Podcasts about Granted

When God calls us to something new, our first instinct is often to focus on what we lack—our insecurities, fear of rejection, or the possibility of failure. But Matthew 10 reminds us that confidence in God's calling is rooted not in our abilities but in His presence, power, and purpose. Jesus sent His disciples out with authority, without micromanaging their flaws. His instruction? Be wise, stay pure, and keep moving forward—even in the face of rejection. If you’ve ever felt unqualified or hesitant to pursue a new opportunity, this devotional reminds you that godly confidence is less about perfection and more about obedience. Shake off the dust, trust your calling, and walk boldly into your next assignment. Highlights ✨ God doesn’t wait for perfection—He works through our obedience.✨ The disciples were imperfect but sent anyway. So are we.✨ Jesus’ instruction to "shake off the dust" is a bold reminder: don’t carry rejection into your next opportunity.✨ Confidence in God’s call means focusing more on His power than our past mistakes.✨ Like the disciples, we are chosen, equipped, and sent to make an impact. Join the Conversation Have you ever shaken the dust off and stepped out in faith, even when you felt unqualified? Share your story with us and encourage someone else! Tag us @lifeaudionetwork and use #CalledWithConfidence to join the conversation.

This is your Friday Refresh brought to you by the Stayin Alive Disco Dodgeball Tournament that takes place at Mars Hill Bible School in Florence Alabama on August 16, 2025. All proceeds benefit St. Jude Research Hospital. Festivities will begin at 10 AM. More info at BenandTravis.com/Dodgeball I was speaking to someone the other day who seemed to be pretty down on the young people of today. Granted, he works in a field where he interacts with young folks entering the work force and I'm sure he experiences the worst in people from time to time. However, as I heard him make a few comments that seemed to be down on younger people, I couldn't help but think about all the things I've witnessed this summer. May ended with watching several kids graduate who already had in their minds what they wanted to spend the rest of their lives doing. Some heading to college while others going straight into the work force. I've watched the commitment over the past few years of those who have chosen both of those paths and been impressed. Links mentioned in this episode: http://www.benandtravis.com http://www.facebook.com/groups/benandtravis http://www.patreon.com/benandtravis Reframing Hope Book https://www.benandtravis.com/books Helping. Healing. Humor. with Ben and Travis: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/batify/id1457601152?mt=2&uo=4 Good Old Fashioned Dislike podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/good-old-fashioned-dislike/id1643163790 Co-Producers: Justin B., Doris C., Rhonda F., Scott K., Mary H. This podcast is hosted by ZenCast.fm

Granted this brief description barely covers it, but, in this episode we answer listener questions and hear about Jeff's latest ghostly encounter! (originally aired: 2016.)   Sick of being asked for money by everyone on the internet? Great! Then dump them and give it all to me here: www.ko-fi.com/jayvay

You're listening to Burnt Toast! Today, my guest is Tracy Clark-Flory. Tracy is the feminist writer behind the newsletter TCF Emails and the author of Want Me: A Sex Writer's Journey into the Heart of Desire. She's also the cohost of the new podcast Dire Straights where she and Amanda Montei unpack the many toxic aspects of heterosexual relationships and culture. I brought Tracy on the podcast today to talk about my feet, but we get into so much more. We talk about porn, sexual identity, and the male gaze—and, of course, how all of this makes us feel in our bodies.This episode is free but if you value this conversation, please consider supporting our work with a paid subscription. Burnt Toast is 100% reader- and listener-supported. We literally can't do this without you.PS. You can always listen to this pod right here in your email, where you'll also receive full transcripts (edited and condensed for clarity). But please also follow us in Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, and/or Pocket Casts! And if you enjoy today's conversation, please tap the heart on this post — likes are one of the biggest drivers of traffic from Substack's Notes, so that's a super easy, free way to support the show!Episode 202 TranscriptVirginiaI am so excited. We've been Internet friends for a long time, and it's so nice to finally have a conversation. I'm very jazzed! TracyRight? I feel like we've talked before, but we have not, which is such an odd sensation. We've emailed.VirginiaWe've emailed, we've DM-ed, we've commented on each other's things. But we have not, with our faces and mouths, had a conversation. The Internet is so weird.Well, the Internet being weird is a lot of what we're gonna talk about today. Because where I want to start today is feet.TracyWhy not?VirginiaSo I initially emailed you when I was working on my essay about my Wikifeet experience, because you have written so extensively about porn and the Internet's treatment of women. And when I discovered my Wikifeet, one of my first thoughts was, “I need to talk to Tracy about this.” TracyThat makes me so happy. I want to be the first person that everyone thinks of when they find themselves on Wikifeet.VirginiaI was like, “I don't know how she'll feel…” so I'm glad you take that as a compliment.I don't even know where to start. Even though I wrote a whole essay about this, my brain is still, like, “record scratch moment” on the whole thing. Sojust talk to us a little bit where in your vast reporting on porn did you kind of become aware of fetish sites and what's your read on them? What's going on there?TracyI think I first became aware of Wikifeet in 2008-ish when they launched, and that's when I was a proper, full-time sex writer, on the sex beat, covering every weird niche Internet community. And then in the years since, I've unfortunately had many women colleagues—often feminist writers—who have ended up on the site. So unfortunately, you're not the first person I know who's ended up on there.VirginiaIt's a weird thing that a certain type of woman writer is gonna end up on Wikifeet. Why?TracyThere are no shortage of women who are consensually volunteering photos of their feet online for people to consume in a sexualized way, right? So the fact is that this site is providing a venue for people to do it in a very nonconsensual way, where images are taken from other venues that are not sexualized. They're stolen images, you know? Things that are screenshotted from Instagram stories, that kind of thing—and then put into this sexualized context. Not only that, but put into a sexualized context where there is a community around sexualizing and objectifying and even rating and evaluating body parts.My take is that this violation is part of the point. Because there is having a foot fetish—great, have at it, enjoy. And then there's consuming images that are nonconsensual. So I think that the violation is part of the point. And to the point of feminist writers, women writers online, ending up on it—I don't think it's an accident. Because I think that there is—perhaps for some, maybe not all—some pleasure taken in that aspect of trespass.VirginiaYes. My best friend is a food blogger, and I immediately searched for her because she's way more famous than I am, and she's not on there. And I'm glad, I don't want her non-consensually on there! But I was like, oh, it's interesting that I'm on there, lyz is on there. It is a certain type of woman that men are finding objectionable on the Internet. And putting us on WikiFeet is a retaliation or just a way of—I don't know. It's not a direct attack, because I didn't even know about it for however long my feet have been up there. But it is a way for men to feel like they're in control of us in some way, right?TracyOh, totally. And it's because there is something interesting about taking a body part that is not broadly and generally sexualized, and sexualizing it. There is this feeling of a “gotcha!” in it.There is something, too, about feet—I mean, I think this is part of what plays into foot fetish, often. There is this sense of dirtiness, potentially, but also the sense of often being hidden away. It's secret, it's private, it's delicate, it's tender. Feet are ticklish, there's so much layered in there that I think can make it feel like this place of vulnerability.I've written about upskirting. This was maybe like 15 years ago. But it's these communities where men take upskirt videos and photos of women on the subway or wherever, and then they share them in online forums. And that's very clearly a physical trespass. You're seeing something that was not meant to be seen. So it's quite different. But it's feels like it exists on a spectrum of trespass and violation and taking sexualized enjoyment out of that.VirginiaFrom someone who had no intention of you taking that enjoyment, who's just trying to ride the train to work.TracyTotally. And the foot thing, it just makes me think of all these different ways that women experience their bodies in the world. You can't just be at ease in your body, because someone might think your feet are hot.VirginiaIt's really interesting. I've talked about this on the podcast before: A little bit after I got divorced and I started having, weekends totally to myself in my house, it was the first time I'd been alone in my house in a long time. Obviously, usually my kids were there. My husband used to be there. And I had this strange sensation of being observed, even when I was completely alone in the house.It's just me and the dog. She's asleep. I'm making dinner or watching TV or doing whatever I'm doing. And I couldn't shake the sensation that I was watching myself, still thinking about what I was going to wear. It was so weird, and I realized it actually isn't particularly a comment on my marriage. It's more a comment on women are so trained to always feel observed. It's really hard for us to actually access a space where we're not going to be observed. It was wild.TracyWe adopt that perspective of the watcher, and we are the watched. We experience ourselves in that way, as opposed to being the watcher, the person who sees and consumes the world and experiences the world. It's like we experience ourselves being experienced by someone else—an imagined man often.VirginiaYes, you're always self-objectifying. It doesn't matter whether you're trying to please that gaze, whether you're trying to protect yourself against that gaze. Whatever it is, we're always aware of how we'll be perceived in a way that I don't think cis men ever have to consider. I don't think that's a part of their experience of the world in the same way.TracyAnd how messed up is that tension between trying to please and trying to protect oneself? What an impossible tightrope walk to be constantly doing.VirginiaRight, and to not even know which one you want sometimes. Like, which one you need, which one you want.TracyYeah, going back and forth between those extremes. You're always kind of monitoring and on edge.VirginiaAnd, it did shift. Now when I'm alone in my house, I don't feel like I'm watching myself. Like, it did lessen. But it was this very stark moment of noticing that. And I think the way our work is so online, we are so online, it doesn't help. Because we also have all learned through the performance art of social media to constantly be documenting. And even if you're by yourself, you might post something about it. There's that need to narrate and document and then also objectify your experience.TracyThe sense of, like, if I don't take a photo of it, it doesn't exist. It didn't happen. It's not real. It must be consumed by other people. I mean, when you were talking earlier about that sense of being surveyed, I think that is a very just common experience for women, period. But then I think, for me, growing up with reality TV, the explosion of reality TV, like that added this like sense of a camera on one's life.And then I think, like, if you want to bring porn into it, too—Like, in the bedroom, that sense of the watcher, so you have this sense of being watched by men, but then you have the sense of kind of performing for an audience, because that's so much of what I came up with culturally.VirginiaI mean, the way we often conceive of our sexuality is through performance and how are you being perceived not how are you experiencing it yourself? I mean, you write about that so well, that tension.TracyThat was my whole thing. My sexual coming of age memoir is so much about what it meant to try to move out of that focus on how I'm being perceived by my partner and into a place of what am I experiencing? What do I even want beyond being wanted?VirginiaMan, it's amazing we've all survived and gotten where we are. Another layer to this, that I thought about a lot as I was processing my Wikifeet, was how instantly I felt like I had to laugh it off. I really felt like I couldn't access my true reaction to it. I just immediately sort of went into this Cool Girl, resigned, jaded, like “What do you expect from the Internet?” This is why I wanted to talk to you. Because I was like, oh, this feels very similar to stuff Tracy struggled with and wrote about in her memoir.TracyOh, totally. It makes total sense to me that you would go to that default place. It makes me think of how I, especially early in my career writing online as a feminist blogger, I would print out the very worst, most misogynistic hateful comments and post them on my fridge because I was willing myself to find them funny, to be able to laugh at them and just kind of distance myself from them and to feel untouched by them.I think that Cool Girl stance is a way of putting on protective armor. So I think that makes sense as a woman writing online, but I also think it makes sense in the context of sex. So much of what I did—this performative sexuality, this kind of sense of being down for whatever in my 20s—was, subconsciously, a kind of defensive posture. Because I think I had this feeling that if I'm down for anything, then nothing can be done against my will, you know? And that was the mental gambit that I had to engage in, in order to feel safe enough to explore my sexuality freely. Granted, it wasn't very freely, turns out. But it makes total sense that you would want to default to the laughing at what is really a violation. Because I do think that there's something protective about that. It's like, “No, you're not going to do this to me. You're not going to make me feel a certain way about this.” But that only takes you so far.VirginiaWell, because at the same time, it also is a way of communicating, “Don't worry, I can take a joke. I'm not one of those feminists.” It also plays right into that. So it's protective and you can't rattle me. And, I'll also minimize this just like you want me to minimize it. So I'm actually doing what you want. Then my brain breaks.TracyRight? And then we're back to that thing we were just talking about, the wanting to please, but then wanting to protect oneself, and the impossible balancing act of that. VirginiaLike you were saying you've experienced these horrific misogynistic troll comments. I experienced them in the more fatphobic sense, but like a mix, misogyny and fatphobia, very good friends.So I think when you've experienced more extreme things, you then do feel like you have to downplay some of the minor stuff. It feels scarier for men to say that my children should be taken away from me than it does for them to take pictures of my feet. I can hold that. And yet I'm still allowed to be upset about the foot thing. Just because some things are more awful, it doesn't mean that we stop having a conversation about the more mundane forms of violation, because the more mundane forms of it are also what we're all experiencing all the time.TracyRight? Like the daily experience of it. I mean, unfortunately, there just is a full, rich spectrum of violation.VirginiaSo many choices, so many ways, so many body parts.TracyI do think that the extreme examples do kind of serve to normalize the less extreme, you know? And what we sort of end up putting up with, you know? VirginiaWhat would you say was a helpful turning point for you? What helped you start to step back from being in that cool girl mode? From being in that “I'm performing sex for other people” mode? What helped you access it for yourself?TracyI mean, honestly? A piece of it was porn. It's funny because I turned to porn as a teenager online in the 90s as a source of—I felt at the time—intel about what men wanted. Like, here's how to be what men wanted. And I tried to perform that, you know? And there were downsides to that, of course. There are some downsides. But I would also say that like in the midst of plumbing the depths of 2000s-era, early 2000s-era tube sites to understand what men “wanted,” I also started to kind of explore what I wanted.I wasn't drawn to it from that place of self discovery, but I kind of accidentally stumbled into it because I was watching these videos. And then I was like, oh, wait, what about this thing? Like, that's kind of interesting to me. And then, you start to kind of tumble down the rabbit hole accidentally. Women are socialized to not pursue that rabbit hole for themselves, right? So it was only in pursuing men's desires that I felt like I was able to unlock this whole other world of fantasy and desire for myself that I wanted to explore and that I was able to get into some non-mainstream, queer indie porn that actually felt very radical and eye opening.It was this circuitous route to myself. That was just a piece, I think, of opening up my mind to the world of fantasy, which felt very freeing. Then, getting into a relationship where with a partner who I could actually be vulnerable with, was a huge piece of it. To actually feel safe enough to explore and not be performing, and to have those moments of awkwardness and that you're not just this expert performer all the time. Like, that doesn't lead to good sex.VirginiaNo, definitely not.There's a part in the memoir with your then boyfriend, now husband, and you say that you wanted—you call it “a cozy life.” And I think you guys put that in your wedding vows. I think about that all the time. I think it's so beautiful. Just like, oh right, that's what we're looking for. It's not this other giant thing, the performing and the—I don't know, there's something about that really stuck with meTracyThat's so interesting. I haven't thought about that for a while. It's really interesting, and it's funny, because it was part of our wedding vows. VirginiaCozy means safety with another person, that felt safety with another person, right? And the way we are trained to think of sex and relationships really doesn't prioritize women's safety, kind of ever.TracyI mean, yeah, it's true. There is something very particular about that word cozy—it's different from when people say, like, “I want a comfortable life.” VirginiaYeah, that's bougie.TracyCozy is like, I want to be wrapped in a cozy blanket on the couch with you. And feel safe and intimate and vulnerable. So thank you for reminding me of that thing that I wrote.VirginiaWell, It was really beautiful, and I think about it often, and it was kind of clarifying for me personally. And it's not saying sex won't be hot, you know? It's just that you have that connection and foundation to build whatever you're going to build.TracyRight? And I think coziness kind of is a perfect starting point for being able to experience sexiness and hotness. I think we have this cultural idea that one must have this mystery and sense of otherness in order to be able to build that kind of spice and fire. And at least in my experience, that was not ever the case. I know that other people have that experience, but for me, I never had the experience of that sense of otherness and kind of fear even, and trepidation about this other person leading to a really exciting experience. It was more like being able to get to a place of trust and vulnerability that could get you there.VirginiaAnd obviously, there are all different ways people enjoy and engage in sex. And I don't think every sexual relationship has to be founded in any one thing, but I think when we're talking about this transition that a lot of women go through, from participating in sex for his pleasure, for performance, for validation, to it being something you can do on your own terms, I think the coziness concept is really helpful. There's something there.All right, well, so now you are working on a new podcast with Amanda, as we mentioned, called Dire Straights. Tracy, I'm so excited, because Heterosexuals are not okay. We are not okay, as a population.TracyJust like, literally, look at anywhere. Open up the front page of The New York Times. We're not okay on so many levels.VirginiaSo tell us about the pod.TracySo it's a feminist podcast about heterosexual love, sex, politics and culture, and every episode, we basically pick apart a new element of straight culture. So examples would be couples therapy, dating apps, sex strikes, monogamy, the manosphere, pronatalism, the list goes on and on. Literally this podcast could just never end. There's too much fodder. Unfortunately, I'd love for it to end for a lack of content, but that's not going to happen.So we look at both sex and dating alongside marriage and divorce, and the unequal realm of hetero parenting. We examine celebrities and politicians and consider them as case studies of dire heterosexuality. Tech bros, tradwives, terfs, all the whole cast of terrible hetero characters are up for examination, and our aim is to examine the worst of straight culture, but it's also to step back and kind of try to imagine better possibilities.It's not fatalist, it's not nihilistic. I think we both have this sense of wanting to engage in some kind of utopian dreaming one might say, while we're also picking apart what is so awful and terrible about the current state of heterosexual culture.So our first episode is about dark femininity influencers. I don't know if you've ever encountered them online.VirginiaYes, but I hadn't connected the dots. So I was like, oh, this is a thing.TracyThat's that thing, yeah. That's how I experienced it. It was, like, they just started showing up on my TikTok feed, these women who are usually white and wearing a bold red lip and smokey eyes, and they're essentially promising to teach women how to use their sex appeal in order to manipulate straight men into better behavior. They're selling this idea of seduction as liberation, and specifically liberation from the disappointments of the straight dating world. This idea is that by harnessing your seductive powers, you can be in control in this terrible, awful straight dating sphere.VirginiaIt's like, if Drusilla from Buffy the Vampire Slayer wrote a dating book. I don't know if that reference speaks to you or not.TracyI'm a little rusty on my Buffy, I have to say.VirginiaShe's like, pale skin, red lips, black hair, and tortures men. But yeah, it's this idea that you harness all your like, seductive powers to torture men to get what you want, which is men. Which is a husband or a boyfriend or gifts or whatever. They're shooting for a heterosexual relationship by exerting this power over men, and so the idea is it is somehow it's giving them more power in a patriarchal dynamic. But it doesn't really because they end up in the same place.TracyIt's the same place, it's the same exact place. It feels to me, in some ways, like a corrective against the cool girl stuff that we're talking about that kind of emerged in the 2000s, where, you know, it's this sort of like being down for whatever, that kind of thing. These women are kind of saying, you're not going to sleep with him on the first date. You're going to make him work for it, you know? And so there's a sense of like, I'm in control, because I'm not giving it away for free. It plays into all these awful ideas about women and sex and power. But it is ultimately ending up in the same place, and it is just ultimately about getting a man, keeping a man. And so, you know, how different is it really? I don't think it is.VirginiaI mean, it's not. It's the same rules and conversations that Charlotte's having in the first season of Sex in the City, which is ancient at this point. How are we still here? Are we still here?TracyWe're just inventing new aesthetics to kind of repackage these very old, retro, sexist ideas, you know?VirginiaI also think it's really interesting and helpful that you are interrogating straight culture as someone inside a heterosexual marriage. I've written about my own divorce, my critiques of marriage, and it triggers great conversations, but it always triggers a very uncomfortable response from a lot of married women who don't really want to go there, don't really want to pick up the rocks and look underneath it because it's too scary. It makes sense. And I'm wondering how you think about that piece, and how that's working for you.TracyI think it's very destabilizing for a lot of women in straight marriages and just straight relationships, period, to consider these things. I think it was over a year ago now that I wrote this piece about trying to coin this term hetero-exceptionalism in response to the backlash that I was seeing to the divorce memoir boom, where women reviewers, but also just people on Twitter or wherever, were kind of pointing at these authors and being like, well, I don't know what's wrong with you because my marriage is great.VirginiaThe Emily Gould piece in New York.TracyThere's this sense of like, oh, well, either I chose a good man or I know how to conduct a healthy relationship.VirginiaI'm willing to put in the work.TracyGotta put in the work. You will love our next episode about couples therapy, because we talk about this concept of putting in the work, and the idea that marriage is work, and that if you're not doing the work you're lazy. You're failing, the whole project of it.VirginiaThank you for unpacking that incredibly toxic myth! It really keeps women trapped in “I just have to keep working harder.”TracyWhich I think totally relates to this, the response to the divorce memoirs we're getting from people and the discomfort of when women raise these issues in hetero relationships that are not individual. Like, yes, we all feel that our relationship issues are special and unique. But they all relate to these broader systemic factors.I think that is really, really, really uncomfortable to acknowledge. Because I think even if you're reasonably happy in your hetero relationship, I think if you start to look at the way that your even more minor dissatisfactions connect to these bigger dissatisfactions that women are writing about that's all part of this experience of love in patriarchy that it doesn't feel good. That feels terrible. So I totally understand that.In the same way that we're sold this idea of trying to find the one and that whole romantic fantasy, I think we're also sold this idea of trying to achieve romantically within these patriarchal constraints. So it's like, well, I found the good one. I found the unicorn man who checks all the boxes and I did my work and so I'm in a happy marriage.Virginia“I'm allowed to be heterosexual because I'm doing it right.” That's feeling uncomfortably familiar, to be honest. You think you're going to pull the thread, and you realize you'll rip it all out.TracyThe thing is that a lot of people should be pulling the thread, and a lot of lives should be unraveling, you know? I think that's the uncomfortable truth, right? I totally get the resistance to it. But on the other side of it, I think there are obviously, clearly, a lot of women who are wanting to look at it, and who do want to have these conversations.VirginiaIt sounds like this is what you're trying to chart. There has to be a middle path where it's not this defensive stance of, oh, I found the one good one. And we're equal partners. It's okay, but a relationship where we can both look at this, we can both acknowledge the larger systemic issues and how they're showing up here, and we can work through it and it's not perfect, because it is love in patriarchy, but it can still be valuable. There has to be this third option, right? Please tell me you're living the third option, Tracy.TracyI mean, I do believe that I am but I also hesitate to put any man or any relationship on a pedestal. What I'll say is that to me, it feels so utterly essential in my relationship to acknowledge the ways that our relationship is touched by patriarchy, because all relationships are touched by patriarchy, right? And to not fantasize about us somehow standing outside of it, but also to be having constant ongoing conversations within my relationship where we are mutually critiquing patriarchy and the way that it touches us and the way that it touches the relationships of people we know, you know? I think that's part of why I think I'm able to do this podcast critiquing heterosexuality from within heterosexuality is because my partner showed up to the relationship with his own prior political convictions and feminist awareness. I wasn't having to be like, here's what feminism is and, here's what invisible labor is, and the mental load and all that stuff. He got it, and so we're able to have a mutual shared critique, and that feels very important.VirginiaThat's awesome to know exists, and that you're able to figure that out without it being such hard work. But where does that leave women who are like, oh yeah, my partner doesn't have that shared knowledge? Like, I would be starting the education process from zero and encountering many resistances to it. And therein is the discomfort, I think.TracyI mean, and that is the discomfort of heterosexuality. It's in this culture, because that is the reality is there are not a ton of men who have voluntarily taken women's studies courses in college and have the basic background for this kind of stuff. It's a really high bar and there is this feeling of what are you going to do? Are you going to hold out for the guy who did do that? Or are you going to try to work with him to get there? And I think that's fine, but I think what's essential is are you both working to get there, or are you pulling him along?VirginiaYeah, that's the core of it.I think just in general, reorienting our lives to where our romantic relationships are really important, but so are our friendships. So is our community. I think that's something that a lot of us, especially us in the post-divorce club are looking at. I think one of the great failings of heterosexual marriage is how it silos women into these little pods of the nuclear family and keeps us from the larger community.TracyTotally. I really do believe that the way that our lives are structured, this hetero monogamous, nuclear familydom, it works against these hetero unions so much. Which is so funny, because so much of this is constructed to try to protect them. But I actually think that it undermines them so deeply and drastically. And that we could have much richer and more vibrant, supportive, communal lives that made these romantic unions like less fragile and fraught.VirginiaBecause you aren't needing one person to meet every single one of your needs, you aren't needing this one thing to be your whole life.TracyWe put all of the pressure on the nuclear household for the cooking, the cleaning, the childcare, all of that. That is an impossible setup. It is a setup for failure. There's I wish I could quote the writer, but I love this quote about marriage and the nuclear family being capitalism's pressure cooker. If you think about it in those terms, it's like, this is absurd. Of course, so many people are struggling.VirginiaIt was never going to work. It was never going to work for women anyway, for sure.Well, I'm so excited for folks to discover the new podcast. It's amazing, and I'm just thrilled you guys are diving into all of this. It's such an important space to be having these conversations. So thank you.TracyThank you! I'm very excited about it, and it does, unfortunately, feel very timely.ButterTracyI definitely do have Butter. And this is so on topic to what we've been discussing. This book of essays titled Love in Exile by Shon Faye. It is a brilliant collection of essays about love, where she really looks at the problem of love and the search for love as a collective instead of individual problem. It is so good. It's one of my favorite books that I've read in the last five years.She basically argues that the heteronormative couple privatizes the love and care and intimacy that we all deserve. But that we're deprived of in this late capitalist hellscape, and so she sees the love that so many of us are deprived of as not a personal failure, but a failure of capitalism and community and the growing cruelty of our world. It's just such a tremendous shift of perspective, I think, when it comes to thinking about love and the search for love and that longing and lack of it that so many people experience.VirginiaOh my gosh, that sounds amazing. I can't wait to read it. Adding to cart right now, that is a great Butter. Thank you.Well, my Butter is, I don't know if you can see what I'm wearing, Tracy, but it is the friendship bracelet you sent me when you sent me your copy of Want Me.TracyDo you know that I literally just last night was like, oh, I'm going on the podcast tomorrow, I wonder if she still has that friendship bracelet.VirginiaI'm wearing the one you sent me, which says Utopia IRL, which I love. And then I'm wearing one that says “Fuck the Patriarchy,” which was made by one of my 11 year old's best friends for me. So the 10 year old girls are going to be all right, because they're doing that.TracyThat's amazing.VirginiaI wear them frequently. They go with many outfits, so they're just a real go-to accessory of mine. My seven year old the other day was reading them and was so delighted. And now, when she's at her dad's and we text, she'll randomly text me, “fuck the patriarchy,” just as a little I love you text. And I'm like, alright, I'm doing okay here.TracyYou're like, that's my love language. Thank you.VirginiaSo anyway, really, my Butter is just for friendship bracelets and also mailing them to people, because that was so sweet that you did that.TracyCan I mention though? Can I admit that I literally told you that I was going to send you that friendship bracelet, and I made it, I put in an envelope, and it literally sat by my front door for a full year.VirginiaI think that makes me love it even more, because it was a year. If you had been able to get it out the door in a timely fashion, it would have made you less relatable to me.That it took a full year that feels right. And I was just as delighted to receive it a year later.TracyIt was a surprise. I was like, you probably forgot that.VirginiaI had.TracyI emailed about it and that we had an inside joke about it, because it had been a year.VirginiaI did, but then I was like, oh yeah!TracyYou know what? I think it's a testament to you and how you come off that I like felt comfortable sending it a year later and just being like, fuck it, she'll be fine with it.VirginiaYes, it was great. Anyway, my recommendation is send someone a friendship bracelet by which I mean put it in an envelope by your front door for the next year. Why not? It's a great thing to do.So yes, Tracy, this was so much fun. Thank you for being here. Tell folks where we can follow you support your work, all the things.TracyYou can find the Dire Straights podcast at direstraightspod.com. And you can find my weekly newsletter about sex, feminism, pop culture at Tracyclarkflory.substack.com and you can find me on Instagram at Tracy Clark-Flory.VirginiaAmazing. We'll link to all of that. Thank you for being here.TracyThanks so much for having me.The Burnt Toast Podcast is produced and hosted by Virginia Sole-Smith (follow me on Instagram) and Corinne Fay, who runs @SellTradePlus, and Big Undies.The Burnt Toast logo is by Deanna Lowe.Our theme music is by Farideh.Tommy Harron is our audio engineer.Thanks for listening and for supporting anti-diet, body liberation journalism! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit virginiasolesmith.substack.com/subscribe

Afternoon Headlines: Bank exec charged with procuring under-age girls for sex found dead, Aussie dollar down as unemployment rate rises, Palestinian Ministry of Health reports over 58,000 killed in Gaza since October 7 and Tomorrowland mainstage engulfed by flames. Deep Dive: Credit and debit surcharges are costing Australians billions of dollars every year. But who’s making the profit? The RBA announced this week that it wants to crack down on a major loophole and abolish the surcharges. In this episode, Natarsha Belling is joined by Brad Kelly, co-founder of Independent Payments Forum, who explains how the surcharges work and why the planned overhaul may actually be bad news for small businesses and consumers. Follow The Briefing: TikTok: @thebriefingpodInstagram: @thebriefingpodcast YouTube: @LiSTNRnewsroom Facebook: @LiSTNR NewsroomSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Why is suffering an essential part of the Christian life? Among other reasons, because Christians are out of step with the world, which leads to conflict.

Actor Columbus Short has been granted a temporary restraining order after his wife accused him of choking her—and he contends she physically harmed their puppy—signaling a bitter domestic dispute. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In today’s Rickey Smiley Morning Show Podcast recap: First, heartbreaking news from Arizona, where a nursing home blaze claimed at least nine lives, highlighting growing concerns over emergency preparedness in eldercare facilities. Shifting to celebrity headlines, actor Columbus Short has been granted a temporary restraining order after his wife accused him of choking her—and he contends she physically harmed their puppy—signaling a bitter domestic dispute. In music industry news, Beyoncé’s team confirmed that unreleased tracks were stolen from a rental vehicle belonging to her choreographer in Atlanta. Over five thumb drives storing upcoming material were taken, and police have since issued a warrant for a suspect. Lastly, legendary producer Jermaine Dupri praised New Edition as the "best group ever", sharing his appreciation during an appearance on the Fat Joe & Jadakiss podcast. Website: https://www.urban1podcasts.com/rickey-smiley-morning-show See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The moments we overlook. The love we rush past. The beauty we forget to see. And how to shift your entire perspective…

After Tánaiste Simon Harris' calls for asylum seekers with jobs to pay towards their accommodation, Kieran was joined by Cathal Malone of Thomas Coughlan & Co Solicitors to learn what asylum seekers actually get when they arrive in the country.Today, Cathal returns to discuss what rights someone has after they have been granted asylum.

Basonta Service || 13-07-2025

TAKING HER FOR GRANTED + WHY THE SMALL STUFF MATTERS IN RELATIONSHIPS...Also, you can get a free 7-day dating course at DocLove.com/Course and free dating videos at DocLove.com/YouTube

Some smelly news makes Sarah and Vinnie appreciate what they have... trash removal.

It's Friday, July 11th, A.D. 2025. This is The Worldview in 5 Minutes heard on 140 radio stations and at www.TheWorldview.com.  I'm Adam McManus. (Adam@TheWorldview.com) By Adam McManus Nigerian Muslims gunned down pastor and Muslim convert to Christ During an evening worship service on Monday, July 7th, Islamic extremists gunned down a Baptist pastor and another worshipper and kidnapped a woman in Katsina State, northwest Nigeria, reports Morning Star News. About 15 to 20 gunmen with Fulani accents stormed Bege Baptist Church in Yaribori village, Kafur County, and shot the Rev. Emmanuel Auta and Gidan Taro, according to TruthNigeria. Church member Zakariya Jatau told Christian Daily International that the pastor was leading a worship service and Bible study when he was shot. He added, “Another member, a lady, was also kidnapped and taken away to an unknown place.” Congregation members said the slain Gidan Taro was a prominent convert from Islam, and that Pastor Auta had worked to reconcile the village's Muslim and Christian communities. Psalm 116:15 says, “Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of His saints."  Mount Rainer is rattled by more than 300 earthquakes More than 300 earthquakes have erupted at Mount Rainier in Washington State this week, beginning on Tuesday, reports USA Today. It's the largest earthquake swarm at the volcano since 2009. The largest earthquake so far was recorded at a magnitude of 2.3 on the Richter Scale on Wednesday, July 9. The Cascades Volcano Observatory said scientists do not have any concerns about the earthquakes, However, the fear is that one of the most dangerous volcanos in the United States could be waking up. President Trump floats “amnesty for illegals” trial balloon On July 3rd, President Donald Trump announced he's working on mass amnesty for potentially millions of illegal aliens working in farm, hotel, and leisure businesses, reports InformationLiberation.com. He cited a comment made by Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins. TRUMP: “Brooke Rollins brought it up, and she said, ‘Uh. So, we have a little problem. The farmers are losing a lot of people.” That's when he proposed amnesty for illegals on the farms and in the hotel industry which he knows will alienate his base. TRUMP: “I got myself into a little trouble because I said, ‘I don't want to take people away from the farmers.'  We want all the criminals out. Everybody agrees. We're finding the criminals, the murderers, the drug dealers. “Some of the farmers, you know, they've had people working for them for years. We're going to, sort of, put the farmers in charge. If a farmer has been with one of these people that work so hard. They bend over all day. We don't have too many people can do that, and they know them very well. And some of the farmers are literally, you know, they cry. “If a farmer is willing to vouch for these people, in some way, [Homeland Security Secretary] Kristi [Noem], I think we're going to have to just say that's going to be good, right? Because we don't want to do it where we take all of the workers off the farms. We want the farms to do great, like they're doing right now. We're working on legislation right now. People that have hotels and leisure properties too “Serious, radical, right people, who I also happen to like a lot, they may not be quite as happy, but they'll understand, won't they? Do you think so?” Pediatrician suggested MAGA voters should die in Texas flood A Houston pediatrician has been fired over a vile post suggesting that the more than 119 killed in the horrific Texas floods — including dozens of kids from Camp Mystic — were President Trump supporters who got “what they voted for,” reports the New York Post. Dr. Christina Propst drew widespread scorn following the disparaging, since-deleted post under her old Facebook username, Chris Tina, according to Mediaite. In her now-deleted post, Dr. Probst wrote, “May all visitors, children, non-MAGA voters and pets be safe and dry. Kerr County MAGA voted to gut FEMA. They deny climate change. May they get what they voted for. Bless their hearts.” Ephesians 4:29 says, “Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion.” The Facebook post quickly went viral after a screenshot was shared by Libs of TikTok. Propst's employer, Blue Fish Pediatrics, initially said they suspended her  — before announcing that “the individual is no longer employed” there. The company said, “We strongly condemn the comments that were made in that post. That post does not reflect the values, standards, or mission of Blue Fish Pediatrics.” Kerr County, home to around 50,000 people, overwhelmingly voted for President Trump in the November election, with more than 76% of the county's votes going to the Republican presidential candidate, according to county data. After she was fired, Dr. Probst issued an apology in which she said, “I understand my comment caused immense pain to those suffering indescribable grief and for that I am truly sorry.” The number of people missing from the floods has risen to 170, reports the San Antonio Express-News. New Superman movie is woke and anti-Trump And finally, … TV NARRATOR OF ADVENTURE OF SUPERMAN (TV SERIES): “Faster than a speeding bullet. More powerful than a locomotive. Able to leap tall buildings at a single bound.” MAN 1: “Look, up in the sky." MAN 2: "It's a bird." LADY: "It's a plane." MAN 3" "It's Superman." NARRATOR: “Yes, it's Superman, strange visitor from another planet who came to Earth with powers and abilities far beyond those of mortal men, Superman who can change the course of mighty rivers, bend steel in his bare hands, and who, disguised as Clark Kent, mild-mannered reporter for a great metropolitan newspaper, fights a never-ending battle for truth, justice and the American way.” Sadly, actor David Corenswet, who portrays the new Superman in the updated film debuting tonight on the silver screen nationwide told CBS News that he ditched the traditional “truth, justice and the American way” motto for something a bit more inclusive. This version of Superman will be about “truth, justice and all those good things.” One of those good things is certainly not honoring God since God's name is taken in vain nine separate times in the film. In addition, James Gunn, the writer-director of the new Superman has shoehorned his anti-Trump sub-plot into the film. He said, “Yes, Superman is an immigrant, and yes, the people that we support in this country are immigrants and if you don't like that, you're not American. We love our immigrants.” The film shows Superman being roughly treated when detained by the government and is told that, as an alien, he does not have human rights.  Christian talk show host Todd Starnes wrote, “Granted, but Superman is not an MS-13 gangbanger who's mooching off the American taxpayers. He spoke English and had a job – two jobs.” Besides, Starnes concluded, “MAGA supporters are not opposed to immigration. We celebrate those who want to come to this nation legally. We just have a problem with the drug cartels, human traffickers, and the terrorists who want to blow us to kingdom come. “It's not the first time that woke leftists have tried to destroy our beloved all-American superhero.” Close And that's The Worldview on this Friday, July 11th, in the year of our Lord 2025. Follow us on X or subscribe for free by Spotify, Amazon Music, or by iTunes or email to our unique Christian newscast at www.TheWorldview.com.  Plus, you can get the Generations app through Google Play or The App Store. I'm Adam McManus (Adam@TheWorldview.com). Seize the day for Jesus Christ.

Sabrina Joyce-Kemper, Environmental and Planning Consultant, discusses how planning has been given for the €1.6 billion sewage and drainage scheme for Dublin, and what health and environmental concerns she says could still remain.

Building A Better World for ErosIn 13 parts, By BradentonLarry - Listen to the Podcast at Explicit Novels.Don could hear Evelyn off to his right, encouraging her new friend to fuck her harder, as he felt India rocking against him, her hands now on his lower back. He began to fuck India harder and faster, gradually building up the tempo until he was driving into her with rapid short strokes and she was groaning in a steady, staccato rhythm of rising passion. Then she was crying out underneath him as her cunt clenched tightly on his cock, milking it as he kept shoving into her. Don went on fucking India as she came and came again.When he finally let up, she fell back on the bed, her arms and legs spread-eagled and a happy smile on her beautiful face. He kissed her again, and she asked, "How am I supposed to do the orgy now?"Don laughed and said, "I know you'll find a way, and everyone will remember how amazing you were.""This is true," she smiled at him. "Now, go fuck someone else with that beautiful cock of yours."Don quickly kissed her one more time and looked around. The studly blond was now on his knees with his arms wrapped around Evelyn, who had her arms and legs holding him as she rode up and down on that very thick pole of his. Don walked on his knees until he was behind Evelyn, he leaned in and kissed her shoulder, and asked, "Having fun?""Uh huh!" she grunted.Don smiled and got a bit closer, pushing his cock into position. The blond caught on and held Evelyn still long enough that Don could push the fat and slippery head of his cock up into the tight grip of Evelyn's ass."God, fuck yes!" Evelyn said, quite loudly. Then she and the muscular man in front of her went back to raising her up and down, now on two hard cocks. It wasn't long before she was gasping and shuddering, her cunt and ass squeezing and releasing on those cocks.She was still sandwiched between them, when she managed to say, "Don, this is Adam; Adam, Don. Baby, I think I'm going to need to have Adam fuck my ass next."Seeing that another fellow, was in the wings watching Evelyn with obvious lust and a raging hard on that was quite long, but nowhere as thick as Adam's, Don kissed Evelyn's shoulder again, and said, "Show 'em a good time, baby!""Oh, you know it!" she laughed.Don managed to have sex with another ten women that night, though he only came twice, all while keeping an eye on Evelyn as she threw herself into the orgy. It was closer to morning and the orgy was definitely on its last legs, when Don was reclining against a sleeping Lavinia's soft ass and watched a young Latino man pull out of Evelyn's mouth and spray a prodigious amount of white cum all over her face and tits. After she had sucked any leftovers from him, but without wiping any of the cum off her, Evelyn crawled over to give Don a deep kiss.Laughing, he wiped up some of the cum that was now on his face and fed it to her. Then, without a word, she curled up in his arms and they fell asleep."After waking up and getting cleaned up, we took Lavinia home and then came back to the Resort to figure out what we were going to do next.""Wait a minute," Toshia interrupted for the first time in a while. "What do you mean you took Lavinia home? You make it sound like it was just like going next door.""Oh, yeah, well, remember what I said about India taking me to her home? It turns out that if you're in physical contact with someone, and no one else is looking, you can bring them along when you teleport. They didn't tell us we could do that, but we each worked it out. I did it with Jess, and Evelyn got a ring like mine with her Argent mission, too, so she was able to bring Lavinia with her to the Resort.""That's bloody convenient!""Yeah it is," Don grinned.Once they were back at the Resort, Don made his proposal that they work together to develop a couple of places that were related, both spatially and conceptually. Evelyn thought this was a fun idea, and they launched into a couple of days of tossing ideas back and forth, which was, naturally enough, punctuated by quite a few sex breaks. It was Evelyn who came up with the game of pointing out people for the other to have sex with, which Don agreed was a great idea. When one of them said "imperator" and indicated someone, the other had to go play, assuming the person, or, as Don was quick to suggest, persons, were willing, which they almost always were.When they had their grand idea sorted out, they turned to the question of where to situate their project. They thought it didn't really make sense to add what they had in mind to the Resort or Rendezvous, and they didn't particularly want a high-traffic area, but they didn't want it exactly isolated either. So, when they found themselves having wandered out to the Riverboat dock, Don looked across the river and said, "What about over there?""In the forest?" Evelyn frowned thoughtfully as she looked at the wooded hills that rose on the far side of the river."Yeah, it's close to the Resort, but people would have to go out of their way to get to it.""But how would they get to it?""We could put a bridge in, up there, out of the way of the Riverboat turning around," he waved his hand to the right."Easier said than done," she mused."Is it?" Don asked as he started toward the far edge of the dock area, upriver. He called up his menu and selected the "Builder" option. He noticed that there was now a slight reddish tint to the entire dock area, but that the ground just beyond was tinted a light green, though that was a bit hard to see where there was grass. Don imagined a nice flagstone walkway extending from the edge of the dock area and up alongside the river, and then, suddenly, it was there."Holy fuck!" Evelyn laughed.Grinning, Don started along his new walkway and continued adding to it until he came to a spot he thought would be good for the bridge. He had seen the Riverboat turn around and head downriver several times and he was confident it never came this far. He turned his walkway toward the river, and exited Builder mode. Turning to Evelyn with a broad smile, he said, "Your turn."Don watched as Evelyn looked at the river, frowning slightly in concentration. Then there was a sturdy wooden bridge spanning the water. This was replaced a moment later by a red brick expanse, and then a metal and stone one complete with fancy streetlamps."Nice!" he grinned. "Let's test it and make sure we don't get wet.""Are you questioning my imagining skills?""Not at all!" Don laughed. "I'm just not sure how much I trust this whole system.""You think maybe Pamela's just setting us up for a practical joke?""Would it really surprise you if she was?""That's fair," she shrugged. By then they were halfway across the river, and Evelyn said, "'Seems sturdy enough.""Indeed," nodded Don. "You imagine good work.""Okay, your turn," she said as they reached the far side."Oh, I'm walkway guy, now?""I just thought the two walkways should match.""Oh, that's good thinking, but put in some of those lamps along the way.""Okay, but give me a minute to put some in on the other side."Soon, they were standing in a small clearing in roughly the place Don had indicated from the dock across the river. He asked, "How about here?""Sure," she smiled. "How should we begin, though?""Well, how about with this?" Don smiled as a little tent-pavilion appeared before them. Resembling the kind of spread one might imagine at a sheik's oasis, there were dozens of soft pillows surrounding a little fountain spraying sparkling water, and several platters heaped with berries and fruit. Off to the side was a wide hammock strung between two trees. "You know, a base camp for when we want a break.""Nice, but how long do you think this will take?""Do you really think this is the kind of thing either of is going to not want to spend at least several days getting just right?""Yeah, true," she smiled. "Now then, what about all these trees?""We could build around them, or, " Don stopped when he noticed that a big swath of trees, at least a dozen, had already disappeared under Evelyn's gaze. "Or, yeah, just get rid of them."The project went rather quickly the rest of that first day. They each had a project that was particularly theirs, though they each gave the other helpful suggestions, and they shared a project in the middle that served as a bridge (literally and metaphorically) between the other two. Evelyn started with a big columnar building on the upriver end of the clearing they made, and Don set up a sprawling plaza at the downriver end. The next day and the day after that they focused on the area in the middle, working on that until they were happy with the result. Then they went back to their individual projects.Along the way, of course, they took breaks, both playing and talking. They got caught up on each other's adventures and spent hours talking about all the strange things they'd experienced in Eros. Each night they would walk into the Resort for some more social play, except for the night when India came out to see what they were up to. She was quite pleased with what they had accomplished so far and promised to come visit again when they were done. The three of them wound up talking for hours that night, around a campfire Evelyn conjured up, as well as having sex until they could stay awake no longer.Although he knew India tended to prefer men, Don was quite content to take something of a backseat that night, letting Evelyn clearly achieve one of her goals. Licking her clit and slowly fucking India with her entire hand, bringing India to a loud, long, intense orgasm, or more accurately a sustained series of them, while Don held India in his arms, squeezing her tits tightly as she begged him to, definitely seemed to count as rocking India's world. Of course, Don got plenty of attention that night too, including his all-time favorite session of getting head from two gorgeous women at the same time. It truly was a wonderful night.Then, on the seventh day, they had another visitor.Don was putting some finishing touches on the broad park that now spread out on the slope between their project and the river. He had made long, winding paths that made their way slowly to the water, where he had put a dock and a couple of rowboats. Along the paths were secluded little niches with padded benches, and one with a large round bed. He had also put in glowing-orb lamps, which resembled the light balls that illuminated the elven forest, to light the way at night. He was standing near the top of his park, trying to imagine it at night, when he heard a voice behind him saying, "Very nice work, Don."He turned to smile at Pamela, who was wearing her black robe but with the hood down."Thank you," he grinned. "I'm pretty happy with it.""Would you like to show me what else you've done?""Sure!" He gestured up the path that led to his end of the project. "Let's start with the Shelonda-center.""That's what you're calling it?""Well, it's just a nickname, but I thought it was appropriate."He led her through a gate that resembled a Japanese torii gate and into a wide garden that surrounded a very Japanese-looking building with wood and paper panels that could be slid open or closed as desired. The building itself was quite large, and itself surrounded a huge open-air courtyard complete with four fountains and a central platform. All the floors in the four sides of the building and on that central platform had soft, padded mats. Here and there were racks of martial arts weapons, as well as protective sparring gear."Here, I plan to both study and teach kung fu and aikido, adapting both for Eros. I also want to explore the limits of sexuality here in Eros. There's a thing back home called tantric sex, which is supposed to be amazing, and it seems to me that one might be able to do great things with that here. None of this is about violence, of course, but about developing one's sense of self and physicality here, which has great potential that few people seem to appreciate.""Interesting," Pamela nodded with a Mona Lisa smile.They passed through the building on the far side, then through the other side of the garden until they came to a small amphitheater cut into the hillside."Welcome to our school," Don gestured. "Both Evelyn and I are academics by nature and, while there isn't much use for Earth history here, Evelyn's field is philosophy, and there is so much work to do in that area here, particularly in ethics."Don led Pamela up a slope to show her the big pavilion at the center of the Academy. Everything was open to the air, though there were vertical screens that could be moved to create spaces with some degree of privacy. There were chalkboards and white boards with comfortable light chairs that could be rearranged easily, and, as Don and Evelyn had made sure, were quite useful for sex purposes. Don was particularly pleased with the large, round, backless, somewhat-stool-like seats Evelyn had created that were particularly good for having him sit on while Evelyn straddled him, kneeling. His memory of her smiling at him as she rode up and down on him while he kissed, sucked, and nibbled at her nipples while squeezing her ass in his hands was one of his favorites of the "construction" process."Not only can Evelyn and I, and anyone else who wants to, use this space to do philosophy or anything else, but it can be used to live out any schoolroom fantasies someone might have.""Very nice," Pamela nodded.Don led her on until they stood before a towering column, which Don proudly called, "Evelyn's masterpiece, the Library!"Entering through a wide doorway which had no doors, they came to a comfortable lobby that surrounded the central part of the library, a circular shelving system that held millions of books, both on the outside curve and on the slightly more secluded inner curve. The main column of shelves rose four stories, and two of them were here without break, with wheeled ladders enabling access to the higher books. The whole thing was surrounded by a curving wall of glass. A gradual ramp winding around the outside of the lobby and reading area ran up to the second floor and then the third. Here on the second and third floors there were niches and even a couple of secret reading chambers. Everywhere it was easy to find somewhere cozy to read or indulge in some play. Continuing up the ramp, they came to the fourth floor, which was actually five stories up."The books on this floor are all erotica, Evelyn says, and the shelves are actually a maze," Don grinned. "At the center is a big orgy bed! She wants to set up a regular library-orgy night somehow."Don led Pamela up to the next level, the roof. Here there was another pavilion, with a wide central opening, to let in the sun or allow a view of the night sky, and no walls. Everywhere you looked there was a spectacular panoramic view of the rolling, forested hills or the river and the Resort. There were couches, chairs and tables arranged so people could read or socialize freely as they saw fit. In the center, on a platform with five steps, looking very much like an altar, was a very large round bed. Don completely forgot to tell Pamela that the entire surface of the pavilion over their heads would glow at night, as would that of the school pavilion below.It was here that they finally found Evelyn, adjusting the arrangement of furniture. She smiled broadly and welcomed Pamela, who said, "This is very well done. You should both be very proud.""Thank you," Evelyn grinned. "Did you show her the maze, lover?""I told her about it," Don laughed."I was inspired by the Dark Labyrinth," Evelyn said. "And we got the idea for this bed and platform from India.""Do you mind telling me how you got all the books?" Pamela asked.Evelyn shrugged, "Oh, well, that was actually a lot easier than I expected. I visualized the whole setup and then specified that the shelves were filled with unique copies of books in English. There was, well, there is a lot of crap in the collection, but I made the library responsive to whatever you're looking for. If you're looking for a particular translation of Plato's Republic, for instance, you'll find it.""But why have all the other books, then?" Pamela asked.Don shook his head and Evelyn frowned at Pamela as if she were suddenly very thick.Don, who had been down this road before, decided to jump in, saying, "There's something both soothing and erotic about being surrounded by books. Many people, including Evelyn and myself," he emphasized, in Evelyn's direction, "have deep emotional ties to libraries.""I see," Pamela said thoughtfully. "And there is a library in the Manor.""Yes," Evelyn nodded, "but you have to go through the Manor to get to it, and two libraries in Eros isn't too many - not at all.""And it goes so well with the theme of everything else we've done here," added Don."True," Pamela nodded. "So, what do you call all of this, then?""We decided to call the whole complex 'The Academy,'" Evelyn said, obviously hoping Pamela would ask her why.Instead, the dark woman frowned momentarily in concentration and said, "Done." Pamela seemed quite obvious to the expression of obvious disappointment on Evelyn's face, and instead said,Task Seven.

It's been a LONG while since we've talked about a female killer so JOIN US today as we talk about Margaret Ann Allen, 1 of the 2 women on death row in Florida.RIP to Wenda

Do we take Coach McDermott for granted? full 723 Thu, 10 Jul 2025 21:07:23 +0000 dAP5fArBPGqCAGIulISQj6vxic6LqXTF nfl,buffalo bills,sports Schopp and Bulldog nfl,buffalo bills,sports Do we take Coach McDermott for granted? Sports talk should be entertaining and informative, which is why Schopp and the Bulldog control the WGR 550 airwaves every weekday from 3-7 p.m. Chris "The Bulldog" Parker bleeds Buffalo and is as passionate about the Sabres and Bills as any listener to our radio station. Mike Schopp keeps the callers in line while dishing out his unique perspective and opinions, and creating on-air fantasy drafts of anything from favorite candy and meats, to actors, presidents and bands. Bills reporter Sal Capaccio appears daily on the show covering every move the team makes like nobody else!The top-notch weekly guests include:Mondays (DURING FOOTBALL SEASON) at 4 p.m. - Buffalo Bill, Eric WoodSabres general manager Kevyn Adams (DURING HOCKEY SEASON) - 5:30 p.m.Thursdays at 5:30 p.m. - Sports betting media specialist Evan Abrams from The Action NetworkTogether for 10 years, Schopp and the Bulldog are the No. 1 most listened to talk show in all of Western New York.On Demand Audio is presented by Northwest Bank. For What's Next. © 2025 Audacy, Inc. Sports False https://player.amperwavepodcasting.com?feed-link=http

“If you've got a whole room full of 10's, that's the 5…”   We've all been there. Every one of us have experienced an album where it was “almost perfect” front to back, yet there was that one song that blemished its perfection and brought it down a notch.  Granted, some songs may not fit relative to the context of an album and should have never been included to begin with, while others may have been played into the ground a quadrillion times to the point that even though it has become tiresome to listen to, “it's not like it doesn't belong” on the album.   Basically, the most pressing points to ponder when evaluating whether a song is “skippable” or simply should not exist are: “If you take this song off the album, does it make it a better album?” “If it's 1980 and you're wearing your jorts and your tank top and you're at a Boone's farm bonfire…is it a bad song?” “Is this the song that made this album worse…?”   Discover the most “prostate meltingly hot” thing a woman can wear, hear Beaker's favorite song to do at karaoke after a long day on set at The Muppet Show, and prepare to get “T.B.R” when you JOIN US for the “hysteria” surrounding THE SONG THAT SHOULD NOT BE  as things get heated and hostile regarding GREAT METAL ALBUMS RUINED BY ONE SONG.    Visit www.metalnerdery.com/podcast for more on this episode Help Support Metal Nerdery https://www.patreon.com/metalnerderypodcast Leave us a Voicemail to be played on a future episode: 980-666-8182 Metal Nerdery Tees and Hoodies – metalnerdery.com/merch and kindly leave us a review and/or rating on your favorite Podcast app Follow us on the Socials: Facebook - Instagram - TikTok Email: metalnerdery@gmail.com Can't be LOUD Enough Playlist on Spotify Metal Nerdery Munchies on YouTube @metalnerderypodcast Show Notes: (00:01): “…just the tip…” / “No panties, no undies…like Donald Duck” / #dreams / “Maybe Mick Jagger liked it black…” / “So you're a #Beatles guy, huh?” / “Dude you are TBR: Twanglified Beyond Recognition…”/ ***WARNING: #listenerdiscretionisadvised *** / “After 2 doses of peanut butter, the black's kinda weird…” / “Our latest Patreon was definitely irresponsible…we talked some real shit…that was just too much reality…”/ ***WELCOME BACK TO THE METAL NERDERY PODCAST IN THE FENG SHUI'D SUMMER SOLSTICE BUNKERPOON PLACE!!!*** / “Somewhere in the ether…”/ “I think we got rid of all the internal demons…” / ***”If you wanna hear what he's referring to, JOIN US over on #Patreon at patreon.com/metalnerdery.com to find out!!!*** / “Don't choke on those nuts, dude…”   (06:51): #nextlevel #SlayerOfTheEpisode / #mentalist / “Fingers in the butthole…the whole thing…”/ POSTMORTEM (Reign In Blood – 1986) / “She's not old, dude…she's our age…”/ #JenniferAnniston / “Funny makes a chick super-hot!” / “Here's a hot look for the ladies…” / #prostatemeltinglyhot /    (12:18): #TheDocket / METAL NERDERY PODCAST PRESENTS: GREAT METAL ALBUMS RUINED BY 1 SONG (AKA: The Song That Should Not Be) / “We've gotta exorcise the demons, dude…”/ “Maybe it's radio's fault…” / #ACDC YOU SHOOK ME ALL NIGHT LONG (Back In Black – 1980)  / “If it's 1980 and you're wearing your jorts and your tank top and you're at a Boone's farm bonfire…is it a bad song?” / #ICantGoBack / “Now it's country…”   (17:52): “This is the first one I purchased with my own money…”/ “Your shutter speed's a little slow…”/ #BlackSabbath CHANGES (Vol. 4 – 1972) /“You skip it because you feel unhappy and you feel so sad…”/ “You listen to as much of that as is appropriate to listen to before skipping…”/ “To stay on the Sabbath…”/ AM I GOING INSANE? (RADIO) (Sabotage – 1975) – NOTE: ‘Radio' in this context means ‘mental', NOT radio edit.    (24:57): #LedZeppelin HATS OFF (TO ROY HARPER) (Led Zeppelin III – 1970) / “The soundtrack to Beaker…” / #TheMuppetShow / “Weirdly…it's gonna sound like I'm pulling a Russell here but I'm not…”/ #Metallica ESCAPE (Ride The Lightning – 1984) / “Maybe I like it more than I should…”/ “It's the least favorite song on the album…” / “I'm not trying to say that your opinions are ‘malleable'…”   (31:54): “We've recently touched it…It's all 7's…”/ “I'd be happy to hear that in public, but if I'm listening to the album…”/ #IronMaiden INVADERS (The Number Of The Beast – 1982) / “It's too happy…” / “If Technical Ecstasy comes on at a bar, I'm gonna listen to it…I'm not gonna be happy about it…(but at least it's Sabbath)…” / NOTE: Russell was WAY off on this one…it's NOT a Rainbow song. ‘Turn To Stone' is from the album Magica… / “Like he's smiling through his pain…”/ #TheSongThatShouldNotBe / “Would the The Black Album have been better without Enter Sandman?” / “Walk is Pantera's Enter Sandman…Enter Sandman is Metallica's We Will Rock You” / “I get it…does that mean I'm not gonna skip it?”/ “It's still your turn btw…”   (43:21): “Some of these songs are just growers…they just take time…” / “I don't wanna touch any of you guys…”/ ROCK OF AGES (Pyromania – 1983) / “Y106…Johnboy in the mornin'…”/ #LMAO / “That was country as hell…” / “If you've got a whole room full of 10's, that's the 5…she might be malleable, too…”/ “You can just take Reborn right off of Reign In Blood and make it perfect…see, it's a win-win for everybody, Russell…” / #Slayer REBORN (Reign In Blood – 1986) / “It sounds like it's Slayer trying too hard to be Slayer…” / “If you were to pick a song off of Shout At The Devil…it just doesn't fit…”/ GOD BLESS THE CHILDREN OF THE BEAST (Shout At The Devil – 1983)    (53:25): “To go along with your rant on Changes…” / #OzzyOsbourne #BlizzardOfOzz / GOODBYE TO ROMANCE (Blizzard Of Ozz – 1980) / “Does it fit the album?”/ “Is this the song that made this album worse…?” / “It's the Changes of Blizzard of Ozz…” / “I will pick something else…” / “That song made #BlackSabbath Black Sabbath…that song made them evil Black Sabbath…”/ IRON MAN (Paranoid – 1970) / “This is NOT ‘You Shook Me All Night Long”…this is NOT ‘Enter Sandman'…”/ “Skippable is different than it not existing…it needs to exist…”/ “I'm trying to come up with a #Pantera one but I really can't…” / “It's not a song…I've skipped it so many times I don't even know the name of it…” / GOOD FRIENDS AND A BOTTLE OF PILLS (Far Beyond Driven – 1994) / “This may sound unpopular…”/  DISSIDENT AGGRESSOR (South Of Heaven – 1988) / “It doesn't sound like it fits with the context (of the rest of the album…)” / “It's not that out of place…”/ “Hysteria…”/ ***THANK YOU FOR JOINING US!!! LET US KNOW WHAT YOU THINK AT metalnerdery@gmail.com or 980-666-8182!!!*** / #untilthenext #outroreel 

A €1.3bn sewage and drainage scheme, which will service north Dublin and parts of Meath and Kildare, has been given the go ahead by An Comisiún Pleanála.The project has been deemed essential as it will ease pressure on the wastewater treatment plant in Ringsend.Ian Guider, columnist with the Business Post, spoke to Matt on Thursday.Hit the ‘Play' button on this page to hear the chat.

Our Chief Cross-Asset Strategist Serena Tang discusses whether demand for U.S. stocks has fallen and where fund flows are surging. Read more insights from Morgan Stanley.----- Transcript -----Serena Tang: Welcome to Thoughts on the Market. I'm Serena Tang, Morgan Stanley's Chief Cross-Asset Strategist.Today – is the demand for U.S. assets declining? Let's look at the recent trends in global investment flows.It's Wednesday, July 9th at 1pm in New York.The U.S. equity market has reached an all-time high, but at the same time lingering uncertainty about U.S. trade and tariff policies is forcing global investors to consider the riskiness of U.S. assets. And so the big question we need to ask is: are investors – particularly foreign investors – fleeing U.S. assets?This question comes from recent data around fund flows to global equities. And we have to acknowledge that demand for U.S. stocks overall has declined, going by high-frequency data. But at the same time, we think this idea is exaggerated. So why is that? As many listeners know, fund flows – which represent the net movement of money into and out of various investment vehicles like mutual funds and ETFs – are an important gauge of investor sentiment and market trends. So what are fund flows really telling us about investors' sentiment towards U.S. equities? It would be nice to get an unequivocal answer, but of course, the devil is always in the details. And the problem is that different data sources and frequencies across different market segments don't always lead to the same conclusions. Weekly data across global equity ETF and mutual funds from Lipper show that international investors were net buyers through most of April and May. But the pace of buying has slowed year-to-date versus 2024. Still, it remains much higher than during the same period in 2021 through 2023. Treasury TIC data point to something similar – a slowdown in foreign demand, but not significant net selling. So where are the flows going, if not to the U.S.? They are going to the rest of the world, but more particularly, Europe. Europe stocks, in fact, have been the biggest beneficiary of decreasing flows to the U.S. Nearly $37 billion U.S. has gone into Europe-focused equity funds year-to-date. This is significantly higher than the run-rates over the prior five years. What's more notable here is that year-to-date, flows to European-focused ETFs and mutual funds dominated those targeting Japan and Emerging Markets. This suggests that Europe is now the premier destination for equity fund flows, with very little demand spillovers to other regions' equity markets.These shifts have yet to show up in the allocation data, which tracks how global asset managers invest in stocks regionally. Global equity funds' portfolio weights to Rest-of-the-World has gone up by roughly the same amount as allocation to the U.S. has come down. But allocation to the U.S. has actually gone down by roughly the same amount, as its share in global equity indices; which means that If allocation to the U.S. has changed, it's simply because the U.S. is now a smaller part of equity indices. Meanwhile, an estimated U.S.$9 billion from Rest-of-the World went into international equity funds, which excludes U.S. stocks altogether. Granted, it's not a lot; but scaled for fund assets, it's the highest net flows international equities have seen. In other words, some investors are choosing to invest in equities excluding U.S. altogether. These trends are unlikely to reverse as long as lingering policy uncertainty dampens demand for U.S.-based assets. But as we've argued in our mid-year outlook, there are very few alternative markets to the U.S. dollar markets right now. U.S. stocks might start to see less marginal flows from foreign investors – to the benefit of Rest-of-the-World equities, especially Europe. But demand is unlikely to dry up completely over the next 12 months. Thanks for listening. If you enjoy the show, please leave us a review wherever you listen and share Thoughts on the Market with a friend or colleague today.

Nick and Jonathan react to Myles Garrett being ranked as the top pass rusher in the NFL.

Nick and Jonathan react to Myles Garrett being ranked as the top pass rusher in the NFL, and they're joined by James Rapien, the host of Locked on Bengals. Then, Nick talks about his daughter telling him he was being stupid.

Bad news for Blake Lively... Judge Liman has GRANTED the Motion to Compel her to turn over Vanzan communications to Justin Baldoni's team. Denise Richards's husband Aaron files for divorce and exposes her financials.    Thicker, Fuller Hair Starts with the ROOTS Bundle! Click www.twc.health/nofilter and use code NOFILTER for 15% Off + Free Shipping on every order!   Bring on the good vibes and treat yourself to Soul today! Go to www.GetSoul.com and use the code NOFILTER for 30% off.   Shop outdoor furniture, grills, lawn games, and WAY more for WAY less. Head to www.Wayfair.com right now to explore a HUGE outdoor selection.    Get your tour tickets to see No Filter with Zack Peter LIVE: https://www.x1entertainment.com/zackpeter    No Filter NYC Tix (8/3): https://citywinery.com/new-york-city/events/no-filter-with-zack-peter-featuring-special-gues-lqhi1v    Shop New Merch now: https://merchlabs.com/collections/zack-peter?srsltid=AfmBOoqqnV3kfsOYPubFFxCQdpCuGjVgssGIXZRXHcLPH9t4GjiKoaio   Book a personalized message on Cameo: https://v.cameo.com/e/QxWQhpd1TIb   Listen to The Pop Report: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-pop-report/id1746150111   Watch Disaster Daters: https://open.spotify.com/show/3L4GLnKwz9Uy5dT8Ey1VPi   Join the Zack Pack Community to get access to perks: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCs3Zs51YaK-xw2U5ypi5eqg/join   Couldn't get enough? Follow @justplainzack or @nofilterwithzack

Daily Dad Jokes (08 Jul 2025) The official Daily Dad Jokes Podcast electronic button now available on Amazon. The perfect gift for dad! Click here here to view! Email Newsletter: Looking for more dad joke humor to share? Then subscribe to our new weekly email newsletter. It's our weekly round-up of the best dad jokes, memes, and humor for you to enjoy. Spread the laughs, and groans, and sign up today! Click here to subscribe! Listen to the Daily Dad Jokes podcast here: https://dailydadjokespodcast.com/ or search "Daily Dad Jokes" in your podcast app. Interested in Business and Finance news? Then listen to our sister show: The Daily Business and Finance Show. Check out the website here or search "Daily Business and Finance Show" in your podcast app. Jokes sourced and curated from reddit.com/r/dadjokes. Joke credits: No-Cell-8828, NoNotThatMichael, Rossum81, CorndogConspiracy237, berkleysquare, Artsy_traveller_82, SonOfWestminster, distillenger, berkleysquare, MoonDustAllergy, mrl33602, Master0fAllTrade, Rambler_Rambling, , Man-e-questions, mrl33602, DJK1963, Healthy_Ladder_6198, Make_the_music_stop, d13_Slinky Subscribe to this podcast via: iHeartMedia Spotify iTunes Google Podcasts YouTube Channel Social media: Instagram Facebook Twitter TikTok Discord Interested in advertising or sponsoring our show? Contact us at mediasales@klassicstudios.com Produced by Klassic Studios using AutoGen Podcast technology (http://klassicstudios.com/autogen-podcasts/) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Daily Dad Jokes (08 Jul 2025) The official Daily Dad Jokes Podcast electronic button now available on Amazon. The perfect gift for dad! Click here here to view! Email Newsletter: Looking for more dad joke humor to share? Then subscribe to our new weekly email newsletter. It's our weekly round-up of the best dad jokes, memes, and humor for you to enjoy. Spread the laughs, and groans, and sign up today! Click here to subscribe! Listen to the Daily Dad Jokes podcast here: https://dailydadjokespodcast.com/ or search "Daily Dad Jokes" in your podcast app. Interested in Business and Finance news? Then listen to our sister show: The Daily Business and Finance Show. Check out the website here or search "Daily Business and Finance Show" in your podcast app. Jokes sourced and curated from reddit.com/r/dadjokes. Joke credits: No-Cell-8828, NoNotThatMichael, Rossum81, CorndogConspiracy237, berkleysquare, Artsy_traveller_82, SonOfWestminster, distillenger, berkleysquare, MoonDustAllergy, mrl33602, Master0fAllTrade, Rambler_Rambling, , Man-e-questions, mrl33602, DJK1963, Healthy_Ladder_6198, Make_the_music_stop, d13_Slinky Subscribe to this podcast via: iHeartMedia Spotify iTunes Google Podcasts YouTube Channel Social media: Instagram Facebook Twitter TikTok Discord Interested in advertising or sponsoring our show? Contact us at mediasales@klassicstudios.com Produced by Klassic Studios using AutoGen Podcast technology (http://klassicstudios.com/autogen-podcasts/) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The S&P 500 was trading little changed after President Trump offered no exceptions to his August 1 tariff start date. We'll speak to Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick about that and much more.

La Maison du Whisky, Version Française, and Everything About French Whisky I love "visiting" new countries through the podcast. Granted, France we had technically touched before through Brenne, but I'd heard that there was so much more to learn about the French culture of drinking and spirit production - so who better to talk to than Marion Attardi and Matthieu Acar, of La Maison & Velier and La Maison du Whisky, respectively.  Marion and Matthieu are subject matter giants in whiskies generally, but both bring a special expertise to French whisky. While long a top market for Scotch single malt (drinking more per capita than any other nation), France has only recently begun distilling its own whiskies and single malts (~1983 is a general starting point). Yet despite starting domestic production around the same time as the earliest American craft distillers, French producers have remained mostly small and independent. Only the oldest and largest - Armorik, for example) have made it to the US market, and many haven't made it outside of France or the EU at most.  So, why do an episode about French whisky if you can't taste much of it? Because soon enough you'll be able to - and I guarantee you're going to love it. Whether it's a distillery that grew out of a brewery, one doing their own take on peat, one using local wine casks from Bordeaux or calvados from Normandy, the variety is astounding and delicious.  Three Version Française expressions are available in the US, with more on the way. You can also shop through La Maison du Whisky, The Whisky Exchange, and many other international retailers to find gems from all over France.  This was just the opening conversation - there will be many more! Especially if Matthieu's compendium on the first 40 years of French whisky gets an English translation... Thank you to Marion and Matthieu for entering the Whiskey Ring! ________________________________________________ If you haven't joined the Patreon community yet, please consider doing so at patreon.com/whiskeyinmyweddingring The Bottle Share Club - the $25/month Patreon level - is SOLD OUT! You can still support the podcast for as little as $1/month, and $5/month patrons will have first dibs if a $25/month member retires.  If you haven't yet, please follow Whiskey in my Wedding Ring and the Whiskey Ring Podcast on Instagram and Facebook. Version Française & La Maison du Whisky Version Française Website Version Française on Instagram La Maison du Whisky Website

Trevor Story spoke to Will Flemming and Cooper Boardman following another offensive explosion in an 11-2 Red Sox win over the Nationals about savoring the opportunity to play in the Nation's Capital on the Fourth of July and getting back to the kind of familiarity everyone expected from him.

The company contracted to transport US soldiers to and from Shannon Airport on civil flights has been granted 31 weapons exemptions in just the past six weeks. New figures released to Labour show that Omni Air International was granted 37 exemptions in total over the period, with six of these relating to flyovers. According to Transport Minister Darragh O'Brien, the flights were granted permission to carry unloaded personal weapons only, with no ammunition. Shannonwatch founder Dr Edward Horgan claims it's inconceivable these flights are not supporting military operations.

Chris Carbert, jailed for the 2022 Coutts blockade, has been granted bail pending an appeal of his prior conviction and prison sentence. According to the Canadian Press, Canada's first-ever LNG shipment has left Kitimat for Asia. Toronto revealed it plans on opening 20 new shelters to accommodate the city's growing homeless population. Tune into the Daily Brief with Cosmin Dzsurdzsa and Alex Zoltan! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

JOIN US as we discuss the murder of Merci Mack, a trans woman who lost her life on the very last day of pride month. We will also be talking about three other trans women that died in violent ways, and should still be alive today!RIP to the victims

PBSE Podcast Episode 287 explores the recurring emotional turmoil experienced by a betrayed partner whose addict spouse continues to cycle through emotional relapses, despite seemingly engaging in recovery activities. Every six months, he emotionally regresses—questioning their relationship, doubting compatibility, and withdrawing connection—which destabilizes her sense of safety and triggers deep trauma. In her desperation for reassurance, she finds herself compulsively seeking emotional details, only to be retraumatized further. The article highlights that this dynamic, often driven by fear and confusion, creates a lopsided relationship where she becomes the emotional pursuer while he remains distant and inconsistent.The authors emphasize that this cycle cannot be broken by surface-level recovery or simply “doing the right things.” True healing requires the addict to engage in deeper emotional work, initiate vulnerability, express consistent gratitude, and offer proactive transparency. Simultaneously, the betrayed partner must establish clear boundaries, articulate her emotional needs, and begin shifting her support system to include emotionally safe, non-romantic relationships outside the marriage. These actions help her move from desperation to empowerment, offering both self-preservation and clarity around what kind of relationship she's willing to invest in.Ultimately, the article calls for both partners to be fully engaged—not just during crises, but consistently. Emotional safety, mutual respect, and honest communication are the pillars of sustainable recovery and intimacy. While the current cycle may feel hopeless, with intentional effort and deep personal work on both sides, it is possible to rebuild a relationship that is emotionally grounded, safe, and truly connected.For a full transcript of this podcast in article format, go to: My Addict Partner Keeps Going Through Cycles of Taking Me for Granted. What do I do?Learn more about Mark and Steve's revolutionary online porn/sexual addiction recovery and betrayal trauma healing program at—daretoconnectnow.comFind out more about Steve Moore at:  Ascension CounselingLearn more about Mark Kastleman at:  Reclaim Counseling Services

The sovereign, Naka no Oe is dead, and with his death comes an all too familiar tradition: different factions warring for the throne.  And this time it isn't just something we are guessing at, we get a front row seat to the show, with enough details to fill several episodes.  In Part I we will look at what kicked off the war--or at least what we know--and discuss a few of the theories.  We will also go over some of the events that happened while Prince Otomo was the head of state. For more, check out our podcast webpage at https://sengokudaimyo.com/podcast/episode-129 Rough Transcript Welcome to Sengoku Daimyo's Chronicles of Japan.  My name is Joshua, and this is episode 129:   The Jinshin no Ran, Part I: Prologue to War. The long bridge at Uji arched over the river, like a wooden rainbow.  Former Crown Prince Ohoama, his head shaved and wearing the garments of a monk, was carried over the bridge.   This was no simple priestly procession, however: he was accompanied by his entire household. Some on foot, and some on horseback.  Even the kesa, once meant to be a symbol of priestly humility and simplicity, cried out that this was a man of wealth and power and status. The procession made its way across the bridge, headed south, to the ancient Yamato capital and then on to the mountain passes beyond, where the cherry trees would bloom, come the spring.  At the north end of the bridge, the high ministers and nobility of Yamato watched them go.  The ministers of the Left and the Right stood in the cold, winter air, wrapped in their warmest clothing, but it wasn't just the weather that was causing a chill.  To some, this seemed a miracle—a clear sign that the succession would now be an easy one, with Ohoama taking himself off the board.  But to others, they weren't so sure. While many of Yamato's traditions had evolved or changed—or even been outright replaced by continental ideas—many still remembered how things had been.  The bloody politics and power struggles that often accompanied any transition of power.  Naka no Oe had risen to power in just such a fashion.  Now that he was not long for this world, would his legacy be any less violent? Greetings, everyone, and welcome back.  Last episode we took you through the official reign of Naka no Oe, aka Tenji Tennou.  Granted, this reign was only from 668 to 671, but Naka no Oe had already been putting his stamp on the state for over 33 years.  Now, however, he was dead, as were those who had helped him implement his enormous changes, and with his death there was the question:  Who would now ascend to the throne? And that question brings us to today's topic:  The Jinshin no Ran, also known as the Jinshin War.  This was a succession dispute that occurred in the year 672 following the death of Naka no Oe, between Naka no Oe's son Ohotomo and his brother Ohoama.  The name, “Jinshin”, is formed much as the name of the “Isshi” incident, using the sinified Japanese reading of the sexagenary cycle characters used for the year.  672 was a “Mizu-no-e Saru” year, or what we today might just call a “Water Monkey” year.  Read together, these characters can be pronounced “Jinshin”, hence “Jinshin no Ran”. Quick digression:  That word “Ran”, indicating a war or similar martial disturbance, is the same character used as the title of the famous Kurosawa film that took Shakespear's King Lear story and set it in the Warring States period of Japan.  If you haven't seen it, I highly recommend it—definitely a classic.  Not exactly relevant here, but still worth it. But back to the Jinshin War: we're going to likely spend a few episodes on this, not just because it is important, but also because the record is fairly detailed, and I'd like to use it to really help us get an idea of what was going on.  This episode we'll look at the broad picture: some of the causes of the war and where things were, generally speaking, just before the major campaigns kicked off. Of course, this isn't the first succession dispute in the Chronicles, but this one is incredibly detailed, and especially importantbecause it goes to the heart of the legitimacy of the royal family—the imperial family—for at least the next century.  To a certain extent, I would also suggest that it was exactly the kind of thing that the Nihon Shoki was created to address: an official history as propaganda for the Japanese court, telling  the court approved story of the royal family and providing justification as to why they are in power.  Along the way it also props up the lineages of other elites. So let's go over the basic story of the conflict before we get into the details.  I know, I know: spoilers.  But I think it will help to have context for what we are talking about right now.  To try to summarize: Ohoama, Naka no Oe's brother, is mentioned as the Crown Prince throughout Naka no Oe's reign, but just before Naka no Oe's death, Ohoama declined the position and went to Yoshino to become a Buddhist monk.  This allowed Naka no Oe's son, Prince Ohotomo, the current Dajo Daijin, or head of the council of state, to run the government and eventually take the throne.  However, shortly into Prince Ohotomo's reign, Ohoama raised an army and fought with Ohotomo and the court at Ohotsu-kyo, known as the Afumi court.  After a couple of months of intense fighting, Ohoama defeated the Afumi forces and Ohotomo.  Ohoama would go on to take the throne, becoming known as Temmu Tennou.  He is credited with starting the projects that culminated in the creation of the Kojiki and the Nihon Shoki. On the surface, this could easily look like a simple case of usurpation—especially if you come from a cultural background where sons are expected to inherit from their fathers, as is common in many European monarchies.  However, we have to remind ourselves that this isn't Europe.  For centuries, succession in Yamato had been much more chaotic than that.  Often succession went not to a son or daughter, but first to a brother, and even then it didn't necessarily go to the oldest brother, or to the oldest child.  Even designating an heir wasn't a guarantee that, after a ruler's death, someone else wouldn't come along and change things by force. Of course, the Nihon Shoki appears to lay out various rules for succession.  In most cases, your mother has to be descended—however distantly—from a previous sovereign.  Also, inheritance typically doesn't come at the attainment of adulthood.  It isn't like someone turns 20 and they are suddenly eligible.  We see plenty of reigns that are passed off as regencies—that is, the sovereign is legally just a caretaker for the throne until the true heir comes of age.  Perhaps the most famous of these is Okinaga Tarashi Hime, aka Jingu Tenno, who supposedly held the throne from the death of her husband until their son, Homuda Wake, aka Ojin Tenno, was of age.  But it isn't like she just abdicated.  In fact, I don't think we've seen a single example where a regent has abdicated the throne.  The only real abdication that we see is in 645, when Takara Hime, known as Kogyoku Tenno during her first reign, abdicated after the Isshi Incident.  There are also plenty of examples of possible claimants to the throne who certainly seem like they may have been supremely qualified for the position who end up dying or being killed, sometimes with the specific claim that they were trying to usurp the throne.  The most recent example is Furubito no Oe, who likely was in line to inherit the throne from Takara Hime prior to the Isshi Incident.  It doesn't help that the Chronicle often only calls people by their titles:  so it is the “Crown Prince” who does such and such, or it is “the sovereign”—without explicitly naming who that person is.  Of course, this is sometimes made clear by context, but that can't always be relied upon. This is compounded by the fact that at this time, Wa cultural norms were being overwritten by continental concepts of propriety and morality, with the growth of reading and continental works introducing many people to the discourses of Confucius and others.  Borrowing governmental structures and ideas from a Confucian state meant that Confucian ideals would get pulled along as well, even if those structures and ideas weren't strictly Confucian.  An example is the importance of filial piety, and so-called “Proper” relationships between people.  In some cases Confucian or even Buddhist concepts were used to explain and rationalize existing traditions, and in others they were used to provide a counter-narrative.  Thus the world described by the Nihon Shoki is one that was no doubt much more comprehensible to an 8th century member of court than to someone from the 3rd. I say all that so that we can keep an eye out for the Chroniclers' bias and perhaps give some thought to what might not have gotten written down. The creation of the Ritsuryo state was the culmination of over 33 years of work.  During that time, the Yamato court had centralized their power and control.  The Chronicles, looking back at the end of the process, report this as a good thing, and it is hard to argue that these reforms truly did lead to the country of Japan as we know it, today.  However, it probably wasn't all lollipops and rainbows.   The centralization of authority received pushback, and we see the center flexing its military might as well as legal and moral authority.  The new Ritsuryo state claimed a much greater control over land and resources than any previous government had done or  been able to do.  Even if the 5th century sovereign Wakatakeru no Ohokimi, aka Yuryaku Tenno, had people at his court from Kyushu to Kanto, influence isn't the same as control.  Up until the Ritsuryo reforms, it appears that local administrators had a lot of leeway in terms of what happened in their local domains.  After all, what could Yamato do about it?  As long as “taxes” were paid, then there was no reason for Yamato to otherwise interfere with local events, and even if there were, who would they get to enforce their will? But In the Ritsuryo system, at least conceptually, the State had local governors who reported back to the central authority.  These governors  were set apart from the Kuni no Miyatsuko, the traditional local authority, and their income was tied to the court. Moreover, this system wasn't just tradition and the whims of the elites: it was codified in written laws and punishments.  In fact, the Record of the Fujiwara—the Toushi Kaden—claims that the entire legal code was written down in 668 by their patriarch, Nakatomi no Kamatari, prior to his death.  There are also other references to this compilation, known to us as the “Oumi Code”, referencing the region that the court had moved to:  Afumi, around Lake Biwa.  Unfortunately, we don't have any extant copies of what, exactly, the Code said, other than various laws explicitly noted in the Nihon Shoki.  Still, we can assume that it was probably similar to later codes, which would have been using the Oumi code as a base from which to work from. The new authority for this code descended from the throne, based on continental and even Confucian concepts of the State.  And Naka no Oe had no doubt been the one to help maintain continuity over the past three decades.  Now he was dead, so what came next? Well based on what we have in the Nihon Shoki, that should be obvious:  His brother, the Crown Prince, Ohoama, would take the throne, wouldn't he?  After all, he was the designated Crown Prince, and he had been in that role, promulgating orders, and otherwise acting as we might expect, at least since Naka no Oe had given up the position. And yet, it seems there was some doubt.  After all, while a brother—or sister—inheriting the throne was hardly unheard of, Naka no Oe did have children of his own.  Most importantly, there was his son, Prince Ohotomo.  Ohotomo was only about 23 years old, but he had been made the Dajoudaijin, the head of the Council of State, which one would think would put him in a position of tremendous authority. Naka no Oe apparently had some inkling that there could be a succession dispute upon his death.  And so, two months after he had taken ill, as it became painfully obvious that he might not recover, he called in his brother, Crown Prince Ohoama, and he told him clearly that it was his intention to have his brother succeed him on the throne. Before going much further, I would note that the entries in the Nihon Shoki that speak to this incident are spread across two different books in that chronicle.  Part of it takes part in the chronicle of Tenji Tennou (Naka no Oe), but then the reign of Temmu Tennou (Ohoama) is actually broken up into two books, the first of which is often considered the history of the Jinshin Ran, while the second is really Temmu's reign.  And in some cases we get slightly different versions of the same event.    The Nihon Shoki was written less than 50 years after the events being discussed, so likely by people who had actual memory of what happened, it was also propaganda for the regime in power at the time.  So as we read through the events, we have to be critical about our source and what it is telling us. To that end, I'll mostly start out with the narrative as it appears in the Nihon Shoki, and then we can look back and see what else might be going on if we make some assumptions that the Chroniclers may not be the most reliable of narrators for these events. Anyway, getting back to the story as we have it in the Nihon Shoki:  So the person sent to fetch Prince Ohoama to come see his brother, the sovereign, was a man by the name of Soga no Yasumaru.  And Yasumaru brought not only the summons, but a warning, as well.  He told Prince Ohoama to “think before you speak”.  This suggested to Ohoama that there was some kind of plot afoot. And lest we forget, for all that Naka no Oe is often put up on a pedestal for his role in the Taika reforms and founding the nation—even the posthumous name they gave him was the “Sovereign of Heavenly Wisdom”—that pedestal he stands on is covered in blood.  Naka no Oe's political career starts with the brazen murder of Soga no Iruka in full view of all the gathered nobility, and is immediately followed with him marshalling forces against Soga no Emishi, who set fire to his own house rather than surrender. And then, shortly into the Taika period, Naka no Oe had his own brother, Furubito no Oe, killed so that he wouldn't be a threat.  And later, when he just heard a rumor that Soga no Ishikawa no Maro—his father-in-law, Prime Minister of the Right, and co-conspirator—was having treasonous thoughts, he gathered up forces to have him and his family murdered. And though it may have been a bit less bloody, let's not forget his apparent falling out with his uncle, Karu, where he left the giant palace complex at Naniwa and took the entire royal family to Asuka against his uncle, the sovereign's, wishes. Add to that the note from the Fujiwara family records, the Toushi Kaden, about the party at the “shore pavilion” where Ohoama spiked a spear through a plank of wood which rattled Naka no Oe enough that he was contemplating having him taken out right there.  According to that account, it was only the intervention of Nakatomi no Kamatari that saved Ohoama's life.  Even if it weren't true, it likely illustrates something about how their relationship was viewed by others. Given all of that, I think we can understand how Ohoama might not be entirely trusting of his older brother's intentions.  So when that same brother offered him control of the government, Ohoama was suspicious.  Perhaps it was because he was already the Crown Prince, the expected heir, so why would Naka no Oe be offering him the throne?  Perhaps it was some kind of test of his loyalty? And so Prince Ohoama declined.  He claimed that he had always had bad health, and probably wouldn't be a good choice.  Instead, he put forward that the Queen, Yamatobime, should be given charge, and that Naka no Oe's son, Prince Ohotomo, should be installed as the Crown Prince—the new successor to the throne.  Furthermore, to demonstrate his resolve, he asked to be allowed to renounce the world and become a monk. Indeed, immediately after the audience with his brother, Prince Ohoama went to the Buddhist hall in the palace itself and had his head shaved and took holy orders.  He even gave up any private weapons that he might have—likely meaning not just his personal weapons, but any private forces that might be under his command.  The sovereign himself sent his brother a kesa or clerical garment, apparently approving of—or at least accepting—his decision. Two days later, Prince Ohoama went back to his brother and asked to be allowed to leave for Yoshino to go and practice Buddhism there.  He was given permission and he headed out.  The ministers of the left and right, that is Soga no Akae and Nakatomi no Kane, along with Soga no Hatayasu, a “Dainagon” or Chief Counselor, and others, all traveled with him all the way to Uji, where they saw him off.  By evening he had made it as far as the Shima Palace, which is assumed to have been in Asuka—possibly at or near the site of the old Soga residence.  The following day he was in Yoshino. Arriving at Yoshino with his household, Prince Ohoama gave his servants a choice—those who wished could take orders and stay with him in Yoshino.  Those with ambitions at the court, though, were allowed to return back to Ohotsu, presumably going to work for another family.  At first, none of them wanted to leave his side, but he beseeched them a second time, and half of them decided to stay and become monks with him while half of them left, returning to the court. As we mentioned earlier, another royal prince—and possibly crown prince—had taken a similar option back in the year 645.  That was Prince Furubito no Oe, half-brother to Naka no Oe and Ohoama.  We talked about that back in episode 109.  As with that time, taking Buddhist orders and retiring from the world was meant to demonstrate that the individual was renouncing any claims on the throne and was no longer a threat to the succession. The Nihon Shoki notes, though, that as Prince Ohoama was leaving Uji, some commented that it was like the saying: “Give a tiger wings and let him go.”  The first part of that is no doubt referencing a saying still used in Mandarin, today:  “Rúhǔtiānyì” or “Yǔhǔtiānyì, meaning to “add wings to a tiger”—in other words to take something strong and make it even more powerful.  In this case, the choice to renounce the succession and leave court made Ohoama more powerful and then set him free to do what he wanted. There is a lot of speculation around what actually happened.  Prince Ohotomo had only recently come of age and been given the important position of Dajo Daijin.  Still, he was also only 23 years old.  Now, granted, Naka no Oe hadn't been much older, himself, when he instigated the Isshi Incident, but most sovereigns aren't mentioned as having come to the throne themselves until they were maybe 30 years old or more.  Still, there is at least one theory that suggests that Naka no Oe wanted to have his brother, Ohoama, step aside and let Ohotomo take the throne.  According to that theory, his request for Ohoama to succeed him as ruler eas a ruse to get Ohoama to admit his own ambition, which Naka no Oe could then use as a pretext to get rid of his brother. There is another theory that Naka no Oe wanted Ohoama to step in as effectively regent:  Ohoama would rule, but Ohotomo would then inherit after him. Ohoama's counterproposal is intriguing.  He suggested that the affairs of state should be given to Yamato-bime, Naka no Oe's queen, and that she should rule as regent until Ohotomo was ready.  Of course, we have examples of something like this, most recently from the previous reign.  Takara Hime came to the throne, originally, because her husband, who was the sovereign, passed away and their children were not yet of age to take the throne.  However, there is something interesting, here in the relationship between Yamato Bime and Ohotomo.  Because while Yamato Bime was the queen, and daughter, herself, of Furubito no Oe, Ohotomo was not clearly of the proper parentage.  He was not Yamato Bime's son – she had no children herself - , but  his mother was simply a “palace woman” named “Iga no Uneme no Yakako”.  This suggests that she was an uneme from Iga named Yakako, and we are given no details about her parentage.    She is also listed as the last of Naka no Oe's consorts, suggesting to the reader that she was the lowest in status. For this reason Ohotomo is known as the Iga Royal Prince, Iga no Miko. Of course, there are plenty of reasons why the Chroniclers might not want to give any glory to Prince Ohotomo or his mother.  After all, the story works out best if Ohoama should have just been the sovereign all along.  And this could all be technically true—the best kind of true—while also omitting key details so that the reader draws a certain inference.  The Chroniclers were pulling from lots of different sources, and you didn't have to do a lot of changing things when you could just not put them in in the first place.  In other cases we know that they changed the records, because we see them using anachronistic language that doesn't make sense if drawn from a contemporary record. And so we have at least a couple of theories of what might be going on here, beyond just the straight narrative.   One idea is that Naka no Oe wanted Ohotomo to inherit all along, and perhaps he thought Ohoama could be a regent to help him out once Naka no Oe passed away.  Or maybe he just wanted Ohoama out of the way.  There is also the theory that the Nihon Shoki is, in fact, correct, that Naka no Oe wanted to give the state to Ohoama, but the latter refused, either misunderstanding Naka no Oe's intentions or perhaps gauging the feeling at court—perhaps it wasn't Naka no Oe that Ohoama was worried about, but rather some of the high nobles and officials?   It is probably telling that Ohoama's reported solution was to have Yamato-bime act as regent, with Ohotomo eventually inheriting. Whatever the actual reason, Ohoama declined Ohoama headed off to self-imposed exile in Yoshino. Meanwhile, back in Afumi in the Ohotsu capital, Ohotsu-kyo, Ohotomo was now the de facto Crown Prince.  We are told that on the 23rd day of the 11th month of 671 he took his place in front of the embroidery figure of Buddha in the Western Hall of the Dairi, the royal quarters of the Ohotsu Palace.  He was attended by the Minister of the Left, Soga no Akaye, the Minister of the Right, Nakatomi no Kane, as well as Soga no Hatayasu, Kose no Hito, and Ki no Ushi.  Taking up an incense burner, Ohotomo made a vow that the six of them would obey the sovereign's commands, lest they be punished by the various Buddhist and local deities. These five ministers, along with Ohotomo, are going to show up again and again.   Moving forward, they would manage the government, and would be generally referred to as the Afumi court. And it is clear that the Chroniclers laid the blame for anything that might happen at their feet. The Afumi court would continue court business as usual, and they were immediately thrown into the thick of it.  For instance, they were likely the ones to entertain the Tang envoys that arrived that same month.  You see, the priest Douku (or possibly “Doubun”), along with Tsukushi no Kimi no Satsuyama, Karashima no Suguri no Sasa, and Nunoshi no Obito no Iwa, had finally made it back from their journey to the mainland.  They brought with them Guo Wucong along with an embassy from the Tang court that numbered approximately 600 members, as well as ambassador Sathek Sonteung, of Silla, with his own embassy of about 1400 people. This enormous entourage sailed in 47 ships, and they had anchored at the island of Hijishima.   The Governor of Tsushima, responsible for being the first line of met with them.  Given then number fo ships, they didn't want it to look like it was a hostile invasion, so the governor sent a letter to  Prince Kurikuma, the viceroy of Tsukushi, to let him know what was happening.  Prince Kurikuma had them send Doubun and others ahead to the capital, so that they could let the court know that a massive embassy had arrived, and to prepare the way for them. However, with the sovereign in extremely poor health, and the court otherwise preoccupied with preparations for what might come next, , they kept the embassy at Tsukushi, for the time being.  We are told that that they sent presents on the 29th for the king of Silla, but no indication of them being brought to the court. Enormous foreign embassies aside, the Afumi court had plenty to deal with close to home.  It didn't help that the day after Ohotomo and the ministers had gathered to make their oaths, a fire broke out in the Ohotsu palace, apparently originating with the third storehouse of the treasury.    Several days later, the five ministers, attending the Crown Prince, Ohotomo, made oaths of loyalty in the presence of Naka no Oe, whose condition was only growing worse.  And four days later, on the third day of the fourth month, Naka no Oe passed away.  He was then temporarily interred in what is referred to as the “New Palace”. And contrary to what Ohoama had suggested, there is no indication that Queen Yamato-bime was installed as any kind of regent.  Instead it seems as if Ohotomo was just jumping in and taking the reins.  Granted, he also had the Council of State to lean on, so there's that.  The Chronicles are pretty quiet for a couple of months after Naka no Oe's death, and then we are told that Adzumi no Muraji no Inashiki was sent to Tsukushi to let the Tang ambassador Guo Wucong know the news.  We are told that on the 18th day of the 3rd month, Guo Wucong, I presume having made it to Ohotsu, publicly mourned the late sovereign.  Three days later, on the 21st, he made obeisance at the court, presumably to Ohotomo, and offered up a box with a letter from the Tang emperor and various presents in token of goodwill for the sovereign of Yamato.  A couple of months later, the Afumi court returned the favor, presenting armor, bows, and arrows as well as cloth, floss, and silk.  Later in that same 5th month, Guo Wucong and his people departed for the continent. And here is where we hit one of the big questions of this whole thing:  Had Ohotomo been formally invested as sovereign, yet?  We clearly see that he had his father's ministers on his side, and they were running things.  Then again, it took years after Takara Hime's death before Naka no Oe, himself, formally stepped up. It is quite possible that Ohotomo was not yet invested, and perhaps that was, in part, because there was another person with a claim who was still alive.  It is hard to say. What we do know is that the consensus opinion for centuries was that Ohotomo was never formally invested as sovereign.  He is certainly seen as having inherited the governance of the kingdom, but he was never considered one of the official sovereigns.  That all changed in relatively recent times.  In fact, it wasn't until 1870, the early years of the Meiji period, that Prince Ohotomo was given a posthumous title and regnal name:  Koubun Tennou.  Today, the Imperial Household Agency and some historians consider Ohotomo to have been an official sovereign, but that isn't everyone.  If he was, though, much what we see would have been happening at his court. That same month that Guo Wucong departed, Prince Ohoama got wind that something hinky was afoot.  Ohoama was residing as a monk in Yoshino, but by all accounts he still had half of his household staff, his wives, and family, all with him.  Also, as the former Crown Prince, he clearly had friends and allies.  After all, he was still a member of the royal household. And so it was in the 5th month that he heard from one Yenewi no Muraji no Wogimi that there was something amiss.  For one thing, the Afumi court had called up laborers to build the tomb for Naka no Oe, but word was that they had issued those so-called laborers with weapons rather than tools.  Wogimi seemed worried that they were preparing to do something about Ohoama.  After all, even though he had theoretically retired from the world, as long as he was alive, he still had a claim on the throne, similar to the problem of Prince Furubito no Oe back in 645. Someone else told Ohoama that they noticed pickets were being set up in various places between the Afumi and Yamato—another sign that the Afumi court was apparently expecting some kind of military action.  Furthermore, the guards at the Uji bridge were no longer allowing supplies bound for Yoshino and Ohoama's household. It seemed clear that something was up, and so Ohoama made an announcement:  while he had renounced the royal dignity and retired from the world, it was only because of his poor health and a desire to live a long and happy life.  If that life was being threatened by forces outside of his control, then why would he let himself be taken quietly? From that point, he seems to have started plotting and gathering  forces of his own, in case things came to a head.  Of course, there are those who suggest that, in truth, Ohoama had been plotting and raising forces ever since he started his exile in Yoshino—or at least since his father passed away.  Indeed, once things kick off, you'll notice how quickly people are levying troops, as if spontaneously deciding to support Ohoama's cause, and I would suggest that there was probably lot of back and forth that we just don't see because it was never recorded. Things reached a tipping point on the 22nd day of the 6th month.  That is when Ohoama gave orders to three of his vassals, Murakami no Muraji no Woyori, Wanibe no Omi no Kimide, and Muketsu no Kimi no Hiro.  He claimed that the Afumi Court was plotting against him, so he asked his vassals to go to the land of Mino—modern Gifu prefecture—and to reach out to Oho no Omi no Honeji, the governor of the Ahachima district hot springs—now the area of Anpachi.  Honeji was to levy soldiers and set them out on the Fuwa road—this was the road from Mino to Afumi, and was one of the few ways in and out of Afumi region. As we've mentioned in the past, the benefit of Ohotsu-kyo was its naturally defended position.  Lake Biwa is surrounded on all sides by mountains, and there were only a few ways in and out.  The Fuwa Pass is at the edge of a location that you may have heard of: today we know that region as Sekigahara.  That is because it was one of several seki, or barriers, set up to help check movements across the archipelago.  To the south, one could also use the Suzuka pass, where there would likewise be set up the Suzuka no Seki, or Suzuka barrier.  Suzuka was accessible from Afumi via the regions of Koga and Iga.  There was also the Afusaka no Seki, between Afumi and the area of modern Kyoto, and the Arachi no Seki, between Afumi and Tsuruga, on the Japan Sea—where many of the Goguryeo missions had arrived. Of these, the Afusaka barrier and the Fuwa barrier were probably the most well known and most heavily traveled.  Control of the Fuwa pass would be critical throughout Japan's history, controlling much of the traffic between eastern and western Japan.  Hence why, over 900 years later, another fight would come to a head here, as the battle of Sekigahara would see Tokugawa Ieyasu's eastern forces defeating the western army of Ishida Mitsunari.  That battle is seen as a decisive victory that birthed the Tokugawa shogunate, who would rule Japan for the next 250 years. So for Ohoama, having Honeji and his men take control of the Fuwa barrier was critical, as it would limit the Afumi court's ability to levy forces in the eastern provinces. A few days later, Ohoama was himself about to move out,  but his advisors stopped him.  They were worried about heading east without an army, yet.  Ohoama agreed, and he wished that he hadn't sent Woyori out just yet—Woyori was someone he trusted, militarily.  Instead, however, he had to make do.  And so he had Ohokida no Kimi no Yesaka, Kibumi no Muraji no Ohotomo, and Afu no Omi no Shima go to Prince Takasaka, who was in charge of the Wokamoto Palace in Asuka, and apply for posting bells—the tokens that would allow him and others use the various official post stations to supply them with provisions as they traveled.  Speaking of this palace,  although the court had moved to Ohotsu, a palace was maintained in Asuka.  After all, this was still seen as the “ancient capital” and the home to a lot of powerful families, so it makes sense that the royal family kept the palace in working order.  It also appears to have functioned as the local government headquarters for the region, with Prince Takasaka, or Takasaka no Ou, at its head. Asking for the posting bells was a test by Ohoama.  If he received them, then great, it would give him the ability to travel to the east, where he could presumably raise troops to protect himself.  However, if Prince Takasaka refused, then that would be a sign that the Afumi government had, indeed, sent word that Ohoama was not supposed to go anywhere.  If that was to happen, then Afu no Shima would return to Yoshino to let Ohoama know, while Ohokida no Yesaka would go to Afumi to tell Ohoama's sons, Prince Takechi and Prince Ohotsu, to make haste and meet him in Ise. Sure enough, Prince Takasaka refused the posting bells, and so, on the 24th of the 6th month, Prince Ohoama made the decision to move.  They left quickly—he didn't even let anyone saddle a horse for him or prepare his carriage.  He just started to head out on foot on a journey to the East. That journey would set in motion the coming conflagration.  Ohoama and his allies would quickly gather their forces in an incredibly short period of time, starting with a daring trek across the mountainous path between Yoshino and the land of Ise.  At the same time, the Afumi court would levy their own forces.  It was now a race for people and positions.  And to see how that race progressed, I'll ask you to tune in next episode, when we take a look at the opening moves in the war for the throne of Yamato.Until then, thank you once again for listening and for all of your support. If you like what we are doing, please tell your friends and feel free to rate us wherever you listen to podcasts.  If you feel the need to do more, and want to help us keep this going, we have information about how you can donate on Patreon or through our KoFi site, ko-fi.com/sengokudaimyo, or find the links over at our main website,  SengokuDaimyo.com/Podcast, where we will have some more discussion on topics from this episode. Also, feel free to reach out to our Sengoku Daimyo Facebook page.  You can also email us at the.sengoku.daimyo@gmail.com.  Thank you, also, to Ellen for their work editing the podcast. And that's all for now.  Thank you again, and I'll see you next episode on Sengoku Daimyo's Chronicles of Japan.

What's the difference between being paid for your emotional labor and giving it away for free? In this episode of the Sex Work VS miniseries, I explore how sex work reshaped my approach to relationships. From unreciprocated efforts with cis-het men to the gratitude that comes with being paid, I reflect love, and raising my standards. We'll talk about oxytocin, one-sided coaching, the myth of romantic stability—and why financial independence feels far more secure. This isn't about giving up on intimacy. It's about knowing your worth, and deciding who (or what) deserves your time.Watch on YouTube: https://youtube.com/evaohMore on Eva Oh: https://eva-oh.comHIGHLIGHTS:Here are the timestamps for the episode. On some podcast players you should be able to click the timestamp to jump to that time.(00:00) - Welcome. What is #teakink(00:21) - Sex Work VS Relationships(01:05) - The 'Natural' Progression, Dating to Relationship?(02:15) - What I Would Need from a Relationship(03:40) - The Societal Expectation of Having a Relationship(07:10) - Being Taken for Granted(09:10) - The Advantage of Paid VS Unpaid Emotional and Sexual Labour(10:30) - One-sided Efforts when Engaging with Cis-het Men(13:25) - Improving My Standards, Does it Help or Hinder(15:40) - Getting Paid for the Usual Coaching of Men(16:40) - The Exchange of Money Encourages Gratitude(20:40) - Honing the Art of Relating and the Benefits of Getting Paid for It(23:15) - Relationship Stability is not a Given, your Financial Independence can be(24:50) - Do I Want to Spend My Life on Unworthy Pursuits and People?(25:50) - Falling in Love as a Skill Learned through Sex Work(26:55) - Friendships with Sex Workers as the Gold Standard(27:45) - The Need for Reciprocation(28:55) - What Cis-het Men Could Offer if Not My Gold Standard, Money and Connections

This famed finger-style guitarist broke through with Jefferson Airplane's seven albums from 1966-1972, recorded eight with Hot Tuna 1970-1976 (with subsequent reunions by both bands), recorded his first solo album in 1974 and then 10 more from 1981-2025, and has collaborated with John Hurlburt, members of the Grateful Dead, and Janice Joplin. We discuss "In My Dreams" from Ain't in No Hurry (2015), "Been So Long" from River of Time (2009), "Sleep Song" by Hot Tuna from America's Choice (1975). End song: "Hesitation Blues" from Reno Road: Unreleased Tracks from the 60s (1960). Intro: "Embryonic Journey" from Jefferson Airplane's Surrealistic Pillow (1967). More at jormakaukonen.com. Hear more Nakedly Examined Music. Support us on Patreon. If you enjoy our show, check out the All the Right Movies podcast.

Send us a textThe mystery to many people is what would God have them do with their life. Granted, some people do not are in the least but there are those who want to live a life pleasing to God. It may be difficult to discern what His goal is ut that is why we have His Word.This message will lead you into an understanding of who you are in Him and what you are in Him. Listen carefully and share this with someone who may have the same question.

As most of us know, on June 19th, 1865, a man rode into Texas, home to more than 200,000 enslaved people, to tell them that they were now FREE. We mark THIS DAY as the day of our liberation. And it has been a celebration ever since! BUT… with celebration comes hateration, from the people that DON'T want us to be great.. And in 1981, three young men died in less than eight feet of water while celebrating their freedom and their greatness. So JOIN US today as we discuss what happened to the Comanche Three. RIP to the victims!Black True Crime Podcast is sponsored by BetterHelp:Visit BETTERHELP.COM/BLACKTRUECRIME for 10% OFF your FIRST MONTH of TherapyGET YOUR LIVE SHOW TOUR TICKETS TODAY! Use Code “BTCPOD” for 10% OFF at www.blacktruecrime.comTo ACCESS the FULL VIDEO EPISODE + ALL PICTURES associated with the case. Join US on PATREON:⁠⁠www.patreon.com/blacktruecrimepodcast⁠Follow us on INSTAGRAM: @BlackTrueCrimePodcastSubscribe to our YOUTUBE Channel: www.youtube.com/c/blacktruecrimepodcastJoin our PATREON for full video episodes and exclusive content: www.patreon.com/blacktruecrimepodcastFor MERCH, visit: www.blacktruecrime.com/shop-merchJOIN OUR FB GROUP: https://www.facebook.com/blacktruecrimepodcastIntro & Outro music credits: Horror by Paradox BeatsOriginal Beat production ownership is retained by the original producer where applicable. This beat is being used with private/owned leasing rights GRANTED by the producer(s). This audio is 100% free to listen to on this show.

A federal judge ordered the release of the pro-Palestinian activist at the center of a deportation fight. We have key takeaways from diplomacy talks over the Israel-Iran conflict. Brutal heat expands over the US in the coming days. Pope Leo gave a message to tech executives about artificial intelligence. Plus, we'll tell you how a classic summer blockbuster has changed our perception of sharks.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What's up Bros? Well we all knew it was coming. Huda crashes out after America votes for Iris and Jeremiah. The rest of the Villa is starting to run out of patience with this whole saga. Huda places all of the blame of the vote on Jeremiah and proceeds to call him all sorts of names. Granted, Jeremiah never checked on her following the vote but... The new bombshells go on a date with their partners and they seem to hit it off. Upon their return, Huda takes Iris for a chat. Then she takes Jeremiah for a chat. Then she chats with everyone. Tensions are high as we get a surprise recoupling that results in a bombshell being sent home! It was a recoupling that was much needed but will the Huda and Jeremiah chapter finally come to an end? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's pretty bad. Some would actually call this fascism.“The move comes as the Trump administration embraces venture capital and tech industries, including VC-backed startups like Anduril, Palantir and others who have begun to take root as major players in the defense industrial base. The Trump administration's nominee to take the reins as the Army's No. 2 two civilian, Michael Obadal, is an Anduril employee.” ~Dealbreaker.comJust another example of the mass privatization happening rapidly under the new administration with virtually no coverage in either the left or rightwing media.My beauty secret for skin, hair and nails is Native Path Collagen! And my husband Devastatingly Handsome Dr. Joy loves it every day for his joint & muscle pain. No matter why you love it … it's more important than EVER to maintain your daily health with collagen.Native Path is ramping up another huge stock up sale on collagen for the Joy audience! Get 45% off your entire order today!!! Go to https://www.getnativepathcollagen.com/joyToday we talk Ryan Cristian, the founder of The Last American Vagabond and member of the new, non-partisan independent press. His voice and the voices of those he platforms will become more important than ever in weeks and years to come.We discuss this and MORE today on the SJ Show!Join the Rumble LIVE chat and follow my Rumble Page HERE so you never miss an episode: https://rumble.com/c/TheShannonJoyShowShannon's Top Headlines June 19, 2025Poll: Majority of Americans Oppose US War on Iran, Including 53% of Trump Voters https://truthout.org/articles/poll-majority-of-americans-oppose-us-war-on-iran-including-53-of-trump-voters/House Republican, Democrat move to limit Trump from entering Iran war: https://www.axios.com/2025/06/17/trump-iran-israel-war-congress-massie-khannaU.S. Army Gives Unprecedented Military Rank to Ai Tech Executives: https://karenkingston.substack.com/p/us-army-gives-unprecedented-military?utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&triedRedirect=trueCongress is making more than 250 million acres of public lands available for sale: https://www.wilderness.org/articles/blog/congress-making-more-250-million-acres-public-lands-available-saleAynaz Anni Cyrus: While They Talk Deals, the Missiles Keep Falling: https://substack.com/home/post/p-166270113SJ Show Notes:Follow the Last American Vagabond HERE: https://www.thelastamericanvagabond.com/last-american-vagabonds/Please support Shannon's independent network with your donation HERE: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=MHSMPXEBSLVTSupport Our Sponsors:Wartime chaos, political corruption and market volatility are making GOLD & SILVER more attractive than ever. It's why thousands of Americans are making the decision to back up their retirement accounts with metals. Call Colonial Metals today and you may qualify for up to $7,500 in FREE silver!Check out my landing page here: https://colonialmetalsgroup.com/joyWith lockdowns looming, threats of bio-terror and cyber attacks, the chaos is everywhere. You NEED to be prepared and your one stop shop is The Satellite Phone Store. They have EVERYTHING you need when the POWER goes OUT. Use the promo code JOY for 10% off your entire order TODAY! www.SAT123.com/JoyAnd as the chaos continues, so does the value of gold. Now that it's legal tender in Florida & Texas it begs the question: If you can buy your home with gold, why not back your retirement? Call Colonial Metals today and you may qualify for up to $7,500 in FREE silver! Check out my landing page here:https://colonialmetalsgroup.com/joyPlease consider Dom Pullano of PCM & Associates! He has been Shannon's advisor for over a decade and would love to help you grow! Call his toll free number today: 1-800-536-1368 Or visit his website at https://www.pcmpullano.comSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Brendan Paul, a former Syracuse University basketball player turned personal assistant to Sean “Diddy” Combs, has emerged as a central figure in the federal RICO case against the music mogul. Initially arrested in March 2024 at Miami's Opa-Locka Executive Airport for possession of cocaine and marijuana edibles, Paul entered a pre-trial diversion program that allowed him to avoid formal prosecution. However, his arrest marked the beginning of a deeper legal entanglement. Named in civil lawsuits as Combs's alleged “drug mule,” Paul was accused of facilitating the logistics for drug-fueled, multi-day sex parties—known as “freak-offs”—at the heart of the trafficking and conspiracy allegations. Facing potential felony charges and even a federal RICO conspiracy indictment, Paul ultimately chose to cooperate with authorities. Granted immunity in exchange for truthful testimony, he is now positioned to provide jurors with an insider's perspective on how the alleged criminal enterprise functioned behind the scenes.Paul's testimony is expected to be devastating to the defense, serving as the linchpin that connects months of emotionally charged witness accounts to a coherent and systematic criminal operation. Unlike accusers with civil suits or public vendettas, Paul is viewed as a neutral actor—once fiercely loyal to Combs, now legally compelled to tell the truth under penalty of perjury. Prosecutors are strategically presenting him at the end of their case to leave a lasting impact on the jury, believing he will offer not just anecdotes but detailed infrastructure: how drugs were acquired, how events were planned, and who gave the orders. In doing so, Paul is expected to validate prior testimony, reinforce the prosecution's narrative of a tightly orchestrated enterprise, and drive home the gravity of the charges. His transformation from silent facilitator to key witness could prove to be the exclamation point that seals Combs's legal fate.to contact me:bobbycapucci@protonmail.com

In a season of Stillness—but I'm still here. ❤️‍

JOIN US as we discuss our DMV tour case, the Murder of Lauren Charles.RIP to Lauren!❤️https://ollie.com/BLACKTRUECRIME today for 60% off your first box of meals! #ToKnowThemIsToLoveThemMake this summer your healthiest yet with Green Chef. Head to Greenchef.com/50BLACKTRUECRIME and use code 50BLACKTRUECRIME to get 50% OFF your first month, then 20% OFF for TWO months with free shipping. WANT TO LEARN FROM THE BEST? Head over to MASTERCLASS.com/BLACKTRUECRIME for at least 15% OFF your annual membership!GET YOUR LIVE SHOW TOUR TICKETS TODAY! Use Code “BTCPOD” for 10% OFF at www.blacktruecrime.comTo ACCESS the FULL VIDEO EPISODE + ALL PICTURES associated with the case. Join US on PATREON:⁠⁠www.patreon.com/blacktruecrimepodcast⁠Follow us on INSTAGRAM: @BlackTrueCrimePodcastSubscribe to our YOUTUBE Channel: www.youtube.com/c/blacktruecrimepodcastJoin our PATREON for full video episodes and exclusive content: www.patreon.com/blacktruecrimepodcastFor MERCH, visit: www.blacktruecrime.com/shop-merchJOIN OUR FB GROUP: https://www.facebook.com/blacktruecrimepodcastIntro & Outro music credits: Horror by Paradox BeatsOriginal Beat production ownership is retained by the original producer where applicable. This beat is being used with private/owned leasing rights GRANTED by the producer(s). This audio is 100% free to listen to on this show.

JOIN US as we discuss our ATL tour case, the Murder of Barney Simms.RIP to Barney!Head to acorns.com/BlackTrueCrime or download the Acorns app to start saving and investing for your future today!WANT TO LEARN FROM THE BEST? Head over to MASTERCLASS.com/BLACKTRUECRIME for at least 15% OFF your annual membership!GET YOUR LIVE SHOW TOUR TICKETS TODAY! Use Code “BTCPOD” for 10% OFF at www.blacktruecrime.comTo ACCESS the FULL VIDEO EPISODE + ALL PICTURES associated with the case. Join US on PATREON:⁠⁠www.patreon.com/blacktruecrimepodcast⁠Follow us on INSTAGRAM: @BlackTrueCrimePodcastSubscribe to our YOUTUBE Channel: www.youtube.com/c/blacktruecrimepodcastJoin our PATREON for full video episodes and exclusive content: www.patreon.com/blacktruecrimepodcastFor MERCH, visit: www.blacktruecrime.com/shop-merchJOIN OUR FB GROUP: https://www.facebook.com/blacktruecrimepodcastIntro & Outro music credits: Horror by Paradox BeatsOriginal Beat production ownership is retained by the original producer where applicable. This beat is being used with private/owned leasing rights GRANTED by the producer(s). This audio is 100% free to listen to on this show.

Did Blake Lively's publicist get a reporter to lie under oath? Let's discuss. Plus, new TikTok video details what Blake's like out in public. Call Her Daddy's Alex Cooper has a new documentary out, as she accuses her former coach of harassment. Meghan Markle's baby bump debacle continues, as Candiace Dillard Bassett weighs in! Nancy and Stephanie Sidley from Twin Talk ⁠(www.youtube.com/@sidleytwins4823) ⁠ are here to dish!    Improve your mind and energy with RECHARGE from The Wellness Company! Visit http://www.twc.health/nofilter and use code NOFILTER for 15% Off + Free Shipping on ever order.   Keep your eagle eyes looking sharp. Go to http://www.paireyewear.com and use code NOFILTER for 15% off your first pair.    Get your tour tickets to see No Filter with Zack Peter LIVE: https://www.x1entertainment.com/zackpeter    Shop New Merch now: https://merchlabs.com/collections/zack-peter?srsltid=AfmBOoqqnV3kfsOYPubFFxCQdpCuGjVgssGIXZRXHcLPH9t4GjiKoaio   Book a personalized message on Cameo: https://v.cameo.com/e/QxWQhpd1TIb   Listen to The Pop Report: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-pop-report/id1746150111   Watch Disaster Daters: https://open.spotify.com/show/3L4GLnKwz9Uy5dT8Ey1VPi   Join the Zack Pack Community to get access to perks: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCs3Zs51YaK-xw2U5ypi5eqg/join   Couldn't get enough? Follow @justplainzack or @nofilterwithzack