Podcasts about His Majesty

TITANIC OF AIRSHIPS: 1/4: His Majesty's Airship: The Life and Tragic Death of the World's Largest Flying Machine by  S. C. Gwynne  (Author) https://www.amazon.com/His-Majestys-Airship-Largest-Machine/dp/1982168277 From historian and bestselling author of the Pulitzer Prize finalist Empire of the Summer Moon comes a “captivating, thoroughly researched” (The New York Times Book Review) tale of the rise and fall of the world's largest airship—and the doomed love story between an ambitious British officer and a married Romanian princess at its heart.

TITANIC OF AIRSHIPS: 2/4: His Majesty's Airship: The Life and Tragic Death of the World's Largest Flying Machine by  S. C. Gwynne  (Author) https://www.amazon.com/His-Majestys-Airship-Largest-Machine/dp/1982168277 From historian and bestselling author of the Pulitzer Prize finalist Empire of the Summer Moon comes a “captivating, thoroughly researched” (The New York Times Book Review) tale of the rise and fall of the world's largest airship—and the doomed love story between an ambitious British officer and a married Romanian princess at its heart.

TITANIC OF AIRSHIPS: 3/4: His Majesty's Airship: The Life and Tragic Death of the World's Largest Flying Machine by  S. C. Gwynne  (Author) https://www.amazon.com/His-Majestys-Airship-Largest-Machine/dp/1982168277 From historian and bestselling author of the Pulitzer Prize finalist Empire of the Summer Moon comes a “captivating, thoroughly researched” (The New York Times Book Review) tale of the rise and fall of the world's largest airship—and the doomed love story between an ambitious British officer and a married Romanian princess at its heart.

TITANIC OF AIRSHIPS: 4/4: His Majesty's Airship: The Life and Tragic Death of the World's Largest Flying Machine by  S. C. Gwynne  (Author) https://www.amazon.com/His-Majestys-Airship-Largest-Machine/dp/1982168277 From historian and bestselling author of the Pulitzer Prize finalist Empire of the Summer Moon comes a “captivating, thoroughly researched” (The New York Times Book Review) tale of the rise and fall of the world's largest airship—and the doomed love story between an ambitious British officer and a married Romanian princess at its heart.

Last time we spoke about Manchukuo. In the early 1930s, Ishiwara Kanji sought to dominate Manchuria to secure resources and counter American influence. He envisioned Manchukuo as a Pan-Asian league promoting racial cooperation, despite it being a puppet state under Japan. With Puyi as a figurehead, Ishiwara aimed for autonomy, but his plans faced resistance from the Kwantung Army, which prioritized control. As conflicts arose, Ishiwara's vision of unity clashed with military interests, leading to his eventual isolation and reassignment, marking a tumultuous chapter in Manchukuo's history. In November 1931, Doihara orchestrated the "Tianjin Incident," facilitating the removal of Puyi from his home to establish the puppet state of "Manchukuo." By March 1932, Puyi was declared its ruler, but his authority was merely symbolic, overshadowed by Japanese control. Despite international condemnation, Japan solidified its grip on Manchuria, exploiting its resources and suppressing local resistance. By the late 1930s, Manchukuo became a colonial entity, suffering under harsh economic policies while Puyi's regime served as a facade for Japanese imperial ambitions.   #146 Operation Nekka: the Invasion of Rehe Welcome to the Fall and Rise of China Podcast, I am your dutiful host Craig Watson. But, before we start I want to also remind you this podcast is only made possible through the efforts of Kings and Generals over at Youtube. Perhaps you want to learn more about the history of Asia? Kings and Generals have an assortment of episodes on history of asia and much more  so go give them a look over on Youtube. So please subscribe to Kings and Generals over at Youtube and to continue helping us produce this content please check out www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals. If you are still hungry for some more history related content, over on my channel, the Pacific War Channel where I cover the history of China and Japan from the 19th century until the end of the Pacific War. From the very beginning of their consolidation of Manchukuo, the Kwantung Army regarded the province of Rehe, today's Jehol province, to be an integral part of it. According to some of the Kwantung Army leadership, all of Rehe would be necessary to consummate Manchukuo. In April of 1932, the IJA 8th Division based at Hirosaki in Aomori prefecture was transferred to Manchukuo under secret orders to prepare for an invasion of Rehe. Now Rehe province covers 160,00 square kilometers and back then held some 2.3 million people. Since 1926 it was ruled by General Tang Yulin. His direct command was over the NRA 36th division, consisting of 13,000 regular troops with a provincial militia of 8500 men. As was the Warlord practice of the time, Tang Yulin exploited his population. Now until July of 1932, Tang Yulin's attitude towards the emerging state of Manchukuo directly to his east was certainly favorable. That is because Tang Yulin favored the Japanese. During the debacle that was the invasion of Manchuria, Tang Yulin had done everything possible to prevent Zhang Xueliang from moving into Rehe whenever he was trying to consolidate forces there. Now Tang Yulin had no greater aspirations, its not like he loved Japan, or believed the Japanese were better leaders for his nation. What he was motivated by was a very practical concern, economics, more precisely the opium trade. Rehe number one source of income was opium, and they number one purchaser of it, was Manchuria. Thus as one can imagine, when Manchukuo was being formed, and the opium door closed on him, well he took heavy financial losses.  On July 17th of 1932, an incident broke out between the towns of Chaoyangxu and Nanling. A Japanese civilian employed by the Kwantung Army, Ishimoto Gonshiro was abducted by a Rehe militia group while taking the train from Jinzhou to Chaoyang. General Nishi Yoshikazu, the commander of the IJA 8th Division stationed at Jizhou, dispatched a small unit to rescue Ishimoto. In doing so they occupied Chaoyangxi, where they also protested the Rehe provincial government. This did not see Ishimoto handed over to them, so General Nishi bombarded Chaoyangxu and then had his forces advance upon Nanling. Even doing so, no Ishimoto to be found. So Nishi withdrew back to Jinzhou. The following year during what would become the invasion of Rehe, Ishimoto's body would be found at Chaoyangxu. Zhang Xueliang utilized this small incident to advance into Rehe. Claiming he was acting upon orders from Nanjing, he moved his Northeastern Army to the border of Rehe, due south of the Great Wall. Zhang Xueliang then threatened Tang Yulin and bribed his subordinates to defect over to him. Consequently, by late July, Tang Yulin tossed the towel and for the first time sanctioned passage of a volunteer army through Rehe. Come August Zhang Xueliang organized a volunteer force 40,000 strong, obviously all from his Northeastern army to advance from Gubeikou into Rehe, where he sought to confront the Kwantung Army if they advanced. Zhang Xueliang was heavily in contact with Chiang Kai-Shek during this period. Zhang Xueliang was making multiple proclamations about retaking Manchuria, and Chiang Kai-Shek was supporting him in that endeavor as best as he could. Meanwhile Tang Yulin was sort of stuck in the middle.  Between October 1932 to January 1933, Shanhaiguan, the strategic gateway and midpoint between Mukden and Beijing became the focal area of 3 major skirmishes.  The Boxer Protocol of 1901 dictated that some of the 8 nation alliance members, notably, France, Italy and Japan were allowed to maintain small contingents at Shanhaiguan. In 1932, the Japanese garrison there was 261, France had 61 men and Italy 69. After the establishment of Manchukuo, Japan had increased its garrison to have some more border guards in the town of Shanhaiguan itself. Of course the Chinese also had local troops, that was the 9th Independent Brigade commanded by Ho Chukuo, a force roughly of 9000 men. The first skirmish at Shanhaiguan broke out on October 1st, between Ho Chukuo's men and an armored train of troops from the IJA 8th Division. Another exact same event occurred on December 8th, both occasions were settled locally and peacefully with the Chinese offering an apology and indemnity payment. Then a third clash broke out on January 1st, but this one got out of hand.  The mastermind behind the third incident was Major Ochiai Jinkuro, the leader of the Japanese garrison at Shanhaiguan. Upon his orders, at 9pm, 3 Japanese soldiers tossed two hand grenades each into the backyard of the Japanese military police detachment and the railway track running in front of the Japanese garrison. This was of course immediately blamed upon the Chinese and at 11:30 pm Ochiai presented the local Chinese with 2 demands. The first was to evacuate the Chinese force and the second to allow the Japanese to occupy their south gate at Shanhaiguan for the time being. Now the Japanese had legitimate pretext for these demands based off the Boxer Protocol. It allowed them the right to ensure the security of the railway and telegraph lines and to defend their citizens and property within two miles of the railway zone. Since Ho Chukuo's troops allegedly disturbed the peace in said zone, the Japanese were in their right to ask them to depart.  According to Japanese sources, the Chinese refused at first then consented at 4:50 am on January 2nd. This effectively saw them surrender the south gate. However at 9:30 am the chief of staff for the Chinese Brigade requested that the takeover of said gate be postponed until the scheduled arrival of Ho Chukuo, coming over from Beiping. Ochiai turned down this request, whereupon the Chinese agreed that the south gate would be included within the area overseen by the Japanese. Yet at 10:50 am Japanese troops went to take over guarding the south gate whence Chinese guards tossed grenades at them. Yes, it is most certainly the Japanese who tossed those grenades. The Chinese account of this event is somewhat different. It asserts the Japanese attacked the gate while the issue of surrender was still being negotiated. By January 11th, China sent a formal appeal to Britain, France, the US and other signatories of the Boxer Protocol charging the Japanese for perverting the treaty to seize the south gate of Shanhaiguan. Meanwhile General Ho Chukuo called Ochiai from Qinhuangdao to tell him he would arrive by 8am on January 3rd to negotiate. But by 10am he failed to show up, as the Chinese and Japanese fired upon another. Ochiai thereupon resolved to take the south gate by force. By that point the IJA 8th Division had strengthened its position in front of Shanhaiguan. Two companies had become 10 and one air force company was made ready to strike. Additionally the commander of the 2nd China Fleet, Tsuda Shizue dispatched Hirado and the 16th Destroyer Squadron to Shanhaiguan and Qinhuangdao “to defend Japanese residents and assist the troops in case of hostilities”. At dawn on January 3rd, the Japanese launched a combined land, sea and air assault and by 2pm had taken Shanhaiguan. Ho Chukuo's forces were pushed to the Shih River where they were reinforced during the night and hastily constructed fortifications against the incoming Japanese. Henceforth a propaganda war emerged over Rehe. Japan charged that Zhang Xueliang was mobilizing large forces to advance into Rehe, while China claimed the same of the Japanese. The Chinese protested the Japanese seizure of Shanhaiguan, but none of the western powers would intervene. However the League of Nations constant condemnation of Japan ever since the Mukden incident provoked the Japanese on march 27th to simply walk out on the league. The ordeal also prompted Prince Saioji Kimmochi to dispatch Major General Umezu Yoshijiro, the chief of General affairs of the army general staff and Consul Tanaka Sotaro of the foreign ministry to go over and restrain the unruly troops at various positions in the Beiping-Tientsin region. Saionji's main concern was elevated by Army Minister Araki Sadao, who on March 6th stated to Harada Kumao “that if Japan were to land about 3 divisions at Qingdao and they strike into the Peiping-Tientsin region via Tsinan, Zhang Xueliang will probably flee even before they reach Tsinan. If we do anything at all, I'd like to act boldly and go that far”. Despite claims by various sources, mostly Chinese, the Shanhaiguan incident as it became known was not actually preplanned by the Kwantung Army, it really was an arbitrary act on the part of the garrison commander. How everything went down at Shanhaiguan provided vital intel on the Northeastern Army, and what to expect in Rehe. In December of 1932, the IJA 6th Division was dispatched to Manchuria and assigned security detail in southern Jilin province. They were given further secret orders to participate in what was going to be an operation in Rehe once they arrived to Manchuria. When the Shanhaiguan incident broke out, the Rehe operation was expedited rapidly. Therefore the IJA 6th and 8th Divisions west of the Liao River were immediately tossed into the operation. Given the foreign and domestic conditions, the Rehe operation was extremely dangerous. Tokyo HQ yet again sought to reign in the men, so they sent General Umezu to Manchuria to talk to the Kwantung leadership. The Kwantung leadership was adamant the operation be unleashed before the spring that, provided the operation did not extend beyond the Great Wall. To this Tokyo HQ yet again relented.  On January 27th of 1933, General Muto Nobuyoshi, then commander of the Kwantung Army, issued the following general order for the Rehe operation designated, Operation Nekka “The situation in Jehol has become increasingly serious day by day and has now developed into a state of affairs necessitating intervention. To strengthen the foundations of Manchukuo, the time is close at hand, as far as military operations by the Kwantung Army are concerned, to put the finishing touch on our sublime task. First, the affairs of Jehol province are unquestionably an internal problem of Manchukuo. They neither embrace nor are accompanied by any international implications. Because subjugation of the province is designed to strike a fatal blow to anti-Manchukuo, anti-Japan elements, these elements purposely confuse the distinction between Jehol and North China. They move troops into the province and, glossing over these matters, raise a loud outcry, propagandizing that Japan harbors designs of territorial aggression. In this manner they have endeavored to draw the restraining attention of the world, and every move of the Kwantung Army in Jehol—even the slightest raising of a hand or the stretching of a leg—is now the object of worldwide surveillance” At this stage the Kwantung Army treated the Rehe Operation as an internal matter of Manchukuo and did not openly talk about extending it beyond the Great Wall into Hubei. But their gunna. On January 26th, General Muto issued Order 466, kinda funny how its almost order 66, but I digress. This order directed the IJA 6th and 8th Divisions to prepare to invade Rehe. On February 9th, Muto drafted the “Rehe Subjugation Plan” to some staff officers. It stated “without specific orders, operations are not to be carid out in Hubei”. It also stipulated they should “foster and promote a climate leading to the downfall of Zhang Xueliang in North China, which is the strategic base for the disturbance of Manchukuo”. On February 27th, Muto issued Order 473 which repeated to the men again not to move into Hubei. On the 29th, Muto issued another  order “The subjugation of Jehol is purely and simply an internal problem of Manchukuo. In the light of our national policy, it must not develop into a provocation for war with China. This is why Kwantung Army Operations Order 473 stipulated that, unless specific orders are issued, operations are not to be conducted beyond the Great Wall in Hopei province. I fully expect you to issue strict orders to the various units under your command that, although our forces may act freely in Jehol, which is a part of Manchukuo, they are not, without an imperial command, allowed to take any action in Hopei province, which is separated from Jehol by the Great Wall. They should be admonished that, even in the light of local circumstances, they must never be blinded by tactical considerations and miss the main point of our national policy. (In particular, the garrison at Shanhaikuan should be doubly careful and not act beyond its authorized limits.) I have learned that His Imperial Majesty, the supreme commander, is gravely concerned about the foregoing and again issue these instructions in awe of His Majesty's concern”. Thus one can read between the lines here. Emperor Hirohito put his foot down and demanded no forces go past the great wall and to this the Kwantung Army obeyed. For Operation Nekka, the IJA 6th and 8th Division would have their own theaters of operation along a line running from Paotzu, the eastern most town in Rehe to Chaoyang. The northern zone was the IJA 6th divisions theater, the southern one was the 8th's. Geneal Sakamoto Masemon led the 6th Division and ordered his forces on February 23rd to advance north along the rail line between Tahushan and Tungliao, then on towards Tienshan, Xiawa and Chaoyang. Afterwards they would carry out operations in the Chifeng-Linxu-Tolun region.  General Nishi ordered his 8th Division, excluding one unit to advance along the border around Peipiao, towards Suichung on the 27th, then into the Lingyuan region. The other unit would secure as fast as possible the important gateways along the Great Wall of China: Qilingkou, Lenkou, Xufengkou, Lowenyukou and Manlankuan to protect their divisions flank. Afterwards they would seie Chengde and Gubeikou. However he also gave explicit orders "Without specific orders, operations must not be extended beyond the Great Wall into Hopei province,". So yeah, while they had direct orders to not advance beyond the Great Wall. . . they were going to basically capture all of the key passes of the Great Wall. Kind of playing with fire.  On the other side, on January 23rd, Zhang Xueliang was meeting with Chiang Kai-Shek and our old friend Duan Qirui to discuss how to prepare for what seemed to be an impending invasion of Rehe. Chiang Kai-Shek politely said to Duan Qirui "I sincerely hope that you will come south and give me your guidance at this time of national crisis,". The real reason he sent this request was because he did not want the Japanese to enlist their former lacky against him. At the meeting, according to a Japanese intelligence report, Zhang Xueliang insisted that Chiang Kai-Shek personally come north and assume direct command of the Northern troops. Chiang Kai-Shek refused on the grounds he had to deal with the communists in Jiangxi and sent in his place Yang Que, the current president of the Army Staff College and a graduate of the Japanese Army War College. Yang would arrive to Peiping with his staff on January 30th, where he devised a plan for joint operations with Zhang Xueliang. They anticipated the Kwantung Army would cross the Great Wall at Shanhaiguan, so their basic strategy was to concentrate a large force in its region, especially east of the Luan River. That forces mission would be to defend at all costs the front line at Qinhuangdao. The Japanese intelligence indicated the Chinese had roughly 50,000 men, including 7700 men of the 25th Division ld by Kuan Lincheng and 12800 men of the 2nd Division led by Yang Que who were sent to Miyun and Gubeikou. There were also reports that ancient art objects and documents from Peiping were being transported to Nanjing, beginning on January 10th. To the Chinese public this was shocking news as one could imagine. Operation Nekka was unleashed and showcased the rapid efficiency of the Kwantung Army. By March 2nd, the IJA 6th Division routed the 41st Army of General Sun Tienying; the IJA 14th Mixed Brigade of the IJA 8th Division captured the Lengkou pass on March 4th; while the Kawahara detachment captured Chengde near the border with Hubei. General Nishi then assembld his main force at Lingyuan as the 14th Mixed Brigade withdrew to Chapeng. On March 4th, Muto issued Order 480, directing the troops "to make preparations for operations in North China, firmly seizing the major passes along the Great Wall, mopping up resistance by remnant troops and bandits, and restoring peace and order in Jehol province." One unit of the IJA 8th Division was given the task of seizing the Gubeikou Pass and advanced to such on the 7th. Within the vicinity of Changshanyu, around 40 kilometers southwest of Chengde, they encountered 5000 advancing Chinese forces. Here one of the first of many fierce battles along the Great Wall came to be. Until roughly March 20th, the Kwantung Army was met with fierce counterattacks, coming from the main gateways of the Great Wall. Initially the fighting went tremendously wall for the Japanese, yet by March 10th, the 14th Mixed Brigade had taken Tungqiaku, Tiehmenkuan and Xifengkou. Two days later the IJA 8th Division began an assault upon Gubeikou. Nishi then sent the Hayakawa Brigade to seize Lowenyukou. Then on the 10th, after receiving reports the main passes were secured, General Muto took his HQ from Jinzhu to Changchun, believing everything was already won and done. However he would be very wrong, they had misjudged the Chinese strength.  On the 13th, Muti and Nishi received a report, that on the night of the 10th, the 14th Mixed Brigade at Xifengkou had come under heavy attack by a Chinese force led by General Song Qeyuang. Reinforcements were rapidly sent over, but they were unable to relieve the trapped brigade. On the 14th, Muto ordered Genera Sakamoto to lead the Mukai unit from the 6th Brigade to help out. With this the Chinese forces were driven off and then the Japanese began assaults upon Lengkou, Lowenyukou and Quehlingkou. On the 16th, the IJA 8th Division took Quehling, but the next day received a vicious counterattack by the NRA 116th Division. At Lowenyukou the Hayakawa Brigade was counterattacked by Song Cheyuan. The Hayakawa Brigade was still able to secure on portion of the Great Wall, it was constantly under attack and unable to progress further.  On the 22nd, Nishi was forced to order his Brigade to pull back to Chengde. Over at Lengkou, the Mukai unit managed to capture the town as the 14th Mixed Brigade at Xifengkou was attacked by the NRA 139th Division. Unable to repel the counterattacks, Nishi ordered his forces back 13 kilometers on the 24th. The battles at Quehlingkou and Lowenyukou were very intense. On March 18th, Muto realized the casualties were severe and taking the gateways was not showing progress. He therefore decided to divert the 6th Divisions attention to Lengkou in a flanking maneuver aimed at severing the Chinese supply lines to the gateways and as a result this would extend operations south of the Great Wall into the region east of the Luan River. Thus there we have it, they were going past the Great Wall against Emperor Hirohito's orders.  Operation Nekka, similar to Operation Jinzhou was deemed essential to establish and protect Manchukuo. However while the battles along the Great Wall were deemed necessary to create the borders for Manchukuo, their extension past that boundary literally brought them into the heart of North China. Unlike in Manchuria, the Chinese forces in North China held excellent morale, they were very willing to fight. On top of that, they had better logistics and were fighting on top of the Great Wall, which offered significant advantages. Thus from a tactical standpoint, the Japanese had to seize the gateways and flush out the Chinese from the areas. The Chinese remained defiant. Atop the walls the Chinese defenders would shout at the Japanese waving anti-Manchukuo and anti-Japanese flags.  Outside the ongoing battle, Chiang Kai-Shek had his own, perhaps in his mind, more important battle, the one with the communists. The encirclement campaigns had all gone to shit thus far. Added to this was the invasion of Manchuria and Shanghai. As Chiang Kai-Shek would later put it "tantamount to subjecting the Government to a pincer attack both from within and without." Basically Chiang Kai-Shek could choose to focus on the Japanese or communists. He figured going into a full war against Japan would be the end of himself and his government. Thus he worked to reach an agreement with the Japanese in May of 1932 which had ended the Shanghai incident. After doing so he released a slogan "first internal pacification, then resist external aggression". Upon doing so he unleashed his full attention upon the communists. As we have seen, Chiang Kai-Sheks last encirclement campaign proved successful. But as he was in the middle of it, Operation Nekka was unleashed. It looked extremely bad for Chiang Kai-Shek, for the KMT and for China in general. On March 20th, as a gesture to indicate to the masses Chiang Kai-Shek was doing his job, he dispatched 5 divisions, roughly 50,000 men from the Central Army north. Chiang Kai-Shek personally traveled north from Hankou to Beiping, but no further than that. Back on the 10th he had received the resignation of Zhang Xueliang, who had publicly been calling for a massive war against Japan so that Manchuria could be recovered. Chiang Kai-Shek had to replace him with General He Yingqin.  Another major development at this time, was our old and dear friend who never causes any trouble, Wang Jingwei returned from I believe his 20th time in exile. He came to resume his post as president of the Executive Yuan. Yet again Wang Jingwei was trying to reconcile with Chiang Kai-Shek. In reality and as many of you might guess, the only reason Chiang Kai-Shek never had this guy shot was because Wang Jingei had the firm backing of the left, thus in order to really grab the majority of the political class he had to play nice with him. For Wang Jingwei's part, much like starscream in transformers, yes I am using this as an analogy, hes just trying to overthrow megatron every chance he gets, but always fails like a dumb idiot. There was also the dichotomy between the two men. Wang Jingwei was seen as a civilian leader while Chiang Kai-Shek was seen as a military leader. So together they seemed like a perfect team, despite the fact they loathed each other. So Wang Jingwei became the civil administrator while Chiang Kai-Shek focused on the military. In regards to Japan, Wang Jingwei was following a conciliatory policy of "resistance on the one hand and negotiation on the other,” based on Chiang Kai-Sheks slogan "first internal pacification, then resist external aggression."  Following a fight with Zhang Xueliang in August of 1932 over the issue of defending Manchuria against the Kwantung Army, Wang Jingwei had resigned, trying to strongarm Chiang Kai-Shek to get rid of the young marshal. Thus like what had happened countless times before, Wang Jingwei said he was out on sick leave, and departed for Europe for supposed treatment. When he returned 6 months later, Operation Nekka had begun, although the Japanese troops had not yet then reached the Great Wall. Wang Jingwei immediately became acting foreign minister in place of Lu Wenkuan, a supporter of Zhang Xueliang, who was notably anti-japanese. Wang Jingwei kicked Lu Wenkuan over to Xinjiang to deal with some conflicts breaking out there, fun times for him as we know.  Meanwhile He Yingqin had been placed as the head of the Peiping branch military council, entrusted with control over all military matters in North China. He Yingqin went to work reorganizing the forces in north china in mid March, forming them into an effective battle order to face the Japanese. By bringing together the local, very disorganized forces into a unified command, He Yingqin hoped they would be capable alone to block the Japanese advance, leaving the central army out of the conflict. This was because Chiang Kai-Shek did not want to risk losing his central army, considered the most elite one in all of china. But Chiang Kai-Shek did come around to the idea of at least testing some units against the Kwantung forces. Above all Chiang Kai-Shek wanted to have his cake and eat it to. He wanted he population of China to think he was actively resisting, while in reality he was biding time. Central army units deployed around Gubeikou, the main gateway leading to the Peiping-Tientsin region. When the Kwantung army leaders were planning operation Nekka, they had believed it would not be necessary to go beyond the Great Wall, but once the fighting around the walls and gateways kicked off, they knew immediately they could not hope to take the wall areas without getting behind the enemy. Particularly they needed to get past the area east of the Luan River. Some 20 Chinese divisions had assembled in the Peiping-Tientsin region and were tossing endless counter attacks along the line of the Great Wall. In the Lengkou region a force of 7000 Central Chinese Army units had penetrated deep into Rehe and smashed the Mukai detachment of the IJA 8th Division. These counterattacks reaffirmed the Kwantung Army leadership it was necessary to go beyond the Great Wall. It should also be noted the Kwantung Army's operations in North China were not just military. The Japanese were plagued with logistical problems. There was a shortage of troops because they had driven into Rehe with only 20,000 men. Even the most determined Kwantung general did not believe their military prowess could overcome the plains of Hubei packed with an immeasurable amount of Chinese troops. Therefore they had to augment this military operation with political schemes aimed at the regional warlords. During the pacification of Manchuria, the tactic of bribing local elites had worked wonders and there was zero reason to believe it would not work in North China. All of this was done without any supervision from Tokyo HQ. On February 13th of 1933, Itagaki Seishiro, at the time chief of the Mukden Special Service Agency, was transferred to the General Staff without any official announcement of this promotion. He took a post in Tientsin, specifically to begin political maneuvers in eastern Hubei. This saw the birth of the Tientsin Special Service Agency. Initially this agency was attempting to lure all the competing warlords in North China, such as, Duan Qirui, Wu Peifu, Sun Chuanfang, but then began targeting Zhang Qingyao. Zhang Qingyao had once been the protege of Duan Qirui, acting as the civil and military governor of Henan province. He had fought against Zhang Zuolin in 1925 whereupon his allegiance had shifted over to Wu Peifu. During the second phase of the Northern Expedition, Zhang Qingyao had fought again against Zhang Zuolin, then controlling the National Pacification Army. When the Northern expedition was over, he joined Yan Xishans forces in Shanxi. Thus one could easily see he was not a man of many principals, nor any specific loyalties. The Tientsin Special Service Agency first proposed to reach out to Zhang Qingyao in the hopes he could organize a coup d'etat against Chiang Kai-Shek. It was further hoped he could get Song Queyuan, Zhang Zuoxiang, Fang Chenwu, Xu Yusan, Zhang Tingshu, Sun Tienying and Feng Zhanhai to join in. If they managed this, North China would fall in a single stroke. It was hoped this would be achieved as they were taking the Great Wall and were enroute towards Peiping. However on May 7th, Zhang Qingyao was assassinated, completely ruining the plan. I would like to take this time to remind you all that this podcast is only made possible through the efforts of Kings and Generals over at Youtube. Please go subscribe to Kings and Generals over at Youtube and to continue helping us produce this content please check out www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals. If you are still hungry after that, give my personal channel a look over at The Pacific War Channel at Youtube, it would mean a lot to me. Operation Nekka had been unleashed with a large bang. 20,000 Japanese troops stormed Rehe province under strict orders not to go past the Great Wall of China. So they immediately began planning how to go past the Great Wall of China. Yet what they did not expect was the determination of the Chinese defenders, who were not going to allow them an easy time.

It is natural—perhaps inevitable—that questions arise when a monarch cancels public engagements, as His Majesty did last Friday in Birmingham. Yet those close to the situation insist this is not a sign of deterioration, but rather a moment of necessary pause. Aides say the treatment is “moving in a positive direction” and stress that the King remains deeply engaged in his duties. Unlock an ad-free podcast experience with Caloroga Shark Media! Get all our shows on any player you love, hassle free! For Apple users, hit the banner on your Apple podcasts app which seays UNINTERRUPTED LISTENING. For Spotify or other players, visit caloroga.com/plus. No plug-ins needed!  You also get 20+ other shows on the network ad-free!    Subscribe to Deep Crown's free newsletter at https://deepcrown.substack.com

The award-winning Compliance into the Weeds is the only weekly podcast that takes a deep dive into a compliance-related topic, literally going into the weeds to explore a subject more fully. Are you looking for some hard-hitting insights on compliance? Look no further than Compliance into the Weeds! In this episode, Tom Fox and Matt Kelly are joined by Mary Inman, a founding partner at Whistleblower Partners. Matt, Tom, and Mary reflect on the global response to anti-corruption measures following an executive order issued by former President Trump. The conversation highlights webinars conducted in early 2025 that addressed concerns over who would enforce anti-corruption laws worldwide if the United States stepped back. The sentiment among countries like Brazil, Hong Kong, Singapore, England, and France was clear; they were ready to take on the mantle themselves. Mary reports on her conversations with the SFO in London about instituting a whistleblower program and similar initiatives in the United Kingdom at His Majesty's Revenue and Customs and the Financial Conduct Authority. Key highlights: Global Anti-Corruption Sentiment Post-Trump's Executive Order Encouraging International Enforcement Evidence of Global Enforcement Actions Whistleblower Incentives in the UK Global Leadership in Anti-Corruption Resources: Mary Inman on LinkedIn Whistleblower Partners Matt in Radical Compliance  Tom Instagram Facebook YouTube Twitter LinkedIn Compliance into the Weeds was recently honored as one of the Top 25 Regulatory Compliance Podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Actor Ben Mingay is playing The Pirate King inThe Pirates Of Penzance, which stars at His Majesty's Theatre this Friday. He spoke to Clairsy & Lisa about the show and how he actually got into show biz on a dare from his mates plus he also reveals that he's been a stunt driver and a firebreather! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Clairsy & Lisa spoke to comedian Jeremy Piven as he gets ready to hit Australia in a stand Up show at The Astor in August, the guys talked about his show and of course his role as Ari Gold on Entourage. Hayden Young from the Dockers joined Clairsy & Lisa as the team gets ready for Derby 60 on Sunday at Optus Stadium, he told them how his injury is healing and whether or not we’ll see Nate Fyfe on the ground this weekend. Author James Patterson called Clairsy & Lisa, he has released a few books already this year with a few more still to come. He told the guys about how some of his books have been turned into movies and TV shows. Clairsy & Lis opened the phones and text line to ask you What TV show wouldn’t get made now because it would offend too many people. The Pirates of Penzance is starting at His Majesty’s on Friday and the man who plays the Pirate King, Ben Mingay called CLairsy & Lisa to talk about the show and his ability to eat fire. In The Shaw Report, Miley Cyrus loses a lawsuit plus the TV show of the moment, Netflix’s Adolescence has achieved a first in the UK TV ratings.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Last week, His Majesty the King released his own playlist, revealing his favourite music choices.So, we decided to do the same, with the help of the Newscast family. Enjoy!Newscast is available everyday on BBC Sounds.

Time travel? Check. A teeny, tiny, Corlath moment of romance? Check. More dragon books? Check. We're closing out Dragonflight this week, but come back next Monday for our first epic series of the season: The Cruel Prince by Holly Black.https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61975.Dragonflight?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=1dVggNUtlb&rank=1patreon.com/notanotherheroine ---------Other books mentioned this episode:The Mistborn Saga by Brandon Sandersonhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/68428.Mistborn?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=xVi3lmZiGd&rank=1Song in the Silence by Elizabeth Kernerhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1022209.Song_in_the_Silence?ref=nav_sb_ss_1_19Dealing with Dragons by Patricia C. Wredehttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/150739.Dealing_with_Dragons?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=hn5OINtlqe&rank=1The Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarroshttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61431922-fourth-wing?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=X8dpktjyMK&rank=1Wyvern by Grace Dravenhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31560086-wyvern?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=PoorCyP5ki&rank=1The Temeraire Series by Naomi Novikhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28876.His_Majesty_s_Dragon?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=1LT7PxRDAx&rank=6Nerilka's Story by Anne McCaffrey https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61974.Nerilka_s_Story?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=mySSoIixvJ&rank=1

Scripture Reading: Acts 25:1–26:11 25 Now three days after Festus arrived in the province, he went up to Jerusalem from Caesarea. 2 So the chief priests and the most prominent men of the Jews brought formal charges against Paul to him. 3 Requesting him to do them a favor against Paul, they urged Festus to summon him to Jerusalem, planning an ambush to kill him along the way. 4 Then Festus replied that Paul was being kept at Caesarea, and he himself intended to go there shortly. 5 “So,” he said, “let your leaders go down there with me, and if this man has done anything wrong, they may bring charges against him.” 6 After Festus had stayed not more than eight or ten days among them, he went down to Caesarea, and the next day he sat on the judgment seat and ordered Paul to be brought. 7 When he arrived, the Jews who had come down from Jerusalem stood around him, bringing many serious charges that they were not able to prove. 8 Paul said in his defense, “I have committed no offense against the Jewish law or against the temple or against Caesar.” 9 But Festus, wanting to do the Jews a favor, asked Paul, “Are you willing to go up to Jerusalem and be tried before me there on these charges?” 10 Paul replied, “I am standing before Caesar's judgment seat, where I should be tried. I have done nothing wrong to the Jews, as you also know very well. 11 If then I am in the wrong and have done anything that deserves death, I am not trying to escape dying, but if not one of their charges against me is true, no one can hand me over to them. I appeal to Caesar!” 12 Then, after conferring with his council, Festus replied, “You have appealed to Caesar; to Caesar you will go!” 13 After several days had passed, King Agrippa and Bernice arrived at Caesarea to pay their respects to Festus. 14 While they were staying there many days, Festus explained Paul's case to the king to get his opinion, saying, “There is a man left here as a prisoner by Felix. 15 When I was in Jerusalem, the chief priests and the elders of the Jews informed me about him, asking for a sentence of condemnation against him. 16 I answered them that it was not the custom of the Romans to hand over anyone before the accused had met his accusers face-to-face and had been given an opportunity to make a defense against the accusation. 17 So after they came back here with me, I did not postpone the case, but the next day I sat on the judgment seat and ordered the man to be brought. 18 When his accusers stood up, they did not charge him with any of the evil deeds I had suspected. 19 Rather they had several points of disagreement with him about their own religion and about a man named Jesus who was dead, whom Paul claimed to be alive. 20 Because I was at a loss how I could investigate these matters, I asked if he were willing to go to Jerusalem and be tried there on these charges. 21 But when Paul appealed to be kept in custody for the decision of his Majesty the Emperor, I ordered him to be kept under guard until I could send him to Caesar.” 22 Agrippa said to Festus, “I would also like to hear the man myself.” “Tomorrow,” he replied, “you will hear him.” 23 So the next day Agrippa and Bernice came with great pomp and entered the audience hall, along with the senior military officers and the prominent men of the city. When Festus gave the order, Paul was brought in. 24 Then Festus said, “King Agrippa, and all you who are present here with us, you see this man about whom the entire Jewish populace petitioned me both in Jerusalem and here, shouting loudly that he ought not to live any longer. 25 But I found that he had done nothing that deserved death, and when he appealed to His Majesty the Emperor, I decided to send him. 26 But I have nothing definite to write to my lord about him. Therefore I have brought him before you all, and especially before you, King Agrippa, so that after this preliminary hearing I may have something to write. 27 For it seems unreasonable to me to send a prisoner without clearly indicating the charges against him.” 26 So Agrippa said to Paul, “You have permission to speak for yourself.” Then Paul held out his hand and began his defense: 2 “Regarding all the things I have been accused of by the Jews, King Agrippa, I consider myself fortunate that I am about to make my defense before you today, 3 because you are especially familiar with all the customs and controversial issues of the Jews. Therefore I ask you to listen to me patiently. 4 Now all the Jews know the way I lived from my youth, spending my life from the beginning among my own people and in Jerusalem. 5 They know, because they have known me from time past, if they are willing to testify, that according to the strictest party of our religion, I lived as a Pharisee. 6 And now I stand here on trial because of my hope in the promise made by God to our ancestors, 7 a promise that our twelve tribes hope to attain as they earnestly serve God night and day. Concerning this hope the Jews are accusing me, Your Majesty! 8 Why do you people think it is unbelievable that God raises the dead? 9 Of course, I myself was convinced that it was necessary to do many things hostile to the name of Jesus the Nazarene. 10 And that is what I did in Jerusalem: Not only did I lock up many of the saints in prisons by the authority I received from the chief priests, but I also cast my vote against them when they were sentenced to death. 11 I punished them often in all the synagogues and tried to force them to blaspheme. Because I was so furiously enraged at them, I went to persecute them even in foreign cities.OutlineFestus Arrives in the ProvinceNew governor, new chances for better Roman-Jewish relationsNew governor, new chances to get prosecutionsA change of venueFestus Judges PaulPaul's case is prioritizedThe judge takes his seat and the prosecution makes its accusationsPaul defends himselfFestus offers a change of venuePaul appeals to CaesarRome: the supreme courtDoes Paul choose Rome and reject Israel?King Agrippa and Bernice Arrives at CaesareaHistorical question: what is Luke's source?Festus request of King Agrippa and BerniceKing Agrippa and BernicePomp and fanfarePaul's DefenseNot a trial—Paul is innocentThe climactic speech of Paul's apologetic ministryPaul argues for the gospel, not his innocencePaul's respectful and honest introductionPaul narrates his life to establish ethos—he has always been a law-abiding JewPaul is on trial because of his hope in the promise—the resurrection!Paul himself used to be a hater

Strap in, this is going to be quite a ride! 31 October 2023. “Amongst today's HR joys is the report from Emma that a departmental SpAd (Special Adviser) went to an orgy over the weekend and ended up taking a crap on another person's head. To make matters worse, in a separate incident a House employee went to a party dressed as Jimmy Savile and ended up having sex with a blow-up doll. Just another day at the office, I suppose.” Well, it's just another day at the office if you happen to be Chief Whip of His Majesty's government. Simon Hart was Member of Parliament for Camarthen West and … Continue reading →

Kenneth Tam (born 1984 in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador) is a Canadian science-fiction author. His best-known works include The Equations Novels, the Defense Command series, the His Majesty's New World series, and the recently-complete Champions series. He is the son of fellow Canadian author Jacqui Tam.Both Tam and host Matthew LeDrew are routinely called the "start of Newfoundland small press publishing" and "the faces of Newfoundland genre writing," respectively.On today's episode, both men sit down and remark on the start of Indie Publishing in Newfoundland.Pick up the first book in the Champions series using this link to help the channel: https://amzn.to/3T3igsuOriginally broadcast on March 03, 2025 on CHMR 93.5 FM in St. John's, and on other great stations across the country.  Check out As Loved Our Fathers, the latest book from Write Project host Matthew LeDrew: https://amzn.to/3HB7BABIt's a hunt for the Holy Grail taken on by an American Anthropologist and a Newfoundland History professor that unveils hidden secrets within Newfoundland history! Support the showProduced and recorded at CHMR 93.5 FM in St. John's, Newfoundland. Listen on CHMR online at http://www.chmr.ca/​This program is sponsored by:Engen Books: Checkout Engen titles at http://www.engenbooks.com/​Or sign up for their newsletters at: The Write Project signup for FREE book: http://eepurl.com/c8W9OTEngen Horror Society Signup for FREE book: http://eepurl.com/c8YemrFantasy Files signup for FREE book: http://eepurl.com/c8X4zLEngen's Science-Fiction Newsletter for FREE book: http://eepurl.com/ir5JmgThis recording copyright © 2024 Matthew LeDrew

A Scandalous Affair: A Daughter of Sherlock Holmes MysteryIn the latest Daughter of Sherlock Holmes novel, Joanna Holmes must confront a shocking case of blackmail that threatens the highest levels of His Majesty's government, as this USA Today bestselling mystery series continues.In the latest installment of this acclaimed series, Sherlock Holmes's daughter faces an elaborate mystery that threatens the second most powerful man in His Majesty's government. His position is such that he answers only to the king and the prime minister.During the height of the Great War, Joanna Holmes and the Watsons receive a late-night, clandestine visit from Sir William Radcliffe, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, who brings with him an agonizing tale of blackmail; a case so sensitive that it can only be spoken of in the confines of 221B Baker Street. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hello from the Classic Children's Story podcast. We bring you narrations of classic children's stories of all kinds to keep your young ones entertained, read by a professional voice actress. The themes range from animal stories to stories that teach, to classic favourites like Tom Thumb, Red Riding Hood and more. We've begun a new book – The Marvelous Land of Oz. This is L. Frank Baum's sequel to The Wonderful Wizard of OZ. Our 7th story/chapter is “His Majesty the Scarecrow”. You'll have to have a listen to find out what Jack Pumpkinhead has gotten up to this time!!   So, cuddle up to your little ones, settle in, have a listen and enjoy.Supporters of the podcast can get extra stories, available only to the Spreaker Supporters Club members. Our Supporters Club via Spreaker: spreaker.com/podcast/classic-children-s-story-podcast--4219679/support   EXCITING NEWS … we now have a website to accompany the podcast and our YouTube channel with read-aloud stories and more! You'll find it here: https://www.sleepstoriesandfairytales4kids.com Why not pop over and have a look around!    Visit us on Instagram at “sleepstories_fairytales_4kids”.Visit us on Bluesky at https://bsky.app/profile/sleepstories4kids.bsky.social  If you'd like to help support our work, & buy us a yummy coffee or a cuppa, please pop over to  ko-fi.com/sleepstoriesandfairytales4kids, we've got some thoughtful rewards for our supporters.   You'll also find a lot of cute things, videos and artwork. Visit us at,  ko-fi.com/sleepstoriesandfairytales4kids!   AND … If you'd like to watch some stories read by us on video, why not visit our YouTube Channel – “Sleep Stories and Classic Fairy Tales For Kids” - dedicated to making videos that entertain & empower kids with stories, affirmations, tapping (EFT) etc. And, you'll also find stories, riddle quizzes, elearning videos, songs and more. They're all lovingly and enthusiastically read on-camera for kids – https://www.youtube.com/@SleepStoriesandFairyTales4U    

King Charles will lead the nation in commemorating the 80th anniversary of VE Day, presiding over a series of events to honour the sacrifices of the wartime generation. Accompanied by senior members of the Royal Family, His Majesty will attend a special Service of Thanksgiving at Westminster Abbey, where veterans, their families, and dignitaries—including the Prime Minister—will gather in tribute to those who fought and fell in the Second World War.And yeah we're gonna talk about Meghan.Unlock an ad-free podcast experience with Caloroga Shark Media! Get all our shows on any player you love, hassle free! For Apple users, hit the banner on your Apple podcasts app which seays UNINTERRUPTED LISTENING. For Spotify or other players, visit caloroga.com/plus. No plug-ins needed!  You also get 20+ other shows on the network ad-free!    Subscribe to Deep Crown's free newsletter at https://deepcrown.substack.com

Trump isn't even hiding it anymore. He is the self-proclaimed King of the United States and anyone who questions him will be banished to Gitmo. His Majesty and court jester Musk continue the flood of executive orders, most of them blatantly or borderline unconstitutional. We do a deep dive into the invasion of U.S. government computer systems by agents of America's first convicted criminal President with MSU political scientist Matt Grossman. In Michigan, Attorney General Nessel has joined with her 21 fellow Democratic attorneys general on the frontlines of the resistance. We will be getting a new Chief Justice as Elizabeth Clement announces she's stepping down effective in 5 weeks.  Michigan's minimum wage has gone from $10.56 per hour to $12.48 effective on Friday, February 21 — and will grow in steps to $15 per hour in two years. This comes as, at recording time, the debate continues over the tipped minimum wage and paid medical leave. Whatever the outcome, plan on a lot of lawsuits. This weekend both major parties meet in Detroit to select new chairpersons. Democrats will have a fairly peaceful Transfer of Power from Lavora Barnes to Curtis Hertel Jr.; Republicans could have a mini-January 6th, minus the vicious assaults on police and, hopefully, minus pooping on Nancy Pelosi's desk. We have a return visit this week from Michigan State University political science professor Matt Grossman. Among his many efforts he's been tracking the lawlessness of the Musk-Trump administration's assault on the federal government, especially the invasion of Big Balls and the rest of Musk's teenage Ninja Hackers who have infiltrated most of the federal government's computer systems. Matt is Director of the Institute for Public Policy and Social Research at MSU He is the author of numerous books on our political world. His latest: “Polarized by Degrees“. He has also published op-eds in The New York Times and The Washington Post. =========================== This episode is sponsored in part by EPIC ▪ MRA, a full service survey research firm with expertise in • Public Opinion Surveys • Market Research Studies • Live Telephone Surveys • On-Line and Automated Surveys • Focus Group Research • Bond Proposals - Millage Campaigns • Political Campaigns & Consulting • Ballot Proposals - Issue Advocacy Research • Community - Media Relations • Issue - Image Management • Database Development & List Management Clayton "Clay" Jones - Claytoonz.com

Jenna elevates the ceremonies by supporting the men in need.A Series in 17 parts, By Blacksheep. Listen to the Podcast at Steamy Stories. A Royal carry-on at the Cathedral.The King's coronation was only a few weeks away. Lots of different events were planned, and the church of St. Michael's was no exception.At St. Michael's vicarage, Reverend Morris was preparing to attend a very important concert at Liverpool cathedral, which was going to be filmed by the team from the popular religious TV programmer, Songs of Praise.Reverend Morris sniggered as he read an online newspaper headline."17th century diary reveals local vicar had an 11 inch penis.""I bet he was popular!" He said to his wife.Jenna laughed. "11 inches? Wow, that is impressive. Of course, it's not the size, it's what you do with it that counts.""Oh yes. I agree completely!" He put down his phone. "Right that's enough of that. We must get ready to leave. Gosh, I'm really looking forward to this concert! It's a real honor for us to have been invited to attend. His Majesty has been visiting several cathedrals this week."I'm excited too. Will we actually get a chance to speak to the King?""Perhaps, Jen. Not sure if he'll come round and speak to all of us, maybe a lucky few on the front row, eh?""Oh good. Must say, I'm relieved that pregnancy scare turned out to be a false alarm, Simon. I'd just got struck down with a stomach bug. I mean, I want to be a mum one day, but not yet. I'm not ready for such a big responsibility just yet, bringing a new life into the world.""You're only twenty-one, Jen. You've got plenty of time. Enjoy the best years of your life! And I just know you'll be a wonderful mum one day. I want us to enjoy our child when the time comes. You're so good with Christopher when he stays over."She nodded and thought to herself. After all, I feel I still have a lot of God's work to do, helping the men of the church.She wasn't the only one who was relieved. Gordon the organist was overjoyed too. Though after a private meeting with the vicar's wife in church last week, he confessed that he would've "pulled out all the stops" to support her, if it turned out he was the father. Thankfully, the status quo had been restored, and much to his delight, he and Jenna had resumed their weekly "organ practice" on Thursday nights.Gordon had been tempted to confess a whole load of other things to her, but had held back, when he got the impression she'd already figured out the strength of his feelings, and that put his mind at ease.Edward Hardwick was nervous. He was standing in for the regular organist at Liverpool, who'd been struck down with a bad case of flu. Edward knew he had big shoes to fill, as the man he was standing in for was a highly respected musician, with countless accolades and credits to his name."It wouldn't be so bad if it was just a regular Sunday service, but why did it have to be a concert where the King will be in attendance? All eyes will be on me. Songs of Praise will be filming. I'm not sure I can cope with this,”Edward was a brilliant young organist, but was prone to periods of self-doubt and nervousness. At twenty-eight, he was still a bit of a greenhorn, compared to the other organists he'd encountered, and had only just landed his first full-time organist job. The small parish church outside Liverpool where he was now the official organist, was a world away from this massive cathedral.Edward was sure a more experienced organist and choirmaster could've been found to perform here, but the clergy seemed convinced that he was ideal to take on the job. He took comfort from that. He must be doing something good if they'd put this much faith in him. And playing at the cathedral for a coronation concert would look very good on his resume.Later,"What a beautiful building this is, Jenna marveled as she and Reverend Morris took their seats in the cathedral ready for the concert. Jenna wore a black skirt suit with a white cotton blouse. Simon was in clerical black, wearing a blazer for travel to Liverpool."I've been to Liverpool loads of times but never visited the cathedral. I wonder if Father Aiden has been here? He used to be based at Liverpool before he came to our town.""Yes I think he's attended a few services here. That reminds me, I must email him sometime and see how he's getting on at the Living Earth Free Church. Last I heard, he'd got engaged to Róisín.""Ah, I'm really chuffed for him," Jenna replied with a smile, remembering her first encounter with the once-miserable priest at the vicarage social last year. She read through the order of service booklet. It was adorned with little golden crowns. The usual collection of familiar patriotic music, Handel's Messiah, Jerusalem, Rule Britannia, Crown Imperial and of course, the National Anthem.On the first page was some information about the cathedral organ."Liverpool Cathedral boasts the largest pipe organ in the UK, an instrument of tremendous power and majesty, but also of serenity and calm. Its sole purpose is to aid worship by creating a reverent atmosphere.""Gordon would be over the moon if he could get his fingers on this impressive instrument! Listen to this, Simon. An 'Anniversary' recital is given by the Cathedral Organist each year on the nearest Saturday to 18th, in commemoration of its dedication.The organ is situated in two chambers on opposite sides of the Choir. It currently comprises 10,268 pipes and 200 stops contained in nine divisions. There are two five-manual consoles; the original one up in a dedicated gallery under the North Choir case and a mobile recital console at floor level. The 'Trompette Militaire' and the 'Tuba Magna' stops are the loudest voices on the organ.""Makes the organ in our church look like a penny whistle by comparison," the vicar replied. "I think even Gordon would be a bit overwhelmed if he had to play this whopper.""He could play it with ease," she replied. "Gordon's the best organist in the world."The hall was filling up and the warm humid spring day made the cathedral quite warm. Jenna removed her blazer and laid it over the back of the pew.Jenna leaned her head on Simon's shoulder & closed her eyes. Soon she thought back to last night. Organ practice with Gordon had been wild, and those two old tin pipes he'd given her during Lent had been put to good use again."Lie back on the stool for me," Gordon whispered. Slowly, he traced the cold organ pipe down her naked body, before pausing and using the tip of it to tease her erect nipples. She giggled."So cold!""Delightfully tuned," he grunted. He moved a finger down and began teasing her clit. Then he pressed a key on one of the manuals."Can you sing that note for me?""Lah.""Excellent! How about these notes?" He played a few chords whilst fingering her."Ahh, doe, ray, me; oh my God,”Jenna breathed harder and faster until she shuddered and cried out in ecstasy, and writhed beneath him. The orgasm rocked through her body like a tidal wave; it was indescribable."Always so perfectly in key, Jenna. Very good, very, ah." Jenna's bare foot started rubbing his groin, and he struggled to remain composed."Open your organ loft, Gordon. I need to perform an inspection."As usual, he immediately succumbed to her charms. "At once," he smiled, unzipping his trousers and freeing his member from his underpants. "I am sure everything is in fine working order, but I might need a little bit of a re-tune.""I can help you there," Jenna said, reaching in she gave a quick kiss to the tip of his fat cock, and began to suck the length, then taking it deeper.Gordon cried out in delight, and dropped the organ pipe. It clattered onto the church's stone floor."Oh, so good," Gordon sighed. His words spurred her on, so she varied her technique, flicking her tongue down his shaft's sensitive underside, then up. She extended her tongue and licked the head of his cock like a lollipop."Umm, is my sexy organ daddy ready to give me some of his delicious cum?""Ahh, he's got plenty for his Jen, oh God here it comes!"Jenna jerked off the organist until he exploded all over her face. She opened her mouth as a huge, pearly wad of his issue landed on the bridge of her nose. A second spurt hit its target, and she quickly swallowed every drop."Jenna! Have you nodded off? King Charles has arrived!" Reverend Morris whispered, nudging his wife."Umm, oh no, sorry I was just thinking, oh yes, there he is!"Everyone stood up, as the soon-to-be crowned monarch took his seat and was welcomed by the Bishop of Liverpool. Thus began the usual formal introductions and as everyone sat down, the sound of the mighty organ radiated through the cathedral."Our concert begins with a rendition of that wonderful rousing piece by Handel, his Messiah, which was composed in 1741. It was first performed in Dublin on the 13th of April, in 1742 and received its London premiere nearly a year later. After an initially modest public reception, the oratorio gained in popularity, eventually becoming one of the best-known and most frequently performed choral works in Western music.""I love the Messiah," Reverend Morris whispered. "Remember when it was played at our wedding?""Sure do." Jenna's eyes gleamed.The music began, but after a few moments, it was obvious that the organist at the console wasn't quite up to playing the mighty beast that this great pipe organ was..Reverend Morris cringed as a few wrong notes were played. "Hmm, I don't think this chap has practiced this enough. Either that or he's drunk.""Well the bishop did say that he's not the regular organist. I think he's nervous. Poor guy. I'd be nervous if I had to play in front of the King, and I was being filmed for a TV programmer!""Oh dear," Reverend Morris said, as the unfortunate rendition continued. "This is sounding more like Handel's Messed-Up Messiah."King Charles appeared to be really enjoying the music. "Oh I say. Reminds one of Les Dawson," he whispered to Camilla. "Splendid entertainer, he was. Dearest Mummy used to love it when he appeared at the Royal Variety Performance in the Eighties. It takes one a great deal of skill to play wrong notes like that!"Camilla simply nodded, but she wasn't fooled. This wasn't meant to be a Les Dawson tribute, but it was certainly interesting."Did I ever mention that I often play organ music to my plants?" the King continued.More error-filled hymns and pieces followed, until the first half of the concert came to an end, and the interval was welcomed by just about everyone, but mostly by the organist."Fuck, I screwed everything up," Edward groaned, shuffling off, his face burning with shame.Some of the overflow crowd lined the hallway, off the sanctuary. Edward faced the gauntlet of critics as he passed through. "Hey mate, is this some kind of joke?" A man shouted. "Have you even taken an organ lesson? Because that was bloody awful!""My three-year old could play better than that!" A woman added."My Labrador could play better than that!""Shame on you! You must be a republican. Playing like that in front of His Majesty!""Look I'm sorry, I'm really sorry!" Edward mumbled, rushing away from the crowded hallway. He had to hide somewhere and try and compose himself, or he'd never get through the second half of the concert.Meanwhile, Jenna had been navigating her way back from the toilets, which was proving to be a bit of a nightmare, due to the crowds and the security measures in place due to the monarch's visit."I definitely shouldn't be down here," she said, hurrying down a small corridor. "Uh-oh, this is the vestry. How did I end up here? I've got to get back to my seat!"Hurrying through a curtained area, she walked right into a man clad in red cassock and white surplice, whom she assumed was a vicar."Oh, so sorry; Reverend!" She mumbled."No I'm sorry, I wasn't looking where I was going," the man replied. "Um, I'm not a vicar. I'm Edward, the organist.""Oh right," Jenna said. "Well nice to meet you. Um, I think I'm lost. Please could you,” She looked at him and noticed his eyes were red from crying. "Hey; are you okay?""I'm fine," Edward sniffed. "Uh, yes, just through there and turn right. Keep right, because the left side is out of bounds because the King's sat over there.""You've been crying," Jenna said.‘What a cute guy!'She thought to herself. He looks just like Robert Pattinson. Though she preferred older men, she figured this younger chap was in need of some comfort and a confidence boost. And she never could resist a man wearing church vestments."I've messed up," Edward sighed. "Surely you heard how bad I played during the first half.""I don't blame you," Jenna replied. "I would've been wetting myself if I'd been asked to play in front of the King. I think you did great."My God, this guy is an adorable cinnamon roll!"Oh thanks. I was still shit though. Um, are you an organist?""Not officially. I'm a pianist and I work at my church's Sunday school. The organist at my church who I like, er, who I'm friends with, he has been giving me lessons. It's taken a while, but I can just about stand in for him and do the morning Eucharist. But I still play the odd wrong note or pull out the wrong stops. It's such a complicated instrument! So don't feel bad."Edward relaxed. "I wish all the members of the public were as understanding as you are. I'll probably get a grilling off the Bishop later, as well.""Ignore the haters. And the Bishop is a man of God, so he should be merciful.""Heh, maybe. What's your name?""Jenna. Pleased to meet you Edward! I expect you've heard this before, but you look a bit like Robert Pattinson.""Yeah. I have. Cedric Diggory playing the organ. You'd think he'd use magic so he could play perfectly and without feeling nervous!""Can't use magic in the Muggle world!" Jenna smiled."Heh, are you a Potter fan?""Nah, never really got into it. But I have seen some of the movies.""Same here.""Are you still feeling nervous?""Terrified. I have to play the national anthem at the end of the second half. If I play a wrong note during that, well I'm dreading it.""I'll stop you from feeling nervous," Jenna winked."Oh, how do you plan to do that? Do you have some booze?" He jumped as he realized her arms had slipped round him."No. I'll give you something better than booze." She nibbled at the outside corners of his mouth, teasing him to open for her."Open for me," she whispered, as she continued to place soft kisses.Edward, who was too shocked to process what was happening, only registered the pretty redhead's body pressing him against the wall. Unable to move, he simply stood in her embrace, neither accepting nor returning her kisses.He suddenly blushed even more at the sudden realization that he was becoming erect. This is insane, he thought to himself. The second half is about to start and I'm,"You're really sexy," Jenna murmured, sending shivers down his spine. Edward was powerless to resist her. "Do you feel me?" She asked in a husky whisper, pressing herself against him, "Do you feel how much I want you?" His shyness was an incredible turn-on, and making her terribly horny. She could feel herself getting wetter by the second.Edward looked into her lovely eyes and bent down to kiss her.At their sweet contact, Jenna heard Edward sigh contentedly. He reached down and grasped her arse. Suddenly, she felt his tongue enter her mouth, and his erection pressing against her."What would you like, Edward?""Confidence," he mumbled back.Jenna pushed him into a small cloakroom. "To give an organist confidence, I need to inspect his organ pipe," she purred, swiftly reaching under his surplice and fumbling with the buttons on his cassock. "All these buttons, but no worries, I'll find a way in, ah, there we go!" She unzipped his trousers and reached inside.Edward gasped as her warm hand grabbed his cock. It stiffened further in her grasp."Oh, what a big pipe you have. It seems like a fine one to play a tune on!" Jenna grinned. These corny organ puns worked so well on Gordon, and it seemed that they worked on Edward too. All male organists liked it if they were complimented on the size of their instrument, surely?Edward couldn't believe this was happening. The concert was set to resume in ten minutes but here he was, he just closed his eyes as Jenna worked her magic.Another delicious-looking cock. Edward was her third organist, after Gordon and Raymond Wilson from Oakwood Road Methodist church. Third time lucky!Jenna knelt in front him and kissed the top of his enlarged cock. Then she gently kissed all around its head. With long, gentle strokes she licked up and down the length of the shaft as Edward began to moan with pleasure. She took his balls in one hand and began to massage them. His moans increased.Reverend Morris checked his watch, wondering where Jenna had got to. The second half was about to begin."Did she get lost on her way to the Ladies?" He wondered. Most of the guests had returned to their seats and the Bishop was approaching the podium."Come on Jen, hurry up, or you'll miss the start. What on earth is she doing?"Edward immediately entered her and drew a strangled gasp as he plunged his rigid cock to the hilt. He pulled his hips back so that his cock withdrew partially from her sweet grip. He pushed forward again and buried himself back inside her. He'd been single for a while, and it showed. Jenna moaned at the sensation of this eager young organist thrusting in her. She reached her peak only a few seconds before he spurted his cum deep within her, and when they finally parted, Edward felt like he could conquer the world. Never before had he experienced sex as good as this.Jenna gave him a kiss and zipped up his trousers. "I think it's time I returned to my seat.""Uh, can I get your email or something? I'm on Twitter, but I don't tweet much. Are you on there? Hey, I'm the organist at St Paul's church in Crosby. It has a website. My contact details are on there. What happens now?"She winked at him and gave him a final kiss. "Now, you go and play the organ like a pro. For King and Country.""Oh. Right. Yes. I will!"Jenna hurried down the corridor, a big smile on her face. The archway to the main hall was blocked by a man in a suit standing in the middle."Excuse me," she muttered, tapping his arm, without realizing who he was."Ah, hello there!" King Charles smiled.Jenna froze."You must be one of the cathedral's hard-working staff?" He said."Er, I, Your Majesty." Jenna gave an awkward curtsey. Damn, how embarrassing!"It seems we had a disturbance during the interval. Some fellows from Extinction Rebellion burst in and tried to glue themselves to the pulpit. Did you see it?""Er, er, no I didn't. I was back there." Jenna was desperate to get away, but the King was in a talkative mood and took hold of her hand."All quite amusing! What's your name, dear?""Jen, Jenna."He gestured to a photographer. "See here, this young lady, one of many who is a credit to the cathedral. This is Jenna, yes, yes. Are you getting this? Nice smiles now!"Hope I haven't got cum on the front of my dress, Jenna thought, as the camera clicked away.King Charles finally released Jenna's hand. "Splendid to meet you! Plant some trees!""Thank you. Will do." When he eventually turned and walked to some other people, she was able to hurry down the side aisle and back to her seat."Oh Jen!" Reverend Morris gasped, as his wife hurried beside him. "I saw everything! You got to shake the King's hand! Oh you lucky thing! I'm so pleased for you!""I, I got a bit lost coming back from the toilets and I,” Jenna stammered, still in shock."Thank God you did! If you hadn't exited from that particular area, the King wouldn't have seen you!""I was so nervous. I bet I looked a right muppet. And there was a photographer there!""Not just a photographer. The cameraman from Songs of Praise filmed you too!""Oh no!""Relax, you looked great as always. You're a bit sweaty though. Must be the nerves. It's not like you to be nervous though! You missed all the chaos when the eco-nutters gate-crashed the place."The Bishop appeared. "Ladies, gentlemen, and non-binary persons, we apologies for the earlier disruption, but normal service has been resumed. Now we begin the second half of our concert. May I now ask you to stand as we sing that great hymn of England, Jerusalem!""Let's hope they've swapped organists," somebody behind Jenna was heard to say.The first chords of Sir Hubert Parry's masterpiece began, and to everyone's surprise and delight, Edward played the hymn to absolute perfection."Thank goodness I was able to help him," Jenna smiled.To be continued.By Blacksheep for Literotica.

Come, come homeward. Promises to keep, and miles to go before we sleep...This week, we're talking Tern Haven with Jesse over a round of Hank Pierce's Break-bumpers. We're kind of like eunuch besties.Can he recommend anything that Oprah isn't pushing? Does he object to being fumbled by the invisible hand of the market, like a prim little matron? And does he kneel before His Majesty, the spinach?He'd better start speechifying, or we'll send him into the bathroom, and he will stay there until we have answers. (Or until he's done something with himself.)Share your gossip, investments, art, movies, tittle-tattle, wider cultural interests: fuckoff@firecrotchandnormcore.comShove a bar of gold down our throat: https://www.patreon.com/THEYLIKETOWATCHFancy a little after-dinner stargaze? https://sohotheatre.com/events/sara-barron-anything-for-you/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Background: Z/Yen's "Focus On" series highlights key business and financial centres from around the world. Here, we look at Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam's most populous city and largest financial centre. This city is also known as the “Pearl of the Far East” with the charming heritage, dynamic, vibrant and innovative atmosphere, and friendly people. Vietnamese government sets out the goal to be a high-income country by 2045 and reach net-zero emissions by 2050. They also strive to turn Ho Chi Minh City into the international financial center (IFC) by 2045 and create distinct institutional areas for attracting foreign investors. Vietnam's Prime Minister is now leading the steering committee of the IFC project and this shows the government's determination. The IFC in Vietnam will provide opportunities to UK businesses in terms of expertise sharing, trade and investment. Speakers: Dominic Scriven's investing career spans nearly 40 years across London, Hong Kong and Vietnam. He studied at Hanoi University for two years before founding Dragon Capital in 1994. He has received an OBE from the British Queen, and a Labour Medal from the President of Vietnam. Dominic Scriven holds a Combined Honours degree in Law and Sociology from Exeter University. Nguyen Thuy Hanh has over 30 years of banking experience in Vietnam. Hanh leads the client coverage and product teams focused on driving the growth strategy for the bank's clients, people, shareholders, and communities. Under her leadership, the bank provides the banking products and services to 3 client groups through various product lines including, but not limited to transaction banking, financial market, capital market, securities services, M&A advisory, rating advisory, and ESG etc. She is also working closely with Vietnam government bodies, and market participants to implement the JETP and contribute to deliver the commitment of Vietnam in achieving net zero emissions by 2050. Hanh has held various important positions in SCB, including Head of Financial Institutions - Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia (2010 - 2015); Deputy General Director - Head of International Corporate and Financial Institutions (2016 – 2017); Managing Director - Head of Commercial Banking (2018 – 2020); Managing Director - Head of CIB Client Coverage (2020 – 30/9/2024) and CEO & Head of Corporate and Investment Banking, Vietnam (1/10/2024 – Now). Hanh holds a Master of Business Administration of Solvay Brussels School of Economics and Management - Université Libre de Bruxelles. Andrew Oldland is a senior lawyer specialising in international financial regulation. He is a partner in the UK law firm Michelmores and was the firm's Senior Partner between 2017 and 2021. Andrew is ranked by the Legal 500 directory as a "Leading Individual". Andrew is a barrister, a King's Counsel and a part-time judge sitting in civil/commercial and criminal cases. He previously held a number of senior UK government roles as independent counsel including the Attorney-General's A list of counsel, standing counsel to His Majesty's Revenue & Customs and the Serious Fraud Office's list of counsel. Andrew has advised a number of governments on financial regulation, particularly in respect of common law based international financial centres.

Women in prison are resorting to self-harm because of “astonishing gaps” in basic services including strict time limits when contacting their children, according to a new report from His Majesty's Inspectorate of Prisons for England and Wales released today. The report's author Sandra Fieldhouse joins Anita Rani, as does the Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice Shabana Mahmood. Singer and stand-up comedian Hajar J Woodland joins Anita to discuss her show, First Love, coming to Soho Theatre in London. After being raised in a household where singing wasn't encouraged, her show explores the boundaries we put up around ourselves and what it means to finally find love and your voice. New research has quantified for the first time how many young people have been diagnosed with gender dysphoria by GPs in England. Academics at the University of York studied a decade's worth of NHS records and discovered a 50-fold increase in this particular diagnosis between 2011 and 2021. However each general practice will only see one or two such patients each year. Anita speaks to Professor of Health Policy Tim Doran.The French have been told to wear the same T-shirt for five days before washing it, and sports clothing three times. It's part of advice from the government's Ecological Transition Agency, which is trying to get people to do less laundry to save water. So how often should we really be washing our clothes? Anita is joined by Professor Sally Bloomfield from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine to tell us more. Presenter: Anita Rani Producer: Emma Pearce

Hey SOS Family... It's 2025 and I've got nothing but love for you today, fresh out of the heart of God brimming with truth, hope, and faith! There's plenty of poetry, a little music, and new life that has been prepared for you! Join me and receive an early evening dose of God's incredible Love for you as His Majesty is honored and adored! My hope is that you'll see yourself in the messages and in 2025 begin the process of reaching higher and walking closer to Him!

Tiffany Murray grew up watching legendary rock stars eat her mother's food...David Bowie, Freddie Mercury, Ozzie Osbourne and Siouxsie Sioux, to name but a few. She shares what it was like to grow up at the iconic Rockfield Studios. Actor Sam Oladeinde gave up a career in law to become Aaron Burr, Sir, in the UK and Ireland tour of Hamilton. But what has he taken from his previous profession into life on the stage.Mared Pugh Evans is the seventh official harpist to His Majesty the King, her sound is so sublime it could summon the angels but she's also an innovator...and passionate music evangelist for in the community.All that, plus the Inheritance Tracks of Sophie Ellis Bextor as she prepares to sing us into the New Year. Presenters: Nikki Bedi and Huw Stephens Producer: Ben Mitchell

Would you ask your friends to describe you in one word? Comedian Sophie Duker did. She joins Nuala McGovern to talk about hearing their responses and how it influenced her new standup show, But Daddy, I Love Her.Adele is in the headlines this morning after being accused of plagiarism in a Brazilian court for her 2015 song, Million Years Ago.Brazilian composer Toninho Geraes is seeking royalties - more than £125,000 - in moral damages for the alleged plagiarism, and songwriting credit for the track, claiming his samba song, Mulheres. influenced Adele's song. Dr Karlyn King, lecturer in music business discusses. There's been an announcement of new vetting standards for potential and serving police officers and staff in England and Wales. The kidnap, rape and murder of Sarah Everard by Wayne Couzens led to so many questions and brought to light other failures in policing. Now, following recommendations from the Casey Review, the Angiolini Inquiry and His Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services report there is new guidance from the College of Policing on how police need to be vetted to protect the public. Harriet Wistrich solicitor and director of the Centre for Women's Justice explains why they welcome the new guidance.It's 20 months since the start of the civil war in Sudan and the country is suffering a humanitarian crisis. Nearly 12 million people have been displaced, a famine is on the horizon and in October, a UN fact-finding mission said the scale of sexual violence taking place was staggering. Campaign group, Human Rights Watch, is calling for a dedicated UN mission to protect women and girls from sexual violence. Associate Director in the Crisis, Conflict and Arms Division at Human Rights Watch, Belkis Wille joins Nuala.The Road Trip is a brand new adaptation of Beth O'Leary's rom-com book of the same name. It follows Addie and her sister Deb as they are forced to car-share on the way to a wedding with Addie's ex-boyfriend and his best friend. Nuala is joined in the studio by Beth O'Leary and Emma Appleton, who plays Addie.Presenter: Nuala McGovern Producer: Laura Northedge

Are you looking for ways you can enter more deeply into Advent? Look no further! This Advent, Sr. Shawn Pauline from the Carmelites of the Most Sacred Heart of Los Angeles will offer He Leadeth Me listeners a series of podcast episodes on the writings of St. Theresa of Avila and St. John of the Cross. In this episode, Sr. Shawn Pauline begins the retreat by talking about the beginning stages of the journey into deeper prayer. Sr. Shawn Pauline and Jess discuss:Theresa's description of the Prayer of Recollection and the image of the well and the bucketHow can you tell the difference between consolations felt at this stage of prayer and the consolations experienced at deeper stages?What does God do in the soul at this stage and what should the person do to respond?Sr. Shawn Pauline is a religious sister in the community of the Carmelites of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus of Los Angeles.Check out Sr. Shawn Pauline's notes for this episode!Love's QuestOn my bed at night, I sought Him Whom my soul loves- I sought Him but did not find him. So I will rise and go through the city…to seek Him Whom my heart loves (Song 3:1-3)1st Water: Prayer of Recollection or SimplicityTeresa's Image: The Well and BucketCharacteristics of this prayer:The beginner works while The Lord gives the increase (11.5)The beginner must cultivate their garden on very barren soil, full of abominable weeds (11.6) With the help of God we must strive like good gardeners to get these plants to grow (11.6)His Majesty wants determination, and He is a friend of courageous souls if they walk in humility without trusting in self (13.2)Effects on the soul in this prayer:Greater detachment from outward things but mixed with  many faultsIncreased desires for GodGreater self-masteryDivine love begins to be enkindledWork of the soul in this prayer:Perseverance, determination, courage Self-knowledge: the thought of one's sins (“our daily bread”)Growing in the virtues of humility and detachmentGod's assistance Meditate on the sacred life and Passion of Christ, hell, death, the power of God, the Love he bore us (13.13)Do not be distressed or afflicted over the dryness or noisy and distracting thoughts (11.17)Jesus is not concerned with our little inabilities (11.15)Occupy yourself in looking at Christ Who is looking at you 

Zion is the name of a hill in ancient Jerusalem. The Jewish nationalist movement coined the term Zionism in the 1890s. Zionism got the big power backing it was looking for when Britain issued the Balfour Declaration on November 2, 1917. Arthur James Balfour, the British foreign secretary stated: “His Majesty's Government view with favor the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people.” This declaration became the major legal cornerstone for Zionist claims to Palestine. Two issues complicated things. At the time, 90% of Palestine's population was Arab Muslim and Christian, and only 10% Jewish. And the British were signing away land that was not theirs. Recorded at NYU.

Josh McCrowell is an up-jumped RPG blogger and editor-in-chief of the Knock! gaming magazine. He haunts Virginia, USA where he rattles chains and wears ragged sheets. His partner, two cats, and a dog are frequent victims of his ghoulish antics.He has written small games for his (kind and indulgent) friends for years. Previously, Josh self-published a game about halflings not having adventures called Under Hill, By Water. His Majesty the Worm is his first game of this scope. Check out Josh's weird games! https://www.hismajestytheworm.gamesriseupcomus.blogspot.com Thank you for listening to Weird Games & Weirder People! Please subscribe to the show to keep up with new episodes! If you would like to support the show, leave a review and/or head to our ko-fi page and pay us a coffee! It will help keep the podcast going! It will really help us!  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://ko-fi.com/wgnwp⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ You can also support me buy buying one of my games! Kosmosaurs just got released in print, and it is my new RPG inspired by Saturday morning cartoons about Space Dinosaur Rangers defending the galaxy from evildoers!   Get your copy right here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠bit.ly/kosmosaurs⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  Get other games of mine on Exalted Funeral: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.exaltedfuneral.com/search?q=Diogo+nogueira⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Or buy anything at DriveThruRPG using this link: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.drivethrurpg.com/?affiliate_id=338514⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Or buy something from my itch store: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://diogo-old-skull.itch.io⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER! This is super new and I am trying a new thing! I share offers, news, behind the scenes, articles, curiosities, and rants about being me! Fun, right? RIGHT!? Check out our latest post:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://diogonogueira.substack.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Today we welcome back Roy Wilsher from His Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS).During our conversation we discussed fire and rescue services in England, focusing on the handling of misconduct, the impact of toxic cultures and the importance of encouraging difficult conversations in the workplace. Roy highlighted the need to address ongoing distrust in misconduct processes and the underrepresentation of women and minority groups in the fire service. We also explored capacity issues faced by services, the need for a College of Fire and for collaboration to create positive changes across the sector.Find the reports and more at the following LINKS Standards of behaviour: The handling of misconduct in fire and rescue services - His Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (justiceinspectorates.gov.uk)State of Fire and Rescue: The Annual Assessment of Fire and Rescue Services in England 2023 - His Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (justiceinspectorates.gov.uk)We only feature the latest 200 episodes of the podcast on public platforms so to access our podcast LIBRARY, every Debrief & document CLICK HEREPODCAST GIFT - Get your FREE subscription to essential Firefighting publications HERE A big thanks to our partners for supporting this episode.GORE-TEX Professional ClothingMSA The Safety CompanyPATROL STORE UKIDEXHAIX FootwearGRENADERIP INTO Podcast ApparelLyfe Linez -  Get Functional Hydration FUEL for FIREFIGHTERS, Clean no sugar  for daily hydration. 80% of people live dehydrated and  for firefighters this costHibern8 - a plant based sleep aid specially designed to promote a restful night's sleep and awaken you feeling refreshed and energisedPlease support the podcast and its future by clicking HERE and joining our Patreon Crew

This week we have wrangled a real live Canadian to discuss the October 1804 sinking of His Majesty's Armed Vessel Speedy and the impact of her loss on the province of Upper Canada.**one of our upcoming bonus episodes will look at the search for the Speedy's wrecksite**Sources:Baillod, Brendon. “The Enduring Mystery of the HMS Speedy.” Shipwreck World, 3 December 2019. https://www.shipwreckworld.com/articles/the-enduring-mystery-of-the-hms-speedy-1.Bojarzin, David. “HMS Speedy: Murder and a Mystery.” Friends of Presqu'ile Park. Buchanan, Dan. The Wreck of HMS Speedy. Milner & Associates, 2020. Climo, Percy L. “The mysterious sinking of The Speedy.” Saturday Morning Post, 9 June 1990.Girard, Philip. "Rearguard or Vanguard? A New Look at Canada's Constitutional Act of 1791." The Journal of Imperial and Commonwealth History, vol. 50, no. 1, 2022, pp. 1-24. Lee-Shanok, Philip. “Search is on for HMS Speedy - the ship that changed history.” CBC News, 2 Nov 2018. https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/constitutional-act-1791To hear more from Kelly and Born Under Punchs: https://linktr.ee/bornunderpunchshttps://patreon.com/bornunderpunchsSupport the show

By the mid 1700's the British in North America had established 13 colonies and a large population some of which were 2nd or 3rd generation British Americans, having never set foot on the home islands. Being separated from Great Britain by 3,000 miles, taking 6-8 weeks to cross the Atlantic, the colonies began to feel isolated or maybe a little independent (see what I did there) from the King and Parliament. What didn't help make the colonists feel seen was the total lack of any representation in Parliament, meaning the colonies had no say in how they were being governed and how they were being taxed. British appointed Governors oversaw each colony independently, and ensured the will of His Majesty was enforced. Well fast forward to another war with France, this one inadvertently started in North America by a very familiar future American Founding Father. The 7 years war left Britain victorious but financially devastated, Parliament's solution was to tax the colonist, figuring they should start paying their way for Britain's war expenses. Now as you can imagine the Colonists were pissed, understandably so being they didn't have any voice in the matter but at the same time, I mean come on, we kinda started this particular war with France. This Taxation without Representation was just one of many greivances brewing in the colonies, there were a couple situations in Boston, one involving some redcoats firing into a hostile crowd and another involving making a nice spot of tea using the harbor as the kettle. These events and many more culminated in a standoff between British soldiers and Colonial Militia at a little town called Lexington where a "shot heard round the world" changed the course of world history forever. Join us for Part 1 of the American Revolutionary War. 

Shelbie Rassler Interview | The Brett Allan Show 'Conductor' for the Fort Collins Leg of "Across the Spider-Verse" LIVE SPIDER-MAN™: ACROSS THE SPIDER-VERSE LIVE IN CONCERT LANDS AT THE LINCOLN CENTER ON OCTOBER 4! Fort Collins – Building on the success of sold-out shows worldwide, a new 50+ city U.S. tour will kick off the next chapter of the Oscar®-winning Spider-Verse saga. The highly-anticipated sequel Spider-Man™: Across the Spider-Verse Live in Concert will land in Fort Collins at The Lincoln Center on October 4, 2024. Tickets are available at LCtix.com or by calling The Lincoln Center Box Office at 970.221.6730. For the complete tour schedule visit spiderverseinconcert.com. View the tour announcement video here. In Spider-Man™: Across the Spider-Verse Live in Concert audiences will see the film presented on a huge HD screen, accompanied by a range of musicians and instrumentalists performing music from the film's score and soundtrack live to picture. This will include an orchestra, a scratch DJ on turntables, percussion, and electronic instruments. ABOUT THE CONDUCTOR Shelbie Rassler, named Truthspaper's "Young Woman of the Year,” is a globally recognized musician whose work as a composer, music director, and producer spans prestigious performances and productions worldwide. Her compositions, arrangements, and orchestrations have been featured at The Kennedy Center, Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, and The West End's His Majesty's Theatre. Following her viral production of Burt Bacharach's “What the World Needs Now,” Rassler received a CBS Sunday Morning Award and was featured on CNN's “The Fourth in America” alongside Mr. Bacharach, as well as appearing on The Today Show, Good Morning America, Forbes, and NPR. Rassler's film scoring and mixed media creations have premiered at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, Amazon Prime, and various film festivals, as well as in commercials, jingles, and podcasts reaching millions. Connect with us on our website for more amazing conversations! www.brettallanshow.com Have you got some feedback? Let us know! openmicguest@gmail.com Follow us on social media! Facebook https://www.facebook.com/thebrettallanshow Instagram https://www.instagram.com/brettallanshow/ YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@TheBrettAllanShow/videos LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/brett-allan-009458168/ Support the show! VENMO @-Brett-Allan-7 Cash App @brettallanshow74 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In today's special service, Pastor Colins led us in powerful prayers for our nation, calling on God's promise to hear and heal our land if we humble ourselves and pray. As we worshipped His Majesty, our praise rose like sweet-smelling fragrance before the Lord. The atmosphere was charged with expectation, as we stood on the assurance that when we seek His face, God will forgive our sins, hear our prayers, and heal our nation.

Today, we look at what was billed as one of the first big tests for Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer in the House of Commons, the vote over winter fuel. Adam is joined by Chris and Alex to look at the result of the vote in Parliament, and they discuss the next round of voting in the Conservative leadership contest. Plus, around 1700 offenders have been released from prison early to help ease overcrowding. Adam speaks to His Majesty's Chief Inspector of Prisons Charlie Taylor about the situation in the prison system and his annual report which was published today.You can now listen to Newscast on a smart speaker. If you want to listen, just say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Newscast”. It works on most smart speakers. You can join our Newscast online community here: https://tinyurl.com/newscastcommunityhere Newscast brings you daily analysis of the latest political news stories from the BBC. It was presented by Adam Fleming. It was made by Jack Maclaren with Anna Harris, Gemma Roper and Sam McLaren. The technical producer was Phil Bull. The assistant editor is Chris Gray. The editor is Sam Bonham.

Charles Hayter gives up on Henrietta, so she pays him a visit, and Anne overhears a conversation between Louisa and Wentworth. Wentworth takes everyone on a November beach vacation to Lyme and we meet the Harvilles and Captain Benwick.Topics discussed include PUPPIES, anonymity in numbers, Admiral Croft's driving skills or lack thereof, Anne comparing herself to a widower, and how Jane Austen feels about the navy,Glossary of Terms and Phrases:switch (n): a flexible rod which is typically used for corporal punishmentGlossary of People, Places, and Things: The Cobb, Idris Elba, Sara Bareilles, What Hurts the Most, When You're Gone, the BachelorPatron Study Questions:Ghenet: Q1: What do you think Wentworth is feeling after finding out another man proposed to Anne and why does it make him oblige Anne to get into the carriage? Q2: What are Henrietta and Louisa meant to represent in the story when compared to Anne?Zamzam: How do you compare the Crofts to the established Austen Couples e.g. Fanny and John, Mr and Mrs Bennet, Mr and Mrs Palmer?Becca's Study Questions: Topics discussed include the nut conversation and the vibes between Anne and Benwick.Funniest Quote: "This nut, while so many of its brethren have fallen and been trodden underfoot, is still in possession of all the happiness that a hazelnut can be supposed capable of."Questions Moving Forward: Will Benwick be a love interest?Who wins the chapters? His Majesty's British Royal Naval ForcesNext Episode: Chapter 12Our show art was created by Torrence Browne, and our audio is produced by Graham Cook. For bios and transcripts, check out our website at podandprejudice.com. Pod and Prejudice is transcribed by speechdocs.com. To support the show, check out our Patreon!Instagram: @podandprejudiceTwitter: @podandprejudiceFacebook: Pod and PrejudiceYoutube: Pod and PrejudiceMerch store: https://www.teepublic.com/stores/pod-and-prejudice?ref_id=23216

The only place to go is down! This week on the Vintage RPG Podcast, we chat with Josh McCrowell, the evil mastermind behind His Majesty the Worm. Grab your tarot deck and prepare yourself and your kit bag for the endless dungeon underneath the city. Venture deep enough and survive the darkness long enough and you might come across the Worm himself! * * * Physical copies of His Majesty the Worm will be back in stock soon at Exalted Funeral. In the meantime, grab the PDF! For more from Josh, check out his blog, his itch page, or follow him on Twitter and Bluesky. * * * Stu's book, Monsters, Aliens, and Holes in the Ground is for sale now! Buy it! Patreon? Discord? Cool RPG things to buy? All the Vintage RPG links you need are right here in one place! Like, Rate, Subscribe and Review the Vintage RPG Podcast!

Spending reviews, which decide how at least half a trillion pounds of annual public spending should be allocated across different public services, are one of the most consequential processes in government. The new government has announced a new review, to conclude in Spring 2025, that will determine departmental budgets for much of the current parliament. But how should ministers choose how to prioritise for spending? Should more money be spent on roads, skills, or police? What is the best way to judge the costs and benefits of each decision? A new report from the London School of Economics, Value for Money calls for a radical change in policy making. It argues that policies should be judged using a cost-benefit analysis which includes a comprehensive valuation of their effects on wellbeing. The report argues that, judged this way, therapies for mental health and guaranteed apprenticeships give much better value for money than most new roads. To discuss this topic, we were joined by a panel, including: Professor Lord Richard Layard, Co-Director of the Community Wellbeing Programme at the Centre for Economic Performance, London School of Economics and co-author of Value for Money Lord Gus O'Donnell, former Cabinet Secretary Amanda Rowlatt, former Chief Economist at the Department for Transport, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, and Department for Work and Pensions Conrad Smewing, Director General of Public Spending in His Majesty's Treasury and Joint-Head of the Government Finance Function The panel was chaired by Gemma Tetlow, Chief Economist at the Institute for Government.

29 Aug 2024. Salik has upped its earnings outlook ahead of two new toll gates set to go live before the end of November. It now expects to see 2024 revenue rise by as much as 8 per cent. Salik CEO Ibrahim Al Haddad has told the Business Breakfast. Plus, Nvidia profit jumps 151% as the AI boom continues. We speak to market analyst Josh Gilbert of eToro. And, we continue our 'Winter is Coming' feature with His Majesty's Trade Commissioner for the Middle East and Pakistan, and Consul General to Dubai and the Northern Emirates, Oliver Christian. Discussing trade figures, opportunities for investors in the UAE, and the busy season ahead. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tune in to the For the Love of Jewelers podcast for a captivating episode featuring Jacob Morgan, an award-winning Navajo silversmith, as he recounts his transformative experience in Bhutan. Jacob joins Michael McRae, founder of the Bhutan School of Metalsmithing Arts, and host Mark Nelson, Rio for Schools Education Coordinator, to discuss this incredible journey. Mark explains how he nominated Jacob as a guest instructor for the Bhutanese school, leading to Jacob's unique opportunity to teach his craft across the globe. Jacob shares heartfelt stories about his talented students, who amazed him with their rapid progress. He also delves into the unexpected discovery of ancestral cultural similarities between the Navajo and Bhutanese people, reflected in their dialect and sacred temples. One of the highlights of his trip was an unforgettable meeting with His Majesty, the King of Bhutan. Don't miss this episode full of rich cultural exchanges and personal revelations.

1/4: His Majesty's Airship: The Life and Tragic Death of the World's Largest Flying Machine by  S. C. Gwynne  (Author) https://www.amazon.com/His-Majestys-Airship-Largest-Machine/dp/1982168277 From historian and bestselling author of the Pulitzer Prize finalist Empire of the Summer Moon comes a “captivating, thoroughly researched” (The New York Times Book Review) tale of the rise and fall of the world's largest airship—and the doomed love story between an ambitious British officer and a married Romanian princess at its heart. R-101 Frame

2/4: His Majesty's Airship: The Life and Tragic Death of the World's Largest Flying Machine by  S. C. Gwynne  (Author) https://www.amazon.com/His-Majestys-Airship-Largest-Machine/dp/1982168277 From historian and bestselling author of the Pulitzer Prize finalist Empire of the Summer Moon comes a “captivating, thoroughly researched” (The New York Times Book Review) tale of the rise and fall of the world's largest airship—and the doomed love story between an ambitious British officer and a married Romanian princess at its heart. 1930 Gas bags R-101

3/4: His Majesty's Airship: The Life and Tragic Death of the World's Largest Flying Machine by  S. C. Gwynne  (Author) https://www.amazon.com/His-Majestys-Airship-Largest-Machine/dp/1982168277 From historian and bestselling author of the Pulitzer Prize finalist Empire of the Summer Moon comes a “captivating, thoroughly researched” (The New York Times Book Review) tale of the rise and fall of the world's largest airship—and the doomed love story between an ambitious British officer and a married Romanian princess at its heart. R-101 1929

4/4: His Majesty's Airship: The Life and Tragic Death of the World's Largest Flying Machine by  S. C. Gwynne  (Author) https://www.amazon.com/His-Majestys-Airship-Largest-Machine/dp/1982168277 From historian and bestselling author of the Pulitzer Prize finalist Empire of the Summer Moon comes a “captivating, thoroughly researched” (The New York Times Book Review) tale of the rise and fall of the world's largest airship—and the doomed love story between an ambitious British officer and a married Romanian princess at its heart. 1930 funeral procession London

GOOD EVENING: The show begins in the 17th Century off the coast of India. Here, thanks to Claude of Anthropic, are the key points from the CBS Eye on the World program schedule: First Hour: Segment on the book "The Pirate King: The Strange Adventures of Henry Avery and the Birth of the Golden Age of Piracy" by Sean Kingsley and Rex Cowan. This covers the exploits of the legendary 17th/18th century pirate Henry Avery. Second Hour: Segments on the book "A Rome of One's Own: The Forgotten Women of the Roman Empire" by Emma Southon. This provides a fresh look at the overlooked and misunderstood women of ancient Rome. Third Hour: Continued discussion of "A Rome of One's Own" by Emma Southon, exploring the hidden histories of Roman women. Fourth Hour: Segments on the book "His Majesty's Airship: The Life and Tragic Death of the World's Largest Flying Machine" by S.C. Gwynne. This covers the rise and fall of the world's largest airship in the early 20th century. The program features in-depth conversations with authors exploring lesser-known aspects of history, from piracy to the Roman Empire to early aviation technology. It provides a diverse range of historical perspectives and intriguing insights. 1920 Castings Pompeii

With the King in captivity, both sides seek a settlement. But when Charles escapes, all trust is broken. For Cromwell there is only one course of action - a solution that will plunge the British Isles into unknown territory. His Majesty must be put on trial… A Noiser production, written by Jeff Dawson. Many thanks to Peter Gaunt, Clare Jackson, Anna Keay, John Morrill, Nicholas O'Shaughnessy, Micheál Ó Siochrú. This is Part 3 of 4. Get every episode of Real Dictators a week early with Noiser+. You'll also get ad-free listening, bonus material and early access to shows across the Noiser network. Click the Noiser+ banner to get started. Or, if you're on Spotify or Android, go to noiser.com/subscriptions Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

PREVIEW: #KINGCHARLES: Conversation with colleague Gregory Copley re the June 15 King's Birthday ceremony called "Trooping of the Colour" on Horse Guard's Parade in London: its origins, its significance, its success at providing the Commonwealth a unifying vision of security and splendor.  America lacks such a moment. This year will be dramatic presuming the King, undergoing cancer treatment, can attend, if not hrseback like last year.  More later. 1798 Light Horse volunteers of London and Westminster, reviewed by His Majesty on Wimbledon Common, July 5, 1798

2/4: His Majesty's Airship: The Life and Tragic Death of the World's Largest Flying Machine by  S. C. Gwynne  (Author) https://www.amazon.com/His-Majestys-Airship-Largest-Machine/dp/1982168277 From historian and bestselling author of the Pulitzer Prize finalist Empire of the Summer Moon comes a “captivating, thoroughly researched” (The New York Times Book Review) tale of the rise and fall of the world's largest airship—and the doomed love story between an ambitious British officer and a married Romanian princess at its heart. 19071

3/4: His Majesty's Airship: The Life and Tragic Death of the World's Largest Flying Machine by  S. C. Gwynne  (Author) https://www.amazon.com/His-Majestys-Airship-Largest-Machine/dp/1982168277 From historian and bestselling author of the Pulitzer Prize finalist Empire of the Summer Moon comes a “captivating, thoroughly researched” (The New York Times Book Review) tale of the rise and fall of the world's largest airship—and the doomed love story between an ambitious British officer and a married Romanian princess at its heart. 1914

1/4: His Majesty's Airship: The Life and Tragic Death of the World's Largest Flying Machine by  S. C. Gwynne  (Author) https://www.amazon.com/His-Majestys-Airship-Largest-Machine/dp/1982168277 From historian and bestselling author of the Pulitzer Prize finalist Empire of the Summer Moon comes a “captivating, thoroughly researched” (The New York Times Book Review) tale of the rise and fall of the world's largest airship—and the doomed love story between an ambitious British officer and a married Romanian princess at its heart. 1900 Germany

4/4: His Majesty's Airship: The Life and Tragic Death of the World's Largest Flying Machine by  S. C. Gwynne  (Author) https://www.amazon.com/His-Majestys-Airship-Largest-Machine/dp/1982168277 From historian and bestselling author of the Pulitzer Prize finalist Empire of the Summer Moon comes a “captivating, thoroughly researched” (The New York Times Book Review) tale of the rise and fall of the world's largest airship—and the doomed love story between an ambitious British officer and a married Romanian princess at its heart. 1912 Zeppelin