Podcasts about grabbing

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 27, 2026 44:38

Olympic committee bans trans athletes from women's events, The White House cryptic message. Grabbing the world by the throat. Pumping out more oil. We already won the war. Missing UFO Researcher. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Leland Live with Leland Whaley HR 2 (032626)

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 27, 2026 41:53

Olympic committee bans trans athletes from women's events, The White House cryptic message. Grabbing the world by the throat. Pumping out more oil. We already won the war. Missing UFO Researcher.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Leland Live with Leland Whaley HR 3 (032626)

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 27, 2026 41:45

Olympic committee bans trans athletes from women's events, The White House cryptic message. Grabbing the world by the throat. Pumping out more oil. We already won the war. Missing UFO Researcher.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Leland Live with Leland Whaley HR 4 (032626)

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 27, 2026 40:58

Olympic committee bans trans athletes from women's events, The White House cryptic message. Grabbing the world by the throat. Pumping out more oil. We already won the war. Missing UFO Researcher.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Uptime Wind Energy Podcast

"Grabbing" the Afikomin

Rabbi Avi Harari

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 25, 2026 13:30

"Grabbing" the Afikomin by Rabbi Avi Harari

grabbing

Danish Renewables Push in Australia, Nearthlab Does Defense

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 24, 2026 37:19

Denmark’s royal trade mission brings 54 companies to Australia’s renewables market. Plus the UK opens CFD allocation round eight for up to 18 offshore wind farms, and wind tech startups weigh focus against diversification into defense. Sign up now for Uptime Tech News, our weekly newsletter on all things wind technology. This episode is sponsored by Weather Guard Lightning Tech. Learn more about Weather Guard’s StrikeTape Wind Turbine LPS retrofit. Follow the show on YouTube, Linkedin and visit Weather Guard on the web. And subscribe to Rosemary’s “Engineering with Rosie” YouTube channel here. Have a question we can answer on the show? Email us! The Uptime Wind Energy Podcast brought to you by Strike Tape, protecting thousands of wind turbines from lightning damage worldwide. Visit strike tape.com And now your hosts. Allen Hall: Welcome to the Uptime Wind Energy Podcast. I’m here with Yolanda Padron, Rosemary Barnes at Matthews Stead, and we start off. On the Danish trip to Australia, 54 Danish companies traveled to Australia alongside King Frederick II and Queen Mary. Uh, over the past week, most work in the renewable energy and green construction businesses that traveled along several signed agreements during the trip. Denmark sees Australia as a growth market, and Rosemary is tied to royalty here. Loosely that Queen Mary is actually from Tasmania, much like Rosemary. [00:01:00] So there is possibly a line to the throne, the Danish throne for Rosemary. Rosemary Barnes: My dad’s from Tasmania. I, I live in Canberra, but I was, the whole five years I was living in Denmark, I kept waiting for Princess. She was Princess Mary at that point, but Princess Mary to get in touch with her phone number, catch up. You know, Australians have moved to Denmark. Never happened. And now I see that they’ve come to Australia. And do you think that Mary reached out and got in touch with me? No, she didn’t. So I continue, continue to be disappointed in, in Queen Mary. Matthew Stead: Maybe she’s waiting for you, Rosie. Rosemary Barnes: Yeah, she could be waiting for me to reach out. That’s true. Allen Hall: But I clearly, Australia is a growth market. Denmark sees it. I know there’s been a number of Danish companies in Australia over the last two, three years, or con companies from all over the world have been down to Australia, realizing that the growth of renewables is gonna be big because Australia is targeting 82% renewables by 2030. Uh, and right now it’s about 50% renewables, which is [00:02:00] remarkable by the way, that connection to Denmark. Is only going to grow, especially with the relationship with Queen Mary to the area. What are some of the growth areas that Denmark can walk into in Australia right now, Matthew? Matthew Stead: I mean, obviously the proposed offshore wind is a, is a big thing. So, um, once that gets up and running, obviously the Danish technology will come in there. Um, but, but also, you know, through vest have been here forever. Uh, Siemens, gaa, you know, there’s a strong Danish connection there. Um, so. Yeah, I, I think it’s already, already, already really strong. And, um, obviously having the, the queen, the Danish queen, um, yeah. Ties in with all of that. Allen Hall: Is it a reciprocal agreement that Australians can do work in Denmark? Rosemary Barnes: I don’t think, it’s not any sort of like free trade agreement, is it? It’s just some individual, I dunno how much we’ve, we’ve got to [00:03:00]teach Denmark, although there are some good Australian technologies, like maybe not building wind turbines themselves, but there are some good technologies like here, logic’s Ping, uh, Australian developed the ping part of it anyway. And then also, you know, I think some, some future manufacturing methods, uh, doing some exciting things here in Australia. Also, it’s not that hard to move to Denmark if you, um, like when I moved there, all I needed to get a Visa was a, a job offer. That was a certain, I, I don’t think it, I don’t, I don’t remember exactly if it was the type of job or if it was the salary, but you know, like you’re not gonna get a job offer. Like working part-time at a bar isn’t gonna be enough to get you a, a working visa in Denmark. But certainly. Any engineers, um, you can, if you get a good engineering position offered to you in Denmark, it’s not hard for the company to make that happen. So I don’t know that we need, we don’t, we don’t really need it made that much easier for us [00:04:00] to get over there. Allen Hall: Is it difficult to get a work permit in Australia if you’re from Denmark? Rosemary Barnes: Yes and no. It’s not like I would so love to be hiring my XLM colleagues to come. I know that I’d moved to Australia too. Some of them, it’s, it’s not super duper easy. Um. It’s not impossible. And uh, if people are young enough, it’s a bit easier. But, um, it’s, it’s definitely possible, but it’s not, it’s not straightforward. It’s quite expensive and lengthy process. Matthew Stead: You know, if they can fund a fund, um, themselves with a couple of million dollars, that’ll make it easier. Rosemary Barnes: It’s definitely beyond my capabilities as a small company of like four, four people to be able to, um, sponsor someone. But I have had, um, actually. Most, maybe. Yeah. Every single employee actually that I’ve had has been, has non, not an Australian citizen, but they’ve all had visas for other reasons. You know, either because they came over with a partner who, um, was an unskilled working visa or because they did a master’s [00:05:00] here and then got a, um, a, yeah, after that got permanent residency through the, you know, the, there’s a pretty established pathway after studying to be able to get permanent residency. Definitely appreciate that there is so much, um, international talent that’s willing to come to Australia, but just yeah, unfortunately any, any random skilled person, you, it’s not, it’s not easy for a small company to bring them over. Matthew Stead: Rosie, would you recommend Australians to go to Denmark to learn about the wind industry and then, and come back again like you did? Rosemary Barnes: I recommend that they do that in 2016 when I did it. Um, so everyone who’s got a time machine. Hop, hop in, hop in your time machine and go, go do that. I mean, it’s, uh, I was looking back through, um, photos, uh, of my time there recently and was just, uh, like thinking about how much work I did and the amount of time that I spent like in, in production is like I got in my. Four years that I was working for lm, I had at least 10 years worth of experience. And I mean there were [00:06:00] some long, long weeks, but I’m not sure that Denmark’s the right place now because for LM there’s nearly no engineering left in Denmark and certainly not doing the cool, new, exciting technologies that they were while I was there. So that’s not the go Vestas is still doing a fair bit. But you know, we talked recently about the Vestas CO wanting to, wanting to move somewhere with more favorable. Taxation of CEOs salaries. So, you know, maybe that’s not continuing. So I definitely recommend moving to another part of the world early on in your career while you’ve still got enough energy to, to, to like really, really hard work. Um, but I dunno that Denmark is, is the right place anymore. There’s not that much manufacturing left Now. Based on your experience in both Denmark and Australia, how likely do you think that any of these companies that are coming in. To Australia will do any r and d with data from Australia for all of these wind technologies that they’re bringing. Rosemary Barnes: I, I think that there’s some interest in that. I haven’t heard [00:07:00] Danish companies specifically. I have heard a few little inklings of US companies who are interested and I think that that makes a lot of sense because the US was a much more attractive environment for wind energy technologies until a couple of years ago. So there’s a lot of companies that got partway and now are frustrated and I think that Australia seems quite attractive to them. So that’s where I’ve heard people interested, maybe British as well. Um, the Denmark Danish companies would do well. Like any company, um, that’s trying to develop a technology related to wind energy would, um, do really well to come try and develop in Australia because, you know, like, um, we’re so short staffed or like for expert staff. Things are really spread out. Costs are very high. Um, things wear out faster. Like we just have more operational problems here. So, you know, when you’re putting a business case together, you need to, um, you know, an environment where you are. The alternative of just doing everything manually is [00:08:00]far more expensive here, and it takes far longer so you can get a much more positive business case, um, in Australia, like earlier than you could somewhere else. So I think that that makes it really. Really like perfect place to develop technologies. Um, yeah, but I don’t think everybody realizes that yet. But I do see some, some people starting to, Matthew Stead: and I’m adding to what you’re saying, Rosie, when I first started in wind, um, back in 2012, um, I got great reception from Denmark. Actually, I probably got the most. Positive responses to my outreach from Denmark. So, um, I, at that point in time, you know, it is a little bit before 2016, but, um, um, um, I, you know, I found really positive engagement and willingness to be open to new technologies. So that was my experience Allen Hall: as Wind energy professionals. Staying informed is crucial, and let’s face it difficult. That’s why the Uptime podcast recommends PES Wind Magazine. [00:09:00] PES Wind offers a diverse range of in-depth articles and expert insights that dive into the most pressing issues facing our energy future. Whether you’re an industry veteran or new to wind, PES Wind has the high quality content you need. Don’t miss out. Visit PES wind.com today. The UK government announced contracts for difference allocation round eight, which will open in July of this year. This follows AR seven in January, which secured 8.4 gigawatts of offshore wind. The largest UK CFD procurement ever and renewable UK says up to 18 offshore wind farms could compete for this AR eight round now. The amount of wind going in offshore in the UK is astonishing. Uh, AR eight. I haven’t seen any numbers yet of what they think the total gigawatts will be, but it has to be somewhere around the eight range just to keep up with the [00:10:00] expected rate, uh, to meet their environmental targets and electricity targets in the uk. This is changing the way wind is developed in Europe, especially with the UK changing its tariffs and eliminating tariffs on wind turbine parts and components that come into the country. That is going to really improve the economics of wind turbines in the uk. Plus turn out a lot of European countries and companies to to feed the UK energy goals. Is this the right move in, in terms of the government approach? Because a lot of, uh, other auctions that have happened up in Germany all the way up into Scandinavia have not had such success as this recent UK round. Is their model just a little bit different? And maybe the UK approach is, is the winning method with the the CFDs. Rosemary Barnes: We have some in Australia too. The A [00:11:00] CT Australian Capital Territory where I live has the same thing and, um, for at least several years. Recently, I think most years recently we’ve had our electricity prices in Canberra have been reduced while in the rest of Australia they’ve gone up. It doesn’t always happen that way. Um, it depends on, yeah, how expensive. Electricity was compared to normal. But you know, like when the gas, uh, shock was happening and pushing up electricity prices everywhere, it didn’t affect Canberra very much because we already have PPAs for a hundred percent of our electricity from clean sources. So, Allen Hall: but isn’t that the goal at the end of the day to get. Some levelized pricing, which is the allocation rounds are doing, is they’re getting levelized pricing over a fixed period, so you know what your electricity is going to cost you. None of this up and down, like with the gas market in the United States and elsewhere. Rosemary Barnes: My understanding is that it’s the most crucial aspect of that is certainty, so that new projects can get financing.[00:12:00] It’s not actually about it being a, like, whether it’s a subsidy or a payment is not as important as, like, it’s not that that renewable electricity is too expensive and the government needs to subsidize it. It’s that the bank needs to know how, how much you’re gonna get for the electricity that you generate, um, in order to fuel Okay, to lend it to you. And I mean, you can understand why, like, think about. As, um, batteries enter the electricity grid, you, you know, the pricing, the market movements throughout a day are really starting to change. We used to have, you know, like big spikes in price every evening as a lot of gas generators came on. ’cause they’re expensive to run. But now we’re needing less and less of that as we add more batteries. And, you know, people know these. Trends are generally happening, but not exactly. So how can you forecast what your revenue is going to be? Um, if you’re lending billions of dollars to a project, then you want to know that your person you’re lending to is gonna be able to, to pay you back, which they, they can’t if the revenue goes through the floor. So, yeah, my [00:13:00] understanding is that’s, that’s what it’s really for, is to provide the certainty. It’s, it’s like a bit outdated to refer to it as a subsidy. Um, ’cause it’s not always a subsidy. Sometimes it’s the opposite. But what’s really needed is like knowing how much you’re gonna get for the product that you are delivering. I think it makes sense. I just think that like if there’s all this, all the changes that are coming down the pipeline for the uk, it’s a little bit difficult to actually pinpoint where that price is gonna be. Like a sweet spot for all parties involved. Um. Which I think is something that we saw on the PPA side a lot in the US a few years ago. Rosemary Barnes: They had issues in the UK as well, like a couple of auctions ago. Um, they set the price way too low and I mean, they were told leading up to it, no one can deliver a project at this cost and then nobody bid. And it was, it was a real shame because, you know, like it set them back on, you know, that there’s no projects entered the pipeline, um, in that year as a result. But it’s also what’s interesting to [00:14:00] me is that it’s a different price for different. Types of project. So, you know, onshore wind has a, a different safety price than a, um, offshore wind. And fixed offshore wind has a very different price from floating offshore. Solar’s different. They also have special, uh, price for tidal energy. And that to me is a really interesting thing because who is looking at the UK’s energy mix and saying, yep, title energy needs to be part of this, and we we’re happy to pay, you know, 2, 3, 4 times whatever it is, more. For that than for offshore wind. It’s, um, that, that’s interesting to me. How, how they’ve come up with, with the Yeah, like how the mix is going to look. I mean, they don’t control it precisely. It’s not like they say we are gonna have exactly this many gigawatts for offshore wind and exactly this many gigawatts for solar farms. But they do have, um, different prices and different technologies that are targeted. Matthew Stead: Seems like it really relates really well to the energy [00:15:00]security as well. You know, an extra eight gigawatt here, extra eight gigawatt there. I mean, that can only help with energy security, which is obviously a massive topic. I’m not sure how the newspapers has been coping in the last week or so in the us but over here it’s all about rationing of fuel. It’s all about queues at the pump. So energy security is, is definitely a huge topic. Rosemary Barnes: You wanna know where there isn’t a queue. In my driveway when I plug my car into the, the outlet in my garage. It’s been a really, really fun time to be a smug EV owner. I’ve been, um, reveling in it. Yeah. Really, really, really enjoying, uh. And Joan, but I also do think like it’s gonna last, like we, because we still talk about the oil crisis in the 1970s, right? Like that, uh, we, uh, people overreacted and then reverted for the most part pretty quickly after that. With Denmark being one exception, they, they went all in on when consistently after that. Um, but [00:16:00] you know, like this, even if it’s only a few weeks long, this little shock is going to. Make people think, okay, oh, I was super worried that I might have to spend 20 minutes refueling on a road trip instead of 10 minutes. Um, but actually remember that time when I couldn’t even get petrol at all and I had to spend yeah, like half an hour lining up because everyone was freaking out and. Uh, I wasn’t sure if I was even gonna be able to get to work the next week because the Australian government only thinks we need 30 days worth of, um, of oil in reserve. Uh, I, I think that it’s, it’s got to help EV sales and then. The EV sales is only one part of it because you need then also, you know, security of electricity generation. And I mean, in Australia we’ve got our own coal, so we’re not, um, probably ever going to be able to not generate electricity. But, um, renewables is a, is a huge part of that as well, being able to, you know, have cheap, cheap electricity all the time. So I, I do think that. It, it’s got to be, you [00:17:00] know, helping some of these technologies move, move ahead a little bit faster now. Matthew Stead: Yeah, and I also heard that, uh, the UK is sort of patting themselves on the bat for, uh, actually, you know, transitioning and, you know, securing their own, um, energy supply and not being as reliant as some other countries on imports of, of energy. Rosemary Barnes: Yeah. I mean, we’ve had so many opportunities to learn that lesson over the last few years. Right. So. Anybody that just, um, relaxes after this and says, yep, okay, we’re all good. To go back to relying a hundred percent on, on gas is, you know, like, really. Really going to big lengths to nod to not futureproof themselves from the next one. I do. Do we could, would anybody believe that this is the last time that we’re gonna see, uh, a shock like this? I mean, it will happen definitely. Again, Matthew Stead: rather embarrassing, but actually currently I own approximately six EVs. Allen Hall: It sounds like a lot. Matthew, Rosemary Barnes: you’ll have people beating down your door. Share. Share the love around. We need, it Allen Hall: should give taxi rides. [00:18:00] Ubers Matthew Stead: in 2026. I wanna sell, I wanna sell three of them. So this is just. I’m just so happy. Rosemary Barnes: So message ’em on LinkedIn if you need an ev. Now we’re running classified ads in the uptime When new podcast Allen Hall: are they? BMW electrified? BMWs Matthew Stead: no one’s. One’s BMW. Um, another one is, uh, Austin 10. From 1947, Allen Hall: this is an ad. Matthew Stead: The other one’s in Nissan Leaf, uh, NISO leaf with about 16,000 Ks on the clock. Rosemary Barnes: But the first two you converted yourself. Matthew Stead: Yeah, Allen Hall: we can reach out to Matthew on LinkedIn and he will sell you an electric vehicle. He’s in Adelaide and there’s plenty of people listening to the podcast in Adelaide and all around Australia. Honestly, he, he will deliver. If asked, so Matthew Stead, S-T-E-A-D on LinkedIn. Matthew Stead: The BMW that I converted is a 2 0 2, um, from 19 in the the seventies. And, uh, actually BMW um, converted the same car to an electric vehicle for the Munich [00:19:00] Olympics. So yeah, all I did was, um, recreated what. BMW had done back in 1972. Allen Hall: Delamination and bottomline. Failures and blades are difficult problems to detect early. These hidden issues can cost you millions in repairs and lost energy production. C-I-C-N-D-T are specialists to detect these critical flaws before they become expensive burdens. Their non-destructive test technology penetrates deep to blade materials to find voids and cracks. Traditional inspections, completely. Miss C-I-C-N-D-T Maps. Every critical defect delivers actionable reports and provides support to get your blades. Back in service, so visit cic ndt.com because catching blade problems early will save you millions. Well, south Korean Drone Company Earth Lab built its vision AI [00:20:00]through wind turbine inspections, and I’ve seen hundreds of those in the states. A $10 million defense export deal in 2025 shifted revenue from 80% inspections to. A much larger defense share. Now they have a, a pretty sizable deal, obviously in the Middle East right now, where they’re using their drone technology to be involved in the defense sector. And North Lab I think got driven to that just because, uh, some of their business in the United States didn’t turn out properly the way they expected it to, although they had. Really great technology. In every conference I would attend with Ner lab, like, uh, and they would explain what they were doing. At one point, they were probably three or four years ahead on the, doing your own drone inspections with the little drone and you just buy their software and it would just, it would go up and take pictures of your wind turbine. Didn’t need a separate [00:21:00] pilot. It, it made all things a lot simpler, but that did never seem to catch on. But the technology is there and North Lab does have good engineering teams to develop drone technology. One of the things about this article, which I, I saw the other day, is that North Labs is thinking about their technology in a broader sense. That they’re not just focused on wind turbine inspections. And we see companies that are only tied to wind quite often. The struggle when wind slows down like it’s doing right now, where an Earth Lab is thinking about the problem a little bit differently and saying, I have this technology. It solves a bunch of problems. Maybe we ought to explore those other problem areas and see if we could generate some revenue. And clearly they have. Is that good advice for the wind industry in terms of technology companies is not to just focus on wind, but to think about solutions for adjacent industries? Does that just broaden the portfolio enough where? It keeps your, [00:22:00] it keeps your company viable for longer periods of time. Matthew Stead: This is a huge topic for us because, um, you know, our technologies can be applied to, you know, rail mining defense, you know, so we’ve, we’ve got sensors which can instrument a whole range of things. Like, you know, we can listen for a conveyor belt when it’s failing. We can measure the ice. On the platform next to a railway line, we can measure ice on an aircraft. Um, you know, with our sensors we can do so much. Um, and um, what we’ve decided is that we need to really conquer. Wind in a nice way, as in, you know, actually help the wind industry first. So we really need to, um, you know, focus there. But, you know, we, we’ve all always been sort of dragged into other industries. Um, but, you know, I think being a technology startup is all about focus. Um, but, you know, revenue is hard. Um, you know, gaining traction is hard. The industry [00:23:00] is hard. Um, so I can see why it might be attractive to, to look at other, other verticals. Um, yeah, so it’s, it’s a, it’s, it’s a reality of a technology startup, unfortunately, that you need to look for other applications for your tech. And, and the other thing is, you know, obviously if we can sell our sensors. Into say, mining or, or rail or whatever. Then it can lower the cost and then, you know, that benefits wind as well. Allen Hall: Well, there’s other technology developments can happen in those other industries you could bring into wind makes both avenues possible. Yeah. A lot of industries are gonna benefit from the technology that has been evolved from wind turbines growth into other industries. But it works both ways and it just adds complexity to the business. But to me it’s complexity you have to take on. Rosemary Barnes: Yeah, I’ve worked with a bunch of startups through my career and I’m trying to think of even one that hasn’t had a defense project at some point. It’s very, very common for development, like, um, [00:24:00]technologies that are in development. Is a very appealing avenue to get funds because, you know, defense spends a lot of, a lot of money on developing new technologies. I’m sure that’s true in every country, not just Australia. Um, and they’re also prepared to, like, if you’ve got a capability that they want, they are like, you don’t, it’s not so commercially cutthroat, you know, like they are prepared to pay a lot for something that, um, has unique capabilities. So I do see that that is incredibly attractive to startups, but I really like what Matt said when he said that as a startup you’ve gotta stay focused because that is what the startups that I have worked with in the past nine, outta 10 of them have done the opposite. They’re just like trying to grab any grant that they think that they could possibly, you know, um, apply for. Then they win it and then now all of a sudden they’ve got a project in a direction that is not. Taking them to their actual business. It’s, you know, it’s not step on the way towards their bus achieving their business goals. Um, and it’s like, [00:25:00] what is the startup for? Are you trying to commercialize a technology or find out if, if it’s not possible and stop? Or are you trying to just keep on working on this as long as possible? And I think that, like, honestly, nine outta 10 of the startups that I’ve worked with, it’s the the latter where they just want to keep on doing cool stuff. Then yeah. Grabbing any, any grant that you can to continue working on that. And a lot of them are defense. Um, makes a lot of sense. But I, I do think that, you know, you’ve got to be goal oriented, keep your eyes on the prize and, um, yeah, like Matt said, say focus if you wanna succeed as a startup, Allen Hall: you think that’s a difference between grants and actual business? I agree with you, Rosemary. When you get hooked into a grant that has a particular outcome and you tend to deviate from what the market. Once, because you’re not listening to the market when you’re going through this grant process, but if you’re in a second business area, it may make sense just because you have a customer, you’re learning from that experience. A lot of things between wind and the other industries are similar in [00:26:00]terms of the way they’re structured, the demands, the expectations, the. It’s, it’s close. Rosemary Barnes: Grants are amazing when it’s the right grant, and you shouldn’t choose a grant for the sake of getting the money. You should choose it because it helps you achieve something that you wanted to achieve anyway. Um, I think that that’s what you’ve gotta, gotta consider. Um, and yeah, definitely don’t turn down free money if it’s available to help you, you know, get to where you need to get, but don’t deviate on. A bunch of side quests just because you can get funding for that. Matthew Stead: I think half the battle is that, uh, half the challenge of commercialization is actually the industry. So half, half the challenge is the technology and r and d and making stuff, but the other half is actually knowing the industry, knowing how to price it, knowing the people, knowing where to sell it, you know, knowing the return on investment. So every time you go into a new market, you might think, oh yeah, I’ll just reapply what I’ve already learned. But that’s, that’s. Definitely not true. So your rail is completely different from [00:27:00] wind. Um, in terms of the actual market, the tech, the tech might be the same, the same for, you know, aerospace. Rosemary Barnes: Yeah. I see that a lot with companies that are trying to take a, a technology that they have from another area and try and bring it into wind. And people are always shocked at. At how different, um, wind energy is. I mean, in terms of the physical operating environment, that’s a, a shock for most companies to start with. It’s like, like in several aspects, it wouldn’t be a more harsh operating environment than, you know, sticking something in or on a wind turbine blade and expecting it to last without maintenance for 20, 30 years. Um, but then also just the way that the, the market works. But it’s interesting that you say 50 50, it’s half about the technology. Do you reckon it’s even half? I, I have come to believe that the technology is like, yeah, like really understanding the problem is and, and knowing that there is a need for a solution. Is the vast majority of the way there, there are so many good engineers in the world that they will find, find the solution if they know exactly what problem they should be solving. [00:28:00] I, I reckon it’s less than 50%. I don’t know about 10%, but, um, certainly I don’t think it’s 50 50. Matthew Stead: Yeah. Maybe it depends on what, what stage of development it is and, you know, what, what maturity level you’re at, perhaps. Rosemary Barnes: Yeah. I mean, your company started. From a, um, you, you didn’t just think, Hey, I want, you know, I know a lot about noise. I wonder what technology I can develop with this. You, you started from, Hey, we’ve got a, a, a problem that, uh, I don’t wanna, you know, um, tell your origin story for you, but you started with a, a problem and a potential solution and then, you know, went from there. Right? So, Matthew Stead: yeah, Bre, you know, I, I think B would be happy for me to say his name, Bre, basically throughout a challenge saying. But, you know, technicians can hear, um, blade damage. So, you know, it should be really simple and easy to make a machine to do the same as what a human can do. Rosemary Barnes: And it was simple and easy, right? Matthew Stead: Ah, yeah. It was so easy. Look, look at all that, all that gray hair. Allen Hall: Well, I think that’s the trouble, right? Is that [00:29:00] if you want to be tied to an industry, hopefully you hit it during a peak time. Because there are ebbs and flows to every economy about every seven years. There’s always something cataclysmic that happens. You just don’t wanna be in that down cycle. You want to be in the upcycle and have something ready to go. When the upcycle hits, you’ll see a lot of businesses do that. In the aerospace, you see it quite a bit that they’ll kind of go dormant and then when they feel like the, the economy is going to boom, they’ll ramp up operations real quick and, and try to make their money while the kidding is good. Then slow it down when it’s not. They have taken a, a more longer term perspective on it. Large businesses can do that. ’cause usually they’re stockpiling cash to, to manage that. Small businesses don’t usually have the cash flow to get over those, uh, lean times. And that’s the trouble. I, I think a lot of companies that I know, in fact. Rosemary and I are working on a project and a couple of names of companies that were in [00:30:00] Wind two, three years ago popped up and I thought they had such great technology and the business model was right. It just hit a rough patch. That’s all it was, and that if you revive that technology a year from now, it would still be applicable. You could still sell that product. It’s just trying to manage the cash flow. It’s hard because I, and back to Rosemary’s point. How much of it is the technology? Uh, and I, I say 10%, and I think that’s roughly right from my experience. A lot of it is everything else. Managing the books, managing your risks, people, uh, all that manufacturing, right, all quality, all every, all that’s involved. And it’s, unless you do it, you don’t realize it. It’s hard to see it unless you’re on the inside. You know, the inside. You think every minute is some other. Major calamity that you have to manage. If you don’t manage it right, you may not make it out the other [00:31:00] side. That’s what small businesses are all about. But it’s, that’s what makes it so hard. Rosemary Barnes: Yeah. I know that at Parlo we’re spending a lot more effort on understanding the problems that people need solved, um, rather than developing solutions, which has been a bit of a tough thing for me to. Kind of, uh, stick to because, uh, you know, I’m an engineer. I’ve developed products my whole career and that I, I love tinkering and, you know, like making things work and doing things that haven’t been done before. But I, I, I do think that there is a real, real need for, um, understanding the problem really well, understanding, um, what solutions are available and, and fitting them together. I think that that is actually a really, um, a, a really needed part of the, you know, the whole wind energy ecosystem. Allen Hall: We had a listener reach out from Japan, Sini Kajima, who was a city counselor in one of the cities, in obviously in Japan, who was a regular listener and. He wrote in [00:32:00] about some of the wind turbine installations that are going on in sort of northern western Japan. They’ve installed some eight megawatt turbines about a mile, 1.6 kilometers offshore, and that’s creating a lot of concern for the local residents there. Those are big turbines, and they’re talking about using 15 megawatt turbines to do something similar and. As, uh, advocate for, uh, the, the city he’s advocating, uh, a 10 kilometer minimum setback in the national diet in Japan. You’re gonna see a lot more of this come up, I think. And the pictures that was sent along with it is pretty, um, eye-opening in that you got this really big turbine, really close to shore. Are we going to put setbacks [00:33:00] in as, uh, a regulation or law in some of these territories, like especially Northern Japan where there is great wind resources, amazing wind resources, but at the same time, there’s a lot of people who live there that will like to have some view of the ocean, not just turbines in the water right off the coastline. This is not just a Japanese problem, but it does seem to be a, a big problem ’cause of the, the way the Continental shelf is around Japan, it drops up pretty quick. Rosemary Barnes: Yeah, exactly. It’s not a specific Japanese problem, and I mean, in most cases there’s development approvals and people have plenty of opportunity to express their displeasure at where turbines are cited. But for Japan, it wouldn’t be as simple as saying, okay, we just increase the offset dis distance by a little bit because you increase the, I’m assuming these turbines are cited already as far out as they can be while still being fixed bottom. And if you wanted to push them further away, then you move to floating and you double or triple the cost, [00:34:00] which Japan is looking into floating offshore wind a lot. Um, but Japan. Has no, has no easy options. I mean, Japan likes electricity as much as every other country does. They don’t want to rely on nuclear as much as they have been, which is, you know, probably, at least to a certain extent, understandable. They don’t have great solar resources. I mean, they have some, um, and they could do more. They don’t have good onshore wind opportunities. They have geothermal potential, but they don’t like that so much because their, um, NAL hot springs are, you know, a very important tourism industry and very important culturally. So they’re worried about doing anything that would mess that up. The offshore wind solution, this particular environment haven’t seen, it doesn’t sound like the best situated project, but take any other option that they’ve got for generating electricity in Japan and it has. Probably equal disadvantages. I just think that they have a, a hard problem and [00:35:00] have to choose which compromise they wanna make. Allen Hall: Mr. Kuma brings up a couple of points here that. There’s about 150 residents that are at risk of insomnia from the wind turbine noise, and they’re concerned about the migratory zones for protected wildlife. In this case, geese about five kilometers offshore. Rosemary Barnes: Then there might be birds that are affected, and if they are, they can use technologies to spot the birds. Stop the turbines. Like there’s, there’s, you know. Dozens of success stories, um, related to birds and wind turbines. That’s, that’s a solved problem. The noise, I mean, how far away are they? Matt’s the noise expert. Like how, how far away from a wind turbine do you have to be before you can even hear it over the wind noise? Matthew Stead: Uh, the wind turbine noise is not gonna be an issue. Allen Hall: So then it comes down to sight lines. And Japan has some of the most beautiful coastline in the world. Rosemary Barnes: I mean, I’m not gonna tell someone that they should, like looking at wind turbines, like I would also rather not look at a wind turbine if I could be looking at an ocean view or a mountain view or whatever. But any energy project would [00:36:00] be nicer if it wasn’t there in the first place. Like, you know, there’s not like a beautiful coal power plant to look at. There’s not a beautiful transmission line to look at. There’s not a beautiful petrol pump, um, to look at. Like, none of none. None of these things are like beautiful technologies that we enjoy interacting with on our daily lives, but we prefer to, you know, have the trade off of having that infrastructure. And trade off for the, the benefits that it brings. And, um, you know, there’s, in that sense, there’s nothing different about renewable energy technologies. It’s different, different trade offs, but they’re always gonna be there. Allen Hall: That wraps up another episode of the Uptime Wind Energy Podcast. If today’s discussion sparked any questions or ideas, we’d love to hear from you. Reach out to us on Linked. And don’t forget to subscribe, so you never miss an episode. And if you’ve found value in today’s conversation, please leave us a review. It really helps other wind energy professionals discover the show for Rosie, Yolanda and Matthew, I’m Alan Hall, and we’ll see you here next week on the Uptime Wind Energy [00:37:00] Podcast.

#166: When a Child Isn't Responding to a Visual Schedule (What to Adjust First)

The Autism Little Learners Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 17, 2026 11:24

What if the reason a visual schedule "isn't working"… isn't because the child can't use visuals. What if the real issue is that one small piece of the system needs adjusting? In this episode, we walk through the most common reasons visual schedules fall apart in classrooms and therapy spaces. From schedule length to symbol clarity to how the schedule is introduced, small adjustments can make a big difference. Instead of abandoning visual schedules altogether, this episode offers a troubleshooting lens. Because when the schedule fits the child's developmental level and nervous system capacity, it becomes a powerful support for transitions, predictability, and independence. In This Episode, You'll Learn • Why children sometimes treat visual schedules like choice boards • How highlighting the "now" activity can reduce confusion and meltdowns • When a schedule may simply be too long for a child's current processing capacity • How to recognize when symbols aren't meaningful yet • Why real photos or functional objects can sometimes work better than clipart • The role of matching symbols to locations to strengthen comprehension • How schedule delivery (bringing the picture vs. walking to the schedule) can change engagement • Why modeling the schedule matters more than quizzing children about it • How nervous system load and transition stress affect how schedules are received • Why visual schedules should be adjusted, not abandoned, when they aren't working Key Takeaways • When a visual schedule isn't working, it's usually a mismatch in design — not a child's inability to use visuals • Grabbing future icons often means a child doesn't yet understand sequence • Shortening a schedule can build comprehension and reduce overwhelm • Symbols must connect to real experiences in order to be meaningful • Matching symbols to destinations helps children understand what visuals represent • The way a schedule is delivered can either reduce or increase transition stress • Visual schedules are environmental supports, not comprehension tests • Adjusting one variable at a time allows you to see what actually helps Small refinements can transform a schedule from something children ignore… into something they rely on. Try This • If a child grabs future icons, highlight the "now" activity with a visual anchor or shorten the schedule • If a child ignores the schedule, try moving to less abstract symbols such as real photos or functional objects • Add matching symbols at activity locations so children can connect the picture to the destination • Experiment with bringing the "next" picture to the child instead of requiring them to walk to the schedule • Model the schedule calmly instead of asking comprehension questions • If transitions feel tense, pause and consider the child's regulation and overall load Sometimes the smallest adjustment can completely change how a visual schedule works. Related Resources & Links Autism Little Learners Membership: www.autismlittlelearners.com/pod Visual Schedules Made Easy Course Visual Schedules: Choosing The Symbols And Length Using A Visual Schedule At Preschool: 3 Types To Promote Independence Visual Supports Coaching Week Visual Supports Starter Set When a visual schedule doesn't work, it doesn't mean anyone failed. It means the system needs refinement. Visual supports are not all-or-nothing tools. They are flexible, adjustable supports designed to meet children where they are developmentally. And when we approach them with curiosity instead of frustration, they often become the predictable, calming support they were meant to be.

child model experiments responding visual adjusting matching symbols grabbing shortening

'Healthier Choices' Are Keeping You Stuck!

The Link Fitness Show

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 17, 2026 20:40

You've been swapping the chips for rice cakes. Grabbing the Chobani Flip instead of the full-sugar yogurt. Choosing the granola bar. Being mindful. Listening to your body.And you still haven't lost the 10 lbs.We're breaking down the three things I hear most from women who are doing "all the right things" and still stuck: intuitive eating, mindful choices, and why tracking feels impossible. Each one sounds totally reasonable. Each one is quietly keeping you exactly where you are.Here's the truth no one wants to say out loud: your body is still running on postpartum hunger cues. Your idea of "mindful" doesn't have a definition. And the reason tracking feels like too much work isn't time — it's that tracking makes it real.If you've been making healthier choices for months and nothing has changed, this episode is the conversation you didn't know you needed.In this episode:Why "healthier choices" is a feeling, not a strategy and the difference matters more than you thinkThe postpartum hunger cue problem no one talks about (your body didn't get the memo that you stopped nursing)What "mindful eating" actually means vs. how most of us are using itThe real reason tracking feels hard (hint: it's not time)What an actual plan looks like and why it doesn't have to be foreverResources + Links:DM me WAITLIST on IG to join the Waitlist for the surprise offer coming soon!Follow on Instagram: @_linkfitnessFollow on TikTok: @_linkfitness

tiktok stuck choices waitlist itthe grabbing

Fancy Tickling & Attention Grabbing Wines on Good Morning Portugal! Bring yours, check out ours!!

Good Morning Portugal!

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 14, 2026 86:27 Transcription Available

Whether it's the label, price or something you've ot tried before (until now), grab it and bring it along to taste and share with the Good Mornng Portugal! Wine Club and its legendary Portuguese wine-loving Ninjas!Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-good-morning-portugal-podcast-with-carl-munson--2903992/support."The one you're thinking of is Good Morning Portugal! hosted by Carl Munson. It's an English-language live show/podcast aimed at expats (especially 50+ folks) settling into or loving life in Portugal. It's streamed live on YouTube weekdays around 8-9 AM (often with a cheerful Olá Bom Dia ALEGRIA! vibe), covering news, weather, culture, wellbeing, property tips, moving advice, and fun chats. Carl helps people buy, rent, or scout homes—contact him at +351 913 590 303 or carl@carlmunson.com if you need that. You can catch full episodes on YouTube (channel: Good Morning Portugal!), as a podcast on Spotify/Apple, and join the free Portugal Club community at theportugalclub.com for more support and connection. It's super positive, community-focused, and still going strong in 2026!" - Grok

english club wine attention portugal ninjas portuguese good morning tasting grok grabbing tickling portugese spotify apple wine club carl munson

Helping Her Make A Sex Toy Review

SteamyStory

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 9, 2026

He agrees to be her focus group for demoing toys in the adult toy store.By Norweger. Listen to the ►Podcast at Steamy Stories.Can I help you?I glanced aside from the colourful products on display right in front of me, blushing mildly. The shopkeeper had done the rounds, and I, being lost in thought in front of the Toys; male, solo shelf hadn t noticed her approaching. Well, I could hardly deny I was thinking of buying a Fleshlight, as I held one; well, a securely wrapped one, luckily; in my hands as I met her friendly gaze.I, ah Fuck. Going to an adult toy shop shouldn t be embarrassing, should it? My cheeks and earlobes grew pretty pink. Well, I m just browsing, to be honest, IShe nodded. ‘Those are real good, by the way. She giggled. Well, good quality. Easy to keep clean. Rugged. For obvious reasons, I haven t taken one for a test drive myself.I chuckled, feeling my awkwardness recede a bit. That s one way of putting it. For obvious reasons I thought before answering Well, I could hardly expect you to have, could I? That being said, shops like this are quite particular, no? Normally, asking the shopkeeper for recommendations and whether she d used the product herself would be reasonable, but here, I guess it would get me me-too d right away? How do you actually reply if someone holds up something and asks, well, is this one any good?I smiled weakly while feeling my cheeks getting rosier again, hoping I hadn t overstepped any bounds. I got a chuckle for my trouble. Well, please try to keep the exciting images out of your mind, but to tell you the truth, we do test quite a lot of the stuff we sell.She blushed a little, herself. Well, we must buy them, of course, though at a steep discount. She turned her gaze down as the sentence trailed off, giving me a chance to look her over without being too obvious about it as the images she d been warning me about started to manifest themselves to my inner eye. I guessed she could be in her early thirties, a few years younger than me. Quite cute, slender, narrow hips, a loose-fitting, turquoise sweater doing its best to hide her ample bosom I d already undressed her in my mind, trying to imagine her testing the huge dildos in the glass display cabinet right behind her.Oh no, I hadn t been blushing earlier. Now; NOW I was blushing.She lifted her gaze again and giggled. Let me guess. Exciting images?I could hardly deny it, and she could hardly take affront, either. I turned my own gaze down, intensely studying my rather rumpled leather boots. There was no way in hell I d be able to meet her stare while saying it. Oh, guilty as charged. I made a helpless gesture with my arm towards the toys on display I imagined both this and that, I ll admit.Well, there s a reason we don t have fitting rooms, you know! Her giggle turned to a quick laugh which she stifled as quickly. I felt my mood rise just by hearing it; it had a chirping quality, sounded almost like a bird s cry. In improving spirits; and, frankly, quite turned on; this young, cute woman had more or less told me that she test ran a lot of the toys in the store. Now my eyes wandered around the room, desperate not to meet her stare, while every time I saw something titillating I imagined her using it on herself. Not that there was anything extraordinary about a woman in her thirties enjoying herself, but the mere thought, as she was standing two feet away from me Fuck. I was rock hard. I hoped it wasn t too obvious.Here goes nothing. Had I first said A, I might as well say B, too. I felt a bit braver, thinking we could spin a bit on this, while still keeping it innocent. She looked amused, too. That s kind of unfair, though, isn t it? Any woman walking into this store can get, ah, expert advice, whereas I, as a man, will have to take your word for it Oh, this one is good; I haven t tried it, but it is good, believe me!She laughed. Loud. I swear to all that s holy, had we ever had a male shop assistant here, he d be loaded down with all the male solo toys we could muster and be told to test the hell out of them; and take notes while he was at it! She turned serious. Wouldn t do you much good, though; I d be most surprised if there s even a single man in town who d casually ask another if that sex toy of his was any good or not.I d have to give her that. Chitchatting about sex did come a lot easier when I did it with a woman.Just that. There s a reason we re all women working here, she smiled. Women sell better to both men and women than, say, a fifty-something, balding, pudgy male in a soiled T-shirt and sweat pants. She chuckled. Beg your pardon for letting my prejudices shine through, by the way.I laughed out loud again, realizing I was getting close to asking her what she did once she d closed shop; she had, in a few minutes since I d become aware she even existed, shown herself to be one of those all too rare people who could get me in a good mood simply by being there; and that she could quip about sex and seemingly be at ease was an added bonus. Plus, of course, she was incredibly cute. I caught the warm, brown eyes peering out under her unruly mop of reddish hair, trying to come up with a suitable response before the silence became awkward or she trotted on through the shop, ending our moment.She glanced down at her watch, and my heart sank like a stone; opportunity wasted, I thought; until I heard what she had to say.Look Now I want you to be real careful; not getting the wrong idea as to what I am suggesting, okay? You are not going to have sex with me, capisce? Well, she had my full and undivided attention, even if I wouldn t get to sleep with her. I nodded, firmly. No fucking her. OK.I m about to close shop, now. If you, ahem, would like to test the fleshlight before you buy it, you can do so, okay? But, you re going to have to buy it afterwards, obviously. The lube is on the house.I gawked at her. Wow. I nodded, numbly. This couldn t be, could it? But I wouldn t want to miss this for the world. I nodded again, vigorously. She smiled a quick smile, then went to the entrance to lock the doors, glancing over her shoulder at me as she did so, throwing me another smile.Returning, she grabbed a bottle of lube from a shelf, and motioned for me to follow her as she walked past. As if I needed any prodding. It d probably be best to use our office, rather than have you go at it here under the bright lights, she suggested softly. I just shrugged. I d follow her anywhere. My cock was rather a simpleton.As we exited a door with a 'staff only sign at the back of the shop, we entered the kind of storeroom you ll find somewhere in any shop in the world; shelves stocked with all kinds of goods, except Well, these goods were very much adult toys. Darting past a crate packed to the gunwales with inflatable dolls; inflated!, she giggled Meet last year s Christmas decorations; we couldn t sell them, but neither could we bring ourselves to throw them away I shook my head, dumbfounded.She nodded towards a green door near the corner of the storeroom That s where you ll get to find out if the fleshlight is any goodShe opened the door, hinges groaning. I ve been meaning to grease those for ages, wonder if I can use this lube? she mused as we entered a small-ish, run-down office. Lots of papers were covering just about any horizontal surface; a desk with a computer and a phone on it and a small coffee table in front of a battered old sofa tucked into a corner; piles of merchandise along the far wall.Nodding towards the sofa, she suggested I take a seat before seating herself on the office chair by the desk. I hope you don t mind me watching. After all, I have a certain, um, professional interest in seeing how you get along with it, you know. , throwing me another smile; a warm, seemingly genuine one. She didn t appear to be wholly untouched, herself.I fumbled with the packaging. What sadist had invented welded plastic? Probably a good thing when it came to protecting sex toys on display, but when you were about to unwrap it to try it out? Not so much. My audience reached for a pair of scissors and motioned for me to lob her the fleshlight. You get out of your jeans, I ll get this out, OK? she suggested. I nodded, still not trusting my voice to bear.I hardly needed any more encouragement. I tugged at my belt, seconds later dropping my jeans to the floor, stepping out of them. My briefs were unceremoniously shoved down my thighs, and as I rose again, my almost painfully erect cock pointed arrogantly at the ceiling, the shopkeeper raising her eyebrows a little and giggling softly as she took the sight in while cutting open the packaging separating me from instant bliss.With a satisfied Hah! Finally! she pulled the fleshlight from its by now shredded plastic cover and reached over to hand it to me. I shamelessly ogled her cleavage before reverting to holding her gaze. As I said, this is good shit. You won t be able to destroy this one during normal use She proceeded to explain how important it was to clean it after use, stressing that they had both suitable toy cleaner and disinfectant in the store. Most gentle for the silicone, that stuff; unlike the dish soap most people tend to useHer sentence trailed off, apparently she got struck by the same thing I had; that this was an absurd time to discuss maintenance. My apologies, I got a bit carried away. Here.Accepting the toy, I glanced over at the bottle of lube perched on the edge of her desk. Turning around, she reached the bottle and spun back to present it to me. There you go, put lots in the fleshlight, some around the entrance and a little on your johnson, and you re good to go.Nodding, I did as she had suggested; an ample spurt of lube into the pale, pink thingy, then a little around the sculpted pussy lips. Bah, in a way it would have been better if they hadn t tried so hard to make it look like the real thing. Seeing as you wanted my observations, I think it would have been better if it was just an opening, not modeled to look like a real pussy; you know, no matter how good this may turn out to be, it can t possibly compare to the real thingDoh, she exclaimed as she rolled her eyes. I should have mentioned that, there s a neutral version, too; and, believe it or not, a few which are supposedly modeled after famous porn stars pussies, whether you believe it or not. Anyway, they probably all feel the same; just look at something, anything else while you re using it.I d be lying if I claimed I thought it would matter much what it looked like once it was wrapped around me. Squirting a wee bit of lube in the palm of my hand, I stroked myself a couple of times, ensuring I got some on the purplish, swollen head, too; unless I slipped in unhindered, I d be sore afterwards, of that I was certain.Positioning the fleshlight against the glans, I looked over at the shopkeeper. She stared back, eagerly anticipating my next move; not that she d have to be a rocket scientist to figure out what that would be. Gently pressing the fleshlight towards me, I slid into my first silicone pussy. It was just tight enough to feel natural-ish, I d hand the designers that; but it felt rather cold and, well, dead.What s it like? she asked, voice quivering slightly. Oh, not too bad, I replied Though it does feel a bit cold and. ah, dead, if I may say so at the moment, but that should improve shortly Giving it a couple of strokes, I could already feel it begin to warm up.She raised her stare from my fleshlight-wrapped member to meet mine. Fuck me, I really am not doing my job properly, now; I just remembered that the manufacturer recommend that you put it in warm water for a few minutes before use, precisely to avoid that corpse bride-feeling. My apologies.I nodded. That d probably do the trick, I m sure. However ; I let it slide back and forth a few times, feeling the soft silicone caress my oh-so-erect cock; it does feel really good, don t get me wrong; and it keeps getting warmer by the second!Having said that, I stroked myself in silence for a few moments, slowly, deliberately; pulling it off me until my cock emerged from it, exposing the swollen, lube-glistening head for my very attentive audience, then shoving myself into it again. Oh yes, it felt better and better. While no one would ever mistake it for the real thing; well, no one who had ever had the good fortune to have the real thing wrapped around oneself, anyway; it definitely felt good, much better than a simple handjob.It keeps getting better, I grunted. Would work better still if one could take it out of the casing, though; you know, to adjust the pressure, using it as a sleeve over my cock; would feel more alive, then.She nodded. I ll keep that in mind, in case someone asks. I believe you can take it out for cleaning, by the way; so you could probably, um, go au-naturel on it, if that s your preference. ; before again staring at my cock sliding in and out of the toy, mesmerised.I felt like I was being on display; quite naturally, seeing as that was just what I was; but caught myself enjoying it. My audience was really cute and sexy as hell; well, truth be told, I d probably find even Margaret Thatcher hot as fuck if she had stared at my masturbating with that sultry look my watcher now sent me; but I digress. I was turned on, way beyond what I would have been had I been doing the deed at home, alone.I coughed softly, then slowing the pace a bit as I caught her stare again. Uh, I know there won t be any actual sex, that s not what I m fishing for now, but Would you mind, ah, could I Well, have a little glimpse of your charms? Some bare skin? Just to help me over the edge? I must have looked like a pleading puppy, as she burst into laughter, luckily a good-natured one.After first shaking her head, she apparently had second thoughts and nodded. I swallowed. This intensely erotic moment was about to become even hotter. Grabbing the hem of her sweater, she pulled it over her head and revealed a black, low-cut bra and ample cleavage. Lovely, pillowy, full breasts. My pace picked up.Don t you think about touching me, don t even reach for me, OK? she said, sternly. I nodded, hoping I looked like I d be true to my word. God knows how reliable one looks when masturbating to the sight of the girl asking you to keep your hands off her.She apparently found my promise good enough, and, after reaching behind her back for a second, the bra fell into her lap and her breasts swung free. I swallowed again, almost in disbelief. They were really beautiful; round, full and pillowy, large, but not so large as to be saggy; they proudly stood form her chest, slightly pear-shaped, milky white and crowned by the largest, weakly drawn areolas I d ever seen, pale pink, crested with nipples looking as if you d be able to cut glass with them, so hard were they.She was amazing, and I wasted no time telling her so as my cock hardened further still inside the silicone wrapper I was now doing my best to fuck the daylights out of while keeping my eyes locked on the shopkeeper, occasionally falling to her wonderful breasts, but mostly maintaining eye contact.She leant back in her chair, her breasts gently parting. My turn to be mesmerised. I could already feel the familiar tingling telling me my strokes were numbered and my orgasm forthcoming; I d be done for shortly.The fleshlight was now at body temperature, and felt much, much more lifelike, albeit still no match for a woman, I grunted through clenched teeth no muscles milking me, no body thrust against mine, no hands feverishly stroking over my back, hugging me close as orgasm approaches; but it does feel pretty pretty damned good!Nodding absentmindedly, she stroked a hand over her right breast, cupping it, then pinching her nipple between her thumb and index finger, moaning softly.I m about to cum, I grunted, snapping her back to reality. Oh, please do it in that one, huh? , she nodded to an empty mug on the table between us. I want to see you cum. I nodded, feverishly working my cock with the latest addition to my meagre sex toy collection. Lean forward, please , I snapped I want to see those lovely tits swaying under youLaughingly, she obliged, leaning forward, then rocking side to side. Like this, huh? she teased, smiling warmly at me as the heavy globes swayed back and forth under her.Yes. Just like that. There was no use trying to hold back. Two more strokes, and I could feel my orgasm erupting, a tad before I d expected it to. And here I was, figuring I had it under controlI jerked the fleshlight off my cock, throwing it on the floor, sending spurt after spurt of cum over the table, grasping for the mug, missing, shooting another spurt halfway across the room towards her; at least it felt like it; before finally grabbing the mug and shooting the last, feeble spurt into it. I felt my earlobes glow with embarrassment as I came in for landing after the massive orgasm, only to see the mess I d made; cum streaks over invoices, a pack of cigarettes, the table itself, a lighterMy companion laughed, totally losing it in a fit of laughter, her breasts jiggling as she shook You should ve seen yourself!!! , she eventually gasped, regaining some control over herself. It was the most absurd sight I ve ever seen, so incredibly hot, you in the midst of such an orgasm, frantically trying to grab my old mugI joined her, a bit hesitantly at first. It had indeed been comedy hour. I hoped there wasn t a surveillance camera here, for if it did, I d be bound to find myself on some amateur blooper reel shortly.Never mind, though, she giggled. I ll get that cleaned up in no time. Without getting her sweater back on, she left the room. Seconds later I heard the tell-tale sound of water pouring from a faucet and paper being torn from a roll. She returned, hand full of tissue paper, and handed me some. Here, clean yourself up; then I ll show you how to clean your latest conquest afterwards.She leaned in over the table and cleaned up any trace of my little indiscretion. I really had to fight the urge to reach out and touch the lovely form right in front of my eyes; but managed. I d promised, after all; and I d had a wonderful experience, I wouldn t want to ruin it by doing anything which might scare or offend her in any way. I leaned back in the sofa while cleaning most of the lube off my semi-erect cock, softly caressing it as I stared hungrily at her, finishing up the table.I followed her to the cupboard next to the office; standing close to her; still dressed like Venus of Milo, only with arms; in the tiny room, I could feel the warmth of her body against mine as she fumbled the fleshlight open, taking out the silicone innards. Just hold it under lukewarm water, first, to get rid of your cum and the lube, then wipe it clean with a little bit of the toy cleaner I ll give you when we re back in the shop and it ll be ready for its next outing.She glanced up at me, noting my attention was on her, rather than on the most useful instructions she were supplying. Better leave it outside its sheath overnight to allow it to dry properly, she said. Well, unless you find you prefer to use just the inner sleeve, of course. Quick smile.With that, she handed the toy back to me. Just head back out in the shop, you. I ll be with you in a minute, just need to get dressed. I was treated to a smile too cute to be believed, and I was bright enough not to overstay my welcome by asking for just a few more glimpses of her.I threw a last, longing glance at her beautiful, curvy shape, met her gaze; a rather lustful one at that!; and smiled at her. I ll do some window shopping, then, see if I find more playthings catching my fancy. I then turned and briskly headed back into the shop, again passing the surreal pile of inflatable dolls, one still sporting a santa s cap.She sure took her time getting dressed; I imagined she d figured she needed

Helping Her Make A Sex Toy Review

Steamy Stories Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 9, 2026

He agrees to be her focus group for demoing toys in the adult toy store.By Norweger. Listen to the ►Podcast at Steamy Stories.Can I help you?I glanced aside from the colourful products on display right in front of me, blushing mildly. The shopkeeper had done the rounds, and I, being lost in thought in front of the Toys; male, solo shelf hadn t noticed her approaching. Well, I could hardly deny I was thinking of buying a Fleshlight, as I held one; well, a securely wrapped one, luckily; in my hands as I met her friendly gaze.I, ah Fuck. Going to an adult toy shop shouldn t be embarrassing, should it? My cheeks and earlobes grew pretty pink. Well, I m just browsing, to be honest, IShe nodded. ‘Those are real good, by the way. She giggled. Well, good quality. Easy to keep clean. Rugged. For obvious reasons, I haven t taken one for a test drive myself.I chuckled, feeling my awkwardness recede a bit. That s one way of putting it. For obvious reasons I thought before answering Well, I could hardly expect you to have, could I? That being said, shops like this are quite particular, no? Normally, asking the shopkeeper for recommendations and whether she d used the product herself would be reasonable, but here, I guess it would get me me-too d right away? How do you actually reply if someone holds up something and asks, well, is this one any good?I smiled weakly while feeling my cheeks getting rosier again, hoping I hadn t overstepped any bounds. I got a chuckle for my trouble. Well, please try to keep the exciting images out of your mind, but to tell you the truth, we do test quite a lot of the stuff we sell.She blushed a little, herself. Well, we must buy them, of course, though at a steep discount. She turned her gaze down as the sentence trailed off, giving me a chance to look her over without being too obvious about it as the images she d been warning me about started to manifest themselves to my inner eye. I guessed she could be in her early thirties, a few years younger than me. Quite cute, slender, narrow hips, a loose-fitting, turquoise sweater doing its best to hide her ample bosom I d already undressed her in my mind, trying to imagine her testing the huge dildos in the glass display cabinet right behind her.Oh no, I hadn t been blushing earlier. Now; NOW I was blushing.She lifted her gaze again and giggled. Let me guess. Exciting images?I could hardly deny it, and she could hardly take affront, either. I turned my own gaze down, intensely studying my rather rumpled leather boots. There was no way in hell I d be able to meet her stare while saying it. Oh, guilty as charged. I made a helpless gesture with my arm towards the toys on display I imagined both this and that, I ll admit.Well, there s a reason we don t have fitting rooms, you know! Her giggle turned to a quick laugh which she stifled as quickly. I felt my mood rise just by hearing it; it had a chirping quality, sounded almost like a bird s cry. In improving spirits; and, frankly, quite turned on; this young, cute woman had more or less told me that she test ran a lot of the toys in the store. Now my eyes wandered around the room, desperate not to meet her stare, while every time I saw something titillating I imagined her using it on herself. Not that there was anything extraordinary about a woman in her thirties enjoying herself, but the mere thought, as she was standing two feet away from me Fuck. I was rock hard. I hoped it wasn t too obvious.Here goes nothing. Had I first said A, I might as well say B, too. I felt a bit braver, thinking we could spin a bit on this, while still keeping it innocent. She looked amused, too. That s kind of unfair, though, isn t it? Any woman walking into this store can get, ah, expert advice, whereas I, as a man, will have to take your word for it Oh, this one is good; I haven t tried it, but it is good, believe me!She laughed. Loud. I swear to all that s holy, had we ever had a male shop assistant here, he d be loaded down with all the male solo toys we could muster and be told to test the hell out of them; and take notes while he was at it! She turned serious. Wouldn t do you much good, though; I d be most surprised if there s even a single man in town who d casually ask another if that sex toy of his was any good or not.I d have to give her that. Chitchatting about sex did come a lot easier when I did it with a woman.Just that. There s a reason we re all women working here, she smiled. Women sell better to both men and women than, say, a fifty-something, balding, pudgy male in a soiled T-shirt and sweat pants. She chuckled. Beg your pardon for letting my prejudices shine through, by the way.I laughed out loud again, realizing I was getting close to asking her what she did once she d closed shop; she had, in a few minutes since I d become aware she even existed, shown herself to be one of those all too rare people who could get me in a good mood simply by being there; and that she could quip about sex and seemingly be at ease was an added bonus. Plus, of course, she was incredibly cute. I caught the warm, brown eyes peering out under her unruly mop of reddish hair, trying to come up with a suitable response before the silence became awkward or she trotted on through the shop, ending our moment.She glanced down at her watch, and my heart sank like a stone; opportunity wasted, I thought; until I heard what she had to say.Look Now I want you to be real careful; not getting the wrong idea as to what I am suggesting, okay? You are not going to have sex with me, capisce? Well, she had my full and undivided attention, even if I wouldn t get to sleep with her. I nodded, firmly. No fucking her. OK.I m about to close shop, now. If you, ahem, would like to test the fleshlight before you buy it, you can do so, okay? But, you re going to have to buy it afterwards, obviously. The lube is on the house.I gawked at her. Wow. I nodded, numbly. This couldn t be, could it? But I wouldn t want to miss this for the world. I nodded again, vigorously. She smiled a quick smile, then went to the entrance to lock the doors, glancing over her shoulder at me as she did so, throwing me another smile.Returning, she grabbed a bottle of lube from a shelf, and motioned for me to follow her as she walked past. As if I needed any prodding. It d probably be best to use our office, rather than have you go at it here under the bright lights, she suggested softly. I just shrugged. I d follow her anywhere. My cock was rather a simpleton.As we exited a door with a 'staff only sign at the back of the shop, we entered the kind of storeroom you ll find somewhere in any shop in the world; shelves stocked with all kinds of goods, except Well, these goods were very much adult toys. Darting past a crate packed to the gunwales with inflatable dolls; inflated!, she giggled Meet last year s Christmas decorations; we couldn t sell them, but neither could we bring ourselves to throw them away I shook my head, dumbfounded.She nodded towards a green door near the corner of the storeroom That s where you ll get to find out if the fleshlight is any goodShe opened the door, hinges groaning. I ve been meaning to grease those for ages, wonder if I can use this lube? she mused as we entered a small-ish, run-down office. Lots of papers were covering just about any horizontal surface; a desk with a computer and a phone on it and a small coffee table in front of a battered old sofa tucked into a corner; piles of merchandise along the far wall.Nodding towards the sofa, she suggested I take a seat before seating herself on the office chair by the desk. I hope you don t mind me watching. After all, I have a certain, um, professional interest in seeing how you get along with it, you know. , throwing me another smile; a warm, seemingly genuine one. She didn t appear to be wholly untouched, herself.I fumbled with the packaging. What sadist had invented welded plastic? Probably a good thing when it came to protecting sex toys on display, but when you were about to unwrap it to try it out? Not so much. My audience reached for a pair of scissors and motioned for me to lob her the fleshlight. You get out of your jeans, I ll get this out, OK? she suggested. I nodded, still not trusting my voice to bear.I hardly needed any more encouragement. I tugged at my belt, seconds later dropping my jeans to the floor, stepping out of them. My briefs were unceremoniously shoved down my thighs, and as I rose again, my almost painfully erect cock pointed arrogantly at the ceiling, the shopkeeper raising her eyebrows a little and giggling softly as she took the sight in while cutting open the packaging separating me from instant bliss.With a satisfied Hah! Finally! she pulled the fleshlight from its by now shredded plastic cover and reached over to hand it to me. I shamelessly ogled her cleavage before reverting to holding her gaze. As I said, this is good shit. You won t be able to destroy this one during normal use She proceeded to explain how important it was to clean it after use, stressing that they had both suitable toy cleaner and disinfectant in the store. Most gentle for the silicone, that stuff; unlike the dish soap most people tend to useHer sentence trailed off, apparently she got struck by the same thing I had; that this was an absurd time to discuss maintenance. My apologies, I got a bit carried away. Here.Accepting the toy, I glanced over at the bottle of lube perched on the edge of her desk. Turning around, she reached the bottle and spun back to present it to me. There you go, put lots in the fleshlight, some around the entrance and a little on your johnson, and you re good to go.Nodding, I did as she had suggested; an ample spurt of lube into the pale, pink thingy, then a little around the sculpted pussy lips. Bah, in a way it would have been better if they hadn t tried so hard to make it look like the real thing. Seeing as you wanted my observations, I think it would have been better if it was just an opening, not modeled to look like a real pussy; you know, no matter how good this may turn out to be, it can t possibly compare to the real thingDoh, she exclaimed as she rolled her eyes. I should have mentioned that, there s a neutral version, too; and, believe it or not, a few which are supposedly modeled after famous porn stars pussies, whether you believe it or not. Anyway, they probably all feel the same; just look at something, anything else while you re using it.I d be lying if I claimed I thought it would matter much what it looked like once it was wrapped around me. Squirting a wee bit of lube in the palm of my hand, I stroked myself a couple of times, ensuring I got some on the purplish, swollen head, too; unless I slipped in unhindered, I d be sore afterwards, of that I was certain.Positioning the fleshlight against the glans, I looked over at the shopkeeper. She stared back, eagerly anticipating my next move; not that she d have to be a rocket scientist to figure out what that would be. Gently pressing the fleshlight towards me, I slid into my first silicone pussy. It was just tight enough to feel natural-ish, I d hand the designers that; but it felt rather cold and, well, dead.What s it like? she asked, voice quivering slightly. Oh, not too bad, I replied Though it does feel a bit cold and. ah, dead, if I may say so at the moment, but that should improve shortly Giving it a couple of strokes, I could already feel it begin to warm up.She raised her stare from my fleshlight-wrapped member to meet mine. Fuck me, I really am not doing my job properly, now; I just remembered that the manufacturer recommend that you put it in warm water for a few minutes before use, precisely to avoid that corpse bride-feeling. My apologies.I nodded. That d probably do the trick, I m sure. However ; I let it slide back and forth a few times, feeling the soft silicone caress my oh-so-erect cock; it does feel really good, don t get me wrong; and it keeps getting warmer by the second!Having said that, I stroked myself in silence for a few moments, slowly, deliberately; pulling it off me until my cock emerged from it, exposing the swollen, lube-glistening head for my very attentive audience, then shoving myself into it again. Oh yes, it felt better and better. While no one would ever mistake it for the real thing; well, no one who had ever had the good fortune to have the real thing wrapped around oneself, anyway; it definitely felt good, much better than a simple handjob.It keeps getting better, I grunted. Would work better still if one could take it out of the casing, though; you know, to adjust the pressure, using it as a sleeve over my cock; would feel more alive, then.She nodded. I ll keep that in mind, in case someone asks. I believe you can take it out for cleaning, by the way; so you could probably, um, go au-naturel on it, if that s your preference. ; before again staring at my cock sliding in and out of the toy, mesmerised.I felt like I was being on display; quite naturally, seeing as that was just what I was; but caught myself enjoying it. My audience was really cute and sexy as hell; well, truth be told, I d probably find even Margaret Thatcher hot as fuck if she had stared at my masturbating with that sultry look my watcher now sent me; but I digress. I was turned on, way beyond what I would have been had I been doing the deed at home, alone.I coughed softly, then slowing the pace a bit as I caught her stare again. Uh, I know there won t be any actual sex, that s not what I m fishing for now, but Would you mind, ah, could I Well, have a little glimpse of your charms? Some bare skin? Just to help me over the edge? I must have looked like a pleading puppy, as she burst into laughter, luckily a good-natured one.After first shaking her head, she apparently had second thoughts and nodded. I swallowed. This intensely erotic moment was about to become even hotter. Grabbing the hem of her sweater, she pulled it over her head and revealed a black, low-cut bra and ample cleavage. Lovely, pillowy, full breasts. My pace picked up.Don t you think about touching me, don t even reach for me, OK? she said, sternly. I nodded, hoping I looked like I d be true to my word. God knows how reliable one looks when masturbating to the sight of the girl asking you to keep your hands off her.She apparently found my promise good enough, and, after reaching behind her back for a second, the bra fell into her lap and her breasts swung free. I swallowed again, almost in disbelief. They were really beautiful; round, full and pillowy, large, but not so large as to be saggy; they proudly stood form her chest, slightly pear-shaped, milky white and crowned by the largest, weakly drawn areolas I d ever seen, pale pink, crested with nipples looking as if you d be able to cut glass with them, so hard were they.She was amazing, and I wasted no time telling her so as my cock hardened further still inside the silicone wrapper I was now doing my best to fuck the daylights out of while keeping my eyes locked on the shopkeeper, occasionally falling to her wonderful breasts, but mostly maintaining eye contact.She leant back in her chair, her breasts gently parting. My turn to be mesmerised. I could already feel the familiar tingling telling me my strokes were numbered and my orgasm forthcoming; I d be done for shortly.The fleshlight was now at body temperature, and felt much, much more lifelike, albeit still no match for a woman, I grunted through clenched teeth no muscles milking me, no body thrust against mine, no hands feverishly stroking over my back, hugging me close as orgasm approaches; but it does feel pretty pretty damned good!Nodding absentmindedly, she stroked a hand over her right breast, cupping it, then pinching her nipple between her thumb and index finger, moaning softly.I m about to cum, I grunted, snapping her back to reality. Oh, please do it in that one, huh? , she nodded to an empty mug on the table between us. I want to see you cum. I nodded, feverishly working my cock with the latest addition to my meagre sex toy collection. Lean forward, please , I snapped I want to see those lovely tits swaying under youLaughingly, she obliged, leaning forward, then rocking side to side. Like this, huh? she teased, smiling warmly at me as the heavy globes swayed back and forth under her.Yes. Just like that. There was no use trying to hold back. Two more strokes, and I could feel my orgasm erupting, a tad before I d expected it to. And here I was, figuring I had it under controlI jerked the fleshlight off my cock, throwing it on the floor, sending spurt after spurt of cum over the table, grasping for the mug, missing, shooting another spurt halfway across the room towards her; at least it felt like it; before finally grabbing the mug and shooting the last, feeble spurt into it. I felt my earlobes glow with embarrassment as I came in for landing after the massive orgasm, only to see the mess I d made; cum streaks over invoices, a pack of cigarettes, the table itself, a lighterMy companion laughed, totally losing it in a fit of laughter, her breasts jiggling as she shook You should ve seen yourself!!! , she eventually gasped, regaining some control over herself. It was the most absurd sight I ve ever seen, so incredibly hot, you in the midst of such an orgasm, frantically trying to grab my old mugI joined her, a bit hesitantly at first. It had indeed been comedy hour. I hoped there wasn t a surveillance camera here, for if it did, I d be bound to find myself on some amateur blooper reel shortly.Never mind, though, she giggled. I ll get that cleaned up in no time. Without getting her sweater back on, she left the room. Seconds later I heard the tell-tale sound of water pouring from a faucet and paper being torn from a roll. She returned, hand full of tissue paper, and handed me some. Here, clean yourself up; then I ll show you how to clean your latest conquest afterwards.She leaned in over the table and cleaned up any trace of my little indiscretion. I really had to fight the urge to reach out and touch the lovely form right in front of my eyes; but managed. I d promised, after all; and I d had a wonderful experience, I wouldn t want to ruin it by doing anything which might scare or offend her in any way. I leaned back in the sofa while cleaning most of the lube off my semi-erect cock, softly caressing it as I stared hungrily at her, finishing up the table.I followed her to the cupboard next to the office; standing close to her; still dressed like Venus of Milo, only with arms; in the tiny room, I could feel the warmth of her body against mine as she fumbled the fleshlight open, taking out the silicone innards. Just hold it under lukewarm water, first, to get rid of your cum and the lube, then wipe it clean with a little bit of the toy cleaner I ll give you when we re back in the shop and it ll be ready for its next outing.She glanced up at me, noting my attention was on her, rather than on the most useful instructions she were supplying. Better leave it outside its sheath overnight to allow it to dry properly, she said. Well, unless you find you prefer to use just the inner sleeve, of course. Quick smile.With that, she handed the toy back to me. Just head back out in the shop, you. I ll be with you in a minute, just need to get dressed. I was treated to a smile too cute to be believed, and I was bright enough not to overstay my welcome by asking for just a few more glimpses of her.I threw a last, longing glance at her beautiful, curvy shape, met her gaze; a rather lustful one at that!; and smiled at her. I ll do some window shopping, then, see if I find more playthings catching my fancy. I then turned and briskly headed back into the shop, again passing the surreal pile of inflatable dolls, one still sporting a santa s cap.She sure took her time getting dressed; I imagined she d figured she needed

O'Brien & Doug Ep280 [March 5, 2026 Grabbing at Straws]

O'Brien & Doug

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 5, 2026 86:21

Send a textOn this episode we explain why we unexpectedly took a week off. We discuss which was better, the cover or the original…we talk rock hall nominees, play “Poorly Explained Movies”, MixTape, and we climb the Wall of Tunes for one of O'Brien's Desert Island Albums from a guy who used to get mistaken for the Boss. #rrhof #rickspringfieldhttps://www.facebook.com/obrienanddoug/ https://instagram.com/obrien_and_doug

boss wall mixtape brien tunes grabbing straws

Fire Horse Energy: Grabbing the Reins of March Magic

Grit and Grace

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 1, 2026 28:52

Galloping into the FireBuckle up! The Year of the Fire Horse isn't just knocking at the door—it's kicking it down with golden hooves. In this episode, Tahverlee helps you grab the reins of this fierce, fast-moving energy before it leaves you in the stardust.If you've felt a wild itch for change, that's the March awakening calling your soul to play. We're moving past the "same old, same old" rituals and diving deep into the celestial fire.✨ In This Episode:The Fire Horse Gallop: How to navigate the high-speed astrological landscape of March without losing yourself.Lunar Momentum: Using the current moon cycles to slingshot your intentions into reality.Protect Your Spark: Meet the plant allies and protective rituals that act as your energetic "seatbelt" during rapid transformation.Course Corrections: Why "business as usual" magic won't cut it, and how to pivot with grace when the ride gets wild.Now is the time to choose your direction with fierce intention. Ready to wild-craft your destiny? Grab your favorite brew and let's harness the flame.************************Tahverlee is a Social Impact Entrepreneur, Author, Artist, High Priestess, Ritualist, and Initiate of the Sacred Way. Visit Moon Temple Mystery School for ancient teachings for our modern world, spiritual coaching, and everything you need to know as you walk your awakening path. Join Witch School to unlock the Magic within.Get Tahverlee's Sacred Gifts, your FREE pass to a magical awakening journey. Find all of Tahverlee's books at Tahverlee.com.Watch this and all episodes of the Moon Temple Mystery School Podcast on YouTube. Learn more about Tahverlee:Moon Temple Mystery SchoolTahverlee.com Contact Tahverlee directly:Tahverlee@MoonTempleSchool.com Follow Tahverlee:InstagramTikTokYouTube Theme Music by Les Konley | Produced by Les Konley

magic energy artist spirituality horses awakening psychic grabbing initiate high priestess reins galloping sacred gifts social impact entrepreneur march magic tahverlee

Hour 3: Former King County sheriff leads lawsuit blocking lawmakers from grabbing first responder pensions

The Tom and Curley Show

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 27, 2026 32:16

5pm - GUEST - FORMER KING COUNTY SHERIFF DAVE REICHART // Former King County sheriff leads lawsuit blocking lawmakers from grabbing first responder pensions // Bill Gates Apologizes to Foundation Staff Over Epstein Ties // Gates’ admission conflicts with his statement last week // Chaos erupts as Hillary Clinton HALTS her Epstein testimony after MAGA lawmaker took photo of closed-door deposition // LETTERS

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Grabbing Opportunities to Save a Life - #10208 - #51847

A Word With You

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 25, 2026 Transcription Available

Okay, try to picture it. Maybe you don't have to picture it. Maybe you've been there. It's the Friday morning after Thanksgiving, just before doors open at, let's say, Walmart. It's still dark, but a lot of people are lined up, anxiously waiting to enter. It's the day of those fabulous sales that stores like this have to encourage your early Christmas shopping. And for a short time after the doors open, there are some absolutely amazing prices on many popular items. But you have to move quickly and scoop them up. One year recently, I remember the crush of people was so great, at one store a lady was nearly trampled to death when the doors opened. And at another store, another year, a man actually was trampled to death. Once you're in the store, you know what to do. No browsing. No chatting. You're on a mission! Just look for those sales opportunities and grab them while you can! I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Grabbing Opportunities to Save a Life." Aggressively seizing opportunities because time is short - that's not just a picture of a sale day shopper. That's supposed to be the picture of every follower of Jesus Christ. Not just browsing and cruising through our days, but really making them count...really making a difference with your life. If you read our word for today from the Word of God in the original language of the New Testament, you can see just that kind of urgency and intensity. It's Ephesians 5:15-16 - "Be very careful, then, how you live - not as unwise, but as wise" - now what follows is God's definition of what it means to "live smart." "...making the most of every opportunity because the days are evil." The original Greek conveys the idea of aggressively buying up every opportunity you have to do something about the darkness around you. Near the end of this letter that Paul wrote from a prison cell, probably chained to a Roman guard, he gives us a living example of this "make a difference" mindset in action. He says, "Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the Gospel...pray that I will declare it fearlessly, as I should." In another letter, we learn that there were believers ultimately in Caesar's household; likely some of those soldiers Paul spent so much time with. He saw his imprisonment, not so much as an ordeal, but as an opportunity to tell people there about his Jesus and to rescue them from evil. Life is full of life-saving opportunities for those with eyes to see them; for those who understand that we're supposed to be looking for them wherever we are. I know when one member of our family was in the hospital, the reason seemed clear. There was a patient who left a trail of Jesus all through that hospital. There just to get well? No. They were there positioned by God to help spiritually rescue some of the people in that hospital. If you want to make the greatest possible difference with the rest of your life, and I hope you do. If you want to help some people be in heaven with you, and I hope you do. Then each morning pray for natural opportunities to bring up your Jesus. "Lord, open a door." Then look for those opportunities to open up. Buy them up like an alert shopper. When someone shares a burden or a concern with you, don't just promise to pray for them. Ask if you can pray with them right then. Chances are they have never heard their name in a prayer all their life! I've never had anyone turn down that offer by the way. And if God opens the door, tell them after you pray that you weren't always able to talk to God like that because there used to be a wall between you and Him that Jesus took down. Look for opportunities to share your personal hope story, which is the story of the difference Jesus has made for you in certain life situations, particular needs, and certainly your eternal situation. Look for those opportunities. Pray for those opportunities. Grab those opportunities. Why? Because God is putting people in your life so they can have a chance at Jesus...and a chance at heaven. That's an opportunity you just must not miss.

Grabbing Opportunities to Save a Life - #10208

A Word With You

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 25, 2026

Okay, try to picture it. Maybe you don't have to picture it. Maybe you've been there. It's the Friday morning after Thanksgiving, just before doors open at, let's say, Walmart. It's still dark, but a lot of people are lined up, anxiously waiting to enter. It's the day of those fabulous sales that stores like this have to encourage your early Christmas shopping. And for a short time after the doors open, there are some absolutely amazing prices on many popular items. But you have to move quickly and scoop them up. One year recently, I remember the crush of people was so great, at one store a lady was nearly trampled to death when the doors opened. And at another store, another year, a man actually was trampled to death. Once you're in the store, you know what to do. No browsing. No chatting. You're on a mission! Just look for those sales opportunities and grab them while you can! I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Grabbing Opportunities to Save a Life." Aggressively seizing opportunities because time is short - that's not just a picture of a sale day shopper. That's supposed to be the picture of every follower of Jesus Christ. Not just browsing and cruising through our days, but really making them count...really making a difference with your life. If you read our word for today from the Word of God in the original language of the New Testament, you can see just that kind of urgency and intensity. It's Ephesians 5:15-16 - "Be very careful, then, how you live - not as unwise, but as wise" - now what follows is God's definition of what it means to "live smart." "...making the most of every opportunity because the days are evil." The original Greek conveys the idea of aggressively buying up every opportunity you have to do something about the darkness around you. Near the end of this letter that Paul wrote from a prison cell, probably chained to a Roman guard, he gives us a living example of this "make a difference" mindset in action. He says, "Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the Gospel...pray that I will declare it fearlessly, as I should." In another letter, we learn that there were believers ultimately in Caesar's household; likely some of those soldiers Paul spent so much time with. He saw his imprisonment, not so much as an ordeal, but as an opportunity to tell people there about his Jesus and to rescue them from evil. Life is full of life-saving opportunities for those with eyes to see them; for those who understand that we're supposed to be looking for them wherever we are. I know when one member of our family was in the hospital, the reason seemed clear. There was a patient who left a trail of Jesus all through that hospital. There just to get well? No. They were there positioned by God to help spiritually rescue some of the people in that hospital. If you want to make the greatest possible difference with the rest of your life, and I hope you do. If you want to help some people be in heaven with you, and I hope you do. Then each morning pray for natural opportunities to bring up your Jesus. "Lord, open a door." Then look for those opportunities to open up. Buy them up like an alert shopper. When someone shares a burden or a concern with you, don't just promise to pray for them. Ask if you can pray with them right then. Chances are they have never heard their name in a prayer all their life! I've never had anyone turn down that offer by the way. And if God opens the door, tell them after you pray that you weren't always able to talk to God like that because there used to be a wall between you and Him that Jesus took down. Look for opportunities to share your personal hope story, which is the story of the difference Jesus has made for you in certain life situations, particular needs, and certainly your eternal situation. Look for those opportunities. Pray for those opportunities. Grab those opportunities. Why? Because God is putting people in your life so they can have a chance at Jesus...and a chance at heaven. That's an opportunity you just must not miss.

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Cast-aways At College: part 1

SteamyStory

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 24, 2026

An April Fools Prank Goes Awry.By SilverFoxMullet.Listen to the ►Podcast at Steamy Stories.Spring break was just that, a break. My leg, actually.When I went home to Ottawa for spring break, I met up with a few of my old high school buds, and we took a day trip to the Quebec side for some skiing at one of the nearby hills, north of Ottawa. Mid-gafternoon, I hit a patch of ice and went down hard. It was quite a day for falls, as the hills were pretty icy this late in the season. I tried to get up, but my right ankle hurt like a bitch. None of my friends had stopped, as we were all falling a lot today, they just assumed I would get up and follow them.“Aw fuck!” I groaned. I lay there in the snow for a few minutes, until someone slid to a stop next to me.“Hey, are you all right?” the guy asks.“No, I hurt my ankle. Fuck.”“Don’t move it, I’ll find the ski patrol. Hang on.” He skied away to get help.30 seconds later another guy stopped. Same question. "Hey are you all right?“"I think I sprained my ankle. There was a guy here a minute ago, he said he’d send the ski patrol.”The guy turned and looked around, then waved and yelled “Ici! Over here! Vien! Here they are.”Two guys in red jackets stopped and asked what’s wrong. This other guy said “Good luck!” to me, and skied away, as I recounted the fall and my symptoms. The ski patrol guys were great, they radioed for a stretcher and 20 minutes later they’re loading me into an ambulance. The rest of the day was a lot of waiting, x-rays, and paperwork. The local hospital had a seasonal trauma unit for all the ski injuries, and they’re used to dealing with the inter-provincial healthcare.I called my Dad, who said he’d fetch me from the hospital, then called my buddies who were still in the chalet . He told them to go home without me. They commiserated and said they’d drop by my house tomorrow and see how I was doing.I eventually got a cast on my right leg. It spanned from my toes to my mid-thigh. I was issued a pair of crutches, and a whole ream of instructions (in both French and English of course) about what to do and what not to do. My Dad showed up somewhere during this tedious process and reassured me everything would be fine.We got home really late, after stopping at a pharmacy for pain meds, and stopping for takeout, damn I was hungry by then. I was asleep in minutes after I took one of those pills after getting home.Next morning, I had to take another pill, damn leg was throbbing like mad. I had to learn how to negotiate using the toilet with crutches, fuck, that’s pain in the arse. Then I had to figure out how to shower. They gave me a shower bag for the cast but I couldn’t get the damn thing on by myself. Mom was trying to be motherly (naturally) but I was way too embarrassed to be seen naked in front of her. My Dad was a trooper, he helped me with all the bathroom stuff, and I got my shower Okay.I wasn’t going to be able to drive for a while, so my folks said they’d drive me back to school in Toronto. I could come home by bus and get my car once I was able to drive. Great.“Actually, if I could have my car on campus, one of my buddies could drive me around. None of the other guys have a car.” Not that my rattly old car was much of a ride, but it got us from A to B.“Okay” my Dad says, “Your mother can drive you there, and I’ll follow in your car, then we’ll drive back together.”“Awesome, sounds like a plan!”The rest of the day my parents helped me work out how to deal with the cast and crutches and take care of personal stuff by myself, like getting dressed, showering, shaving (yeah, ever try to balance on one foot to shave? fuckin hell), and using the toilet. My mom went shopping and bought me a bunch of baggy sweat pants, something that would go over my cast.My old friends dropped by with some hard coolers the next day, thinking it would cheer me up; but I had to pass on those due to the meds I was on. They laughed at me and drank it all, themselves. We all had a good laugh about my predicament, and they wished me luck at college. Gonna need it, eh?Then it was time to head back to school. I’d been texting and calling my buddies at school, told them the whole idiot story of my misadventures. They laughed at me big time, and of course they worried about their ride, what was gonna happen to my car? I told them about the arrangements and they were happy that it would still be available.The drive to school was really tedious, seemed to last forever, because it was so fricking uncomfortable to sit there with that stiff cast on. They got me and my stuff into my room in the dorm, and said their good-byes. I was so happy that I was on the first floor! No stairs here but there were stairs all over campus. Sure, there’s elevators everywhere but I didn’t know where most of them were.First order of business, I gotta pee after that road trip. I used the big accessible stall in the bathroom, that was great. Grab bars, lots of room, it really was made for this kind of thing. Easier than the bathroom at home, that’s for sure.I was the butt of a lot of jokes and shit for the first few days, but otherwise it was fine. Down in the dining hall I spotted someone else who’d had a fun spring break. There was a girl with her whole arm in a cast, like from shoulder to wrist, with the elbow bent at 90 degrees. I wondered what happened to her. Skiing too I supposed. My buddies said we’d make a great couple and told me to go ask her out. No way, dudes, not gonna happen. I can’t talk to girls, I always get freaked out and clam up.The end of March rolled around, and I still had weeks to go before getting my cast off. There was a party on Saturday night, and I was weaning off the strong meds by now so I could have a few drinks. My floor mates were getting me drinks, too; so I ended up having a few more than I would normally have. I was feeling buzzed by the end of the night.One of the guys suddenly showed up with a wheelchair. "Robbo! we got you some wheels, man!“"Where’d you steal that from?” I asked, a little dubious about the idea of them scamming someone’s chair.“No-No, totally not stolen, we got it for you from the Red Cross. It’s legit, dude!”“All right! Let’s check out my new ride then!” I hopped over and settled into the chair. They adjusted the footrest out for me and one of them took my crutches, and they started wheeling me away. "Where we goin?“ I asked."It’s a surprise.” says one of them, and then pull a pillowcase down over my head so I can’t see where we’re going. When I try to pull the covering off, they stopped me, and then the started grabbing my arms & duct taping them to the chair’s armrests. We were outside by now, and I started yelling, until they taped the pillowcase tight against my mouth, to muff my yelling. Now I was getting pissed, but there’s not much I could do, except literally ride this out.They laughed and giggled and make goofy jokes as they wheeled me around campus. Eventually, I had no idea where I am, and it suddenly strikes me that it was now April 1st. The alcoholic buzz is wearing off fast under the rush of my adrenaline and anger, and I wondered what kind of demented nightmare game they’ve come up with.I heard more laughing, girls this time, and they make whispered comments back and forth with the guys. I m now in a building, but I had no clue where. My chair was pushed around some more, bumping into stuff, and then a body is dumped in my lap, then they yanked the duct tape off the pillowcase and I can again my mouth. The room is pitch black. The giggling and laughing is cut off by the slamming of a door, and everything goes quiet.I think there’s a girl in my lap, or a small, really nice smelling guy with long hair. She’s quiescent, asleep or passed out, pressed against my chest.“Hey. Hey, wake up.” I said.No response, she’s just sitting there, draped over my lap. She’s warm and breathing, so it’s not a manikin or something. I wondered if she’s okay.I started to shift a bit, can’t use my arms because they’re taped down, but I try to shake her awake with my rocking shoulders. It didn’t work, and now I’m afraid that if I move too much she’ll fall off onto the floor.“Hey, uh, miss, wake up.” louder. She’s out of it. I turn my head to the side so I’m not yelling in her ear and holler “Hey, enough crap, let me out of here!” Silence reigns. Well, fuck. Now what?‘Now what’. Then the fire alarm starts blaring. It startles the heck out of me, but still isn’t enough to wake the girl. I heard loud commotion in the halls for about 30 seconds, but then suddenly there is silence. Fuck, this is getting serious. What if it’s a real fire? No, no way, it's April 1st now, gotta be a prank. I’ll just wait for her to wake up, and we’ll get out of here. My eyes adjusted to the darkness and I began to see faint outlines of what is probably a maintenance closet or storage room.The alarm rings for an annoyingly long time. 15 minutes I guess, I dunno, but it seems interminable. And I need to pee now. When the alarm finally stops the need to pee gets more insistent. I shifted uncomfortably under the weight of my passenger. Her hip is pressed up against my groin, adding to the struggle of my urge to piss.More time passes, and damn, I gotta go bad, now. I’m gonna wet myself, and her too, if I don’t get out of here right now. I’ve tried speaking to her, yelling, shaking her, and then there was another alarm that went on and on. She just isn’t gonna wake up. Did those morons drug her or something?I’m desperate now. “Come on, sleeping beauty, wake up!” Sleeping beauty? Yeah, fine, I’ll try that before I piss all over her. I think a girl would be slightly less angry about a stolen kiss than wet pants. So I seek her mouth. There was a little light coming in under the door, but suddenly that light went out, and only a faint intermittent light glowed. Oh, crap! That would be the emergency exit lighting. I eventually bumped my faced against her nose, then lowered a bit and kissed her, probably a little too hard for a wakeup smooch, cause I'm dying’ here, gotta pee, gotta pee, gotta pee.She’s got nice soft lips, really quite kissable, and I kinda wished she was awake and under different circumstances. I kissed her again, even harder. No response. I try again, this time I let my tongue do the talking, and I push into her mouth. Helluva way to experience my own first tongue-kiss . Finally, she stirred & turned into the kiss.Surprised, I pull back, and say “Oh thank god you’re awake, help me up!”She startled, yelping at me, “Who are you?!”“Help me, please, I’m gonna piss my pants! Untie me!”In the dim red glow of an exit sign I finally saw her face. She’s kinda cute, not particularly pretty, and she has a cast on her right arm. It’s the girl I saw in the dining hall a few times.“Hurry!" I pleaded.She struggled off me, and stood. Where the hell did you take me! she demanded.I told her that we were both abducted by campus hooligans and locked in some storage room, but I didn t know which building. Then I said; But I gotta pee right now and my leg is in a cast, and I m bound to this wheelchair.She felt the tape on my wrists. It's slow going for her to undo the tape with her one weak hand, the way she’s pulling at it, she’s obviously not left handed.I’m not gonna make it, and I looked around. We’re in a janitor’s room or something. I spotted a stack of small waste baskets. "Quick, grab one of those buckets and put it between my legs.”She’s quick on the uptake, I’ll give her that, and she grabbed the bucket for me. “Pull my pants down, hurry.”“What? No!” she protested.“Argh. Please, I’m gonna wet myself.” I grind out through my clenched teeth.She reached out with that uncoordinated left hand of hers and fumbles with my sweat pants. I squirmed to lift my hips a bit to help, and the elastic waistband slipped down, exposing my tight briefs.“You gotta help. Pull me out, aim for the bucket. Please?”I can see she’s not happy with the situation, and she’s fighting with her distaste at touching a man, a total stranger at that, in such a bizarre circumstance. But she perseveres, and that delicate hand fishes in my shorts for my cock. She paused momentarily as she made contact, then pulled my cock free. She picked up the empty bucket and aimed my hose toward the container.I groaned as I let loose. Oh god, finally! The relief was incredible. The poor girl was acting shocked as she dutifully aimed me at the bucket, and she even nudged the bucket a bit closer. I pissed on and on, holy fuck there was so much, and eventually I ran dry.Her disposition is no longer shocked, but instead she appeared to be curious.“Oh thank you, you saved me so much embarrassment. You can put me back in there now. Thanks.”She hesitated, and timidly tried to one-handedly stuff my cock back through the fly, and after a couple of clumsy tries I’m all set. And of course now my cock was growing fast in her hand, as I no longer had to pee, but there’s a wonderful-smelling girl handling that most sensitive part of my anatomy. Something that’s never happened before.That last drop of pee evidently got on her hand, and she looked a bit frantic now, “Ew” she says.“Just wipe it on my sweats, it’s Okay.” I told her, and she rubbed her hand on my inner thigh. That doesn’t help with my ever increasing boner of course.She looked up at me, and her brow wrinkled. “Do you smell smoke?” she asked.It’s my turn to be startled, and I looked toward the door. Oh Fuck, there’s smoke coming in under the door! That alarm was real! Why wasn’t it still going off? “Quick, help me get this tape off!” She started trying to pull up my sweats, but I say “No, leave that, just get me undone!”She started working on the tape on my left arm, and it took a few minutes to get me free. Working together, my right arm is unstuck in less than a minute. “Check the door.” I told her as I looked around the room. No other doors, just shelves, a big sink, a floor pan for filling and emptying mop buckets, and stacks of boxes and stuff.She tried the light switch but it doesn’t work. Great, my idiot friends probably unscrewed the light bulb. Then she tried the door. “It’s locked!” she says.“From the outside? Why the fuck would it be set up to lock people in? Sorry. I swear when I get nervous.”“Is there really a fire, do you think?”“I guess so, there was an alarm that went off when you were out cold.”“What do we do?” She started frantically searching her pockets and said; “I can’t find my phone!”“I didn’t even bring mine to the party. No pockets.”The smell of smoke got stronger. I wheeled up next to the sink, and ran some water. Grabbing a package of paper towels, I ripped it open and dumped them in the sink. “Here, block up the crack under the door with these!”I handed her wads of soggy paper, and she knelt down to stuff them under the door. The smoke stoped coming in, thank goodness. But now the room is black. “Now what?” she said.I shrugged, “I guess we wait and hope.”“I’m scared.” she said in a small voice.“Come here, sit on my lap here. Oh, uh, maybe pull up my pants first.” She helped me with that and sat on me. I think the gravity of the situation is now hitting her pretty hard, I know it’s got me freaked out. She burrowed into my neck and wraps her good arm wraps around me. “We’re Okay for now.” I tell her.I smelled her hair again, as she’s crushed against me. Damn that feels nice. Shit, I don’t even know her name. “I’m Robert by the way. Robert Green.”“Suzanne. Suzanne Shelton.”, she informed me.“I’d say pleased to meet you Suzanne, but under these circumstances, maybe the sentiment should be I’m ecstatic to meet you. If I was by myself I would have pissed my pants and suffocated.”She giggled, my goofy sense of humor somehow helped in this situation. “I’m glad to meet you too, Robert.”“So how did you get here?”“I don’t know, I was at the dorm party and felt dizzy, then you were kissing me.” She blushed again.“Sorry about that, I tried to wake you for like 20 minutes, but you were really out of it. I finally thought I would try the sleeping beauty trick, and it worked. Did you drink something someone else gave you?”“Oh. Shit. She seemed to recall. I think so. One of my floor mates gave me a coke. It must have been spiked? I had to take some of my pain meds for my arm earlier tonight, it was bothering me. I keep trying to do too much with it all the time.”“Oh, yeah, you don’t want to mix booze or anything with that stuff, I know! Sorry about the pee episode. I really was going to wet my pants in another few seconds. Wet both our pants.”She blushed and giggled. “I never saw a guy like that, like your, thing, before.”“Wow. Okay, well, I never had a girl touch my co-, um, thing, before.”“It changed when I was putting it away. Was that, um, like…’"Yeah, well, when a pretty girl touches me like that, I’m bound to get aroused.”Her eyes went wide at that statement. “Oh” she said. She paused a few seconds, then put her head back on my shoulder. There was that scent again. "So. Um, you think I’m pretty?“"Well, yeah, of course. You’re what I think my grandpa would call 'fetching’”She giggled again. Damn, that sounds nice, and she smells really nice. Little Robert stirred down below. I heard a sharp intake of breath. Uh Oh. She felt that. I may have just ruined what might have been a moment.“Am I pretty enough to make you, uh, aroused, then?”“Oh, Suzanne, I am so embarrassed. Please, don’t be offended, it’s just circumstances, you know?”She pulled back again and looked at the door. Still no smoke. Then she looked at me with a sad smile, saying “I didn’t think so.” Suzanne started to get up, and I realized where our wires had crossed.I put my arms around her and said " Oh, no no. You’re very pretty, and definitely arousing.“She looked surprised, but settled back down on my lap. "Oh.” she said. “Thank you.”Just

5 things we're letting go of & 5 were grabbing onto (With Mere)

Moments Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 23, 2026 43:11

It's not too often I get to sit down and share Mere with you guys, but I get so excited every time that I do because she is such a gift! Today, we dive into things we want to let go of and things we wish to pour more into it. Friendship is beautiful & it's so fun to add depth to it in every convo. Apologies if Mere & I were both a little rusty, podcasting as a duo gets nerve-wracking. We love you! Watch Mere's vlogs: https://www.youtube.com/@meredithgood If you'd like to donate to Paws, check this out: https://3heartstrings.com/ Keep up with me here, too: Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/lexxhidalgo/?hl=en⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Moments IG: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/themomentspod/?hl=en⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ TikTok: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@lexxhidalgo ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ YouTube: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZpEdIqyesP-XZn89i0yNpQ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ And order the journal that sparked it all, so excited for you to experience the moments journal too

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#251 – MONSTERS in daylight!

Neil Oliver's Love Letter to the British Isles

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 17, 2026 11:34

‘…they're GRABBING all they can, while the can!' To help support this Podcast & get exclusive videos every week sign up to Neil Oliver on Patreon.comhttps://www.patreon.com/neiloliver To Donate, go to Neil's Website:https://www.neiloliver.com To Shop:https://neil-oliver.creator-spring.com YouTube Channel:https://www.youtube.com/@Neil-Oliver Rumble site – Neil Oliver Official:https://rumble.com/c/c-6293844 Instagram - NeilOliverLoveLetter:https://www.instagram.com/neiloliverloveletter Podcasts:Neil Oliver: News Comment HistoryNeil Oliver: HistoryNeil Oliver: InterviewsAvailable on all the usual providershttps://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/neil-olivers-love-letter-to-the-british-isles #NeilOliver #MarcoRubio #Trump #MunichSecurityConference #neiloliverGBNews #travel #culture #ancient #historyfact #explore Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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Grabbing Life by the Pancake Balls with Kathleen Day, Founder of Katalina's

The Keri Croft Show

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 12, 2026 51:10 Transcription Available

Send a textKatalina's didn't become a beloved Columbus restaurant by accident.In this conversation with founder Kathleen Day, we talk about staying power, what it takes to build something people love, keep it standing through hard seasons, and still care deeply about the work years later.We bounce from wild life stories to music obsessions, famous run-ins, creative intensity, and the unfiltered realities of the restaurant industry, alongside the very real work of protecting a legacy brand when the economics get tougher and the stakes get higher.Kathleen shares what she's learned about leadership, resilience, and why being liked was never the goal, while reminding us that you can be serious about your work without taking yourself too seriously.This episode is equal parts grit, honesty, laughter, and grabbing life by the balls... then staying in it long enough to make it matter.

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Taylor Swift's New Music Video Was Fuelled By ‘Mean Girl' Backlash & Margot Robbie's Attention-Grabbing Accessory

The Spill

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 9, 2026 38:24 Transcription Available

On the show today, Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi are taking the Wuthering Heights press tour global, but one $12 million diamond necklace has sparked a massive historical backlash. And, why is everyone talking about Margot wearing Emily Bronte’s hair? We debate whether method dressing has finally gone too far into shock-value territory. And, Tina has her notebook ready because we are decoding Opalite. Taylor's new music video is here, and it’s basically a giant "I’m actually very likable" campaign. We explain the secret meaning behind the pet rock, the "trash" metaphors for Kim Kardashian, and the "resting Cillian face" that launched a thousand memes. Plus why this might be her most "Taylor" video yet.THE END BITS Love binge-watching TV? The Spill has launched Watch Party — spoiler-filled episode deep dives into the shows everyone’s talking about. Find the feed on Apple or Spotify. Support independent women's media We’re giving away a Your Reformer Pilates bed (worth $3,400) Subscribe to enter Follow us on TikTok, Instagram and Facebook. And subscribe to our Youtube channel. Read all the latest entertainment news on Mamamia... here. Discover more Mamamia Podcasts here. Do you have feedback or a topic you want us to discuss on The Spill? Send us a voice message, or send us an email thespill@mamamia.com.au and we'll come back to you ASAP! CREDITS Hosts: Laura Brodnik and Tina Burke Executive Producer: Monisha Iswaran Audio Producer: Scott StronachBecome a Mamamia subscriber: https://www.mamamia.com.au/subscribeSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Parents Fury—Pulled Over for Grabbing Kids During School Bomb Threat Chaos

The Clay Edwards Show

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 6, 2026 20:24

Strap in for parental outrage as Clay Edwards breaks down the viral story of Madison dad Shane Saxton in this intense segment from Episode #1150. Amid back-to-back bomb threats at Madison Station Elementary—shutting down classes and traumatizing kids—Shane shows up at the church evacuation site to get his six-year-old and sibling off the bus. School admins stonewall him three times: "Nobody can get their kids." With no clear safety plan in place, Shane declares he's taking them anyway. The vice principal relents, hands over the kids, and other parents follow suit with a quick sign-out. But the drama escalates: Just a quarter-mile down the road, Madison police pull Shane over—someone from the school called, claiming he caused a "disturbance." Shane's raw video (complete with dashcam footage) blasts the absurdity: Why divert cops from a real threat to harass a dad protecting his family? Clay plays the full clip, shares his blood-boiling reaction as a parent, and opens the lines and texts for your takes—was it bureaucratic overreach, poor communication, or necessary protocol? Listeners chime in: "I'd have done the same," "Clean up your own house before calling cops," and debates on "what if" scenarios. Clay owns up to announcing pickup spots on air (potentially tipping off hoaxers) and calls for better school-parent transparency. If you're a parent fed up with system failures, this segment demands accountability and exposes the real chaos in Central Mississippi schools.

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Grabbing the Bully by the Horns

First Best Nurse

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 6, 2026 52:30

This engaging episode features a conversation with Renee Thompson, Founder of the Healthy Workforce Institute.

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01.22.26: Gearheads Beware! You & Yours Suffer When You Feed the Crazies - Rolling Stock VS Caltrops, 2A VS Poseurs, Cars VS People, GTA & Main-Character Syndrome, + Tire Tread Tech, Gun-Grabbing Fails in Canuckistan, & Real Bullets @ Real Wor

Hank Watson's Garage Hour podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 5, 2026 55:56

It's not every day our gearhead behavior comes under threat from the local oaf - it's usually Big Gov't or badly behaving bureaucrats. In this case, the pepperoni-armed beta boys and their unhappy wives are acting in ways that tee up pending geek doom for the smart set. ...This means everything from sabotaging our cars to exploiting our Second Amendment rights, as well as attacking our friends and neighbors with their vehicles, their delusions, and their bathing habits. Don't take it - support law enforcement and remember: the basest reason for laws is to keep some rando's freedoms from interfering with yours and mine. What's more: tire repairs and all-wheel drive, the Standard across from Brown's Chicken, steam whistles and some good tunes: KMFDM, Sugar Ray, The Melvins, Union Underground, Puny Human, Monster Magnet, and Marylin Manson, with a special appearance by Godzilla.

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01.22.26 (MP3): Gearheads Beware! You & Yours Suffer When You Feed the Crazies - Rolling Stock VS Caltrops, 2A VS Poseurs, Cars VS People, GTA & Main-Character Syndrome, + Tire Tread Tech, Gun-Grabbing Fails in Canuckistan, & Real Bullets @ Re

Hank Watson's Garage Hour podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 5, 2026 55:56

It's not every day our gearhead behavior comes under threat from the local oaf - it's usually Big Gov't or badly behaving bureaucrats. In this case, the pepperoni-armed beta boys and their unhappy wives are acting in ways that tee up pending geek doom for the smart set. ...This means everything from sabotaging our cars to exploiting our Second Amendment rights, as well as attacking our friends and neighbors with their vehicles, their delusions, and their bathing habits. Don't take it - support law enforcement and remember: the basest reason for laws is to keep some rando's freedoms from interfering with yours and mine. What's more: tire repairs and all-wheel drive, the Standard across from Brown's Chicken, steam whistles and some good tunes: KMFDM, Sugar Ray, The Melvins, Union Underground, Puny Human, Monster Magnet, and Marylin Manson, with a special appearance by Godzilla.

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Saving the Climate or Just Grabbing Cash? Gov. Spanberger Says the Quiet Part Out Loud | Bonner Cohen, Ph.D.

Daily Signal News

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 28, 2026 22:56

Virginia's new Governor, Abigail Spanberger, openly admitted it's good for the state to participate in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, not to protect the climate and environment, but rather because it's a great “cash grab.” Bonner Cohen, Ph.D., a senior fellow at the National Center for Public Policy Research, explains how Virginia's participation in RGGI will raise energy costs, hurt low- and middle-income residents, and drive businesses out of the state, when he joined Joe Thomas, The Daily Signal's Virginia correspondent, on his podcast today. “It's not about saving the planet, and we have to be very careful about what we mean when we say it makes money for Virginia. Actually, it's ultimately going to cost Virginia rate payers who, as a result of RGGI, as well as a result of other energy policies she's imposing as well as taxes she plans to raise, these people are going to see their disposable incomes reduced and you have to ask the question: to what end?” Follow us on Instagram for EXCLUSIVE bonus content and the chance to be featured in our episodes: https://www.instagram.com/problematicwomen/ Connect with our hosts on socials! Elise McCue X: https://x.com/intent/user?screen_name=EliseMcCue Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elisemccueofficial/ Virginia Allen: X: https://x.com/intent/user?screen_name=Virginia_Allen5 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/virginiaallenofficial/ Check out Top News in 10, hosted by The Daily Signal's Tony Kinnett: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLjMHBev3NsoUpc2Pzfk0n89cXWBqQltHY Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

saving exclusive climate quiet governor loud national center grabbing bonner joe thomas top news daily signal abigail spanberger public policy research spanberger tony kinnett rggi regional greenhouse gas initiative

How NY Times Bestselling Author Gregg Hurwitz Writes: Part One - Redux

The Writer Files: Writing, Productivity, Creativity, and Neuroscience

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 23, 2026 36:47

In anticipation of the author's return to the pod ... New York Times and #1 internationally bestselling author, Gregg Hurwitz, spoke with me about why all writing is a process of self-discovery, how to humanize a trained assassin, and the latest Orphan X thriller, THE LAST ORPHAN. Gregg Hurwitz is an award-winning and internationally bestselling author of 23 thrillers including the ORPHAN X series. He has been published in 33 languages, and the Los Angeles Times called him “... a thriller giant." He is also a NY Times bestselling comic book writer, having penned stories for AWA (Knighted and the critically acclaimed anthology NewThink), Marvel (Wolverine, Punisher) and DC (Batman, Penguin). His eighth Orphan X novel is The Last Orphan, the ongoing series featuring The Nowhere Man, “Evan Smoak, a man with skills, resources, and a personal mission to help those with nowhere else to turn. He's also a man with a dangerous past.” #1 NY Times bestselling author Meg Gardiner said of the book, "Just when I thought the Orphan X novels couldn't get any better, Gregg Hurwitz takes the series to an even higher level. The Last Orphan is pulse-pounding, heart-stopping, and thought-provoking.” Gregg Hurwitz has written screenplays and TV scripts for many of the major studios and networks, has published poetry, numerous academic articles on Shakespeare, and has taught fiction writing at USC. [This episode is sponsored by Ulysses. Go to⁠ ⁠ulys.app/writeabook⁠⁠ to download Ulysses, and use the code FILES at checkout to get 25% off the first year of your yearly subscription."] [Discover⁠ The Writer Files Extra⁠: Get 'The Writer Files' Podcast Delivered Straight to Your Inbox at⁠ writerfiles.fm⁠] [If you're a fan of The Writer Files, please⁠ click FOLLOW to automatically see new interviews⁠. And drop us a rating or a review wherever you listen] In this file Gregg Hurwitz and I discussed: The reason he never took a creative writing class Why Orphan X is the culmination of his career Plot as character in motion How every writer's voice is as distinctive as a fingerprint Writing Batman vs Bruce Wayne and villains vs antagonists Grabbing a bourbon with William Faulkner And a lot more! Show Notes: ⁠GreggHurwitz.net⁠ ⁠The Last Orphan⁠ By Gregg Hurwitz (Amazon) ⁠Gregg Hurwitz Amazon Author Page⁠ ⁠Gregg Hurwitz on Facebook⁠ ⁠Gregg Hurwitz on Instagram⁠ ⁠Gregg Hurwitz on Twitter⁠ Milena Gonzalez | Writer | Reader | Book Reviewer⁠ ⁠diary_of_a_book_babe on Instagram⁠ ⁠Kelton Reid Instagram⁠ ⁠Kelton Reid on Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Se15, Ep16: Joel Hofer is Grabbing His Teammates and Dragging Them Through the Western Conference

Lets Go Blues Radio - St. Louis Blues Hockey Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 16, 2026 104:02

Is Hofer back? Jeff and Bill will talk about Hofer's recent performances and how he has grabbed the number 1 job from Jordan Binnington. The big win against Carolina was a milestone night for many reasons and the most recent losses proved that the Blues still have some major work to do. Philip Broberg signs a new deal then instantly gets hurt. Logan Mailloux has inked a new deal and stayed healthy. We break it all down with St. Louis beers in hand and a mouth full of pretzels (not really). Let's Go Blues Radio is the longest-running St. Louis Blues hockey podcast, bringing fans unfiltered analysis and in-your-face commentary since 2011. Hosted by Curt Price, Bill Day and Jeff Ponder. Sponsors: Mike Burgoyne Real Estate – Check out StrikeWithMike.com for the best realty service in St. Louis!

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Carey Nieuwhof - Churchfront Leadership Podcast

Churchfront Worship Leader Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 8, 2026 85:56

Apply to Join Churchfront Premium Apply to Join Churchfront Pro Free Worship and Production Toolkit Shop Our Online Courses Join us at the Churchfront Conference Follow Churchfront on Instagram or TikTok: @churchfront Follow on Twitter: @realchurchfront Gear we use to make videos at Churchfront Musicbed SyncID: MB01VWQ69XRQNSN Carey Nieuwhof Interview - Podcast Notes Overview Conversation with Carey Nieuwhof about the shift in modern church worship from entertainment-focused to encounter-focused experiences, live streaming strategy, and church growth in the digital age. Key Themes 1. The Shift: Entertainment vs. Encounter The Problem with Modern Church Production Social media created a "copycat phase" where churches could suddenly see what megachurches were doing Churches adopted same equipment, same songs, same production values What was unique became ubiquitous - "we all became copies of each other" Gen Z is "the most marketed to generation in human history" and numb to production Quote: "Gen Z is the most marketed to generation in human history. And we're all kind of numb to the production. I don't think people are looking for hype. They're looking for hope." What People Actually Want Something real and tangible An experience of God, not just information about God Presence, not just presentation Transformation over information The Internet's Limitation Really good at delivering information (especially with AI) Cannot facilitate an encounter "There's something that happens in the room that doesn't happen online" 2. What "Encounter Over Entertainment" Looks Like The Tonal Shift Worship leaders being more sensitive to what's happening in the room, not just rehearsed transitions Preachers leaving space, not just hitting time marks Paying attention to what God might be doing (people crying, leaning in, visible reactions) Creating space to breathe Silence and Space "When I started in ministry, my goal was to get rid of as much silence in church as I could" Now: "Where else are you going to get silence? You don't get it unless you're in church" Don't have to fill every moment with words Can be silent or "noodle" on instruments while creating space Quote: "People's lives are so noisy and so crowded. I mean, we don't even sleep without white noise machines or anything like that. So where else are you going to get silence?" Evoke vs. Manipulate Can't plan a revival - it happens or it doesn't Job is to "set the table" and make space for the Holy Spirit Example: Great movies evoke genuine tears by accessing real emotions Cheap manipulation feels different Quote: "It's not our job as Christians to manipulate. It's our job possibly to evoke, to say, 'I'm going to set the table. I can't control the Holy Spirit.'" 3. The Liturgy Issue Modern Church is "Liturgically Malnourished" Liturgy = order of service (not an outdated term) Modern church handles joy and praise well Missing: contemplation, confession, lamentation, reflection Lost practices: prayers of confession, prayers of the people Carey's Confession Presbyterian background included prayers of approach and confession As church became attractional, prayer became "just an opportunity to clear the set for the sermon" Regrets thin prayers: "God, it's so good to be here today. We thank you so much. Amen." Quote: "It's like confess your sins to one another and you will be healed. We don't do that anymore. What if we did that?" Not Either/Or, But Both/And Keep good lighting, sound, production, and musicians who can play Add breathing room, texture, color, tone, mood Use liturgical calendar and historic practices adapted to modern context Don't approach Sunday as "slots to fill" Creative Freedom 52 Sundays = 52 blank canvases Already do this well at Easter and Christmas Can be more creative without confusing people Example: Good Friday Service Ended in darkness with no announcement Faded to black and stayed there People sat in uncomfortable silence, then slowly left "I wanted them to feel that discomfort... if you can even get a small sampling of that" Easter Sunday picked up in darkness, then sunrise/resurrection 4. Live Streaming Strategy Who Should Live Stream? Not every church needs to live stream everything Need good musicians to sound great online (around 400-500 attendance to have talent base) Need separate mix for online vs. in-house Poor production = "school play" - only interesting to those directly involved Quote: "A lot of churches, and these are well-meaning, beautiful Christian people. If you don't have the talent in production or in worship, you sound like a school play." Alternatives Stream just the message On-demand after, mixed in post-production Audio only if video isn't good Consider what strangers stumbling on feed would think The Discovery Argument Pre-COVID minority of churches streamed Now "everybody you want to reach is online" "All of non-Christian America, all the nuns, all the duns, all the atheists, all the agnostics, they're on the internet" Can't remember last time truly unchurched person hadn't watched online for weeks/months before visiting The New Foyer Online is now the foyer, not the physical lobby People investigate online before visiting By the time they show up, they're ready to go "further, faster" "They've already done their investigating. They've already asked ChatGPT all the questions" 5. Practical Service Design Handling Growth Pressure Multiple services create pressure to program everything tightly Solution: Trim 5 minutes from sermon Do 60-minute service with breathing room between Create more lobby/connection space Leverage outdoor space (if climate allows) Worship Set Strategy Don't need extended mix of everything Maybe two songs and a tag instead of three full songs "Sit in the tag for a while" Find the high-impact moments (example: bridge of "How Great Is Our God") Get to what matters, like talent shows do 90-second versions Quote: "You don't have to do the extended mix of everything, the seven minute version, do the tag. That would be great. Space is something that you can do in three minutes if you know how to do it well." Service Flow Examples Don't make people stand and greet (where else does that happen?) Have emotionally intelligent people on doors, not just available people Greet people the way THEY want to be greeted Consider kids moments, announcements, communion as natural transitions Call to commitment/involvement comes sooner now than 10 years ago 6. Online Presence Best Practices Website Design Design for new people first Show service times and location prominently (mobile friendly) Staff page is #3 most viewed - people want to see "are there people like me?" Use accurate photos (don't show 27-year-olds if congregation is 70+) Show actual diversity if you have it Quote (Seth Godin): "Culture is people like us do things like this. So what people are looking for, are there people like us?" Content Strategy Lead with best sermons, not just latest Most popular videos should be easy to find People don't care if it's from 2 years ago (still watching The Office) Have robust FAQ section for unchurched questions Position yourself for lost people, not just members 7. The Current Moment The Harvest is Ripe People are seeking more than maybe in past decade or two Culture is saturated with production - not the competitive edge anymore Mental health crisis caused by social media People desperate for something real What to Do Pray for it (spiritual activity) Make newcomer journey easy Take them somewhere when they show up Go deeper faster - they're ready Quote: "People come to church looking to find God, but sometimes all they find is us. They found a really cool song, they found a really great message, but they didn't actually find God in the midst of it." Give Them Meat Reference to Tara-Lee Cobble and The Bible Recap Provide historical context (helps Christians AND non-Christians) Don't be afraid to go deep on sin, gospel, redemption Write/speak in accessible "street Greek" like the New Testament Example Opening: "Hey, we're going back 3000 years. And there was a guy named David who was King of Israel. He was trying to keep the kingdom united because there was a north and a south. You can relate to that. These are divided times..." Quote (Tim Keller): "It's worse than you can possibly imagine and better than you can possibly dream." 8. Leadership Advice For Young Church Staff (25-40) Navigating Frustration with Leadership Write down actual issues you're facing (budget, staffing, expertise) Present respectfully, thoughtfully, submissively Good leaders will either provide resources or adjust priorities Identifying Toxic Culture Unrealistic expectations Unsympathetic to staff needs Expects 60-hour weeks with no life Toxic leader will get mad/defensive when approached Options in Toxic Environment Respectfully approach and share difficulties Accept the glass ceiling and stay Build healthy team within unhealthy body (temporary solution) Leave - "unhealthy bodies drive out healthy cells" Interview Questions for New Positions Ask to talk to current staff (not the pastor) Ask to talk to FORMER staff Find out who left and why Read Google reviews Have meals/experiences together (reveals character under pressure) Quote: "Ask around, ask if you have permission. Don't ask the pastor. Don't ask the pastor. Are you healthy? The toxic people, 'I'm so healthy.'" 9. Team Building & Growth Hiring Philosophy Only hire A players C players: you know immediately (late, unmotivated, incomplete work) - should be gone B players: good but not great - "it's too bad but we'll survive" A players: if they quit you'd need 3 people to replace them Quote (Netflix): "Adequate performance gets you a generous severance package." A Player Test If they knocked on the door saying "this is my last day," how do you react? C player: "Thank goodness, now I don't have to fire them" B player: "Too bad but we'll survive" A player: "Grabbing the waste basket and throwing up" Growth Wisdom Don't settle on staff because you're panicking Will eventually become bloated with no profit Profit = "permission to do this again tomorrow" (Seth Godin) Most businesses fail not from lack of vision but lack of cash Use tools like Working Genius to find right fit Don't just find A players - find A players with gifts your team needs Cultural Values Write them down and review regularly Ritz-Carlton: 26 values, reviewed 2-3 daily in team meetings Use to evaluate: "Where are we winning/losing with our values?" Catch team members exemplifying values Values help instill culture as org chart grows 10. Upcoming Projects Carey's New Book Topic: AI and the Future Church Thesis: "As the world becomes more artificial, we need to become more human as Christians" Church's future direction is human connection Expected publication: 2026 Latest Book "At Your Best" - about time, energy, and priorities Notable Statistics & Data Points 72% of teenagers have tried AI chatbots 31% prefer AI companionship to human companions Pre-COVID: minority of churches streamed services Can't recall single unchurched person who didn't watch online for weeks/months before visiting Around 400-500 attendance: churches start having talent base for good production 80-95% of church growth in America is conversion growth (not transfer) Top 3 website pages: Homepage, Messages, Staff/About Production Quality Basics Good Enough to Stream Great singing (doesn't need to be phenomenal) Decent lights Pretty good mix Can work with church of 150-200 with good coaching Everything else can be helped with technology Bare Minimum Great guitarist + great vocalist = "off to the races" Don't feel pressure to have full mediocre band Add musicians as you find/afford great ones Practical Takeaways Create space in services - silence, breathing room, sensitivity to the room Recover lost liturgical practices - confession, lamentation, contemplation Go deeper faster - people are ready for meat, not just milk Design for online discovery - unchurched people are investigating you Lead with best content - not just latest content Only hire A players - don't panic hire when growing Build real human connection - counter to increasingly artificial world Make newcomer journey easy - they're ready to engage quickly Be creative with 52 Sundays - not just slots to fill Focus on encounter over entertainment - production supports experience, doesn't replace it Questions for Further Reflection How can we create more space for confession in our services? What would it look like to "evoke" rather than "manipulate" in worship? Are we positioning our online presence for unchurched discovery? Is our production supporting encounter or replacing it? What emotions are people carrying into our services, and how do we acknowledge that? Are we moving too fast for the Holy Spirit to work? Memorable Quotes "I don't think people are looking for hype. They're looking for hope." "People aren't looking for more information. They're looking for presence, not just presentation." "The internet is really good at information, especially with AI. You want to know anything, you can find out anything, but the internet can't really facilitate an encounter." "It's not our job as Christians to manipulate. It's our job possibly to evoke." "Where else are you going to get silence? You don't get it unless you're in church." "If you don't have the talent in production or in worship, you sound like a school play." "Everybody you want to reach is online." "Your foyer has moved online." "People come to church looking to find God, but sometimes all they find is us." "As the world becomes more artificial, we need to become more human as Christians." "Adequate performance gets you a generous severance package." "Profit is permission to do this again tomorrow."

3.182 Fall and Rise of China: Second Soviet Counter Offensive over the Heights

Kings and Generals: History for our Future

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 29, 2025 37:15

Last time we spoke about the Russian Counter Offensive over the Heights. On the Manchurian frontier, a Japanese plan hatched in the hush before dawn: strike at Hill 52, seize the summit, and bargain only if fate demanded. Colonel Sato chose Nakano's 75th Regiment, delivering five fearless captains to lead the charge, with Nakajima rising like a bright spark among them. Under a cloak of night, scouts threaded the cold air, and at 2:15 a.m. wires fell away, revealing a path through darkness. By dawn, a pale light brushed the crest; Hill 52 yielded, then Shachaofeng did, as dawn's demands pressed forward. The Russians responded with a thunder of tanks, planes, and relentless artillery. Yet the Japanese braced, shifting guns, moving reinforcements, and pressing a discipline born of training and resolve. The battlefield fractured into sectors, Hill 52, Shachaofeng, the lake, each demanding courage and cunning. Night winds carried the buzz of flares, the hiss of shells, and the stubborn clang of rifles meeting armor. The Russians tried to reweave their strength, but Japanese firepower and tenacious assaults kept the line from bending. By nightfall, a quiet resolve settled over the hills; the cost was steep, but the crest remained in Japanese hands. #182 The Second Russian Counteroffensive over the heights Welcome to the Fall and Rise of China Podcast, I am your dutiful host Craig Watson. But, before we start I want to also remind you this podcast is only made possible through the efforts of Kings and Generals over at Youtube. Perhaps you want to learn more about the history of Asia? Kings and Generals have an assortment of episodes on history of asia and much more so go give them a look over on Youtube. So please subscribe to Kings and Generals over at Youtube and to continue helping us produce this content please check out www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals. If you are still hungry for some more history related content, over on my channel, the Pacific War Channel where I cover the history of China and Japan from the 19th century until the end of the Pacific War. The Japanese retained their hard won positions despite fierce Russian counterattacks. For the Japanese command structure at the front, 3 August was of prime importance. Suetaka concluded that he could not merely direct the fighting around Changkufeng nor abandon Kyonghun, given his need to manage relations with Korea Army Headquarters and central authorities, as well as the special characteristics of these battles and his grave concerns about the Wuchiatzu front to the north. By 5 p.m., the newly arrived 37th Brigade commander, Morimoto Nobuki, was assigned control of all sectors from Hill 52 and Changkufeng to Shachaofeng, establishing his command post at the former site of the 75th Regiment at Chiangchunfeng. The Japanese estimated losses from the Soviet counterattacks on 2–3 August as follows: Hill 52-Changkufeng, at least 300 Soviet casualties and four tanks; Shachaofeng, about 300 casualties and several tanks, plus several heavy machine guns knocked out. By 17:00 on 3 August, Russian strength committed to the front and immediate rear was assessed at ten infantry battalions, 40 artillery pieces, and 80 tanks. Japanese casualties on the 2nd and 3rd totaled 16 killed and 25 wounded. Suetaka judged the Soviet bombardments on 3 August powerful, but their infantry assaults were not particularly bold, likely due to their heavy losses on the 2nd. Even though morale was not high, there were signs of reinforcements from elite units, including armor and large artillery formations. Suetaka concluded the Russians would again attempt to retake the Shachaofeng sector and positions around Changkufeng. During the night of 3–4 August, the 75th Infantry, still on alert against resumed enemy counterattacks, intensified security and worked energetically to strengthen defenses. K. Sato remained at Chiangchunfeng to complete the turnover to the 37th Brigade and to brief Morimoto. The regiment established its new command post for the right sector at the foot of Fangchuanting. Throughout the night, Soviet vehicles with blinking lights were observed moving south along the high ground east of Khasan, and a new buildup of mechanized forces and artillery appeared in the area. At 05:30, 36 tanks were seen advancing to Hill 29, followed by the apparent withdrawal of 50–60 Russian horsemen into the same area. At 07:00 on 04 August, Soviet artillery began a bombardment. Although there was a lull around noon, by 14:00 intensity peaked, described as "like millions of lightning bolts striking at once." After another quiet spell, enemy guns renewed their tempo at 19:30, targeting Hill 52 and Changkufeng. The Russians' artillery was not precisely zeroed in; "many of the shells plopped into the Tumen, which delighted us considerably." Beginning on the 4th, Soviet artillery sought to cut lines of communication by bombarding the river crossing site, disrupting daytime supply. Japanese artillery records add: "Until today, this battalion had been fired on only by field artillery; now 122-mm. howitzers went into action against us. We sustained no losses, since the points of impact were 100 meters off. Apparently, the Russians conducted firing for effect from the outset, using data provided by the field artillery in advance." Around midnight, Ichimoto, the old commander of the 1st Infantry Battalion, arrived at the 75th Regiment Headquarters to resume command. He was "itching to fight." K. Sato described the casualties in detail, but "he didn't look beaten at all." "To the contrary, the colonel was strong and in excellent spirits. Yet while he wasn't pessimistic, one could not call him optimistic." At the battalion site, about 100 men were in operational condition out of an original 400. Some soldiers were hauling ammunition, rations, and position materiel; others were cremating the dead, since corpses would rot in the August heat. Japanese casualties on 4 August were light: the 75th Infantry lost five killed and three wounded; among attached engineers, the platoon leader and two men were wounded. Ammunition expenditure was very low. The Japanese press noted that although the Russians had been reported retreating behind the lake to the northeast, investigation showed a redeployment forward from south of Changkufeng. An American observer in Tokyo stated that "the best information obtainable is that the Russians now occupy the lower slopes of Changkufeng, while the Japanese still occupy the heights." From this period dates a series of pleas from the 19th Division for the dispatch of long-range artillery from the Kwantung Army. Suetaka believed that the addition of long-range artillery was necessary and feasible. As Kitano predicted, Suetaka submitted his recommendation at 05:00 on 5 August for the attention of the Korea Army commander and the AGS deputy. As dawn approached on 5 August, the Korea Army received Suetaka's request. A message was dispatched to the vice minister of war and the AGS deputy, and an inquiry was sent to Hsinking. The note detailed Soviet artillery on the Changkufeng front, eight to ten batteries of field and mountain guns, including 10-cm cannons and two or three 15-cm howitzers, and described how these long-range pieces kept up a slow fire beyond Japanese firing range. Overnight, Soviet traffic pressed along the high ground east of Khasan, and by 06:30 the horizon brimmed with new threat: 48 tanks concentrated near Hill 29, with fresh artillery deployed once the Russians realized their own guns were receiving scant challenge from the Japanese. Movement across the lake suggested continued armor in play; at dawn, 10 to 15 tanks lingered on the Crestline, while closer still, six Russian tanks prowled near the southern edge of Khasan. By 03:00, Changkufeng came under bombardment again. K. Sato urged the mountain artillery to answer dawn with counterfire against the high ground east of Khasan and against Hill 29. Between 05:00 and 05:40, the artillery struck armor concentrations, knocked out two tanks, and forced the rest toward the east of Hill 29. Observation posts were neutralized, and cavalry was driven north. At the same hour, the Soviet barrage against the Japanese rear intensified, targeting lines of communication across the Tumen. The Sozan link failed by day, and telephone lines to the artillery battalion were severed, though signalmen managed to restore communications. The river crossings, Fangchuanting, Hill 52, and Shachaofeng bore the brunt of the shelling, with 15-cm blasts jolting the frontline. "From today enemy shellfire was coned and grew increasingly accurate, until every area along our front was deprived of its dead angles and our casualties mounted." The Hill 52 zone endured a slow siege, but tank fire from the eastern heights remained severe. Noguchi's company, positioned south of Changkufeng, found itself trapped in crossfire from positions across the lake. Suetaka, his front-line subordinates, and their worries about artillery superiority pressed onward. He did what he could with the resources at hand, and, in the morning, shifted a two-15-cm howitzer battery from Kyonghun to the sector opposite Changkufeng, a modest increment in reach but a needed one. At 10:00, Suetaka ordered replenishment of frontline strength. He calculated the enemy's power and their own limits: the Russians had deployed three or four infantry battalions, around 120–130 tanks, 50–60 armored cars, about 1,000 mounted troops, and three or four artillery battalions. Yet he found a glimmer in their morale; "the morale of our own units has risen, as we have been dealing grievous blows to the foe on occasion and have been steadily breaking hostile intentions." By 5 August, he noted, fifty enemy tanks had already fallen. Morimoto watched the ominous lull that threatened another attritional test and warned that the situation demanded constant vigilance. "Even if the front seems quiet, we must tighten security, reinforce positions, and not give the foe even the slightest advantage to exploit." The 5th saw only four Japanese soldiers wounded, three from the 75th and one from the mountain artillery, while ammunition usage remained low. Anti-aircraft guns west of Sozan drove off two aircraft that appeared over Changkufeng at 11:45, triggering a counterbarrage from the northeast of Khasan. A few Soviet planes skimmed over Hill 52 and Changkufeng in the afternoon, but their flights felt more like reconnaissance than threat. Across the line, the Russians continued to probe the east side. Northeast of Khasan, waves of infantry and trucks, dozens at a time, slipped south, while roughly 20 tanks began their own southern march. The Russians worked to erect new positions along the Khansi heights. In the meantime, conversations in Moscow pressed toward a decision, with intelligence predicting that a breakthrough would come by noon on the 5th. Around midnight on 5 August, Morimoto observed that the Russians' forward elements seemed to have been pulled back and the front lay quiet. He ordered vigilant guard duties, stressing that crossing the border, trespassing, and fomenting trouble were prohibited by all units and even by scouts. Meanwhile, the Japanese had been preparing for night attacks and consolidating positions. Throughout the foggy night, mechanized units moved on the Crestline east of Khasan. At daybreak, a platoon leader north of Changkufeng reported tanks heading toward Hill 29, estimating the total force at about 70 tanks and 50 troop-laden trucks. Japanese observers at Hill 52 detected new artillery positions on both sides of Hill 29 and 40 tanks on the Crestline south of the hill. By 07:00, the high ground was covered by no fewer than 100 tanks, with 8 or 9 infantry battalions deployed ahead and behind. As early as 03:00, K. Sato had urged his artillery liaison officer to ensure friendly guns fired at daybreak against the Hill 29 sector to thwart the enemy's intentions in advance. When morning fog lifted a bit at 06:00, Kamimori's mountain artillery battalion "hit the tanks very well," and front-line officers spotted shell impacts, though visibility improved only until 10:00, when mist again hampered observation. By 07:00, Soviet guns began firing from near Hill 29, triggering a duel in which the Japanese outranged them. Around 09:00, as the fog lifted from the higher crest of Changkufeng, Japanese gunners added their fire against the 40 Russian tanks near Hill 29. From Fangchuanting, the lone Japanese mountain piece also engaged armor and troop-laden trucks around Hill 29. As time wore on, the Soviet artillery showed its power, and Hill 52 became a beehive of shelling. From 11:00 onward the defenders began to suffer more and more casualties, with works shattered in succession. Flank fire from Gaho and heavy guns from Maanshan took a toll. The 100 tanks deployed on the Crestline north and south of Hill 29 delivered furious low-trajectory fire, gradually turning the front walls of our firing trenches into something resembling a saw. Russian shellfire pounded defenses at Hill 52, Noguchi Hill, and Changkufeng. Between 02:00 and 05:00 the Russian shells had been dispersed; now they concentrated their bombardment. They even struck the rear headquarters of the 37th Brigade and the 75th Regiment. The crossings at Sozan and Matsu'otsuho took heavy hits, and Sato worried that friendly batteries would become exposed to counter-battery fire if they opened up too soon. A peak of intensity arrived near 13:30 as the Soviet ground assault began. Now 30 Soviet aircraft bombed Changkufeng, Fangchuanting, and Hill 52, and Russian tanks moved toward Hill 52, with infantry 300–400 meters behind. To blunt the assault, Hirahara ordered ammunition caches and instructed troops not to open fire prematurely. The Soviet infantry and tanks pressed to a line about 900 meters from the Japanese, paused briefly, then continued. By 14:00, the advance resumed, led by three battalions and 50 tanks. Lieutenant Saito, commanding the 3rd Battalion's antitank battery, waited until tanks were 800 meters away and then opened fire with his three pieces. In a furious exchange between 13:50 and 14:30, as armor closed to 300 meters, the Japanese stopped 14 tanks and seriously damaged others in the rear. One antitank squad leader, a corporal, would later receive a posthumous citation for destroying more than ten tanks. Several tanks fled into a dip near Khasan; some Soviet troops were reportedly crushed by their own tanks in the melee. Supporting Saito's fire were Hisatsune's regimental guns and the captured antitank gun at Changkufeng, which the Japanese used to engage armor along the lake's slopes. Noguchi's unit fired battalion guns against the tanks while the attached mountain pieces bombarded the Russians despite intense counterbattery fire. At Hill 52, liaison lieutenant Fuji'uchi observed the shelling and coordinated infantry–artillery actions with a platoon leader, never flinching even after being buried in trenches three times by shell blasts; he was killed near 14:00. Captain Shiozawa, the mountain battery commander, took charge of directing fire and also was also slain. The Russians' assault pushed forward; 16 tanks followed behind the vanguard, moving along the Crestline behind Hill 52, and joined the tanks in firing but did not advance further. To the rear, a large force moved along the lake north of Hill 52 until checked by fire from Noguchi's positions. A dozen Russian tanks converged southwest of Khasan at 16:00. Master Sergeant Kobayashi, acting platoon leader of the engineers, proposed a close-quarter demolition attack since Japanese antitank strength was limited. After approval from Hirahara, at around 16:30 he and 13 men crept forward 300 meters undetected. Twenty meters from the tanks, Kobayashi urged his men: "One man, one tank! Unto death for us all!" The assault wrecked six to eight (or possibly ten) of the 12 enemy tanks and killed many crew members inside and outside the vehicles, but Kobayashi and seven of his men were killed; only one soldier, Kabasawa, survived to perform a posthumous rescue of a fallen comrade. Of the 60 Russian tanks and at least four battalions that rushed to Hill 52, only one tank charged into the hill positions. At 17:30, this machine reached within 150 meters of the 11th Company lines but was destroyed by armor-piercing heavy machine-gun fire. Back at the 75th Regiment command post, K. Sato received reports from the line units, but hostile fire cut communications with Hill 52 in the afternoon. His antitank guns were increasingly inoperable, and casualties mounted. He reinforced Hill 52 first with heavy machine guns and then with an infantry company. North of Hill 52, Noguchi had been in position with an infantry platoon, a machine-gun platoon, and the battalion gun battery. By 09:30, enemy bombardment forced him to pull back temporarily to the lower Scattered Pines area to avoid needless casualties. At Akahage or "Red Bald" Hill, Noguchi left only lookouts. Around 16:00, about two enemy companies were observed moving toward Changkufeng. Noguchi redirected fire to meet the threat. The Japanese, pinned by infantry and four tanks approaching within 150 meters, endured infantry guns and other tanks in a protracted exchange. Shelling continued until sundown. Casualties mounted; the machine-gun platoon leader, Master Sergeant Harayama, fell with 20 of his men. "It was a hard battle, but we retained our positions, and the enemy advance toward Changkufeng was checked." After sunset there were occasional fire exchanges; tanks remained visible burning. Soviet troops attempting to breach barriers faced hand-grenade assaults. A great deal of noise signaled casualties being evacuated and tanks salvaged behind enemy lines, but no fresh assaults followed. The effective barrage by the 2nd Mountain Artillery Battalion helped deter further attempts. Around 13:30 the advance began. Soviet ground troops laid down a barrage of field, heavy, and mountain gunfire against Hill 52, Noguchi Hill, and Fangchuanting until sunset. Casualties were heaviest between 15:00 and 17:00. Soviet cutoff fire against the Tumen crossings continued even after the sun went down. Japanese close-support artillery attracted instantaneous counterbattery fire. Enemy planes also seemed to be bombing in quest of the artillery sites. On the sector defended by T. Sato, throughout the night of 5-6 August, Russian movements had been frequent on the Kozando-Paksikori road and east of Khasan, trucks and tanks making round trips. The roar of engines and rumbling of vehicles were especially pronounced on the lake heights. Headlights shone brightly, causing Japanese lookouts to speculate that the Russians were putting on a demonstration to suggest that their main offensive effort was being aimed against Hill 52. Nevertheless, the left sector unit was ready for an enemy dawn assault, which did materialize around 06:00. One or two Soviet battalions struck forward, encountered a torrent of fire at 300 meters, and fled, leaving 30 bodies behind. Near 09:00 the left sector experienced a fierce series of bombardments; all of the men except lookouts took cover in trenches. The Soviet guns thundered unrelentingly, apparently in preparation for an offensive. At 14:30 several dozen bombers struck. Simultaneously, a wave of 60 tanks moved forward, followed by three battalions of infantry. Major Obo, battalion commander on the right wing, had his heavy machine guns, battalion guns, and line companies engage the foot soldiers, while antitank and regimental guns concentrated against armor. The tanks fanned out and approached within 700 meters, stopping to fire on occasion in "mobile pillbox" fashion. Despite unrelenting enemy tank and artillery shelling, the Japanese regimental guns, and the rapid-fire pieces in particular, shifted position and laid down raiding fire. In conjunction with heavy weapons belonging to Takenouchi's battalion, Obo's men succeeded in stopping 20 tanks. The rest of the armored group continued to push forward. The Russian infantry had pressed on another 200 meters behind the tanks, but eventually they lost momentum 400 meters from the Japanese positions. Having managed to separate the tanks from the infantry, the Japanese units staged close-in assaults in concert with heavy weapons and smashed ten more tanks. Thirty machines had been immobilized by now after a furious struggle lasting five hours. Although Lieutenant Ikue was killed by machine-gun fire, his mountain artillery platoon, emplaced at Shachaofeng, rendered yeoman service, stopping 20 tanks. The forward elements of Soviet infantry, still firing from 400 meters behind the tanks, had apparently abandoned the attack. Second-line forces seemed to have pulled far back, northeast of the lake. Several dozen Soviet bombers struck Takenouchi's left-wing battalion around 14:30 and lost one plane to machine-gun fire. At the same time, 50 Soviet tanks closed to 800 meters. Engaging this armored formation were battalion guns, heavy field artillery, and mountain artillery attached to the sector unit, as well as heavy weapons firing from the neighboring battalion. In succession the tanks were knocked out, perhaps 20 in all. Under cover of artillery and bombing, a battalion of Soviet infantry, who had been advancing behind the tanks, got as close as 30 or 40 meters before being checked by guns firing from the Nanpozan area and by the vigorous resistance of the defenders. The enemy withdrew 600 meters and began to dig in. T. Sato noted at 19:00 that, although the Russians on the right and left sectors seemed to have sustained considerable losses, they apparently were "planning something at point-blank range in front of our positions." The 73rd Infantry would therefore cope with a twilight or night attack by the one battalion and several tanks immediately facing it. On 06:08, immediately after large-scale air attacks involving four-engine bombers between noon and 14:00, enemy barrages began. Enemy artillery positions, 6,000–7,000 meters away, were not engaged by the Japanese since their gunners were trained only at 1,000 meters. Longer ranges were ineffective, would betray the guns, and would waste ammunition. Near 16:00 50 tanks appeared at 3,000 meters, and infantry could also be seen, wearing high boots and marching around the lake. Although the Russians may have closed to 200 or 300 meters, Tominaga received no impression that their foot soldiers were particularly aggressive. Soviet armored tactics were poor: some tanks were moving, some stopped, but they did their firing from rises, which made them easy targets. Perhaps it was because of the terrain, undulating and swampy. Without armor-piercing rounds, the Japanese guns could not penetrate the heaviest armor, so they aimed at the treads or at the belly when the tank was on a rise. Tominaga's weapons were aided by rapid-fire pieces and machine guns and by the 15-cm howitzers from across the river. Of the ten targets which came within effective range, Tominaga's battery claimed five light tanks. Major Takenouchi remembered a tank-led Soviet attack that day on Takenouchi's sector. The enemy infantry deployed in good order four kilometers from the defenses. As the formations drew closer, the Japanese counted more than 40 tanks and 3,000 ground troops. The commander knew he had a serious problem, for there were only 20 antitank shells for the rapid-fire guns. When the Russians got within 4,000 meters, the Japanese opened fire with all available heavy weapons. The attackers hit the ground and continued to advance in creeping formation, although the terrain consisted of paddy fields. All the Japanese could see were Russians, wearing reddish-purple trousers and carrying rifles, deployed every 200 meters behind the front lines and apparently exhorting the soldiers. These must have been the "enforcers." The Japanese let the tanks close to 800 meters before opening fire with their precious antitank ammunition. Both the lead and the last tanks were knocked out, but there were by now only four or five shells left, and the firing had to be stopped. Fortunately for the Japanese, the tanks never again advanced, perhaps because of the wet terrain. The Soviet infantry, however, pressed forward tenaciously all day and wormed their way close to the front edge of the barbed wire under cover of artillery and machine guns. Throughout the day, pleas for reinforcement were made frequently by the two Japanese line companies, but the battalion had no reserves, only the few soldiers in the command team. Requests were met with the reply to "hold on for a while; help is coming." Luckily, there was no close-quarter fighting by the time night fell, but the Russians did lay down concerted machine-gun fire after dark. When dawn broke without a Soviet assault, Major Takenouchi surmised that the barrage of machine-gun fire laid down by Russian infantry the evening before must have been intended to cover disengagement from the lines or to check a Japanese attack. Now, in daylight, Russian assault troops which had closed to the entanglements the day before had pulled back to a distance of 400 or 500 meters and could be seen constructing positions. At 19:10 Morimoto warned that while the Soviet offensive had bogged down, "all units are to be wary of attacks after twilight and are to crush them in good time." Ito, in charge at Changkufeng, was consequently alert, although regimental headquarters did not particularly share his concern. Ito had only two infantry squads from the 6th Company and Hisatsune's regimental gun battery, 121 men in all. A little after 20:00, Ito received a report from lookouts that enemy troops were advancing onto the southern skirt. At 20:30 two Soviet companies attacked the advanced lines, hurling grenades. One Japanese squad was almost wiped out; "they died heroic deaths, leaping into a hostile force which outnumbered them 20:1." Immediately, the Russians surged toward the main Japanese positions farther up the hill, while other strong elements sought to encircle the crest on the left. Accompanying the Soviet troops were "wardens." From north, east, and south the Japanese defenses were being overrun, and the regimental guns were in jeopardy. Wounded men fell back and down the hill, one by one. Lieutenant Hisatsune personally sought to repulse the Russians. Taking his command team, a dozen men under a master sergeant, and the two regimental gun squads which possessed only captured rifles, he led a desperate charge at 21:10. With fixed bayonets, the Japanese rushed forward, yelling loudly and hurling rocks, since there were not enough grenades. The Russians retreated in confusion, pursued by the Japanese. Hisatsune cut down several Russians, was wounded badly by grenades, but plunged into the enemy one last time before meeting a "matchlessly heroic death" at 21:40. Almost all of the noncoms and soldiers fell with him. Suddenly, at 21:20, Ito's antitank squad leader staggered to the 75th Regiment command post at Fangchuanting, his face mangled. "Changkufeng is in danger! Avenge us!" Nishimura and the reinforcements had to run 1,200 meters to reach the hill. Major Ichimoto also worked desperately to retrieve men from logistical chores; somehow he assembled 45. Grabbing every grenade available at the command post, Ichimoto ran with his men to the relief of Changkufeng. Next, Regimental Aide Suko sent 10 soldiers, the last being headquarters clerks and runners. When 16 men from the 2nd Company turned up, having delivered their supplies, Suko rushed them out, also. At regimental headquarters there now remained only a dozen soldiers and one heavy machine gun. By then, the Russians had climbed up and across Changkufeng peak and were pushing halfway down the Japanese slope of the hill. Enemy machine guns fired fiercely, but it was mainly grenades that felled Murakoshi's unit; although few were killed, half of the lead platoon was wounded. Murakoshi, struck by a grenade fragment, tied a cloth around his knee and kept on running. Clinging to Changkufeng, Ito now had little more than 50 men left—only seven of his own soldiers, the rest gunners. The latter had lost their pieces, however, and had never been armed with rifles in the first place. The survivors had to use stones, picks, and shovels to grapple with the foe in the trenches. A little before 22:00, the 17-man contingent under Nishimura arrived. Ten minutes later, Ichimoto rushed up with his 45 men, bunched closely. The survivors, inferior to the reinforcements in numbers, were heartened immensely. Soon afterward, at 22:30, the regimental warrant officer, Nishizawa, caught up with another dozen soldiers, and Murakoshi brought 16 more at 23:00. Wild fighting ensued, furious grenade exchanges, the crisscrossing of fire, and shouts and flashes. Ichimoto remembered that by the time he arrived, the last remnants of Ito's company were fighting hand-to-hand in the trenches on the north side in utter darkness. Thirty meters from the peak, he and Nishimura scouted the situation. Then, having combined the 120 reinforcements into one line, Ichimoto drew his sword and led the charge. In the constant flashes, shapes could be discerned rather well. The Russian machine guns were firing "crazily," all tracers, probably to warn away their own troops. But the firing was very high, sometimes ten meters over the heads of the Japanese, perhaps because of the darkness, the 40-degree slope near the crest, and the angle of the guns. Much of the fire was considerably lower, but the Japanese had only to observe the roots of the tracer fire and stay down, ducking behind boulders. The Soviets had been committing new troops steadily, and a considerable amount of heavy weapons had been emplaced. Near midnight the Russians were driven south, down the cliff, but most of the Japanese had been killed or wounded, and ammunition was exhausted. The mere dozen unscathed survivors were pushed back, but Master Sergeant Isobe and his platoon from Inokuma's company reached the crest in the nick of time at 02:00. With this reinforcement, Ichimoto led a new charge and again drove the enemy below the cliff. At 22:50 P.M., Inokuma set out with only 49 men, crossed the border, and headed for the enemy's rear. First to be encountered, probably at 01:00, were several dozen Soviet soldiers, armed with machine guns, who were surprised and almost destroyed, abandoning more than 20 corpses. Inokuma veered north along Khasan, cutting down Russian phone lines on the way. The Japanese detected no evidence of enemy retreat. Instead, voices and the sound of oars on the lake could be heard from the eastern foot of Changkufeng, perhaps they came from Soviet reinforcements. Inokuma decided that the best course would be to plunge ahead and take the Russians by surprise. On his own initiative, he began his new operation, although by now he had lost permanent touch with the assault teams. At 02:00, Inokuma's unit broke silently through the "imperfect" lines of barbed wire and charged through another enemy force of company size which was equipped with machine guns. Next, Inokuma directed an attack against a concentration just behind the company location, a unit estimated to number two battalions massing west of the Khasan crossing. The Russians were "stunned" by the assault. According to Akaishizawa, the enemy were killing their own men by wild firing. A portion fled north, leaving over 30 bodies behind. At the same time, the foe called down fire from all areas, causing very heavy Japanese casualties. Inokuma charged, managed to scatter the foe, and seized the cliff. By now he had only a half-dozen men left. His own sword had been shattered and his pistol ammunition exhausted; he picked up a Russian rifle and bayoneted several enemy soldiers. Now the Soviet troops, who had fallen back once, were approaching again from the right rear. Inokuma charged once more, shouting. The Russians retreated to the foot of the heights on the northeast. Daybreak was near. Already hit several times, Inokuma sought to resume the attack, this time from the rear of hostile forces desperately engaging Ichimoto's elements on Changkufeng crest. Akaishizawa said his last orders were, "Ito is just ahead. Charge on!" Although he had only a few soldiers left, Inokuma was trying to move forward when a bullet or a grenade fragment struck him in the head, and he died at 03:00. Sergeant Okumura, although wounded seriously, had remained with Inokuma to the last and defended the positions that had been reached. He saw to it that Inokuma's corpse was recovered first and next struggled to evacuate the wounded. Only then did he withdraw. Around 07:00, Okumura got back to Fangchuanting with one unscathed and two badly wounded soldiers. A day later, the seriously injured but indestructible M. Saito appeared at the regiment command post, somehow dragging a rifle and light machine gun with his one good arm, for "we were always trained to respect our weapons." It was estimated that, during the fighting throughout 6 August, the Russians lost 1,500 killed and wounded as well as 40 tanks knocked out in K. Sato's right sector alone. Japanese casualties were heavy on the 6th. The 75th Infantry lost three officers; 44 enlisted men were killed and 85 wounded. In the engineer platoon seven were killed and five wounded out of 19 men. The 54 killed and 90 wounded in the right sector amounted to 17 percent of the 843 men available. I would like to take this time to remind you all that this podcast is only made possible through the efforts of Kings and Generals over at Youtube. Please go subscribe to Kings and Generals over at Youtube and to continue helping us produce this content please check out www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals. If you are still hungry after that, give my personal channel a look over at The Pacific War Channel at Youtube, it would mean a lot to me. Japanese leadership under Colonel Sato assigned Nakano's 75th Regiment for a dawn assault, seizing Hill 52 and Shachaofeng despite fierce Soviet counterattacks,tanks, aircraft, and heavy artillery. Across the front, sustained bombardment, shifting fire, and nocturnal maneuvers characterize the period. Yet the crest endured, losses mounting but resolve unbroken, until the sun dipped and the hillside remained stubbornly Japanese

american china japan fall wild japanese kings russian movement night north tokyo enemy charge longer engaging twenty moscow offensive northeast soviet thirty counter heights overnight requests wounded observation brigades generals soviets fuji grabbing clinging daybreak casualties battalion infantry accompanying ammunition sato regiment kobayashi ito headlights avenge ags saito manchurian pacific war flank shelling nakano morimoto nakajima matsu obo nishimura noguchi china podcast okumura infantry battalion suko craig watson one japanese

TMA (12-22-25) Hour 1 - Sure, Bovine.

The Ryan Kelley Morning After

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 22, 2025 65:10

(00:00-30:04) Are we the only ones in the building today? Best-of vibe. We just have so much to get to. Jackson heading to The Gator Bowl. 70 degrees on Christmas. Could you land a plane if you had to? We got cows in Missouri. Weaving in shout outs to the new OC. The new Michigan Man. Pigskin, porcine. Doug, what's the lede today? Wilson Contreras to the Sox. Poor Nolan. RIP Wheelhouse. Cardinals embracing stepdad life. Grabbing chunks of flesh.(30:12-55:17) Chairman made the trip to Oxford for the Ole Miss vs. Tulane game. Southern belles. Underwhelming stadium in Oxford. Both Group of 5 teams get rolled in the CFP. Which team of the remaining 8 is least likely to win it all? Good time to get out of the Michigan football program. Bears and Packers with a thriller on Saturday. Iceman. Steelers Lions was great last night. The Flyers announcer may be in some trouble. The porta potty guy. Who's the highest profile contact in Martin's phone? Mt. Rushmore of flat tops. Guest roulette.(55:27-1:05:01) The Bee Gees. Barry Manilow on the Walkman. Players and coaches behaving badly. Ed Cooley of Georgetown hit a kid with a water bottle. DK Metcalf getting physical with a fan.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Your Kids Are Watching: A Guide to Modeling Healthy Habits

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Play Episode Listen Later Dec 2, 2025 181:03

If you've ever felt like raising kids and staying healthy are competing priorities, this episode will change how you think about both.We're bringing together six of our most powerful conversations on parenting — from applying the Five Factors to family life, to helping kids navigate adversity, to designing environments where healthy choices happen naturally.Last week, we published an essay called Your Ceiling Becomes Their Starting Point **— a complete guide to building healthy family habits.This compilation episode is the raw material behind that essay: years of conversations about how to raise resilient kids while maintaining your own health.We explore the frameworks, tactics, and daily practices that transform abstract principles into real family culture.

Why You Should Treat Triumph & Disaster as the Imposters That They Are

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Play Episode Listen Later Nov 25, 2025 61:08

What if every triumph and disaster you face is just a temporary imposter - neither defining you nor derailing you?In this episode, we explore Rudyard Kipling's timeless poem "If" and uncover how emotional intelligence, resilience, and warrior-like composure can help you navigate life's highest highs and lowest lows with grace.We dive into the mindset that lets you stay centered when others panic, rebuild humbly when things crumble, and risk freely without being attached to outcomes - so you can live with intentionality and purpose no matter what comes your way.

Slay Dragons, Chase Lions, Tame Wolves: The Path from Inner Work to Outer Impact

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Play Episode Listen Later Nov 18, 2025 71:33

Jamison Price returns to discuss his new guide on self-mastery, "On Dragons, Lions, & Wolves."He shares three metaphors that define the path from inner transformation to outer impact: facing your dragons (the shame, addiction, and fear within), chasing your lions (the external threats that demand courage), and taming your wolves (integrating strength and wisdom to belong).This conversation explores why self-actualization isn't the end goal—it's shared-actualization, becoming someone dangerous to darkness and dependable in the light.

Stop Treating Every Problem Like a Hurricane: A New Framework For Complaining Less