Podcasts about Gai

This episode we look at many of the natural events and talk about those observing and writing things down, and why they may have wanted to do so. For more, check out our podcast blogpage:  https://sengokudaimyo.com/podcast/episode-139   Rough Transcript: Welcome to Sengoku Daimyo's Chronicles of Japan.  My name is Joshua and this is episode 139: Observing the "Natural" World. Members of the Onmyou-ryou, dressed in the official robes of their office, sat around in their observation tower, measuring the location of the stars.  They kept their light to a minimum, just enough so that they could write down their observations, but not so much that it would destroy their vision.  As they looked up, suddenly they saw a strange movement: a streak through the sky.  They waited, and observed, and then there was another, and another after that.  It was as if the stars themselves were falling from the heavens.  They watched as it seemed that the constellations themselves were melting and falling apart.  Quickly they scribbled down notes.  Tomorrow, with the light of day, they would consult various sources to see just what it could mean.  For now, their role was simply to observe and record.   Welcome back, everyone.  It is the height of holiday season in the US as I record this, and in our narrative we are in the middle of the reign of Ohoama, aka Temmu Tennou, who came to power in 672 and who has been shoring up the Ritsuryo state instigated by his late brother, Naka no Oe, aka Tenji Tennou.  We have talked in recent episodes about how Ohoama put a lot of the state under the control of members of the royal family, or at least those with claims to royal blood, and how he had also begun work on the Chronicles—the very works that we have been using to try and understand the history of this and earlier periods.   It seems clear that Ohoama and his cohorts were doing their best to solidify their control and, in the process, create what they felt was a modern state, leveraging the continental model, but not without their own local flavor.  After all, they were also investing in the kami based rituals of state and specifically in Ise shrine, which they claimed as an ancestral shrine for their lineage. This episode, let's dig into another thing that was getting reported around this time.  And that is… science!  Or at least observations of the world and indications of how people were interacting with it. Before going into the subject, I want to acknowledge that "science", or "Kagaku" in modern Japanese, may not look like what we think of as "science" today.  The word "Kagaku" itself appears to come about in the late Edo period, and became associated with the western idea of "Science" in the Meiji period.  Today we think of it as observations, yes, but also testing via the scientific method. I think it might be more appropriate to categorize a lot of earlier science under a term like "learning" or "study", and it seems to have encompassed a wide range of topics of study, some of which we would include as "science" and some which we might refer to more as "arts".  There is also a very fine line with religion and philosophy as well. From a modern perspective, I think one could fairly argue that "science"—particularly the so-called "hard" sciences—refers to something that can be empirically tested via the scientific method.  So you can see something, form a hypothesis, create a test, and then that test should produce the same results no matter who conducts it, assuming you account for the variables. And please don't @ me about this… I know I am simplifying things.  This isn't a podcast about science unless we are talking about the social sciences of history and archaeology. In contrast to our modern concept of science, much of what we see in the Asuka era is built around using our reasoning to arrive at the truth of something.  In cases where we are dealing with clearly physical phenomena that have observable causes and effects, this can lead to remarkably reliable results.  One example of this is calendrical science—it isn't that hard to observe the passing of days and seasons.  Even the rotation of the earth and the movements of stars and even something with as large a period as comets could be observed and tracked, especially if you had centuries of data to comb through.  In fact, they often would predict things that it turns out they couldn't, themselves, see.  They could predict that an eclipse would occur, for example, even when that eclipse was only visible somewhere else.  And they didn't have to calculate gravitational pull, mass, or distances between different heavenly bodies for that to occur. Similarly, in the agricultural sphere: you had so many people who observed the seasons and would figure out new ways of doing things.  It doesn't take an understanding of chlorophyl to know that plants generally do better when exposed to sunlight. I believe the leap happens when you get to things that go beyond purely observable means.  Sickness, for example—how do you explain viruses or germs without equipment like microscopes to see what our eyes alone cannot?  And if such "invisible" things could cause so much damage, then why could there not be other "invisible" elements, such as kami and boddhisatvas?  And as humans we are driven to make connections.  It is one of the things that has driven our technological innovation and rise, but it is also something that can easily go awry.  Like when you are sitting in a dark house, alone, and you hear a noise.  Rationally, you might know that houses settle and creak, but that doesn't necessarily stop your brain from connecting it with thoughts that someone must be in the house making that noise. Or even how we make judgments based on nothing more than how someone talks or what they look like, because our brains have made connections with those things, for good or ill. A large part of the rationalization that was accomplished in Asian thought had to do with concepts of Yin and Yang, the negative and the positive, the dark and the light.  This was thought of as a kind of energy—qi or ki—that was embedded in things.  We discussed this somewhat back in episode 127, because yin yang theory, along with the five element theory, known as Wuxing or Gogyou in Japanese, became embedded in the idea of the calendar.  Why was summer hot, except that it was connected with an excess of fire energy?  And the cold, dark days of winter would be associated with an excess of water, naturally. I should note that while this is one of the more comprehensive philosophical systems in use, it was not the only means by which various phenomena and effects were rationalized.  After all, it had to be imposed on a framework of how the world otherwise worked, and descriptions of the world came from a variety of places.  There was, for example, the Classic of Mountains and Seas, or Sanhaijing, which detailed the world as envisioned in the period before the Qin dynasty, although there were occasional updates.  The Sanhaijing  described regular plants and animals in the same breath as gods and monsters.  There were also various buddhist sutras, which brought their own cosmological view of the universe that had to be squared with other visions, including those passed down locally describing the archipelago as the "Reed Plain" and giving particular importance to eight of the islands—though which eight depends on which variant of the creation myth you are referencing. To categorize the study of the natural—and what we would consider the supernatural—world around them, the Ritsuryou set up specific bureaus.  One of these was the Onmyou-ryou, the Bureau of Yin-yang, also known as the Onyo no Tsukasa.  This Bureau oversaw divination, astronomy, time, and calendars.  At its head was the Onmyou-no-kami.  Below them were the various scholars studying the core subjects, as well as technical practitioners to carry out the rites and divination. On the continent, priority was generally given to astronomical and calendrical studies, and many of the more magical practices or rituals would fade away, likely because there were local Taoist institutions who could take up much of that work.  In Japan, however, it seems that the calendrical studies tended to ossify, instead, while onmyoji came to fill a role not just for the state but also among the population for divination and other such practices.  Even into the Edo period one could find private onmyoji, and the Bureau itself lasted until the very beginning of the Meiji period. Another important institution of the Ritsuryo government for learning was the Daigakuryou, the Bureau of Great Learning.  Students of Japanese may recognize the term "Daigaku" referring, today, to universities. The original concept for the Daigaku-ryou, or Daigaku no Tsukasa, was focused on the study of those things that were considered perhaps a bit more practical and necessary to anyone who might want a political career.  Since this was founded on concepts of Confucian government, it is little wonder that it was originally designed to focus on Confucian studies, among other things.  This fits into the idea of a supposed meritocracy, where one's education was part of the examination.  You may recall from Episode 115 we talked about the National University in Chang'an, which is likely something that the Daigaku Ryou could only ever dream of becoming. Early arts taught at the Daigaku Ryou included the Confucian classics, mathematics, writing, and Chinese pronunciation.  These were all things that you would need to know to become a part of the bureaucracy The idea of a school may have been born along with the early institution of the government, with mention as early as 671, in the last year of Naka no Oe's reign, but we don't have it clearly established in the code until later.  Full operations may have been somewhat delayed due to the tumultuous events of Ohoama's accession to power in 672, but we do see it explicitly mentioned in the year 675.  On the first day of the year we are told that Students from the Daigaku Ryou, along with students from the Onmyou-Ryou and from the Gaiyaku Ryou, the Bureau of External Medicine; along with the Woman of S'ravasti, the Woman of Tara, Prince Syeonkwang of Baekje, and Silla labourers offered presents of drugs and various rarities. We talked about the first two, the Daigaku-ryou and the Onmyou-ryou, but the Gaiyaku Ryou doesn't seem to have a lot of information out there beyond this mention.  Later there would a "Ten'yaku Ryou", or Bureau of Medicine, established in the code.  Since we don't have any extant codes from this period beyond what was written down in the Nihon Shoki, we don't know for certain what the Gaiyaku-ryou was , and it is possible that the Gaiyaku-Ryou was a precursor to the Ten'yaku Ryou.  "GAI" means "outside" or "external", leading me to wonder if this referred to external medicine in contrast to internal medicine, or if it meant medicine or drugs from outside teh archipeloago. I would point out that these students are found with the Woman of S'ravasti, or Shae; the Woman of Tara; a Baekje prince and Silla labourers.  In other words, they were all people from outside of the archipelago.  This is not entirely surprising as it was from outside that much of the learning was coming into the country. "Yaku" or "Kusuri", which can be translated as either "Drugs" or "medicine", could refer to a number of things.  How effective they were is somewhat questionable. Almost certainly some of them had confirmed medicinal efficacy, but others may have been thought to have been effective due to things like their connection to the five elements, or wuxing, theory. For example, something red might be assumed to have a warming effect because of the presumed presence of the fire element.  And the power of the placebo effect no doubt made them seem at least partially effective.  Consider, for example, how many people will swear by certain remedies for the common cold when all it really does is distract you, or perhaps make you a bit more comfortable, until the symptoms pass on their own. A more certain science was probably that of Astronomy, which we've mentioned a few times.  The passage of the stars through the sky was something that could be easily observed.  There is a theory that some of the first lines in the Yijing, or book of changes, may actually be a description of the changing of seasons as different aspects of a given constellation rise over the horizon, and the placement of certain stars would help in the adjustment of the lunar calendar, since the moon's orbit does not match up exactly with the solar year, and year the solar year was quite important to things like agriculture and even sailing to the mainland. This all makes 675 a seemingly banner year for science, as four days after the presentation of medicine to the throne, the government erected a platform by which to observe the stars.  This wouldn't need to be much—it could have been an earthen mound, or just a tower, from which one could get above the ground, presumably see over any buildings, to the horizon.  Granted, Asuka might not be the best place for such observations, with the nearby mountains meaning that the true horizon is often obstructed.  Nonetheless, it may have been enough to make calculations. Astronomy platforms, or Tenmondai, would continue to be used up until at least the Meiji period.  Without a telescope, observations were somewhat limited—though they also didn't have the same level of light pollution that we have today.  Remember, many woke just before dawn and went to sleep not too long after the sun went down, which only makes sense when you are living in a place where creating light, while doable, also ran the risk of burning your entire house to the ground. It is worth noting that the sky for the ancient Japanese was likely quite different than what most of us see when we look up, unless you are fortunate enough to live in a place with very little light pollution.  For many of those living today in the cities and suburban landscape, go outside at night and you might see the moon and some of the brightest stars, but for most of the ancient Japanese, they would look up and see the heavenly river, the Amakawa, or Milky Way.  They would have looked up at a sky glittering with myriad dots of light, as well as planets and more.  It was both familiar and strange—something one saw regularly and yet something that was also extremely inaccessible. Astronomical observations would have been important for several reasons, as I've mentioned.  They would have been used to keep the calendar in check, but they would also have likely been used to help calibrate the water clock, which helped to tell time.  Of course, going back to the five elements and yin yang theory, it is also believed that the energy, the qi or ki, changed with the seasons and the movements of the stars and planets—planets were not known as such, of course, but their seemingly erratic movements compared to bright lights in the sky meant they were noticed and assigned values within the elemental system. One of the things that came with the changing seasons, the heavenly movements, and the flow of ki was a concept of "kata-imi", literally directional taboos.  There were times when certain directions might be considered favorable or unfavorable for various actions.  This could be something as simple as traveling in a given direction.  In the centuries to come this would spawn an entire practice of kata-tagae, or changing direction.  Is the north blocked, but you need to travel there, anyway?  Well just go northwest to say hello to a friend or visit your local sake brewery, and then travel due east.  Ta-da!  You avoided going directly north!  There were also mantra-like incantations that one might say if they had to travel in an inauspicious direction to counteract the concept of bad influences. This also influenced various other things, and even today you will often see dates where a year and month might be followed by simply the character for "auspicious day" rather than an actual day of the month. So observing the heavens was important, and it was also important that they tostudy the works of those on the continent, whose records could help predict various astronomical phenomena.  Except that there was one tiny problem:  I don't know if you've noticed, but Japan and China are in two different locations.  Not all astronomical phenomena can be observed from all points of the globe.  The Northern Lights, for example, are rarely seen in more southerly latitudes, and while eclipses are not too rare, a total eclipse only impacts certain areas of the earth, along relatively narrow paths. I mention this because it isn't always clear if the records we get in the Nihon Shoki are about phenomena they directly observed or if they are taking reports from elsewhere and incorporating them into the narrative.  One such event is the comet of 676. The entry in the Nihon Shoki tells us that in the 7th lunar month of the 5th year of Temmu Tennou, aka 676 CE, a star appeared in the east that was 7 or 8 shaku in length.  It disappeared two months later. We've mentioned some of this before, but the sky was divided up into "shaku", or "feet", though how exactly it was measured I'm not entirely sure.  It appears to be that one foot was roughly 1.5 degrees of the sky, give or take about a quarter of a degree, with 180 degrees from horizon to horizon.  So it would have been about 10 to 12 degrees in the sky.  Another way to picture it is if you hold out your arm towards the object, and spread your index and little finger, it would probably fit between those two points.  This comet hung around for some time, and a great part about a comet like this is that it was viewable from multiple locations.  After all, as the earth turned, different areas were exposed to the comet as it passed through our part of the solar system.  Thus we have records of it from not just the Nihon Shoki:  We also find it in the Anglo-Saxon chronicles, where it was thought to have foretold the end of Bishop Wilfred's control of Northumbria.  We also see it in Tang, Silla, and Syrian sources. These sources aren't always in complete agreement.  For one thing, they noted when they first saw it, which might have been impacted by local conditions.  And then conversion between lunar and solar calendars can also sometimes get in the way.  Roughtly speaking, we have the Nihon Shoki providing dates of somewhere from about August or September of 676, on the Western calendar, to October or November. Tang sources put it from 4 September to 1 November.  Silla Chronicles claim that it first appeared in the 7th lunar month, so between August and September.  A Syrian Chronicle notes a comet from about 28 August to 26 October in the following year, 677, but this is thought to have been a mistake.  European sources generally seem to claim it was seen in August and lasted for three months.  All of these sightings put it at roughly the same time. Working with that and with known comets, we think we actually know which comet this is:  The Comet de Cheseaux also known as the Comet Klinkenberg-Cheseaux.  And I should mention this is all thanks to a research paper by M. Meyer and G. W. Kronk.  In that paper they propose that this is the comet with the designation of C/1743 X1, or the common names I just mentioned.  If so, based on its trajectory, this comet would have been visible in 336, 676, 1032, 1402, 1744, and is next predicted to show up in 2097.  And no, those aren't all exactly the same amount of time.  It is roughly every 350 years or so, but with the movements of the solar system, the planets, and various gravitational forces that likely slow or speed up its movement, it doesn't show up on exactly regular intervals.  Still, it is pretty incredible to think that we have a record of a comet that was seen the world over at this time, by people looking up from some very different places. Comets were something interesting for early astronomers.  They may have originally been seen as particularly ominous—after all, in the early eras, they were hardly predictable, and it would take years to get enough data to see that they were actually a somewhat regular occurrence.  In fact, it is likely that early astronomers were able to figure out eclipse schedules before comets.  Still, they seem to have come to the realization that comets were in fact another type of natural and reoccurring phenomenon.  That isn't to say that they didn't have any oracular meaning, but it did mean they were less of an obvious disturbance of the heavenly order. We have another comet mentioned in the 10th lunar month of 681, but that one seems to have had less attention focused on it, and we don't have the same details.  Then in the 8th lunar month of 682 we have an entry about a Great Star passing from East to West—which was probably a shooting star, rather than a comet.  Comets, for all that they appear to be streaking across the sky thanks to their long tails, are often relatively stable from an earthbound perspective, taking months to appear and then disappear again. Then, on the 23rd day of the 7th month of 684 we get another comet in the northwest.  This one was more than 10 shaku in length—about 15 degrees, total, give or take.  Given the date, we can be fairly confident about this one, as well: it was the famous Halley's comet.  Halley's comet is fascinating for several reasons.  For one, it has a relatively short period of about 72 to 80 years, though mostly closer to 75 to 77 years in between sightings.  The last time it visited the earth was in 1986, and it is expected back in 2061.  Halley's comet has been recorded since the 3rd century BCE, and, likely because of its short period, it was the first periodic comet to be recognized as such.  There are other periodic comets with short periods, but many of them are not visible with the naked eye.  Halley's comet is perhaps the most studied comet, given its regular and relatively short periodicity.  It is also connected to the famous writer, humorist, and essayist, Samuel Langhorne Clemens, aka Mark Twain.  He was born only a few days after the comet reached perihelion in 1835 and died a day after it reached the same point again in 1910, and while he may not have visited Japan in his lifetime, it was a period of great change both in his home country of America and in Japan.  America, of course, would undergo a Civil War over the issue of slavery in the early 1860s, and shortly after that Japan would have its own civil war in the form of the Meiji Revolution.  And while he never visited—and translation could only do so much to capture the art of his prose—Mark Twain's works were apparently quite influential in Japan in the early 20th century. Of course, comets were just one of the celestial phenomena to be observed.  The astronomers were interested in just about anything happening in the sky.  We have accounts of both solar and lunar eclipses, and not necessarily full eclipses either.  We even have notice of the movement of some planets, such as in 681, when they noted that the planet mars "entered" the moon. Obviously the astronomers weren't recording every raincloud that came through—at least not in the main chronicles—but they did capture a fair number of events.  They did record particularly memorable storms.  For instances, in the 8th lunar month of 675 there was a storm that is said to have caused sand to fly and which then damaged houses.  This sounds like a wind storm without rain—after all, if there was rain, you would expect that the sand would have been wet and tamped down.  It is possible to have hurricane level winds without the rain.  While typhoons typically bring rain, especially as they usually build up their strength at sea, it is possible to have the winds alone, as I've experienced, myself, in Tokyo.  This most likely happens in an isolated area—there is water and rain somewhere, but the typhoon can be large, so parts of it may only get the wind and little or no rain.  I wonder if something like that happened in this instance.  It is also possible that this record refers to actual sand being brought across from the continent.  In some instances, sand can be lifted up from as far away as Mongolia and carried all the way to Japan, though it is pretty rare. And it wasn't just wind and sand.  We get accounts of hail coming down as large as peaches, torrential rainstorms, and even ash, likely from a volcanic eruption that was otherwise unrecorded.  There are also accounts of snow, though typically recorded in times where you wouldn't expect to see it, such as the third lunar month, which would mean snow in late April or early May. Mostly these storms are mentioned in terms of how they affected the immediate fortunes of the living, but sometimes storms did even more damage.  In 682, for example, a hoar-frost was reported in both Shinano and Kibi in the 7th lunar month.  On its own, this probably wouldn't have been worth mentioning, but the chroniclers add that because of storms the "five grains had not formed".  So storms had diminished the crops and the hoar-frost was apparently the killing blow.  The harvest that year would be lean, and it would not be a happy time for many that winter. And then, just as important as what was happening was what was not.  There are several mentions of droughts, particularly towards the end of Spring, early Summer.  This is traditionally a drier period, and if it is too dry it could harm the harvest.  And so the government was expected to find a way to bring the rain—a tall order, the general resolution to which seems to be prayers and rituals designed to bring rain.  In a place like Japan, I suspect that it was usually just a matter of time before the prayers were "successful", thus reinforcing their presumed efficacy. Some of the things that they recorded were a bit more mysterious.  For example, in the second lunar month of 680 we are told that a sound like drums was heard from the East.  There are many things this could theoretically be, from rumbles of thunder to some other phenomenon, though the following year we have a note about thunder in the West, so theoretically they knew the difference between thunder and drums.  Later that same year, 680, we are told that there was a "brightness" in the East from the hour of the dog to the hour of the rat—about 8pm to midnight.  Was this some kind of aurora?  But wouldn't that have been in the north, rather than the east?    Could it have been some kind of lightning?  But that is a long time for a lightning storm to hang around.  And there are other strange things, some of which seem impossible and we have to doubt.  For example, in 684 they said that, at dusk, the seven stars of the Big Dipper drifted together to the northeast and sank.  Unless they are just recording the natural setting of the stars of the big dipper.  Certainly, over time the constellation appears to rotate around the north star, and it dips down to or below the horizon in the autumn months.  So were they just talking about the natural, yearly setting of the stars, or something else? There may be some clues in that the 11th lunar month, when that was recorded, we see several other heavenly phenomena recorded.  Two days after the Big Dipper set, at sunset, a star fell in the eastern quarter of the sky that we are told was as large as a jar.  Later, the constellations were wholly disordered and stars fell like rain.  That same month, a star shot up in the zenith and proceeded along with the Pleiades until the end of the month.  While this sounds like shooting stars and a possible meteor shower, a later commenter suggested that this was all a heavenly omen for the state of the court, showing the "disordered" state of the nobility at this time.  Of course, this was also a year and change before the sovereign's eventual passing, so there is also the possibility that the Chroniclers were looking at events later and ascribing meaning and importance after the fact. In another account of something seemingly wonderous: in 682 we are told that something shaped like a Buddhist flag, colored like flame, was seen by all of the provinces and then sank into the Japan sea north of Koshi.  A white mist is also said to have risen up from the Eastern mountains. There are various things that could be going on here.  It strikes me that the white mist could be a cloud, but could also be something volcanic.  And the flame colored prayer flag makes me think about how a high cloud can catch the light of the rising or setting sun.  That could look like a flag, and can seem extremely odd depending on the other conditions in the sky. Or maybe it was aliens. Okay, it is unlikely that it was aliens, but I think that these do give an idea of the kinds of records that were being made about the observed phenomena.  Obviously the Nihon Shoki is recording those things that were considered particularly significant for whatever reason.  This could just be because it was something odd and unexplained, or perhaps it was more well known but rare.  It may have even had religious connotations based on some aspect, like evoking the image of Buddhist flags.  And it is possible that it was thought to have had significant impact on events—perhaps even an impact that isn't clear to us today, many centuries removed from the events. Some things were clear, however.  Lightning strikes are often mentioned specifically when they strike something of note.  In 678, we are told that a pillar of the Western Hall of the New Palace was struck by lightning, though apparently the building itself survived.  Then, in 686, Lighting appeared in the southern sky with a large roar of thunder.  A fire broke out and caught the tax cloth storehouse of the Ministry of Popular affairs, which immediately exploded in flames.  After all, a thatched roofed, wooden building filled with kindling in the form of cloth—and likely a  fair amount of paper and writing supplies to keep track of it all—sounds like a bonfire waiting to happen.  There were reports that the fire had actually started in Prince Osakabe's palace and then spread to the Ministry of Popular Affairs from there. It is also worth noting that recording of such events was still somewhat new to the archipelago as a whole. They were learning from the continent, but also defining their own traditions. Observations of natural phenomena weren't just relegated to celestial occurrences or weather.  After all, there was something else that one could observe in the sky:  birds.  Now this wasn't your average bird-watching—though I'm not saying that there weren't casual birders in ancient Japan, and if we ever find someone's birding diary from that era I think that would be so cool.  But there were some things that were significant enough to be mentioned. For example, in 678 we get a report of "atori", or bramblings.  Bramblings are small songbirds which are found across Eurasia.  Notably they are migratory, and are known to migrate in huge flocks especially in the winter time, and sure enough on the 27th day of the 12th month we are told that the bramblings flew from the southwest to the northeast, covering the entire sky.  This makes me think about some of the other mass migrations that used to occur that have largely been reduced significantly due to habitat loss, disruption to traditional migratory routes, and other population pressures on various bird species.  Still, having so many birds that it blocked out the sky certainly seems a significant event to report on.  We later see a similar account in 680, with the flock moving from southeast to northwest.  Given the location of Asuka it sounds like they were flocking in the mountains and heading out over the Nara Basin, perhaps seeking food in another mountainous area. In 682, the birders were at it again.  This time, around midday on the 11th day of the 9th lunar month, several hundreds of cranes appeared around the Palace and soared up into the sky.  They were there for about two hours before they dispersed.  Once again, cranes are migratory and known to flock.  Cranes are also known as a symbol of long life and joy—and I can understand it.  Have you ever seen a flock of cranes?  They are not small birds, and they can be really an incredible sight.  Flocks of cranes themselves were probably not that rare, and it was no doubt more about so many gathering around the palace which made it particularly special. It wasn't just birds in the sky that were considered important symbols, though.  Birds often are noted as auspicious omens.  Usually strange birds, plants, or other such things are found in various provinces and presented to the throne.    So in 675, Yamato presented auspicious "barn-door fowl", likely meaning a fancy chicken.  Meanwhile, the Eastern provinces presented a white falcon and the province of Afumi presented a white kite.  Chickens are associated with the sun and thus with the sun goddess, Amaterasu, and albino versions of animals were always considered auspicious, often being mentioned in Buddhist sources.  Later, in 680, we see a small songbird, a "Shitodo", also described as white, and probably albino, sent to the court from nearby Settsu. Then, in 681 there is mention of a red sparrow.  Red coloration is not quite the same as albinism, though it is something that does occur at times, when the brownish coloration comes out more red than brown, and I suspect this is what we are talking about.  This is most likely just a recessed gene or genetic mutation, similar to causes for albinism, but just in a different place in the DNA.  As for why it was important:  I'd first and foremost note that anything out of the ordinary (and even some ordinary things) could be considered a sign.   Red was also seen as an auspicious color, so that may have had something to do with it as well.  And then there is the concept of Suzaku, the red bird of the south.  Suzaku is usually depicted as an exotic bird species of some kind, like how we might depict a phoenix.  But it was also just a "red bird", so there is that, and perhaps that was enough.  Not that this red sparrow was "Suzaku", but evoked the idea of the southern guardian animal.  A year prior, in 680, a red bird—we aren't told what kind—had perched on a southern gate, which even more clearly screams of the Suzaku aesthetic. It is probably worth noting here that in 686, towards the end of the reign, not that anyone knew it at the time, Ohoama decided to institute a new nengo, or regnal period.  It was called Shuuchou—red or vermillion bird—and it likely referred to Suzaku.  This nengo was cut short, however, with Ohoama's death that same year.  Nengo were often chosen with auspicious names as a kind of hope for the nation, so clearly "red bird" was considered a good thing. A month after the red sparrow, Ise sent a white owl, and then a month after that, the province of Suwou sent a red turtle, which they let loose in the pond at the Shima palace.  Again, these were probably just examples of animals seen as auspicious, though they would have likely been recorded by the Onmyou-ryou, who would have likely combed through various sources and precedents to determine what kind of meaning might be attached to them. Color wasn't the only thing that was important.  In 682, the Viceroy of Tsukushi reported that they had found a sparrow with three legs.  There are numerous reasons why this could be, but there is particular significance in Japan and Asia more generally.  A three legged bird is often associated with the sun Andusually depicted as a black outline of a three legged bird inside of a red sun.  In Japan this was often conflated with the Yata-garasu, the Great Crow, which is said to have led the first mythical sovereign, Iware Biko, to victory in his conquest of Yamato.  Thus we often see a three legged crow depicted in the sun, which was an object of particular veneration for the Wa people from centuries before.  And I suspect that the little three-legged sparrow from Tsukushi  I suspect that this had particular significance because of that image. Animals were not the only auspicious things presented to the throne.  In 678, Oshinomi no Miyatsuko no Yoshimaro presented the sovereign with five auspicious stalks of rice.  Each stalk, itself, had other branches.  Rice, of course, was extremely important in Japan, both from a ritual and economic sense, so presenting rice seems appropriate.  Five stalks recalls things like the five elemental theory—and in general five was consider a good number.  Three and five are both good, prime numbers, while four, pronounced "Shi", sounds like death and is considered inauspicious.  Three, or "San" is sometimes associated with life, and five is associated with the five elements, but also just the fact that it is half of ten, and we have five fingers on one hand and in so many other ways, five is regarded as a good number in much of Asia. That the stalks had multiple branches likely referred to them bearing more than the usual amount of rice on them, which seems particularly hopeful.  Certainly the court thought so.  In light of the auspicious gift, all sentences of penal servitude and lower were remitted.  In 680, Officials of the Department of Law gave tribute of auspicious stalks of grain, themselves.  I'm not sure, in this case, that it was all that they hoped, however, as that began three days straight of rain and flooding. A year earlier, in 679, we are told that the district of Ito, in Kii, immediately south of Yamato, sent as tribute the "herb of long life".  We are told that it "resembled" a mushroom—probably meaning it was a mushroom, or maybe something formed into a mushroom shape.  But the stem was about a foot long and the crown was two spans, about 6 feet in diameter.  This is pretty incredible, and I have to wonder if there is a bit of exaggeration going on here. Another tribute was a horn found on Mt. Katsuraki.  It branched into two at the base, was united at the end, and had some flesh and hair still attached, about an inch in length.  They claimed it must be horn or a Lin, or Kirin, sometimes referred to as an Asian unicorn—a mythical creature considered to be quite auspicious and benevolent.  This was on the 26th day in the 2nd lunar month of the year 680, probably around March or April.  I highly suspect that what they found was an oddly shaped bit of antler from  a buck whose antlers had begun to come in and which might have been taken out by wolves or bears or something else altogether.  The fact that the ends were said to be fused together could just be referring to some kind of malformation of the antlers.  The fur and flesh could mean that the antlers were still growing—antlers would probably just be coming in around early spring time.  Still, there is no telling how long it was there, so it could have been from the previous year as well.  Attributing it to a kirin seems a bit of a stretch, but it was clearly something unusual. Animals and plants were recorded in tribute, but also when something odd happened.  Fruiting out of season was one such occurrence, which we've seen elsewhere in the chronicles as well.  There was even a record when the famous Tsuki tree outside of Asukadera had a branch fall down.  Presumably it was a large and noticeable branch, and by now this appears to have been a tree with a bit of age to it that had seen a lot, so it makes sense it got a mention. Finally, we go from the heavens to the earth.    Perhaps the most numerous observations in the Chronicles were the earthquakes.  We've noted in the past that Japan is extremely active, volcanically speaking, so it makes sense that there are multiple accounts of earthquakes each year, especially if they were compiling reports from around the country.  Most of these are little more than just a note that there was an earthquake, but a few stand out. The first is the 12th lunar month of 678.  We are told that there was a large earthquake in Tsukushi—modern Kyushu. The ground split open to the width of about 20 feet for more than 30,000 feet.  Many of the commoners' houses in the area were torn down.  In one place there was a house atop a hill, and though the hill crumbled down the house somehow remained intact.  The inhabitants had apparently been home and must have been oblivious, as they didn't realize anything had happened until they woke up the next morning. Again, probably a bit of hyperbole in here, but if we think back to things like the 2016 Kumamoto earthquake, where large areas of land shifted noticeably along the fault lines, it is likely that this was a similar or even more catastrophic event.  And here I'll give a quick plug for Kumamoto, which is still working to rebuild from the earthquake, and if you ever get a chance, I recommend a visit to the Kumamoto Earthquake Memorial Museum or Kioku, where you can see for yourself just how powerful mother nature can be. Another powerful earthquake was mentioned in the 10th lunar month of 684.  If the earthquake in Tsukushi had hit mostly agricultural areas, based on the description, this seems to have hit more populated regions.  We are told that it started in the dark of night, the hour of the boar, so about 10pm, give or take an hour.  The shaking was so bad that throughout the country men and women cried out and were disoriented—they could not tell east from west, a condition no doubt further hindered by the dark night sky.  There were mountain slides and rivers changed course, breaking their banks and flooding nearby areas.  Official buildings of the provinces and districts, the barns and houses of the common people, and the temples, pagodas, and shrines were all destroyed in huge numbers.  Many people and domestic animals were killed or injured.  The hot springs of Iyo were dried up and ceased to flow.  In the province of Tosa, more than 500,000 shiro of cultivated land sank below sea level.  Old men said that they had never seen such an earthquake.  On that night there was a rumbling noise like that of drums heard in the east—possibly similar to what we had mentioned earlier.  Some say that the island of Idzu, aka Vries Island, the volcanic island at the entrance of Edo Bay, increased on the north side by more than 3,000 feet and that a new island had been formed.  The noise of the drums was attributed to the gods creating that island. So here we have a catastrophic quake that impacted from Iyo, on the western end of Shikoku, all the way to the head of Edo Bay, modern Tokyo.  This appears to be what seismologists have labelled a "Nankai Trough Megathrust Earthquake".  Similar quakes have occurred and are predicted to occur in the future., along a region of Japan from the east coast of Kyushu, through the Seto Inland Sea, including Shikoku, through the Kii peninsula and all the way to Mt. Fuji.  The Nankai Trough, or Southern Sea Trough, is the area where the continental shelf drops down, and where the Philippine tectonic plate slips underneath the Eurasian—or more specifically the Amuric—plate.  As these plates move it can cause multiple events all along the trough at the same time.  Since being regularly recorded, these quakes have been noted every 100 to 150 years, with the last one being the Showa Nankai quakes of 1944 and 1946. For all of the destruction that it brought, however, apparently it didn't stop the court.  Two days after this devastating quake we are told that Presents were made to the Princes and Ministers.  Either they weren't so affected in the capital, or perhaps the date given for one of the two records is not quite reliable.  Personally, I find it hard to believe that there would be presents given out two days later unless they were some form of financial aid.  But what do I know?  It is possible that the court itself was not as affected as other areas, and they may not have fully even grasped the epic scale of the destruction that would later be described in the Chronicles, given the length of time it took to communicate messages across the country. Which brings us back to the "science" of the time, or at least the observation, hoping to learn from precedence or piece out what messages the world might have for the sovereign and those who could read the signs.  While many of the court's and Chronicler's conclusions may give us pause, today, we should nonetheless be thankful that they at least decided to keep notes and jot down their observations.  That record keeping means that we don't have to only rely on modern records to see patterns that could take centuries to reveal themselves.  Sure, at this time, those records were  still a bit spotty, but it was the start of something that would be remarkably important, and even though these Chronicles may have been focused on propaganda, the fact that they include so many other references are an incalculable boon to us, today, if we can just see to make the connections.  And with that, I think I've rambled enough for this episode.  We still have a couple more to fully cover this period. Until then, if you like what we are doing, please tell your friends and feel free to rate us wherever you listen to podcasts.  If you feel the need to do more, and want to help us keep this going, we have information about how you can donate on Patreon or through our KoFi site, ko-fi.com/sengokudaimyo, or find the links over at our main website,  SengokuDaimyo.com/Podcast, where we will have some more discussion on topics from this episode. Also, feel free to reach out to our Sengoku Daimyo Facebook page.  You can also email us at the.sengoku.daimyo@gmail.com.  Thank you, also, to Ellen for their work editing the podcast. And that's all for now.  Thank you again, and I'll see you next episode on Sengoku Daimyo's Chronicles of Japan.  

冬天到了自然要吃火锅。火锅形态多样、口味丰富、丰俭由人，多人聚会自然很好，一个人也可以去吃呷哺呷哺或者旋转小火锅。记得初到北京读大学时，和朋友去吃五道口附近的呷哺呷哺，人均五六十，已经觉得极贵；赚钱后，也吃过稍贵一些的海底捞，以及有一阵子北京非常流行的川渝牛油火锅，甚至有过一个人勇闯重庆点了个超大红油锅的豪迈经历；现在我的肠胃已经无法适应红油锅了，回归本真，又回到最初的起点吃人均三四十的小火锅。可惜我已经不是以前的我，北京也不是以前的北京了。 本期节目，我们来跟大家分享那些和火锅有关的歌曲。 本期嘉宾 alt推荐的是旅行团的《逝去的歌（火锅店版）》：「Stage是个很有趣的企划系列：在各种出其不意的地方演出。这个火锅店版挺特别的。」 Gamin 推荐的是海底捞过生日专用的《生日祝福歌》：「每个i人的生日处刑曲」！ 本期歌单 1. GAI周延 – 火锅底料 @ 增益 [EP] (2017) 2. 洪申豪 – 一起吃锅的朋友 @ 自选集 (2022) 3. 旅行团乐队 & 张亚东 – 逝去的歌 [Live] @ Stage舞台 第1季 (2018) 4. 郑兴 – 火锅海 @ 哪里都去不了，就想念起你 [EP] (2022) 5. 水曜日のカンパネラ – 鍋奉行 @ RABBIT STAR★ [EP] (2023) 6. 上野耕路 – おにまんま @ Netflixオリジナルドラマ「火花」サウンドトラック (2017) 7. ທອງດຳ ຄຳໂລ – ໝູກະທະ (2023) 8. 格格 – 生日祝福歌 (2017)

Lietuvos architektas Vytautas Baltus pretenduoja į vieną iš architektūros „Oskarų“, „Mies van der Rohe“ fondo ir Europos Komisijos „EUmies Awards“ konkurso apdovanojimą. Jo rekonstruotos sodybos Gaižėnų kaime Kauno rajone projektas pateko į ilgąjį nominantų sąrašą. Kas yra gera architektūra?Ved. Agnė Skamarakaitė

"Ba mươi sáu mặt phố phườngHàng Giấy, Hàng Bạc, Hàng Ngang, Hàng ĐàoNgười đài các kẻ thanh taoQua Hàng Thợ Tiện lại vào Hàng Gai…"Hàng Tiện, một trong những phố cổ ở trung tâm Thăng Long – Hà Nội đã không còn tên phố mà nhập vào tên phố Hàng Gai, nhưng nghề thợ tiện vẫn còn được lưu giữ và gợi nhiều ký ức lưu luyến cho bộ hành khi tìm đến con phố này.

El Catllar celebra aquest novembre la tercera edició del Mes de la Muntanya, un cicle que consolida el compromís del municipi amb la natura, el medi ambient i la descoberta del territori. Durant tot el mes s'hi poden trobar exposicions, xerrades, projeccions de cinema de muntanya i diverses activitats vinculades al riu Gaià, autèntic eix […] L'entrada El Catllar viu un novembre dedicat a la muntanya i al medi ambient ha aparegut primer a BXC Ràdio Ciutat de Reus - Ràdio Online.

El Catllar celebra aquest novembre la tercera edició del Mes de la Muntanya, un cicle que consolida el compromís del municipi amb la natura, el medi ambient i la descoberta del territori. Durant tot el mes s'hi poden trobar exposicions, xerrades, projeccions de cinema de muntanya i diverses activitats vinculades al riu Gaià, autèntic eix […] L'entrada El Catllar viu un novembre dedicat a la muntanya i al medi ambient ha aparegut primer a BXC Ràdio Ciutat de Reus - Ràdio Online.

El Catllar celebra aquest novembre la tercera edició del Mes de la Muntanya, un cicle que consolida el compromís del municipi amb la natura, el medi ambient i la descoberta del territori. Durant tot el mes s'hi poden trobar exposicions, xerrades, projeccions de cinema de muntanya i diverses activitats vinculades al riu Gaià, autèntic eix […] L'entrada El Catllar viu un novembre dedicat a la muntanya i al medi ambient ha aparegut primer a BXC Ràdio Ciutat de Reus - Ràdio Online.

Knyga „Namai ir likimai“ kviečia į kelionę po dešimt Kauno tarpukario namų. „Šios istorijos nėra vien tik apie kai kurias šeimas ar apie Kauną. Jos apie mus visus. Tikriausiai daugelis mūsų, atvertę senesnius giminės istorijos puslapius, galėtų papasakoti apie suluošintus likimus, tremtis, atimtus namus“, teigia žurnalistė, gidė ir knygos „Namai ir likimai“ autorė Viktorija Vitkauskaitė.Lietuvos architektas Vytautas Baltus pretenduoja į prestižinį europinį apdovanojimą, jo rekonstruotos sodybos Gaižėnų kaime Kauno raj. projektas pateko į konkurso „EUmies Awards“ ilgąjį nominantų sąrašą.Vilniuje vyksta HIP-HOPo šokio festivalis "Urban Essentials", kuriame į šokį žvelgiama iš įvairių perspektyvų, tarp jų ir politinės.Agronomiją baigusi Meda Mačiuitytė pasirinko savitą veiklą. Jauna moteris ne tik puoselėja skinamų gėlių ūkį, bet ir kuria drabužius sodininkėms. Meda atsimena, kad veiklos pradžioje sulaukė nemažai kritikos dėl savo idėjos kurti stilingus sodo drabužius, bet dabar džiaugiasi, kad atkakliai siekė savo svajonės.Šią savaitę Klaipėdos Pilies muziejuje pristatyta premjera - šiuolaikinio šokio spektaklis „ONOS". Jame kalbama apie moteris Lietuvõs dvaruosè ir kviečiama pamąstyti apie visų laikų moterų kasdienybę ir likimus.Ved. Agnė Skamarakaitė

Varnių istoriniuose Žemaičių kunigų seminarijos rūmuose įsikūręs Žemaičių vyskupystės muziejus laukia lankytojų. Su sakraliniu lobynu supažindina Monika Sudintaitė, Žemaičių muziejaus „Alka“ parodų ir ekspozicijų kuratorė.Žemaitijos turizmo informacijos centro direktorius Egidijus Vaškelevičius dalijasi mintimis apie rudens sezoną Telšių krašte.Biržuvėnų dvaro sodyboje lankytojus pasitinka dvaro ponia Ingrida Šilgalytė. Ir prasideda dvariška puota, pasakojimai apie dvaro ponus Gorskius, rastą lobį bei vykdomas veiklas.Pakapių kaime Gražinos sodybą puoselėja visa šeima. Čia renkasi piligrimai, vyksta gegužinės, turizmo diena kaime, savaitgalinė savarankiškų vaikų stovykla. Šalia tradicinių žemaitiškų patiekalų degustacijų Gražinos Gaižauskienės šeima siūlo ir bajoriškų žemaitiškų patiekalų degustacijas.Laumžirgių slėnio reikia ieškoti Telšių rajone, Kirklių kaime. Šiame edukaciniame slėnyje šeimininkauja ūkininkė Ingrida Šeršniovienė su šeima. Tėvas Blažiejus Šimkus kaip mat pabalnoja arklius, susodina vaikus į vežimą ir darda vieškeliu aplink kaimą. O sodyboje grįžtančių vaikų laukia arba žemaitiški čirviniai blynai, arba pica. Drąsuoliai gali pernakvoti medžiuose įkeltuose nameliuose, žinoma, be mobiliųjų ir elektros.Ved. Jolanta Jurkūnienė

In today's episode of Legal Marketing Minutes, I will show you one very easy way to repurpose and post content you have already created. I will also share recent conversations and comments I had this past week about artificial intelligence when it comes to lawyers, law firms, and the state of AI within the profession. If you are in a place where you can leave a comment, please do so, as I would love to hear from you. If not, feel free to email me at nancy@myrlandmarketing.com. Also, my website, where you can find all of my contact information, and my other podcast, Legal Marketing Moments, can be found at https://myrlandmarketing.com/podcasts/legalmarketingminutes.com Thanks for spending a few of your Legal Marketing Minutes with me!

Steve welcomes Eric Eggers, Vice President of Research at the Government Accountability Institute and co-host of The Drill Down with Peter Schweizer, to discuss the explosive findings behind “No Kings 2.0”. Eric breaks down how this movement, backed by billionaire money, is pushing a radical agenda, with GAI uncovering what they call “Riot, Inc.”, a network exploiting protests for political gain. They dive into the research behind the movement, its funding, and how Americans should understand and respond to these organized efforts. It's a revealing look at how money, politics, and chaos intersect, and why transparency matters more than ever.

durée : 00:23:48 - Les Nuits de France Culture - par : Mathias Le Gargasson - "En bourlinguant avec Blaise Cendrars" est une série passionnante dans laquelle l'écrivain Blaise Cendrars se remémore sa vie, ses amis, ses voyages. De sa voix truculente il raconte, dans le volet 3/13, son amitié tumultueuse avec le poète Guillaume Apollinaire. - réalisation : Louise Devillard - invités : Blaise Cendrars Écrivain

Sáng sớm, phố xá còn ngái ngủ. Tiếng chổi quét rác loẹt xoẹt vang lên đâu đó, mùi cà phê từ quán nhỏ ven đường phảng phất trong không khí. Tôi đi bộ từ đầu phố Hàng Bông, men theo vỉa hè dẫn xuống Hàng Gai rồi rẽ ra Hồ Gươm. Mặt hồ còn bảng lảng hơi sương. Trên đường, tôi gặp những người đang sống theo nhịp của riêng mình, chậm rãi giữa một Hà Nội hối hả.

Liza's Late Puberty Finally Comes.Based on a post by DangerHunt69. Listen to the Podcast at Steamy Stories.  Late BloomerHave you ever felt like you didn't belong? I've felt that way my entire life. My name is Liza Thomas and growing up I was a nobody. I had very few friends in school and what few "friends" I did have were more like acquaintances that never even thought about my existence outside of 8 AM to 3 PM, Monday , Friday. I was bullied too. But then again, wasn't everyone? I'm seriously asking, "was everyone?" because the other girls constantly ridiculed me for the way I looked (growing up I looked quite androgynous), for never talking during class and for sneaking my Nintendo DS into school to play during lunch. I never did anything to them, but they made me feel like shit every single day.Fast forward to my 18th birthday and, nothing. I was flat all over. My chest, my ass, my stomach. My tits were 32 A, maybe the size of lemons and my ass cheeks were like two little pancakes. But then, something magical happened. During the Christmas break after my birthday, I began to grow. My lemons turned into 34 D cantaloupes quite fast, almost overnight. My pancakes turned into, pillows? My ass certainly wasn't flat enough to set your drink on anymore but I'd be lying if I said that it caught anyone's gaze.My mom took quick notice of this change and in regards to it; liked to say, "Lions, tigers, boobs oh my!" (I wish I was making this up. My mom says the stupidest and most embarrassing shit sometimes, I swear to God). Apparently, the Thomas women were all late bloomers, so it's unsurprising that it took me all the way until adulthood before my tits were as big as my mom's.That January I returned to school after "the change" I kind of figured no one would notice, or care, but boy was I wrong. I started to get unwanted attention, and as an introvert this sucked. It wasn't all bad though, that same month this guy named Brian started talking to me and, Brain made me feel special. He'd come up to me every day at my locker to chat me up. Nobody had ever done that before, especially not a boy. A little bit about Brian, Brian was 19 when we first met. He was held back in first grade so he was in the same class as me despite being a year older. His mother was an alcoholic who was in and out of the county jail and his father was an honest man who made a living restoring old cars. I guess this is different from being a mechanic but don't ask me how, I am not a car girl. Anywho, after a month Brian asked me out on a date and, I said yes! We went to the local ice cream place, the Twist and Shake (I think it was supposed to be a Beatles pun), and had a nice little conversation. There was not much to do in Locust, Pennsylvania after all. I had even taken the opportunity to wear a low-cut shirt to "show off the goods" so to speak. In truth, the shirt had not been low cut prior to my cleavage metamorphosis. After a few weeks he even asked me to be his girlfriend and I was elated! No one had ever thought of me in that way before, it was like I was experiencing my sexual coming of age, the only thing was that at this point I was very much anti-sex traditionalist.I grew up in a very strict Eastern Orthodox family and had taken my parents' views on sex as my own. I was supposed to wait until marriage. I told Brian this a little while after we started dating. Despite him reassuring me that everything was okay, I could see the disappointment on his face. I would try to satiate him by compromising. I offered him handjobs at first, then gave my first blowjob, but this wasn't good enough. He was horny all the time, and I just couldn't keep up. I started sending nudes. Something until then I thought people were stupid for doing. Then, one day in April, when we were over at his house; he was always trying to get me to come over and come into his bedroom, which I tried to stay away from like the plague. I foolishly went in there, like an idiot. He then begged me for sex and tried to take off my clothes. I told him no, but when he got upset I felt bad and said that if he wanted to there was another way that we could do it. That was how I lost my anal cherry.Still with me? Good. So the next month, May, was the big prom. It was my senior prom, so my parents went all out and purchased me the most expensive black and pink dress (yes, I listen to K-pop), I think it cost a thousand dollars! Daddy bought it for me and even paid for a limo for Brian and me! That night was perfect. In his suit, Brian looked like the most suave handsome man in the world, and could have easily passed for Tony Stark or Bruce Wayne. After prom the limo dropped us off at my house and Brian (at this point I didn't have my license yet, just a learner's permit), drove us to "after prom", which was held at the Macedonian-American Cultural Center. Well during the hour break between prom and "after prom" (Which might I add is stupid. Like as far as I can tell it's always been this way but it feels like the school is just begging the students to have sex?). Brian pulled the car over to a discrete area. I was a little worried at first, but just figured that I was going to unzip his pants and give him head, but he had other things in mind. He gave me this long impassioned speech about how much he loved me and how we were meant to be together. I felt moved by the moment, and well, I loved him. So I told him that if he was still a virgin then yes, we could have sex. But if not, then I would still let him fuck me in the ass. He told me that I would be his first. So we had sex. I was so stupid for believing him.I wish I could tell you this long passionate tale about my first time, and how amazingly romantic it was, but;1.       That's not the point of this story, and;2.       He humped me in the back of a Honda Accord until he jizzed all over my belly button, not exactly the most romantic first time.Anyway, for the rest of the night, and until the end of the school year, I was in a very romantic mood.Graduation felt like such a big deal at the time, like the rest of my life was starting and that I had finally become a woman. Like my whole life was starting to come together. Prom night was kind of a bursting of the dam, or watershed moment. After that he would start fucking me in his bedroom almost every day after classes, and then when school ended, just whenever he could get me to come over. I would typically just lay there, on my back or stomach, not moving much until he finished up. Nobody ever taught me how to have sex, and Brian was fine with me just being a dead fish. This would only last until early July however.When a seemingly innocuous comment from Brian's father about him "finally finding a good girl," caused me to spiral and stalk his Facebook and Instagram profiles. I found out that he dated over a half-dozen women before me. Some he had told me about, others he did not. Could he really expect me to believe that he never had sex with any of these women?I have a tendency to internalize my frustrations and shut down when there's a problem in my life. I gave up my virginity on a fraud! For the rest of July I did not let Brian have sex with me, not even once. He got very upset with this, but I refused to say why. Until, finally, in August when during a discussion about how our relationship was going to proceed. He was going to Ohio University, a party school, and I was going to Penn State. I confronted him. I asked him about these past girlfriends. He told me that he lied and that he was sorry.I broke down into tears, and then he said, "Since you're already crying. I might as well tell you: I'm breaking up with you." I could not breathe. My mind was racing a mile a minute but the words I wanted to say would not come out. He continued, "I just don't think that you're intimate enough for me.  I don't want you weighing me down while I'm at college. You understand."No, I do not understand, You bastard! And if you're reading this, I fucking hate you, Brian Romanchuck!Fuck him! No, don't! But I hope some brute at the state prison fucks his ass with a led pipe! New FriendsOnly a few weeks later, at the end of August (or maybe it was September at this point), I was shipped away from home and started my new life as a freshman at Penn State Brandywine. I chose Penn's Brandywine campus because it not only had the Micro-electromechanical systems program I was looking for but was also refreshingly rural and familiar, despite how close to Philadelphia it was. Plus I had a nice scholarship for being a female stem major.Since my breakup, I began wearing baggy clothes to hide my body. I didn't need asshole boys wanting me for my body. Trust me, at this point in time I hated my body (don't worry dear reader, that was going to change soon, but thanks for your concern). This was made even harder by the fact that I had a second growth spurt over the summer and now my tits were the size of watermelons and none of my bras fit me anymore! (Okay so maybe watermelons is a bit of an exaggeration. But they're 34 F, like in between a cantaloupe and a watermelon, and were annoying as hell for the longest time because I wasn't used to carrying these large udders on my body). My Ass pillows turned into, basketballs? Okay I'm totally trolling you now by calling my ass basketballs but I don't care what you want me to say, my ass simply got fatter. Other than that, my waist and overall fitness was good.After losing my virginity to a lying asshole, I overcorrected and stayed away from all things sex for a time, but this didn't mean I wasn't lonely. For the past six months I had not only finally discovered companionship and having a social life; but also had it all ripped away from me. The one person who I talked to every day, and was vulnerable with was gone. Away from family and any familiarity, I was scared. Scared to even try to make any friends at all. I had five classes a week but pretty much kept to myself the entire time. Despite sitting near the front of the class as I was accustomed to, I rarely spoke and never raised my hand.The day that would change the course of my life forever, was during the onset of October, I decided to visit the gaming lounge in building C. It was nice! It had four flat screen TVs mounted on the walls, and a fancy kitchenette. Each TV was spaced maybe ten yards from the next, & featured a round table with six black fake leather, cushioned chairs, and was paired with a PlayStation 4, or Xbox One, I want to say it's called? Microsoft has such stupid naming conventions for their consoles (PlayStation supremacy).My first time stepping in there, I stood around for a moment to scan the room, before I caught a glimpse of a group of five college boys. Well apparently I, a 5' 3" woman with big black boots, short blonde hair, a Sailor Moon skirt and long black socks leading up to said skirt, caught their eye too. Because not a minute later, one of the boys called out to me, "Hey!" Nervous, I immediately darted out of the room. Caught off guard, the guy said "Welcome, wait!" as I then ran down the hallway and out of building C. My anxiety had gotten the best of me.Later that week, I took another trip out to the gaming lounge. I was tired of being lonely and was determined to march in there and befriend those boys. They liked video games (and let's be honest, probably anime too), and I loved video games and anime! I would make friends or die of embarrassment trying.I entered the lounge and not two seconds later I overheard a discussion about Naruto."They totally wasted Neji as a character, probably should've just let him die in the hospital after his fight with Kidomaru." said a short man with a vest and a fedora."No way! And miss his redesign after the time skip, and all the love he got in the filler arcs? At least have him survive until the Team Gai fight, with Kisame. Maybe have Lee and Gai fight the clone, and have Neji die saving Tenten." said one who was over six foot tall, but also quite stocky."Now that's an," the short one stopped, when he looked over at me, after finally noticing my presence.All five guys turned their heads to look at me, and my face turned beet red from all the attention I was getting. A short awkward silence ensued before I spoke in a high pitched and slightly nervous tone. "Hi guys! My name's, umm, Liza.  And I, well sorry about running out the other day. I just wanted to say hi, and see what you guys are doing here! I see you're talking about Naruto, that's pretty swell!"One of them sat up from his chair and waved to me. "Hey! My name's Mike. We were just debating on what we wanted to play, and got a little sidetracked." He was kinda cute with the most adorable head of jet black hair I've ever seen and a denim jacket. "What's your name?"I paused as if to think, "Liza! My name's Liza!"Mike stood, and approached me as he introduced me to everyone. They were: Mike the cute one, Brad the fedora wearing hipster one, Rob the tall stocky one, Hahn the Asian one, and Chester the, Chester one.Mike, a natural leader; then asked the guys; "So why doesn't everyone introduce themselves and tell Liza here what their favorite game is?""Name's Chester, and Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past." Chester answered."Majora's Mask is ten times better, but I'd have to say Elden Ring. PC Master Race!" Asian Hahn cheerily shouted."Fuck you!" retorted Chester."Horizon: Zero Dawn! Aloy is my waifu." said Big Rob."Sly Cooper 2: Band of Thieves." Hipster Brad answered."The thing about Sly Cooper fans is that they don't shut up about it." whispered Mike, standing next to me."And what about you, Mike?" I asked."Me? Oh my favorite game is Fallout: New Vegas." Mighty Mike answered."Dog shit performance, looks like a PlayStation 2 game." Asian Hahn butted in."Pixel snob." Mike rolled his eyes and then looked over at me. "What's your favorite game Liza?""Well; I really love Pokémon, but that kinda feels like cheating. Black 2 is my favorite Pokémon game, but I really liked The Last of Us Part 2.""Lame, Emerald is better." Hipster Brad interjected."Gen Threer! Everyone knows Platinum is the best." Asian Hahn protested."In case you haven't noticed, everyone's pretty opinionated." Mike laughed.I spent the rest of the afternoon hanging out with them, watching them play Smash Bros on a Switch that Rob brought from his dorm. I even played a match and got my ass kicked, which is what happens when you main Isabelle, or so they told me, but I can't help it, she's my comfort character. Then I left for my dorm to do my 3D Modeling homework. I hung out with them the next day after class, again at the gaming lounge, and before I went home they even invited me into their group chat! "Switches, No Bitches" was the name when I first joined but shortly after they changed it to "Switches, One Bitches". Laughing my ass off.One day after class I came to the gaming lounge and to my surprise, only Mike was there."Where is everyone?" I asked."Rob's on a fieldtrip, and Brad's with his girlfriend for date night.""And Hahn and Chester?""They're at the Yu gi oh regionals in Philadelphia.""Oh, so just the two of us today?""Yep." Mike affirmed."Well that's fun! Did you maybe wanna go somewhere, to get something to eat?" I took the initiative with Mike."Sure!” Mike beamed. “Where did you wanna go?""There's a nice ramen place in Ridley Park?""You Bet." He smiled.A half an hour later we were inside the restaurant, waiting to order. We got to talking and Mike told me more about himself. His mom died when he was very little, and he was going to school to become a structural engineer, because of his dream of serving in the Army Corps of Engineers. To be honest, I don't even know what this, is or what they do. Now that I think of it though, what even is an engineer? Sort of ambiguous, given all the types of engineer careers I've heard of. Is a chemical engineer sorta like a structural engineer?Mike's bushy black hair was so beautiful that I couldn't look away. I was really starting to crush on him. As he talked about his career aspirations and favorite Manga literature, all I could think about was how cute his head would look sandwiched between my thighs. I started to feel, daring.At the end of the meal, when the check came; he paid and left a generous tip for our server."Hey, you wanna come back to my place and watch a movie?" I invited."Sure, what did you have in mind?" Mike asked.Silly boy. I thought. He actually thinks I have a movie in mind.We went back to my dorm and I sat on my bed, as he awkwardly stood in the middle of the room."Thanks for hanging out with me tonight. It's been such a long time since I've hung out with a friend one-on-one, or a boy, for that matter." I was flirting."You don't have a lot of friends?""No." I answered honestly."When was the last time you hung out with a group of friends?" he asked."6th grade.""Wow, I'm actually really sorry to hear that.” He came and sat next to me. “But I can relate somewhat. Growing up my family moved around so much that I never really got to stop in one place and build a group of friends.""Aww, I'm sorry. What about all the guys from the lounge?""I met most of them last year, my first year at Penn. Except Brad, he's a freshman I think.""So you never really had many friends, either?""Yeah." He hesitated, "Which is actually why I really wanted to thank you for hanging out with us. I know it's only been a few weeks; and don't feel obligated to hang out with us every week if you have something else going on; but the guys really like having you there. And so do I."We hugged.My cheeks turned crimson. I wanted to get over Brian so bad. Besides, Mike was a nice guy and you know what they say; ‘the best way to get over someone; is by getting under someone.'After we embraced, I stood in front of him and slowly unzipped my black Pokémon athletic warmup jacket, and slowly slid it off my shoulders. As if my tits weren't massive enough, I had them hiked up in a pushup bra.I then did a half turn and I pulled down my baggy matching athletic warmup pants. I was wearing pink satin panties with purple hearts on them, I glanced back over my shoulder at him with a seductively raised eyebrow and wink. At first Mike was really surprised, like a dream was happening in real life. But after he got over his shock, he understood my terribly unsubtle gesture. (Fellas, what's the weirdest way a socially awkward woman signaled to you that she wanted to bang?)

Liza's Late Puberty Finally Comes.Based on a post by DangerHunt69. Listen to the Podcast at Steamy Stories.  Late BloomerHave you ever felt like you didn't belong? I've felt that way my entire life. My name is Liza Thomas and growing up I was a nobody. I had very few friends in school and what few "friends" I did have were more like acquaintances that never even thought about my existence outside of 8 AM to 3 PM, Monday , Friday. I was bullied too. But then again, wasn't everyone? I'm seriously asking, "was everyone?" because the other girls constantly ridiculed me for the way I looked (growing up I looked quite androgynous), for never talking during class and for sneaking my Nintendo DS into school to play during lunch. I never did anything to them, but they made me feel like shit every single day.Fast forward to my 18th birthday and, nothing. I was flat all over. My chest, my ass, my stomach. My tits were 32 A, maybe the size of lemons and my ass cheeks were like two little pancakes. But then, something magical happened. During the Christmas break after my birthday, I began to grow. My lemons turned into 34 D cantaloupes quite fast, almost overnight. My pancakes turned into, pillows? My ass certainly wasn't flat enough to set your drink on anymore but I'd be lying if I said that it caught anyone's gaze.My mom took quick notice of this change and in regards to it; liked to say, "Lions, tigers, boobs oh my!" (I wish I was making this up. My mom says the stupidest and most embarrassing shit sometimes, I swear to God). Apparently, the Thomas women were all late bloomers, so it's unsurprising that it took me all the way until adulthood before my tits were as big as my mom's.That January I returned to school after "the change" I kind of figured no one would notice, or care, but boy was I wrong. I started to get unwanted attention, and as an introvert this sucked. It wasn't all bad though, that same month this guy named Brian started talking to me and, Brain made me feel special. He'd come up to me every day at my locker to chat me up. Nobody had ever done that before, especially not a boy. A little bit about Brian, Brian was 19 when we first met. He was held back in first grade so he was in the same class as me despite being a year older. His mother was an alcoholic who was in and out of the county jail and his father was an honest man who made a living restoring old cars. I guess this is different from being a mechanic but don't ask me how, I am not a car girl. Anywho, after a month Brian asked me out on a date and, I said yes! We went to the local ice cream place, the Twist and Shake (I think it was supposed to be a Beatles pun), and had a nice little conversation. There was not much to do in Locust, Pennsylvania after all. I had even taken the opportunity to wear a low-cut shirt to "show off the goods" so to speak. In truth, the shirt had not been low cut prior to my cleavage metamorphosis. After a few weeks he even asked me to be his girlfriend and I was elated! No one had ever thought of me in that way before, it was like I was experiencing my sexual coming of age, the only thing was that at this point I was very much anti-sex traditionalist.I grew up in a very strict Eastern Orthodox family and had taken my parents' views on sex as my own. I was supposed to wait until marriage. I told Brian this a little while after we started dating. Despite him reassuring me that everything was okay, I could see the disappointment on his face. I would try to satiate him by compromising. I offered him handjobs at first, then gave my first blowjob, but this wasn't good enough. He was horny all the time, and I just couldn't keep up. I started sending nudes. Something until then I thought people were stupid for doing. Then, one day in April, when we were over at his house; he was always trying to get me to come over and come into his bedroom, which I tried to stay away from like the plague. I foolishly went in there, like an idiot. He then begged me for sex and tried to take off my clothes. I told him no, but when he got upset I felt bad and said that if he wanted to there was another way that we could do it. That was how I lost my anal cherry.Still with me? Good. So the next month, May, was the big prom. It was my senior prom, so my parents went all out and purchased me the most expensive black and pink dress (yes, I listen to K-pop), I think it cost a thousand dollars! Daddy bought it for me and even paid for a limo for Brian and me! That night was perfect. In his suit, Brian looked like the most suave handsome man in the world, and could have easily passed for Tony Stark or Bruce Wayne. After prom the limo dropped us off at my house and Brian (at this point I didn't have my license yet, just a learner's permit), drove us to "after prom", which was held at the Macedonian-American Cultural Center. Well during the hour break between prom and "after prom" (Which might I add is stupid. Like as far as I can tell it's always been this way but it feels like the school is just begging the students to have sex?). Brian pulled the car over to a discrete area. I was a little worried at first, but just figured that I was going to unzip his pants and give him head, but he had other things in mind. He gave me this long impassioned speech about how much he loved me and how we were meant to be together. I felt moved by the moment, and well, I loved him. So I told him that if he was still a virgin then yes, we could have sex. But if not, then I would still let him fuck me in the ass. He told me that I would be his first. So we had sex. I was so stupid for believing him.I wish I could tell you this long passionate tale about my first time, and how amazingly romantic it was, but;1.       That's not the point of this story, and;2.       He humped me in the back of a Honda Accord until he jizzed all over my belly button, not exactly the most romantic first time.Anyway, for the rest of the night, and until the end of the school year, I was in a very romantic mood.Graduation felt like such a big deal at the time, like the rest of my life was starting and that I had finally become a woman. Like my whole life was starting to come together. Prom night was kind of a bursting of the dam, or watershed moment. After that he would start fucking me in his bedroom almost every day after classes, and then when school ended, just whenever he could get me to come over. I would typically just lay there, on my back or stomach, not moving much until he finished up. Nobody ever taught me how to have sex, and Brian was fine with me just being a dead fish. This would only last until early July however.When a seemingly innocuous comment from Brian's father about him "finally finding a good girl," caused me to spiral and stalk his Facebook and Instagram profiles. I found out that he dated over a half-dozen women before me. Some he had told me about, others he did not. Could he really expect me to believe that he never had sex with any of these women?I have a tendency to internalize my frustrations and shut down when there's a problem in my life. I gave up my virginity on a fraud! For the rest of July I did not let Brian have sex with me, not even once. He got very upset with this, but I refused to say why. Until, finally, in August when during a discussion about how our relationship was going to proceed. He was going to Ohio University, a party school, and I was going to Penn State. I confronted him. I asked him about these past girlfriends. He told me that he lied and that he was sorry.I broke down into tears, and then he said, "Since you're already crying. I might as well tell you: I'm breaking up with you." I could not breathe. My mind was racing a mile a minute but the words I wanted to say would not come out. He continued, "I just don't think that you're intimate enough for me.  I don't want you weighing me down while I'm at college. You understand."No, I do not understand, You bastard! And if you're reading this, I fucking hate you, Brian Romanchuck!Fuck him! No, don't! But I hope some brute at the state prison fucks his ass with a led pipe! New FriendsOnly a few weeks later, at the end of August (or maybe it was September at this point), I was shipped away from home and started my new life as a freshman at Penn State Brandywine. I chose Penn's Brandywine campus because it not only had the Micro-electromechanical systems program I was looking for but was also refreshingly rural and familiar, despite how close to Philadelphia it was. Plus I had a nice scholarship for being a female stem major.Since my breakup, I began wearing baggy clothes to hide my body. I didn't need asshole boys wanting me for my body. Trust me, at this point in time I hated my body (don't worry dear reader, that was going to change soon, but thanks for your concern). This was made even harder by the fact that I had a second growth spurt over the summer and now my tits were the size of watermelons and none of my bras fit me anymore! (Okay so maybe watermelons is a bit of an exaggeration. But they're 34 F, like in between a cantaloupe and a watermelon, and were annoying as hell for the longest time because I wasn't used to carrying these large udders on my body). My Ass pillows turned into, basketballs? Okay I'm totally trolling you now by calling my ass basketballs but I don't care what you want me to say, my ass simply got fatter. Other than that, my waist and overall fitness was good.After losing my virginity to a lying asshole, I overcorrected and stayed away from all things sex for a time, but this didn't mean I wasn't lonely. For the past six months I had not only finally discovered companionship and having a social life; but also had it all ripped away from me. The one person who I talked to every day, and was vulnerable with was gone. Away from family and any familiarity, I was scared. Scared to even try to make any friends at all. I had five classes a week but pretty much kept to myself the entire time. Despite sitting near the front of the class as I was accustomed to, I rarely spoke and never raised my hand.The day that would change the course of my life forever, was during the onset of October, I decided to visit the gaming lounge in building C. It was nice! It had four flat screen TVs mounted on the walls, and a fancy kitchenette. Each TV was spaced maybe ten yards from the next, & featured a round table with six black fake leather, cushioned chairs, and was paired with a PlayStation 4, or Xbox One, I want to say it's called? Microsoft has such stupid naming conventions for their consoles (PlayStation supremacy).My first time stepping in there, I stood around for a moment to scan the room, before I caught a glimpse of a group of five college boys. Well apparently I, a 5' 3" woman with big black boots, short blonde hair, a Sailor Moon skirt and long black socks leading up to said skirt, caught their eye too. Because not a minute later, one of the boys called out to me, "Hey!" Nervous, I immediately darted out of the room. Caught off guard, the guy said "Welcome, wait!" as I then ran down the hallway and out of building C. My anxiety had gotten the best of me.Later that week, I took another trip out to the gaming lounge. I was tired of being lonely and was determined to march in there and befriend those boys. They liked video games (and let's be honest, probably anime too), and I loved video games and anime! I would make friends or die of embarrassment trying.I entered the lounge and not two seconds later I overheard a discussion about Naruto."They totally wasted Neji as a character, probably should've just let him die in the hospital after his fight with Kidomaru." said a short man with a vest and a fedora."No way! And miss his redesign after the time skip, and all the love he got in the filler arcs? At least have him survive until the Team Gai fight, with Kisame. Maybe have Lee and Gai fight the clone, and have Neji die saving Tenten." said one who was over six foot tall, but also quite stocky."Now that's an," the short one stopped, when he looked over at me, after finally noticing my presence.All five guys turned their heads to look at me, and my face turned beet red from all the attention I was getting. A short awkward silence ensued before I spoke in a high pitched and slightly nervous tone. "Hi guys! My name's, umm, Liza.  And I, well sorry about running out the other day. I just wanted to say hi, and see what you guys are doing here! I see you're talking about Naruto, that's pretty swell!"One of them sat up from his chair and waved to me. "Hey! My name's Mike. We were just debating on what we wanted to play, and got a little sidetracked." He was kinda cute with the most adorable head of jet black hair I've ever seen and a denim jacket. "What's your name?"I paused as if to think, "Liza! My name's Liza!"Mike stood, and approached me as he introduced me to everyone. They were: Mike the cute one, Brad the fedora wearing hipster one, Rob the tall stocky one, Hahn the Asian one, and Chester the, Chester one.Mike, a natural leader; then asked the guys; "So why doesn't everyone introduce themselves and tell Liza here what their favorite game is?""Name's Chester, and Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past." Chester answered."Majora's Mask is ten times better, but I'd have to say Elden Ring. PC Master Race!" Asian Hahn cheerily shouted."Fuck you!" retorted Chester."Horizon: Zero Dawn! Aloy is my waifu." said Big Rob."Sly Cooper 2: Band of Thieves." Hipster Brad answered."The thing about Sly Cooper fans is that they don't shut up about it." whispered Mike, standing next to me."And what about you, Mike?" I asked."Me? Oh my favorite game is Fallout: New Vegas." Mighty Mike answered."Dog shit performance, looks like a PlayStation 2 game." Asian Hahn butted in."Pixel snob." Mike rolled his eyes and then looked over at me. "What's your favorite game Liza?""Well; I really love Pokémon, but that kinda feels like cheating. Black 2 is my favorite Pokémon game, but I really liked The Last of Us Part 2.""Lame, Emerald is better." Hipster Brad interjected."Gen Threer! Everyone knows Platinum is the best." Asian Hahn protested."In case you haven't noticed, everyone's pretty opinionated." Mike laughed.I spent the rest of the afternoon hanging out with them, watching them play Smash Bros on a Switch that Rob brought from his dorm. I even played a match and got my ass kicked, which is what happens when you main Isabelle, or so they told me, but I can't help it, she's my comfort character. Then I left for my dorm to do my 3D Modeling homework. I hung out with them the next day after class, again at the gaming lounge, and before I went home they even invited me into their group chat! "Switches, No Bitches" was the name when I first joined but shortly after they changed it to "Switches, One Bitches". Laughing my ass off.One day after class I came to the gaming lounge and to my surprise, only Mike was there."Where is everyone?" I asked."Rob's on a fieldtrip, and Brad's with his girlfriend for date night.""And Hahn and Chester?""They're at the Yu gi oh regionals in Philadelphia.""Oh, so just the two of us today?""Yep." Mike affirmed."Well that's fun! Did you maybe wanna go somewhere, to get something to eat?" I took the initiative with Mike."Sure!” Mike beamed. “Where did you wanna go?""There's a nice ramen place in Ridley Park?""You Bet." He smiled.A half an hour later we were inside the restaurant, waiting to order. We got to talking and Mike told me more about himself. His mom died when he was very little, and he was going to school to become a structural engineer, because of his dream of serving in the Army Corps of Engineers. To be honest, I don't even know what this, is or what they do. Now that I think of it though, what even is an engineer? Sort of ambiguous, given all the types of engineer careers I've heard of. Is a chemical engineer sorta like a structural engineer?Mike's bushy black hair was so beautiful that I couldn't look away. I was really starting to crush on him. As he talked about his career aspirations and favorite Manga literature, all I could think about was how cute his head would look sandwiched between my thighs. I started to feel, daring.At the end of the meal, when the check came; he paid and left a generous tip for our server."Hey, you wanna come back to my place and watch a movie?" I invited."Sure, what did you have in mind?" Mike asked.Silly boy. I thought. He actually thinks I have a movie in mind.We went back to my dorm and I sat on my bed, as he awkwardly stood in the middle of the room."Thanks for hanging out with me tonight. It's been such a long time since I've hung out with a friend one-on-one, or a boy, for that matter." I was flirting."You don't have a lot of friends?""No." I answered honestly."When was the last time you hung out with a group of friends?" he asked."6th grade.""Wow, I'm actually really sorry to hear that.” He came and sat next to me. “But I can relate somewhat. Growing up my family moved around so much that I never really got to stop in one place and build a group of friends.""Aww, I'm sorry. What about all the guys from the lounge?""I met most of them last year, my first year at Penn. Except Brad, he's a freshman I think.""So you never really had many friends, either?""Yeah." He hesitated, "Which is actually why I really wanted to thank you for hanging out with us. I know it's only been a few weeks; and don't feel obligated to hang out with us every week if you have something else going on; but the guys really like having you there. And so do I."We hugged.My cheeks turned crimson. I wanted to get over Brian so bad. Besides, Mike was a nice guy and you know what they say; ‘the best way to get over someone; is by getting under someone.'After we embraced, I stood in front of him and slowly unzipped my black Pokémon athletic warmup jacket, and slowly slid it off my shoulders. As if my tits weren't massive enough, I had them hiked up in a pushup bra.I then did a half turn and I pulled down my baggy matching athletic warmup pants. I was wearing pink satin panties with purple hearts on them, I glanced back over my shoulder at him with a seductively raised eyebrow and wink. At first Mike was really surprised, like a dream was happening in real life. But after he got over his shock, he understood my terribly unsubtle gesture. (Fellas, what's the weirdest way a socially awkward woman signaled to you that she wanted to bang?)

Stāsta arhitekte Dace Kalvāne Tas, ka Latvijas Radio ēka savulaik bija Rīgas Komercbanka, bet vēlāk – Latvijas Kredītbanka, droši vien ir zināms daudziem. Ēku projektēja ebreju izcelsmes arhitekts Pauls Mandelštams. 1926. gadā būve tika pilnībā pabeigta un nodota bankas vajadzībām. Prestižā ēka blīvajā Vecrīgas apbūvē pirms II Pasaules kara nebija vizuāli tik labi uztverama, kā tas ir šodien. Doma laukuma "atbrīvošana no apbūves" notika galvenokārt 1936. un 1937. gadā ar mērķi radīt plašāku laukumu ap Doma baznīcu, uzsvērt baznīcas monumentalitāti un sakārtot pilsētvidi, kā arī izveidot vecpilsētā autoritatīvā Ulmaņa režīma urbāno "vitrini" – vietu svinībām, mītiņiem un politiskai simbolikai. Pilsētvides pārveides rezultātā Komercbankas ēkas fasāde daudz labāk tika eksponēta atvērtajā pilsēttelpā, kur virs eksedras labi nolasāmas tēlnieka Augusta Folca skulptūras, kas simbolizē pārticību un labklājību, kā arī Rīgas ģerbonis. Arhitekta Mandelštama 1913. gada sākotnējais Komercbankas nama plānojums bija apbrīnojami mūsdienīgs – ar plašu bankas operāciju telpu kā divstāvu ātriju ar stiklotu virsgaismu, brīva plānojuma, apbpusēji labi izgaismotām darba vietām, optimāli izvietotām vertikālajām komunikācijām – gan kāpnēm, gan liftiem. Arī inženiertehniskajā ziņā sākotnējais projekts bija ļoti mūsdienīgs ar gaisa ieņemšanu apzaļumotajā iekšpagalmā un gaisa kanālu pa ēkas perimetru pagraba līmenī. Sniega novadīšanai no stiklotās ātrija virsgaismas uz iekšpagalmu, bija izbūvēta speciāla sistēma. Komercbankas vajadzībām divos pagraba līmeņos bija izbūvēts seifs, kuram drošības dēļ bija izveidotas dubultās sienas. Pēc II Pasaules kara 1946. gada 24. maijā tika pieņemts lēmums ēku pārbūvēt par Radionamu. Topošā Radionama pārbūves darbā tika iesaistīti vācu armijas gūstekņi, kas plēsa un kala milzīgās seifu sienas, bet rūpnīcas "Radiotehnika" strādnieki saražoja jaunas raidāmās ierīces, un 1948. gada novembrī jaunā koncertstudija bija gatava. Tā aizņem daļu no bijušās Latvijas Kredītbankas milzīgās kases operāciju zāles. Studijas sienas bija veidotas no liekta ozola finiera, aiz kura bija gumija, stikla vate, gaisa kārta, gāzbetons un divas mūra ķieģeļu kārtas, kas pasargāja telpu no ārpasaules trokšņiem. Gaišo, eleganto interjeru nomainīja slēgtas sienas ar liektajiem akustiskajiem paneļiem, stikloto virsgaismu aizvietoja ar dekoratīvajām griestu kasetēm, kur tika iestrādāti dekoratīvie ornamenti – zvaigzne (8 gab.), kokle (4 gab.), lira (4 gab) un saule (2 gab). Līdzīga tematika lietota cokolstāva griestu dekoratīvajā apdarē, bet kafejnīcas pārbūves laikā atklājās, ka padomju laikā kolonnu korintiskajos kapiteļos bija iestrādātas zvaigznes kādreizējo ziedu vietā. No sākotnējā bankas interjera ir saglabājušās majestātiskās betona kāpnes, kas reiz veda uz plašo bankas operāciju zāli, un vestibila lēzenais kupols. Taču bijušās Komercbankas ēkas atvērtā plānojuma darbinieku telpas tika sadalītas atsevišķos kabinetos un apkārt kādreizējam ātrijam tika izveidotas ierakstu studijas. 1949. gada 5. novembrī Latvijas Radio oficiāli sāka pilnvērtīgu darbību šajā namā. Pēdējos gados atsevišķu Latvijas Radio telpu pārbūves gaitā atklājušās vairākas interesantas nianses. Modernizējot gaisa apmaiņas sistēmu ieraksta studijā, padomju laika vēdināšanas kanālā tika atrasts vācu karagūstekņa ieraksts, kuru 1948. gada 28. septembrī rakstījis Otto Brathering - runa ir par to, ka gūsts ilgst vēl tikai 84 dienas... Pagājušā gada janvārī Latvijas Radio namā remontdarbu rezultātā sāka gruzdēt vate, kas radīja piedūmojumu. Darbiniekus evakuēja, un izrādījās, ka, veicot būvdarbus vienā no ierakstu studijām, sakarsušais urbis izraisījis akustisko paneļu pildījuma gruzdēšanu. Atsedzot akustiskos paneļus, izrādījās, ka akustiskais pildījums bija marlē ietīta vate... Pēdējo gadu pārbūvju rezultātā Latvijas Radio telpās pamazām tiek atjaunoti brīvā plānojuma biroji, restaurēti logi Doma laukuma fasādē arhitektoniski vērtīgās durvis. Latvijas Radio ir simbols 100 gadu raidīšanas vēsturei, bet pati ēka savu simtgadi svinēs pēc gada.

In this episode, we explore the evolving impact of generative artificial intelligence (GAI) on the workforce, with a focus on how GAI can affect Asian American professionals. Drawing from recent research, we highlight how tasks requiring human agency—such as interpersonal communication and organizing—are gaining value, while roles centered on data processing and analysis face increasing automation. Tune in for strategies on up-skilling and re-skilling, plus a few alter ego career pivots as we imagine our lives beyond AI.Link to article about GAI.

This call discusses the nature of intelligence, our intelligence, innate intelligence, Earth and Cosmic Consciousness and the nature of consciousness itself. The meditation will help develop the ability to shift your state of consciousness.   To learn more of leave a tip go to Enlightenment Television Steven's books  

在这个八月，音乐的星河又添了许多璀璨的新光，今天就来和大家分享本月那些不容错过的新歌。阿肆与吴青峰合作的《爱我别烦》，一个是鬼马精灵，一个是创作鬼才，他们的联手，让歌曲充满了灵动俏皮的气息，把爱情里那种既甜蜜又偶尔让人 “头疼” 的小情绪，用轻快的旋律和有趣的歌词表现得淋漓尽致。裘德的《我们不要躲雨了》，则带着他一贯细腻且充满故事感的风格，歌曲像是在讲述一段雨中邂逅的浪漫，又或是对一段暧昧关系的勇敢推进，让你在旋律中感受那种微妙的心动。陈粒的《⭐️》，延续了她独特的音乐气质，用充满诗意与个性的表达，构建出独属于陈粒的音乐宇宙，每一个音符都能直击你的内心深处。许哲佩的《树洞里可以悲伤》，宛如一阵温柔的风，轻轻拂过你内心的伤口，在舒缓的旋律里，给那些藏在心底的悲伤一个释放的空间。张信哲的《属于我们的故事》，熟悉的 “情歌王子” 嗓音，用歌声串联起那些爱情里的点点滴滴，勾起人们对过往美好回忆的眷恋。而在这个月的《歌手 2025》决赛舞台上，陈楚生带来了《获奖之作》，这是他 2025 年概念专辑《荒芜之境》的第四篇章。歌曲以钢琴为基底，用一场克制的音乐叙事，将 “平凡即奇境” 的概念推向高潮，把奖项颁给每一个平凡生活中努力又可爱的我们。单依纯演唱的《有趣》，也是她全新的音乐尝试，在歌曲里，她用独特的嗓音诠释着对生活、对世界有趣一面的捕捉与感悟。周延（GAI）的《故湘，风》同样备受关注，他把《浏阳河》旋律与长沙方言说唱结合，虽然节目回放版及音乐平台音源曾因版权问题删除了《浏阳河》段落，但在直播时，他构建出的 “游子与历史少年隔空对话” 的意象，给观众带来了极大的震撼。最后，黄龄的《啊》，凭借她那极具辨识度的 “转音歌姬” 嗓音，在这首新歌里再次展现出独特的音乐魅力，带听众走进一个充满奇幻色彩的音乐世界。这些八月的新歌，风格各异，却都饱含着音乐人对生活、对情感的独特理解，希望能陪伴大家度过这个夏末的美好时光。本期节目歌单：阿肆&吴青峰《爱我别烦》、裘德《我们不要躲雨了》、陈粒《⭐️》、许哲佩《树洞里可以悲伤》、张信哲《属于我们的故事》、周延《故湘，风》、陈楚生《获奖之作》单依纯《有趣》、黄龄《啊》。

Trụ sở của SDECE (Service de Documentation Extérieure et de Contre-Espionnage), cơ quan tình báo đối ngoại quân đội Pháp) tại Paris, Rose McConaughey vừa từ miền Bắc Việt Nam trở về và báo cáo về cuộc “chạm trán” với Florence, một điệp viên Pháp nằm vùng ở nước Việt Nam Dân Chủ Cộng Hòa từ gần 30 năm. Tại sao Florence không còn cung cấp tin tức từ vài năm qua ? Florence đã phản bội ? Vở kịch Hongaï (Hòn Gai) của đoàn Collectif Rue 46 được bắt đầu trong bối cảnh như vậy. Những lời kể của Rose được chuyển cảnh, thành thực tế, từ Paris sang Hà Nội, từ văn phòng của SDECE sang nhà của Florence. Cả vở kịch có 15 giai đoạn, 50 nhân vật, ba lục địa Á, Âu, Mỹ. Khán giả được đưa từ Việt Nam của những năm 1970 ngược lại Pháp trong giai đoạn giữa hai Thế Chiến, rồi lại sang New York trong những năm 1950. Tất cả liên quan đến một gia đình Pháp-Việt sống ở Hòn Gai đầu thế kỷ 20. Cuộc sống an nhàn, bình yên của họ trở nên sóng gió, bị thay đổi hoàn toàn vì những biến động của thế giới, vì những sự kiện lịch sử. Cảm nhận chung của khán giả khi Hongaï hạ màn là hồi hộp, bất ngờ đến phút chót. Một vở kịch nhưng đầy kịch tính, diễn biến nhanh như một bộ phim trinh thám, gián điệp. Một bức tranh lịch sử được dàn dựng rất sáng tạo và thành công, sự đan xen khéo léo giữa các nhân vật ở nhiều độ tuổi khác nhau trong cùng một cảnh, không làm người xem bị mất phương hướng cùng với những lời thoại đẹp và diễn xuất của diễn viên”. Hongaï là một vở diễn rất khác so với những gì chúng ta thường thấy ở thể loại này. Cốt truyện tinh tế và thú vị, dàn dựng mạch lạc và hiệu quả, các diễn viên nhập vai một cách xuất sắc, tràn đầy năng lượng! (Ý kiến của khán giả trên trang BilletReduc) Đằng sau thành công này là đoàn kịch Collectif Rue 46 và tác giả, đạo diễn kiêm diễn viên La Belle Époque. Tại Liên hoan Avignon 2025, RFI Tiếng Việt đã gặp và phỏng vấn La Belle Époque và nghệ sĩ Franck Milin, nhập vai điệp viên Florence trong Hongaï. RFI : Xin chào anh La Belle Époque và Franck Milin. Hongaï là một câu chuyện được nghiên cứu theo chiều hướng lịch sử. Ý tưởng được hình thành như thế nào ? La Belle Époque : Về cơ bản, tôi muốn một câu chuyện kể về một người đi tìm một người đã mất tích từ lâu, từ cả hàng chục năm trước. Về một nơi xa xôi nào đó, tôi nghĩ có thể chọn giữa Nam Mỹ hoặc châu Á. Tôi bị cuốn theo hướng châu Á ngay bởi vì bà tôi sinh ra ở Việt Nam, nên điều đó rất có ý nghĩa với tôi. Và thế là hình thành câu chuyện kể về việc đi tìm một người mất tích từ lâu ở Việt Nam. Ngay sau đó, tôi nảy ra ý tưởng về gián điệp vì tôi đam mê những câu chuyện gián điệp. Tôi đã nghe rất nhiều podcast của Radio France có tên là Espion, une histoire vraie (Điệp viên, một câu chuyện có thật). Đó là những câu chuyện có thật, khá hấp dẫn bởi vì hành trình của những điệp viên đó khá là lãng mạn. Qua những câu chuyện đó, tôi cũng hiểu được rằng đôi khi động cơ của họ mang tính ý thức hệ ít hơn là cảm xúc, và chúng gắn liền với cuộc đời, tình yêu và gia đình. Thế là tôi tự nhủ đó sẽ là một câu chuyện gián điệp, sẽ có cựu điệp viên người Pháp, Gustave Duong, mật danh Florence, nằm vùng từ thời chiến tranh Đông Dương. Tiếp theo là có thêm điệp viên CIA, Rose McConaughey, được cử thay mặt cho Cơ quan tình báo đối ngoại của Pháp - SDECE để hồi hương hoặc giết chết Florence. Phải kiểm tra xem điệp viên nằm vùng đó có phải là kẻ phản bội hay không. Và đó là điểm khởi đầu của câu chuyện, và cuộc gặp gỡ giữa hai điệp viên này. Chúng ta bước vào cuộc sống, quá khứ của họ và khám phá ra rất nhiều điều. RFI : Có 30 nhân vật, trải qua 15 thời kỳ khác nhau và trên ba lục địa (Á, Âu, Mỹ). Làm thế nào để có thể thay đổi từ giai đoạn này sang giai đoạn khác, bởi vì hiểu được một chút về lịch sử gia đình hoặc một giai đoạn đã là phức tạp trong khi ở đây, vở kịch có đến 15 giai đoạn khác nhau ? La Belle Époque : Thực ra, viết về cuộc đời của các nhân vật, của hai nhân vật chính, mới là điều khó nhất, làm sao cho được mạch lạc từ đầu đến cuối. Sau khi tôi viết xong, chúng tôi trộn mọi thứ một chút, theo kiểu cảnh này sẽ hợp với chỗ này, cảnh kia hợp với chỗ kia. Đó là kiểu hiệu ứng mà tôi muốn, có nghĩa là nhảy từ giai đoạn này sang giai đoạn khác, từ thập niên 1930 sang 1950, từ đầu thế kỷ chuyển sang những năm 1970. Khán giả có thể thấy mất phương hướng một chút nhưng thường thì vẫn hiểu được mọi chuyện vào cuối vở kịch. RFI : Điều gây ấn tượng cho khán giả là bối cảnh và giai đoạn được thay đổi rất nhanh trên sân khấu nhỏ, trong thời gian rất ngắn. Franck Milin : Đó là nhờ khâu dàn dựng và ánh sáng, đặc trưng cho một địa điểm, một khoảnh khắc cụ thể, và cả nhịp độ trong hậu trường nữa. Hãy đến hậu trường xem chuyện gì diễn ra đằng sau cánh gà (cười) ! Các màn thay trang phục, chuyển âm nhạc nhanh một cách kinh ngạc. RFI : Ngoài ra còn có thể thấy những lời giải thích giống như trong phim hành động, tình báo CIA của Mỹ, ví dụ tại địa điểm này, giai đoạn này hoặc ngày tháng này… để khán giả theo được mạch câu chuyện. Franck Milin : Chính xác. Đó là nhờ dàn dựng, theo kiểu kết hợp kịch và một chút điện ảnh qua kiểu thông báo các địa điểm. La Belle Époque : Đúng vậy. Có một khía cạnh rất điện ảnh trong đó, như Franck đã nói, với rất nhiều âm nhạc, nhịp độ khá nhanh, và rất nhiều video. Tôi thực sự thích điều đó, tôi rất thích phim truyền hình, điện ảnh, và tôi muốn thêm một chút khía cạnh đó vào kịch. RFI : Khán giả như bị cuốn vào một bộ phim gián điệp với rất nhiều chi tiết hoặc thông tin lịch sử dù là câu chuyện hư cấu. Anh đã làm việc như thế nào về mặt đó ? La Belle Époque : Tôi tìm kiếm rất nhiều về lịch sử. Thực ra, tất cả các nhân vật đều là hư cấu và không tồn tại nhưng tất cả các sự kiện trong vở kịch là thật. Cho nên mọi ngày tháng, thậm chí mọi thời điểm, đều được xác minh. Ví dụ việc ký kết Hiệp ước Đức-Liên Xô, Thế Chiến II kết thúc, tiếp theo là việc ký kết Hiệp định Paris chấm dứt Chiến tranh Việt Nam vào ngày 27/01/1973 mở ra trang mới. Mỗi bước ngoặt trong kịch đều trùng với ngày tháng của các sự kiện lịch sử lớn. Franck Milin : Chúng tôi, với tư cách là diễn viên, cũng phải tự tìm hiểu một chút. Trước một kịch bản với cốt truyện chứa nhiều yếu tố lịch sử, chúng tôi cũng phải chú ý đến những gì mình đang diễn. Thêm vào đó, đoàn kịch của chúng tôi gồm những người đam mê lịch sử. RFI : Về mặt kỹ thuật, hoàn toàn có thể hóa thân thành nhiều nhân vật khác nhau nhờ hóa trang. Nhưng làm thể nào để sống trong nhân vật đó, thể hiện được nhân vật đó trong khi một nghệ sĩ đảm nhiệm nhiều vai và thời gian chuyển vai rất nhanh và rất ngắn ? La Belle Époque : Mỗi lần như vậy, cần phải tự hỏi nhân vật này là ai, động cơ của họ là gì, và phải thể hiện nhân vật đó như thế nào. Đó là cả một công trình nghiên cứu. Chúng tôi đã dành rất nhiều thời gian cho nó. Vở kịch là một sáng tác cho Liên hoan Avignon. Đây là lần đầu tiên chúng tôi tham gia Liên hoan này. Nhưng chúng tôi đã chuẩn bị cho vở kịch này trong suốt hai năm và làm việc rất nhiều. Tôi bắt đầu viết vào tháng 06/2023, có nghĩa là được hai năm rồi. Và sau đó, chúng tôi bắt tay vào việc từ đầu năm 2024. Và sau đó, tất cả chúng tôi đều tự hỏi bản thân rất nhiều, thử thách bản thân về các nhân vật. Franck Milin : Chúng tôi dành rất nhiều tâm huyết cho tất cả những nhân vật phụ. Về những nhân vật chính, tôi nghĩ rằng trong quá trình xây dựng nhân vật với tư cách là diễn viên, hành trình của họ khá rõ ràng và nhanh chóng. Còn những nhân vật phụ, những người thêm thắt những chi tiết nhỏ vào câu chuyện chúng tôi kể, thì vẫn cần thêm một chút công sức trên sân khấu, một chút suy ngẫm cá nhân của diễn viên, và thảo luận với đạo diễn. Đó là một quá trình xây dựng nhân vật, hiểu thêm một chút những thách thức của từng người. RFI : Vở kịch mang tên Hongaï nhưng người ta có cảm giác không có mối liên hệ nào với câu chuyện gián điệp. Tuy nhiên, khi xem vở kịch, người ta hiểu rằng đó là nơi câu chuyện bắt đầu. La Belle Époque : Đúng vậy, Hòn Gai là nơi bà tôi sinh ra. Rồi Chiến tranh Đông Dương nổ ra, bà rời Đông Dương vào năm 1951 cùng với gia đình. Và họ chưa bao giờ trở lại, mặc dù nơi đó là cả tuổi thơ của họ. Tôi lớn lên đắm chìm trong câu chuyện phi thực dân hóa giữa Pháp và Việt Nam. Và sự kiện đó đã truyền cảm hứng cho câu chuyện này bởi vì cuộc sống của bà tôi và người thân bị đảo lộn bởi những sự kiện của thế kỷ 20. Tôi không muốn kể câu chuyện của tổ tiên mình, mà là câu chuyện của tất cả những người đã sống qua những biến động lớn, các cuộc chiến tranh thế giới, Chiến tranh Lạnh, phi thực dân hóa… Và đó chính là nguồn cảm hứng cho câu chuyện. Vậy nên, tên vở kịch là Hongaï như một lời tri ân. Và nó như một lời mời chu du, cho nên tấm áp phích của vở kịch được lấy hình ảnh vịnh Hạ Long. Thực ra, đúng như chị nói, người ta hiểu được ý nghĩa khi xem vở kịch. Tôi muốn nói với khán giả rằng trong câu chuyện Hongaï, đó là nơi mọi thứ bắt đầu và cũng là nơi mọi thứ kết thúc. RFI : Tên của đoàn kịch Collectif Rue 46 cũng gây tò mò. Tại sao lại là tập thể - collectif ? Và tại sao lại là Rue 46 ? Franck Milin : Nhóm đã tồn tại khoảng mười năm. Tại sao lại là “tập thể” mà không phải là “hội”, bởi vì đó là một gia đình phát triển qua từng dự án. Tôi coi đó là một gia đình mà vai trò của mỗi người không phải là cố định. Nghĩa là, họ có thể là diễn viên trong dự án này, rồi lại là đạo diễn trong một dự án khác, hoặc là quản lý sân khấu hoặc thiết kế bối cảnh. Có nghĩa là vai trò luôn luôn thay đổi. La Belle Époque : Ví dụ, tôi đóng trong Richard III của Shakespeare. Tôi đóng cùng Franck và Cyrielle Buquet, hai nghệ sĩ đóng nhân vật chính trong Hongaï. Chúng tôi vẫn đổi vai tùy theo dự án. Franck Milin : Và tên của nhóm ra đời từ trải nghiệm sân khấu đầu tiên mà chúng tôi thực hiện cùng nhau, đó là vở 46, Wessex Grove, được Jean-Philippe Brayé chuyển thể và đạo diễn từ tác phẩm The Homecoming của Harold Pinter. Và đó là lý do tại sao tên của nhóm được gọi là Collectif Rue 46. RFI Tiếng Việt xin chân thành cảm ơn La Belle Époque và Franck Milin, đoàn kịch Collectif Rue 46.

Trụ sở của SDECE (Service de Documentation Extérieure et de Contre-Espionnage), cơ quan tình báo đối ngoại quân đội Pháp) tại Paris, Rose McConaughey vừa từ miền Bắc Việt Nam trở về và báo cáo về cuộc “chạm trán” với Florence, một điệp viên Pháp nằm vùng ở nước Việt Nam Dân Chủ Cộng Hòa từ gần 30 năm. Tại sao Florence không còn cung cấp tin tức từ vài năm qua ? Florence đã phản bội ? Vở kịch Hongaï (Hòn Gai) của đoàn Collectif Rue 46 được bắt đầu trong bối cảnh như vậy. Những lời kể của Rose được chuyển cảnh, thành thực tế, từ Paris sang Hà Nội, từ văn phòng của SDECE sang nhà của Florence. Cả vở kịch có 15 giai đoạn, 50 nhân vật, ba lục địa Á, Âu, Mỹ. Khán giả được đưa từ Việt Nam của những năm 1970 ngược lại Pháp trong giai đoạn giữa hai Thế Chiến, rồi lại sang New York trong những năm 1950. Tất cả liên quan đến một gia đình Pháp-Việt sống ở Hòn Gai đầu thế kỷ 20. Cuộc sống an nhàn, bình yên của họ trở nên sóng gió, bị thay đổi hoàn toàn vì những biến động của thế giới, vì những sự kiện lịch sử. Cảm nhận chung của khán giả khi Hongaï hạ màn là hồi hộp, bất ngờ đến phút chót. Một vở kịch nhưng đầy kịch tính, diễn biến nhanh như một bộ phim trinh thám, gián điệp. Một bức tranh lịch sử được dàn dựng rất sáng tạo và thành công, sự đan xen khéo léo giữa các nhân vật ở nhiều độ tuổi khác nhau trong cùng một cảnh, không làm người xem bị mất phương hướng cùng với những lời thoại đẹp và diễn xuất của diễn viên”. Hongaï là một vở diễn rất khác so với những gì chúng ta thường thấy ở thể loại này. Cốt truyện tinh tế và thú vị, dàn dựng mạch lạc và hiệu quả, các diễn viên nhập vai một cách xuất sắc, tràn đầy năng lượng! (Ý kiến của khán giả trên trang BilletReduc) Đằng sau thành công này là đoàn kịch Collectif Rue 46 và tác giả, đạo diễn kiêm diễn viên La Belle Époque. Tại Liên hoan Avignon 2025, RFI Tiếng Việt đã gặp và phỏng vấn La Belle Époque và nghệ sĩ Franck Milin, nhập vai điệp viên Florence trong Hongaï. RFI : Xin chào anh La Belle Époque và Franck Milin. Hongaï là một câu chuyện được nghiên cứu theo chiều hướng lịch sử. Ý tưởng được hình thành như thế nào ? La Belle Époque : Về cơ bản, tôi muốn một câu chuyện kể về một người đi tìm một người đã mất tích từ lâu, từ cả hàng chục năm trước. Về một nơi xa xôi nào đó, tôi nghĩ có thể chọn giữa Nam Mỹ hoặc châu Á. Tôi bị cuốn theo hướng châu Á ngay bởi vì bà tôi sinh ra ở Việt Nam, nên điều đó rất có ý nghĩa với tôi. Và thế là hình thành câu chuyện kể về việc đi tìm một người mất tích từ lâu ở Việt Nam. Ngay sau đó, tôi nảy ra ý tưởng về gián điệp vì tôi đam mê những câu chuyện gián điệp. Tôi đã nghe rất nhiều podcast của Radio France có tên là Espion, une histoire vraie (Điệp viên, một câu chuyện có thật). Đó là những câu chuyện có thật, khá hấp dẫn bởi vì hành trình của những điệp viên đó khá là lãng mạn. Qua những câu chuyện đó, tôi cũng hiểu được rằng đôi khi động cơ của họ mang tính ý thức hệ ít hơn là cảm xúc, và chúng gắn liền với cuộc đời, tình yêu và gia đình. Thế là tôi tự nhủ đó sẽ là một câu chuyện gián điệp, sẽ có cựu điệp viên người Pháp, Gustave Duong, mật danh Florence, nằm vùng từ thời chiến tranh Đông Dương. Tiếp theo là có thêm điệp viên CIA, Rose McConaughey, được cử thay mặt cho Cơ quan tình báo đối ngoại của Pháp - SDECE để hồi hương hoặc giết chết Florence. Phải kiểm tra xem điệp viên nằm vùng đó có phải là kẻ phản bội hay không. Và đó là điểm khởi đầu của câu chuyện, và cuộc gặp gỡ giữa hai điệp viên này. Chúng ta bước vào cuộc sống, quá khứ của họ và khám phá ra rất nhiều điều. RFI : Có 30 nhân vật, trải qua 15 thời kỳ khác nhau và trên ba lục địa (Á, Âu, Mỹ). Làm thế nào để có thể thay đổi từ giai đoạn này sang giai đoạn khác, bởi vì hiểu được một chút về lịch sử gia đình hoặc một giai đoạn đã là phức tạp trong khi ở đây, vở kịch có đến 15 giai đoạn khác nhau ? La Belle Époque : Thực ra, viết về cuộc đời của các nhân vật, của hai nhân vật chính, mới là điều khó nhất, làm sao cho được mạch lạc từ đầu đến cuối. Sau khi tôi viết xong, chúng tôi trộn mọi thứ một chút, theo kiểu cảnh này sẽ hợp với chỗ này, cảnh kia hợp với chỗ kia. Đó là kiểu hiệu ứng mà tôi muốn, có nghĩa là nhảy từ giai đoạn này sang giai đoạn khác, từ thập niên 1930 sang 1950, từ đầu thế kỷ chuyển sang những năm 1970. Khán giả có thể thấy mất phương hướng một chút nhưng thường thì vẫn hiểu được mọi chuyện vào cuối vở kịch. RFI : Điều gây ấn tượng cho khán giả là bối cảnh và giai đoạn được thay đổi rất nhanh trên sân khấu nhỏ, trong thời gian rất ngắn. Franck Milin : Đó là nhờ khâu dàn dựng và ánh sáng, đặc trưng cho một địa điểm, một khoảnh khắc cụ thể, và cả nhịp độ trong hậu trường nữa. Hãy đến hậu trường xem chuyện gì diễn ra đằng sau cánh gà (cười) ! Các màn thay trang phục, chuyển âm nhạc nhanh một cách kinh ngạc. RFI : Ngoài ra còn có thể thấy những lời giải thích giống như trong phim hành động, tình báo CIA của Mỹ, ví dụ tại địa điểm này, giai đoạn này hoặc ngày tháng này… để khán giả theo được mạch câu chuyện. Franck Milin : Chính xác. Đó là nhờ dàn dựng, theo kiểu kết hợp kịch và một chút điện ảnh qua kiểu thông báo các địa điểm. La Belle Époque : Đúng vậy. Có một khía cạnh rất điện ảnh trong đó, như Franck đã nói, với rất nhiều âm nhạc, nhịp độ khá nhanh, và rất nhiều video. Tôi thực sự thích điều đó, tôi rất thích phim truyền hình, điện ảnh, và tôi muốn thêm một chút khía cạnh đó vào kịch. RFI : Khán giả như bị cuốn vào một bộ phim gián điệp với rất nhiều chi tiết hoặc thông tin lịch sử dù là câu chuyện hư cấu. Anh đã làm việc như thế nào về mặt đó ? La Belle Époque : Tôi tìm kiếm rất nhiều về lịch sử. Thực ra, tất cả các nhân vật đều là hư cấu và không tồn tại nhưng tất cả các sự kiện trong vở kịch là thật. Cho nên mọi ngày tháng, thậm chí mọi thời điểm, đều được xác minh. Ví dụ việc ký kết Hiệp ước Đức-Liên Xô, Thế Chiến II kết thúc, tiếp theo là việc ký kết Hiệp định Paris chấm dứt Chiến tranh Việt Nam vào ngày 27/01/1973 mở ra trang mới. Mỗi bước ngoặt trong kịch đều trùng với ngày tháng của các sự kiện lịch sử lớn. Franck Milin : Chúng tôi, với tư cách là diễn viên, cũng phải tự tìm hiểu một chút. Trước một kịch bản với cốt truyện chứa nhiều yếu tố lịch sử, chúng tôi cũng phải chú ý đến những gì mình đang diễn. Thêm vào đó, đoàn kịch của chúng tôi gồm những người đam mê lịch sử. RFI : Về mặt kỹ thuật, hoàn toàn có thể hóa thân thành nhiều nhân vật khác nhau nhờ hóa trang. Nhưng làm thể nào để sống trong nhân vật đó, thể hiện được nhân vật đó trong khi một nghệ sĩ đảm nhiệm nhiều vai và thời gian chuyển vai rất nhanh và rất ngắn ? La Belle Époque : Mỗi lần như vậy, cần phải tự hỏi nhân vật này là ai, động cơ của họ là gì, và phải thể hiện nhân vật đó như thế nào. Đó là cả một công trình nghiên cứu. Chúng tôi đã dành rất nhiều thời gian cho nó. Vở kịch là một sáng tác cho Liên hoan Avignon. Đây là lần đầu tiên chúng tôi tham gia Liên hoan này. Nhưng chúng tôi đã chuẩn bị cho vở kịch này trong suốt hai năm và làm việc rất nhiều. Tôi bắt đầu viết vào tháng 06/2023, có nghĩa là được hai năm rồi. Và sau đó, chúng tôi bắt tay vào việc từ đầu năm 2024. Và sau đó, tất cả chúng tôi đều tự hỏi bản thân rất nhiều, thử thách bản thân về các nhân vật. Franck Milin : Chúng tôi dành rất nhiều tâm huyết cho tất cả những nhân vật phụ. Về những nhân vật chính, tôi nghĩ rằng trong quá trình xây dựng nhân vật với tư cách là diễn viên, hành trình của họ khá rõ ràng và nhanh chóng. Còn những nhân vật phụ, những người thêm thắt những chi tiết nhỏ vào câu chuyện chúng tôi kể, thì vẫn cần thêm một chút công sức trên sân khấu, một chút suy ngẫm cá nhân của diễn viên, và thảo luận với đạo diễn. Đó là một quá trình xây dựng nhân vật, hiểu thêm một chút những thách thức của từng người. RFI : Vở kịch mang tên Hongaï nhưng người ta có cảm giác không có mối liên hệ nào với câu chuyện gián điệp. Tuy nhiên, khi xem vở kịch, người ta hiểu rằng đó là nơi câu chuyện bắt đầu. La Belle Époque : Đúng vậy, Hòn Gai là nơi bà tôi sinh ra. Rồi Chiến tranh Đông Dương nổ ra, bà rời Đông Dương vào năm 1951 cùng với gia đình. Và họ chưa bao giờ trở lại, mặc dù nơi đó là cả tuổi thơ của họ. Tôi lớn lên đắm chìm trong câu chuyện phi thực dân hóa giữa Pháp và Việt Nam. Và sự kiện đó đã truyền cảm hứng cho câu chuyện này bởi vì cuộc sống của bà tôi và người thân bị đảo lộn bởi những sự kiện của thế kỷ 20. Tôi không muốn kể câu chuyện của tổ tiên mình, mà là câu chuyện của tất cả những người đã sống qua những biến động lớn, các cuộc chiến tranh thế giới, Chiến tranh Lạnh, phi thực dân hóa… Và đó chính là nguồn cảm hứng cho câu chuyện. Vậy nên, tên vở kịch là Hongaï như một lời tri ân. Và nó như một lời mời chu du, cho nên tấm áp phích của vở kịch được lấy hình ảnh vịnh Hạ Long. Thực ra, đúng như chị nói, người ta hiểu được ý nghĩa khi xem vở kịch. Tôi muốn nói với khán giả rằng trong câu chuyện Hongaï, đó là nơi mọi thứ bắt đầu và cũng là nơi mọi thứ kết thúc. RFI : Tên của đoàn kịch Collectif Rue 46 cũng gây tò mò. Tại sao lại là tập thể - collectif ? Và tại sao lại là Rue 46 ? Franck Milin : Nhóm đã tồn tại khoảng mười năm. Tại sao lại là “tập thể” mà không phải là “hội”, bởi vì đó là một gia đình phát triển qua từng dự án. Tôi coi đó là một gia đình mà vai trò của mỗi người không phải là cố định. Nghĩa là, họ có thể là diễn viên trong dự án này, rồi lại là đạo diễn trong một dự án khác, hoặc là quản lý sân khấu hoặc thiết kế bối cảnh. Có nghĩa là vai trò luôn luôn thay đổi. La Belle Époque : Ví dụ, tôi đóng trong Richard III của Shakespeare. Tôi đóng cùng Franck và Cyrielle Buquet, hai nghệ sĩ đóng nhân vật chính trong Hongaï. Chúng tôi vẫn đổi vai tùy theo dự án. Franck Milin : Và tên của nhóm ra đời từ trải nghiệm sân khấu đầu tiên mà chúng tôi thực hiện cùng nhau, đó là vở 46, Wessex Grove, được Jean-Philippe Brayé chuyển thể và đạo diễn từ tác phẩm The Homecoming của Harold Pinter. Và đó là lý do tại sao tên của nhóm được gọi là Collectif Rue 46. RFI Tiếng Việt xin chân thành cảm ơn La Belle Époque và Franck Milin, đoàn kịch Collectif Rue 46.

Remor de pedra és un pòdcast que recupera la memòria del llegat hidràulic del riu Gaià fent un recorregut per les seves construccions i elements patrimonials i d'enginyeria. Un projecte d'Ona La Torre. Els dijous a les 13:30h. podcast recorded with enacast.com

Aktualus klausimas. Socialdemokratai spręs, ką deleguoti į premjerus. Partijos skyriai šiame poste norėtų matyti Mindaugą Sinkevičių, Juozą Oleką, Ingą Ruginienę, Robertą Duchnevičių. Kaip galimi kandidatai minimi ir Eugenijus Sabutis bei Rimantas Vaitkus. Kuris kandidatas atrodo tinkamiausias?Inauguruojamas naujasis Lenkijos prezidentas Karolis Nawrockis. Politologai sako, kad euroskeptiškų pažiūrų prezidentas dar labiau nei Andžejus Duda gali naudotis savo teise blokuoti Donaldo Tusko Vyriausybės iniciatyvas.Prokurorai toliau aiškinasi, kaip ir kodėl į Lietuvą prieš pusantros savaitės įskrido dronas. Pranešta, kad Gaižiūnų poligone rastas dronas skraidino 2 kilogramus sprogstamosios medžiagos.Baigiasi pirmasis stojimo į aukštąsias mokyklas etapas. Kokie rezultatai ir ar jie teisingesni, ŠMSM nusprendus padidinti geriausiai egzaminus išlaikiusiųjų konkursinį balą?Gargžduose įvykusi nelaimė, kai agresyvus šuo, įbėgęs į kiemą, mirtinai sudraskė šeimos augintinį, iškėlė klausimą, ar užtikrinama agresyvių gyvūnų kontrolė?Ved. Edvardas Kubilius

Mindaugas Sinkevičius apsisprendė nesiekti premjero posto, nepaisant to, kad būtent jis sulaukė didžiausios socialdemokratų skyrių paramos. Kiti pagrindiniai kandidatai - Inga Ruginienė, Juozas Olekas ir Robertas Duchnevičius sulaukė panašios skyrių paramos. Buvo pasiūlyta ir naujų kandidatų - susisiekimo ministras Eugenijus Sabutis ir švietimo ministrės patarėjas Rimantas Vaitkus.Generalinė prokurorė Nida Grunskienė komentuos Gaižiūnų poligone surasto bepiločio orlaivio patekimo į Lietuvą aplinkybių tyrimą.Birželį nuo pareigų nušalintas karinės žvalgybos vadas Elegijus Paulavičius abipusiu susitarimu su krašto apsaugos sistemos vadovybe palieka karinę tarnybą, o tarnybinis patikrinimas dėl jo elgesio su pavaldiniais yra nutraukiamas. Karinės žvalgybos vado advokatas pranešė, kad Paulavičius atsiims ieškinį teismui dėl nušalinimo nuo pareigų birželį.Žemės ūkio ministerija stebi sudėtingą situaciją Lietuvos žemės ūkio sektoriuje, susijusią su daug aukštesniais nei kaimyninėse šalyse grūdų džiovinimo įkainiais.Klaipėdoje šiandien savo jėgas išmėgino paplūdimiuose budintys gelbėtojai, kurie varžėsi tradiciniame čempionate. Na ir šiemet jie juokauja, jog vasaros – nėra, esą dienas, kai nebuvo iškelta maudytis draudžianti raudona vėliava, galima suskaičiuoti kone ant rankos pirštų. Tai kokia gi ši vasara gelbėtojams, ar daug darbo jie turėjo?Ved. Agnė Skamarakaitė

Gaia była w ciągłym ruchu: skanowała fragment nieba, przesyłała informację na Ziemię i leciała dalej. Zarejestrowała niewyobrażalne ilości danych: ponad 2 miliardy gwiazd i innych obiektów. Jeśli nie słyszeliście o Gai, to temat trzeba koniecznie nadrobić. Gaia to niezwykle udana misja Europejskiej Agencji Kosmicznej. – Dzięki niej jedna czwarta naszego kawałka galaktyki została zmapowana w sześciu wymiarach – opowiada prof. Łukasz Wyrzykowski z Obserwatorium Astronomicznego Uniwersytetu Warszawskiego, który przy Gai pracował od czasów jej projektowania.***Robimy dobrą robotę? Pomóż nam dostarczać jeszcze więcej mądrych treści. Dołącz do społeczności Patronek i Patronów: 

Two days out from Royal Ascot, Nick was joined in the studio by Neil Channing, Fran Berry, George Scott & Gai Waterhouse. Plenty of Pre-Royal Ascot chat. Plus a fascinating conversation with Gai.

#ikigai #propositodevida #felicidad #meditacion #omnitymeditacion #meditacionguiadaEl Ikigai se compone de cuatro bases fundamentales, que según la sabiduría ancestral Japonesa, son la fórmula que atrae a nuestra vida la plenitud y felicidad.Se compone de dos palabras: Iki; cuyo significado es "vida" y Gai; que representa el valor o méritos del ser.Mediante una música de frecuencia alta y una voz guiada que te acompañará durante este viaje. Una buena alternativa para INTERIORIZAR este interesante concepto para alcanzar la FELICIDAD y tu PROPÓSITO de VIDA.Esta meditación está dedicada con amor a Ana García.Comprueba que es fácil conectar con tu ser más poderoso, tu mism@.

OUR FUTURE WITH AI The potential emergence of GAI or General Artificial Intelligence – AI systems with human-level or greater cognitive abilities – raises profound technical, ethical, societal, and existential issues actively debated by AI researchers, philosophers, ethicists, and policymakers. Audio for Show #34 can be heard below!

Review các phim ra rạp từ ngày 16/05/2025Mưa Lửa - Anh Trai Vượt Ngàn Chông Gai Movie – KThể loại: Tài LiệuĐạo diễn: Đinh Hà Uyên Thư Diễn viên: Gia Tộc Anh Tài Nội Dung Phim: Mưa Lửa – phim tư liệu về hành trình 33 anh tài tham gia chương trình Anh Trai Vượt Ngàn Chông Gai 2024. Những câu chuyện chưa từng lên sóng, những chông gai ngoài đời thực, những khó khăn và những niềm vui... Vũ trụ đã sắp đặt, phải là 33 con người này, số phận đã định đoạt, phải là 33 Anh Tài này để tạo nên mùa Anh Trai Vượt Ngàn Chông Gai đầu tiên! Hành trình của Anh Trai Vượt Ngàn Chông Gai 2024 là những cơn “mưa lửa”, chứa đựng niềm tin, niềm hy vọng và sự hồi sinh trong cuộc sống. Lửa hun đúc tinh thần, mưa tái sinh tâm hồn, và vì thế, những cơn “mưa lửa” trên hành trình vượt ngàn chông gai đã thực sự làm bùng lên khát khao mãnh liệt được yêu, được sống, được cống hiến của bất kỳ ai, nghệ sĩ hay khán giả. Đó là những mạch cảm xúc tinh tế mà 33 Anh Tài đã thắp lên, đã truyền đi và đã giữ mãi sức nóng đó trong trái tim hàng triệu người hâm mộ. YADANG: BA MẶT LẬT KÈO - T18Đạo diễn: HWANG Byeong-gugDiễn viên: KANG Ha-neul, YOO Hai-jin, PARK Hae-joon, RYU Kyung-soo, CHAE Won-beenThể loại: Hành Động"Từ giờ trở đi, bạn là kẻ chỉ điểm của tôi." Là “cầu nối” giữa thế giới ngầm và các cơ quan thực thi pháp luật, những kẻ chỉ điểm chuyên nghiệp được gọi là "yadang" - người cung cấp thông tin bí mật về thế giới ma túy cho các công tố viên và cảnh sát. Khi một kẻ chỉ điểm ma túy “báo tin” về một bữa tiệc có sự tham dự của các VIP nổi tiếng và vô tình vướng vào một âm mưu nguy hiểm, hắn phải làm mọi thứ trong khả năng của mình không chỉ để sống sót,mà còn để phục thù.UNTIL DAWN: BÍ MẬT KINH HOÀNG – T18Đạo diễn: David SandbergDiễn viên: Ella Rubin, Michael Cimino, Odessa A'zion, Ji-young Yoo, Belmont Cameli, Maia Mitchell, Peter StormareThể loại: Hồi hộp, Kinh DịLấy cảm hứng từ tựa game nổi tiếng Playstation cùng tên Until Dawn. Một năm sau khi em gái Melanie mất tích một cách bí ẩn, Clover cùng bạn bè quyết định vào một thung lũng nơi cuối cùng nhìn thấy em gái để tìm kiếm câu trả lời. Khi lạc vào một khu nhà bỏ hoang, họ bị một kẻ giết người đeo mặt nạ theo dõi và bị sát hại một cách kinh hoàng từng người một... cho đến khi họ tỉnh dậy và phát hiện mình quay ngược lại vào buổi tối đầu tiên. Bị mắc kẹt trong một vòng lặp thời gian bí ẩn, họ buộc phải sống lại cơn ác mộng đó mỗi đêm, nhưng mỗi lần lại phải đối mặt với những mối đe dọa mới và những cách chết khác nhau, ngày càng đáng sợ hơn. Khi hy vọng dần tắt, nhóm bạn nhận ra họ chỉ còn 13 mạng sống trước khi biến mất mãi mãi. Cách duy nhất để thoát khỏi là sống sót cho đến khi bình minh.CUỘC CHIẾN KHÔNG TRỌNG LỰC (CHIẾU LẠI) – T13Đạo diễn: Alfonso CuarónDiễn viên: Sandra Bullock, George Clooney, Ed HarrisThể loại: Hành Động, Hồi hộp, Khoa Học Viễn Tưởng, Tâm LýBộ phim Cuộc Chiến Không Trọng Lực – Gravity kể về chuyến du hành ngoài không gian đầu tiên của cô kỹ sư cơ khí Ryan và cũng là chuyến đi cuối cùng trước khi nghỉ hưu của phi hành gia lão luyện Matt, khi cả hai làm nhiệm vụ trên Trạm Không Gian Quốc Tế (ISS). Trong thời gian thực hiện nhiệm vụ, những mảnh vỡ từ một vệ tinh khác đã phá hỏng tàu con thoi của họ khiến cả 2 mất liên lạc với Trái đất. Họ dần trở nên cô độc ngoài không gian với lượng oxy đang ngày 1 cạn dần và tử thần đang kề cận.PHIM ĐIỆN ẢNH DORAEMON: NOBITA VÀ CUỘC PHIÊU LƯU VÀO THẾ GIỚI TRONG TRANH Thông qua món bảo bối mới của Doraemon, cả nhóm bạn bước thế giới trong một bức tranh nổi tiếng và bắt gặp cô bạn bí ẩn tên Claire. Với lời mời của Claire, cả nhóm cùng đến thăm vương quốc Artoria, nơi ẩn giấu một viên ngọc quý mang tên Artoria Blue đang ngủ yên. Trên hành trình tìm kiếm viên ngọc, nhóm bạn Doraemon phát hiện một truyền thuyết về sự hủy diệt của thế giới, mà truyền thuyết đó dường như đang sống dậy! Liệu cả nhóm có thể phá hủy lời nguyền này và bảo vệ cả thế giới?

Your TSHE friends have been off for a couple of weeks and we're here to give you some stellar media recommendations. Movies, podcasts, books, tv shows old and new (spoiler alert, The Pitt), we got you covered!In small talk, we've been traveling! From open containers in New Orleans to crying about Hamilton in New York to trekking to the office, the TSHE hosts are making the rounds (thankfully not as residents at Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Hospital, though).TSHE Recommends (we have a lot!)AnnDoctors reacting to The PittGianmarco SoresiReading SmutBobbyLandmanLaufey New SingleOn Air by Steve OneyPTFO on the George Foreman GrillOldscoolkevmoWellesMeredithThe PittGGG (hehe)GAI with the Colorado SymphonyHillaryAlso, The PittThe West WingScratch & WinHamilton (yes, again)Connect with the show!This is your show, too. Feel free to drop us a line, send us a voice memo, or fax us a butt to let us know what you think.Facebook group: This Show Has EverythingFax Bobby Your Butt: 617-354-8513 Feedback form: www.throwyourphone.com Email: tsheshow@gmail.comAOL Keyword: TSHE

durée : 00:50:02 - La Terre au carré - par : Mathieu Vidard - Journaliste environnement au journal le Monde de 1998 à 2013, il lance en 1989 le premier magazine de l'écologie, Reporterre. Hervé Kempf revient sur son parcours de journaliste spécialisé dans l'écologie et l'environnement. - invités : Hervé Kempf - Hervé Kempf : Redacteur en chef de Reporterre.net, essayiste - réalisé par : Jérôme BOULET

Zach gets towed again and misses out on Maserati Mountain. Charles tries to get his mom to say I love you. Pt. 2 available on Patreon now: https://www.patreon.com/overshadowedpodcast Featuring: Italians vs. WASPS, Chip Wars, parents who've never said I love you, and parents who can't stop, gAI, and more. Overshadowed Kumis coming soon. IMO, the ep is funniest in the second half, which you'll have to wait for next week for (Monday), OR join the patreon! $3 and $5 tiers available    Instagram: @overshadowed_podcast @charles_engle @zachrussellcomedy Check out the Patreon for bonus content, standup comedy sets, and more.  Check out other places to listen here: https://linktr.ee/overshadowed_podcast Recorded Feb 2025  Produced by Zach Russell Intro/Outro music by Mokka!

My guest today is Gai Ben Dor.Gai is a leadership development and change management expert, coach, and facilitator who works with leaders and organizations worldwide. He is an international keynote speaker specializing in leadership and excellence.Gai has a fascinating story – well, many fascinating stories, really.  I was fortunate to meet Gai through the Georgetown University Leadership Coaching network and before we even talked th first time, I was hoping he'd say yes to being on the podcast!  One piece of Gai's story is that he participated in the Marathon Race at the Beijing Paralympic Games as a guide for a blind runner and later led him on a journey through the Himalayas toward Mount Everest. He is also a social entrepreneur, having founded several social enterprises focused on education, sports, and the integration of people with disabilities.With a background as a lawyer and accountant, he brings a diverse perspective to leadership, transformation, and personal growth.Today, Gai is part of KONU, an international consulting firm specializing in leadership development and change management.Gai, thank you for this wonderful conversation. Thank you for sharing these pieces of your journey and story.  Thank you for your reflections, your wisdom, and your inspiration.  I'm so grateful to know you and host this episode!To learn more about Gai, find links to his Ted talk and more here: Connect with Gai:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gaibendor/Gai's Website: https://www.gaibendor.com/enInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/gaibendor/TEDx Talk link: https://youtu.be/goiyLgCzgSI?si=XZ_GC2e4x_ovIziwMake Life Less Difficult~ Support:buymeacoffee.com/lisatilstra

A discussion with IAB team members on the most important topics and initiatives for the Australian digital advertising industry in 2025. Gai is joined by Natalie Stanbury (Director of Research) and Jonas Jaanimagi (Technology Lead). See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Send us a textTo learn more, please visit Anja Neubauer's site.Show Notes:1:30 background in the law and tech 4:45 overview of global framework “AI and Authorship Redefined: Towards a Global Copyright Framework for Commerce and Human Originality - Exploring Ownership, Infringement, Moral Rights, and Human Originality”12:35 question of authorship19:35 moral rights26:30 viability of global copyright 28:20 issues of injustice raised by AI34:30 German study about developers' infringement38:00 public's choice to lock up data 39:00 The Congress Please share your comments and/or questions at stephanie@warfareofartandlaw.comMusic by Toulme.To hear more episodes, please visit Warfare of Art and Law podcast's website.To leave questions or comments about this or other episodes of the podcast and/or for information about joining the 2ND Saturday discussion on art, culture and justice, please message me at stephanie@warfareofartandlaw.com. Thanks so much for listening!© Stephanie Drawdy [2025]

Why you shouldn't have an AI Strategy. Why you should be implementing GAI & AI everywhere you can.Why you should join up your EX and CX AI efforts.Andrew McInnes on LinkedIn.Connect with Sam on LinkedIn - I share customer expeirence content multiple times a week, and love hearing from listeners with questions or ideas for topics.Subscribe to my newsletter, Customer Experience Patterns - I publish a new edition with each full-length episode of the podcast.My LinkedIn Learning courses: How To Create Great Customer Experiences & Build A Customer-Centric Culture. In-depth video series that teach you how to create great experiences, and build customer-centric cultuers.Thanks to my talented colleague Emily Tolmer for the cover art. Thanks to my friends at Moon Island for the music. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Bill and Hillary Clinton were once masters of the “dark arts” of politics – spinning history and enriching themselves while running a global charity that became famous as a grift machine. Their skill even had a name: “The Clinton Blur.” Though long out of office himself, former President Bill Clinton is at it again. “The news for GAI is that Bill Clinton is back,” says author Peter Schweizer, whose 2015 bestseller Clinton Cash exposed the financial shenanigans behind the Clinton Global Initiative. “Bill's back, he's mad, and he's mad at me!” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Justine Bateman is not a fan of generative AI like Sora. The actor / director says GAI tech is simply the latest algorithmically-driven nail in Hollywood's coffin of content – but something else will be born from its ashes. “… audiences will eventually feel sick about watching AI, and about all the ways in which AI will have infiltrated their lives, their job, their kids' education, their grocery store, their insurance, etc., and they will begin to reject it wholesale,” Bateman writes in Fast Company. “Audiences will then not only reject films made with GAI but reject films that even look like they were made with GAI. They will want something real, raw, and obviously human.” Justine Bateman is an actor, director, author, and founder of the Credo23 Film Festival. She starred as Mallory Keaton in Family Ties and appeared in Desperate Housewives and Californication. Her directorial debut Violet, starring Olivia Munn, premiered at SXSW 2021. She authored bestsellers Fame: The Hijacking of Reality and Face: One Square Foot of Skin. Bateman serves on SAG-AFTRA's AI negotiation committee. Find more at https://credo23filmfest.com and follow her at https://x.com/justinebateman 「 SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS 」 Find out more about the brands that make this show possible and get special discounts on Dr. Drew's favorite products at https://drdrew.com/sponsors  • COZY EARTH - Susan and Drew love Cozy Earth's sheets & clothing made with super-soft viscose from bamboo! Use code DREW to save up to 40% at https://drdrew.com/cozy • FATTY15 – The future of essential fatty acids is here! Strengthen your cells against age-related breakdown with Fatty15. Get 15% off a 90-day Starter Kit Subscription at https://drdrew.com/fatty15 • PALEOVALLEY - "Paleovalley has a wide variety of extraordinary products that are both healthful and delicious,” says Dr. Drew. "I am a huge fan of this brand and know you'll love it too!” Get 15% off your first order at https://drdrew.com/paleovalley • THE WELLNESS COMPANY - Counteract harmful spike proteins with TWC's Signature Series Spike Support Formula containing nattokinase and selenium. Learn more about TWC's supplements at https://twc.health/drew 「 MEDICAL NOTE 」 Portions of this program may examine countervailing views on important medical issues. Always consult your physician before making any decisions about your health. 「 ABOUT THE SHOW 」 Ask Dr. Drew is produced by Kaleb Nation (https://kalebnation.com) and Susan Pinsky (https://twitter.com/firstladyoflove). This show is for entertainment and/or informational purposes only, and is not a substitute for medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Efrain and David have a hard time proving they're not in love with Tori's cover of 10CC's I'm Not In Love. They may say it doesn't mean that much to them but then why are they taking the picture off the wall to uncover every nasty stain still lying there? You may want to at least consider making a fuss though as they conduct interviews with esteemed author Liam Newton (10CC: The Worst Band in The World); Ryan Crawford and Veronica Kay (I'm Not In Love super fans); and legendary prankster Elysia Fields. As always, go deep inside this Strange Little Girl's lore through the words of N*il GaI*an, the mind of Macy Rodman, and the art of Reggie Doherty. You'll also get a personalized song birth chart reading from our Resident Witch Amy K, and this one's shocking. As always a ton of sound clips, rare interviews, lost moments and more. When asked for comment, Efrain responded "I know you wait a long time for we, but still tell your friends about the two of us! And don't fooget it!"

Đinh Hà Uyên Thư hay gần đây được biết đến với cái tên gần gũi “chú Thư”, là đạo diễn đứng sau hàng loạt các MV đình đám như: Lạc Trôi, Chúng Ta Không Thuộc Về Nhau (Sơn Tùng M-TP), Cô Đơn Trên Sofa (Hồ Ngọc Hà), Thật Bất Ngờ (Trúc Nhân), Talk To Me (Chi Pu)...Không chỉ giới hạn bản thân trong một lĩnh vực, Đinh Hà Uyên Thư cũng đánh dấu bước chuyển mình khi trở thành đạo diễn của Bẫy Ngọt Ngào - phim điện ảnh lọt Top 5 phim chiếu rạp ăn khách nhất năm 2022. Năm 2024, Đinh Hà Uyên Thư tiếp tục bất ngờ khi thử thách chính mình với vai trò Tổng đạo diễn sân khấu trong Anh Trai Vượt Ngàn Chông Gai.Không làm khán giả thất vọng, vị đạo diễn đã chứng minh được năng lực cùng khả năng kết hợp và biến hóa tài tình, tạo nên công thức đưa Anh Trai Vượt Ngàn Chông Gai trở thành một “case study” trong ngành công nghiệp sản xuất chương trình giải trí, với rất nhiều sân khấu để đời.Đón xem Have A Sip Live để lắng nghe câu chuyện về hành trình “vượt chông gai” đầy ấn tượng của vị đạo diễn tài ba này nhé!—Cảm ơn Marriott Bonvoy và BARSON, Le Méridien Saigon đã đồng hành cùng phiên bản đặc biệt Have A Sip Live lần này.—Đừng quên có thể xem bản video của podcast này tại: YouTubeVà đọc những bài viết thú vị tại website: Vietcetera—Nếu có bất cứ góp ý, phản hồi hay mong muốn hợp tác, bạn có thể gửi email về địa chỉ  team@vietcetera.com—Yêu thích tập podcast này, bạn có thể donate cho Have A Sip tại:● Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/vietcetera● Buy me a coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/vietcetera#HaveASip #HaveASipLive #Vietcetera #Vietcetera_Podcast #HAS194 #MarriottBonvoy #MarriottBonvoyMoments #ThùyMinh #ĐinhHàUyênThư

News From The Point of NO Return: Episode 92 – Report XIV   Welcome to the Event Horizon podcast, where we explore our world's dark and mysterious places, people, and practices. This episode is a Paranormal News show where I discuss the top three paranormal articles for the month. In this episode, we discuss:“Human….Please die”: Chatbot responds with threatening message, November 14, 2024.https://www.aol.com/human-please-die-chatbot-responds-001249154.html  Memory Is Not Confined to Our Brains, Scientists Discover, November 14, 2024.https://www.sciencealert.com/memory-is-not-confined-to-our-brains-scientists-discover Pentagon's UFO report finds over 700 new cases, with 21 the agency could not explain, November 14, 2024.https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/pentagons-ufo-report-finds-700-new-cases-21/story?id=115878401 Support the ShowDid you know you can support the podcast by joining the Spreaker Supporter Club? For as little as $2.00 per month, you can help me grow the show and produce more episodes.  Go to the show page on Spreaker and click on the Supporter Club!  Supporter Club - https://www.spreaker.com/cms/shows/2860481/supporters-club/dashboard CashApp - $mpeter1896Follow Me On Social MediaCome with me and take a walk into the Event Horizon:Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/quantumAIradioTwitter at @EventHo14339589Instagram at @EventHorizon Email at eventhorizon1.618@gmail.com Please join the community and share your thoughts.Follow My Other PodcastsIf you like Event Horizon and are a political junkie, you might like my podcast, "The Mark Peterson Show." Please check it out on Spreaker https://www.spreaker.com/show/the_mark_peterson_show. I just released an episode about the death of Angela Chao, sister-in-law of Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.  You might also like my new podcast, "Movie Reviews from the Edge." Check it out at https://www.spreaker.com/show/movie-reviews-from-the-edge. Check out my latest review – Picard: Season One – Luciferin Transhumanism.   Buy My New BookI have a new book!  It is called Career Coaching Xs and Os: How To Master the Game of Career Development.  Transform your career trajectory with insider knowledge and actionable advice, all packed into one game-changing guide.  Get your copy on Amazon at https://a.co/d/f7irTML Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/event-horizon--2860481/support.

In this special election episode of extremely, Oren Segal and Jessica Reaves sit down with not one but two (!!) dis/misinformation experts. Dr. Claire Wardle is an associate professor in the Department of Communication at Cornell University, specializing in user-generated content and misinformation, and Liz Landers is a national correspondent leading the disinformation desk at Scripps News, covering the impact of artificial intelligence, deepfake images and disinformation.Wardle and Landers tell us why this campaign is the worst on record for dis- and misinformation, what they're most worried about and how things might play out on Election Day (and the days after), from threats targeting election workers to assaults on our democracy.We want to hear from you! Send us your questions and/or comments: extremely@adl.org

durée : 00:59:41 - Avec philosophie - par : Géraldine Mosna-Savoye, Antoine Ravon - L'obsession de l'homme pour la vérité a des conséquences morales dont il faut, selon Nietzsche, s'émanciper. Comment peut-on embellir notre propre vie afin d'atteindre la "grande santé" ? - réalisation : Nicolas Berger - invités : Typhaine Morille Agrégée de philosophie et professeure en CPGE A/L (Joliot-Curie, Nanterre), Membre du GIRN (Groupe International de Recherches sur Nietzsche)

durée : 00:59:11 - Avec philosophie - par : Géraldine Mosna-Savoye, Antoine Ravon - Dans "Le Gai savoir", Nietzsche remet en cause la notion de “vérité”, qui repose sur des présupposés n'ayant jamais fait l'objet d'une quelconque interrogation. Renoncer à la “croyance” en une vérité absolue n'est pas sans conséquence : toute connaissance n'est-elle alors qu'une interprétation ? - réalisation : Nicolas Berger - invités : Céline Denat Maîtresse de conférences à l'Université de Reims-Champagne-Ardennes, spécialiste de philosophie allemande moderne, membre et coordinatrice du Groupe international de Recherches sur Nietzsche

durée : 00:59:09 - Avec philosophie - par : Géraldine Mosna-Savoye, Antoine Ravon - Dans "Le Gai Savoir", Nietzsche se penche sur la question de l'héritage et sur notre rapport au passé. En quoi sa conception de l'hérédité est-elle singulière dans l'histoire de la philosophie ? Comment le philosophe l'articule-t-il à celle d'héritage ? - réalisation : Nicolas Berger - invités : Yannis Constantinidès Professeur de philosophie (Humanités modernes) à l'Ecole Boulle et d'éthique appliquée à l'Espace éthique Île-de-France

durée : 00:58:57 - Avec philosophie - par : Géraldine Mosna-Savoye, Antoine Ravon - Dans "Le Gai Savoir" (1882), Nietzsche nous incite à dire oui, à surmonter les pulsions morbides héritées du christianisme et le dualisme platonicien. À la quête de vérité doit se substituer la vie. En quoi "Le Gai Savoir" est-il le livre de l'affirmation ? - réalisation : Nicolas Berger - invités : Patrick Wotling Ancien élève de l'École normale supérieure, professeur de philosophie, directeur du département de philosophie de l'Université de Reims et fondateur du Groupe International de Recherches sur Nietzsche

In this episode, Jeff Utecht interviews Michelle Kassorla, an associate professor of English at Georgia State University, about using generative AI in higher education. They discuss the importance of teaching AI literacy, the role of AI in the writing process, and the benefits of using AI to support student learning. Michelle shares her insights on assessment, transparency, and the creative opportunities that AI provides for students. She also discusses the development of AI literacy standards for higher education and offers practical tips for integrating AI into the classroom. Michelle Kassorla, Ph.D., an Associate Professor at Georgia State University, Perimeter College, has more than 30 years of experience teaching English and Composition. She teaches With and Against AI in Composition I and II courses, integrating AI into all assignments this academic year. She's on the AI Expert Panel for EDUCAUSE, leading the AI Literacy committee for Higher Education. A recipient of a Center for Excellence in Teaching, Learning, and Online Education fellowship, she published "Teaching with GAI in Mind" in the EDUCAUSE Review and co-authors a textbook and papers with Eugenia Novokshanova. She's a Co-Principal Investigator in the "Perceptions of AI" study at GSU. She shares her insights on LinkedIn and her blog, "The Academic Platypus." As a mother of eight boys, she's continually inspired to excel. Connect with our guest: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mkassorla/ Takeaways Teaching AI literacy is crucial in higher education to help students understand the limitations and biases of AI models. AI can be used to support the writing process by providing feedback on grammar and punctuation, generating topic ideas, and assisting with research. Assessment should focus on voice, tone, audience, transparency, and accuracy rather than traditional grammar and punctuation. AI can free up time for teachers to focus on higher-order thinking skills and creative aspects of writing. Developing AI literacy standards for higher education can help guide educators in teaching AI effectively. Thank you to our amazing show sponsor! Lebra https://www.lebrahq.com/  

Ngành công nghiệp giải trí đang ngày càng phát triển, đòi hỏi các chương trình truyền hình phải luôn đổi mới không ngừng. Chị Ngô Thị Vân Hạnh - CEO YEAH1, đã và đang cùng đội ngũ thực hiện khát vọng định hình tiêu chuẩn "premium" cho chương trình truyền hình ViệtVới hơn 24 năm kinh nghiệm trong ngành truyền thông và giải trí, chị Vân Hạnh gia nhập YEAH1 vào đầu năm 2023 và nhanh chóng đảm nhận vai trò Tổng Giám đốc ngay sau đó. Chị cũng chính là người đứng sau sự thành công của hai chương trình truyền hình giải trí được yêu thích hiện nay: Chị Đẹp Đạp Gió Rẽ Sóng và Anh Trai Vượt Ngàn Chông Gai.Trước thềm Chung kết & Concert Anh Trai Vượt Ngàn Chông Gai, cùng lắng nghe cuộc trò chuyện giữa Host Thùy Minh và CEO Vân Hạnh, để cùng “vén màn bí ẩn” đằng sau quá trình sản xuất các chương trình, cũng như tầm nhìn đưa các sản phẩm giải trí đến từ Việt Nam trở thành niềm tự hào, chinh phục khán giả cả trong nước lẫn quốc tế.—Đừng quên có thể xem bản video của podcast này tại: YouTubeVà đọc những bài viết thú vị tại website: Vietcetera—Nếu có bất cứ góp ý, phản hồi hay mong muốn hợp tác, bạn có thể gửi email về địa chỉ  team@vietcetera.com—Yêu thích tập podcast này, bạn có thể donate cho Have A Sip tại:● Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/vietcetera● Buy me a coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/vietcetera#HaveASip #Vietcetera_Podcast #Vietcetera #HAS188

秋景甚好，宜会友，宜chill，宜听歌。这不，已经迁居成都的老王近来空降帝都，除了与划水怪愉快饭聚，还顺带着录了一期和音乐有关的节目。作为华语乐坛曾经的和“现役”的资深从业者，划水怪和老王自年少时代就已经与音乐产生了密切的交集。本期节目，他们将带大家重点回溯一下中文说唱音乐的发展历程，当然也少不了聊聊摇滚乐，以及各自成长过程中和音乐相伴的青葱往事。华语说唱第一人到底是谁？重低音对于Hip-pop和摇滚乐来说意味着什么？一副优质的耳机或音箱究竟是如何影响听歌体验的？更多精彩内容，欢迎收听本期节目。主播 / 相征 老王音频后期 / 陆凯BBBBUDDHA音频上传 / Observer-本节目由深夜谈谈 Midnight Network出品 -Timeline:00:02:53 划水怪和Walkman的初相识00:06:56 现在仍在用Discman听CD的老王00:10:09 音乐的时代与时代的音乐00:19:55 林子祥 - AH LAM日记00:27:42 D.D.节奏乐队 - Do You Wanna Dance00:31:16 尹相杰 - 爱谁是谁00:31:50 谢东 - 啦啦啦00:32:51 王菲&软硬天师 - 请勿客气00:36:25 郑秀文&LMF - 爱是...00:39:27 李小龙 - 好久不见00:46:39 MC Hotdog&大支 - 让我Rap00:53:14 黑棒组合 - 霞飞路58号00:55:56 隐藏 - 在北京01:00:55 爽子 - 有点意思01:05:16 in3 - 我又没说你01:08:14 The Notorious B.I.G. - Juicy01:21:39 宋岳庭 - Life's a Struggle01:25:20 黄立成&麻吉 - 我爱周星星01:33:05 小老虎 - 无人喝彩01:36:24 蛋堡 - 乡愁01:40:31 Kurtis Blow - If I Ruled the World01:41:20 Trouble Funk - Pump It Up01:49:15 弹壳Danko - Colt.4501:52:28 GAI - 凡人歌01:54:56 Higher Brothers - Made in China02:00:23 法老 - 凛冬将至(cut)02:07:11 贝贝 - bit7俊升(玻璃娃娃diss back)02:09:09 重低音之于Hip-pop和摇滚乐的重要性02:19:47 崔健 - 时代的晚上深夜谈谈全新付费节目「山海经宇宙漫游指南」上线啦，大内人气主播、国内知名“怪兽”画者方老师通过对《山海经》进行系统性、完整版的精品内容输出，普及历史、文化、地理等知识！感兴趣的听众老爷全平台搜索「山海经宇宙漫游指南」即可购买！加入我们：深夜谈谈招聘深夜谈谈招聘AE、PM、BD、市场总监、CEO助理！搜索公众号「大内密谈」查看职位描述和任职要求。请将求职信+简历+个人作品发送至邮箱jobs@midnightalks.com，并注明应聘岗位及意向城市。-深夜谈谈播客网络旗下播客：大内密谈、枕边风、空岛、随便聪明、淮海333-你还可以在这里找到我们：小红书：@深夜谈谈子、@相征terryB站：@大内密谈midnightalks视频号&抖音：@深夜谈谈子微博：@大内密谈 微信公众号：大内密谈商务合作邮箱：biz@midnightalks.com加听众群：加深夜谈谈子微信（微信号: aidanei17301214531）并回复【山海经听众群】即可进群。

This week on Sinica, I chat with Olivia Fu, who this spring completed her year at Schwarzman College and wrote her Capstone project — a research paper that is required of all Schwarzman Scholars — on the rise and fall of the Beijing hip-hop scene. We explore some of the parallels to Beijing's rock scene, and how many of the same factors that stifled rock in Beijing ultimately led to Beijing's relative decline as a hip-hop city. 3:16 – Olivia's background and connection to China, and what drew her to the Schwarzman Program and studying hip-hop6:13 – Olivia's Schwarzman mentor, Paul Pickowicz 7:47 – How Olivia dealt with censorship in her Capstone project 10:24 – The parallels and differences between the hip-hop and rock scenes in China12:27 – The dakou CDs and the origins of the hip-hop scene in China 17:03 – The influences of Japanese and Korean rap and hip-hop and Black American culture18:30 – The importance of studying Beijing hip-hop 23:05 – The spirit of Beijing and societal commentary in Beijing hip-hop 27:38 – The phenomenon of Rap of China 29:50 – The divergence of PG One and GAI, and the regulatory influence of the State Administration on Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television35:13 – Sinifying hip-hop 37:21 – What the burgeoning hip-hop scene in China was like in the early 2000s40:10 – Critiques of the Beijing dialect in rap and the Beijing rap style 45:16 – Iron Mic rap battles and Shanghai, and Chinese hip-hop's critique of the educational system 48:34 – Why Beijing rap declined 59:09 – What's next for Olivia See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.