Podcast appearances and mentions of geneva convention

Quaranteam - Dave In Dallas: Part 4 Shenanigans: Fun times at House Belsus. Based on a post by RonanJWilkerson, in 12 parts. Listen to the Podcast at Explicit Novels. Let's review the list of characters: David Belsus – 46, physics & astronomy professor at Eastfield college, a community college in the Dallas area. Prepper, survivalist, has a greenhouse in his backyard and lives in an outer ring suburb. Six foot, fit, short cropped hair. Lupie Ramos – 32, former financial advisor, Dave's neighbor, got caught out of state when the lockdowns started. She spent two frantic weeks trying to get back to her daughter. Lupie has been in love with Dave for over a year. Long, dark brown hair, medium build, and a lovely smile. Esme – 9, daughter of Lupie, prone to the occasional snarky comment. Adores Dave. Becca; 18, Lupie's babysitter, was watching Esme when lockdowns occurred. Her refusal to abandon Esme, as her mother insisted, likely saved Becca's life, since her extended family ignored precautions and died of Duo. Esme, Lupie, and Dave are all Becca has left in the world. Short, medium build, small tits, with short blond hair and a smile that is shy with strangers and beams with family and friends. Janice Wheeler; 33, Dave's first partner to arrive, a librarian at Cedar Valley, another community college member of DCCCD. Slender build and medium height, Janice is 3/4 Korean, her paternal grandfather is Anglo. Medium length black hair often pulled back in a bun for work or ponytail at home. Shawna Cooper; 36, senior meteorologist at WFAA, Master's degree in meteorology from O U, worked at NSSL and spent time as a storm chaser. Whole hog sci-fi nut, beginning with Start Trek TNG. 5' 10", large tits, medium brown skin, dark brown eyes, shoulder length black hair styled like a frizzy weeping willow. Olivia Tyler (Liv); 21, senior studying horticulture at Tarleton State University, near Dallas. Daughter of Carter and Janelle, Dave's best friends since college. Had a well-known crush on Dave throughout her teen years. Since her dad was former SF and a survivalist, Liv is skilled with several firearms as well as bladed weapons. Never failed to take a deer any season she's hunted. 5'10" long, dark brown hair, large tits, lightly tanned, brown eyes, and a wide smile. Melanie Ustanich; 22, graduate student in IT at Tarleton, Liv's roommate, recently found a passion for cooking. Spent most of her life in foster homes, Liv's parents accepted her like family the first time she went with Liv on Thanksgiving Break. 5'8" medium length auburn hair, green eyes, small mouth with a ready, mischievous smile. During the interlude, Dave took some time to look over Melanie. He knew less about her than the others, but more than he'd known about Jan or Shawna when they'd shown up on his doorstep. He knew from a glance that she dressed more stylishly than Olivia, though he'd be hard pressed to describe why. He thought both looked great, even if he could tell a difference instinctively. He was always a fan of variety. Silver studs in her ears support three short silver chains each, drawing the eye tantalizingly into the chasm of her russet mane. The verdant green of Mel's satiny top provided the perfect counterpoint to the auburn tones of her hair. The cinched belt securing the crossing panels of her blouse held it together well, yet giving tantalizing views of her medium sized tits. The black slacks clung closely to her well-shaped thighs and calves without the 'painted on' look. "Dave, could you make me one of your 'ginger ales' please?" "Sure, Liv. Anyone else want something?" "Can you make me one of those drinks you made that first time?" Becca asked. "Yeah, that's what Livy is asking for. Seven-Up and Captain Morgan mixed to look like ginger ale." "Oh, okay, then one of those please." "You got it." Dave got to mixing drinks. Jan asked if anyone else wanted wine. All the others voiced their interest, Jan pulled two bottles of blush from the pantry and brought them to the living room. Lupie grabbed wine glasses for each of them and handed them out as Jan poured. Dave watched Becca's first sip carefully. He'd mixed this one normal strength, not the light pour he'd given her last time. Eyes flared, she took a smaller sip than usual, but nodded before setting it on the side table. "Olivia, dear," Lupie asked softly, "I hesitate to ask, but can you tell us about your parents? Should we contact them that you are here, or, are they; ?" "Dad died six weeks ago. Mom passed a week later." Olivia took another sip. Melanie hugged her loosely. Olivia's voice took on a husky note. "She called me, near the end. She told me Dad had died. That she was very ill and wasn't; wasn't, ah,; She knew she wouldn't make it." One hot tear dallied along the top curve of her cheek before coursing downward. Dave took her hand. "She said I should pursue my dreams. All of them." Livy looked Dave dead in the eyes. "She said she'd known for a long time it was more than a crush, that she was sorry she'd belittled it by calling it that. And then ;” Olivia sucked in a breath. Mel hugged Olivia again. "We're all here for you. Let it out at your own pace." Lupie encouraged softly. "She said 'Love him. Love him like I never did. Love him like he deserves.' And then she closed the call." A hard sob shook through Olivia as more tears fell. Dave and Mel hugged her, one from each side. Dave did so while looking at the ceiling with a distant gaze. After several minutes of silence, Jan got up for a second plate. Dave stood to join her. "My mind still doesn't want to eat, but my stomach got a taste of that bruschetta and wants more. Of that, and everything else." Jan smiled and gave him a quick kiss, which he returned. "Can you tell us something about Eddie?" Shawna asked after Dave sat back down. Dave thought for a minute. Slowly, a proud smile spread across his face. "His Eagle project." Olivia smiled and nodded. "Eddie was an Eagle Scout?" Jan asked. "Yes, he was. Got his Arrow of Light as a Webelo too." Livy provided. "Eddie and I were just beginning to reconnect when he began working on his Eagle rank. For his project, he decided to build a foot bridge across the stream in the park." "Armadillo park? The bridge on the south end?" Becca asked. Dave smiled broadly. "That's the one. Before that bridge, anyone walking the path and crossing the bridge at the north end would have to turn around when they hit the ends of the u-shaped path. For some folks, that was more walking than they could handle, so they wound up getting less exercise, or taking their walks in the few areas with sidewalks or walk along the side of the road. Either way they got very little 'green time'. He found a bridge design appropriate for the location, one that would last with little maintenance and convinced a local construction company to donate materials. He met with the city manager and then spoke before the city council to arrange an agreement for maintenance." "The foreman of the construction company and his best concrete specialist offered their services to supervise the volunteer workers and ensure the quality of the work. I think Eddie had a hand in that." Dave's pride in his son couldn't have been any louder on his face. "The kicker was, he vetted the design to make sure the angle of the curve was suitable for someone in a wheelchair. So at the ribbon cutting, the young lady that cut the ribbon, and the first to cross was in Eddie's class. I think she wound up the class Salutatorian. Anyway, she was paraplegic, lost the use of her legs in an accident during her eighth grade year." Dave paused. "I think she and Eddie started dating not long after." Olivia snorted. "They were already dating. I think that night was the first time she gave him the goods though." "Go Eddie." Shawna said huskily. "Seriously?" Dave asked Olivia. "Pretty sure. Not 100%. I mean, I know they did it. Like a lot. Once they opened up that part of the relationship they were like bunnies. I'm not absolutely sure that night was the first night though." "Hell, I was nineteen before my first time. He was always better with people than I ever was." Dave's looked wistfully into the distance, like he was seeing through the walls at something beyond. Then he swallowed hard. He took a steadying breath and blew it out slowly. Becca rubbed his shoulder lightly before giving it a soft kiss. Dave smiled at her, then leaned in to deliver a light peck on her cheek. He looked outward again, scanning across the room. "Thank you all for putting up with this. I'm sorry for acting like such a p--" Becca pressed a finger firmly to Dave's lips. "If that word crosses your lips, you'd better be talking about our body parts. The man that I've watched, relied on, and come to trust implicitly sure as hell isn't one of those. And he deserves better than that." The fire in her red-rimmed eyes put the punctuation to her statement. Dave just nodded in concession to his young lover's demand. With an impish grin she added, "And for the record, anytime we're getting frisky, or flirting, I'm perfectly happy with you calling it: or me: a pussy." She grabbed his hand and shoved it between her shorts-clad legs for emphasis. Becca's addendum broke the somber mood of the room. Everyone got a good laugh. A brief quiet descended as everyone ate a few bites or stared into their drink. Dave looked up to see Jan and Lupie gazing at him, concern and sympathy clearly written across both of their faces. "Well, Becca, since you have some history with our man, tell me something to catch me up with all of you." Shawna requested. "Oh, tell her about the cupcake exchange." Jan suggested. "Dave told me about it while the two of you were getting vaxxed." "Oh that one she told me already. Good story." "Okay, so something new." Becca paused, then blushed. She bit her lip and looked sideways at Dave and cringed. Then she flicked her eyes to Lupie. Lupie caught the look and rolled her eyes. "Go ahead." She said with a sigh. Then she turned her face away. "So, um, you know how Dave runs a couple times a week, and works out with his staff in the backyard about as often?" Shawna nodded at Becca's narrative, then turned to give Dave an appreciative leer. "Ahem, well, it's cooler now, so he does he work outs in a t-shirt and shorts." Shawna nodded again, then stared at Dave's torso like she was imaging him bare chested and sweating. Well, she'd seen him shirtless often enough. Melanie's breathing became slightly deeper and slower as she sized him up as well. "Well, remember we used to live next door. And Lupie's second story windows are high enough to see over Dave's fence." Mel, Shawna, and Jan all looked at each other. "Oh." They said in unison. "You lucky bitches." Jan added. Dave's mind was working at a slower pace and caught up a moment later. He closed his eyes and shook his head. With a small grin. "Well, that's not all of it. See, I made no pretense about watching him work out. I mean, mid-August, heat pounding down? Ten minutes into his work out his whole torso is covered in sweat, with rivulets running down his front and back." Shawna looked transfixed. Jan had her eyes closed. Mel tightly gripped her thighs, staring intently. "Usually I watched from one of the back windows, and just put up with the oblique angle. One day, a few months back, I realize it's very quiet in the house, and I seem to be the only one on the second floor. I decided to move over to Lupie's room, which is at the back corner, with two windows looking out over the backyard, one on each side of the corner." Lupie blushed hard and brought her hands up to cover her face. "So, there was a small space between the curtain panels and I was staring at Dave through the gap as I walked up. I walked as quietly as I could so Lupie and Esme wouldn't hear my footsteps from downstairs. I pulled back the curtain to get a better view. Lupie was hiding in the curtains, eyes fixed on Dave. We both screamed, and Lupie's hand flapped backwards hitting the window frame." "That's how you bruised your hand?!" Dave exclaimed, trying to suppress his laughter. "You flap your hands around when you're surprised?" "No. Just, um, I, uh ;” Lupie's muffled response trailed off. "She took care to wash her hands thoroughly before she let me bind it." Becca interjected. "Initially we thought she'd hurt her wrist, so I stabilized it. But, I recognized later what I had smelled while we were leaving the room." Lupie peeked between her fingers at Becca, pleading. "Okay, never mind." Becca conceded. "I've said too much already." The others looked confused at the abrupt ending until Melanie burst out laughing. When they looked at her questioningly, she said, "I know what I would be doing standing there watching him work out shirtless." And flopped back into the couch giggling furiously. The others started cackling and Jan, chortling, reached over to pull Lupie into her for a hug. "Not like we all don't do it." Dave sat there open mouthed, shocked, and feeling like he'd won something undefinable. He moved to kneel in front of Lupie. He took her hands in his own, pulling them away from her face. He pulled her into a hug. Into her ear he whispered, "I love you." Her hug on him tightened. "And if I hadn't been so dense I would have been in that room to take care of you properly. Or at least, lick your fingers clean." He punctuated his comment with a light nibble of her earlobe. Lupie swatted him on the back as she released him. Her face was still flushed to the tips of her ears. The tight, prim smile and her laughing eyes testified to her approval of the idea, and her mortification it was said out loud. Even at a whisper. Dave got up and refreshed his drink, and Olivia's as well. Becca sipped hers more slowly, and still had more than half a glass. Jan topped off her wine glass, along with Mel's and Shawna's. Lupie got up and made a fresh plate, then headed for the stairs. "I'm going to take a plate to Esme, just in case she didn't get enough earlier. Besides, if I tell her Dave likes the bruschetta, she might try it." Lupie said with a knowing mom smile. Shawna came to Dave once he was seated. She gave him a soft kiss and held him to her. She spoke no words, but conveyed clearly her heart ache for him, and her availability should he need something. When Lupie returned, she took her seat and looked to Olivia asking "Can you tell me something about your father?" Livy squirmed for a moment, then nodded. She took a breath. "He was a security consultant. Worked for a firm that advised companies on the weak points in their physical and cybersecurity. Dad was on the physical side. He'd been a Green Beret before going to college, where he met Mom and Dave." "Oh, wow. So your dad was a badass?" Becca asked. "Carter was so badass he was chill," Dave interjected. "He had that confidence of the guy that knows he'll win if things get physical. Smart too, though." "Yeah, Dad made supervisor pretty fast. He and his team would walk the grounds of a company and show them where a person could slip in or out without detection. Then the cyber guys would do the same for the company's networks. Sometimes, Dad would have to prove the point. He loved that. He and a couple of his team would don tactical gear and break in. Dad always left a fake tarantula with the company logo on its back on the boss' desk, or somewhere critical." Olivia chuckled. "One time, this one CEO was particularly resistant. Dad had to go in a second time. The first time he left a tarantula on the main server station, and one in the research lab; that by law was required to be restricted access. To drive his point home, Dad went to the CEO's office and installed this box on the ceiling, where most don't look. It had some kind of trigger because once the guy sat down, this tarantula drops on a thread from the box, right on the guy's paperwork." Several smiles broke out. Dave laughed soundlessly, his mouth closed so it didn't become a cry. The tears in his eyes were tattle-tale enough. He absently played with Olivia's dark locks. Olivia turned to look at him, eyes soft and happy. She leaned against his hand. Dave realized what he was doing, got self-conscious and pulled back. With downcast eyes, Liv turned back to the room and took in the other faces. A couple of looks exchanged suggested that most had caught what had just passed. Dave tried to process what just happened by staring off through a blank spot on the wall. It wasn't terribly helpful, once he recalled the picture that hung there just a few weeks before. Then Lupie cleared her throat. Dave fixed his eyes on her. He was never particularly perceptive of the looks on people's faces, but this time it seemed pretty clear. She stared at him with a stern look, then shifted her eyes to Liv and back to him. He looked to Jan, who just nodded. "Maybe someone else can share a family background story." Dave temporized. A few pensive looks passed. A tight smile grew on Jan's face. "My aunt Carolyn." She paused for a second. "My dad's sister. They were half-Korean, half European. Aunt Carolyn took more after the European side of the heritage, especially in the kitchen. She made an awesome meatloaf." She chuckled and looked over at Dave and Becca. "She would have loved that meatloaf cupcake." Her eyes watered at the bottom edge. "Visiting her was a way to encounter the white half of my ancestry. She had prints from famous artists. Classic books. If I was there on a Saturday night, she'd serve cheese and crackers, sometimes with a little sausage. As I got older, she'd let me have a small glass of wine as well." Jan took a light breath. "She played some classical music, but mostly it was Michael Bolton and Kenny G. Maybe some Cranberries and Matchbox Twenty when she felt wild. I haven't heard from her in over a month. And she has asthma." Jan trailed off into silence and the room observed it with her. Lupie reached out a hand to Jan's shoulder. She in turn, put her own hand on top of Lupie's. She turned her head and smiled. With a small nod, she turned away again, staring at the floor. Both hands dropped away. After a reasonable silence, Becca spoke. "When I was thirteen, my cousin Kimberly, who was sixteen, offered to pierce my ears for me." Half the women groaned. Dave sat silently, suspecting this wouldn't end well. "She got a large sewing needle, a bottle of rum, a small bowl, and a pair of my mom's stud earrings." "Rum?" Jan asked. Becca rolled her eyes. "Yeah," she said with a sigh, "she said she had to soak the needle in alcohol before using it." A variety of gasps, groans and sighs walked around the room. Dave's sympathetic grimace did less than his hand patting her knee to communicate his support. "Oh, but it gets worse. Wrong kind of alcohol at too low concentration, plus lots of sugar are only enablers. She cleaned my earlobes thoroughly with antimicrobial soap, so maybe that was the one thing she did almost right. But she didn't clean her own hands. And when she stuck the needle through; which hurt like hell; she stabbed her finger." Multiple hands struck foreheads or mouths. "Oh yeah. So we're both bleeding like stuck pigs, and crying. She's freaking out because 'the blood is mixing'. I never figured out what that meant. We bandage each other up the best we could, hide all the stuff from our parents and then hide ourselves. Three days later I have a raging infection in one earlobe and have to go to the doctor AND admit to my mom what happened." Becca paused, shaking her head. "Chewed my ass out. The doctor said because of the infection, I had to wait at least six months to get piercings. Mom added another six as punishment. She did take me to get professional piercings one year to the day after the doctor's visit though." Becca's eyes watered. Dave leaned over and kissed her cheek as a single tear slid down her face. Dave noticed Melanie getting increasingly fidgety. He thought he first noticed something during Becca's tale about his workouts. Maybe when the stories ran out, he'd have his head right. It wasn't fair to her to make her wait too long for imprinting. Or Liv. God, he really needed to get his head around this. He loved Olivia, he truly did. He was just so used to it being a non-sexual, non-romantic relationship. He'd looked on her as nearly a daughter for, well, for her whole life. But she wasn't his daughter. And she loved him. That was so clear in her eyes, every time she looked at him. Not just today, but thinking back over the years. It's crazy to think he could hurt this person he cared so deeply for, by not having sex with her. Fuck, it was Kim Dawson all over again. Shawna sat placidly, attentive as others told their stories. As the room lay silent again for a time, she took her turn. "I once caught my brother coming out of the shower with his girlfriend." Grins and giggles passed around the room. "Mind you, this is after my mother had chewed me out for getting frisky with, um, my best friend in my room." "Oh" several said in unison. "We were experimenting," she said, shrugging her shoulders. "It was my first Thanksgiving Break home from college. We were just friends, with nothing going on physical, since sixth grade. We were both single at the time, but we'd each had boyfriends, and each had sex before. We just thought we'd try out the other flavor. Who better to try that with than your ride or die?" She grinned. "Mom walked in when we had our shirts loose and hands inside each other's bras. Mom got all pissy about it and made some comment along the lines of 'Darian would never disrespect me by having sex under my roof.' Yeah sure Mom." Shawna rolled her eyes. "The bathroom smelled of" she looked straight at Becca, "pussy, so they'd been going at it in there. Mom wasn't home, so the obvious sounds of continuing humping came from his room almost immediately." "Hell of it is, she was this tiny little thing. Barely five foot tall and a nothing waist. And since I'd seen Darian stumbling around out of the bathroom when we both had midnight potty urges, well, he wasn't great at covering up when he's drowsy, and in his case, the stereotype is true. I don't know how he'd didn't break her in half." "After she left, I confronted him with Mom's comment. Now Darian ain't scared of shit; not a machismo thing, he uses his brain; but Momma. She's a foot shorter and at least a hundred pounds less muscle but that boy will cringe and genuflect if Momma is mad. He starts bargaining with me. Of course, he can't offer money since he's just getting his feet under him. He had plans, and he did eventually move out, but he was scrimping and saving so paying me money to shut up would have crippled him." We all hung there, waiting. "Well, Darian had been incredibly protective of me growing up. He over did it, by a lot. So my price for silence was for him to set me up with a friend of his that I had always wanted to date, but Darian kept getting in the way." She paused for a minute. "You know how you really want something, and imagine what it would be like to get it? And then you do, and ugh. Darian meant to protect me against a guy getting handsy. In this case he was protecting me from getting bored. The guy was about as much fun as a wet paper towel. I gave him a handshake at my door when he dropped me off." All the ladies shook their heads in commiseration. Dave closed his eyes and kept his mouth shut. Becca however, didn't. "Dave, how many of your dates ended in handshakes?" "None, from now on," he said flatly. "You got that right." Shawna said. Jan just shrugged and nodded. Becca and Liv hugged him tightly. Mel rubbed a hand against his back. Lupie sat still with an enigmatic grin. Dave knew there were thoughts churning behind those dark chocolate eyes. While he wondered what those thoughts were, he had a thought of his own. Maybe it was what she was thinking, maybe not. Here he was, sleeping with four women, two more about to be added to their ranks, and he hadn't taken a single one of them on so much as one date. That couldn't stand. Granted, movies and restaurant dinners were out. But they had two backyards to have a picnic meal in. The parks were open too. Maybe the Botanical gardens? He'd need to talk with each one, find out what they wanted, and find a way to make it happen. "Well Becca already told a story for me," Lupie said, breaking the silence. Becca blushed and chuckled. "So Melanie, what can you share with the family?" "I was orphaned so early, I don't really remember my parents. Just a few fuzzy images. I bounced from one foster home to another. One time I got to stay in the same place for two years. Usually it was more like eight to ten months. The social workers tried to at least let me stay in one school for a full year. Some of them anyway." "I don't have any horror stories about it. Other kids I fostered with told me about other homes they've been in, and some of those were bad. So I don't want to suggest it doesn't happen, it just never happened to me. The worst for me was not being connected to anyone for long. Honestly, living with Olivia is the longest I've shared a place with anyone. And she brought me home on holidays." Her face darkened. "Carter and Janelle were nice to me." Then she laughed. "I think Carter suspected I was Liv's lesbian lover though." "Oh my god." Liv rolled her eyes and brought a hand to her forehead, covering her eyes. Only Dave noticed Jan wincing at the hated phrase. Then Mel's face went blank, trying to hold back the intense emotions. "You're the closest I've ever had to a sister." The two college girls hugged. After a brief pause, Dave chimed in. "Now that is a tough life, having Olivia as your sister." Melanie laughed. Olivia turned and punched him in the shoulder, with a tight smile on her face. Laughing and rolling with the punch, Dave couldn't help but notice the way her large tits jiggled with the turn and the force of her punch. When she leaned against him, he found himself wishing her neckline was cut lower. The thought was surprising, and conducive to future events, but still slightly disconcerting. Before he could get too lost in his head, Jan spoke up. "So, how about a story about young Olivia?" she asked. Liv groaned. Dave grinned. "Okay, so we've mentioned before she hunts, hikes, does all kinds of outdoors She-Ra stuff." Liv glared up at him. She adjusted her head so the backs of her round silver stud earrings wouldn't poke her head. Mel rubbed Liv's back reassuringly. "You may have noticed that fishing was not mentioned in that list." "Oh God, no." Liv covered her face with her hands. The grins on every face in the room showed realization dawning in each of the other minds present. "So, Carter and I took Eddie and Liv fishing. Carter preferred drift catfishing, so we'd get out on the lake very early, usually by three am, four if we were running late. We had a small casting net we'd use in the shallows to catch bait fish. Then Carter would take the boat to a point up current from where he suspected the cats would be, and we'd drift across with our hooks in the water. Well, the bait fish had to be cut into two or three pieces to be useful. Olivia objected. But not to cutting the fish. To holding them. She squealed every time we put one in her hands. She loved casting the net and hauling it in. she liked fighting the fish on the rod, put touch one with her hands? Oh, no, not happening." Olivia buried her head in his chest and glared upward. "Oh, did I mention her fishing rod and tackle box were Barbie themed?" A series of giggles followed that assertion. "Don't talk about that!" "But you were cute!" "Shit like that is why you keep seeing me as a little girl for you to protect and raise instead of a woman you could sleep with." Olivia humphed. "Beginning to think the only way to change your mind is to sit here topless. I wait like that long enough and your cock might start taking charge." She accented her words by puffing out her generous chest and turning partially towards Dave. "You go girl," Shawna laughed. "How about some big titty solidarity?" She unbuttoned two buttons on her blouse. Jan joined in the laughter while Lupie shook her head, smiling. Becca stared a chant of 'Do it!' quickly joined by Mel. They both shook their chests in time with the chant. "No." Dave said, staring at Liv with no hint of a smile. He swatted Becca on the knee. "Hmm, what do I need to do to get a spanking Daddy?" Melanie purred. "Do not start that shit." Dave tried to be stern this time but didn't quite manage it. "Speaking of getting something started, I'm getting kinda itchy here. I don't know if either of you are in the mood yet, but this serum is starting to eat at me." Liv and Mel exchanged looks. "I don't want to jump the line on banging your dream guy, but please girl, let's get this started. If you don't go, I will." "Sexier words were never spoken," Dave noted dryly. That got Liv laughing. Dave stood. "Do you two want to do this one at a time, or side-by-side?" "One at a time," Mel stated emphatically. "After walking in on you masturbating once, I don't need to see that pussy again." Liv groaned and turned her head to the ceiling. Then Mel turned to Lupie "hashtag justiceforLupie." She grinned. Lupie just rolled her eyes while Becca laughed. Jan laughed, but reached out a hand to Lupie's shoulder. Dave took Olivia's hand and turned to the stairs. She interlocked her fingers with his and walked beside him with her head against his shoulder. They stayed like that until they reached the bed. Dave turned to face Olivia, placing his hands on her shoulders. She looked into his eyes, hungry, pleading. Dave took a deep, shuddering breath and pushed aside the thoughts of the little girl that kissed him on the check at bedtime as he tucked her into bed. He stared into Olivia's eyes, focusing on the woman in front of him, as she is now, wanting to be with him. She loved him. had for a long time. She had been dedicated to the idea of being with him for life, for longer than, well, any woman in his past or present. The reality of that finally washed over him. His love for her did not need to end or change, merely grow. He had always been hers. Dave pulled Olivia into him and kissed her with passion. Olivia moaned into the kiss. Dave felt her hot tears as their cheeks brushed. He pulled back, their faces parted but close. "I love you Olivia Barnes, always and forever." A heart-rending sob burst from her as her dearest dream manifested. She jumped into his arms, wrapping her legs around his waist, and kissing him fiercely, their tongues dancing. Dave slowly walked them to the edge of the bed and sat her down. Mostly. Olivia was not letting go. Dave tugged at the bottom of her blouse and lifted. Olivia broke the kiss and raised her arms, her legs still clutching him tightly. Dave paused removing her shirt when her lips were exposed, but her eyes still covered. He moved in for a kiss. He felt her grin as their lips moved in unison. Olivia then grabbed Dave's shirt as he finished removing hers. Dave moved to her jeans and quickly removed those as She reached for his waist band. Olivia grasped his pants and boxers as one and removed them. Dave, standing, naked and half-erect. Olivia, seated on the edge of the bed, in a lacy white bra and matching panties. They drank each other in. She looked up at him. "Well, part of you is getting interested," she smirked. "You get all of me, Olivia, just as you always have. I'll show you my love every day. It will just manifest in a few new ways from now on." Olivia scooted up the bed as Dave crawled up, aligning himself over her, kissing as they moved. Dave's hands wandered along her thighs and sides. Olivia's fingers coursed lazily along his back. "Just one request." She gave him an impish look. "When you go get Mel to bring her up here, leave my legs spread so the first thing she sees when she walks in is my pussy." "You're rotten ya know that? I have to live with her too ya know." "She'll laugh. It's just roommate hijinks." Dave returned to kissing Olivia. He moved his lips lower, down her neck, to her collarbone, and then the slopes of her tits. He slipped his hands underneath her, unclasping her bra. Gingerly, he removed it. Olivia's large tits, no longer supported by a bra, formed two delicious lumps on her chest, that looked like they were about to slide off her chest. Olivia's eyes glistened, radiating joy as Dave took her tits in his hands and began kissing them. She moaned as he ministered to her bosom with his mouth. When he took one nipple in his mouth and suckled, she gasped. "Oh, David, Yes!" Pleasure and unbridled joy left her breathing ragged, her mind awash in bliss. His hands remained at her tit, massaging gently, easing her higher with delicate caresses. His mouth proceed lower, kissing her ribs. Her abdomen. Kissing and licking her belly button. She giggled and twisted her torso. Dave brought his hands down to Olivia's hips. He grasped her panties and pulled them down to her ankles, raising himself and her legs up. He tossed them aside and brought his face to kiss the crease of her pelvis and her hip. She shuddered. Her arousal scented the room. Her lovely light brown vulva filled his vision as he breathed softly across her bare essence. The hairs of the small landing strip on her mons tousled in the artificial breeze. She lifted her head to look at him. "David;” she pleaded. He grinned. He locked eyes with her and closed his mouth around her lower lips and began to suckle. Her body arched and she sucked in a breath. His tongue played across her sopping wet slit. He tasted her juices. He nibbled her flowering inner lips. He slipped his tongue into her entrance. "Oh God David Yes! Oh please put it in me." Olivia whimpered. "Darling, you've wanted this night for a long time. I intend to make it worthwhile." "You are enough David, that's al; Ah" she cried out as he took her clitoris in his mouth and suckled. He slid one finger gently inside, massaging her tunnel. Every stroke drew her natural lubricant in greater volume than the last. He inserted as second finger and she moaned, writhing, hips bucking. He released her button and withdrew his fingers. She eased her motions. Dave crawled up her body, a victorious and hungry grin on his face. She beamed, breathing heavily. He caressed and kissed her tits briefly as he moved up. Finally hovering over her, face to face, bodies aligned, his erection resting between them, Dave kissed her once again. She clutched him and returned the kiss. Dave maneuvered his member with his hips, aligning with her fully relaxed and open entrance. He pushed in gently, a small distance just to lodge the tip of his helmet in her. The precum coating his cockhead set off a body-rocking orgasm that stole her breath. When her eyes re-opened, Dave drove himself into her, full length, in one smooth stroke. Her eyes glowed with joy. He began moving himself in and out of her. Slowly at first. Always firmly, gently. Staring into her eyes as he worked them both to ecstasy. He picked up his pace. She began rocking her hips with his. Soon they were pounding into each other, breathing raggedly, eyes still locked, her hands braced behind his shoulders until their passion pushed him over the brink, firing rope after rope of hot cum into her waiting vagina. The effect on Olivia was immediate. A primal scream of pleasure burst from her lips as her body convulsed like a marionette in the hands of an angry child. And then she fell to the bed, limp. "Imprinting,; imprinting,; imprinting, ;” Dave kissed her forehead and extracted himself from her body. He crawled off the bed and left to clean himself in the bathroom. He returned with a damp washcloth to clean her. After dressing in loose shorts and a shirt, he arranged her as she'd requested and left the room shaking his head. Melanie met him at the bottom of the stairs with a passionate kiss and a tight hug. "You need a minute or two?" "Yeah, let me get a drink and I should be fine." He returned the kiss, then slipped from her arms to search out some juice from the fridge. "Oh, I thought you meant you needed a little something to steel yourself for doing me." "Please." Dave guzzled half the glass. "One, you are hot. Two," he blushed a bit, "I have a thing for redheads." Melanie smiled. "Oh yeah?" "Hell, if you had freckles, I'd kiss each one of them." That made her blush. After Dave finished off a second glass of juice, he and Melanie headed upstairs, pursued by catcalls and wolf whistles. Esme, who'd been invited into the living room after Dave and Olivia had gone upstairs, just laughed at the shenanigans. Opening the door, Melanie exclaimed, "Oh my god, you left; " she pursed her lips. "No, she put you up to this didn't she?" Dave chuckled and grabbed a light blanket. "No," Melanie said, "save that to cover us both when you finish with me." She cupped her hand under one of Liv's shapely thighs and brought the leg over the other, giving her friend a bit of modesty she hadn't asked for. Dave noticed that her hand seemed to linger just a bit on Liv's thigh. It certainly looked like Mel gave her rump a light squeeze. Maybe he just imagined it. She turned to face him. "Reading between the lines, from everything Liv's told me, you don't think you deserve any of us, do you?" Dave swallowed hard, trying not to react. "I'm going to tell you something harsh and reassuring. You don't. And you know something else? We don't deserve your love either. I learned bouncing around those homes that love isn't earned. It's too valuable to be earned. No one is ever worthy of someone else's love. Body, heart, or mind. Love is a gift. We each give our love to you, by our choice. And you give us your love by your choice. I barely know you and I'm more comfortable being here with you than I've ever been with any man." She paused to let that sink in. "David, just accept that you are a damn good man, and we are all happy to be here with you. Enjoy what we give you. Let us enjoy what you give in return." Dave felt like this beautiful young woman that barely knew him was staring straight into his heart, laying it bare and spearing it with the cruelest weapon; hope. He stretched out his hand tentatively, reaching for the sash holding her blouse closed. She looked down briefly, seeing his hand. She immediately looked into his eyes and gave the smallest nod, and a smile. Dave pulled slowly on the loose tail of the cinch and dropped it. The belt ends fell to her sides and the halves of her blouse hung loosely, exposing the center of her chest and abdomen. Melanie had a belly button piercing. A small chain with two small clear crystals near the top and at the bottom, a butterfly done mostly in silver metal clasping tiny crystals, except for a soft pink pearl serving as the body of the faux insect. "You like? Your profile said you weren't a fan of body modification, but I was hoping you would be ok with this." "It's cute and sexy and innocent and naughty all at once." Dave smiled. He stepped up to her, sliding his hands into her blouse and around her back. He pulled her into a soft, slow kiss. They explored each other that way for a few minutes. Dave brought his hands up to her tits, cupping them and kneading them through her black satin bra. Melanie sucked in a breath and hummed. She broke the kiss and drew his attention with her eyes. "The others told me how you like to take your time, maximize a woman's pleasure. I am super fucking horny right know. You can take me to the heights later, we have forever for that. Right now I just need to pound your stake into me and lay claim to my body." "What about your heart?" She grinned "Just like they said you would. It's getting there, just takes a bit more time." She shrugged her blouse off and shucked her pants. The panties were also black and satiny. "Come on Davey, fuck my brains out and make me yours." She tossed her bra and panties aside quickly and crawled up the bed, turn over on her back once she was alongside her friend. Dave stripped of his shirt and shorts rapidly and joined her on the bed, pressing his body lightly against hers. His erection sandwiched between their torsos, her medium sized tit and their pointy nipples pressed against his chest. He kissed her again and she hummed. She worked her hips against his and together that got him lodged in her. A few strokes inside her passage caused him to leak out the first drips of precum and she exploded in a howling convulsion, her eyes rolling back, one hand flailing and bashing the insensate Olivia. "Fuck that was good. Give it to me David, give your woman what she needs. Seal your claim." She kissed him fiercely and they both rocked their hips savagely. No sensuality, just raw primal fucking of two hungry bodies. Despite his recent bout with Liv, this carnal frenzy brought Dave to the pinnacle faster than he anticipated and he crashed through, erupting a geyser of cum inside her depths. As the hot load filled her cavity, Melanie wailed in ecstasy, her mind shattered by the biochemical overload. Then she flopped to the bed, repeating the new world's chant of family harmony and togetherness. Chapter 6 – Shenanigans. October 4, 2020. David Belsus awoke to three beautiful young ladies lying beside him, all nude. As yet, none of his partners had elected to sleep in another room. Last night they all emphatically wanted to be near him. No one piled over anyone else. Lupie came to bed in a rich blue camisole with matching high cut panties. Shawna clad herself in a soft pink camisole and pink boy shorts. Jan wore one of Dave's sweatshirts as a baggy night gown, no panties underneath. He'd checked by way slipping his hands under the hem of the shirt to dance along her skin. Finding paradise exposed, he impishly fingered her to heaven as she begged for his cock. She beamed when he finished. She kissed him deeply after he sucked all her juices off his digits. None of the three were in bed at the moment. Shawna was likely on her way to work already. Which meant Jan and Lupie had gotten up with her to talk and share breakfast, or at least coffee. They had developed a morning routine rather quickly. That left Liv and Melanie nude, side by side on his left, and Becca, nude, curled tightly under his right arm, his hand resting just above her hip. She slumbered peacefully, unperturbed by the small motions he made as he took in the morning tableau. Becca's insecurities stemming from the near-abduction at the vax center had faded quickly with the reassurance of imprinting on Dave. What followed in its wake was the desire to be close to the person she'd just started sleeping with, magnified by this being the only person she'd ever slept with, further multiplied by the vaccine-clad certainty this was her person for life. Becca wasn't pushy about it. She knew enough to leave some space for the others to get their 'Dave time' too. In and out of bed. And the others, having experienced a similar phase in life, and happy that, for her, it really would be for a lifetime, accommodated her wherever possible. And then Dave's mind recalled a text conversation. "; Oh god, I just had this thrill run through me at the idea of waking up with you already in me, on top of me." Dave stroked her hip softly, slowly easing his fingers toward the crease where her leg met her pelvis. After several minutes of this, he brought his left hand up to cup her tit, massaging lightly, avoiding the nipple. He wanted to slowly raise her towards wakefulness, and ignite her libido, but he didn't want her awake until after he'd penetrated her. Just as she'd asked. Dave carefully eased himself out of her arms, rotating himself until he was kneeling on the bed, behind her knees and 'under' her butt as Becca lay curled on her left side. Dave leaned in and began kissing along Becca's outer thigh of her top leg while gently stroking the inner thigh of her bottom leg with his right hand. His left hand stroked softly along her side. A quick brush of her lower lips indicated her unconscious arousal, or the serum effects. Either way, Dave rubbed his half-hard cock between her thighs, rubbing against her labia, to get them both ready. He kept kissing her hand and arm while softly playing with her tit. "David?!" Came the scandalized whisper. Lupie and Jan stood, frozen, in the doorway, not believing what they were seeing. "She expressly asked for this, you can even check my text messages." Both ladies looked concerned, but said no more. A few more minutes of play time had Dave fully hard, regaining what he briefly lost with the interruption. Becca was ready as well. Dave seated himself at her entrance and pushed slowly, steadily forward. He was half inside her, leaning over her when Becca's eyes flew open. Wide-eyed, mouth agape, she turned her head and moaned. She writhed against David and clutched his upright arms. When her breath returned, she kissed him hard. She pulled away, winking as she deliberately flexed the muscles of her inner passage. Dave took that as a signal to continue. He steadily worked himself in her. Becca grinned madly, moaning and encouraging him. In a few minutes, both were racing to a peak they reached in tandem. Becca fell limp against the mattress, gasping. Dave steadied himself by resting his ass on his heels. Both dismounted the bed and began searching for clothes. Lupie gave Dave a quick kiss on the cheek and hugged Becca before heading downstairs. Jan stayed to change clothes. Jan viewed Becca with a grin. "Get your jollies little freak?" Becca beamed and blushed. "Umm hmm." "Just razzing you, ya know." "I know. I'm still learning what I like, and that is one of them. You know, the way you get off when a guy has a big; book collection." Her eyes twinkled. She squealed and caught the pillow Jan threw as she joined the laughter. "Oh my god, a naked pillow fight. I knew they were real!" Dave laughed and ducked as both partners chucked pillows at him. Dark brown irises set in almond eyes gazed at Dave from Becca's laptop resting on the folding table Becca had set up in one of the unused bedrooms. Raven black hair framed an oval face of chocolate brown before cascading over shoulders set with remembered power, but a hint of sag. The plain white scoop necked t-shirt stretched into small ripples between her tits. The shirt was mostly opaque, yielding evidence of a white bra of exactly the same tone as the shirt, but nonetheless unable to disguise two ripe, thick nipples making their presence known. As the call began, her small, tight mouth had appeared balanced between the promise of lighting up the room with a smile, or unleashing a verbal tirade that would leave all within earshot cringing. Dave's skeptical, reserved approach was pushing her more towards desperation. "Yes, I have been; unkind to people through all of high school. I thought I was better than a lot of people. I had a group that I hung out with, and we deemed ourselves 'the betters' of everyone else. Becca knows some of what I did, more from hearing about it or seeing it than experiencing it directed at her. I; held back since she helped me study." Reena swallowed before continuing. "I've had all these months to think about life and people and a lot of stuff okay? I'm not proud of my behavior. I was a bitch." Her eyes began to water at the lower edge. "Being isolated, knowing people are dying, finding out from a few friends they only have another day or hour left; " her voice caught. A few tears coursed down her apple cheeks, but she batted them aside quickly. "Do you know what it's like to stop hearing from someone that you thought you'd invite to your wedding, or have your kids play together?" Becca inhaled, about to speak, but Dave stayed her with a gentle touch. It wouldn't do to interrupt when Reena was clearly pouring her heart out. The words she spoke over the next several minutes could be the ones he really needed to hear to make a good decision. "The kids in grades below us stopped answering a long time ago. There's an internet rumor that this thing takes more men than women, and everyone under eighteen, but even the ones over eighteen are hard to find someone that answers, boy or girl." Reena's 'queen of the school' composure was cracking. While that allowed a glimpse at the person behind the mask, it wouldn't do to let her fall apart. Time to say something reassuring, but realistic. "Reena, just tell me about why you want to be here." "Honestly, Becca may be the only friend I have left I the world. And I was never a very good friend to her before. I; I want to do better. I've been thinking a lot about what I should change. Specific things I should stop saying or doing. Remembering to say 'please' when I ask for something instead of expecting compliance because of 'who I am.' Or saying 'thank you' when someone else does something for me. Doing something for someone else just because they need it, even if they never asked." Shaking, Reena paused to collect herself. "Becca has told me about you. I'm not smart like you and her, but I would like to study something past high school. Please, please choose me. I'll; I'll do anything you want." Her voice lowered and her eyes dropped at the last sentence. "There's a lot I still don't know about sex, but I'll learn. I'll be your little; " "Hold up. Kareena, I'm not out to push you to be some kind of play toy. If we are compatible in other ways, we'll figure out the sex part. Why don't you tell me about your hobbies, things you do just because they're fun? May be things you did even if your friends weren't into them." "Well, I do like to read; even though I joined in with the others when we made fun of 'bookworms'." Her eyes were downcast for the end of that sentence but came back up. "Becca mentioned you're a big book lover. But; I don't read; like nonfiction, or high class stuff. I mean, I have red Lord of the Rings, but that took forever. I could only get through like the first three pages of Moby Dick and Tale of Two Cities before passing out though." She still looked scared, so Dave gave her some reassurance. "Yeah, I think I maxed out after the first chapter of each of those. Some people love that style, but for me, it was a snooze fest too. The last two I mean. I love Lord of the Rings. So tell me, what do you like to read?" "Well, there's this series about this guy that keeps monsters in check in the San Francisco area." "Monsters?" Dave tried not to sound dubious. "Well, magical creatures. Fairies, unicorns, vampires, stuff like that. Oh, the author's name is Blake Conrad. It's a lot of fun if you like magic stuff. I have the full collection. Everything that's out so far. The next book was due out already, but the pandemic hit and who knows when they'll publish it now. For all I know, the one that's waiting is the last one. Chances are the author caught this thing and died months ago." Her face darkened again. "Well, if this does work out," Dave said, "You're welcome to bring your complete; Blake Conrad collection with you, and we'll look for similar books, similar titles. I know Terry Pratchett, Neil Gaiman and Ursula K. Le Guin use a lot of magic themes in their works. Sounds like they might be right up your alley." Hearing Dave endorse her reading interest perked Reena up. "You know, I could help the other girls too. I like doing nails. I'm pretty good at it too. I can free hand designs and stuff." "I could see where that could come in handy. So to speak." Dave grimaced at his unintended pun. Becca laughed. Reena just shook her head. "Anyway, I'm sure some of the ladies would appreciate that. I'll stick with natural myself," Dave said with a wink. That got a chuckle out of her. "Look, I'm not expecting you to have everything planned out. You're eighteen. There's still a lot to decide. And speaking of decisions, I'd like you to meet virtually with the other ladies of the house and we'll talk as a family after." "Also, take some time yourself to think this through completely. I know you want to be here so you can be close to someone familiar, but bear in mind, that means being sexually bonded to me, a forty-six year old man, more than twice your age. By the time you were born, I'd finished grad school, got married, had a kid, and divorced." Reena looked pensive but nodded. Dave left her to talk with Becca more. He caught Jan in the library with a notepad, apparently noting possible additions. On his suggestion, she left to join Becca. In the dining room, he found Olivia munching a bowl of cereal. Lupie sat with her. The two were sharing an easy conversation which halted when Dave walked in. He'd seen Lupie's bible on an end table in the living room when he passed through. Liv must have come down to get breakfast while Lupie was conducting a bible study on her own. Not like it was safe yet to go to a church. Especially when so many church goers around here seemed to buy into the 'just a hoax' nonsense. Dave shook his head. Christian Nationalism seem purpose built to destroy conservatism and faith in one fell swoop. Sure had a good shot at it with this damn plague. Dave shook out thoughts of things he couldn't control. Here, now, was one woman that had been interested in him for a few years as she lived next door, and another that had pined for him for; a decade? And both were happy to be bound to him by this weird vaccine, even though it meant sharing him with other women. This world was wonderful and terrifying in the same breath. "Morning, Hermosa," Dave said before kissing Lupie on the lips. She hummed into the brief contact. "Morning, love bug," he said as he greeted Olivia in the same manner. As he pulled away, she slugged his shoulder, smiling scowl pulling her lips tight. Lupie shook her head. "David, I'm with Olivia on this one. Terms of endearment you used when she was a child are not conducive to her feeling she's being accepted as a woman." "I meant it as continuity. She has a lot of love to give. Always has. And I appreciate that." Olivia's scowl relaxed but did not become a smile. Well, not immediately. Lupie raised an eyebrow at him with a gentle smile. Dave realized what he needed was a change of subject. "Becca is upstairs Zooming with a friend of hers from high school. She; would like to join us here." Both ladies smirked. Dave sighed and rolled his eyes. He brought a hand up to his face and rubbed his eyes before leaning into the hand, the elbow of the same arm resting on the table. "Look, it's not like I'm seeking women out. I'm not out pursuing young girls." Olivia shifted in her seat. "I mean; " "I get it Dave. Don't apologize." Her voice was soft, with a hint of iron. "I talked with her for a while. She's apparently been talking with Becca since before the two of you got vaxxed in the first place." He said, looking at Lupie. "And it seems Becca has been telling Reena all about us, especially about vaxxed life with me." "Kareena Agrawal? The one Becca calls 'the Indian Karen'?" Olivia barely managed to contain the mouthful of cereal and milk at Lupie's interjection. Dave held back a laugh. "She seems genuinely heartbroken and lost, Lupie. And she has taken time in isolation to examine her past behavior." Dave paused, looking each of them in the eye. "I'm reserving judgement for now. I think it would be a good idea if each of you took time to talk with her, probably with Becca as host. I ran into Jan already, she's probably up there with her now. All I'm asking is that you get with Becca sometime today to find a time you can Zoom with her and form your own opinion. I may be 'the man of the house'; " Dave bowed his arms out from his sides, leaning side to side with a faux stern look on his face; "but this is too big not to get ya'lls take on it as well." Both women giggled at the display. "Okay, okay, I'll seek Becca out in a few minutes. I'll give Reena a fair hearing, just understand, I've heard enough of her exploits to be a bit wary." "Wouldn't have it any other way, cielo." The warmth of the smile Lupie gave him was enough to power an entire town. It was a few hours past noon when Dave heard voices in the bedroom. He left his office to see if that meant Melanie was up. She'd been out for eighteen hours. Opening the door, he found Becca and Liv sitting on the bed, talking. Mel was nowhere to be seen. "Mel up I take it?" "Yup, been awake for a few minutes. She needed to use the bathroom," Becca informed him. "She'll probably be in there a while." Liv chimed in, just as Mel emerged. She had a huge smile on her face. "Wow, usually a night like last night would leave you crying on the toilet for an hour. And I needed a hazmat suit to go in there afterwards." Mel smirked. She strode over to Dave and gave him a big hug. He recognized the t-shirt she wore, black with a white line drawing of Einstein sticking out his tongue. Recognized, because it was probably the one from his closet. "Looks like I unlocked the special bonus. They did say sometimes a healing process happens during imprinting. How long was I out anyway?" "About eighteen hours," said Liv. "Longest of any of my partners. What's the healing you're talking about?" "I have; had; I B S. I tend to be careful about what I eat, or go ahead and indulge once in a while, knowing I'm going to pay the price in the morning." She turned to face Liv, with her hands on her hips. "And for your information missy, I was somewhat careful last night. The wine was dry, and I only ate a little bit of cheese. And I didn't have any deviled eggs." She grumbled that last sentence. Liv looked at Dave. "She loves deviled eggs, especially made with dill relish instead of sweet, which I've told her was the way you do it. Not that you made last night's, but that does mean the only relish in the house is dill. Problem is, the protein in the whites plus the fat in the yolk and mayo is an issue for her. If it weren't for that, she'd gobble deviled eggs like she's trying to set a world record." Dave chuckled. "As a deviled egg lover, I can testify that that much deviled egg will cause intestinal issues that oughta be against the Geneva Convention, without any medical conditions." The trio giggled. Becca sat bolt upright for a minute. "Hey, weren't there deviled eggs leftover in the fridge?" Mel was already up and moving. "Clear square sandwich container with the see through blue lid!" Mel's happy cackle faded as she sprinted down the stairs. To be continued in part 5, Based on a post by RonanJWilkerson, in 12 parts, for Literotica.

In Humanitarian AI Today's first interview recorded in Spanish, David Alejamdro Schoeller-Diaz guest hosts a special interview with Catalina Rebollo, a journalist and regular contributor to Wired magazine in Spanish covering technology and artificial intelligence. Catalina specializes in in-depth reporting on news and complex issues with a particular focus on human rights, inequity and disinformation. She recently wrote on humanitarian technology under siege in Gaza, highlighting the impact of technology blockades and technology warfare on crippling humanitarian operations, making it harder for populations to survive and for aid agencies to fulfill their mandates. Building on the subject of technology in conflict-zones, David and Catalina discuss how digital tools and AI are becoming indispensable for humanitarian aid while at the same time they are being weaponized by non-humanitarian actors to facilitate the surveillance and persecution of civilians, testing humanitarian principles in new ways that we are only beginning to understand. Catalina highlights an emerging "two-tiered system" within the humanitarian sector, characterized by a stark disparity in technological capacity. While large, well-funded organizations possess the resources to conduct rigorous research into uses of AI and deploy more sophisticated and secure tools, smaller grassroots NGOs are frequently left behind. This digital divide often forces smaller actors to rely on insecure platforms and tools, leaving their operations and the communities they serve vulnerable to cyberattacks and data breaches. Power imbalance like these also severely limit the negotiating leverage of smaller NGOs not only with global technology corporations but also with key stakeholders on the ground during a crisis. The conversation concludes with a call for international political agreements to establish "red lines" that protect humanitarian data, much like the physical Red Cross flag protects aid workers under the Geneva Conventions. Looking forward, the guests explore the potential for defensive uses AI designed specifically to do things like safeguard human rights and provide medical guidance in conflict zones where traditional support has been severed. Finally, they call upon the academic and technology communities to deepen their engagement with the humanitarian sector, helping organizations of all sizes navigate the rapid evolution of AI and unlock its potential as a force for global good. Interview notes: https://humanitarianaitoday.medium.com/humanitarian-technology-under-siege-a-conversation-with-catalina-rebollo-from-wired-en-espa%C3%B1ol-c7f143c98c97

This Podcast explores why Imperial Japan committed numerous atrocities in the Pacific War, framing the discussion around five interlinked drivers. First, the erosion of international norms and treaty compliance shaped behavior: Japan signed the Hague Conventions but did not ratify the Geneva Convention, and Emperor Hirohito later issued directives that de-emphasized prisoner protection. This created a climate where POWs and civilians could be mistreated, with some memoranda explicitly prioritizing production over humane treatment. Second, war strategy and indoctrination fed a “spirit over steel” mentality. To compensate for resource gaps, Japanese leaders emphasized morale, total commitment, and a policy discouraging surrender, reinforced by the Senjinkun battlefield instructions that branded surrender as dishonorable. Third, ultra-nationalism and racism fueled brutality and dehumanization. The regime promoted the Yamato race myth, cast Western and Asian “enemies” as inferior or demonized, and used propaganda to rationalize harsh treatment of civilians and POWs, as well as widespread forced labor and sexual slavery. Fourth, surrender and the bastardization of Bushido amplified cruelty. The wartime code urged soldiers to die rather than surrender, legitimizing harsh treatment of captives and shaping behavior on the battlefield, including instances of deception and grenade attacks that exploited perceived enemy treachery. Finally, the overall brutality of the Japanese military, including the Kempetai and systemic abuse throughout ranks, created a culture in which violence, torture, and coercive labor were normalized as a means to pursue victory, often at the cost of civilians and prisoners. The presenter cites sources and recommends works like The Knights of Bushido and John Dower's Race and Power in the Pacific War for deeper context.

This series on Terrorism is wrapping up with the problem of state sponsored terrorism. This form of international terrorism is most clearly a method of warfare, with the state using terrorist organizations as deniable proxies in armed conflict. International law, however, does not recognize that form of terrorism as war, but as criminal acts subject only criminal jurisprudence. This situation does little to stop this war form or to protect those who should be protected under the laws and customs of war.   The information in these podcasts is solely my own opinion and do not represent the position of the U.S. Department of Defense, or any other organization I am or have ever been associated with. Certified 100% natural intelligence. No artificial intelligence was used in making this podcast. References: Articles 2 and 3 of the four Geneva Conventions of 1947 Protocol II Additional to the Geneva Conventions of 1947 Melzer, N. and the International Committee of the red Cross, Interpretive Guidance on the Notion of Direct Participation in Hostilities (2009) Carter, C. “Analyzing the Criminal Justice and Military Models of Counterterrorism: Evidence from the United States” (Ph.D. Dissertation) (2017) Music credits: Holst, G. The Planets: Mars Bringer of War, downloaded from Internet Archive Mozart, W.A. and Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, Requiem in D Minor, downloaded from the Internet Archive, https://archive.org

“What was said, when was it said, and who was observing the operation as it was ongoing?” These questions are top of mind this week for Todd Huntley, Director of Georgetown's National Security Law Program and a former active-duty Judge Advocate for the Navy. He joins Mary and Andrew to lend his unique expertise to what the Washington Post reported as a “kill them all” order from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. This order reportedly led to a second strike, killing two remaining survivors and, in Huntley's view, violating the laws of naval warfare and international law, which “give a protected status to shipwrecked personnel.” Mary and Andrew then take a moment to reflect on the tragic shooting of two National Guard members last week and an appellate court ruling affirming a lower court finding that Alina Habba's appointment as acting US Attorney in New Jersey was unlawful.Further reading: Todd Huntley's interview in The New Yorker: The Legal Consequences of Pete Hegseth's “Kill Them All” Order. A former military judge on the Trump Administration's contradictory—and likely unlawful—justifications for its Caribbean bombing campaign.Here is the original reporting on the 2nd strike by the Washington Post: Hegseth order on first Caribbean boat strike, officials say: Kill them all.  Sign up for MS NOW Premium on Apple Podcasts to listen to this show and other MS podcasts without ads. You'll also get exclusive bonus content from this and other shows. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

We got our hands on Oreo's full Thanksgiving flavor lineup, and the results were…interesting. Matt and Jason taste all six limited-edition cookies...pumpkin pie, apple pie, cranberry sauce, sweet potato, creamed corn, and the infamous turkey & stuffing...and rank them from “surprisingly good” to “please never make this again.”Some of these are actually good.Some of these violated the Geneva Convention.Either way, this is the wildest Oreo review we've ever done.#oreoreview #thanksgiving #snackreviewhttps://www.youtube.com/@arsenicculturehttps://instagram.com/arsenicculturehttps://tiktok.com/@arsenicculturehttps://www.facebook.com/arsenicculture/https://x.com/arsenicculture

Tune in here to this Tuesday's edition of the Brett Winterble Show! Brett kicks off the program by talking about the miserable weather during his early-morning drive and the reckless drivers he encountered on the way to the station. From there, he pivots into a broader commentary on national security, focusing on the recent incident involving alleged narco-terrorists who were taken down in the Caribbean. He questions the practicality and logic of the Geneva Conventions when dealing with criminals who operate outside traditional warfare, comparing the rules of war to letting a burglar rob a house under specific conditions. Beth Troutman from Good Morning BT is also here for this Tuesday's episode of Crossing the Streams. Brett and Beth talk about the cold, rainy weather, their shared love of soups and chili, and then dive into the major political stories of the day. They discuss the high-profile cabinet meeting with Donald Trump, the massive Dell family donation to the new “Trump accounts,” and what this experiment could mean for the future of Social Security-style investment systems. Beth also weighs in on global tensions, especially Putin’s latest moves and how NATO and the EU may respond. She explains why Europe is increasingly concerned about Russia’s intentions and the broader implications for international stability. Beth also shares what she and the team have coming up tomorrow on Good Morning BT, including cybersecurity tips from expert Teresa Payton, political insight from Professor Scott Huffman Listen here for all of this and more on The Brett Winterble Show! For more from Brett Winterble check out his YouTube channel. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

GET YOUR WAV WATCH HERE: https://buy.wavwatch.com/WAM Use Code WAM to save $100 and purchase amazing healing frequency technology! GET HEIRLOOM SEEDS & NON GMO SURVIVAL FOOD HERE: https://heavensharvest.com/ USE Code WAM to save 5% plus free shipping! BUY GOLD HERE: https://firstnationalbullion.com/schedule-consult/ Avoid CBDCs! Get Your SUPER-SUPPLIMENTS HERE: https://vni.life/wam Use Code WAM15 & Save 15%! Life changing formulas you can't find anywhere else! HELP SUPPORT US AS WE DOCUMENT HISTORY HERE: https://gogetfunding.com/help-keep-wam-alive/# Josh Sigurdson reports on the continued atrocities in the West Bank and Gaza as Israeli forces continue to be caught breaking the so-called "ceasefire." In the West Bank, Israeli forces executed two Palestinians at point blank range as they were surrendering, hands up and shirts up showing they were unarmed. All of this was caught on video. In Gaza, another Palestinian photojournalist was among 5 people killed by Israeli forces on Tuesday. Shockingly, footage from Jenin also shows Israeli forces dressed up as doctors, nurses and patients raiding a hospital and executing two Palestinian patients in cold blood which of course blatantly violates the Geneva Convention. Studies show that over 100,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israel since October 7th. This doesn't scratch the surface considering how many were killed before October 7th. The economy has been completely erased in what the UN calls the "worst collapse ever recorded" as the GDP has fallen 83%. The cost to rebuild is estimated at around $70 billion. Netanyahu recently claimed that there will "never be a Palestinian state" as the US works with Israel on a plan to annex Palestine despite Trump previously saying that this would not happen. There clearly isn't an actual ceasefire. Meanwhile, as Israel bombs Syria after their proxy revolution utilizing HTS and Jolani who recently visited the White House, US envoys are now threatening Iraq with attacks if they trying to stand in the way of the US and Israel bombing Lebanon where there is also a fake "ceasefire." It's almost like multiple nations are under blackmail to Israel. Perhaps the recent leaked emails showing Epstein as a middleman to Arianne de Rothschild and Ehud Barak for funding of Israeli cyberweapons can shed light on that. As Israel seeks a 20 year military aid deal with the US, NATO is also planning to give $1 billion per month in 2026 to supply Ukraine with weapons against Russia. Putin claims that peace talks have shattered by design and that Russia is ready to fight Europe. Meanwhile, Trump is arranging ground strikes on Venezuela, Colombia, Honduras and Mexico. Is this the peace you claimed voting would bring you? Are you winning yet? This is a joke. And a dangerous one at that... Stay tuned for more from WAM! Get local, healthy, pasture raised meat delivered to your door here: https://wildpastures.com/promos/save-20-for-life/bonus15?oid=6&affid=321 USE THE LINK & get 20% off for life and $15 off your first box! DITCH YOUR DOCTOR! https://www.livelongerformula.com/wam Get a natural health practitioner and work with Christian Yordanov! Mention WAM and get a FREE masterclass! You will ALSO get a FREE metabolic function assessment! GET YOUR APRICOT SEEDS at the life-saving Richardson Nutritional Center HERE: https://rncstore.com/r?id=bg8qc1 Use code JOSH to save money! SIGN UP FOR HOMESTEADING COURSES NOW: https://freedomfarmers.com/link/17150/ Get Prepared & Start The Move Towards Real Independence With Curtis Stone's Courses! GET YOUR FREEDOM KELLY KETTLE KIT HERE: https://patriotprepared.com/shop/freedom-kettle/ Use Code WAM and enjoy many solutions for the outdoors in the face of the impending reset! PayPal: ancientwonderstelevision@gmail.com FIND OUR CoinTree page here: https://cointr.ee/joshsigurdson PURCHASE MERECHANDISE HERE: https://world-alternative-media.creator-spring.com/ JOIN US on SubscribeStar here: https://www.subscribestar.com/world-alternative-media For subscriber only content! Pledge here! Just a dollar a month can help us alive! https://www.patreon.com/user?u=2652072&ty=h&u=2652072 BITCOIN ADDRESS: 18d1WEnYYhBRgZVbeyLr6UfiJhrQygcgNU World Alternative Media 2025

This week on Red, White & Bruised: Tennessee's 7th District special election is somehow competitive in a Trump +22 district, and it's all thanks to Aftyn Behn, a progressive state rep who won't apologize for hating bachelorette parties or fighting corporate tax dodgers. We break down why her campaign is the blueprint Democrats need and why Republicans are in full panic mode.Then: Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth allegedly ordered the military to "kill everybody" on a suspected drug boat, leading to a second strike on survivors—which is, you know, a war crime. Robin dissects the messy timeline, the conflicting White House stories, and why this scandal is just getting started.Plus: Luigi Mangione is back in court fighting to suppress evidence in the UnitedHealthcare CEO murder case, and his legal battle is revealing uncomfortable truths about America's broken healthcare system and why so many people can't condemn a murder without adding "but I understand why." And finally: Trump's revenge prosecution of James Comey spectacularly collapses after a federal judge rules the prosecutor's appointment was unconstitutional. Schadenfreude at its finest. Grab your coffee (or wine) and let's go.----------------Keywords: Aftyn Behn, Tennessee special election, 7th Congressional District, Pete Hegseth, war crimes, double-tap strikes, Caribbean strikes, Luigi Mangione, UnitedHealthcare CEO, Brian Thompson, James Comey, Trump administration, political revenge, DOJ indictment, progressive politics, left-leaning podcast, economic populism, healthcare reform, Medicare for All, corporate taxes, Nashville politics, constitutional law, Pam Bondi, political persecution, military law, Geneva Conventions, illegal orders, drug interdiction, weaponized DOJ, Matt Van Epps, Lindsey Halligan, Mark Kelly, Letitia James, Kash Patel, insurance industry, CEO murder, activist candidate, constitutional crisis, political commentary, snarky politics, political analysis, 2025 politics, Red White and Bruised, progressive podcast, Trump revenge, Democratic strategy, special election, Tennessee politicsBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/we-saw-the-devil-a-true-crime-podcast--4433638/support.Website: http://www.wesawthedevil.comPatreon: http://www.patreon.com/wesawthedevilDiscord: https://discord.gg/X2qYXdB4Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/WeSawtheDevilInstagram: http://www.instagram.com/wesawthedevilpodcast.

Here are two strong sentences for your description box that combine the news story with the educational value:Explore the shocking allegations of war crimes in Venezuela while I teach you 20 advanced English vocabulary words used in the report. By the end of this video, you will understand complex terms like Geneva Conventions, alleged, and carried out so you can follow international news with confidence.✅ Speak Better English With Me https://brentspeak.as.me/ Use code Winter15 for 15% off

The US Secretary of Defence is facing scrutiny for potentially having committed a war crime. Pete Hegseth is facing scrutiny over a strike he ordered on a boat in the Caribbean Sea suspected of smuggling drugs. The Washington Post reported last week that Hegseth authorised a highly unusual second strike to kill all survivors on the boat – reports Hegseth has denied. US Correspondent Richard Arnold told Mike Hosking that Hegseth has previously railed against the Geneva Convention and the legal rules of engagement. In his book, Arnold says, Hegseth shares an anecdote in which he tells the soldiers in his platoon to ignore such legal advice. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

(Presented by Material Security (https://material.security): We protect your company's most valuable materials -- the emails, files, and accounts that live in your Google Workspace and Microsoft 365 cloud offices.) Three Buddy Problem - Episode 74: We attempt to parse the rumor-fog around Microsoft's CISO at CYBERWARCON and what it reveals about the company's shifting posture on intel sharing, regulation, and its outsized grip on the security ecosystem. Plus, coverage of the Shai-Hulud npm supply-chain mess, CISA's mobile spyware guidance, NSO's legal contortions, a sharp new GRU-linked intrusion from Arctic Wolf. We also discuss the FCC retreating on telco security rules, and the emerging AI arms race shaping how cloud giants hunt threats and how Washington misunderstands all of it. Cast: Juan Andres Guerrero-Saade (https://twitter.com/juanandres_gs), Ryan Naraine (https://twitter.com/ryanaraine) and Costin Raiu (https://twitter.com/craiu).

Note: if you haven't already heard it, please start with our original, May 2024 episode with Dr. Moses: Genocidology (CRIMES OF ATROCITY) Part 1A lot has happened since then, and author, scholar and genocide expert Dr. Dirk Moses was kind enough to return for a 2025 episode. We cover how public and legal sentiment has changed since our first episode, and discuss his recent paper, “Introduction: Gaza and the Problems of Genocide Studies,” which includes a roundtable discussion with dozens of experts. Also: some behind-the-scenes influences regarding Gaza in the media, humanitarian law precedents, munitions and the Geneva Conventions, myths, the problems surrounding the language of transgression, new research, up-to-date statistics, and how protests have been criminalized. Like that first Genocide episode, this one would not be possible without the input, research, producing, and additional writing of Mercedes Maitland, who joined me on this interview once again with her questions for our expert. So, huge thanks to her for that passion, hard work, and tireless advocacy for human rights. Donations went to Gaza Hand of Salvation Initiative and the City College of New York Colin Powell School – Student Emergency FundVisit Dr. Dirk Moses's websiteRead his book, “The Problems of Genocide: Permanent Security and the Language of Transgression”More episode sources and linksSmologies (short, classroom-safe) episodesOther episodes you may enjoy: Genocidology (CRIMES OF ATROCITY) Part 1, Agnotology (IGNORANCE), Genealogy (FAMILY TREES), Nomology (THE CONSTITUTION), Indigenous Fire Ecology (GOOD FIRE),  Indigenous Cuisinology (NATIVE FOODS), Indigenous Pedology (SOIL SCIENCE),  Ethnoecology (ETHNOBOTANY/NATIVE PLANTS), Bryology (MOSS), Black American Magirology (FOOD, RACE & CULTURE), Bisonology (BISON)400+ Ologies episodes sorted by topicSmologies (short, classroom-safe) episodesSponsors of OlogiesTranscripts and bleeped episodesBecome a patron of Ologies for as little as a buck a monthOlogiesMerch.com has hats, shirts, hoodies, totes!Follow Ologies on Instagram and BlueskyFollow Alie Ward on Instagram and TikTokEditing by Mercedes Maitland of Maitland Audio Productions, Jake Chaffee, and Jarrett Sleeper of MindJam MediaAdditional producing, writing, and research by Mercedes MaitlandManaging Director: Susan HaleScheduling Producer: Noel Dilworth Transcripts by Aveline MalekWebsite by Kelly R. DwyerTheme song by Nick Thorburn Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Top Democrat Sen. Jack Reed calls Trump threats “off the wall...” Follow Jeff Stein on Twitter:https://twitter.com/SpyTalkerFollow Karen Greenberg on Twitterhttps://x.com/KarenGreenberg3Follow Michael Isikoff on Twitter:https://twitter.com/isikoff Follow SpyTalk on Twitter:https://twitter.com/talk_spySubscribe to SpyTalk on Substack https://www.spytalk.co/Take our listener survey where you can give us feedback.http://survey.podtrac.com/start-survey.aspx?pubid=BffJOlI7qQcF&ver=short Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Big Rich TD and Fletch are back with a full Friday swing as San Diego gets soaked and the studio gets… creative. Today we break down the wildest home remedies our families swear by — from garlic-in-your-socks to mystery teas that may or may not violate the Geneva Convention. Then we dive into how San Diego handles rain (spoiler: terribly), including the traffic, the panic, and the accidental water features forming in everyone's backyard. And of course… it's Bar Cart Friday! We had the crew from Aztec Link Vodka stop by to help us celebrate. We tried their grape-distilled, ultra-smooth vodka and learned how they're giving back to SDSU athletes with every bottle sold. Nothing like a little locally-rooted boost to kick off the weekend. Grab an umbrella, grab a cocktail, and hang with us — it's a perfect storm of laughs, chaos and Friday energy.

As artificial intelligence (AI) begins to shape decisions about who is detained in armed conflict and how detention facilities are managed, questions once reserved for science fiction are now urgent matters of law and ethics. The drive to harness data and optimize efficiency risks displacing human judgment from one of the most sensitive areas of warfare: deprivation of liberty. In doing so, AI could strip detainees of what remains of their humanity, reducing them to data points and undermining the core humanitarian guarantees that the Geneva Conventions were designed to protect. In this post, Terry Hackett, ICRC's Head of the Persons Deprived of Liberty Unit, and Alexis Comninos, ICRC's Thematic Legal Adviser, explore how the use of AI in detention operations intersects with international humanitarian law (IHL), and why humane treatment must remain a human-centered endeavor. Drawing on the ICRC's recent recommendations to the UN Secretary-General, they argue that while IHL does not oppose innovation, it sets the moral and legal boundaries that ensure technological progress does not come at the cost of human dignity.

A couple of years ago, I asked the great military historian Richard Overy if World War Two had ended yet. Overy answered inconclusively, suggesting that wars were never really over. And such depressing wisdom is shared by Michael Livingston, a historian of another great war that shattered Europe - the Hundred Years War (1337–1453) between England and France. In his new book, Bloody Crowns, Livingston argues that Joan of Arc, Agincourt and the other now immortal iconography of the Hundred Years War shaped not just the histories of Britain and France but also the fate of the modern world. In fact, Livingston argues, the war was so consequential that it actually lasted two hundred years—and in some ways, still hasn't ended.* Wars Never Really End—They Just Change Shape The rivalry between England and France didn't stop in 1453—it went global, fueling centuries of colonial conflict across Africa, Asia, and the Americas. Today's geopolitical tensions (think Russia-Ukraine, Israel-Palestine) are similarly rooted in unresolved historical conflicts that keep resurfacing in new forms.* National Identity Is Forged in Conflict, Not Peace France and England as we know them were literally created by this war. The labels “French” and “English” became meaningful identities only through centuries of fighting. This mirrors how modern nations—from Ukraine to Taiwan—often solidify their national consciousness when facing external threats.* Myths Matter More Than Facts Joan of Arc and Agincourt became more powerful as symbols than as historical events. Britain invoked Agincourt before D-Day because national myths inspire action. Today's political movements similarly rely on mythologized pasts—whether America's “founding fathers” or any nation's “golden age”—to mobilize people in the present.* Rules of War Are Convenient Until They're Not Medieval knights praised chivalry and honor—then massacred prisoners when it suited them (like Henry V at Agincourt). This pattern repeats throughout history: international law, Geneva Conventions, and “rules-based order” are respected when convenient and ignored when survival or victory is at stake.* The “Dark Ages” Weren't Dark—We Just Can't Agree on What They Were Historians can't even agree when the Middle Ages began or ended, yet we use these labels to organize history. This matters today because how we periodize and label history shapes how we understand the present. Are we in a “new Cold War”? A “post-truth era”? These labels aren't neutral—they're arguments about what's happening now.Keen On America is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit keenon.substack.com/subscribe

Following five years of research and consultations, the ICRC has published a new, updated Commentary on the Fourth Geneva Convention (GC IV) of 1949. GC IV is the cornerstone of protection for civilians in international armed conflict and occupation – protections that remain urgently relevant amid patterns of urban warfare, strikes on essential services, and persistent harm to people who are not, or are no longer, taking part in hostilities. The 2025 Commentary consolidates seven decades of practice, jurisprudence, and operational experience into a practical guide to applying GC IV's safeguards effectively today. In this post, Jean-Marie Henckaerts, the head of the ICRC project to update the Commentaries on the Geneva Conventions of 1949 and their Additional Protocols of 1977, situates the updated Commentary in contemporary conflict realities and explains why GC IV's protective purpose must steer its interpretation. He argues that good faith interpretation – required by the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties – means reading GC IV in a way that realizes its humanitarian object and purpose, not hollowing it out through technical argumentation that defeats protection in practice.

We’re up against the clock, and a printing deadline, for the Pod Meets World Senior yearbook, so it’s time to lock in more hard hitting superlatives from within the entire BMW-verse! Who’s Most Popular? Who is Best Body? And who is Most Likely to Host a Podcast? All we know is that Rider “Hot Take McGee” is ready to deliver. Plus, Will shares his love of The Traitors and reveals why a violation of the Geneva Convention could make for good reality TV. Don’t forget to KEEP IN TOUCH - for an all-new new episode of Pod Meets World! Follow @podmeetsworldshow on Instagram and TikTok!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hello Youtube Members, Patreons and Pacific War week by week listeners. Yes this was intended to be an exclusive episode to join the 29 others over on my Youtube Membership and Patreon, but since we are drawing to the end of the Pacific War week by week series, I felt compelled to make some special episodes to answer some of the bigger questions.   Hey before I begin I just want to thank all of you who have joined the patreon, you guys are awesome. Please let me know what other figures, events or other things you want to hear about in the future and I will try to make it happen.   So as you can see the title of this episode is, Why did the Japanese perform so many Atrocities during the Pacific War. Phewww, its honestly a difficult one to tackle, for there are countless reasons. I had a university professor who taught; ancient and modern Japanese history, history of the Japanese empire and the Pacific War. He actually answered this very question in a single lecture and in many ways I found it to be one of the most illuminating things I ever learnt about the Pacific War. To truly understand the reasons why they did such horrible things, you actually need to learn the general history of Japan, particularly the changes from Tokugawa, to Meiji, to Showa. I am going to do my very best, but I know many of you might be asking “what were the worst things they did?”, not everyone takes a special interest into such a niche part of history. May I recommend for those with strong stomachs “the knights of Bushido” by Edward Russel that covers pretty much all the atrocities of the Asia-Pacific War. For those of you who like darker things, check out Unit 731: Japan's Secret Biological Warfare in World War II by David Wallace and Peter Williams, absolute nightmare fuel.   I can't go through the entire history of Japan, but I think it's important to start off with the first Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895. This was the first time the Empire of Japan fought a true war with a foreign nation, that being the Qing dynasty. At this point in time, there really emerged a sort of, to be blunt, race war. The Chinese had historically referred to the Japanese as “woren”, a racist term meaning dwarf. Now historically the Japanese had always revered the Chinese, kind of like in the way a little brother looks up to his big brother. In tokugawa Japan they would learn from the Chinese, but as the Meiji restoration began this dramatically changed. Japan watched as the Chinese were humiliating and abused by the western powers and failed to modernize. Meanwhile Japan emulated the best of the west, to modernize and become a great power themselves. In many ways, Japan saw itself become big brother and now China was little brother. The Meiji restoration had an element of nationalism built into it that would explode come the Show era. Japan for its entire history had this belief they were the “Yamato Race” dating back to the 6th century. Now while the Meiji restoration sought to emulate the west, they also emulated racism and propaganda, which in the 19th century was kind of a big deal. The Japanese government gradually began a long term campaign promoting the idea the Japanese, or Yamato people were superior to that of the other asian races. Who was the next big asian boy on the block? China, so it was inevitable they would direct a lot of racist attitudes towards the Chinese. During the first sino-japanese war, the Chinese, particularly Manchu had a habit of performing atrocities upon the Japanese. They would often cut off body parts of Japanese soldiers in grotesque manners and leave them to be found by their comrades. This was honestly a pretty typical thing of war in the region, but it did also have a racist element to it, the Chinese certainly saw the Japanese as lesser people. Just before the battle of Port Arthur, the Japanese found mutilated remains of the comrades, here is a passage from Makio Okabe who was there:   As we entered the town of Port Arthur, we saw the head of a Japanese soldier displayed on a wooden stake. This filled us with rage and a desire to crush any Chinese soldier. Anyone we saw in the town, we killed. The streets were filled with corpses, so many they blocked our way. We killed people in their homes; by and large, there wasn't a single house without from three to six dead. Blood was flowing and the smell was awful. We sent out search parties. We shot some, hacked at others. The Chinese troops just dropped their arms and fled. Firing and slashing, it was unbounded joy. At this time, our artillery troops were at the rear, giving three cheers [banzai] for the emperor.   The Japanese performed a massacre at Port Arthur, butchering perhaps up to 3000 Chinese civilians, some claim 10's of thousands and in full few of western war correspondents. It became a huge controversy that destroyed the image of the IJA internationally and hurt the Japanese governments efforts at riding themselves of unequal treaties with the western powers. The Japanese learnt a hell of a lesson and an Imperial Proclamation was made in 1894 stating that Japanese soldiers should make every effort to win the war without violating international laws. According to Japanese historian Yuki Tanaka, Japanese forces during the First Sino-Japanese War released 1,790 Chinese prisoners without harm, once they signed an agreement not to take up arms against Japan if they were released.   During the next major war the Japanese performed a dramatic 180, well at least to their enemy. During the Russo-Japanese War, over 80,000 Russian POWs were held by the IJA who were treated in accordance with the Hague conventions of 1899. The Japanese paid them for labor, housed them in conventional POW camps, made sure they received good medical treatment, ironically better than the Russians were capable of. The Japanese did all of this, making sure the foreign war correspondents wrote about it. It was a massive PR stunt in many ways. The Japanese were emulating how a world power should act, because they sought to be one. Meanwhile the Japanese swallowed their pride at being called yellow monkeys, as the prevalent Yellow Peril ideology was being pushed by Kaiser Wilhehelm and Tsar Nicholas II heavily. The Japanese treated the entire war like gentlemen and suffered horrific higher casualties than necessary because of it. But something many people don't take much notice of, because the IJA made sure of it, was they horrible treatment of the Chinese during the war.   Now the Russians in Manchuria looted, killed and raped many Chinese, pushed quite a bit by the Yellow Peril. The Chinese, certainly the Honghuzi bandits were working for the Japanese to attack them, so its not like they had no reasons. The IJA was more professional and had orders not to molest the Chinese, as they were helping the war effort, but this did not prevent it. The Japanese also looted, killed and raped Chinese. The Japanese would often wave it off as reprisals against potential spies. I only bring this up as it was very apparent, the Japanese treated the Russians much different than the chinese.   Fast forward to WW1, the Japanese had a battle against the Germans and Austro-Hungarians known in the west as the Siege of Tsingtau. The Japanese took up an identical methodology to the Russo-Japanese war with their approach to the Germans, but even took it a step further. After winning the siege, the Japanese seized nearly 5000 German POW's who were treated with a surreal amount of respect. They were brought back to Japan and housed for the rest of the war in 12 cities around Tokyo and Kumamoto. The POW's enjoyed humane treatment and a rather famous event occurred at the Bando camp where a large orchestra was formed of German POW's who toured the nation performing 100 concerts, lectures and plays. Evidence the Germans were treated well can be seen in the fact 170 prisoners never left Japan and sought wives and lives there. Now is this all a feel good love story, no, just like during the Russo-Japanese War, Japan was playing up the PR, for during WW1 they wanted official recognition as a world power and that of being racially equal to the whites.    Japan was officially recognized as a world power during the treaty of Versailles, but when Japan gave its racial equality proposal, President Woodrow Wilson of the US and Australian Prime Minister Billy Hughes refused to allow it to pass, even though they received majority votes. Now The Japanese had been for a lack of better words, fucked over, during the first sino-japanese war when the triple intervention of France, Germany and Russia stole away their war earning of the Liaodong peninsula. During the Russo-Japanese war, Theodore Roosevelt limited the Japanese war gains and now here after WW1 the Japanese received another humiliation. To the Japanese, it was the last straw and it was a major reason they went to war with the west, who they viewed, and honestly rightfully so, would never see them as equals.   Ompf, lot of history there, but now we come to the Showa era, which was molded by the feelings of the past decades.   In 1937 Japan and China enter an unofficial war that saw one of the worst wartime atrocities in human history, the rape of Nanjing. It began on December 13th of 1937, lasting 6 or so weeks seeing the murder of possibly 300,000 civilians and pows, the mass rape of 20,000 and untold hardship upon the Chinese people. The Japanese followed this up with numerous other massacres in China such as the Changjiao Massacre claiming possibly 30,000 Chinese civilian lives, the Alexandra Hospital Massacre killing 200 patients and medical staff in Hong Kong, the Laha Massacre on Ambon island where 300 members of the Gull force were executed, the Bangka island massacre where 60 Australian and British soldiers and 22 Australian nurses were murdered, the Parit Sulong massacre in Malay where 150 wounded Australian and Indian POW's were executed, the Bataan Death march where negligence and brutality took the lives of 650 Americans and perhaps a possible 18,000 Filipinos, the Manila massacres claiming the lives of perhaps 54,000 filipinos including women and children in the Philippines, the Balikpapan massacre in the dutch east indies taking the lives of 78 Dutch Civilians, I can keep going and going. Where the Japanese went, massacres and horrors occurred.    Again if you really want to delve into these stories check out “the knights of Bushido”.   The Japanese also had the infamous special units like 731, who conducted horrifying experiments on civilians and POWs like vivisectioning live people without anesthesia, testing biological and chemical weapons on live people, the freezing peoples to study frostbite treatment and giving people sexually transmitted diseases to study. Lt General Shiro Ishii's unit 731 deployed plague infested fleas, cholera, bubonic plague and other nasty weapons upon Chinese civilians killing perhaps up to 500,000. This was seen during the battle of Changde and famously during operation Sei-go also known as the Zhejiang-Jiangxi campaign.    The Japanese also enacted the infamous “Sanko Sakusen / three all's policy : kill all, urn all, loot all” in retaliation to the Chinese communists Hundred regiments offensive in December of 1940. Sanctioned by Hirohito personally, it is thought this act resulted in the death of 2.7 million Chinese civilians. According to author Werner Gruhl 8 million Chinese civilian deaths could be attributable to the Japanese.     So then we come back to the big question, why? So now that I've covered the loose history for coherency sake I want to list here the largest reasons for the atrocities and by no means is this official categories or even all of them, I am simply stating kind of my top ones I guess you can say:   Treaties signed or not signed War strategy and indoctrination  Ultra-Nationalism and Racism Surrender & the Bastardization of the Bushido code The Brutality of the Japanese military Treaties signed or not signed   Yes its time to talk about treaties, yawn. Now I said previously Japan did sign the Hague Conventions of 1899 and would ratify them in 1907. The Hague conventions did contain laws for prisoners of war, protection of civilians. Alongside this, in 1894 an imperial proclamation was made stating Japanese soldiers should make every effort to win a war without violating international laws. More significantly Japan “signed” but unlike the majority of other world powers did not ratify the Geneva convention of 1929. Why? To be blunt, the geneva conventions did not really benefit the Japanese military from their point of view.   First the Japanese had a very specific perspective on surrendering, they simply did not do it, so they did not expect many of their soldiers to ever become POW's, so how would it benefit them to ratify such a thing? If they are not going to have many POW's, why would they burden themselves with upholding all the conventional laws for POW's they would obtain during war?  Another glaring reason involved aerial bombing. Many Japanese leaders, like Kanji Ishiwara, believed the home islands would be subjected to massive aerial bombing if a global war broke out. If Japan was subjected to aerial bombing and ratified the geneva convention, this meant they would have to take the pilots who were caught prisoner. The Japanese believed this would encourage further bombing. Lastly the convention had rules for POW treatment that literally contradicted how Japanese soldiers were treated by their own superiors. More about that in the last part about the military's brutality, but summarized, the Japanese army were abusive as hell and to sign such a thing would literally contradict how they did things.   Emperor Hirohito personally ratified a decision to remove certain constraints of the Hague Conventions when it came to the treatment of Chinese POW's in the directive of 5 August 1937. This notification advised staff officers to simply stop using the term "prisoners of war". They would refer to their enemy as bandits, guerillas and such, anything but soldiers so they would not have to take any prisoners, though they typically did not leave anyone alive in China regardless. The Geneva Convention exempted POWs of sergeant rank or higher from manual labor, and stipulated that prisoners performing work should be provided with extra rations and other essentials. The Japanese in the later half of the war would be starved of provisions and resources, thus its to no surprise they could not meet these demands, even if they sought to uphold them. I will note in 1942, Japan indicated they would “follow” the Geneva rules and would observe the Hague Convention of 1907 outlining the laws and customs of war. Yet this is like a verbal confirmation, it had no legal basis, something the Japanese particularly loved to do during the war.   According to Dr. William Skelton III, who produced a document entitled American Ex Prisoners of War for the U.S. Department of Veterans' Affairs, more POWs died at the hands of the Japanese in the Pacific theater and specifically in the Philippines than in any other conflict to date. For example in Germany, POWs died at a rate 1.2%. In the Pacific theater the rate was 37%. In the Philippines, POWs died at a rate of 40%.    Now these pieces of paper that were signed or not signed, what does this really matter when it comes to war, its obvious they were not upholding certain rules, but how did this quote en quote make them more brutal and perform more atrocities? Well here is the sticky thing, if you are part of the Japanese military and you know your nation did not ratify certain rules of war, this meant your enemy had no supposed legal basis to follow said rules against you either.    So I want you to think of two aspects of this. If your nation did not sign or ratify certain treaties, then you could not expect the enemy to respect such rules when it comes to you. But more importantly, what if the leader of your nation…just told you to believe that?    In early 1942, Great Britain, the United States of America and other great powers did officially let the Japanese know that they would, on their  part, observe all the provisions of the Convention and requested reciprocity. Japanese foreign minister at the time, Hideki Tojo gave a formal assurance that although Japan was not bound by the Geneva convention, the Japanese would apply it “mutatis mutandis” towards the Americans, British, Canadians, Australians and New Zealander POW's, note he most definitely did not extend this to the asiatic groups, nor the Dutch whom I guess he just forgot about. But this did morally bind Japan to comply with the convention. However the top brass of the Japanese military, notably Hideki Tojo in these cases, went out of his way to instill beliefs within the military as to what they should expect from the enemy. As you will see in the next points, this was basically a type of indoctrination.   War strategy and indoctrination    The leaders of Japan knew full well how unmatched they were in terms of resources and productivity before they began the war with the west. How could they possibly win the war? The IJN was dead set on a decisive naval battle, but for the IJA to compensate for their lack of resources, they believed their “spirit” would overcome the enemy. In many ways this spirit meant going above and beyond normal human endurance, to literally outperform the allies and notably to conduct the war with absolutely zero mercy. Once Japan lost the initiative in the war, after Guadalcanal, the IJA were forced to fight a war of attrition. Now they would prolong and exact maximum casualties upon the allies hoping to force them to the peace table. The idea was quite simple, the IJA would do everything possible to make the allies believe they would never give up and it would far too costly to defeat them. How does one go about achieving these aims? Well the IJA officers would tell you “by steeling your hearts”. To achieve all of this required extreme indoctrination.    Japanese children grew up in regimentation, they were desensitized to violence through tales of martial glory, and were taught that their purpose in life was to serve the emperor. Upon entering  military service, they were trained out of any individualistic spirit, and taught that compassion was a weakness and had no place in the field of war. The soldier's motto was faith equaled strength.  Faith being devotion to duty and service to the Divine Emperor. Apart from ideology and spiritual toughening, training in the Japanese Imperial Army was also extremely harsh and violent. This was not even particularly a special aspect of Showa Japan, it went all the way back to the Meiji era. From a young age children's education directed them, like a pipeline for military duty.   Now at the offset of the war, Hideki Tojo released the “Senjinkun” “instructions for the battlefield”. This was basically a manual for soldiers on how to conduct war. The document was used to establish standards of behavior for Japanese troops and improve discipline and morale within the Army, it also included things like a prohibition against being taken prisoner. It stated if you were captured by the enemy, because Japan did not sign or ratify certain treaties, you would be killed or tortured by the allies, and if you survived you and your family would face shame back home, and punishment resulting typically in 6 months of prison.   Here is a small excerpt from the document Those who know shame are weak. Always think of [preserving] the honor of your community and be a credit to yourself and your family. Redouble your efforts and respond to their expectations. Never live to experience shame as a prisoner. By dying you will avoid leaving a stain on your honor.   The purpose was basically psychological warfare, against their own army. Those like Hideki Tojo believed Japan could only defeat the resource rich Americans with spirit. Thus the manuals like Senjinkun demanded the forces not ever surrender, because the allies would do horrible things, it was shameful to do so and there were disciplinary actions for any who did. In 1942 the Army amended its criminal code to specify that officers who surrendered soldiers under their command faced at least six months imprisonment, regardless of the circumstances in which the surrender took place. This change attracted little attention, however, as the Senjinkun imposed more severe consequences and had greater moral force.   In a report dated June 1945, the U.S. Office of War Information noted that 84 percent of one group of interrogated Japanese prisoners, many of whom had been injured or unconscious when captured stated that they had expected to be killed or tortured by the Allies if taken prisoner. The OWI analysts described this as being typical, and concluded that fear of the consequences of surrender, “rather than Bushido,” was the motivation for many Japanese battle deaths in hopeless circumstances–as much as, and probably more than, the other two major considerations: fear of disgrace at home, and “the positive desire to die for one's nation, ancestors, and god-emperor.”   Something barely talked about in the west, was during the Pacific War, the Americans had a habit of taking human trophies. Human trophies were Japanese skulls, gold teeth, finger bones and such. The famous novel “With the Old Breed” by Eugene Sledge spoke of his personal accounts of these actions, its a rather gruesome and dark part of the war. Now some of these actions were publicized, despite the US military's efforts to quell and hush it down. Time magazine famously had an iconic photo of a woman whose enlisted boyfriend sent her home a Japanese skull. FDR also famously was given a letter opener carved out of Japanese bones. These stories were seized up greedily by the Japanese government who used them as propaganda to prove to their soldiers what would happen if they were captured. It had a profound effect as you can imagine. And this was not limited to Japanese soldiers. The propaganda machine would contribute at the end of the war to mass civilian suicides on Okinawa and Saipan.   Back to the POW subject. When it came to the treatment of POW's, Hideki Tojo began submitting in May of 1942 a series of memorandum, basic orders as to how POW's should be treated. “Prisoners of war can be used for the enlargement of our production and as military labor, white prisoners of war will be confined successively in Korea, Formosa and Manchuria. Superior technicians and high ranking officers -- Colonels and above -- will be included among the prisoners of war confined in Formosa. Those who are not suitable for use in enlargement of our production will be confined in prisoner of war camps which will be built immediately on the spot.Although the working of prisoner of war officers and warrant officers is forbidden by the Regulations of 1903, the policy of the control authorities is that under the situation of our country where not one person now eats without working they want them to set to work. It is desired that you give proper orders on this.The present situation of affairs in this country does not permit anyone to lie idle doing nothing but eating freely. With that in view, in dealing with prisoners of war, I hope you will see that they may be usefully employed. In Japan, we have our own ideology concerning prisoners of war, which should naturally make their treatment more or less different from that in Europe and America. In dealing with them, you should, of course, observe the various Regulations concerned, aim at an adequate application of them . . . At the same time, you must not allow them to lie idle doing nothing but eating freely for even a single day. Their labor and technical skill should be fully utilized for the replenishment of production, and contribution rendered toward the prosecution of the Greater East Asiatic War for which no effort ought to be spared."   Thus in the end as a grunt in the IJA you were led to believe: if I am captured I will be tortured, killed maybe turned into a letter opener, or someone will place my skull on their mantle. If I surrender and survive and make it back home, I will be severely punished and worst of all me and my family will be shamed. I could not expect any humanity from the enemy, because my nation did not sign or ratify treaties like the Geneva convention. More so, because my armies conduct was so unbelievably barbaric, I could only expect the very same from my enemy. It was a vicious cycle. You perform atrocities, expecting the enemy to do the same, and thus it just keeps perpetuating itself. Ultra-Nationalism and Racism   Now we spoke a little bit about the concept of the Yamato race, the Japanese were indoctrinated to believe they were a superior race and that their emperor was something akin to a living god. Until this war, the Japanese empire was on a hell of a winning streak going all the way back to the Meiji Era. For the first half of the Pacific war, the Japanese won nearly every battle. This led to something historians called “victory disease” that made them become somewhat arrogant and cocky, but it also made them feel “superhuman”. The allies' news reporting at the beginning of the war began to frantically refer to the Japanese as “supermen”or  “super jungle fighters”. Particularly because of the Malay campaign, the Japanese soldier just seemed to be tougher, could survive harsher jungle climates, even doing so with less food or war materials. The Japanese read the allied news reports and came to the conclusion that had been driven down their throats by their government, indeed the Japanese spirit was winning the war. The Japanese public ate this up in their propaganda and it perpetuated their ultra-nationalistic beliefs. The Japanese truly came to believe they were destined to rule the asia-pacific. Look at the results in China for example. Within a short amount of time they conquered much of China, though the public really had no idea how bad the China was bottled down by 1940. Then came the greater east asia co-prosperity sphere propaganda, which is an excellent example of their megalomania.    Yet alongside their ultra-nationalism, seen more strongly perpetuated against other Asian groups, the Japanese also indoctrinated their public with racism against them. The Yellow Peril of the 19th century and anti-japanese or anti-asian racism fueled the Japanese soldiers. The Japanese as a people had faced brutal racist hardships historically at the hands of the west, particularly from their point of view from America. There was the slights against them during the first sino-japanese war, the infamous triple intervention of france, germany and Russia stealing away their prize that was the liaodong peninsula. Then during the Boxer rebellion they faced racism, not being allowed to lead mutli national army formations, despite them being the lionshare of said military force. The Russo-Japanese war saw from their point of view, America stealing their war prizes. Last but not least, after WW1 they were told to their faces that they were a world power, but not racially equal. The Japanese faced anti-Japanese and anti-asian immigration laws when it came to America in the form of the gentleman's agreement and Australia's “great white Australia policy”. During the war, the American propaganda machine began pumping out racist caricatures of Japanese as rats, goggle eyed  bucktooth people, literal yellow monkey's.   For the IJA the pacific war in many was a holy war directed at the arrogant whites who had abused them for so long. This will probably sound controversial, but indeed, the pacific war was very much a race war. If you are not convinced of that, I recommend reading “War without Mercy: Race and Power in the Pacific War” by John Dower. The human trophy taking, anti-japanese bucktooth, rat people cartoon propaganda, history of racial abuse like the japanese concentration camps, the gentleman's agreement, the stealing of victories during the first sino-japanese war, russo-japanese war and ww1 all plagued the mind of a Japanese soldier. To them in many ways, the “whites had it coming”. Which is rather ironic given how the Japanese would treat the other asian racial groups they came into contact with. But such is the contradictory nature of the Imperial Japanese military.    The Japanese also held racist beliefs about the westerners. The Japanese soldiers were taught the allies were akin to demons or beasts. They were described often as “the hairy ones” or “anglo-American demons”. Taught these men would rape women and girls, stample upon the civilians they captured with the treads of their tanks. The marines were especially dreaded.  According to a story circulated widely among the Japanese on Saipan, all Marine Corps recruits were compelled to murder their own parents before being inducted into service. It was said that Japanese soldiers taken prisoner would suffer hideous tortures—their ears, noses, and limbs would be cut off; they would be blinded and castrated; they could also be cooked and fed to dogs. As silly as this may sound, do remember the Americans were taking human trophies so the Japanese propaganda machine had its evidence. Tons of photos of skulls atop american tanks for example were displayed to the Japanese public. Another famous one was the cartoon appearing in an American servicemen's magazine, which was later reproduced and translated in the Japanese press. It suggested the existence of “Japanese hunting licenses, promising open season on the enemy, complete with free ammunition and equipment—with pay!    In terms of how the Japanese exacted their own racism towards their fellow asians. During the War the Japanese dragged into forced labor, Koreans, Chinese and southeast asians. 670,000 Koreans were brought to Japan to work mines and heavy industry, around 60,000 of them died to harsh conditions. Between April 1943 to May 1945, 41,862 Chinese were sent to Japan to work, 2800 died before even reaching the home islands. 6872 died in the work sites again from brutal conditions. When it comes to southeast asian numbers are hard to pinpoint but its safe to say at least 300,000 Javanese, Malay, Burmese, Tamil and other groups were mobilized to construct the Burma-Siam railroad between October 1942 to november 1943 and 60,000 perished. This all went for the men, for the women, all those racial groups would face the horrors of becoming comfort women, historians estimate there could have been 50-200,000 pressed into it. But for the Japanese, believing their were superior to these other asiatic groups, groups whom they would publicly say were like children, they as the father figure would guide, well they simply abused them.   So in a contradictive fashion, the Japanese believed they were superior and could do horrible things to their Asian neighbors while simultaneously decrying the racism cast towards them by western powers as justification for their brutal actions against them. These types of feelings and perspectives molded the mind of the average Japanese soldier, dehumanizing others has always been a standard military practice afterall.    Surrender & the Bastardization of the Bushido code   I think this is one the vast majority of WW2 history buffs know, the Japanese perspective on surrender and the bushido code. In the book “military trials of war criminals in the Netherlands east indies 1946-1949” Fred Borch had this to say about the variable of bushido for the brutality   As Japan continued its modernization in the early 20th century, her armed forces became convinced that success in battle would be assured if Japanese soldiers, sailors, and airmen had the "spirit" of Bushido. ... The result was that the Bushido code of behavior "was inculcated into the Japanese soldier as part of his basic training." Each soldier was indoctrinated to accept that it was the greatest honor to die for the Emperor and it was cowardly to surrender to the enemy. ... Bushido therefore explains why the Japanese soldiers who were stationed in the NEI so mistreated POWs in their custody. Those who had surrendered to the Japanese—regardless of how courageously or honorably they had fought—merited nothing but contempt; they had forfeited all honor and literally deserved nothing. Consequently, when the Japanese murdered POWs by shooting, beheading, and drowning, these acts were excused since they involved the killing of men who had forfeited all rights to be treated with dignity or respect. While civilian internees were certainly in a different category from POWs, it is reasonable to think that there was a "spill-over" effect from the tenets of Bushido.   It is very true, the Japanese soldiers and sailors were taught Japan was a sacred nation. Traditional samurai values of bushido were merged with modern training and weaponry. The government propagandized the figure of the Emperor as a living god who embodied the Japanese state, the Kokutai. Emperor Hirohito and his family were the spiritual essence of Japan. To even show your back to the enemy let alone surrender was deemed cowardly and brought dishonor upon your family. As written by Inouye Jukichi in 1910, something read by many Japanese “The Japanese warriors looked upon it as shame to themselves not to die when their Lord was hard pressed . . . their own shame was the shame upon their parents, their family, their house and their whole clan, and with this idea deeply impressed upon their minds, the Samurai, no matter of what rank, held their lives light as feathers when compared with the weight they attached to the maintenance of a spotless name”.    Young men of Japan were taught that "The greatest honor is to die for the Emperor" Additionally precept the Japanese were taught that it is an ignominy to surrender to the enemy. The combined effect of these two precepts was to inculcate in the Japanese soldier a spirit of contempt for Allied soldiers who surrendered, which, in defiance of the rules of war, was demonstrated in their ill-treatment of prisoners. They made no distinction between the soldier who fought honorably and courageously up to an inevitable surrender, and the soldier who surrendered without a fight. All enemy soldiers who surrendered under any circumstance were to be regarded as being disgraced and entitled to live only by the tolerance of their captors.   Surrender was unforgivable under their code, drilled into them through the Imperial Japanese education system and military. When the Japanese would come across vast swathes of the enemy surrendering, particularly if the enemy used up all their ammunition killing their comrades and then surrendered, well it added fuel to their brutality. One only needs to look at the deaths due to Banzai charges, take for example the incredibly massive one at the battle of Saipan seeing around 4000 dead Japanese. IJA officers brought ancestral katana's to the war, the Japanese cut off the heads of the enemies as it was seen to be honorable. When faced with death, many chose to commit seppuku, the bushido propaganda was intense.    A brutal practice emerged in the Pacific island hopping campaign, whereupon wounded Japanese would pretend to be dead or surrender only to explode grenades upon allied forces coming closer. This began to be noticed by US marines during the battle of Guadalcanal and Australians in New Guinea. This began a vicious cycle . There were of course Japanese who would surrender. Hell the Koreans forced into service often did try to surrender, but they would all be hampered by something. Because of the actions of those Japanese feinted death and taking down allied soldiers with them, the allied soldiers gradually began a practice of not bothering to accept surrender. It became a self fulfilling prophecy. Many Japanese made the allies believe all they could expect was a grenade death, thus the allies became more brutal to them. This simply led the Japanese to conclude their government was accurate about how the allies would treat them, so more and more did not surrender. An absolutely horrible cycle that went on to the very end of the war, though the allies did figure out means to get Japanese to surrender more in the last year.    The Brutality of the Japanese military   I think this is probably one of the most important factors, and its also one the “normies” would not know as much about. The Imperial Japanese military, more so the Army, had what I can only describe as a built in system of abuse. As described to me by the same university professor I keep bringing up in podcasts, picture a literal pecking order. Going from the highest ranked general to the very bottom grunt. Imagine each one who is higher than the other, routinely physically abuses them. For example, it was very typical for a colonel to slap a major across the face, the major would then strike one of his captains, and the abuse would continue through the ranks to the grunts who would have no one to abuse, thus they turned to POW's or civilian populations. This was not just an accepted part of the Japanese Imperial Army it was indoctrinated.    From day one of basic training, IJA officers taught their men, races like the Chinese were their blood enemies and racially inferior. These were people the Japanese would rule over one day. The trainers would toss the boys into rigorous training activities involving physical violence towards another alongside the notion any orders given by a higher ranking officer was infallible and to be treated as if the divine emperor himself, the living god was giving it.    The Japanese army even taught methods of torture that would be employed in all areas they occupied. Among these tortures were the water treatment, burning, electric shocks, the knee spread, suspension, kneeling on sharp instruments and flogging. The Kempetai, were the ones doing the lionshare of these tortures. Other Army and Navy units, however, used the same methods as the Kempetai. Camp guards performed similar methods, local police forces organized by the Kempetai in the occupied territories also applied the same methods of torture. The Kempetai were administered by the War Ministry, trained at specialized schools who were maintained and operated by the War Ministry in Japan. Thus the conduct of Kempetai and the camp guards directly reflected the policy of the War Ministry.    The Japanese army leadership made sure recruits were physically and mentally abused, they were given strenuously duty tasks and pushed to their absolute limit. During the war given where they were deployed, take guadalcanal for example, the Japanese soldiers would be facing starvation as well. Being half starved, beaten and suffering the effects of war would drive anyone to perform horrifying acts. The life of a Japanese solider was simply at the whims of an extremely toxic management culture. The lowest ranking echelons received the lionshare of abuse and they took out their frustration with whomever they could find deemed lower than them, ie: POW's, civilians, etc.   All of these variables combined contributed to the creation of a military willing to perform just about any atrocity they thought necessary to win the war. It was a war they could not hope to win, but many of them went to their deaths trying to defeat the hands of fate. There are countless other reasons of course for the atrocities committed in cold or hot blood. Countless books have been written on this subject, please do check out the few I mentioned. With that again, a big thanks to you patreons, you guys are awesome. Please let me know what you think in the comments, and what you want to hear more about in the future. This has been the pacific war channel over and out.

We're back with a hot one! It's a Podzooky Super Sentai Brothers Side Project with special guest Ned Jorts! The Kansas City Kaijins Brandon and Zach get into it with Ned chatting episodes 43, 44 and 45 of Himitsu Sentai Gorangers. We're coming at you with a bold claim this episode: every Super Sentai/Power Ranger member is at least bisexual.

Mary Beth provides a State of the Union from the Geneva Convention and then we get into the art of dinner/hanging out!Please note that this episode may contain paid endorsements and advertisements for products and services. Individuals on the show may have a direct or indirect financial interest in products or services referred to in this episode.Sponsors:Nutrafol is offering our listeners ten dollars off your first month's subscription and free shipping when you go to Nutrafol.com and enter the promo code RIDE.Go to Squarespace.com for a free trial, and when you're ready to launch, squarespace.com/RIDE to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain.Stop putting off those doctors appointments and go to Zocdoc.com/RIDE to find and instantly book a top-rated doctor today.To learn more about therapy with NOCD, go to nocd.com and schedule a free 15-minute call with their team. Pleasure is power. Download Pure nowProduced by Dear Media.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Are you a born criminal? Is genocide ever justified? Is meritocracy a ‘garbage' concept? What are the entitlements that you have by virtue of being a human being? Do rights exist because the State exists, & vice versa? Are rights sometimes anti norms? Do nomadic and sedentary societies think differently of rights? Are rights always a product of struggle? Are you 42 and a communist? Are all rights inter-related? Can the right to dignity be limited? What gets transmitted across generations? Are the normative social structures of the past in our prefrontal cortex today? Does reservation come under the framework of equality? What are a prisoner's rights? Does it suit us to have certain sections of people stigmatised? Must social, political & economic rights go hand in hand? Can societies be changed without economic incentives? Is West Africa still scarred by slave trade? Can historical recompensation be done forever? Do you have a present bias? When are gender points a good idea? What makes rights effective - is this scale dependent? Why is Geneva Convention not always enforceable? Which rights are non-derogable? &, what are the rights of the next generation today? SynTalk thinks about these & more questions using ideas from economics (Prof. Sujoy Chakravarty, JNU, New Delhi), history (Prof. Ajay Dandekar, Shiv Nadar University, Delhi-NCR) & law (Prof. Arvind Narrain, NLSIU, Bangalore). Listen in...

Thane Rosenbaum is a novelist, essayist, law professor, and Distinguished University Professor at Touro University, where he directs the Forum on Life, Culture & Society. He has written numerous works of fiction and nonfiction, as well as hundreds of essays in major national and global publications. He is the legal analyst for CBS News Radio and appears regularly on cable TV news programs.  Beyond Proportionality examines the relevant legal standards, as embodied in the U.N. Charter, international humanitarian law, and, most especially, the principle of proportionality, as codified in the Geneva Conventions, and concludes that Israel's war in Gaza is lawful and just. And, yet, as in any war, there is collateral damage, but it is proportionate to necessary military objectives. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/israel-studies

Max Pearson presents a collection of the week's Witness History interviews from the BBC World Service. Our guest is Jacquie McNish, author and former Senior Correspondent at the Wall Street Journal.We start with the former co-CEO of BlackBerry, who recounts the company's remarkable boom and bust.Then, the creation of the Spot the dog children's books in the 1970s. We hear the testimony of a US soldier who defected to the Soviet Bloc in the 1950s.An author recalls how her 2010 book challenged Norway's immigration policy.The inside story of the creation of the Women's Rugby World Cup in 1991.Finally, the 19th century battle that inspired the Geneva Conventions.Contributors:Jim Balsillie - former BlackBerry co-CEO. Jacquie McNish - Author and former Senior Correspondent at the Wall Street Journal. Chris Hill - son of Eric Hill, creator of Spot the dog. Victor Grossman - US soldier who defected to the Soviet Bloc. Maria Amelie - author of book on Norway's immigration system. Alice D Cooper - organiser of the first Women's Rugby World Cup. Henry Dunant - instigator of the Geneva Conventions, diary read by his descendant Gabriel Martinez.(Photo: Jim Balsillie, former co-CEO of BlackBerry. Credit: Visual China Group via Getty Images)

In 1859, Swiss businessman Henry Dunant witnessed the Battle of Solferino, in Italy. He couldn't believe the lack of aid for the wounded soldiers and came up with two ideas – a voluntary aid organisation and an international treaty to protect those injured in wartime. They went on to become the International Committee of the Red Cross in 1863 and the first Geneva Convention in 1864. Henry's great great great grand nephew, Gabriel Martinez, read excerpts from his book, A Memory of Solferino, to Rachel Naylor. Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive. Witness History is for those fascinated by the past. We take you to the events that have shaped our world through the eyes of the people who were there. For nine minutes every day, we take you back in time and all over the world, to examine wars, coups, scientific discoveries, cultural moments and much more. Recent episodes explore everything from the death of Adolf Hitler, the first spacewalk and the making of the movie Jaws, to celebrity tortoise Lonesome George, the Kobe earthquake and the invention of superglue. We look at the lives of some of the most famous leaders, artists, scientists and personalities in history, including: Eva Peron – Argentina's Evita; President Ronald Reagan and his famous ‘tear down this wall' speech; Thomas Keneally on why he wrote Schindler's List; and Jacques Derrida, France's ‘rock star' philosopher. You can learn all about fascinating and surprising stories, such as the civil rights swimming protest; the disastrous D-Day rehearsal; and the death of one of the world's oldest languages.(Photo: Participants representing 16 states during the adoption of the first Geneva Convention on 22 August 1864 in Geneva. Credit: AFP via Getty Images)

Welcome to another absolutely questionably legal episode of the Gnarcouch Podshow. This is episode 175—which honestly, we're just as surprised it happened as you are. If you've ever tried to tune your suspension with ChatGPT, eaten three-day-old elk meat out of a fanny pack, or asked a stranger at Whistler to jump over your Tesla Cybertruck in a torrential downpour, congratulations: you've stumbled into the right corner of the internet. Tonight, we've got Christian “probably peppered my jumps with more style than you have in your entire sad existence” Peper in the studio, and the whole studio smells like unwashed knee pads, half-done parenting, and unresolved childhood trauma. JP's here, reminding everyone he was once called an unmentionable name by some dude using a random curse generator on the dark web. Boston Rob's on voice recognition patrol—dude's voice is so loud it folds the space-time continuum. We're talking e-bikes, jump progression, why your city's bike park is softer than a TikTok cosplayer's handshake, and, as always, questionable bathroom etiquette. Jimmy's busy making foot fetish videos for the Patreon, and the phrase “family-friendly” has already violated three Geneva Conventions. So, tighten your helmet, lower your standards, and get ready: this is episode 175, and it's gonna be more chaotic than a grown-ass man arguing with a trail steward about Class 1 e-bike erosion while half the room tries to decide if Freebird is appropriate shitting music. Let's kick this thing off—hold on to your buttholes, Nards. Guest profile: Christian Peper Check out our store for sick shirts. Got to our Patreon and give us money. Get 30% off BLIZ sunglasses and more with the code "sponchesmom". 00:00 "Trailhead Aggression Unleashed" 13:10 ChatGPT: A Useful Bike Tuning Guide 25:52 Mindful Kids' Presence on Social Media 42:18 Bridging Bike Skill Gaps 51:38 Progressive Jump Line Ambitions 01:00:17 Action Over Promotion Disconnect 01:10:02 Frustration Over Salt Lake Traffic Changes 01:21:10 Career Shift to Social Media Success 01:28:22 Crafting Effective Video Hooks 01:37:46 Instagram Algorithm Enhances User Engagement 01:47:40 "E-Bike Necessity for Busy Riders" 02:02:26 Homemade Kefir and Root Beer 02:12:18 "Defiant Trail Ride"

This book explores the extraordinary story of Jewish POWs in German captivity during the Second World War - extraordinary because of the contrast between Germany's genocidal policy towards Jews on one hand, and its relatively non-discriminatory treatment of Jewish POWs from western countries on the other. The radicalisation of Germany's anti-Semitic policies entered its last phase in June 1941 with the invasion of the Soviet Union; during the following four years, nearly six million Jews were murdered. In parallel, Germany's POW policies had gone through a radicalisation process of their own, resulting in the murder of millions of Soviet POWs, of Allied commando soldiers, and of POW escapees, with Adolf Hitler eventually transferring in July 1944 the responsibility for POWs from the Wehrmacht to Heinrich Himmler, in his role as head of the Replacement Army. And yet, despite all this, Jewish POWs from western countries were usually not discriminated against and were treated, in most cases, according to the 1929 Geneva Convention. Jewish Soldiers in Nazi Captivity combines memoirs, letters, and oral histories with Red Cross camp visit reports and other archival material to challenge the accepted view of the Holocaust as an indiscriminate murder of all Jews in Europe and will help to reshape our understanding of the Holocaust and of Nazi Germany. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/military-history

This book explores the extraordinary story of Jewish POWs in German captivity during the Second World War - extraordinary because of the contrast between Germany's genocidal policy towards Jews on one hand, and its relatively non-discriminatory treatment of Jewish POWs from western countries on the other. The radicalisation of Germany's anti-Semitic policies entered its last phase in June 1941 with the invasion of the Soviet Union; during the following four years, nearly six million Jews were murdered. In parallel, Germany's POW policies had gone through a radicalisation process of their own, resulting in the murder of millions of Soviet POWs, of Allied commando soldiers, and of POW escapees, with Adolf Hitler eventually transferring in July 1944 the responsibility for POWs from the Wehrmacht to Heinrich Himmler, in his role as head of the Replacement Army. And yet, despite all this, Jewish POWs from western countries were usually not discriminated against and were treated, in most cases, according to the 1929 Geneva Convention. Jewish Soldiers in Nazi Captivity combines memoirs, letters, and oral histories with Red Cross camp visit reports and other archival material to challenge the accepted view of the Holocaust as an indiscriminate murder of all Jews in Europe and will help to reshape our understanding of the Holocaust and of Nazi Germany. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/german-studies

This book explores the extraordinary story of Jewish POWs in German captivity during the Second World War - extraordinary because of the contrast between Germany's genocidal policy towards Jews on one hand, and its relatively non-discriminatory treatment of Jewish POWs from western countries on the other. The radicalisation of Germany's anti-Semitic policies entered its last phase in June 1941 with the invasion of the Soviet Union; during the following four years, nearly six million Jews were murdered. In parallel, Germany's POW policies had gone through a radicalisation process of their own, resulting in the murder of millions of Soviet POWs, of Allied commando soldiers, and of POW escapees, with Adolf Hitler eventually transferring in July 1944 the responsibility for POWs from the Wehrmacht to Heinrich Himmler, in his role as head of the Replacement Army. And yet, despite all this, Jewish POWs from western countries were usually not discriminated against and were treated, in most cases, according to the 1929 Geneva Convention. Jewish Soldiers in Nazi Captivity combines memoirs, letters, and oral histories with Red Cross camp visit reports and other archival material to challenge the accepted view of the Holocaust as an indiscriminate murder of all Jews in Europe and will help to reshape our understanding of the Holocaust and of Nazi Germany. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

This book explores the extraordinary story of Jewish POWs in German captivity during the Second World War - extraordinary because of the contrast between Germany's genocidal policy towards Jews on one hand, and its relatively non-discriminatory treatment of Jewish POWs from western countries on the other. The radicalisation of Germany's anti-Semitic policies entered its last phase in June 1941 with the invasion of the Soviet Union; during the following four years, nearly six million Jews were murdered. In parallel, Germany's POW policies had gone through a radicalisation process of their own, resulting in the murder of millions of Soviet POWs, of Allied commando soldiers, and of POW escapees, with Adolf Hitler eventually transferring in July 1944 the responsibility for POWs from the Wehrmacht to Heinrich Himmler, in his role as head of the Replacement Army. And yet, despite all this, Jewish POWs from western countries were usually not discriminated against and were treated, in most cases, according to the 1929 Geneva Convention. Jewish Soldiers in Nazi Captivity combines memoirs, letters, and oral histories with Red Cross camp visit reports and other archival material to challenge the accepted view of the Holocaust as an indiscriminate murder of all Jews in Europe and will help to reshape our understanding of the Holocaust and of Nazi Germany. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/jewish-studies

Finding Common Ground in a Divided World   What can strife in Israel and Palestine teach us about America's own political polarization? Host Curtis Chang sits down with conflict resolution expert Nathan Stock of the Carter Center to explore some of the hard truths from Middle East—and the surprising parallels here at home. From media-fueled division to the hope for bipartisan breakthroughs, Curtis and Nathan unpack how deep-rooted conflict forms—and offer pathways to bring healing and hope.   (00:01) - Navigating Conflict in the Middle East (14:05) - Lessons from Northern Ireland and South Africa (16:42) - Building Hope for Conflict Resolution (25:18) - Different Brain Types and Polarization (26:30) - Bridging Political Divides to Further U.S. Unity (39:27) - Building Community Through Shared Stories   Donate to Redeeming Babel   Resources mentioned in this episode: Summary: The "Six Day War" of 1967 (U.S. Dept. of State) Overview: October 7, 2023 and the Israel/Hamas Conflict (U.S. Congress) An Explanation of The Geneva Conventions and their Commentaries (The Red Cross) An Explanation of The Good Friday Agreement (Associated Press) Remembering The Breakup of Yugoslavia (U.S. Office of the Historian) Abstract: Shared neural representations and temporal segmentation of political content predict ideological similarity (Science Advances) John R. Hibbing, Kevin B. Smith, & John R. Alford's book Predisposed: The Left, The Right, and The Biology of Political Differences NPR Poll: Most feel democracy is threatened and political violence is a major problem   The Carter Center's Conflict Work: Nathan Stock's article: There's a new silent majority — and they need to be activated The Carter Center's Democracy Program The Carter Center's Conflict Resolution Program The Carter Center's Conflict Resolution Reports   More In Common Studies: Listening Across Difference:  What Americans feel, fear, and want to learn Interpreting young Americans' views on government, the Constitution, and the appeal of authoritarian alternatives​ The Connection Opportunity: Insights for Bringing Americans Together Across Difference   Follow Us: Good Faith on Instagram Good Faith on X (formerly Twitter) Good Faith on Facebook   Sign up: Redeeming Babel Newsletter

Strap in and try not to twist your balls. This week's episode goes full afterburner with the “Young Guns” of VMA-542: Auto, Disco, Pisser, Spiko, Strut, and Vapor join Fig and RePete to recount the wild, the ridiculous, and the occasionally flammable moments of Marine Harrier squadron glory. There's a missile shoot that nearly ends in a self-induced jet barbecue, poker games that could fund small countries, and bar fights with women who can deadlift your Harley. You'll hear how napalm delivery tactics were invented on the fly (literally), how morale was fueled by Scope bottle cocktails, and how the infamous “Deadbeat Club” probably violated several Geneva Conventions. This isn't just war stories—it's Marine aviation mythology, told by the guys who lived it, built it, and occasionally broke it. Oh—and “Olo Polo”? We don't know either. Just scream it into the void and roll tape.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WexE8LJPnRA Today I (Joti Brar) spoke with Garland Nixon about the contradictions at the heart of the declining imperialist camp. Why does the Trump regime need constantly to ‘talk up' the markets, to talk up US military and economic power? Why do European imperialists agree to such humiliating terms when new ‘deals' are announced? Is this proof that west Europe has been colonised? We talked about the superstitious reverence western workers are imbued with from birth regarding ‘the rules' and ‘the law', leading far too many of us to become endlessly caught up in trying to find the right law with which to fight our corner and bring some corrupt institution or individual to account. But who makes the law and who does it apply to? What about international law? Does it really exist? Did it ever? How did the Geneva Conventions and the Nuremberg Tribunals get replaced with the ICC and the ‘rules-based international order'? We also discussed the fascistic laws and regimes of repression that are being rolled out across western imperialist societies with minimal resistance. This is all part of the Nato bloc's drive to war, and the leaderships of the mass working-class organisations that should be helping us defend ourselves from these attacks by the class enemy and oppose its criminal war/genocide machine are instead helping in their implementation. We don't need Corbyn 2.0 in 2029, we need a mass campaign to reclaim/rebuild our unions and other organisations right NOW. ______________________________________________ Subscribe! Donate! Join us in building a bright future for humanity! http://www.thecommunists.org http://www.lalkar.org http://www.redyouth.org Telegram: https://t.me/thecommunists Twitter: / cpgbml Soundcloud: / proletarianradio Rumble: https://rumble.com/c/theCommunists Odysee: https://odysee.com/@proletariantv:2 Facebook: / cpgbml Online Shop: https://shop.thecommunists.org/ Education Program: Each one teach one! http://www.londonworker.org/education... Join the struggle! https://www.thecommunists.org/join/ Donate: https://www.thecommunists.org/donate/

Follow us on X: @gov_gilmore @americasrt1776 @ileaderssummit @NatashaSrdoc @JoelAnandUSA @supertalk Join America's Roundtable (https://americasrt.com/) radio co-hosts Natasha Srdoc and Joel Anand Samy with Ambassador James Gilmore, former U.S. Ambassador to the OSCE, the 86th Governor and former Attorney General of the Commonwealth of Virginia. During the program, Natasha Srdoc and Joel Anand Samy delve into the major shift in US foreign policy, specifically as it pertains to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. President Trump has authorized for Ukraine to receive US weapons in defending the nation from Russian attacks. President Trump stated that he would infuse Ukraine with US weapons which are purchased by European allies. President Trump simultaneously issued an ultimatum to Russian President Vladimir Putin, giving him 50 days to arrange a ceasefire or face trade sanctions. What does this change mean for America and its potential engagement with Ukraine and NATO partners? How will Russia's Putin respond? Is America's attitude toward supporting Ukraine changing, or will the concerns of isolationism remain a stumbling block? Ambassador Gilmore served as America's top diplomat to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) in President Donald Trump's first administration. His firm leadership through the Trump Administration made an impact within Europe's capital cities and its corridors of power specifically in regard to holding Russia to account. In 2020, then-Ambassador Gilmore at a OSCE conference in Vienna, Austria, stated: "The United States has repeatedly condemned Russia's invasion, occupation, and purported annexation of Ukraine's Crimean peninsula and the abuses that Russia commits there. In fact, I just finished doing that in response to their raising some trivial little error we made, but NOT an error of our policy. Today we would like to draw attention to the Russian government's continuing conscription of individuals from Crimea into Russia's armed forces. Compelling persons protected by the Fourth Geneva Convention to serve in the forces of a hostile power is a grave breach of the Geneva Convention, and a violation of the obligations that the Russian Federation owes under its subscription to the Geneva Convention. Once again, a violation of international norms and behavior and commitments that the Russian Federation has made and now violates." Follow us on X: @gov_gilmore @americasrt1776 @ileaderssummit @NatashaSrdoc @JoelAnandUSA @supertalk America's Roundtable is co-hosted by Natasha Srdoc and Joel Anand Samy, co-founders of International Leaders Summit and the Jerusalem Leaders Summit. America's Roundtable (https://americasrt.com/) radio program focuses on America's economy, healthcare reform, rule of law, security and trade, and its strategic partnership with rule of law nations around the world. The radio program features high-ranking US administration officials, cabinet members, members of Congress, state government officials, distinguished diplomats, business and media leaders and influential thinkers from around the world. Tune into America's Roundtable Radio program from Washington, DC via live streaming on Saturday mornings via 68 radio stations at 7:30 A.M. (ET) on Lanser Broadcasting Corporation covering the Michigan and the Midwest market, and at 7:30 A.M. (CT) on SuperTalk Mississippi — SuperTalk.FM reaching listeners in every county within the State of Mississippi, and neighboring states in the South including Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana and Tennessee. Tune into WTON in Central Virginia on Sunday mornings at 6:00 A.M. (ET). Listen to America's Roundtable on digital platforms including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon, Google and other key online platforms. Listen live, Saturdays at 7:30 A.M. (CT) on SuperTalk | https://www.supertalk.fm

In this episode, we delve into the complex and urgent questions surrounding the conflict in Gaza and the broader implications for international humanitarian law. From António Guterres' powerful statement that “international humanitarian law is not an à la carte menu” to the controversial use of AI in military targeting by the IDF, we explore the legal, ethical, and technological dimensions of modern warfare. We also examine the unprecedented involvement of both the ICC and ICJ, the role of European states under the Geneva Conventions, and whether the current global response signals the erosion—or evolution—of humanitarian law in real time. Our guest today is Vincent Chetail, Professor of International Law and Director of the Global Migration Centre at the Geneva Graduate Institute.

No Medics, No Press, No Mercy: Modern War Doesn't Believe You Anymore In theory, war has rules: press badges, medics, the Red Cross, the Geneva Conventions. But in practice—on the battlefield, on the street, or online—those protections are myths, not shields. And in 2025, no one in uniform truly believes in neutrality anymore.Whether in Gaza, Fallujah, or downtown Los Angeles, one reality has taken hold:Everyone is a combatant until cleared.Talk to JSOC operators, riot cops, drone pilots, or soldiers who've served in asymmetric warzones, and you'll hear it without hesitation. Journalists, NGOs, charity workers, even medics—all are potential threats. Open-source intelligence (OSINT) has made everyone's digital footprint an operational asset. What you post online can—and does—get you profiled in the field.A close friend of mine, a DIA interrogator embedded with a JSOC Little Bird unit in Iraq, once said it straight:“The vest doesn't protect you—it flags you for vetting.”And if you're wearing a vest labeled “PRESS” but tweeting like an activist? You're not neutral. You're narrative. And in modern conflict, narrative is firepower.No place illustrates this breakdown like Gaza. A population half under 18, with mosques doubling as command centers, apartment buildings as launchpads, and schools as arms caches. This doesn't mean every Gazan is a militant—but no soldier in the field can afford to assume they're not.That's not a moral judgment. It's a tactical one.The same logic applied in Vietnam, where children strapped bombs to their chests. It applied in Iraq, Afghanistan, Chechnya, and Kosovo. And it applies in America too—where during the George Floyd protests, even medics and credentialed journalists were shot, tear-gassed, tackled. Not because they were mistaken, but because they were no longer presumed neutral.Here's a harder question no one wants to ask:If a population is truly oppressed, where's the resistance?In occupied France, the Resistance bombed train tracks, assassinated collaborators, and ran sabotage cells. In Vietnam, even old women ran courier networks. But in Gaza? If Hamas is so hated, where are the Gazans fragging their commanders? Where are the defections, the bombings of Hamas arms depots, the assassinations from within?Silence can mean fear. Or it can mean complicity. Or something in between—Stockholm, survival, or shared ideology.In the U.S., we talk about “civilians” as if the distinction still means something. But with over 400 million privately owned firearms and tens of millions ideologically radicalized online, let's be honest: If America were ever invaded, “civilians” would become insurgents by nightfall.That's the world we live in now. There are no neutral NGOs. No unarmed narratives. No protected identities. Only signal and threat.The 20th century gave us the myth of the sacred civilian.The 21st gave us livestreams, hashtags, and high-velocity optics.And in that world, no medic, no press, no mercy. You are what your feed says you are.

In this episode, we will talk about the Fowler position in surgery, its current and historical uses, the person behind the name, and the legend of its development. Along the way, we'll cover the origins of the Red Cross and Geneva Convention, the discovery of the pancreatic duct, and more. Enjoy!

Author's Note: This writing was adapted from a series of conversations around race in America and edited as audio, recorded in 2020, right after George Floyd was lynched.. The podcast of this writing is the real thing, as it were.  What follows is edited text to clarify the narrators, absent the audio.  Please consider following the podcast associated with this newsletter and leaving a 5-star review on Spotify or Apple Podcasts. Please subscribe to support high-impact content like this.The author, David Foster Wallace, described the experience of reading his novel Infinite Jest as intended to feel “tornadic,” like you're in the middle of a tornado. That's what the last several weeks have felt like.Protesters:"Racist ass police! No justice, no peace! F**k these racist ass police! No justice, no peace!""F**k these racist ass police!"Owen Muir, M.D.:I originally tried making this episode a linear narrative, but it wasn't happening. So, welcome to the tornado of racism in America. Buckle up.George Floyd spent 8 minutes and 46 seconds gasping for breath.  Police officers, some of whom were very experienced, knelt on his back...until he didn't breathe anymore. As a psychiatrist, I often emphasize how the words we use to describe someone's death have meaning. So, I'll say, you know, completed suicide, not “commit.” And George Floyd was lynched.Welcome. This is about anxiety, uncertainty, and existential despair. And I recorded the narration in one take because I wasn't, like, going to get it right a second time. So much of what we say about race is calculated, polite, and wrong. So I'm not going to try to do that tonight.Here we go.Sequoiah:"Yeah. My general reaction to all this is a little more, a little more extended. The, uh, f**k".Owen Muir, M.D.:That's my teammate. She is a TMS technician at the mental health practice we worked at together. She also works in the community with patients helping put their lives together, but tonight she's a field reporter on the revolution.Sequoiah:"I am a TMS tech, Winnicott coach, and black woman. Which seems very important right now. George Floyd, Say His Name.  George Floyd, Say his Name.So I just got home from a protest in Flatbush. Police would not let us pass. We were chanting with our hands up. And after a while, they decided to push the line backward. We resisted—we stood there with our hands up. They pushed us and pushed us, and when we wouldn't..."Owen:Now, as someone with a lot of white privilege, I'm outraged at hearing this, like, wow, this is fucked up. So I called another colleague in the special operations community, and I'm not using names in this episode for semi-obvious reasons, and I heard what he had to say.Master Sergeant:“The things that U. S. police forces are apparently fully within their legal rights to do, like, use tear gas, would literally have…been against the Geneva Conventions. It's an actual war crime. We cannot gas a civilian population.”Owen Muir, M.D.:The person I'm interviewing has over a decade of experience in the special operations community. He has fought and killed for our right to do what my other colleagues were in the street doing, peacefully protesting.Master Sergeant:"This is a perversion of what the United States stands for. We invade countries who treat their people the way that our police forces are on camera treating Americans "Sequoiah:"People started to back up, , and run and they then started to hit us with batons. , I fell. And then we reformed the line."Master Sergeant:"It's disgusting in a lot of ways."Owen Muir, M.D.:So when someone whose life has been dedicated to protecting our freedoms tells me they're upset with what they're seeing, I take that pretty seriously.Sequoiah:"Well, the other night, well, last night, when the cops and protestors were getting into, into fights and they were trying to, the cops were trying to push back the protestors, I saw them bring out the batons and, like, start attacking people...and each time they'd tell us to back up and back up and kept pushing us and pushing us. And finally, there was a frustration in the air, and people started to act out."Owen Muir, M.D.:Now, as a psychiatrist, my life has been saved by police officers on more than one occasion. I have been physically attacked in hospital settings.  The police have been called, and I have not died, and my colleagues have not died thanks to them. And this is Flatbush, Brooklyn, New York, and these people are black people. The Flatbush, at least the area I was in, is a predominantly black neighborhood.  So, look, Americans love the police.  They are a highly regarded part of society by many people, but that's not the experience for black America I have learned.Master Sergeant:“There are many things you can do in that spectrum that don't involve actively using force against a human being, which makes the process easier across the board. If I don't have to hurt somebody, the only thing that is hurting another person does for me is further endanger my Troops. "Owen Muir, M.D.:Now this makes sense to me because, having run the show in a psychiatric emergency department, where I have to protect myself, other patients, and violent people themselves from getting hurt, sometimes we use violence, but oftentimes we don't.Master Sergeant:"What started this particular instance has been four cops lynched George Floyd. One guy put his knee on the man. We don't do that to terrorists actively trying to kill us. ""George Floyd, Say His Name."Sequoiah:"It was at that point that they called in more backup and started to attack and arrest groups of gathered people from the neighborhood.”Owen Muir, M.D.:Police officers, when they're called to stand trial for the use of force, have a standard called the reasonable officer standard.I feel like I have to make it relevant for me--a white person—to watch humans being murdered by police and then people killing each other in the streets about it. There was an article I read about six months ago about yet another person being slammed to the ground, handcuffed behind their back, and suffocated to death by the police. I was shocked..that the person was white. Until I read several paragraphs down that he had schizophrenia. Oh, that's what made it okay. Reasonable officers can only be judged based on what someone would do in that moment of terror when they have to decide to use force.Sequoiah:"I was so emotionally spent and so exhausted. And then we saw marauding bands of police officers going down the street, just telling people to go home and attacking groups of people on the street.”"George Floyd, Say His Name.  George Floyd, Say His Name."Owen Muir, M.D.:Police officers are represented by unions. Those unions have spent 20 years bargaining for lack of accountability to protect, in their minds, their members. This means police officers have the right to huddle and discuss their stories before speaking to prosecutors. It means many other things.  But importantly, whenever any officer stands trial, the jury is instructed, per Chief Justice Rehnquist, to not use the benefit of 20/20 hindsight in judging their actions, but only what a reasonable, that is, terrified person, would do at the moment.Master Sergeant:"We have an entire job in the US military to validate whether or not we killed someone the right way."Owen Muir, M.D.:The court system is what's supposed to do that for police officers. But it doesn't; it just says, eh, it's okay.Master Sergeant:"That's an actual thing; we have entire organizational structures dedicated to the legality of murder."Owen Muir, M.D.:Killing black or brown people in America, if you're a police officer, has literally never been ruled against the law. Ever.Master Sergeant:"To not call it murder, to call it, to call it killing combatants, that's what a JAG does. Overseas, when they're deployed, they tell you whether or not you can kill this person. And sometimes, even though we can kill someone, we don't because they have a much higher value as an intelligence asset. Or for any number of other reasons. Or they're not actively shooting at us when we go get them. That happens a ton. Because sometimes, when you see 20 or 30 goons show up outside your house, breach your door with a shotgun round, rush in, and then point all their guns at you, you won't fight back. And then, okay, well, he's not shooting back at us, so we're going to take him in, and then... "Owen Muir, M.D.:You don't get to kill someone. In the U. S. military. Deployed in the field. In Afghanistan. Even if someone's a terrorist, if they're not pointing a gun at you and about to pull the goddamn trigger.“Cause one of the things I don't want to do is vilify police officers. And, and ...”Master Sergeant:"I mean, Owen, to be perfectly honest with you,  You may not want to vilify police officers, but the things I've seen police officers do in the past week while they know they're being recorded are actively the actions of villains."Owen Muir, M.D.:This hit me like a ton of bricks. This is not okay, but when people call for help, and the police arrive, they deal with a crisis. A lot of those crises involve people with mental illness, and police officers are being asked to do a thing that like is a whole medical specialty. Like, I'm a psychiatrist. It was 45 000 hours of training to learn how to calm people down when upset and have experiences we don't have access to. And, if you're called to the scene of a crisis, and someone's acting in a really strange and scary way, and you have a gun. You've been told to protect yourself, don't let yourself get hurt or let this person harm you, and you know nothing bad will happen to you if you pull that trigger. You're going to pull that trigger.  More often than not. And that's about a thousand times a year. You're about... God knows it doesn't even matter. The percentage of time you're more likely to be killed if you're black and mentally ill. The fact that we have a statistic for that is fucked up enough. Help isn't helpful for black America. And that's just a fact of life.”Master Sergeant:"You know, I have friends in New York who are talking about the cruelty they see in these police officers' eyes. And what's worse, what's truly evil about this whole system is even in the throes of this violence, they're exhibiting racist and preferential behaviors towards white protesters versus black protesters. Or brown protesters. They're active, you know, taking it easier on white people because they're white. "Owen Muir, M.D.:And this is just f*****g killing me at this point. Ugh. Look, what's happening in the streets is not okay. It's not been okay for hundreds of years. And police officers are part of a system designed to keep order, and order used to mean slaves. That's just why they're there.Master Sergeant:"Things I don't even f*****g think about, man. Like, I'll go for a run or a rock at night. And I'll, I'll like, sometimes I'll go on my own, but if I don't go earlier, like, T. is like, well, I guess I'll go for a run. Like, one day, I just asked, like, why do you only run with me? Why do you only run with me? And she's like, well, it depends. We're in a quiet neighborhood in Florida, and I'm a black woman like I'm; there's a bunch of Trump signs everywhere like I'm not going running on my own. I was like, wow, yeah, I've never even thought along those lines; I don't question my safety when I go places. I'm hyper-vigilant for a lot of other reasons, but like, there's never a question in my mind, like if someone attacks me, it's not, it's an unexpected event, I'm not expecting, That at any moment, someone might attack me for the color of my skin. Because I'm in the neighborhood."William Osei, PhD.:"Hey, I'm Dr. Will Osei.I am a postdoctoral fellow, an African American psychologist living in Bedstuy, Brooklyn. " Owen Muir, M.D.:Dr. Osei is a scholar of racism and multiculturalism.And helped me explain what it's like for the black kids I've treated at Bellevue all these years.William Osei, PhD:"The average African American, this is like... This is a fact. This is not a revelation because we now have better cell phone coverage of these crimes. I remember being in Cleveland the day following Tamir Rice being murdered in the playground. And I was working with 12-year-old boys in the Cleveland school district. And I was devastated that day, and I went into that school expecting those boys to be devastated that their schoolmate, a kid they used to play with at the playground, was just murdered. And to them, it was nothing. It was more shocking because they knew a dozen people that the police had murdered. They knew that was just the latest murder that year. It just happened to be one that rose to the national conversation, but in Cleveland that year, there were probably 30, 50 police shootings.Owen Muir, M.D.:My level of outrage at watching all of this. That's privilege too.William Osei, PhD:"Yes. "Owen Muir, M.D.:Because to understand this as anything other than the rules of engagement would be a misunderstanding.  For a long time, Black America has known to watch out when you talk to the cops because they can kill you. Nothing's going to stop them if they want to. And they do. On camera. A thousand other times every year. And I wish it were as easy as saying it was a couple or even a lot of bad apples, but that is insufficient.Master Sergeant:"As far as privilege goes, I'm a combat veteran in the Ivy League. I'm an Arab Jew, but I look white enough that no one asks that question. I wear a suit, and you can't see my tattoos. And I... I can fit in anywhere from West Hampton to the slums of Bangladesh. Like, I'm good. You know what I mean? I have levels of privilege that people use to run for the presidency."Owen Muir, M.D.:But the magic of America is that white privilege runs out as soon as power wants it to. My colleague's married to a black woman.Master Sergeant:"And a huge part of this is like... It's the knowledge that I'm married to a black woman. My kids will be black, and this is like their plight. "Owen Muir, M.D.:Usually, we'd have credits now. Instead, I'm going to read these names.George Floyd, Ahmad Arbery, Brianna Taylor, Trayvon Martin, Eric Garner, Iyanna Jones. Freddie Gray, Michael Brown, Sandra Land, Walter Scott, and a kid on a playground in Cleveland named Tamir Rice. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thefrontierpsychiatrists.substack.com/subscribe

This week on Critical Arcade, Dave and Nick trade space marines for medieval mayhem as they dive headfirst into Doom: Dark Ages—the blood-soaked prequel we never knew we needed. Set centuries before the events of the modern Doom series, this brutal reimagining throws the Doom Slayer into a world of stone castles, haunted cathedrals, and hellspawn in chainmail. Armed with a fist forged in demonic fire, a flail that probably violates several Geneva Conventions, and yes, a medieval chainsaw shield, our hosts hack, slash, and shoot their way through a kingdom that desperately needs a hero.As they unravel the ancient lore behind the Slayer's origins. Expect intense boss fights, heavy metal Gregorian chants, and enough gore to repaint the castle walls several times over. Grab your gauntlets and grit your teeth—because this week, it's not just about ripping and tearing... It's about doing it with medieval flair. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

UN chief calls Gaza a 'killing field', condemns Israel for aid blockade UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has condemned the suffering caused by Israeli war in Gaza, calling it “a killing field” and holding Tel Aviv responsible for blocking humanitarian aid and neglecting its obligations under international law. Speaking to journalists, Guterres stressed that no aid—food, fuel, medicine, or supplies—has entered Gaza for over a month, warning that the ""floodgates of horror have re-opened."" He cited the Geneva Conventions, emphasizing Israel's duty as an occupying power to provide for the civilian population, which he said is not being fulfilled. Gaza is now Hiroshima: Israeli soldiers describe their horrendous crimes Israeli soldiers have given detailed testimonies revealing widespread destruction and killings in Gaza as part of efforts to establish a so-called buffer zone, according to a new report by the Israeli group Breaking the Silence. The report compiles firsthand accounts from soldiers involved in the invasion, describing the razing of large areas inside Gaza. The group stated that the deliberate devastation was aimed at paving the way for future Israeli control of the territory. Punitive US tariffs on China to hit 104 percent: White House The US will impose a 104 percent tariff on Chinese goods starting on Wednesday, the White House announced. Spokesperson Karoline Leavitt confirmed the move, stating the tariffs will take effect at midnight. Leavitt said President Trump believes China ""has to make a deal"" and criticised Beijing's retaliation as a mistake. She added that Trump would be “incredibly gracious” if China engages, but emphasised he will act in the best interest of the American people. Over 100 killed in RSF attacks near Khartoum: Sudanese medics More than 100 people, including women and children, were killed in attacks by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Omdurman, the twin city of Sudan's capital, Khartoum, according to Sudanese medics. The Sudan Doctors Network reported that the deaths occurred over the past week in the Jama'iya region, south of Omdurman, as violence continues to escalate in the conflict-hit country. Trump admin freezes funding for Cornell, Northwestern University The Trump administration has frozen over $1 billion in funding for Cornell University and $790 million for Northwestern University amid investigations into alleged civil rights violations, a US official said. The paused funding includes grants and contracts from federal departments such as health, education, agriculture, and defence. The move follows the administration's threats to cut funds over pro-Palestine campus protests.

It’s Monday in America, time for The World’s Greatest Political Podcast: THE LEFT SHOW! This week, J.M. Bell, Taylor, JC, and Tiffany remember the Geneva Convention, due process, and common sense. The angry liberals write yet another letter, WI takes bribes, and Utah throws away 100 million. #684 The World’s Greatest Political Podcast – The […]

Send us a textWhat do you get when three degenerates dig up cringey home videos, debate astronaut nut trajectories, and confess to hoarding junk like emotional support USB cables? Pure, unfiltered chaos—welcome to The Funky Panther.Javier stumbles upon a camcorder from his hormone-riddled youth and unleashes footage so humiliating it should be classified under the Geneva Convention. Naturally, this spirals into a confessional about the crap we cling to for no reason—shoeboxes, old tech, and probably some repressed trauma. Oh, and let's not forget the cursed GoPro currently marinating in Lake Texoma that allegedly holds footage too spicy for YouTube.Then it gets weirder. The guys dive into NASA's recent astronaut rescue, but instead of celebrating science, they spiral into a fever dream of surviving space madness armed only with early-2000s music videos and a questionable Wi-Fi signal. And yes, we go there: bodily fluids in zero gravity. Spoiler alert—it's not as poetic as Interstellar.Things heat up when the crew debates whether paying $500 to breathe the same air as a celebrity is dumb or dangerously horny. Plus, they test their sanity with “AI or Insane Person?”—because in 2025, your toaster might be smarter (and sassier) than your last Tinder date.Is talking to your dog cute, or are we just one step away from marrying Alexa? Find out in this gloriously unhinged episode full of hot takes, cold regrets, and existential dread wrapped in a tortilla of dark humor.#SpaceJizz #CringeCore #AIvsPsycho #FunkyPantherUnleashed #LostFootage #DigitalDumpsterDive Fake ad Fake ad Fake adCALL OR TEXT OUR HOTLINE AND LEAVE US A MESSAGE! 817-677-0408Fort Worth MagazineBest of 2022 - Radio Personality/Podcast (Reader's Pick) Show LinksThe Funky PantherMerchYouTube

This week Tom and Aaron discuss Kristi Noem's propaganda video violating the 4th Geneva Convention, the signal Yemen invasion scandal, remote viewing, and the state of art Support us on Patreon: www.patreon.com/trillbillyworkersparty

We peer into commerce's self-driven future and see new frontiers arising for AV-centric city planning, (more) invasive advertisement integration, commerce-based search engines, and Meta mind control. PLUS: Phillip and Brian designate their week's heroes and villains, and we get excited about the official Adobe x Future Commerce Shoptalk After Party!Think It, And It Will Be DoneKey takeaways:[9:00] News from the week: Shopify earnings, Klaviyo, bird flu, and the latest from Future Commerce.[15:30] Autonomous Vehicles Will Redesign Commerce: AVs will create massive changes in urban planning, retail, and logistics.[19:00] Amazon's Next Big Move: The company is now allowing advertisers to drive traffic off-site, signaling its ambition to become the next big search engine.[23:00] Ad Takeover: Everything – even your car's infotainment screen – eventually becomes a surface for advertisement.[42:00] Klaviyo's B2C Event: Klaviyo announces Built for B2C livestream event, happening Thursday 2/20.[49:30] Meta Brain: Meta releases research on mind reading via magnetic therapy and AI-assisted analysis.[1:05:00] Heroes and Villains: Phillip and Brian's biggest winners and losers of the past week in commerce.“Amazon is about to become the biggest search engine for product discovery. Google should be worried.” — Phillip“The Gulf of Fortune, brought to you by Panda Doc.” – Brian“We've seen heart rates submitted as evidence, truth serums outlawed by the Geneva Convention. I have to believe that things like this are not Black Mirror, but actual legitimate real things that will be used in positive and negative ways. That to me seems scary.” – Phillip “I think this is going to be a retooling of the way we think.” – BrianIn-Show Mentions:Join us at Rivea for the official Adobe x Future Commerce Shoptalk After PartyOrder LORE by Future Commerce on MetalabelFortune: Some Jeep owners are being hit with pop-up ads inside their cars.The Age of Agglomeration: Our predictions report from January.Netflix Bites (Good luck finding the menu?)Future Commerce Links:Shop our print products on shop.futurecommerce.com Check out Future Commerce on YouTubeCheck out Future Commerce+ for exclusive content and save on merch and printSubscribe to Insiders and The Senses to read more about what we are witnessing in the commerce worldListen to our other episodes of Future CommerceHave any questions or comments about the show? Let us know on futurecommerce.com, or reach out to us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn. We love hearing from our listeners!Commerce shapes the future because Commerce is Culture™.

During World War II, approximately half a million German prisoners of war were held in the United States, housed in 700 camps spread across the country, from Florida to Maine. These POWs were treated in accordance with the Geneva Conventions, often working in agriculture and other industries to alleviate domestic labor shortages. Today, evidence of these POW camps has all but vanished, and with them the harrowing knowledge of what happened beyond the battlefield. But today’s guest, William Geroux (Jer-oh), author of “The Fifteen: Murder, Retribution, and the Forgotten Story of Nazi POWs in America,” not only exposes the forgotten history of these POW camps on American soil, but of the Nazi power games that dominated life within them. While German prisoners were protected by the Geneva Convention and generally treated fairly by their American captors, ardent Nazis in dozens of the camps began to punish and attack their fellow German inmates who failed to live up to Nazi ideology. What followed was a grisly series of murders in the heart of the United States.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It was their first day in battle and the two best friends had just switched places. Bob Fordyce rested while Frank Hartzell crawled down into the shallow foxhole, taking his turn chipping away at the frozen ground. Just then, German artillery fire began falling all around them. With his body plastered to the ground, Hartzell could feel shrapnel dent his helmet. When the explosions finished, he picked himself up to find that his best friend had just been killed in the blur of combat. “When you're actually in it, it's very chaotic,” Hartzell said. The following day, New Year's Day 1945, Hartzell batted Nazi soldiers for control of the Belgian town of Chenogne. In the aftermath, American soldiers gunned down dozens of unarmed German prisoners of war in a field, a clear violation of the Geneva Convention. “I remember we had been given orders, take no prisoners,” Hartzell said. “When I walked past the field on the left, there were these dead bodies. I knew what they were. I knew they were dead Germans.” News of the massacre reached General George S. Patton, but no investigation followed.This week on Reveal, reporter Chris Harland-Dunaway investigates why the soldiers who committed the massacre at Chenogne were never held accountable.This is an update of an episode that originally aired in July 2018.  Support Reveal's journalism at Revealnews.org/donatenow Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get the scoop on new episodes at Revealnews.org/weekly Instagram

If you ever watch a war movie, you might see a scene where a prisoner of war evokes the Geneva convention to their captors.  But what exactly is the Geneva Convention, and what does it say? Why did countries sign a treaty covering ethics in war, of all things? Who is and isn't covered by the Geneva Convention, and what happened to prisoners of war before the Geneva Convention?  …and what happens if a belligerent party doesn't honor the Geneva Convention?  Learn more about Prisoners of War and the Geneva Conventions on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily. Sponsors Mint Mobile Cut your wireless bill to 15 bucks a month at mintmobile.com/eed MasterClass Get up to 50% off at MASTERCLASS.COM/EVERYWHERE Quince Go to quince.com/daily for 365-day returns, plus free shipping on your order! ButcherBox New users that sign up for ButcherBox will receive 2lbs of grass fed ground beef in every box for the lifetime of their subscription + $20 off your first box when you use code daily at checkout! Subscribe to the podcast!  https://everything-everywhere.com/everything-everywhere-daily-podcast/ -------------------------------- Executive Producer: Charles Daniel Associate Producers: Ben Long & Cameron Kieffer   Become a supporter on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/everythingeverywhere Update your podcast app at newpodcastapps.com Discord Server: https://discord.gg/UkRUJFh Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/everythingeverywhere/ Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/everythingeverywheredaily Twitter: https://twitter.com/everywheretrip Website: https://everything-everywhere.com/ b Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mike from DC is at war with the Swedish embassy. Some diplomat's car has an alarm that goes off several nights a week for long stretches of time -a clear violation of the Geneva Convention's subsection on 'neighborliness'. What decidedly 'undiplomatic' solution will Click and Clack devise in order to end these nightly alarms while also avoiding an international incident? Find out on this episode of the Best of Car Talk.Get access to hundreds of episodes in the Car Talk archive when you sign up for Car Talk+ at plus.npr.org/cartalkLearn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

When did we meatsacks start torturing one another? How did we do it? How have torture methods changed over the years, and what are some of the worst torture methods of all time? Where does the "music" of Yoko Ono fit into all this? Covering so much strange information today.Merch and more: www.badmagicproductions.com Timesuck Discord! https://discord.gg/tqzH89vWant to join the Cult of the Curious PrivateFacebook Group? Go directly to Facebook and search for "Cult of the Curious" to locate whatever happens to be our most current page :)For all merch-related questions/problems: store@badmagicproductions.com (copy and paste)Please rate and subscribe on Apple Podcasts and elsewhere and follow the suck on social media!! @timesuckpodcast on IG and http://www.facebook.com/timesuckpodcastWanna become a Space Lizard? Click here: https://www.patreon.com/timesuckpodcast.Sign up through Patreon, and for $5 a month, you get access to the entire Secret Suck catalog (295 episodes) PLUS the entire catalog of Timesuck, AD FREE. You'll also get 20% off of all regular Timesuck merch PLUS access to exclusive Space Lizard merch. And you get the download link for my secret standup album, Feel the Heat.