojo had parked Yamashita on the war's sidelines. Tojo went even further, he barred Yamashita any leave in Tokyo, preventing him from visiting his wife as well as from delivering a speech he had written for the emperor. No worries though, an aide of Yamashita's sent him three geishas. Allegedly he said this “I know they want to please me with these girls. But send them back—and don't forget to tip them.” The Tiger of Malaya would maintain a low profile in Manchuria where he received a promotion to full General. As months fell to years Yamashita sat on the sidelines helpless to aid the Japanese forces. His exile would come to an end in 1944 when Tojo was outed and the Tiger was required to try and save the Philippines from General Douglas MacArthur.

Ceremony: The Emperor as Collective Focal Point and Sacred Kingship — Gaius & Germanicus — In the "freezing darkness of Londinium," Gaius and Germanicus reflect philosophically on the spectacle of the new American"Emperor" (Donald Trump) attending the Army-Navy football game, with Gaius describing the theatrical pageantry of Trump's entrance flanked by enormous military officers and the overwhelming orchestrated cheers from assembled military cadets. Gaius argues that for a transcendent moment, the United States embodied the full confidence, unified purpose, and absolute power characteristic of the Roman Empire at its zenith. Germanicus analyzes this ceremonial moment through historical lens, positing that the Emperor functions as a "collective focal point" for national identity and institutional legitimacy, embodying "sacred kingship" roles that unify the entire nation in ways that republican governance structures fundamentally cannot achieve. Germanicus compares this modern ceremonial spectacle to Roman imperial tradition wherein the Emperor's physical presence at the Coliseum or the Hippodrome served vital ritualistic functions transcending mere entertainment, instead melding the Emperor, the Senate, and the populace into a singular apotheosis of unified national identity and sacred authority. Germanicus suggests that this ceremonial gathering simultaneously demonstrated American military strength while affirming the psychological necessity of embodied leadership and collective ritual in maintaining national cohesion and ideological purpose.

https://www.patreon.com/isyanderandkoda You already know how to please the Machine Gods at this point so thank you so much. And make your voices heard for which faction you would like to see next! -Isyander P.s for those of you who want to send stuff our way. Thank you in advance. Po BoxIsyander & Koda Po Box 1196, Tacoma, Wa, 98402, USAAnything below is made for (and by) the omnissiah. You can read it though, just a summary of the banger of a video you're watching.This video is not about Lorgar alone. This is about his sons — the Word Bearers — and the single most traumatic event in their history: the Burning of Monarchia, told from their perspective.Before Chaos. Before Erebus became a punchline. Before the Heresy was inevitable.The Word Bearers were penitents, zealots, conquerors, and believers — forged through brutality, indoctrination, and faith. They didn't just conquer worlds; they erased rival beliefs, built monuments to the Emperor, and ensured loyalty down to the bone.And then Monarchia burned.———TAGSwarhammer 40k, warhammer 40k lore, warhammer lore, warhammer 40k explained, warhammer 40k storytelling, warhammer 40k narrative, grimdark, grimdark lore, grimdark storytelling, adeptus astartes, space marines, chaos space marines, traitor legions, traitor astartes, chaos lore, chaos gods, chaos undivided, chaos worship, fall to chaos, corruption of chaos, first heretics, origins of heresy, horus heresy, horus heresy lore, horus heresy explained, great crusade, great crusade lore, imperial truth, imperial cult, emperor of mankind, god emperor, emperor worship, imperial propaganda, imperium of man, imperium lore, word bearers, word bearers lore, word bearers explained, word bearers legion, imperial heralds, imperial heralds lore, lorgar, lorgar aurelian, lorgar primarch, lorgar explained, lorgar lore, kor phaeron, kor phaeron lore, erebus, erebus explained, erebus lore, malcador the sigillite, malcador lore, roboute guilliman, guilliman lore, ultramarines, ultramarines lore, ultramarines explained, ultramarines monarchia, monarchia, monarchia warhammer, monarchia lore, monarchia explained, burning of monarchia, burning of monarchia lore, monarchia tragedy, word bearers monarchia, legion trauma, legion humiliation, forced kneeling, emperor punishment, custodes, adeptus custodes, custodes lore, imperial sanction, compliance actions, planetary compliance, religious purges, lectitio divinitatus, lectitio divinitatus lore, imperial scripture, forbidden worship, chaos cults, chaos infiltration, chaos corruption imperium, cadia, cadia lore, eye of terror, eye of terror lore, warp, warp travel, warp corruption, daemons, daemonology, chaos entities, birth of slaanesh, fall of the eldar, eldar lore, ancient warhammer history, battle of calth, calth war, shadow crusade, ultramar war, ultramar sector, siege of terra, siege of terra lore, daemon primarchs, angron, angron lore, world eaters, world eaters lore, fulgrim, fulgrim lore, emperor's children, emperor's children lore, chaos champions, chaos apostles, dark apostles, chaos rituals, chaos prayers, chaos scripture, chaos faith, religious fanaticism, fanatic legions, most active legions, heresy era warfare, legion warfare, inter legion conflict, brother against brother, civil war imperium, warhammer tragedy, warhammer philosophy, warhammer religion, warhammer faith, warhammer deep lore, warhammer longform lore, warhammer video essay, warhammer analysis, warhammer history deep dive————————————Opinions expressed in this video are solely those of Isyander & Koda and in no way reflect the views or opinions of Games Workshop Ltd.Artwork throughout this video is used for educational purposes. if you see your artwork and would like an art credit, message me.Support the show

Discover the dramatic story of Napoleon Bonaparte's state funeral and the return of his remains to France in 1840, nearly two decades after his death on Saint Helena. Special guest Charles Mackay joins us to explores the political symbolism, the public reaction, and the elaborate procession that accompanied the Emperor's final journey through Paris to Les Invalides.Learn why King Louis-Philippe agreed to bring Napoleon home, how French citizens responded, and what the funeral meant for Napoleon's legacy in French history.

Welcome to the One Piece at a Time Podcast where I'm joined by Brandon Bovia to read and discuss 5 chapters of the One Piece manga every week. And after the appearance that everything will go smoothly in Wano, it's time to bring that idea crashing down. This is an Emperor they're challenging and a show of Kaido's strength is going to show just how hard their plan will be. But what else does it say as give our thoughts on Chapters 921-925 of One Piece!Support the One Piece at a Time Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/DerrickBitnerCheck out more from Brandon Bovia! https://twitter.com/brandonboviahttps://bsky.app/profile/brandonbovia.bsky.social

In this episode, Sarah and Jes discuss the best books of the year, great books to give as gifts, the most checked out items at DMPL, and the librarians personal favorite books they read in 2025. Learn more below:   Show Notes What we are reading Jes: On the Calculation of Volume I by Solvej Balle Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke Sarah: Just Our Luck by Denise Williams, The Everlasting by Alix E. Harrow Best Bets (good gifts) Automatic Noodle by Annalee Newitz, The Book of Alchemy by Suleika Jaouad, The JFK Conspiracy: The Secret Plot to Kill Kennedy―and Why it Failed by Brad Meltzer and Joel Mensch, How to Be a Saint: An Extremely Weird and Mildly Sacrilegious History of the Catholic Church's Biggest Names by Kate Sidley Best of the Year Lists Books 1. Heart the Lover by Lily King 2. Audition by Katie Kitamura 3. Emperor of Gladness by Ocean Vuong 4. Katabasis by R.F Kuang 5. Mother Mary Comes to me by Arundhati Roy 6. The Buffalo Hunter Hunter by Stephen Graham Jones 7. A Flower Traveled in My Blood by Haley Cohen Gilliland 8. Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid 9. Baldwin by Nicolas Boggs 10. Flesh by David Szalay Top Checked Out 1. The Wedding People by Alison Espach 2. The God of the Woods by Liz Moore 3. Strangers in Time by Baldacci by David Baldacci 4. The Let Them Theory by Mel Robbins 5. Great, Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry 6. James by Percival Everett 7. Say You'll Remember Me by Abby Jimenez 8. Dog Man: Big Jim Begins and Dog Man: The Scarlet Shredder by Dav Pilkey 9. My Friends by Fredrik Backman Top DVDs Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice Wicked Conclave  Jes' Top Ten 1. Woodworking by Emily St. James 2. Poet's Square by Courtney Gustafson 3. Heart the Lover by Lily King 4. Migrations by Charlotte McConaghy 5. Sky Daddy by Kate Folk 6. Audition by Katie Kitamura 7. The Safekeep by Yael van der Wouden 8. Disappoint Me by Nicola Dinan 9. Blood Over Bright Haven by M.L. Wang 10. Stag Dance by Torrey Peters Sarah's Top Ten 1. A Caribbean Heiress in Paris by Adriana Herrera 2. Who is Government edited by Michael Lewis and Abundance by Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson 3. The Unmaking of June Farrow by Adrienne Young 4. The Shots you Take by Rachel Reid 5. A Thousand Ships by Natalie Haynes 6. Shield of Sparrows by Devney Perry 7. Muted by Miranda Mundt 8. The River has Roots by Amal El-Mohtar 9. Everyone Who is Gone is Here by Jonathan Blitzer 10. Heir by Sabaa Tahir Random Books Heated Rivalry by Rachel Reid The Correspondent by Virginia Evans     Links No Lovers on These Covers https://www.nytimes.com/2025/11/13/books/review/831-stories-romance.html?unlocked_article_code=1.1E8.jA9U.hHjLV3tspEo8&smid=url-share&utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email  It's Time To Put The "Where Are All The Male Novelists?" Debate To Bed https://www.vogue.co.uk/article/vanishing-young-male-novelists-debate  The Guardian view on the Booker prize winner: putting masculinity back at the centre of literary fiction https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/nov/14/the-guardian-view-on-the-booker-prize-winner-putting-masculinity-back-at-the-centre-of-literary-fiction 

Jesus lived in an area occupied by the mighty Roman Empire ruled by an autocratic Emperor during a time of relative peace known as Pax Romana. How did this state of affairs come about, and how did it flourished and operate at the time of Jesus’ birth, during his adult life, and the subsequent early Christian movement? Ee41. From Jesus to Christianity by L. Michael White at https://amzn.to/4008FpD Other books by L. Michael White available at https://amzn.to/400ofSm World Religions by John Bowker available at https://amzn.to/3q1erKf ENJOY Ad-Free content, Bonus episodes, and Extra materials when joining our growing community on https://patreon.com/markvinet SUPPORT this channel by purchasing any product on Amazon using this FREE entry LINK https://amzn.to/3POlrUD (Amazon gives us credit at NO extra charge to you). Mark Vinet's HISTORY OF NORTH AMERICA podcast: www.parthenonpodcast.com/history-of-north-america Mark's TIMELINE video channel: https://youtube.com/c/TIMELINE_MarkVinet Website: https://markvinet.com/podcast Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mark.vinet.9 Twitter: https://twitter.com/HistoricalJesu Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/denarynovels Mark's books: https://amzn.to/3k8qrGM Sources: From Jesus to Christianity by L. Michael White; World Religions: The Great Faiths explored & explained by J. Bowker.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ruled by an autocratic Emperor, Jesus lived in an area occupied by the mighty Roman Empire. How was this system of one-man rule established, and how did it flourished and operate at the time of Jesus’ birth, during his adult life, and the subsequent early Christian movement? Ee40. Emperor of Rome by Mary Beard book available at https://amzn.to/3RU7oyp Other books by Professor Mary Beard available at https://amzn.to/3LUQThQ Dan Snow's History Hit podcast available at https://amzn.to/48HlmtH ENJOY Ad-Free content, Bonus episodes, and Extra materials when joining our growing community on https://patreon.com/markvinet SUPPORT this channel by purchasing any product on Amazon using this FREE entry LINK https://amzn.to/3POlrUD (Amazon gives us credit at NO extra charge to you). Mark Vinet's HISTORY OF NORTH AMERICA podcast: www.parthenonpodcast.com/history-of-north-america Mark's TIMELINE video channel: https://youtube.com/c/TIMELINE_MarkVinet Website: https://markvinet.com/podcast Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mark.vinet.9 Twitter: https://twitter.com/HistoricalJesu Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/denarynovels Mark's books: https://amzn.to/3k8qrGM Audio credits: Dan Snow's History Hit podcast (Episode 1290 - Roman Emperors with Mary Beard). Audio excerpts reproduced under the Fair Use (Fair Dealings) Legal Doctrine for purposes such as criticism, comment, teaching, education, scholarship, research and news reporting.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Long live the Emperor! After decades of corruption and undue influence from the Jedi cult, the Galactic Republic has been abolished and replaced with the First Galactic Empire.Aided by the Empire's Stormtroopers, the newly christened Imperial Knights have spent the past year hunting down the remaining Jedi and rooting out Separatist holdouts.Led by the powerful Anakin Skywalker, the knights have brought peace, freedom, justice, and security to the new Empire, and now begin the work of building their forces to counter any new threats that may arise....Support the show

HEADLINE: The Planned Third Bomb and the Failed Palace Coup GUEST AUTHOR: Evan Thomas SUMMARY: As the U.S. prepared a third atomic bomb for Tokyo, a military coup attempted to seize the Imperial Palace to prevent surrender. Loyal chamberlains hid the Emperor's surrender recording from the plotters, eventually broadcasting the message to a populace that was psychologically prepared to fight to the death. 1934

The Emperor's Intervention and the Deadlock over Unconditional Surrender: Colleague Evan Thomas recounts that despite two atomic bombings, War Minister Anami proposed national suicide rather than surrender, deadlocking the Supreme Council, with Emperor Hirohito finally intervening to accept the Potsdam Declaration, though negotiations stalled over the status of the Emperor as the leadership feared execution for war crimes if they accepted unconditional surrender. 1934 TOKYO

By Lud Kiramidjian Jr - Speaker: Lud Kiramidjian Date: 12/13/25 After Paul had been arrested in Jerusalem, he was imprisoned in nearby Caesarea for two years. Because he had appealed his case to Caesar, he was sent to Rome (to eventually appear before the Emperor). This journey by Paul from Caesarea to Rome (recorded in

On this week's episode, Brad, Eric and Bricky discuss the newest, freshest, shiniest, balance update for Warhammer 40K! Tune in to find out which factions got undeservedly nerfed and which factions got rules in their detachments that should be in datasheets.   POORHAMMER MERCH! https://orchideight.com/collections/poorhammer PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/SolelySingleton YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/@thepoorhammerpodcast TWITCH: https://www.twitch.tv/poorhammer Website: https://poorhammer.libsyn.com/   TIMESTAMPS: 00:00 Hello and Welcome 00:45 Core Changes 02:53 Adepta Sororitas 04:15 Adeptus Custodes 06:18 Adeptus Mechanicus 07:32 Astra Militarum 08:48 Grey Knights 10:46 Space Marines 13:11 Space Marine Chapters 14:22 Imperial Agents 15:15 Imperial Knights 15:44 Chaos Knights 16:21 Chaos Daemons 22:34 Chaos Space Marines and Death Guard 23:12 Emperor's Children 25:32 World Eaters 26:03 Thousand Sons 29:54 Aeldari 36:50 Drukhari 37:05 Necrons and Orks 37:18 Genestealer Cults 38:13 Leagues of Votann 38:34 T'au Empire 39:25 Tyranids 40:15 Astra Militarum New Detachment 46:58 Chaos Space Marines Detachment 52:19 Blood Angels Detachment 55:20 Harlequins Detachment 57:21 10, 48, 35 or 40, 34 01:00:46 Emperor's Children Detachment 01:03:46 Space Wolves Detachment 01:13:56 Wrapping Up 01:15:48 Alright Audio Audience   Contact Information: You can interact with Solely Singleton by joining the hosts on discord and Twitter to give input to improve the show. Feel free to email more detailed questions and suggestions to the show's email address.   Your Hosts: Brad (DrRuler) & Eric (OnekuoSora) Brad's Bsky: https://bsky.app/profile/drruler.bsky.social Eric's Bsky: https://bsky.app/profile/onekuosora.bsky.social Show Email: thepoorhammerpodcast@gmail.com Merch Website: http://www.poorhammer.com/ Edited by: Menino Berilio Show Mailing Address: PO Box 70893 Rochester Hills, MI 48307   Licensed Music Used By This Program: "Night Out" by LiQWYD CC BY "Thursday & Snow (Reprise)" by Blank & Kytt CC BY "First Class" by Peyruis CC BY "Funky Souls" by Amaria CC BY

On this week's episode, Brad, Eric and Bricky discuss the newest, freshest, shiniest, balance update for Warhammer 40K! Tune in to find out which factions got undeservedly nerfed and which factions got rules in their detachments that should be in datasheets.   POORHAMMER MERCH! https://orchideight.com/collections/poorhammer PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/SolelySingleton YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/@thepoorhammerpodcast TWITCH: https://www.twitch.tv/poorhammer Website: https://poorhammer.libsyn.com/   TIMESTAMPS: 00:00 Hello and Welcome 00:45 Core Changes 02:53 Adepta Sororitas 04:15 Adeptus Custodes 06:18 Adeptus Mechanicus 07:32 Astra Militarum 08:48 Grey Knights 10:46 Space Marines 13:11 Space Marine Chapters 14:22 Imperial Agents 15:15 Imperial Knights 15:44 Chaos Knights 16:21 Chaos Daemons 22:34 Chaos Space Marines and Death Guard 23:12 Emperor's Children 25:32 World Eaters 26:03 Thousand Sons 29:54 Aeldari 36:50 Drukhari 37:05 Necrons and Orks 37:18 Genestealer Cults 38:13 Leagues of Votann 38:34 T'au Empire 39:25 Tyranids 40:15 Astra Militarum New Detachment 46:58 Chaos Space Marines Detachment 52:19 Blood Angels Detachment 55:20 Harlequins Detachment 57:21 10, 48, 35 or 40, 34 01:00:46 Emperor's Children Detachment 01:03:46 Space Wolves Detachment 01:13:56 Wrapping Up 01:15:48 Alright Audio Audience   Contact Information: You can interact with Solely Singleton by joining the hosts on discord and Twitter to give input to improve the show. Feel free to email more detailed questions and suggestions to the show's email address.   Your Hosts: Brad (DrRuler) & Eric (OnekuoSora) Brad's Bsky: https://bsky.app/profile/drruler.bsky.social Eric's Bsky: https://bsky.app/profile/onekuosora.bsky.social Show Email: thepoorhammerpodcast@gmail.com Merch Website: http://www.poorhammer.com/ Edited by: Menino Berilio Show Mailing Address: PO Box 70893 Rochester Hills, MI 48307   Licensed Music Used By This Program: "Night Out" by LiQWYD CC BY "Thursday & Snow (Reprise)" by Blank & Kytt CC BY "First Class" by Peyruis CC BY "Funky Souls" by Amaria CC BY

Menas was an Athenian, a courtier of the Emperor Maximinus, and a secret Christian. Once there was an outbreak of civil unrest in Alexandria, brought about by various political factions, and by the increasing success of Christian missionaries in turning the Alexandrian people from the idols. The Emperor sent Menas to reconcile the parties and settle the dispute. On his arrival, Menas quickly resolved the political troubles and restored peace to the city; but instead of putting down Christianity as the Emperor had desired, he did everything in his power to protect the Christians and encourage the spread of the Gospel. When word of this came to the Emperor, he sent another trusted courtier, Hermogenes, to re-establish Imperial authority and to execute Menas if he would not renounce Christ. Hermogenes followed these orders scrupulously: he subjected the godly Menas to various horrid tortures in the public arena. But Menas was miraculously preserved through them all, and when he finally appeared in the arena, flanked by two shining Angels, Hermogenes repented and confessed Christ. He in turn became such a fervent advocate for the Gospel that he was soon made a Bishop (!). Finally the Emperor decided that the only solution was to come to Alexandria himself. There he had both Menas and Hermogenes cruelly tortured to death in secret, lest they perform any public miracles; but when the Emperor presented himself before the people at the arena the following day, the two Saints, miraculously preserved, appeared there also, causing the people to cry out "Christ is the only true God!" At the sight, Menas' scribe Eugraphus declared himself a Christian, leaped into the arena and publicly demanded the honor of dying with them. All three were beheaded. Their precious relics were later taken to Constantinople, where they worked many miracles.

CULTIVATING SAINTS, SAGES, AND STATESMEN THROUGH THE GREAT TRADITION OF CHRISTENDOMIn this episode, our next "Papal Snapshot," we cover the famous Law Code of Justinian and what it says about the authority of the Pope as revealed in an exchange of letters between Emperor Justinian and Pope John II. The Code of Justinian had an enormous impact on the development of the western legal tradition, making its strong affirmation of papal authority all the more notable.VISIT OUR WEBSITEhttps://eternalchristendom.com/BECOME A PATRON OF THE GREAT TRADITIONAs a non-profit, you can support our mission with a tax-deductible gift. Help us continue to dig into the Great Tradition; produce beautiful, substantive content; and gift these treasures to cultural orphans around the world for free: https://eternalchristendom.com/become-a-patron/CONNECT ON SOCIAL MEDIAX: https://twitter.com/JoshuaTCharlesFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/joshuatcharles/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joshuatcharles/DIVE DEEPERCheck out our “Becoming Catholic” resources, where you'll find 1 million+ words of free content (bigger than the Bible!) in the form of Articles, Quote Archives, and Study Banks to help you become, remain, and deepen your life as a Catholic: https://eternalchristendom.com/becoming-catholic/SUBSTACKSubscribe to our Substack to get regular updates on our content, and other premium content: https://eternalchristendom.substack.com/EXCLUSIVE BOOKSTORE DISCOUNTShttps://eternalchristendom.com/bookstore/CHAPTERS00:00 - Intro03:13 - Historical Context for the Code of Justinian04:59 - Letters Between Pope John II and Emperor Justinian21:37 - ConclusionThis podcast can also be heard on Apple, Spotify, and other podcast platforms.

Our own Chaz Brenchley has a prolific year with 4 (5?) new books published. We gathered to talk about his first in a new series, “Of The Emperor's Kindness”. It is written within a new genre I had to go delve into learning more about, a Fantasy of Manners with only a touch of violence here and there. It is a delightful sapphic romp into a world of his own devising, of warring nations, diplomacy, and noble scheming. The romance of Ambassador Malance and her staff and Vivi (the Emperor's… niece?) whirl their way through palace intrigues, murder plots, and politics at the highest level of the land. … Continue...Episode 223 – Chaz and the Emperor's Kindness

For thousands of years, God followed his people and spoke mightily through heroes, kings, poets, and prophets… But for 400 years, there was silence… What happened in those silent years?Today's Bible verse is Philippians 2:5-7, from the King James Version.Download the Pray.com app for more Christian content including, Daily Prayers, Inspirational Testimonies, and Bedtime Bible Stories.Pray.com is the digital destination for faith. With over 5,000 daily prayers, meditations, bedtime stories, and cinematic stories inspired by the Bible, the Pray.com app has everything you need to keep your focus on the Lord. Make Prayer a priority and download the #1 App for Prayer and Sleep today in the Apple app store or Google Play store.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Last time we spoke about the beginning of the battle of lake Khasan. On a frost-bitten dawn by the Chaun and Tumen, two empires, Soviet and Japanese, stared at Changkufeng, each certain the ridge would decide their fate. Diplomats urged restraint, but Tokyo's generals plotted a bold gamble: seize the hill with a surprise strike and bargain afterward. In the Japanese camp, a flurry of trains, orders, and plans moved in the night. Officers like Sato and Suetaka debated danger and responsibility, balancing "dokudan senko", independent action with disciplined restraint. As rain hammered the earth, they contemplated a night assault: cross the Tumen, occupy Hill 52, and strike Changkufeng with coordinated dawn and night attacks. Engineers, artillery, and infantry rehearsed their movements in near-poetic precision, while the 19th Engineers stitched crossings and bridges into a fragile path forward. Across the river, Soviet scouts and border guards held their nerve, counting enemy shadows and watching for a break in the line. The clash at Shachaofeng became a lightning rod: a small force crossed into Manchurian soil in the restless dark, provoking a broader crisis just as diplomacy teetered.   #179 From Darkness to Crest: The Changkufeng Battle Welcome to the Fall and Rise of China Podcast, I am your dutiful host Craig Watson. But, before we start I want to also remind you this podcast is only made possible through the efforts of Kings and Generals over at Youtube. Perhaps you want to learn more about the history of Asia? Kings and Generals have an assortment of episodes on history of asia and much more  so go give them a look over on Youtube. So please subscribe to Kings and Generals over at Youtube and to continue helping us produce this content please check out www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals. If you are still hungry for some more history related content, over on my channel, the Pacific War Channel where I cover the history of China and Japan from the 19th century until the end of the Pacific War. As remarked in the 19th division's war journal "With sunset on the 30th, the numbers of enemy soldiers increased steadily. Many motor vehicles, and even tanks, appear to have moved up. The whole front has become tense. Hostile patrols came across the border frequently, even in front of Chiangchunfeng. Tank-supported infantry units were apparently performing offensive deployment on the high ground south of Shachaofeng." Situation maps from the evening indicated Soviet patrol activity approaching the staging area of Nakano's unit near the Tumen, moving toward Noguchi's company to the left of Chiangchunfeng, and advancing toward Matsunobe's unit southwest of Shachaofeng. Russian vessels were depicted ferrying across Khasan, directly behind Changkufeng, while tanks moved south from Shachaofeng along the western shores of the lake. The 19th division's war journal states "Then it was ascertained that these attack forces had gone into action. All of our own units quietly commenced counteraction from late that night, as scheduled, after having systematically completed preparations since nightfall." Meanwhile, to the north, the Hunchun garrison reinforced the border with a battalion and tightened security. All evidence supported the view that Suetaka "in concept" and Sato"(in tactics" played the main part in the night-attack planning and decisions. Sato was the only infantry regimental commander at the front on 30 July. One division staff officer went so far as to say that Suetaka alone exerted the major influence, that Sato merely worked out details, including the type of attack and the timing. Intertwined with the decision to attack Changkufeng was the choice of an infantry regiment. The 76th Regiment was responsible for the defense of the sector through its Border Garrison Unit; but the latter had no more than two companies to guard a 40-mile border extending almost to Hunchun, and Okido's regimental headquarters was 75 miles to the rear at Nanam. T. Sato's 73rd Regiment was also at Nanam, while Cho's 74th Regiment was stationed another 175 miles southwest at Hamhung. Thus, the regiment nearest to Changkufeng was K. Sato's 75th, 50 miles away at Hoeryong. Although Suetaka had had time to shuffle units if he desired, Sasai suggested that troop movements from Nanam could not be concealed; from Hoeryong they might be termed maneuvers. Suetaka undoubtedly had favorites in terms of units as well as chiefs. K. Sato had served longest as regimental commander, since October 1937; Okido's date of rank preceded K. Sato's, but Okido had not taken command until 1938. He and Cho were able enough, but they were unknown quantities; T. Sato and Cho were brand-new colonels.  Thus, K. Sato was best known to Suetaka and was familiar with the terrain. While he did not regard his regiment as the equal of units in the Kwantung Army or in the homeland, K. Sato's training program was progressing well and his men were rugged natives of Nagano and Tochigi prefectures. From the combat soldier's standpoint, the Changkufeng Incident was waged between picked regulars on both sides. The matter of quantitative regimental strength could have played no part in Suetaka's choice. The 74th, 75th, and 76th regiments each possessed 1,500 men; the 73rd, 1,200. Even in ordinary times, every unit conducted night-attack training, attended by Suetaka, but there was nothing special in July, even after the general inspected the 75th Regiment on the 11th. It had been said that the most efficient battalions were selected for the action. Although, of course, Sato claimed that all of his battalions were good, from the outset he bore the 1st Battalion in mind for the night attack and had it reconnoiter the Changkufeng area. Some discerned no special reasons; it was probably a matter of numerical sequence, 1st-2nd-3rd Battalions. Others called the choice a happy coincidence because of the 1st Battalion's 'splendid unity' and the aggressive training conducted by Major Ichimoto, who had reluctantly departed recently for regimental headquarters. Coming from the 75th Regiment headquarters to take over the 1st Battalion was the 40-year-old aide Major Nakano. By all accounts, he was quiet, serious, and hard-working, a man of noble character, gentle and sincere. More the administrative than commander type, Nakano lacked experience in commanding battalions and never had sufficient time to get to know his new unit (or they, him) before the night assault. He could hardly be expected to have stressed anything particular in training. Since there was no battalion-level training, the most valid unit of comparison in the regiment was the company, the smallest infantry component trained and equipped to conduct combat missions independently. Sato valued combat experience among subordinates; Nakano's 1st Battalion was considered a veteran force by virtue of its old-timer company commanders. All but one had come up through the ranks; the exception, young Lieutenant Nakajima, the darling of Sato, was a military academy graduate. For assault actions synchronized with those of the 1st Battalion, Sato selected Ito, the one line captain commanding the 6th Company of the 2nd Battalion, and Takeshita, 10th Company commander, one of the two line captains of the 3rd Battalion. In short, Sato had designated five veteran captains and a promising lieutenant to conduct the night-attack operations of 30-31 July, the first Japanese experience of battle against the modern Red Army. During the last two weeks of July, numerous spurious farmers had gambled along the lower reaches of the Tumen, reconnoitered the terrain, and prepared for a crossing and assault. Scouts had operated on both the Manchurian and Korean sides of the river. Major Nakano had conducted frequent personal reconnaissance and had dispatched platoon and patrol leaders, all heavy-weapons observation teams, and even the battalion doctor to Sozan Hill, to Chiangchunfeng, and close to enemy positions. In Korean garb and often leading oxen, the scouts had threaded their way through the Changkufeng sector, sometimes holing up for the night to observe Soviet movements, soil and topography, and levels of illumination. From this data, Nakano had prepared reference materials necessary for an assault. Hirahara, then located at Kucheng BGU Headquarters, had established three observation posts on high ground to the rear. After Chiangchunfeng had been occupied, Hirahara had set up security positions and routes there. Regarding Changkufeng, he had sought to ensure that even the lowest private studied the layout. Formation commanders such as Takeshita had volunteered frequently. Sato had also utilized engineers. Since the order to leave his station on 17 July, Lieutenant Colonel Kobayashi had had his regiment engage in scouting routes, bridges, and potential fords. Sato's 1st Company commander had prepared a sketch during 3% hours of reconnaissance across from Hill 52 during the afternoon of 18 July. Captain Yamada's intelligence had contributed to the tactical decisions and to knowledge of Russian strength and preparations. The most important information had been his evaluation of attack approaches, suggesting an offensive from the western side, preferably against the right flank or frontally. This concept had been the one applied by the regiment in its night assault two weeks later; Yamada had died on the green slopes he had scanned. Cloudy Saturday, 30 July, had drawn to a close. The moment had been at hand for the 75th Regiment to storm the Russians atop Changkufeng. Setting out from Fangchuanting at 22:30, Nakano's battalion, about 350 strong, had assembled at a fork one kilometer southwest of Changkufeng. The roads had been knee-deep in mud due to intermittent rain and downpours on 29–30 July. Now the rain had subsided, but clouds had blotted out the sky after the waning moon had set at 22:30. Led by Sakata's 1st Platoon leader, the men had marched silently toward the southern foot of Changkufeng; the murk had deepened and the soldiers could see no more than ten meters ahead. It had taken Sakata's men less than an hour to push forward the last 1,000 meters to the jump-off point, where they had waited another two hours before X-hour arrived. Scouts had advanced toward the first row of wire, 200–300 meters away. Platoon Leader Amagasa had infiltrated the positions alone and had reconnoitered the southeastern side of the heights. Sakata had heard from the patrols about the entanglements and their distance and makeup. While awaiting paths to be cut by engineer teams, the infantry had moved up as far as possible, 150 meters from the enemy, by 23:30. Although records described Changkufeng as quite steep, it had not been hard to climb until the main Russian positions were reached, even though there were cliffs. But as the craggy peak had been neared, the enemy defenses, which had taken advantage of rocks and dips, could not have been rushed in a bound. It had been 500 meters to the crest from the gently sloping base. The incline near the top had been steep at about 40 degrees and studded with boulders. Farther down were more soil and gravel. Grass had carpeted the foot. Japanese Army radio communications had been in their infancy; wire as well as runners had served as the main means of linking regimental headquarters with the front-line infantry, crossing-point engineers, and supporting guns across the Tumen in Korea. From Chiangchunfeng to the 1st Battalion, lines had been installed from the morning of 29 July. Combat communications had been operated by the small regimental signal unit, 27 officers and men. In general, signal traffic had been smooth and reception was good. Engineer support had been rendered by one platoon, primarily to assist with wire-cutting operations. Nakano had ordered his 1st Company to complete clearing the wire by 02:00. At 23:30 the cutters had begun their work on the right with three teams under 1st Lieutenant Inagaki. Since the proposed breach had been far from the enemy positions and there were no outposts nearby, Inagaki had pressed the work of forced clearing. The first entanglements had been breached fairly quickly, then the second. At about midnight, a dim light had etched the darkness, signaling success. There had been two gaps on the right. On the left side, Sakata's company had hoped to pierce the barbed wire in secrecy rather than by forced clearing. Only one broad belt of entanglements, actually the first and third lines, had been reconnoitered along the south and southeastern slopes. Sakata had assigned one team of infantry, with a covering squad led by Master Sergeant Amagasa, to the engineer unit under 2nd Lieutenant Nagayama. Covert clearing of a pair of gaps had begun. The Russian stakes had been a meter apart and the teams cut at the center of each section, making breaches wide enough for a soldier to wriggle through. To the rear, the infantry had crouched expectantly, while from the direction of Khasan the rumble of Soviet armor could be heard. At 00:10, when the first line of wire had been penetrated and the cutters were moving forward, the silence had been broken by the furious barking of Russian sentry dogs, and pale blue flares had burst over the slopes. As recalled by an engineer "It had been as bright as day. If only fog would cover us or it would start to rain!" At the unanticipated second line, the advancing clearing elements had drawn gunfire and grenades. But the Russians had been taken by surprise, Sakata said, and their machine guns had been firing high. Two engineers had been wounded; the security patrol on the left flank may have drawn the fire. Sakata had crawled up to Lieutenant Nagayama's cutting teams. One party had been hiding behind a rock, with a man sticking out his hand, grasping for the stake and feeling for electrified wire. Another soldier lay nearby, ready to snip the wire. The enemy had seemed to have discerned the Japanese, for the lieutenant could hear low voices. Although the cutters had been told to continue clearing in secrecy, they had by now encountered a line of low barbed wire and the work had not progressed as expected. Forced clearing had begun, which meant that the men had to stand or kneel, ignoring hostile fire and devoting primary consideration to speed. The infantrymen, unable to delay, had crawled through the wire as soon as the cutters tore a gap. Ten meters behind the small breaches, as well as in front of the Soviet positions, the Japanese had been troubled by fine low strands. They had resembled piano-wire traps, a foot or so off the ground. The wires had been invisible in the grass at night. As one soldier recalled "You couldn't disengage easily. When you tried to get out, you'd be sniped at. The wires themselves could cut a bit, too." Sakata had kept up with the clearing teams and urged them on. On his own initiative, Amagasa had his men break the first and third lines of wire by 01:50. Meanwhile, at 01:20, Nakano had phoned Sato, reporting that his forces had broken through the lines with little resistance, and had recommended that the attack be launched earlier than 2:00. Perhaps the premature alerting of the Russians had entered into Nakano's considerations. Sato had explained matters carefully, that is, rejected the suggestion, saying Changkufeng must not be taken too early, lest the enemy at Shachaofeng be alerted. The entire battalion, redeployed, had been massed for the charge up the slope. In an interval of good visibility, the troops could see as far as 40 meters ahead. A little before 02:00, Nakano had sent runners to deliver the order to advance. When the final obstructions had been cut, Nagayama had flashed a light. Then a white flag had moved in the darkness and the infantry had moved forward. Sakata's company, heading directly for Changkufeng crest, had less ground to traverse than Yamada's, and the point through which they penetrated the wire had been at the fork, where there appeared to have been only two lines to cut. The soldiers had crawled on their knees and one hand and had taken cover as soon as they got through. It had been 02:15 when the battalion traversed the barbed wire and began the offensive. The Japanese Army manual had stated that unaimed fire was seldom effective at night and that it had been imperative to avoid confusion resulting from wild shooting. At Changkufeng, the use of firearms had been forbidden by regimental order. Until the troops had penetrated the wire, bayonets had not been fixed because of the danger to friendly forces. Once through the entanglements, the men had attached bayonets, but, although their rifles had been loaded, they still had not been allowed to fire. The men had been traveling light. Instead of the 65 pounds the individual rifleman might ordinarily carry, knapsack, weapons and ammunition, tools, supplies, and clothing, each helmeted soldier had only 60 cartridges, none on his back, a haversack containing two grenades, a canteen, and a gas mask. To prevent noise, the regulations had prescribed wrapping metal parts of bayonets, canteens, sabers, mess kits, shovels, picks, and hobnails with cloth or straw. The wooden and metal parts of the shovel had been separated, the canteen filled, ammunition pouches stuffed with paper, and the bayonet sheath wrapped with cloth. Instead of boots, the men had worn web-toed, rubbersoled ground socks to muffle sound. Although their footgear had been bound with straw ropes, the soldiers occasionally had slipped in the wet grass. Considerations of security had forbidden relief of tension by talking, coughing, or smoking. Company commanders and platoon leaders had carried small white flags for hand signaling. In Sakata's company, the platoons had been distinguished by white patches of cloth hung over the gas masks on the men's backs, triangular pieces for the 1st Platoon, square for the second. Squad leaders had worn white headbands under their helmets. The company commanders had strapped on a white cross-belt; the platoon leaders, a single band. Officer casualties had proven particularly severe because the identification belts had been too conspicuous; even when the officers had lay flat, Soviet illuminating shells had made their bodies visible. On the left, the 2nd Company, 70–80 strong, had moved up with platoons abreast and scouts ahead. About 10 meters had separated the individual platoons advancing in four files; in the center were Sakata and his command team. The same setup had been used for Yamada's company and his two infantry platoons on the right. To the center and rear of the lead companies were battalion headquarters, a platoon of Nakajima's 3rd Company, and the Kitahara Machine-Gun Company, 20 meters from Nakano. The machine-gun company had differed from the infantry companies in that it had three platoons of two squads each. The machine-gun platoons had gone through the center breach in the entanglements with the battalion commander. Thereafter, they had bunched up, shoulder to shoulder and with the machine guns close to each other. Kitahara had led, two platoons forward, one back. The night had been so dark that the individual soldiers had hardly been able to tell who had been leading and who had been on the flanks. The 2nd Company had consolidated after getting through the last entanglements and had walked straight for Changkufeng crest. From positions above the Japanese, Soviet machine guns covering the wire had blazed away at a range of 50 meters. Tracers had ripped the night, but the Russians' aim had seemed high. Soviet illuminating shells, by revealing the location of dead angles among the rocks, had facilitated the Japanese approach. Fifty meters past the barbed wire, Sakata had run into the second Soviet position. From behind a big rock, four or five soldiers had been throwing masher grenades. Sakata and his command team had dashed to the rear and cut down the Russians. The captain had sabered one soldier who had been about to throw a grenade. Then Master Sergeant Onuki and the others had rushed up and overran the Russian defenses. The Japanese had not yet fired or sustained casualties. There had been no machine guns in the first position Sakata had jumped into; the trenches had been two feet deep and masked by rocks. To the right, a tent could be seen. Blind enemy firing had reached a crescendo around 02:30. The Russians had resisted with rifles, light and heavy machine guns, hand grenades, rifle grenades, flares, rapid-fire guns, and a tank cannon. "The hill had shaken, but our assault unit had advanced, disregarding the heavy resistance and relying only on the bayonet." The battalion commander, Major Nakano, had been the first officer to be hit. Moving to the left of Sakata's right-hand platoon, he had rushed up, brandishing his sword, amid ear-splitting fire and day-like flashes. He had felled an enemy soldier and then another who had been about to get him from behind. But a grenade had exploded and he had dropped, with his right arm hanging grotesquely and many fragments embedded in his chest and left arm. After regaining consciousness, Nakano had yelled at soldiers rushing to help him: "You fools! Charge on! Never mind me." Staggering to his feet, he had leaned on his sword with his left hand and pushed up the slope after the assault waves, while "everybody had been dashing around like mad." Sakata had encountered progressive defenses and more severe fire. The main body of the company had lost contact with other elements after getting through the entanglements. Sakata had thought that he had already occupied an edge of Changkufeng, but about 30 meters ahead stood a sharp-faced boulder, two or three meters high, from which enormous numbers of grenades had been lobbed. The Japanese, still walking, had come across another Soviet position, manned by four or five grenadiers. Sword in hand, Sakata had led Sergeant Onuki and his command team in a rush : "The enemy was about to take off as we jumped them. One Russian jabbed the muzzle of his rifle into my stomach at the moment I had my sword raised overhead. He pulled the trigger but the rifle did not go off. I cut him down before he could get me. The others ran away, but behind them they left grenades with pins pulled. Many of my men fell here and I was hit in the thighs".  Onuki had felled two or three Russians behind Sakata, then disposed of an enemy who had been aiming at Sakata from the side. It had been around 03:00. On the right, the 1st Company had made relatively faster progress along the western slopes after having breached two widely separated belts of barbed wire. Once through the second wire, the troops had found a third line, 150 meters behind, and enemy machine guns had opened fire. Thereupon, a left-platoon private first class had taken a "do or die" forced clearing team, rushed 15 meters ahead of the infantry, and tore a path for the unit. At 03:00, Yamada had taken his men in a dash far up the right foot of the hill, overran the unexpected position, and captured two rapid-fire guns. The company's casualties had been mounting. Yamada had been hit in the chest but had continued to cheer his troops on. At 03:30, he had led a rush against the main objective, tents up the hill, behind the antitank guns. Yamada had cut down several bewildered soldiers in the tents, but had been shot again in the chest, gasping "Tenno Heika Banzai!" "Long Live the Emperor!", and had fallen dead. His citation had noted that he had "disrupted the enemy's rear after capturing the forwardmost positions and thus furnished the key to the ultimate rout of the whole enemy line." Sergeant Shioda, though wounded badly, and several of the men had picked up their commander's body and moved over to join Lieutenant Inagaki. On the left, Kadowaki had charged into the tents with his platoon and had played his part in interfering with the Russian rear. After this rush, the unit had been pinned down by fire from machine-gun emplacements, and Kadowaki had been wounded seriously. His platoon had veered left while watching for an opportunity to charge. Eventual contact had been made with Sakata's company.   The assault on the right flank had been failing. With the death of Yamada, command of the company had been assumed temporarily by Inagaki. He and his right-flank platoon had managed to smash their way through the entanglements; Inagaki had sought to rush forward, sword in hand. Furious firing by Soviet machine guns, coupled with hand grenades, had checked the charge. Losses had mounted. Still another effort had bogged down in the face of enemy reinforcements, supported not only by covered but by tank-mounted machine guns. Russian tanks and trucks had appeared to be operating behind Changkufeng. Sergeant Shioda had been trying to keep the attack moving. Again and again, he had pushed toward the Soviet position with five of his surviving men, to no avail. The left-flank platoon had sought to evade the fierce fire by taking advantage of rock cover and hurling grenades. Finally, a private first class had lobbed in a grenade, rushed the machine gun, and silenced the weapon. By now, precious time and lives had been lost. Either instinctively or by order, the 1st Company had been shifting to the left, away from the core of the enemy fire-net. Inagaki had decided to veer left in a wide arc to outflank Changkufeng from the same side where the 2nd Company and most of the battalion were at-tacking. There would be no further attempts to plunge between the lake and the heights or to head for the crest from the rear. Military maps had indicated tersely that remnants of the 1st Company had displaced to the 2nd Company area at 04:00, sometime after the last charge on the right by Yamada. On the left front, in the sector facing the main defenses on Changkufeng crest, Sakata had fallen after being hit by a grenade. A machine gunner had improvised a sling. "I had lost a lot of blood," Sakata had said, "and there were no medics. Onuki, my command team chief who had been acting platoon leader, had been killed around here. I had ordered Warrant Officer Kuriyama to take the company and push on until I could catch up." As Sakata lay on the ground, he had seen the battalion commander and the Nakajima company move past him in the darkness. Nakano had said not a word; Sakata had not known the major had been maimed. "I still hadn't felt intense pain," Sakata had recalled. "I had rested after the first bad feelings. In about 15 minutes I had felt well enough to move up the hill and resume command of my company." With both Nakano and Sakata wounded, individual officers or noncoms had kept the assault moving. The 1st Platoon leader, Kuriyama, had been securing the first position after overrunning it but had become worried about the main force. On his own initiative, he had brought his men up the hill to join the rest of the company, while the battalion aide, 2nd Lieutenant Nishimura, had made arrangements to deploy the heavy machine guns and reserve infantry in support. Before 4 A.M., these troops under Kitahara and Nakajima had caught up with the remnants of the 2nd Company, which had pressed beyond the third position to points near the Soviet Crestline.   By the time Sakata had regained his feet and moved toward the peak, somewhere between 03:30 and 04:00, the Japanese had been pinned down. Most of the losses had been incurred at this point. "Iron fragments, rock, sand, blood, and flesh had been flying around," Akaishizawa had written. Grenades had caused the preponderance of wounds after the men had penetrated the barbed wire. Deaths had been inflicted mainly by the Soviet "hurricane" of small arms and machine-gun fire and by ricochets ripping from man to man. Six Russian heavy weapons had kept up a relentless fire from three emplacements, and milk-bottle-shaped grenades had continued to thud down on the Japanese. The grenades had hindered the advance greatly. Mainly at the crest, but at every firing position as well, the Russians had used rifle grenades, primarily to eliminate dead angles in front of positions. There had been low piano wire between firing points, and yellow explosive had been planted amidst rock outcroppings and in front of the emplacements. "The Russians had relied exclusively on fire power; there had been no instance of a brave enemy charge employing cold steel." Only 20 meters from the entrenchments atop Changkufeng, Kitahara had been striving to regain the initiative and to hearten the scattered, reeling troops. One Japanese Army motto had concerned the mental attitude of commanders: "When surprised by the enemy, pause for a smoke." Kitahara had stood behind a rock, without a helmet, puffing calmly on a cigarette—a sight which had cheered the men. Sakata could not forget the scene. "It really happened," he had said, respectfully. As soon as Sakata had reached the forward lines, he had joined Kitahara (the senior officer and de facto battalion commander till then) and three enlisted men. All had been pinned behind the large boulder, the only possible cover, which had jutted in front of the Soviet crestline positions. Fire and flame had drenched the slopes, grenades from the peak, machine guns from the flank. The eastern skies had been brightening and faces could be discerned. Troubled by the stalemate yet not feeling failure, Sakata had said nothing about his own wounds but had told Kitahara he would lead his 2nd Company in a last charge up the left side of Changkufeng if only the machine gun company could do something about the enemy fire, especially some Soviet tanks which had been shooting from the right. "The enemy must have learned by now," the regimental records had observed, "that our forces were scanty, for the Soviets exposed the upper portions of their bodies over the breastworks, sniped incessantly, and lobbed illuminating shells at us." Agreeing with Sakata that the "blind" Japanese would have to take some kind of countermeasure to allow his two available heavy machine guns to go into concerted action, Kitahara had ordered illuminating rounds fired by the grenade dischargers. He had clambered atop the boulder and squatted there amidst the furious crossfire to spot for his guns, still only 20 meters from the Russian lines. Perhaps it had been the golden spark of Kitahara's cigarette, perhaps it had been the luminescence of his cross-bands, but hardly a moment later, at 04:03 am, a sniper's bullet had caught the captain between the eyes and he had toppled to his death. Nakajima had wanted to support Sakata's stricken company as well. The lieutenant had seen the advantage of outflanking the emplacements from the far left of Changkufeng where the fire of two Soviet heavy machine guns had been particularly devastating. Nakajima had swung his reserve unit around the crest to the southwest side, pressed forward through deadly grenade attacks, and had managed to reach a point ten meters from the Russian positions. Perched on the cliff's edge, he had prepared to continue: "Nakajima, who had been calming his men and looking for a chance to advance, leaped up and shouted, "Right now! Charge!" Sword in hand, he led his forces to the front on the left and edged up against the crest emplacements. But the enemy did not recoil; grenades and machine gun fusillades burst from above on all sides. Men fell, one after another. [During this final phase, a platoon leader and most of the key noncoms were killed.] A runner standing near Nakajima was hit in the head by a grenade and collapsed. Nakajima picked up the soldier's rifle, took cover behind a boulder, and tried to draw a bead on a Russian sniper whom he could see dimly 20 meters away through the lifting mist. But a bullet hit him in the left temple and he pitched forward, weakly calling, "Long Live the Emperor!" A PFC held the lieutenant up and pleaded with him to hang on, but the company commander's breath grew fainter and his end was at hand. The time was 4:10 am". Nakajima's orderly said of the event "Lieutenant Nakajima charged against the highest key point on Changkufeng, leading the reserve unit, and ensured the seizure of the hill. The lieutenant was wearing the boots which I had always kept polished but which he had never worn till this day." Akaishizawa added that Nakajima had purified himself in the waters of the Tumen before entering combat, in traditional fashion. Lieutenant Yanagihara had penned a tribute to his young fellow officer, the resolute samurai "Lt. Nakajima must have been expecting a day like today. He was wearing brand-new white underclothes and had wrapped his body with white cloth and the thousand-stitch stomach band which his mother had made for him. .. . Was not the lieutenant's end the same as we find in an old tanka verse? "Should you ask what is the Yamato spirit, the soul of Japan: It is wild cherry blossoms glowing in the rising sun."  On this main attack front, Soviet heavy machine guns and tanks had continued to deliver withering fire against the Japanese remnants, while Russian snipers and grenadiers had taken an increasing toll. Shortly after 04:00, enemy reinforcements had appeared at the northeast edge. Of the company commanders, only Sakata had still been alive; the other three officers had died between 03:30 and 04:30. A machine gunner who had been pinned down near the crest had commented: "It must have been worse than Hill 203" (of bloody Russo-Japanese War fame). Between a half and two-thirds of each company had been dead or wounded by then. Sakata had still been thinking of ways to rush the main positions. After Kitahara had been shot down, he had moved around to investigate. A colleague had added: "The agony of the captain's wounds had been increasing. He rested several times to appease the pain while watching intently for some chance to charge once more." Now, Sakata had been wounded again by grenade fragments tearing into the right side of his face. "It hadn't been serious," Sakata had insisted. As he had limped about, he could see his platoon leader, Kuriyama, sniping at a Russian grenadier.   Much would depend on the effectiveness of supporting firepower. With the death of Kitahara, control of the machine-gun company had been assumed by Master Sergeant Harayama. There had been almost no time to coordinate matters before Kitahara had fallen, but Harayama as well as Sakata had known that the infantry could not break loose until the Soviet heavy weapons had been suppressed. Working with another sergeant, Harayama had ordered his gunners to displace forward and rush the positions 20 meters away. The one heavy machine gun set up for action had been the first to fire for the Japanese side at Changkufeng, after its crew had manhandled it the last few meters to the first Soviet trench below the crest. The trench had been empty. Thereupon, the gunner had opened up against tents which could be seen 20 meters to the rear. Other friendly machine guns had begun to chatter. Kuriyama had dashed up and secured the southeast edge of the heights. Enemy resistance had begun to slacken. What appeared to be two small Soviet tanks, actually a tank and a tractor had been laying down fire near the tents in an apparent effort to cover a pullback. The two vehicles had advanced toward the Japanese and sought to neutralize the heavy machine guns. A squad leader had engaged the tractor, set it afire, and shot down the crewmen when they had tried to flee. Next, the tank had been stopped. The Japanese lead gun had consumed all of its armor-piercing (AP) ammunition—three clips, or 90 rounds—in 10 or 15 seconds. No more AP ammunition had been available; one box had been with the last of the six squads struggling up the heights. "More AP!" had yelled the 1st Squad leader, signaling with his hand—which had at that moment been hit by a Russian slug. A tank machine-gun bullet had also torn through the thumb and into the shoulder of the squad's machine gunner, whereupon the 21-year-old loader had taken over the piece. Similar replacements had occurred under fire in all squads, sometimes more than once in the same unit. "It had been a fantastic scene," Sakata had commented. "Just like grasshoppers! But they had finally neutralized the heavy weapons." The knocked-out Russian vehicles had begun to blaze while the eastern skies had lightened. New enemy tanks (some said many, others merely three) had lumbered up the slopes, but the Japanese heavy machine guns had continued to fire on them, and the tanks had stopped. If the machine guns had gone into action minutes later, the Russian armor might have continued to the top, from which they could have ripped up the surviving Japanese infantrymen: "So we gunners fired and fired. I could see my tracers bouncing off the armor, for there was still no AP. We also shot at machine guns and infantry. Since we carried little ammo for the night attack, my gun ran out, but by then the enemy had been ousted. We had originally expected that we might have to fire in support of the infantry after they took the crest. We lost none of our own heavy machine guns that night, overran four Maxims and captured mountains of hand grenades. By dawn, however, our machine gun company had lost more than half of its personnel—about 40 men".  The light-machine-gun squad leader had been wounded in the hand by a grenade near the site where Sakata had been hit. Nevertheless, the superior private had clambered up the slope with his men. After 04:00, when he and his squad had been pinned down with the infantry below the crest, he had heard Japanese heavy machine guns firing toward the foe on the right: "Our units were in confusion, bunched up under terrific fire in a small area. Getting orders was impossible, so I had my light machine gun open up in the same direction at which the heavies were firing. We could identify no targets but tried to neutralize the enemy located somewhere on the crest. Although Soviet flares were going off, we never could glimpse the enemy clearly. But we heard the Russians yelling "Hurrah!" That ought to have been the signal for a charge; here it meant a retreat".  But, of the ten men in this Japanese machine-gun squad, only four had been in action when dawn had come. The turning point had arrived when the machine-guns belonging to Sakata, and the reserves of the late Nakajima, had torn into the Russian emplacements, tanks, and tents behind. Others had said the key had been the fire of grenade dischargers belonging to the same units. A high-angle weapon, the grenade discharger, had been light, effective, and ideal for getting at dead space. In terms of ammunition, it had been especially useful, for it could fire hand grenades available to the foot soldier. Undoubtedly, the combined action of the grenade dischargers and machine guns (heavy and light) had paved the way for a last charge by the infantry. The four light machine guns of the 2nd and 4th companies had played their part by pouring flank fire against the Russians, who had clung to the position although Kuriyama's platoon had made an initial penetration. At about 04:30, Japanese assault forces could be seen dimly, in the light of dawn, exchanging fire with the Russians only a few meters away on the southern edge of Changkufeng Hill. At the same time, on the northern slopes, enemy reinforcements numbering 50 men with trucks and tanks had been scaling the hill. Around 04:45, Japanese grenades began to burst over the heads of the last enemy atop Changkufeng; the Russians had wavered. After the heavy weapons had finally begun to soften up the Soviet positions, Sakata had judged that there were not many Russians left. He had jumped into the first trench, ahead of his only surviving platoon leader, Kuriyama, and several soldiers. Two or three Russians had been disposed of; the rest had fled. By then the 2nd Company had been chopped down to a platoon; about 40 men still lived. There had been no cheer of banzai, as journalists had written; it would have drawn fire to stand up and raise one's arms. But Sakata had remained proud of the assertion by Sato that, from Chiangchunfeng, he had observed the last rush and knew the "real story," that "Sakata was the first to charge the peak." The regimental eulogist had written that Sakata's earnestness "cut through iron, penetrated mountains, and conquered bodily pain." As for Inagaki, about 15 or 20 minutes after the badly wounded Sakata had managed to reach the point where Kitahara and Nakajima had been pinned down near the Crestline, the lieutenant had arrived with the remnants of Yamada's company, probably by 04:20. The records would have us believe that Sakata had been able to coordinate the next actions with Inagaki despite the storm of fire: "The acting battalion commander [Sakata] resumed the charge with a brand-new deployment—his 2nd Company on the right wing and the 1st Company on the left." Actually, all Sakata could think of had been to charge; it had been too confused a time to issue anything like normal orders as acting battalion commander: "About all I remember asking Inagaki was: "What are you doing over here? What happened to your company commander?" I think he told me that Yamada had been killed and resistance on the right flank had been severe. Undoubtedly, he acted on his own initiative in redeploying. Nor was there any particular liaison between my company and Inagaki's force." To the left of Sakata's survivors were the vestiges of Nakajima's platoon, and further to the left, the outflanking troops brought up by Inagaki. These forces gradually edged up to the rear of the foe, in almost mass formation, on the western slope just below the top. "The enemy soldiers who had been climbing up the northern incline suddenly began to retreat, and Inagaki led a charge, fighting dauntlessly hand-to-hand." As a result of the more or less concerted Japanese assaults, "the desperately resisting enemy was finally crushed and Changkufeng peak was retaken completely by 05:15," three hours after the night attackers had jumped off. Akaishizawa had said that the troops "pushed across the peak through a river of blood and a mountain of corpses. Who could withstand our demons?" Sato's regimental attack order had called for the firing of a green star shell to signal success. At 05:15, according to the records, "the signal flared high above Changkufeng, showering green light upon the hill; the deeply stirring Japanese national flag floated on the top." Sakata thought that this must have been 10 or 20 minutes after the hill was taken, but he remembered no flare. "After the last charge I had no time to watch the sky!" The flare had probably been fired from a grenade launcher by the battalion aide or a headquarters soldier. After the final close-quarter fighting, Sakata had pressed forward while the survivors came up. The captain had deployed his men against possible counterattack. Later he had heard that Soviet tanks had lumbered up to reinforce the peak or to counterattack but that, when they observed the Japanese in possession of the crest, they had turned back. Only after his men had secured the peak had Sakata talked to Inagaki about sharing defensive responsibility. The records described Sakata's deployments at 05:20, but there had been painfully few men to match the tidy after-action maps. Did Sakata and his men push across the peak? "Not downhill a bit," he had answered. "We advanced only to the highest spot, the second, or right-hand peak, where we could command a view of the hostile slope." He had merely reconnoitered to deploy his troops. The senior surviving Japanese officer atop Changkufeng heights had been Sakata. What had happened to Major Nakano, who had been wounded shortly after jump-off? Although his right arm had been shattered, he had dragged himself to his feet, once he had regained consciousness, and kept climbing to catch up. His men had pleaded with him to look after his terrible wounds, but he had insisted on advancing, leaning on his sword and relying on spiritual strength. "Left! Move left!" he had been heard to shout, for the faltering Japanese had apparently been of the opinion that they were at the enemy's rear. Instead, they had pressed against the Russians' western wing, directly in front of the enemy works, from which murderous fire had been directed, especially from machine-gun nests ripping at their flanks. With sword brandished in his uninjured hand, high above his head, Nakano had stood at the corner of the positions. The explosion of an enemy grenade had illuminated him "like the god of fire," and he had been seen to crumple. He had died a little before 0500, to the left of where young Nakajima had fallen at 0430. His citation had said: "The battalion commander captured Changkufeng, thanks to his proper combat guidance and deployments. He provided the incentive to victory in the Changkufeng Incident." A eulogist had called Nakano a "human-bullet demon-unit commander": "All who observed this scene were amazed, for it was beyond mortal strength. One could see how high blazed the flame of his faith in certain victory and what a powerful sense of responsibility he had as unit commander. Major Nakano was a model soldier." When Nakano had pitched forward, badly wounded PFC Imamura had tried to protect the commander's corpse. Imamura had killed a soldier who appeared from behind a boulder, had lunged at another two or three, but had toppled off the cliff. Two other Japanese privates—a battalion runner and PFC Iwata—had been lying nearby, hurt seriously; but when they saw Imamura fall to his death, leaving the major's body undefended, they had dragged themselves to the corpse, four meters from the foe. Iwata, crippled and mute, had hugged Nakano's corpse until other soldiers managed to retrieve it. While death had come to Nakano, Sakata had been fighting with no knowledge of what was going on to his left. Pinned behind a boulder, he had had no way of checking on the battalion commander. Only after Sakata had charged onto the crest and asked for the major had he been told by somebody that Nakano had been killed. He had not even been sure where the commander had fallen. Such had been the time of blood and fury when battalion chief, company commanders, and platoon leaders had fought and died like common soldiers, pressing on with saber or pistol or sniping rifle under relentless cross-fire. Pretty patterns of textbook control had meant nothing. Life—and victory—depended on training, initiative, raw courage, and the will to win. The result of this combination of wills could not be ascertained, on 31 July 1938, until dawn brightened the bleeding earth on Changkufeng Hill. 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. Tokyo gambled on a night strike to seize Changkufeng, while diplomacy urged restraint. Amid mud, smoke, and moonless skies, Nakano led the 1st Battalion, supported by Nakajima, Sakata, Yamada, and others. One by one, officers fell, wounds multiplying, but resolve held. By 05:15, shattered units regrouped atop the peak, the flag rising as dawn bled into a costly, hard-won victory.

On this week's episode, Brad and Eric, with the help of the patrons, try to figure out the best things that could happen in 11th Edition Warhammer to make every faction happy. I'm sure in next edition every faction will receive the same amount of love, and I won't be able to use the "Guy who has a lot of water" meme to describe every faction compared to Space Marines. When that happens, please try to enjoy each faction equally, and not show preference for one over the others. Well… except Death Guard. I don't think they need any wishes to be granted, but here we are.   POORHAMMER MERCH! https://orchideight.com/collections/poorhammer PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/SolelySingleton YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/@thepoorhammerpodcast TWITCH: https://www.twitch.tv/poorhammer Website: https://poorhammer.libsyn.com/   TIMESTAMPS: 00:00 Hello and Welcome 01:06 Sneak Attack 02:17 No Wishes for More Wishes 03:40 Adepta Sororitas 07:36 Adeptus Custodes 10:29 Adeptus Mechanicus 14:08 Astra Militarum 19:58 Grey Knights 21:58 Imperial Agents 23:58 Imperial Knights 26:44 Space Marines 29:55 Blood Angels 30:30 Dark Angels 30:55 Space Wolves 31:08 Black Templars 31:15 Deathwatch 32:28 Chaos Daemons 36:35 Chaos Knights 39:56 Chaos Space Marines 41:44 Death Guard 46:50 Emperor's Children 50:27 1K Sons (It's just correct to abbreviate them this way, you know) 58:44 Aeldari 01:01:53 Harlequins 01:02:06 Drukhari 01:06:12 Genestealer Cults 01:09:58 Leagues of Votann 01:12:02 Necrons 01:16:00 Orks 01:20:25 T'au Empire 01:25:14 Tyranids 01:27:04 The only place i wanna stay for the credits 01:33:30 Alright Audio Audience   Contact Information: You can interact with Solely Singleton by joining the hosts on discord and Twitter to give input to improve the show. Feel free to email more detailed questions and suggestions to the show's email address.   Your Hosts: Brad (DrRuler) & Eric (OnekuoSora) Brad's Bsky: https://bsky.app/profile/drruler.bsky.social Eric's Bsky: https://bsky.app/profile/onekuosora.bsky.social Show Email: thepoorhammerpodcast@gmail.com Merch Website: http://www.poorhammer.com/ Edited by: Menino Berilio Show Mailing Address: PO Box 70893 Rochester Hills, MI 48307   Licensed Music Used By This Program: "Night Out" by LiQWYD CC BY "Thursday & Snow (Reprise)" by Blank & Kytt CC BY "First Class" by Peyruis CC BY "Funky Souls" by Amaria CC BY

We start with jokes about accents and Apple's floating fireworks, then head straight into the AI spiral: soaring RAM and GPU costs, bot-driven guest pitches, and whether today's generative models can sustain their own weight. From there we tackle meaning at work, the Emperor's New Clothes of corporate incentives, and how to find purpose by getting closer to customers.• AI guest spam and inbox fatigue• Memory crunch across RAM, GDDR, and SSD• GPU price inflation from crypto to AI demand• Sustainability and profit realities of generative AI• Internal, domain-specific AI vs public mega-models• Corporate meaning, incentives, and the Emperor's New Clothes• Gaming's shift to microtransactions and compulsion• Healthcare incentives, Ozempic, and quick-fix economics• A three-legged stool: employees, customers, fair return• Regaining purpose by moving closer to the customer• Community support, therapy, and practical resetsShare this pod with one person you know. Join the Discord via the Linktree. Buy us a coffee to keep the pod online. “Maybe share this episode as a holiday solid.”Click/Tap HERE for everything Corporate StrategyElevator Music by Julian Avila Promoted by MrSnoozeDon't forget ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ it helps!

Tonight the team goes over Emperor's Children and Blood Angels. The Heresy Accountabilibuddies Podcast is brought to you by: Our patrons at Patreon. Join us for exclusive access and benefits. https://www.patreon.com/HeresyAccountabilibuddiesPodcast Our sponsors: Elric's Hobbies, where you can use code HERESYABB at checkout for a discount. Monument Hobbies, where by following our affiliate link, and using code HERESYABB at checkout, you can get a 5% discount on all purchases. https://monumenthobbies.com/?ref=heresyaccountabilibuddiespodcast Pop Goes the Monkey, where you can get 10% off your first order over $125 with code HERESYABB at checkout.. Music credit: Dethroned by Karl Casey @ White Bat Audio

On this week's episode, Brad and Eric, with the help of the patrons, try to figure out the best things that could happen in 11th Edition Warhammer to make every faction happy. I'm sure in next edition every faction will receive the same amount of love, and I won't be able to use the "Guy who has a lot of water" meme to describe every faction compared to Space Marines. When that happens, please try to enjoy each faction equally, and not show preference for one over the others. Well… except Death Guard. I don't think they need any wishes to be granted, but here we are.   POORHAMMER MERCH! https://orchideight.com/collections/poorhammer PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/SolelySingleton YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/@thepoorhammerpodcast TWITCH: https://www.twitch.tv/poorhammer Website: https://poorhammer.libsyn.com/   TIMESTAMPS: 00:00 Hello and Welcome 01:06 Sneak Attack 02:17 No Wishes for More Wishes 03:40 Adepta Sororitas 07:36 Adeptus Custodes 10:29 Adeptus Mechanicus 14:08 Astra Militarum 19:58 Grey Knights 21:58 Imperial Agents 23:58 Imperial Knights 26:44 Space Marines 29:55 Blood Angels 30:30 Dark Angels 30:55 Space Wolves 31:08 Black Templars 31:15 Deathwatch 32:28 Chaos Daemons 36:35 Chaos Knights 39:56 Chaos Space Marines 41:44 Death Guard 46:50 Emperor's Children 50:27 1K Sons (It's just correct to abbreviate them this way, you know) 58:44 Aeldari 01:01:53 Harlequins 01:02:06 Drukhari 01:06:12 Genestealer Cults 01:09:58 Leagues of Votann 01:12:02 Necrons 01:16:00 Orks 01:20:25 T'au Empire 01:25:14 Tyranids 01:27:04 The only place i wanna stay for the credits 01:33:30 Alright Audio Audience   Contact Information: You can interact with Solely Singleton by joining the hosts on discord and Twitter to give input to improve the show. Feel free to email more detailed questions and suggestions to the show's email address.   Your Hosts: Brad (DrRuler) & Eric (OnekuoSora) Brad's Bsky: https://bsky.app/profile/drruler.bsky.social Eric's Bsky: https://bsky.app/profile/onekuosora.bsky.social Show Email: thepoorhammerpodcast@gmail.com Merch Website: http://www.poorhammer.com/ Edited by: Menino Berilio Show Mailing Address: PO Box 70893 Rochester Hills, MI 48307   Licensed Music Used By This Program: "Night Out" by LiQWYD CC BY "Thursday & Snow (Reprise)" by Blank & Kytt CC BY "First Class" by Peyruis CC BY "Funky Souls" by Amaria CC BY

Episode 7: "Super Dalek Origin Story" - Classic Doctor Who Comics Double Feature - Patreon Exclusive COMIC STRIP REVIEW #1: "Doctor Who on the Web Planet" (March 22 - April 26, 1965) TV Comic, Six Parts Writer/Artist: Neville Main The only Doctor Who comic strip ever given an official title! The First Doctor, John, and Jillian return to Vortis long after their adventure with Ian, Barbara, and Vicki. A legend has grown among the Menoptra about the Doctor's previous liberation of their world - but freedom was short-lived. The planet has fallen under new oppression from the Skirkons, aliens who've mastered mind control over the easily-manipulated Zarbi and built Zarbi-shaped personal flying craft armed with death rays. The Doctor must free Vortis once again while confronting the sad reality that some worlds can never maintain peace. The Zarbi Multimedia Empire - John discovers extensive Zarbi appearances across formats: Two Give-A-Show projector stories IDW comic (2000s) featuring First Doctor team fighting Zarbi invasion of 1868 Earth Doctor Who Annual prose stories: "Lair of the Zarbi" and "The Lost Ones" Patrick Troughton prose novel Twilight of the Gods Big Finish audio Return to Vortis with Fifth Doctor and Nyssa The Zarbi are revealed as "the new Pokémon - gotta catch 'em all!" Jim's OCD kicks in and he must now consume all Zarbi media. The hosts marvel at how deeply BBC tried mining these creatures despite their failure to capture Dalek-level popularity. COMIC STRIP REVIEW #2: "Duel of the Daleks" (March 6 - April 10, 1965) TV Century 21, Six Parts Writer: David Whitaker (from Terry Nation's plot) Artist: Richard Jennings Dalek Zeg survives an industrial accident that coats him in near-impervious metallic skin and transforms his casing to golden color - giving him a superhero origin story! Believing his superiority entitles him to leadership, Zeg challenges the Black Dalek Emperor for control of the Dalek race. Internal Dalek civil war erupts as some Daleks support the upstart while others remain loyal to established hierarchy. The Emperor ultimately defeats Zeg using liquid metal to freeze him solid, learning from the duel to develop stronger Dalek armor. Collected Editions Available: The Dalek Chronicles - Doctor Who Magazine Summer Special (1994, Marvel UK) - complete run The Daleks: The Ultimate Collector's Edition (Panini reprint) Subscribe to The Doctor's Beard Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, and all major podcast platforms. Share your Zarbi obsession and Super Dalek theories by emailing us at thedoctorsbeardpodcast@gmail.com or joining our passionate Facebook and BlueSky communities. Become a Patreon member today to receive early episode access to our main show reviews, plus exclusive content like Episode 7 featuring vintage comic strip analysis with TV continuity connections, villain protagonist discussions, and comprehensive Zarbi multimedia archaeology! Hashtags: #DoctorWho #DoctorWhoComics #TVComic #TVCentury21 #FirstDoctor #WilliamHartnell #WebPlanet #Vortis #Zarbi #Menoptra #NevilleMain #JohnAndGillian #Skirkons #AlienInvasion #VintageComics #1965Comics #Daleks #DuelOfTheDaleks #DalekZeg #BlackDalek #DalekEmperor #TerryNation #DavidWhitaker #RichardJennings #DalekChronicles #SuperheroOrigin #MarvelComics #VillainProtagonist #DalekCivilWar #ClassicDoctorWho #DoctorWhoHistory #TheChase #RetroComics #BritishComics #1960sComics #DoctorWhoPodcast #TheDoctorsBeardPodcast #PatreonExclusive #Episode7 #ComicReview #ContinuityNightmare #AlternateUniverse #JillianFanOne #IDWComics #BigFinish #DoctorWhoAnnual #Whovian #DoctorWhoFandom #DoctorWhoCollectibles #SixtyYearsOfDoctorWho #BBCComics #MarvelUK #Panini

This illustrious light of Orthodoxy in the Western Church was born in Gaul in 349, but his widowed mother took the family to Rome while he was still a small child. Brilliant and well-educated, he was made a provincial Governor in 375 and took up residence in Milan. In those days, the Arian heresy was still dividing the Church, despite its repudiation at the Council of Nicaea in 325. When the time came to elect a new Bishop in Milan, the Orthodox and Arian parties were so divided that they could come to no agreement on a new Bishop. When Ambrose came as Governor to try to restore peace and order, a young child, divinely inspired, called out "Ambrose, Bishop!" To Ambrose's amazement, the people took up the cry, and Ambrose himself was elected, though he tried to refuse, protesting that he was only a catechumen (it was still common in those days to delay Holy Baptism for fear of polluting it by sin). He even attempted to flee, but his horse brought him back to the city. Resigning himself to God's will, he was baptized and, only a week later, elevated to Bishop. Immediately, he renounced all possessions, distributed all of his money to the poor and gave his estates to the Church. Straightaway, he entered into a spirited defense of Orthodoxy in his preaching and writings to the dismay of the Arians who had supported his election. Soon he persuaded Gratian, Emperor of the West, to call the Council of Aquilea, which brought an end to Arianism in the Western Church. (Arianism, however, continued to prosper among the barbarian nations for many years; see the Martyrs of Africa, also commemorated today).   Several times the holy Bishop was called upon to defend the Church against domination by the secular powers. Once, putting down an uprising in Thessalonika, the Emperor Theodosius punished the city by ordering the massacre of thousands of its residents. When the Emperor later visited Milan and came to the Cathedral to attend the Liturgy, Saint Ambrose stopped him at the door, condemned his crime before all the people, forbade him entrance to the church and excommunicated him for eight months. The Emperor went away weeping, and submitted in humility to the Church's discipline. When he returned after long penance to be restored to Communion, he went into the sanctuary along with the clergy, as had been the custom of the Emperors since Constantine the Great. But again the holy Ambrose humbled him in the sight of all the people, saying "Get out and take your place among the laity; the purple does not make priests, but only emperors." Theodosius left without protest, took his place among the penitents, and never again attempted to enter the sanctuary of a church. (When the Emperor died, it was Bishop Ambrose who preached his funeral eulogy).   Saint Ambrose, by teaching, preaching and writing, brought countless pagans to the Faith. His most famous convert was St Augustine (June 15), who became his disciple and eventually a bishop. Ambrose's many theological and catechetical works helped greatly to spread the teaching of the Greek fathers in the Latin world. He wrote many glorious antiphonal hymns which were once some of the gems of the Latin services.   Saint Ambrose reposed in peace in 397; his relics still rest in the basilica in Milan.

In this episode of Casual Chats, Patricia looks back on one of the animated movies she grew up with: the 1989 animated film Happily Ever After. Taken place after Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Snow White and the Prince travel to the forest to invite the dwarves to the wedding. However, The Wicked Queen's brother Lord Maliss wishes to take revenge on Snow White and the Prince after learning of her death. So, he turns into a dragon and tries to attack them, but Snow White got away and captures the Prince. Snow White meets up with the dwarves' cousins The Dwarvelles who has elemental powers from Mother Nature. Together, they travel to The Realm of Doom to rescue the Prince.When the film premiered in theaters, it was a box office bomb making $3.3 million dollars out of a $6.8 million dollar budget. In addition, due to the numerous lawsuits from The Walt Disney Company claiming that Filmation's previous film Pinocchio and the Emperor of the Night and Happily Ever After were trying to call themselves "official sequels" to their films, it ended up bankrupting them and shutting down. When it was released in theaters in America in 1993, the film bombed in the box office, especially when Disney re-released Snow White and the Seven Dwarves around the same weekend to counteract Filmation. Nowadays, the film is forgotten by the general public and has become reviewing material for online critics calling it a bad Disney ripoff. What did they think of the film?

Christmas – they talk about baby Jesus and Mary and Joseph – but this Jesus … is He who He says He is? Can Christmas really make a difference – I mean in your life and mine?   WILL THE REAL MESSIAH PLEASE STAND UP? Well, welcome to the second message in a series that I have called, "Message in a Bottle" – in these weeks leading up to Christmas. We are going to take a look at this most amazing night – this Christmas story. You know that wonderful Christmas carol, O Holy Night, the stars, the stars are shining – the shepherds and the angels and Mary and Joseph and that baby Jesus; God in the flesh. And for me, you know, when you strip away all the noise and the rubbish and the commercialism around Christmas, it is the most wonderful celebration. But it struck me how the very beginning of the story of Christmas in the New Testament – if you have a Bible, go and grab it – we are going to Matthew, chapter 1 – it struck me how often we skim over the first dozen or so paragraphs of what God writes about Christmas. If you open up the very first page of the first Book of the New Testament – it's the Book of Matthew and it begins, of all things, with a genealogy; a boring list of names. Now I love doing things that surprise people and a few years ago I was sharing a message leading up to Christmas on this passage in the beginning of Matthew and I asked a lady, a friend of mine, Pamela, to do the Bible reading and I ask her to read through this genealogy. Now fortunately, I gave her a week's notice, because some of the names are just a little bit difficult to get the old tongue around. And when she sat down everybody gave her a standing applause for managing to make it through the genealogy. And I guess most of us haven't heard a message on this genealogy in a long, long time, if ever. I know what you are thinking – genealogy? Berni, are you going to be talking about a genealogy? But listen, listen to what the Apostle Paul writes in Second Timothy, chapter 3, verse 16. He says: Every Scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, reproof, correction and training in righteousness, so that – what? – so that everyone who belongs to God may be proficient and equipped for every good work. In other words when I read through this genealogy, and I probably like you, skip through genealogies in the Bible, you know, I kind of don't like to read every word. But as I began to read through this particular genealogy I thought, hang on a minute, God decided to begin the New Testament with a genealogy. Why did He do that? What was going on? This Book of Matthew – "Matthew" literally means, "a gift from God" and it starts with an account of Jesus blood line; His birth line. Jesus Christ – "Jesus" means "Yahweh saves"; God saves. "Christ" means "Messiah" – so you put all that together and this book is a gift from God about God's anointed Saviour. So I'm thinking, I've actually got to get into this genealogy and say: why did God put it here? What does it mean that the Christmas story begins with a genealogy? What is God trying to say to you and me, here and now? Now it's probably not the way that you or I would start a biography of some great leader but genealogies were significant to the Jews. They were about purity of lineage – firstly remember that land was given to Israel by tribes. So your right to own land was affected by your genealogy. If you were a priest, your priestly authority came from your genealogy. And your legal standing – if you were in line for the throne, royal succession came through your genealogy. And the genealogies of people were kept on the public record. In the Sanhedrin and in the temple, you could go and verify that somebody was who they said they were. So to the Jews it wasn't just a boring list of names – it was fascinating. And have a look to see how Matthew, chapter 1 actually starts out. The first verse, "An account of the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham" – three main characters, Abraham, David and Jesus. And Abraham and David being referred to here, point back to some promises. We are going to look at those promises today because they have everything to do with Christmas. People were expecting a Messiah – we are going to look at why a little bit later in the programme. But at this point in Israel's history in the first century, they were definitely looking for a Messiah. So God is the keeper of promises and let's just have a quick look to see what the promise is. If you want to flick back to the promise that God made to Abraham, you go to Genesis, chapter 12, verses 1 to 3. Lets have a look at that – Genesis 12:1-3 says this: The Lord said to Abram, "Go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you and I will make you a great nation and I will bless you and make your name great so that you will be a blessing." And if you flick over to Genesis, chapter 15, verse 5, it goes on to say that: God brought Abram outside in his tent and He said, "Look toward heaven and count the stars, if you can count them. And then God said to Abram, "So shall your descendants be." And he believed and the Lord reckoned this as righteousness to him. So here is a promise to Abraham; the father of the whole nation of Israel, that Abraham would have many, many children. Remember he and Sarah were very old and they couldn't have children, yet God was making a promise. So this very first verse of Matthew points back to those promises. It also points back to the promise that God made to David. Lets have a look at that – flick on a little bit to Second Samuel, chapter 7, verse 12 – this is what it says: "When your days are fulfilled," – this is a promise to David, remember; the King: When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your ancestors, I will raise up your offspring after you who shall come forth from your body and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for My name and I will establish his throne and his kingdom forever. Your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before Me, your throne shall be established forever. So here is the promise to David – that there would be a lineage that would go on forever – that the reign of the House of David would go on forever. David was the Messiah; he was the anointed King of Israel. That's the actual word that they used for the King – the 'Messiah', and the promise of God was the offspring of David – there would be royal succession that would go on forever. So you bring this two promises together and the promise of God is that there will be a King who will rule forever, who will be a blessing to all the nations. The question is what happens next? Well, just after this promise is given to David, David has a son called Solomon and Solomon is the last King of a united Israel. Israel splits in two; they begin to worship idols; God sends prophets; they reject God and ultimately, in 586/587 BC they are exiled to Babylon into slavery. The monarchy is destroyed and really, the whole thing falls apart for Israel because they rejected God. They just ran away from God; they ignored God and for four or five centuries there was no king. I mean, to us, that's like not having a democracy. And by the first century, the Emperor was Roman because they were under Roman rule. There was a governor there who was Roman; there was a false King; the Sanhedrin was corrupt. This was a messy, corrupt, religious, political environment. It was brutal – I mean the Roman oppression was brutal. And into this Matthew writes – God speaks through Matthew of the promise made to Abraham and made to David. They were expecting Messiah. The question is what sort of Messiah were they going to get?   A HEAVEN FULL OF PROMISES So Israel was expecting a Messiah, but what did he look like? Luke, chapter 3 and verse 15, we read about John the Baptist: As the people were filled with expectation and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Messiah. Luke, chapter 3, verse 16, we see that John goes on and says: Well, you know, "I baptise you with water but someone who is much more powerful than me is coming. I'm not fit to tie up His sandals and He'll baptise you with the Holy Spirit and fire." We read Matthew, chapter 16, verse 13 and: Jesus says to His disciples, "Who do the people say that I am? And they said, "Well, some say that You are John the Baptist, others say that You are Elijah, others say that You are Jeremiah or one of the prophets." See, the people expected a Messiah; they expected God to send them someone; they desired one, but they were mixed up as to what He would look like. There were lots of people called "Jesus" in those days. There were lots of people who claimed to be the Messiah – there was lots of hype. How were they going to pick the right one? And that's what this genealogy is about. Matthew's Gospel was written somewhere around sixty to seventy AD and at this point the Jews and the Christians were arguing about who Jesus was. The Jews said he's not the Messiah; the Christians said yes, He is. No, He's not, yes, He is, no, He's not! And Matthew is specifically writing to a Jewish audience here and he lists on the genealogy of Jesus, "Abraham was the father of Isaac and Isaac the father of Jacob and Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers and Judah the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar" – and on it goes, this long genealogy. And what it is really saying is, "I know there are a lot of people out there claiming to be the Messiah; I know there are a lot of people claiming to be the one that God sent but here is the genealogy of the Man. Here as a matter of public record is His genealogy and His right to be the anointed King; the Messiah." See, genealogies, for the purposes of land and for the purposes of legal entitlement and for the purposes of royal blood line in this patriarchal society always went through the father. And what it shows here is that Jesus is in fact, a descendant of David and a descendant of Abraham and He is the rightful King. If you don't believe me, it's a matter of public record. This was written at a time when the information was still in the public record in the temple and the Sanhedrin, so people could go and check. People could verify the link of Jesus back to God's promises – back to God's vast plan – they could identify that actually He is the One. There were many prophesies about Jesus in the Old Testament – He will come from a woman's womb; He'll be born to a virgin, He'll be born in Bethlehem; murder will surround His birth; He will be given the name Emmanuel; He will be given gifts; He will be taken back to Egypt – many, many prophesies that Jesus opened up in the Old Testament. But here the New Testament comes with, right at the beginning, a legal verification of Jesus entitlement to His claim to be the Messiah. It is evidence that God keeps His promises. And when I look at Christmas through this boring genealogy – lets face it, that's the way we would look at it these days – what I read is that God keeps His promises. Jesus was born on that holy night, the stars, the stars were shining; the very same stars that were shining over Abraham those many centuries before, when God made him a promise that he would be a blessing to many nations. God is faithful – Christmas is about God's faithfulness. This genealogy speaks of God's faithfulness. See, if we just walk into Christmas saying, "I've got to buy some more presents and I've got to get some more food and I've got to do all this, Christmas ends up being meaningless. The New Testament begins with rock solid evidence of the faithfulness of God – that He has indeed fulfilled His promise to Abraham and His promise to David, to send His Son. It's a leap of faith, but it's not a blind leap of faith. The evidence is laid out – it was laid out at a time when people could either verify it or disprove it on the public record. That's why that genealogy is there. We are going look at what all that means for you and me, here and now, next.   HE'S ONE OF US Alright, so we have been looking at this beginning of the Christmas story, this genealogy; this link between the Old Testament and the New; this link that points back to the fact that the whole idea of Christmas began a long, long time before that starry, starry night in Bethlehem. And when you read through the genealogy – I'm not going to do that now – but when you read through the genealogy you find all sorts of people. There are people who were prophesied about; there were people who were totally unknown. There are sixteen names in that genealogy that are not mentioned anywhere in the Old Testament – there are Kings, there are paupers, there are Jews, there are Gentiles, there are good Kings – six of them, nineteen bad Kings. We think of King David as one of the good guys but he committed adultery; he had someone murdered. And one of the really interesting things that we are going to look at right now is that there are five women in this genealogy. Now sadly, you go back to this time, two thousand years ago, in the first century and women had no rights; they were chattels; they had no legal rights – they couldn't own land; they could inherit anything; they couldn't testify in a court of law and they were never, I say again, never listed in genealogies. But here in this genealogy we have five women. Now what's that about? In this patriarchal society that never put women in genealogies, why are they there? What is God saying to us, to you and me, here and now about Christmas by putting them there? Well, the first one is in verse 3 – a woman by the name of Tamar. Now she was a temple prostitute; she was Judah's daughter in law and she committed adultery. You can read about her in Genesis, chapter 38, verse 5. The second woman is Rahab – now remember Rahab was a prostitute in Jericho. You can read about her in Joshua, chapter 2, verses 1 to 7. The third woman is a woman called Ruth – she has her own Book in the Old Testament. Now Ruth is a Moabite – the Moabites were enemies of the Jews. This is what the Old Testament, Deuteronomy, chapter 23, verse 3, says about Moabites: An Ammonite or a Moabite shall not enter the assembly of the Lord, even to the tenth generation; none of his descendants shall enter the assembly of the Lord forever. So we've got a Moabite! Verse 6, look at this: And David was the father of Solomon by the wife of Uriah. Now is that damning or what? Remember David committed adultery with Bathsheba – she was another man's wife, his name was Uriah, and he, David, committed adultery with Bathsheba. David had Uriah murdered, their first child died, their second son was gift from God, his name was Solomon. You can read about that in Second Samuel, chapters 11 and 12. So here in Jesus' genealogy is not just a temple prostitute, not just a prostitute in Jericho, not just a Moabite who was an enemy of God but here is a woman who conceived one of Jesus ancestors in adultery. And then in verse 16, is the fifth woman – Mary – this woman who as far as the rest of society was concerned, had conceived a son out of wedlock, which brought enormous shame on her and on Joseph. And we are going to look at that next week in a message that I've called, "Jesus – the Illegitimate God". See, here are these five women – five very imperfect women – there are no paragons of virtue; there are no wonderful Israelite, Jewish women. What's God saying to us in all that? I believe He is saying, 'There is no Jew or Greek, no slave or free, no male or female, because all are one in Christ Jesus. Have you ever felt that you are just not good enough to be part of God's family? That somehow you and I fall so far short of the glory of God that we could just never fit into God's family? I believe that this genealogy is an invitation which says you don't have to be good enough. This genealogy deliberately puts those imperfect women into the list to speak to you and me. There are a whole bunch of Christians in God's Kingdom who flounder; who are blown around by this doctrine and that; who don't live in victory; who don't bear fruit; who don't impact other people's lives with the love of Christ – Christians who are hurtling head on towards Christmas just trying to buy presents and just trying to finish off their work and just trying to get all this other stuff done without a deep foundation in their hearts to know what Christmas is about. Listen: Every Scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, reproof, correction and training in righteousness so that everyone – everyone includes you and it includes me – everyone who belongs to God may be proficient and equipped for every good work. This genealogy is not just a boring list. This genealogy is how the Holy Spirit; God the Holy Spirit decided to begin the very first Book in the New Testament – the very first Book about the grace of Jesus Christ. He begins with a rock solid platform. The intention of God is that you and I can stand on this rock solid platform. This platform that says at a time when this genealogy could be checked against the public record, it is legally established that Jesus is the Christ. Not just one way but the way, we can know that with certainty through this genealogy. We look at this genealogy – an account of the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah; Son of David, Son of Abraham. And we can look at the promises God made to Abraham and David and say Matthew is pointing back to those because Jesus is the fulfilment of those promises. God keeps His promises. We can pick this Jesus – this authentic Saviour – from all the other people that say, "I've got a way, try my way, follow me". No! This Jesus is who He says He is. He is the Son of God and then through an amazing act of grace, God points out to us here in this genealogy, through listing these imperfect women; through listing people like David who committed adultery; through listing the good Kings and the bad Kings, that Jesus became one of us. If you ask people who believe in Jesus, is He more like God or is He more like you and me? You know, most of us would answer; Jesus is more like God that He is like you and me. Jesus is fully God but He's fully human too and that's what this genealogy speaks to you and me. It is time for us to have a rock solid place to stand, to believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God who came for you and me – little old imperfect you and me. And that is why Jesus begins His story about Himself this way. It's food for the soul. Christmas is a feast!

The Washington Roundtable discusses President Donald Trump's health and the signs of his age-related decline: a noticeably reduced work schedule, fewer public appearances, and more rambling, profanity-laden outbursts. The panel examines how this undermines Trump's self-styled image of strength and vigor, what lessons about aging Presidents can be drawn from the Biden and Reagan Administrations, and why America may be facing what scholars refer to as the “Bad Emperor” problem in Chinese history. “When strongmen get weak, watch out,” the staff writer Jane Mayer says. This week's reading: “War Is Peace, the Dozing Don Edition,” by Susan B. Glasser “The Dishonorable Strikes on Venezuelan Boats,” by Ruth Marcus “Mikie Sherrill Intends to Move Fast,” by Gabriel Debenedetti “The Undermining of the C.D.C.,” by Dhruv Khullar “The Legal Consequences of Pete Hegseth's ‘Kill Them All' Order,” by Isaac Chotiner “In the Line of Fire,” by Benjamin Wallace-Wells “What Can Economists Agree on These Days? ” by John Cassidy  The Political Scene draws on the reporting and analysis found in The New Yorker for lively conversations about the big questions in American politics. Join the magazine's writers and editors as they put into context the latest news—about elections, the economy, the White House, the Supreme Court, and much more. New episodes are available three times a week. Tune in wherever you get your podcasts. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Episode 5: "Wham, Bam, Thank You Dalek" - Classic Doctor Who Comics Double Feature - Patreon Exclusive COMIC STRIP REVIEW #1: "The Therovian Quest" (January 18 - February 22, 1965) TV Comic, Six Issues (Two Pages Per Week) Writer/Artist: Neville Main The First Doctor's TARDIS crashes on an alien planet where he and grandchildren John and Gillian encounter Grigg, a spaceship pilot whose vessel is also stranded. Grigg desperately seeks a cure for a plague that has incapacitated everyone on his homeworld of Theros except himself. In a shocking decision, the Doctor repairs Grigg's ship and abandons the still-damaged TARDIS on the planet to help this stranger - a moment of tension as they literally leave the time machine behind and never mention it again until the story's end! The quest takes them to the ice planet Ixon to harvest medicinal moss, where they're captured by Ixon warriors. King Ixa provides equipment including a sled to reach the dangerous caves, but secretly plans to steal the moss and sell it at exorbitant prices to the Therovians. After Grigg battles a furry cave monster (throwing it into an ice ravine), they retrieve the moss but are captured again. The Doctor sets fire to something (possibly the moss itself?) creating chaos and smoke that allows their escape back to Grigg's ship, returning to Theros to save the plague victims before finally returning to repair the mysteriously-fixed TARDIS. John and Jim's Analysis: Jillian's disappearing act continues - The female companion has maybe two word balloons throughout the entire six-issue story, to the point where the Doctor and John briefly forget she exists. The hosts lament this "all-he-man, no-girls-allowed club" mentality in a strip based on a show meant to be all-inclusive. Neville Main's artwork shines - Both hosts appreciate the visual presentation, particularly the spaceship designs and background details. Main clearly uses Hartnell photo references, though his TARDIS-in-flight depiction (a corkscrew swirly line suggesting rapid spinning) amuses the hosts. The Doctor as spaceship engineer - Jim questions when the Doctor became qualified to repair alien spacecraft faster than their actual owners. Grigg's suspicious appearance - Designed to look villainous initially, subverting expectations when King Ixa becomes the actual antagonist. John's bloodthirsty evolution - The grandson appears drawn older in close-ups, as if maturing into a violent young man over time. "Doctor Who" naming persists - The strip continues calling the protagonist "Doctor Who" rather than "the Doctor." Jim declares this "on the same level as the first storyline" - straightforward space opera that doesn't connect much to the TV series, though the art remains enjoyable. COMIC STRIP REVIEW #2: "Genesis of Evil" (January 23 - February 6, 1965) TV Century 21, Three-Part Story (One Page Per Issue) Writer: David Whitaker (from Terry Nation's plot) Artist: Richard Jennings Jim's immediate reaction: "Gorgeous." This landmark Dalek origin story appeared in the back pages of TV Century 21 magazine, forcing young fans to buy multiple publications for their Doctor Who fix. Set on the planet Skaro, the strip reveals how the robotic Dalek shells came to exist following a catastrophic event that irradiated the planet (here depicted as a meteor storm hitting nuclear stockpiles, contradicting the TV series' neutron bomb). Two blue-skinned humanoid Daleks (members of the original Dals/Kaleds race) crawl from the rubble and encounter a horrifying sight - one of their own people, so mutated by radiation that he's encased himself in a mechanical pepper-pot shell. This robotic Dalek reveals he created the protective casing and now the survivors must build more shells for the remaining Daleks. The story establishes the Dalek Emperor character (gold and ruby-plated) who will feature in subsequent strips, creating a hierarchy absent from early TV stories. John and Jim's Analysis: Stunning artwork - Richard Jennings delivers detailed, beautifully colored pages that exceed the Doctor Who strip's quality. Jim calls it an "eye opener." Terry Nation's contractual power - Nation receives prominent billing despite David Whitaker doing the actual scripting, showing the Dalek creator's early leverage (eventually buying a manor with Dalek profits). Canon contradictions - The strip doesn't contradict the first TV Dalek serial and actually fleshes it out nicely, but future TV story "Genesis of the Daleks" will completely reimagine the origin. The hosts discuss how ancillary products are always subordinate to on-screen canon. Perfect pacing - The compact one-page-per-issue format keeps the story moving efficiently without lingering, unlike the sometimes padded Doctor Who strip. Thals connection - The strip references the Thal people from the TV series, maintaining continuity while expanding the mythology. The Emperor's absence - John wonders why this gold Emperor wasn't in "The Daleks" TV story, speculating future strips might explain it. Jim enthusiastically declares: "I enjoyed this way more than the Doctor Who strip" and looks forward to continuing Dalek adventures. LOOKING AHEAD The hosts preview their upcoming Friday Patreon release covering "The Web Planet" - John approaches it fresh without having started watching, hoping for better appreciation than his initial expectations. Jim looks forward to eventually finding a story where John declares "this is horrible" so he'll "feel justified." Subscribe to The Doctor's Beard Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, and all major podcast platforms. Share your thoughts on disappearing companions and gorgeous Dalek artwork by emailing us at thedoctorsbeardpodcast@gmail.com or joining our passionate Facebook and BlueSky communities. Become a Patreon member today to receive early episode access to our main show reviews, plus exclusive content like Episode 5 featuring vintage comic strip analysis from 1965, deep-dive discussions of Dalek mythology, and comprehensive coverage of Doctor Who's complete multimedia legacy across all formats and eras! Hashtags: #DoctorWho #DoctorWhoComics #TVComic #TVCentury21 #FirstDoctor #WilliamHartnell #VintageComics #1965Comics #DoctorWhoHistory #TherovianQuest #NevilleMain #JohnAndGillian #DoctorWhoGrandchildren #Daleks #GenesisOfEvil #DalekOrigin #TerryNation #DavidWhitaker #RichardJennings #DalekEmperor #Skaro #Thals #DalekMythology #ClassicDoctorWho #1960sComics #DoctorWhoPodcast #TheDoctorsBeardPodcast #PatreonExclusive #Episode5 #ComicReview #BritishComics #RetroComics #DoctorWhoCanon #DalekComics #SixtyYearsOfDoctorWho #Whovian #DoctorWhoFandom #DoctorWhoCollectibles #VintageSciFi #ComicHistory #DalekHistory #BBCComics #ClassicComics

We chat to the historian David Woodman about his book The First King of England: Athelstan and the Birth of a Kingdom. He tells us about why Athelstan (not Alfred) should be considered England's first king, how Athelstan was able to exert so much power in England and Britain, plus gets us exciting for the upcoming millennium of the foundation of England. Head to David's website for more information about him and his work: https://www.dwoodman.co.uk/ Sign up for lots of bonus content, including an ad-free version of the main podcast and over 400 additional bonus podcasts: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/rexfactor "(00:00:00) Intro" "(00:02:30) Athelstan Becoming King" "(00:10:29) Athelstan as First King" "(00:15:14) Vikings" "(00:28:16) Athelstan's Laws" "(00:33:12) Athelstan and Religion" "(00:38:25) Emperor of Britain" "(00:49:57) Alfred vs Athelstan" "(00:56:52) Farewells" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

"Determined to impose the union of the Churches accepted under pressure at the Council of Lyon (1274) to secure Papal support for the Byzantine Empire, Michael VIII Palaeologos sent troops to Mount Athos, the stronghold of Orthodoxy and centre of opposition to his policy, with orders to take sanguinary measures against monks who would not recognize the false union.   "When the Emperor's soldiers reached Karyes, the capital of Athos, which was organized as a lavra in those days, they seized the Protos of Athos, who had been an example to all of what a steadfast monk should be. They put him to the sword together with many other fathers there, and in their fury ransacked and fired the Church and monastic buildings, leaving rack and ruin behind them. Emerging from the wild places and thick forests where they had taken refuge, the Orthodox monks buried the holy Martyrs at the entrance to the Church of the Protaton. Through the centuries, generations of monks piously lit the lamp each day above the 'tomb of the Protos'; but it was not until 5 December 1981 that his relics were solemnly taken from the earth, and that a service was held in his honour in the presence of a great crowd." (Synaxarion)

Fluent Fiction - Japanese: Sparks & Circuits: Love Unplugged in Akihabara Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.com/ja/episode/2025-12-05-08-38-20-ja Story Transcript:Ja: 秋葉原は、冬でも活気に満ちています。En: Akihabara is bustling with energy even in winter.Ja: ネオンの光が街を彩り、多くの人々が最新技術に夢中です。En: The neon lights color the city, and many people are captivated by the latest technology.Ja: 今日は天皇誕生日で、多くの人が休みを楽しんでいます。En: Today is the Emperor's Birthday, and many people are enjoying their holiday.Ja: サトシは、この日に秋葉原の大きな技術展示会に参加しています。En: Satoshi is participating in a large tech exhibition in Akihabara on this day.Ja: 彼は内気で、普段は人前に出ることを恐れていますが、今日は彼の最新プロジェクトを発表する大切な日です。En: He is shy and usually afraid of appearing in public, but today is an important day for presenting his latest project.Ja: 会場内は人で溢れています。En: The venue is overflowing with people.Ja: サトシは自分のブースの準備に集中しています。En: Satoshi is focused on preparing his booth.Ja: 彼のプロジェクトは、新しいAI技術を使った音声認識ソフトです。En: His project is a voice recognition software using new AI technology.Ja: 彼は、誰かと繋がりたいという気持ちを持ちながらも、不安でいっぱいです。En: Although he has a desire to connect with someone, he is filled with anxiety.Ja: その頃、エミコはカメラを手に会場を歩き回っています。En: Meanwhile, Emiko is walking around the venue with a camera in her hand.Ja: 彼女は人気のある技術ジャーナリストで、展示会を取材するために来ています。En: She is a popular tech journalist who came to cover the exhibition.Ja: しかし、彼女もまた、仕事とプライベートの間で均衡を取るのに苦労しています。En: However, she too struggles to balance between work and private life.Ja: 共通の友人、ユウトがサトシのブースにやって来ました。En: A mutual friend, Yuto, comes to Satoshi's booth.Ja: 「サトシ、紹介したい人がいるよ」とユウトが言います。En: "Satoshi, there's someone I want you to meet," says Yuto.Ja: 「彼女はエミコ、素晴らしいジャーナリストだよ。」En: "This is Emiko, an amazing journalist."Ja: サトシは少し緊張しながらも、「こんにちは、エミコさん。僕のプロジェクトを見てください。」と声をかけました。En: Satoshi, a bit nervous, said, "Hello, Emikoさん. Please take a look at my project."Ja: エミコは微笑んでサトシのプロジェクトに興味を示します。En: Emiko smiled and showed interest in Satoshi's project.Ja: 彼らは技術とイノベーションについて熱心に話し始めました。En: They began talking enthusiastically about technology and innovation.Ja: 話をしていると、サトシは自然と自分の考えをシェアすることができました。En: As they talked, Satoshi naturally found himself able to share his thoughts.Ja: エミコも心から楽しんでいます。En: Emiko genuinely enjoyed their conversation.Ja: 「技術と人を繋ぐこと、本当に素晴らしいですね」とエミコが言いました。En: "Connecting technology and people is truly wonderful," said Emiko.Ja: 展示会が終わるとき、サトシは勇気を出してエミコに「この後、コーヒーでもいかがですか？」と誘いました。En: As the exhibition came to a close, Satoshi gathered the courage to invite Emiko, "How about some coffee afterwards?"Ja: エミコは少しスケジュールを見直してから、「ぜひ、行きましょう。」と答えました。En: Emiko reviewed her schedule a little and answered, "I'd love to, let's go."Ja: その夜、サトシとエミコはカフェで会い、仕事以外の話も楽しみました。En: That night, Satoshi and Emiko met at a café and enjoyed conversations beyond work.Ja: 彼らの間には新しい関係の始まりを予感させる、温かな空気が流れていました。En: A warm air that hinted at the beginning of a new relationship flowed between them.Ja: サトシは自信を持ち始め、エミコもまた、大切な出会いを大切にすることの重要性に気づきました。En: Satoshi began to gain confidence, and Emiko also realized the importance of cherishing a valuable encounter.Ja: 秋葉原の活気ある一日が終わり、二人は新たなつながりを胸に帰路についたのでした。En: As the lively day in Akihabara ended, the two returned home with a new connection in their hearts.Ja: これが、サトシとエミコの新しい物語の始まりです。En: This is the beginning of a new story for Satoshi and Emiko. Vocabulary Words:bustling: 活気に満ちているcaptivated: 夢中exhibition: 展示会shy: 内気overflowing: 溢れているbooth: ブースanxiety: 不安journalist: ジャーナリストhesitant: 躊躇うenthusiastically: 熱心にinnovation: イノベーションcherishing: 大切にするencounter: 出会いconfident: 自信balancing: 均衡を取るvenue: 会場recognition: 認識naturally: 自然とschedule: スケジュールtechnology: 技術neon: ネオンinvite: 誘うgathered: 集めるcafé: カフェconversation: 会話project: プロジェクトconnected: 繋がりappearing: 人前に出るdesire: 気持ちgenuine: 心から

Deep in the burrows, the Inquisitorial agents heard the screams of people facing off with Drukhari in the darkness of the tunnels. Solomon and the Judge hid amongst the burning shacks and prepared an ambush. Humans emerged and staggered towards them wearing explosive collars, forced to curse the Emperor, follow by a large, floating pirate-like ship bearing twelve Kabalite warriors. Damien hurled a flaming sphere onto the ship, hitting several enemies and setting the sails ablaze, and Morgan took careful aim and took out the heavy gunner. Solomon cleaved another warrior in two, and the Judge used his shock maul to smash the warrior bearing down on Solomon, then set Rex 2 to finish it off. The team dealt with the warriors at the front, but found themselves facing the rest of the Drukhari on board.Featuring players Del Borovic, Guy Bradford, Josh Halbot, and Tyler Hewitt, and Dungeon Master Ryan LaPlante.Enjoying Agents of the Inquisition?- Consider supporting the show for as little as $1 a month to get BTS fun, an ad-free feed, and even add your own character to the podcast! (https://dumbdumbdice.com/join)- Buy merch on our website (https://dumbdumbdice.com/)- Follow us on social media: @dumbdumbdice- Watch our video episodes on YouTube (https://youtube.com/@dumbdumbdice) Artwork by the brilliant Del Borovic- Website & Portfolio (https://delborovic.com/), @deltastic on socialsSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

After a blistering noir and a searing portrait of alcoholism, Billy Wilder's next film was . . . a Technicolor musical comedy starring Bing Crosby! Why did he make “The Emperor Waltz”? We're just as puzzled as you are. We're upping our Patreon in a major way for Season 2, so be sure to join today! Patreon.com/TheFilmographersPodcast Social media Instagram @thefilmographers Bluesky @thefilmographers.bsky.social Letterboxd @filmographers YouTube @TheFilmographersPodcast Website https://filmographerspodcast.com/ Credits Keir Graff & Michael Moreci, hosts Kevin Lau, producer Gompson, theme music Cosmo Graff, graphic design

Zo returns to a far, far away galaxy. It's a galaxy with an abundance of life giving worlds with a multitude of strange sentient beings and cultures. It is also a place of strife and conflict and immersed in a war among the stars. There is an overarching government that was seized by a power hungry leader who granted himself the title of Emperor and ruled through oppression. The once great Galactic Republic of freedom had become a dystopian nightmare. So great was the oppression that disparate resistance fighters immerged and eventually banded together to form The Rebellion to Restore the Republic. The Rebels gather the greatest fleet that they could gather to engage in a final desperate gambit to end the Empire once and for all time. If they fail then the Rebellion would be crushed, the Emperor will rule unchallenged and the vast and various denizens of the Galaxy would live in unforgiving squalor for time unending. Episode Chapters00:04:20 Opening Credits for Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi Starring Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford and Carrie Fisher00:12:36 Favorite Parts of the 1983 film Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi01:23:50 Trivia from the sci-fi action fantasy Star Wars: Episode VI- Return of the Jedi  01:32:46 Critics' Thoughts on Richard Marquand's Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi Please leave a comment, suggestion or question on our social media: Back Look Cinema: The Podcast Links:Website: www.backlookcinema.comEmail: fanmail@backlookcinema.comYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@backlookcinemaTwitter: https://twitter.com/backlookcinemaFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/BackLookCinemaInstagram: https://instagram.com/backlookcinemaThreads: https://www.threads.net/@backlookcinemaTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@backlookcinemaTwitch https://www.twitch.tv/backlookcinemaBlue Sky: https://bsky.app/profile/backlookcinema.bsky.socialMastodon: https://mstdn.party/@backlookcinemaBack Look Cinema Merch at Teespring.comBack Look Cinema Merch at Teepublic.com Again, thanks for listening.

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We riff on two of Hans Christian Andersen's tales about emperors, insurance companies and egos.

On this week's episode, Brad and Eric talk about… well, I can't really tell you the topic of this week, you see. It involves guns, it involves size and it involves the things i do with yo mama, but I can't really use the words without shooting myself in the foot, so you have to guess… or click and start watching to find out!   POORHAMMER MERCH! https://orchideight.com/collections/poorhammer PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/SolelySingleton YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/@thepoorhammerpodcast TWITCH: https://www.twitch.tv/poorhammer Website: https://poorhammer.libsyn.com/   RELATED TO THIS EPISODE: Grading Every Faction Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-p4AUDNDTPZPyMnEf1NHvRwb6DPOnj1M   TIMESTAMPS: 00:00 Hello and Welcome 01:51 Most common symptoms if you have a BFG 05:10 Our Model Student - Leagues of Votann 06:49 Adeptus Mechanicus 09:33 Adepta Sororitas 11:24 Adeptus Custodes 12:56 Astra Militarum 15:15 Grey Knights 17:04 Imperial Agents 18:32 Space Marines 19:54 Imperial Knights 21:13 Chaos Knights 21:49 Chaos Daemons 22:44 Chaos Space Marines 24:18 Death Guard 25:18 Emperor's Children 25:53 Thousand Sons 27:21 World Eaters 28:26 Aeldari 31:04 Harlequins 32:13 Drukhari 33:23 Genestealer Cults 36:04 Necrons 37:49 Orks 38:33 T'au Empire 40:33 Tyranids 42:32 Sounds Good 43:10 Alright Audio Audience   Contact Information: You can interact with Solely Singleton by joining the hosts on discord and Twitter to give input to improve the show. Feel free to email more detailed questions and suggestions to the show's email address.   Your Hosts: Brad (DrRuler) & Eric (OnekuoSora) Brad's Bsky: https://bsky.app/profile/drruler.bsky.social Eric's Bsky: https://bsky.app/profile/onekuosora.bsky.social Show Email: thepoorhammerpodcast@gmail.com Merch Website: http://www.poorhammer.com/ Edited by: Menino Berilio Show Mailing Address: PO Box 70893 Rochester Hills, MI 48307   Licensed Music Used By This Program: "Night Out" by LiQWYD CC BY "Thursday & Snow (Reprise)" by Blank & Kytt CC BY "First Class" by Peyruis CC BY "Funky Souls" by Amaria CC BY  

He was born in Constantinople in 715 to pious parents named John and Anna. His mother had prayed often to the most holy Theotokos to be granted a son, and received a revelation from our Lady that she would conceive the son she desired. When the child was born, she named him Stephen, following a prophecy of the Patriarch St Germanos (commemorated May 12). Stephen entered monastic life as a youth, and so distinguished himself in asceticism and virtue that the hermits of Mt Auxentius appointed him their leader at a young age.   'During the reign of Constantine V (741-775), Stephen showed his love of Orthodoxy in contending for the Faith... Besides being a fierce Iconoclast, Constantine raised up a ruthless persecution of monasticism. He held a council in 754 that anathematized the holy icons. Because Saint Stephen rejected this council, the Emperor framed false accusations against him and exiled him. But while in exile Saint Stephen performed healings with holy icons and turned many away from Iconoclasm. When he was brought before the Emperor again, he showed him a coin and asked whose image the coin bore. "Mine," said the tyrant. "If any man trample upon thine image, is he liable to punishment?" asked the Saint. When they that stood by answered yes, the Saint groaned because of their blindness, and said if they thought dishonouring the image of a corruptible king worthy of punishment, what torment would they receive who trampled upon the image of the Master Christ and of the Mother of God? Then he threw the coin to the ground and trampled on it. He was condemned to eleven months in bonds and imprisonment. Later, he was dragged over the earth and was stoned, like Stephen the First Martyr; wherefore he is called Stephen the New. Finally, he was struck with a wooden club on the temple and his head was shattered, and thus he gave up his spirit in the year 767.' (Great Horologion)

He was born in Constantinople in 715 to pious parents named John and Anna. His mother had prayed often to the most holy Theotokos to be granted a son, and received a revelation from our Lady that she would conceive the son she desired. When the child was born, she named him Stephen, following a prophecy of the Patriarch St Germanos (commemorated May 12). Stephen entered monastic life as a youth, and so distinguished himself in asceticism and virtue that the hermits of Mt Auxentius appointed him their leader at a young age.   'During the reign of Constantine V (741-775), Stephen showed his love of Orthodoxy in contending for the Faith... Besides being a fierce Iconoclast, Constantine raised up a ruthless persecution of monasticism. He held a council in 754 that anathematized the holy icons. Because Saint Stephen rejected this council, the Emperor framed false accusations against him and exiled him. But while in exile Saint Stephen performed healings with holy icons and turned many away from Iconoclasm. When he was brought before the Emperor again, he showed him a coin and asked whose image the coin bore. "Mine," said the tyrant. "If any man trample upon thine image, is he liable to punishment?" asked the Saint. When they that stood by answered yes, the Saint groaned because of their blindness, and said if they thought dishonouring the image of a corruptible king worthy of punishment, what torment would they receive who trampled upon the image of the Master Christ and of the Mother of God? Then he threw the coin to the ground and trampled on it. He was condemned to eleven months in bonds and imprisonment. Later, he was dragged over the earth and was stoned, like Stephen the First Martyr; wherefore he is called Stephen the New. Finally, he was struck with a wooden club on the temple and his head was shattered, and thus he gave up his spirit in the year 767.' (Great Horologion)

Dark Lord of the Sith, the Emperor's Enforcer, the face of the Galactic Empire's war machine! This is who Darth Vader is now...and so much more! From his iconic design that makes him the monster of nightmares to his tragic fall and enslavement to Palpatine and the Dark Side, we discuss so many aspects of who Darth Vader is. You will join us for this episode! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hello my friends and welcome back to the history of everything podcast live from japan. Well truthfully it is not live. We did plan on doing a big group episode together over the course of the trips but then 3 separate times everyone was like hey what if we went to all you can drink karaoke? And so we did that instead. Soooooo sorry about that Anyway here we are in Japan, the land of the rising sun and we have have a series of questions that we thought would be fun to answer. Why was the emperor of Japan a God? Why does Japan have a penis festival? Why are roasted beans thrown to drive out evil spirits? Why are there so many rules in Japan about how to handle chopsticks? Well if you've ever been to Japan and stumbled across these beliefs or superstitions or if you've never heard of them. This episode will go over these superstitions and many more. Travel to Croatia with me ⁠here⁠ Travel to Greece with me ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Travel to Thailand with me ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Check out our sister podcast the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Mystery of Everything⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Coffee Collab With The Lore Lodge ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠COFFEE⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Bonus episodes as well as ad-free episodes on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Find us on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Join us on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Discord⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Submit your relatives on our ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Podcast ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Youtube Channel⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Twenty years ago, a young oncologist started journaling to process his experience treating cancer patients. That cathartic act became the Pulitzer Prize-winning book The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer.Fifteen years after the book was published, how has our understanding of preventing and treating cancer changed? Host Flora Lichtman is joined by author Siddhartha Mukherjee to talk about what we now understand about screening, environmental risks, and rising cancer rates in young people.Read an excerpt of the new chapters added to The Emperor of Maladies on the 15th anniversary of the book's publication. This headline has been corrected from "Multi-Headed" to "Many-Headed" to accurately reflect Siddhartha Mukherjee's statement.Guest: Dr. Siddhartha Mukherjee is a cancer physician and an associate professor of medicine at Columbia University.Transcripts for each episode are available within 1-3 days at sciencefriday.com. Subscribe to this podcast. Plus, to stay updated on all things science, sign up for Science Friday's newsletters.

       Indian Judge Rabhabinod Pal wrote a massive dissent, arguing the court lacked legitimacy due to the dominance of imperial powers. Pal, who focused heavily on racism and colonialism, questioned the evidence of Japanese atrocities at Nanjing. During the 1948 executions, army defendants chanted "Banzai" (Long live the Emperor). The US Supreme Court upheld the military commissions by narrowly refusing jurisdiction.