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Kevin O'Shea, host of Supernatural Japan, joins us for a fascinating look at how the paranormal is woven into everyday life in Japanese culture. Note: If you are watching the video version, you may notice some brief video glitches on our guest's side at the very beginning of this interview. His audio is clear throughout, and the video stabilizes eventually. Thanks for sticking with us. Kevin shares how his journey from folklore-loving Canadian to longtime resident of Japan opened his eyes to a worldview where spirits, ancestors, and unseen forces are not fringe ideas but part of the social fabric. From Shinto beliefs and nature spirits to seasonal traditions surrounding the dead, this conversation explores how a technologically advanced society has held onto deeply rooted supernatural traditions. Thanks Kevin! -- NEWSLETTERGet Jim's weekly free newsletter and a free Campfire ebook at the same time. Go here: https://jim-harold.kit.com/campfire-ebook VIRTUAL CAMPFIRE GROUPJoin our FREE online community at https://virtualcampfiregroup.com EVENTSJim has TWO live events, both FREE, in February. Hope to see you soon. Get the info here: https://jimharold.com/events YOUTUBE CHANNELBe sure to subscribe to Jim's YouTube channel at: https://youtube.com/jimharold JOIN JIM'S SPOOKY STUDIO PLUS CLUBYou can get access to Jim's entire back catalog of Campfire and a TON of exclusive content with the Spooky Studio Plus Club. Go to https://jimharold.com/plus and signup to support the show and get access to our MASSIVE library of content! MERCHGo to https://jimharold.com/merch to get your Jim Harold T's, sweatshirts, mugs, hats and more! BOOKSGet all SIX of Jim's Campfire books here: https://jimharold.com/campfirebooks/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
As he considers a 2028 presidential run, Rahm Emanuel joined us in studio for a wide-ranging and candid conversation about power, politics, and the moment the U.S. finds itself in right now. Emanuel has served at the highest levels of government — in Congress, as President Obama's first chief of staff, two terms as mayor of Chicago, and most recently as U.S. ambassador to Japan. We dig into the rapidly shifting global order, including Greenland, U.S. alliances, China, Ukraine, Gaza, Israel Iran, and Venezuela. On President Trump's second term, Emanuel acknowledges that he shares some underlying goals — including the need to confront China, fight for the American worker and reassess broken global institutions — but is sharply critical of Trump's tactics, execution, and what he sees as lasting damage to America's image, alliances, and long-term leverage abroad.Emanuel is blunt in his criticism of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's conduct of the Gaza war, while also defending Israel's right to exist and protect itself. He warns that political realities around Israel have fundamentally changed inside the Democratic Party. We talk about what that mean if he decides to run for the Democratic nomination. The conversation also turns personal: growing up in Chicago, parenting, and life as one of the three Emanuel brothers — alongside Ari Emanuel, the legendary Hollywood agent, and Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel, a leading physician. Mosheh Oinounou (@mosheh) is an Emmy and Murrow award-winning journalist. He has 20 years of experience at networks including Fox News, Bloomberg Television and CBS News, where he was the executive producer of the CBS Evening News and launched the network's 24 hour news channel. He founded the @mosheh Instagram news account in 2020 and the Mo News podcast and newsletter in 2022.
Boosting, swiping or the five finger discount - many countries around the world are seeing a rise in retail theft. From Japan to the UK, the USA to Germany, retailers are struggling to tackle shoplifting - but the factors fueling this trend are as varied as the people carrying out these crimes. Poverty, opportunism, thrill-seeking - and technology - are some of the factors experts say are to blame. But a more costly problem is the rise in organised crime, as gangs of thieves strategically target shops and steal to order, turn to online marketplaces to anonymously sell on stolen goods for big profits.Charmaine Cozier reveals how the justice system and surveillance technology are being used to combat this rising crime wave, as The Inquiry asks what's behind the rise in shoplifting?Contributors: Dr Nicole Bögelein, sociologist at the University of Cologne, Germany Assistant Chief Constable Alex Goss, national lead for retail crime at the UK National Police Chiefs Council Tony Sheppard. Vice President of Retail Risk Solutions at Think LP, USA Khris Hamlin, Retail Industry Leaders Association in the USAPresenter: Charmaine Cozier Producer: Phoebe Keane Researcher: Evie Yabsley Editor: Richard Fenton-Smith Technical Producer: Cameron Ward Production Management Assistant: Liam Morrey(Photo: A warning sign in Canada. Credit: NurPhoto/Getty Images)
The Trump administration has linked security guarantees for Ukraine to Kyiv ceding the Donbas region to Russia, and there's speculation that the US and Japan could be working together to support the yen. Plus, Israel's military announced it had retrieved the remains of the last hostage from the Gaza Strip, and Big Tech companies are on track to dominate borrowing in the US bond market.Mentioned in this podcast:US links security guarantees for Ukraine to peace deal ceding territoryDollar sinks to 4-month low and gold soars past $5,000 as yen leapsIsrael retrieves remains of last hostage in GazaBig Tech's borrowing spree raises US bond market fearsSend your voice memos to: marc.filippino@ft.comNote: The FT does not use generative AI to voice its podcasts Today's FT News Briefing was hosted by Sonja Hutson, and produced by Clare Williamson and Marc Filippino. Our show was mixed by Kelly Garry. Additional help from Gavin Kallmann and Michael Lello. Our executive producer is Topher Forhecz. Cheryl Brumley is the FT's Global Head of Audio. The show's theme music is by Metaphor Music.Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Zo finds himself in a timeline where Tokyo was destroyed in WWIII and from its ashes rose a Neo Tokyo. It's a thriving civilization if not filled with chaos: teenage biker gangs, heavy police presence, an aggressive military complex, violent protests, and a group of people that the media are calling terrorists. Rumors abound that these terrorists are actually trying to prevent Japan from doing research on the most devastating weapons that the world could never imagine in its wildest post apocalyptic nightmares. It's the an innate ability within all humans that allows them to access the primordial power of the universe itself and granting the possessor of that power unparalleled psychic abilities. The rumors say that they had succeeded before, but that the scientists who were attempting to control the uncontrollable were predictively unable to manage the fruit of their foolish labor. In their effort to contain the power and prevent a catastrophic outcome they manage to seal this "fruit" away for all time. In this case their "fruit" was a little boy with incredible psychic abilities. The population at large knows nothing of this, put there are those who speak of this impossible little boy. According to them this boy is destined to come back. His name is Akira . . . or so the rumors say. Episode Chapters00:04:24 Opening Credits for Akira Starring Cam Clarke, Jan Rabson and Lara Cody [1989 English Dub]00:15:29 Favorite Parts of the 1988 film Akira 01:01:23 Trivia from the futuristic cyberpunk action anime - Akira01:08:55 Critics' Thoughts on Katsuhiro Otomo's Akira Vice Article: How 'Akira' Has Influenced Modern CultureAnimation Obsessive Article: When Katsuhiro Otomo Learned Please leave a comment, suggestion or question on our social media: Back Look Cinema: The Podcast Links:Website: www.backlookcinema.comEmail: fanmail@backlookcinema.comYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@backlookcinemaTwitter: https://twitter.com/backlookcinemaFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/BackLookCinemaInstagram: https://instagram.com/backlookcinemaThreads: https://www.threads.net/@backlookcinemaTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@backlookcinemaTwitch https://www.twitch.tv/backlookcinemaBlue Sky: https://bsky.app/profile/backlookcinema.bsky.socialMastodon: https://mstdn.party/@backlookcinemaBack Look Cinema Merch at Teespring.comBack Look Cinema Merch at Teepublic.com Again, thanks for listening.
It's a bite-sized episode this week on WTFolklore as we race against the sky to complete a recording. Not all of us made it...we read Shippeitaro, a tale from Japan.Suggested talking points: Nary a Goof, Boat% Speedrun, The Adventure Famine, Yowllicle Cats™, Stinky-Girl Pageant, The Boy Who Left His Yard to Climb a Rock and Didn't Even Punch a RobberCheck out Gordie's TTRPG, MythomorphosisIf you'd like to support Carman's artistic endeavors, visit: https://www.patreon.com/carmandaartsthingsIf you like our show, find us online to help spread the word! Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Youtube. Support us on Patreon to help the show grow at www.patreon.com/wtfolklore. You can find merchandise and information about the show at www.wtfolklorepodcast.com.
NHK WORLD RADIO JAPAN - English News at 03:00 (JST), January 28
NHK WORLD RADIO JAPAN - English News at 14:00 (JST), January 27
NHK WORLD RADIO JAPAN - English News at 23:00 (JST), January 27
Louise Southerden joins Let's Talk Memoir for a conversation about building a tiny home in Australia by hand during the Covid pandemic, being a travel writer for much of her career, choosing freedom over security, writing about exes, struggling with how much backstory to put in, narrative arc and the hero's journey, firming up a timeline, wanting to be fair in depicting loved ones, taking care of and pacing ourselves while we're writing, creating the life that we want to live inside with words, being led by how the story wants to be told, and her new memoir TINY: A Memoir About Love, Letting Go and a Very Small House. Info/Registration for Ronit's 10-Week Memoir Class Memoir Writing: Finding Your Story https://www.pce.uw.edu/courses/memoir-writing-finding-your-story Also in this episode: -using Scrivener -the freelance writing life -what one really needs to be happy Books mentioned in this episode: -Tracks by Robyn Davidson -Unfinished Woman by Robyn Davidson -Wifedom by Anna Funder -The Little Red Writing Book by Mark Tredinnick -Things I Learned From Falling by Claire Nelson Louise Southerden is an Australian author and award-winning travel writer who has spent more than 25 years travelling all over the world and won the Australian Travel Writer of the Year award a record five times. She's the author of five non-fiction books including Surf's Up, the world's first surfing guide for women; a working holiday guide to Japan, where she once lived for a year and a half; an anthology of her best adventure travel tales; and her latest, TINY: A memoir about love, letting go and a very small house, published by Hardie Grant Explore. Originally from Sydney, Louise now lives and writes in her tiny home by the sea in northern NSW, Australia. Connect with Louise: Website: https://www.noimpactgirl.com/ More info about TINY on Louise's Substack: https://noimpactgirl.substack.com/p/tiny-a-memoir-about-love-letting-af1 TINY on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Tiny-Memoir-About-Letting-Small/dp/174117922X/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&dib_tag=se&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.cDx-4ItRYaLsBKW5vu1dfQ.Pozgks-L91kJZfC4hCxsGFIuB_FqZlo7oJW31ra3GYU&qid=1755581587&sr=8-1 Living Big in a Tiny House episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ipAxKp5fbvQ Substack: https://noimpactgirl.substack.com/ FB: https://www.facebook.com/noimpactgirl/# Fishpond: https://www.fishpond.com/Books/Tiny-Louise-Southerden/9781741179224 – Ronit's writing has appeared in The Atlantic, The Rumpus, The New York Times, Poets & Writers, The Iowa Review, Hippocampus, The Washington Post, Writer's Digest, American Literary Review, and elsewhere. Her memoir WHEN SHE COMES BACK about the loss of her mother to the guru Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh and their eventual reconciliation was named Finalist in the 2021 Housatonic Awards Awards, the 2021 Indie Excellence Awards, and was a 2021 Book Riot Best True Crime Book. Her short story collection HOME IS A MADE-UP PLACE won Hidden River Arts' 2020 Eludia Award and the 2023 Page Turner Awards for Short Stories. She earned an MFA in Nonfiction Writing at Pacific University, is Creative Nonfiction Editor at The Citron Review, and teaches memoir through the University of Washington's Online Continuum Program and also independently. She launched Let's Talk Memoir in 2022, lives in Seattle with her family of people and dogs, and is at work on her next book. More about Ronit: https://ronitplank.com Subscribe to Ronit's Substack: https://substack.com/@ronitplank Follow Ronit: https://www.instagram.com/ronitplank/ https://www.facebook.com/RonitPlank https://bsky.app/profile/ronitplank.bsky.social
Metaplanet transformed from a struggling pan-Asian hotel chain into Japan's most aggressive bitcoin treasury company, becoming the fourth-largest corporate bitcoin holder and the country's most active equity issuer in 2025. Dylan LeClair and Phil Geiger break down how Metaplanet raised over $1 billion through capital markets to accumulate more than 35,000 bitcoin while growing its shareholder base to over 220,000 Japanese retail investors. Pierre Rochard digs into rights issues, stock acquisition rights, and how Metaplanet is educating Japanese investors on bitcoin while competing with nearly $7 trillion in zero-interest household savings.
The ABMP Podcast | Speaking With the Massage & Bodywork Profession
Ruth is learning, writing, and teaching about thyroid disease in lots of different places, so IHACW is coming along for the ride. Hypothyroidism: the thyroid gland doesn't produce enough of the right hormones to stimulate healthy metabolism—a person has a hard time turning fuel (that's oxygen and food) into energy. The result: lethargy, weight gain, sluggish digestion, and lots, lots more. Does this describe any of your clients? But treating endocrine diseases is a tricky business. In this episode Ruth interviews a friend who had some success, but it is an ongoing battle. Resources: Allen, E. and Fingeret, A. (2025) "Anatomy, Head and Neck, Thyroid," in StatPearls. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing. Available at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK470452/ (Accessed: January 1, 2026). Elshimy, G. et al. (2025) "Myxedema Coma," in StatPearls. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing. Available at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK545193/ (Accessed: January 8, 2026). Lu, M. et al. (2025) "Therapeutic benefits of acupoint massage at Yuji (LU10) and Zhaohai (KI6) for postoperative hoarseness in thyroid surgery patients," BMC surgery, 25(1), p. 148. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12893-025-02889-7. Rosen, J.E. et al. (2013) "Complementary and alternative medicine use among patients with thyroid cancer," Thyroid: Official Journal of the American Thyroid Association, 23(10), pp. 1238–1246. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1089/thy.2012.0495. Tachi, J., Amino, N. and Miyai, K. (1990) "Massage therapy on neck: a contributing factor for destructive thyrotoxicosis?," Thyroidology, 2(1), pp. 25–27. Thyroid Nodules: Causes, Symptoms & Treatment (no date) Cleveland Clinic. Available at: https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/13121-thyroid-nodule (Accessed: January 8, 2026). Thyroid: What It Is, Function & Problems (no date). Available at: https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/body/23188-thyroid (Accessed: January 1, 2026). Wyne, K.L. et al. (2023) "Hypothyroidism Prevalence in the United States: A Retrospective Study Combining National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey and Claims Data, 2009–2019," Journal of the Endocrine Society, 7(1), p. bvac172. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1210/jendso/bvac172. Sponsors: Anatomy Trains is a global leader in online anatomy education and also provides in-classroom certification programs for structural integration in the US, Canada, Australia, Europe, Japan, and China, as well as fresh-tissue cadaver dissection labs and weekend courses. The work of Anatomy Trains originated with founder Tom Myers, who mapped the human body into 13 myofascial meridians in his original book, currently in its fourth edition and translated into 12 languages. The principles of Anatomy Trains are used by osteopaths, physical therapists, bodyworkers, massage therapists, personal trainers, yoga, Pilates, Gyrotonics, and other body-minded manual therapists and movement professionals. Anatomy Trains inspires these practitioners to work with holistic anatomy in treating system-wide patterns to provide improved client outcomes in terms of structure and function. Website: anatomytrains.com Email: info@anatomytrains.com Facebook: facebook.com/AnatomyTrains Instagram: www.instagram.com/anatomytrainsofficial YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2g6TOEFrX4b-CigknssKHA Precision Neuromuscular Therapy seminars (www.pnmt.org) have been teaching high-quality seminars for more than 20 years. Doug Nelson and the PNMT teaching staff help you to practice with the confidence and creativity that comes from deep understanding, rather than the adherence to one treatment approach or technique. Find our seminar schedule at pnmt.org/seminar-schedule with over 60 weekends of seminars across the country. Or meet us online in the PNMT Portal, our online gateway with access to over 500 videos, 37 NCBTMB CEs, our Discovery Series webinars, one-on-one mentoring, and much, much more! All for the low yearly cost of $167.50. Learn more at pnmt.thinkific.com/courses/pnmtportal! Follow us on social media: @precisionnmt on Instagram or at Precision Neuromuscular Therapy Seminars on Facebook. Heights Wellness Retreat is redefining whole-body wellness through an innovative, integrated approach to physical, mental, and emotional well-being. Built on more than two decades of Massage Heights expertise in massage and skin therapy, this next-generation wellness destination represents the evolution of our mission to transform lives through wellness. At Heights Wellness Retreat, we believe every person is an unstoppable force, whether navigating daily demands, pursuing goals, or striving to be their best. This drives everything we do. We go beyond traditional spa services by creating a purpose-driven environment where wellness professionals are empowered, valued, and positioned to grow. 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Welcome to Episode 164 of Wrestling Tonight, powered by G FUEL and Dick Lazers. Use code TAVERN for 20 percent off. Acefield Retro and Chad are back, and this week is built around the road to Royal Rumble: Riyadh, while also zooming out to examine how WWE, AEW, TNA, AAA, NJPW, Stardom — and the global wrestling economy itself — are all adjusting direction at the same time. We open with a full preview of Royal Rumble: Riyadh, taking place January 31, 2026 at the King Abdullah Financial District as part of Riyadh Season. This marks the first traditional Royal Rumble ever held outside North America, the first Royal Rumble in Saudi Arabia, and the first of WWE's "Big Five" events to take place in the Kingdom. We break down why this Rumble matters more than usual, with both the men's and women's winners earning world championship matches at WrestleMania 42 in Las Vegas, the event's return to its traditional January slot, and the shift in distribution with ESPN streaming the Rumble in the U.S. for the first time while Netflix carries most international markets. From there, we dig into what's already locked in for Riyadh: the Men's and Women's Royal Rumble matches, Drew McIntyre defending the Undisputed WWE Championship against the winner of the Saturday Night's Main Event four-way, and Gunther vs. AJ Styles in a career-threatening match where Styles must retire if he loses. We also run through the early betting odds, where Roman Reigns and Bron Breakker sit at the top of the board, followed by Sami Zayn, Gunther, and Cody Rhodes, and discuss what those numbers tell us about WWE's short-term and long-term thinking. We cover the growing list of announced entrants on both the men's and women's sides and how the field is already beginning to take shape. We then pivot into Saturday Night's Main Event fallout from Montreal, breaking down Cody Rhodes vs. Jacob Fatu, AJ Styles vs. Shinsuke Nakamura, the Women's Tag Team Championship defense with Rhea Ripley & IYO SKY against Liv Morgan & Roxanne Perez, and the massive four-way number one contender's match featuring Damian Priest, Randy Orton, Sami Zayn, and Trick Williams, with the winner stepping directly into McIntyre's title picture at the Royal Rumble. From there, we widen the lens to WrestleMania season planning. We discuss WWE's current reluctance to turn Cody Rhodes heel, how WrestleMania 42 plans remain fluid, and why AJ Lee vs. Becky Lynch is shaping up as one of the most locked-in matches on the card. We also look ahead to WrestleMania 43 in Saudi Arabia, with The Rock openly addressing his excitement for the event and internal speculation swirling about possible appearances from Rock and Stone Cold Steve Austin as WWE enters its busiest stretch of the year. We then shift fully into the global business of wrestling, as Dave Meltzer reports that Místico has headlined 13 consecutive sellouts at Arena Mexico in 2026, a venue that holds approximately 16,000 fans. Meltzer called the run unprecedented, noting that sustained, high-frequency sellouts in the same building represent a business pattern rarely seen in wrestling history. We contextualize the streak against past drawing eras, the legacy of El Santo, and why comparisons to Japan or North American touring models often miss the structural realities of how wrestling draws actually function. We also discuss the growing push for Místico to capture a major championship currently held by talent from All Elite Wrestling, and what that would signal about CMLL's place in the current power structure. Outside WWE, AEW remains in a moment of transition. We break down Powerhouse Hobbs officially signing with WWE, the company parting ways with longtime executive Nik Sobic, and what those exits say about AEW's current phase. We also cover Will Ospreay's next step toward a return as he undergoes a medical evaluation, Hikaru Shida being backstage in Orlando as she edges closer to U.S. competition, and clarity emerging on AEW's streaming future as reports indicate the promotion is expected to remain aligned with Warner-backed platforms rather than moving to Netflix. TNA continues to operate within a shared ecosystem, as we revisit the fallout from Genesis and Impact's AMC debut amid lingering visa issues, the accidental TNA+ audio leak revealing No Surrender plans, Trey Miguel's emotional return, and the Knockouts Tag Team picture coming into focus with ZaRuca crowned as new number one contenders. We also hit international headlines, including AAA's FOX era officially beginning, Dominik Mysterio's accidental AEW belt graphic during a promo, El Hijo del Vikingo emerging as number one contender for the Mega Championship, NJPW seeing TMDK lose the NEVER Six-Man titles at Korakuen Hall, and Stardom keeping its options open following an alleged intellectual property violation involving trading cards. Episode 164 is a full-scale snapshot of the wrestling industry at a turning point — Royal Rumble season underway, WrestleMania plans coming into focus, media rights shifting, talent moving, and promotions everywhere adjusting direction rather than delivering final outcomes as the calendar heats up.
We're chatting about the latest happenings in the world of sumo wrestling, including our own planning for our Valentine's Day episode, the announcement of bingo winners, and a detailed recap of the January 2026 tournament from days 9 to 15. We highlight key matches, performances, and the impact of injuries on Yokozuna wrestlers. Day 12? Exciting. Day 13? Challenging. Day 14? Thrilling. The final day? So. Good. We have some small sumo calendars gifted to us by @sjcurran1 on Instagram that we're giving away this basho. We'll draw names from a list of anyone who has supported us over the last year. Thank you to @sjcurran1 for your creativity and generosity, and thanks to all of YOU who support us! Speaking of give aways and support... We have 1 more package of Takakeisho retirement merch to give away at the end of January. You must be a monthly member to win. Become a monthly supporter https://ko-fi.com/sumokaboom BINGO! More about Sumo Kaboom and our BINGO game at www.sumokaboom.com We play Sumo BINGO every basho, and it's always free. We give away sumo merch to our winners with the help of our sponsors Big Sumo Fan and Cheeky Sumo. • Bigsumofan.com is an online sumo merch store based in US, and they ship to over 30 countries. www.bigsumofan.com • Cheeky Sumo is an online sumo-inspired apparel and merch company that aims to celebrate, educate, and support the sumo community with cheeky designs and training gear. Laugh at their fun graphics and proudly rep your sumo spirit - because sumo's got more than just power - it's got personality! www.cheekysumo.com • Support us Ko-fi https://ko-fi.com/sumokaboom Twitter @SumoKaboom Instagram https://www.instagram.com/sumokaboom/ Facebook https://www.facebook.com/SumoKaboom/ YouTube https://www.youtube.com/c/SumoKaboomPodcast • Check out our Sumo Kaboom tshirts and sweatshirts at Bonfire.com/sumokaboom • Ever wonder where we get our research? Check out the Show Notes section of our website. • Please follow, like or send us a review. It all helps! Thank you so much!
In this episode of Excess Returns, we sit down with TG Macro founder Tony Greer to explore why markets are increasingly signaling a loss of faith in institutions and what that means for investors heading into 2026. Tony lays out a framework that connects inflation, central bank credibility, political risk, global regime change, and shifting consumer behavior into a coherent macro narrative. From gold and precious metals to miners, commodities, cyclicals, and the evolving role of AI, this conversation bridges big-picture macro themes with actionable market insights for both traders and long-term investors.Topics covered:• Why gold is rallying as trust in institutions erodes• Central banks, inflation, and the long-term consequences of monetary policy• The shift from a 60-40 portfolio to alternatives and real assets• Precious metals versus technology leadership in a changing market regime• Gold miners, industrial miners, and uranium as core themes• Consumer inflation, food prices, and purchasing power on Main Street• Big Food, Big Pharma, and the broader trust breakdown• Legal, political, and geopolitical risks shaping investor behavior• The end of globalization and the rise of domestic supply chains• Copper, energy, and natural resources in an economic recovery• AI, semiconductors, and signs of a leadership transition• Prediction markets and new tools for understanding market expectations• Financials, airlines, and overlooked cyclical opportunities• How to think about risk management when macro regimes changeTimestamps:00:00 Introduction and the collapse of trust in institutions02:00 Why gold is responding to credibility loss, not fear05:00 Central banks, inflation, and monetary excess08:20 Purchasing power and real-world inflation pressures11:00 Big Food, Big Pharma, and consumer awareness14:00 Healthcare, fraud, and institutional breakdown16:30 Legal system risk and political credibility18:30 Global factors, sanctions, and the shift away from globalization21:00 Precious metals, miners, and natural resource leadership25:00 The three mining themes driving performance29:00 Stocks and gold rising together in a new regime32:00 Gold market structure and long-term trend analysis36:00 Japan, global bond markets, and gold demand39:00 Investing versus trading precious metals43:00 Copper, supply chains, and tech partnerships47:00 AI leadership, capital rotation, and market risk51:00 Financials, airlines, and cyclical signals57:30 What would break the thesis and risk management signals
Darrin Doyle was born in Saginaw, Michigan. He has worked as a paperboy, a janitor, a mover, a telemarketer, a door-to-door salesman, a Kinko's Copy Consultant, a porn store clerk, a pizza delivery guy, a prep cook, a magazine store clerk, a technical writer, a freelance newspaper writer, an English teacher in Japan, and finally, a professor and an author.Darrin has a brown belt in Tae Kwon Do and wishes he had stuck with it a little longer to get the danged black belt.Darrin hoards and plays lots of musical instruments: guitar, piano, drums, mandolin, banjo, bass, ukelele, and a diatonic 4-string stick dulcimer.He lives in Mount Pleasant, Michigan and teaches at Central Michigan University.He knows what skeletons do.This is something rather than nothing
S&P futures is up +0.2% and pointing to a higher open today. Asian equities closed broadly higher Tuesday. SK Hynix has emerged as the exclusive supplier of HBM chips for Microsoft's Maia 200 AI chip, driving outsized gains in South Korea's markets. Japan's Nikkei was also higher on strength in exporters, while the Hang Seng led Greater China market gains. European markets are also higher in early trading. Companies Mentioned: Meta, SK Hynix, Ford, General Motors
Tim Ferriss is the author of five #1 New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestsellers, including The 4-Hour Workweek, The 4-Hour Body, and The 4-Hour Chef. His podcast, The Tim Ferriss Show, has surpassed one billion downloads and is widely regarded as the “Oprah of audio.” Named as one of Fortune's “40 Under 40,” Tim is an early-stage technology investor/advisor (Uber, Facebook, Shopify, Duolingo, Alibaba, and 50+ others) and was ranked among the “Top 20 Angel Investors” by Forbes. A Princeton University graduate (BA 2000, East Asian Studies), Tim is a polyglot who speaks five languages to different degrees, a national Chinese kickboxing champion, the first American in history to hold a Guinness World Record in tango spins, and a practiced horseback archer (yabusame) in Japan. His business ventures include bootstrapping a nootropics company (BrainQUICKEN) to millions in revenue before selling it in 2010, launching the audiobook imprint Tim Ferriss Publishing with Amazon Audible (responsible for modern classics like Ego Is the Enemy and The Obstacle Is the Way), and co-creating the hit card game COYOTE (2025) with Exploding Kittens creator Elan Lee—now sold in over 8,000 stores worldwide including Target, Walmart, and Amazon. Known for normalizing vulnerability while achieving massive success, Tim pioneered the remote-work and lifestyle-design movements pre-pandemic, popularized biohacking, and has served as an advisor at Singularity University and a 2009 Henry Crown Fellow at the Aspen Institute. Shawn Ryan Show Sponsors: Upgrade your wallet today and get 10% off at Ridge with code SRS at https://www.Ridge.com/SRS #Ridgepod Go to https://shopbeam.com/SRS and use code SRS to get up to 50% off Beam Dream Nighttime Cocoa—grab it for just $32.50 and improve your sleep today. Sign up for your $1 per month trial and start selling today at https://shopify.com/srs Tim Ferriss Links: The No Book free chapters - https://tim.blog/nobook Everything Tim – https://tim.blog Podcast – https://tim.blog/podcast X – https://x.com/tferriss Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/timferriss YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/timferriss COYOTE Game – https://www.explodingkittens.com/products/coyote Books - https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B001ILKBW2/allbooks Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
President Trump says his administration is "reviewing everything" as outrage grows over the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti by US federal immigration agents. State and federal officials have provided conflicting accounts of the moments prior to his death. Also: a huge winter storm in the United States leaves more than a million households and businesses in the United States without power; Interpol is accused of not doing enough to stop Russia pursuing its political opponents abroad; thousands of people have queued at a zoo in Japan to see the country's final two giant pandas before they leave for China on Tuesday; and we look back at the life of BBC Delhi correspondent Mark Tully, who has died at the age of 90.The Global News Podcast brings you the breaking news you need to hear, as it happens. Listen for the latest headlines and current affairs from around the world. Politics, economics, climate, business, technology, health – we cover it all with expert analysis and insight. Get the news that matters, delivered twice a day on weekdays and daily at weekends, plus special bonus episodes reacting to urgent breaking stories. Follow or subscribe now and never miss a moment. Get in touch: globalpodcast@bbc.co.uk
Today, we welcome Greig Watts, a powerhouse in songwriting, publishing, and music development. Greig is one-third of the internationally successful songwriting and publishing team DWB, known for selling millions of units worldwide and for pioneering early breakthroughs in markets like Japan and South Korea long before the global rise of J-Pop and K-Pop.Greig's Website @greigwatts on Instagram Greig's Facebook page Greig's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/greigwatts/For songwriters who feel stuck, discouraged, or tired of rejection, his mission: help creators overcome setbacks, rediscover joy, and keep fighting for the dream that first sparked their love of music. Greig has captured decades of experience—and the heart of his creative philosophy—in his bestselling book, Keeping the Dream Alive. It's part memoir, part guide, and part rallying cry.He's overseen 16 Eurovision entries in 10 consecutive years, coached dozens of successful writers, spoken at industry conferences from Moscow to Taiwan to Amsterdam, served as a BBC Music Consultant, and mentored songwriters around the world.From Almost Quitting to International SuccessGreig, your book opens with a vulnerable story—by 2003 you almost walked away from music entirely. What helped you turn rejection into fuel instead of failure, and how did that turning point shape the book Keeping the Dream Alive?The Mindset of PersistenceYou say showing up matters more than talent. What does “showing up” actually look like for songwriters—and how can creatives overcome procrastination, self-doubt, and the belief that they're not good enough? What's the secret to finishing songs instead of endlessly rewriting them?Protecting Creativity While Treating Music as a BusinessYou're very honest that loving music isn't enough—you also have to monetize it to keep going. How can songwriters protect their creativity from burnout while still building a viable career in an intensely competitive industry?Finding Success in Unexpected PlacesYou and DWB broke into Japan and Korea long before most UK or US writers even knew those markets existed. You also helped make Eurovision songwriting camps what they are today. How has seeking out “the niche” shaped your creative and business success?Mentorship, Neurodiversity & Keeping the Dream AliveYou've launched courses supporting songwriters—including neurodiverse creatives—and you speak often about defending the underdog. How do you help writers identify their strengths, build a supportive team, and keep the dream alive even when people around them doubt them? Greig, for any songwriter listening who feels like their dream is slipping away—what's the one thing you want them to hear today?”Book link for listeners:https://www.amazon.co.uk/Keeping-Dream-Alive-Songwriters-Overcoming/dp/195725551XThanks to our sponsor, White Cloud Coffee—fueling creative conversations everywhere. Listeners, enjoy 10% off your first order at
Subscribe to Throwing Fits on Patreon. Our interview with Keith Henry is for all the crodies. Keith—the designer and founder of Henry's—was kind enough to take some time out of his trip to NYC to chat with us about his mastery of Toronto slang and accents, working in the OVO trenches, what it's like running a one man brand and why that has to change immediately, it all started with pants, high-end workwear for white collar workers, how to handle being ripped off, 2026 denim predictions and inside the mind of today's denimheads, the Canadian menswear wave, how he just spent nearly two months in Japan, being so broke you can't afford windows, his lore as Canada's most popping skate photographer, only collecting vintage you can actually wear, and much more on Keith Henry's interview with The Only Podcast That Matters™.
Analysts are calling it China's biggest military purge in roughly half a century: President Xi Jinping has placed his second-in-command, China's top general, under investigation. Also, the Israeli government announced today it had found and recovered the remains of the final Israeli hostage. And, seven Japanese American soldiers are being promoted to officer ranks, eight decades after they died fighting for the US. Plus, Japan is without pandas for the first time since 1972! Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Keith challenges the usual "overpopulated vs. underpopulated" debate and shows why that's the wrong way to think about demographics—especially if you're a real estate investor. Listeners will hear about surprising global population comparisons that flip common assumptions. Why raw population numbers don't actually explain housing shortages or rent strength. How household formation, aging, and migration really drive demand for rentals. Which kinds of markets tend to see persistent housing pressure—and why the US has a long‑term demographic edge. You'll come away seeing population headlines very differently, and with a clearer lens for spotting where future housing demand is most likely to show up. Episode Page: GetRichEducation.com/590 For access to properties or free help with a GRE Investment Coach, start here: GREmarketplace.com GRE Free Investment Coaching: GREinvestmentcoach.com Get mortgage loans for investment property: RidgeLendingGroup.com or call 855-74-RIDGE or e-mail: info@RidgeLendingGroup.com Invest with Freedom Family Investments. For predictable 10-12% quarterly returns, visit FreedomFamilyInvestments.com/GRE or text 1-937-795-8989 to speak with a freedom coach Will you please leave a review for the show? I'd be grateful. Search "how to leave an Apple Podcasts review" For advertising inquiries, visit: GetRichEducation.com/ad Best Financial Education: GetRichEducation.com Get our wealth-building newsletter free— GREletter.com Our YouTube Channel: www.youtube.com/c/GetRichEducation Follow us on Instagram: @getricheducation Complete episode transcript: Keith Weinhold 0:01 Keith, welcome to GRE. I'm your host. Keith Weinhold, is the world overpopulated or underpopulated? Also is the United States over or underpopulated? These are not just rhetorical questions, because I'm going to answer them both. Just one of Africa's 54 nations has more births than all of Europe and Russia combined. One US state has seen their population decline for decades. This is all central to housing demand today. On get rich education Keith Weinhold 0:36 since 2014 the powerful get rich education podcast has created more passive income for people than nearly any other show in the world. This show teaches you how to earn strong returns from passive real estate investing in the best markets without losing your time being a flipper or landlord. Show Host Keith Weinhold writes for both Forbes and Rich Dad advisors, and delivers a new show every week since 2014 there's been millions of listener downloads of 188 world nations. He has a list show guests include top selling personal finance author Robert Kiyosaki. Get rich education can be heard on every podcast platform, plus it has its own dedicated Apple and Android listener phone apps build wealth on the go with the get rich education podcast. Sign up now for the get rich education podcast, or visit get rich education.com Speaker 1 1:21 You're listening to the show that has created more financial freedom than nearly any show in the world. This is get rich education. Keith Weinhold 1:31 Welcome to GRE from Norfolk Virginia to Norfolk, Nebraska and across 188 nations worldwide, you are inside. Get rich education. I am the GRE founder, Best Selling Author, longtime real estate investor. You can see my written work in Forbes and the USA Today, but I'm best known as the host of this incomprehensibly slack John operation that you're listening to right now. My name is Keith Weinhold. You probably know that already, one reason that we're talking about underpopulated versus overpopulated today is that also one of my degrees is in geography and demography, essentially, is human geography, and that's why this topic is in my wheelhouse. It's just a humble bachelor's degree, by the way, if a population is not staying stable or growing, then demand for housing just must atrophy away. That's what people think, but that is not true. That's oversimplified. In some cases. It might even be totally false. You're going to see why. Now, Earth's population is at an all time high of about 8.2 billion people, and it keeps growing, and it's going to continue to keep growing, but the rate of growth is slowing now. Where could all of the people on earth fit? This is just a bit of a ridiculous abstraction in a sense, but I think it helps you visualize things. Just take this scenario, if all the humans were packed together tightly, but in a somewhat realistic way, in a standing room only way, if every person on earth stood shoulder to shoulder, that would allow about 2.7 square feet per person, they would sort of be packed like a subway car. Well, they could fit in a square, about 27 kilometers on one side, about 17 miles on each side of that square. Now, what does that mean in real places that is smaller than New York City, about half the size of Los Angeles County and roughly the footprint of Lake Tahoe? So yes, every human alive today could physically fit inside one midsize us metro area. This alone tells you something important. The world's problem is certainly not a lack of space. Rather, it's where people live and not how many there are. So that was all of Earth's inhabitants. Now, where could all Americans fit us residents using the same shoulder to shoulder assumption, and the US population by mid year this year is supposed to be about 350,000,00349 that's a square about five and a half kilometers, or 3.4 miles on each side. And some real world comparisons there are. That's about half of Manhattan, smaller than San Francisco and roughly the size of Disney World, so every American could fit into a single small city footprint. And if you're beginning to form an early clue that we are not overpopulated globally, yes, that's the sense that you Should be getting. Keith Weinhold 5:01 now, if you're in Bangladesh, it feels overpopulated there. They've got 175 million people, and that nation is only the size of Iowa. In area, Bangladesh is low lying and typhoon prone. They get a lot of flooding, which complicates their already bad sanitation problems and a dense population like that, and that creates waterborne diseases, and it's really more of an infrastructure problem in a place like Bangladesh than it is a population problem. Then Oppositely, you've got Australia as much land as the 48 contiguous states, yet just 27 million people in Australia, and only 1/400 as many people as Bangladesh in density. Now we talk about differential population. About 80% of Americans live in the eastern half of the US. But yet, the East is not overpopulated because we have sufficient infrastructure, and I've got some more mind blowing population stats for you later, both world and us. Now, as far as is the world overpopulated or underpopulated, which is our central question, depending on who you ask and where they live, you're going to hear completely different answers. Some people are convinced that the planet is bursting at the seams. Others warn that we're headed for a population collapse. But here's the problem, that question overpopulated or underpopulated, it's the wrong question. It's the wrong framing, especially if you're into real estate, because housing demand doesn't respond to total headcount or global averages or scary demographic headlines. Housing demand responds to where people live, how old they are, and how they form households. And once you understand this, a lot of things suddenly begin to make sense, like why housing shortages persist, why rents stay high, even when affordability feels stretched, why some states struggle while others boom, and why population headlines often mislead investors. Keith Weinhold 7:20 So today I want to reframe how you think about population and connect it directly to housing demand, both globally and right here in the United States. And let's start with the US, because that's probably where you invest. Keith Weinhold 7:33 Here's a simple fact that should confuse people, but usually doesn't, the United States has below replacement fertility. I'll talk about fertility rates a little later. They're similar to birth rates, meaning that Americans are not having enough children to replace the population naturally and without immigration, the US population would eventually shrink, and yet in the US, we have a housing shortage, rising rents, tight vacancy and a lot of metros and persistent demand for rental housing, which could all seem contradictory. Now, if population alone determine housing demand, well, then the US really shouldn't have any housing shortage at all, but it does so clearly, population alone is not the main driver, and really that contradiction is like your first clue that most demographic conversations are just missing the point. Aging does not reduce housing demand. The way that people think a misconception really is that an aging population automatically reduces housing demand. It does not, in fact, just the opposite. If a population is too young, well, that tends to kill housing demand, and that's because five year old kids and 10 year old kids do not form their own household. Instead, what an aging population often does is change the type of housing that's demanded, like seniors aging in place, some of them downsizing. Seniors living alone. Sometimes after a spouse passes away, others relocating closer to health care or to family. So aging can increase unit demand even if population growth slows. So already, we've broken two myths here. Slower population doesn't mean weaker housing demand, and aging doesn't mean fewer housing units are needed. Now let's explain why. Really, the core idea that unlocks everything is that people don't live inside, what are called Population units. They live in households. You are one person. That does not mean that your dwelling is then one population unit. That's not how that works. You are part of a household, whether that's a house a Household of one person or five or 11 people, housing demand is driven by the number of households, the type of households and where those households are forming, not by raw population totals. So the same population can have wildly different demand. Just think about how five people living together in one home, that's one housing unit, those same five people living separately, that is five housing units, same population, five times the housing demand. And this is why population statistics alone are almost useless for real estate investors, you need to know how people are living, not just how many there are. The biggest surge in housing demand happens when people leave their parents' homes or when they finish school or when they start working, or you got big surges in housing demand when people marry or when they separate or divorce. So in other words, adults create housing demand and children don't. And this is why a country with a youngish, working age population, oh, then they can have exploding housing demand. A country with high birth rates, but low household formation can have overcrowding without profitable housing growth. So it's not about babies, it's about independent adults, and what quietly boosts housing demand, then is housing fragmentation. Yeah, fragmentation. That's a trend that really doesn't get enough attention, and that is the trend, households are fragmenting, meaning more single adults later marriage, like I was talking about in a previous episode. Recently, higher divorce rates, more people living alone and older adults living independently, longer. Each one of those trends increases housing demand without adding any population whatsoever. When two people split up, they often need two housing units instead of one, and if you've got one adult living alone, that is full unit demand right there. So that's why housing demand can rise even when population growth slows or stalls for housing demand. What matters more than births is migration. And another key distinction is that, yes, births matter, but they're on somewhat of this 20 year delay and migration matters immediately, right now. So see, when a working age adult moves, they need housing right away. They typically rent first. They cluster near jobs, and they don't bring housing supply along with them. They've got to get it from someone else. Hopefully you in your rental unit. Keith Weinhold 12:57 This is why migration is such a powerful force in rental markets, and you see me talk about migration on the show, and you see me send you migration maps in our newsletter. It's also why housing pressure shows up unevenly. It gets concentrated around opportunity. If you want to know the future, look at renters. Renters are the leading indicator, not homeowners and not birth rates. See renters create housing demand faster than homeowners, because renters form households earlier. They can do it quickly because they don't need down payments. Renters move more frequently and immigration overwhelmingly starts in rentals, fresh immigrants rarely become homeowners, so even when mortgage rates rise or home purchases slow or affordability headlines get scary, rental demand can stay strong. It's not a mystery, it's demographics. So births surely matter, but only over the long term. It's like how I've shared with you in a previous episode that the US had a lot of births between 1990 and 2010 those two decades, a surge of births more than 4 million every single one of those years during those two decades, with that peak birth year at 2007 but see a bunch of babies being born in 2007 Well, that didn't make housing demand surge, since infants don't buy homes. But if you add, say, 20 years to 2007 when those people start renting, oh, well, that rental demand peaks in 2027 or maybe a little after that, and since the first time, homebuyer age is now 40. If that stays constant, well, then native born homebuyer demand won't peak until 2047 so when it comes to housing demand, the important thing to remember is migration has an immediate effect and births have a delayed effect. Keith Weinhold 15:02 and I'm going to talk more about other nations shortly, but the US has two major migration forces working simultaneously, domestic and international migration. I mean, Americans move a lot, although not as much as they used to, and people move for jobs, for taxes, for weather, for cost of living and for lifestyle. So this creates state level winners and losers, and Metro level housing pressure and rent growth in those destination markets and national population averages totally hide this. So that's domestic migration. And then on the international migration. The US has a long history, hundreds of years now on, just continually attracting working age adults from around the world. This matters immensely, because they arrive ready to work, and they form households quickly. They overwhelmingly rent first. They concentrate in metros, and this props up rental demand before it ever shows up in home prices. And this is why investors often feel the rent pressure first those rising rents. Keith Weinhold 16:17 I've got more straight ahead, including Nigeria versus Europe, and what about the overpopulation straining the environment? If you like, episodes that explain why housing behaves the way it does, rather than just reacting to the headlines. You'll want to be on my free weekly newsletter. I break down demographics, housing, demand, inflation, investor trends and real estate strategy in plain English, often complemented with maps. You can join free at greletter.com that's gre letter.com Keith Weinhold 16:53 mid south homebuyers with over two decades as the nation's highest rated turnkey provider, their empathetic property managers use your return on investment as their North Star. It's no wonder smart investors line up to get their completely renovated income properties like it's the newest iPhone headquartered in Memphis, with their globally attractive cash flows, mid south has an A plus rating with the Better Business Bureau and 4000 houses renovated. There is zero markup on maintenance. Let that sink in, and they average a 98.9% occupancy rate with an industry leading three and a half year average renter term. Every home they offer you will have brand new components, a bumper to bumper, one year warranty, new 30 year roofs. And wait for it, a high quality renter in an astounding price range, 100 to 150k GET TO KNOW mid south enjoy cash flow from day one at mid southhomebuyers.com that's midsouthhomebuyers.com Keith Weinhold 17:54 you know, most people think they're playing it safe with their liquid money, but they're actually losing savings accounts and bonds don't keep up when true inflation eats six or 7% of your wealth. Every single year, I invest my liquidity with FFI freedom family investments in their flagship program. Why fixed 10 to 12% returns have been predictable and paid quarterly. There's real world security backed by needs based real estate like affordable housing, Senior Living and health care. Ask about the freedom flagship program when you speak to a freedom coach there, and that's just one part of their family of products, they've got workshops, webinars and seminars designed to educate you before you invest. Start with as little as 25k and finally, get your money working as hard as you do. Get started at Freedom, family investments.com/gre, or send a text. Now it's 1-937-795-8989Yep. Text their freedom coach directly again. 1937795, 1-937-795-8989, Keith Weinhold 19:05 the same place where I get my own mortgage loans is where you can get yours. Ridge lending group and MLS, 42056, they provided our listeners with more loans than anyone because they specialize in income properties. They help you build a long term plan for growing your real estate empire with leverage. Start your prequel and even chat with President chailey Ridge personally while it's on your mind, start at Ridge lending group.com that's Ridge lending group.com Chris Martenson 19:37 this is peak prosperity. Is Chris Martinson. Listen to get rich education with Keith Weinhold, and don't quit your Daydream. Keith Weinhold 19:53 Welcome back to get rich Education. I'm your host, Keith Weinhold, and this is episode 590 yes, we're in my Geography wheelhouse today, as I'm talking human geography and demographics with how it relates to housing, while answering our central question today is the world and the US overpopulated or underpopulated? And now that we understand some mechanics here, let's go global. Here's one of the most mind bending stats in all of demographics. Are you ready for this? When you hear this, it's going to have you hitting up chat, GPT, looking it up. It's going to be so astonishing. So jaw dropping. Every year, Nigeria has more births than all of Europe plus all of Russia combined. Would you talk about Willis? Keith Weinhold 20:47 Yeah, yes, you heard that, right? Willis, that's what I'm talking about. Willis. The source of that data is, in fact, from the United Nations. Yes, Nigeria has seven and a half million births every year. Compare that to all of Europe plus Russia combined, they only have about 6.3 million births per year. So you're telling me that today, just one West African nation, and there are 54 nations in Africa. Just one West African nation produces more babies than the entire continent of Europe, with all of its nations plus all of Russia, the largest world nation by area. Yes, that is correct. One country in Africa produces more babies every year than France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the UK, all of Europe, including all the Eastern European nations, and all of Russia combined. This is a demographic reality, and now you probably already know that less developed nations, like Nigeria have higher birth rates than wealthier, more developed ones like France or Switzerland. I mean, that's almost common knowledge, but something that people think about less is that poorer nations also have a larger household size, which sort of makes sense when you think about it. In fact, Nigeria has five persons per household. Spain has two and a half, and the US also has that same level two and a half. That one difference alone explains why population growth and housing demand are completely different stories now, the US had 3.3 people per household in 1950 and it's down to that two and a half today. That means that even if the population stayed the same, the housing demand would rise. And this is evidence of what I talked about before the break, that households are fragmenting within the US. You can probably guess which state has the largest household size due to their Mormon population. It's Utah at 3.1 the smallest is Maine at 2.3 they have an older population. In fact, Maine has America's oldest population. And as you can infer with what you've learned now, the fact that they have just 2.3 people per household means that if their populations were the same. Maine would need more housing units than Utah. By the way, if you're listening closely at times, I have referred to the United States as simply America. Yes, I am American. You are going to run into some people out there that don't like it. When US residents call themselves Americans, they say something like, Hey, you need a geography lesson. America runs from Nunavut all the way down to Argentina. Here's what to tell them. No, look, there are about 200 world nations. There is only one that has the word America in it, that is the United States of America that usually makes them lighten up. That is why I am an American, not a Peruvian or Bolivian, and there's no xenophobic connotation whatsoever. There are more productive things to think about moving on. Why births matter is because births today become future workers, renters, consumers and even migrants. But not evenly. Young populations move toward a few things. They're attracted to capital. They move towards stability. They're attracted to opportunity, and young populations move toward infrastructure. That's not ideology, that's the gravity and the US remains one of the strongest gravity wells on Earth, a big magnet, a big attractant. Now it's sort of interesting. I know a few a People that believe that the world is indeed overpopulated, they often tend to be environmental enthusiasts, and the environment is a concern, for sure, but how big of a concern is it? That's the debatable part. And you know, it's funny, I've run into the same people that think that the world is overpopulated, they seem to lament at school closures. You see more school closures because just there weren't as many children that were born after the global financial crisis. And these people that are afraid we have an overpopulation problem call school closures a sad phenomenon. They think it's sad. Well, if you want a shrinking population, then you're going to see a lot more than just schools close so many with environmental concerns, though. The thing is, is that they seem to discount the fact that humans innovate. More than 200 years ago, Thomas Malthus, he famously failed. He wrote a book, thinking that the global population would exceed what he called his carrying capacity, meaning that we wouldn't be able to feed everybody. He posited that, look, this is a problem. Populations grow exponentially, but food production only grows linearly. But he was wrong, because, due to agricultural innovation, we have got too many calories in most places. Few people thought this many humans could live in the United States, Sonoran and Mojave deserts, that's Phoenix in Las Vegas, respectively. But our ability to recycle and purify water allows millions of people to live there. So my point about running out of resources is that history shows us that humans are a resource ourselves, and we keep finding ways to innovate, or keep finding ways to actually not need that rare earth element or whatever it is now, if the earth warms too much from human related activity, can we cool it off again? And how much of a problem is this? I am not sure, and that goes beyond the scope of our show. But the broader point here is that history shows us that humans keep figuring things out, and that is somewhat of an answer to those questions. The world is not overpopulated, it is unevenly populated. Some regions are young, others are growing, others are capital constrained, and then other regions are aging, shrinking and capital rich. And that very imbalance right there is what fuels migration and fuels labor flows and fuels housing demand in destination countries and the US benefits from this imbalance. Unlike almost anywhere else in the world, it's a demographic magnet. Yes, you do have some smaller ones out there, like Dubai, for example. Keith Weinhold 28:04 But why? Why do we keep attracting immigrants? Well, we've got strong labor markets, capital availability, property rights, economic mobility, and US has existing housing stock. Countries today don't just compete for capital, they're competing for people. In the US keeps attracting working age adults, and that is exactly the demographic that creates housing demand, and this is why long term housing demand in the US is more resilient than a lot of people think. In fact, the US population of about 350 million. This year, it's projected to peak at about 370 million, near 2080 and of course, the big factor that makes that pivot is that level of immigration. So that's why the population projections vary now. The last presidential administration allowed for a lot of immigrants. The current one few immigrants, and the next one, nobody knows. You've got a group called the falconist party that calls for increased legal immigration into the US. Yeah, they want to allow more migrants into the country, but yet they want to enforce illegal immigration. That sounds just like it's spelled, F, A, L, C, O, N, i, s, t, the falconist Party, but the us's magnetic effect to keep driving population growth through immigration is key, because you might already know that 2.1 is the magic number you need a fertility rate of at least 2.1 to maintain a population fertility rate that is the average number of children that a woman is expected to have over her lifetime. And be sure you don't confuse these numbers with the earlier numbers of people per. Per household, like I discussed earlier, although higher fertility rates are usually going to lead to more people per household, India's fertility rate is already down to 2.0 Yes, it is the most populated nation in the world, but since women, on average, only have two children, India is already below replacement fertility. The US and Australia are each at 1.6 Japan is just 1.2 China's is down to 1.0 South Korea's is at an incredibly low seven tenths of one, so 0.7 in South Korea, and then Nigeria's is still more than four. So among all those that I mentioned, only Nigeria is above the replacement rate of 2.1 and most of the nations above that rate are in Africa. Israel is a big outlier at 2.9 you've got others in the Middle East and South Asia that are above replacement rate as well. And when I say things like it's still up there, that whole still thing refers to the fact that there is this tendency worldwide for society to urbanize and have fewer children. For those fertility rates to keep falling. And that's why the future population growth is about which nations attract immigrants, and that is the US. Is huge advantage. Now there's a great way to look at where future births are going to come from. A way to do this is consider your chance of being born on each continent in the year 2100 This is interesting. In the year 2100 a person has a 48% chance of being born in Africa, 38% in South Asia, in the Middle East, 5% South America, 5% in Europe or Russia, 4% in North America, and less than 1% in Australia. Those are the chances of you being born on each of those continents in the year 2100 and that sourced by the UN. Keith Weinhold 32:09 the world population is, as I said earlier, about 8.2 billion, and it's actually expected to peak around the same time that the US population is in the 2080s and that'll be near 10 point 3 billion. All right, so both the world and the US population should rise for another 50 to 60 years. Let's talk about population winners and losers inside the US. I mean, this is where population conversations really become useful for investors, because population doesn't matter nationally that much. It really matters locally, unevenly and sometimes it almost feels unfairly. So let me give you some perspective shifting stats. I think I shared with you when I discussed new New York City Mayor Zoran Manami here on the show a month or two ago, that the New York City Metro Area has over 20 million people, nearly double the combined population of Arizona and Nevada together, yes, just one metro area, the same as Two entire sparsely populated states. So when someone says people are leaving New York I mean that tells you almost nothing, unless you know where they're going. How many are still arriving in New York City to replace those leaving, and how many households are still forming inside that Metro? The household formation so scale matters, however, net, people are not leaving New York. New York City recently had more in migration than any other US Metro. Some states are practically empty. Alaska or take Wyoming. Wyoming has fewer than 600,000 people in the entire state. That's fewer people than a lot of single US cities. That's only about six people per square mile. In Wyoming, that's about the population of one midsize Metro suburb. Now, when someone says the US has plenty of land in a lot of cases, they're right. I mean, just look out the window when you fly over Wyoming or the Dakotas. But people don't really live where land is cheap. They actually don't want to. Most of the time. They live where jobs, incomes and their networks already exist. You know, the wealthy guy that retires to Wyoming and it has a 200 acre ranch is an outlier. There's a reason he can sprawl out and make it 200 acres. There's virtually nobody there. Let's understand too that population loss, that doesn't mean that demand is gone, but it does change the rules, especially when you think about a place like West Virginia. They have lost population in most decades since the 1950s and incredibly, their population is lower today than it was in 1930 we're talking about West Virginia statewide. They have an aging population. West Virginia has an outmigration of young adults. So this doesn't mean that no real estate works in West Virginia, but it means that appreciation stories are fragile. Income matters more than equity. Growth and demographics are a headwind, not a tailwind. That's a very different investment posture than where you usually want to be. It's important to understand that a handful of metros, just a handful, are absorbing massive national growth. And here's something that a lot of investors underestimate. About half of all US, population growth flows into fewer than 15 metro areas, and it's not just New York City, Houston, Miami, but smaller places like Jacksonville, Austin and Raleigh, and that really helps pump their real estate market. So that means demand concentrates, housing pressure intensifies, and rent growth becomes pretty sticky, unless you wildly overbuild for a short period of time like Austin did, and this is why some metros just feel perpetually tight over the long term, and others feel permanently sluggish. Population does not spread evenly. It piles up. In fact, Texas is a great case in point here. Understand that Texas is adding people faster than some entire nations do. Texas alone adds hundreds of 1000s of residents per year in strong cycles. Some years, they do add more people than entire small countries, more than several Midwest states combined. And of course, they don't spread evenly across Texas. They cluster in DFW, Houston, Austin and San Antonio, so pretty much the Texas triangle, and that clustering fact is everything for housing demand, yet at the same time, there are fully 75 Texas counties that are losing population, typically out in West Texas. Then there's Florida. Florida isn't just growing. It's replacing people. Florida's growth. It's not just net positive, it's replacement migration, and it's across all different types and ages. You've got retirees arriving, you've got young workers arriving, you've got young households forming, and you've got seniors aging in place. So this way, among a whole spectrum of ages, you've got demand for rentals, workforce housing, age specific, housing and multifamily all in Florida, and this is why Florida housing demand over the long term is not going to cool off the way that a few skeptics expect. Now, of course, some areas did temporarily overbuild in Florida in the years following the pandemic. Yes, that's led to some temporary Florida home price attrition, but that is going to be absorbed. California did not empty out. It reshuffled now. There were some recent years where California lost net population, but here's what that hides. Some metros lost residents. Others stayed flat. You had some income brackets that left California and others arrived. In fact, California has slight population growth today overall, so housing demand definitely did not vanish. It shifted within the state and then outward to nearby states, and that's how Arizona, Nevada and Texas benefited. But overall, California's population count, really, it's just pretty steady, not declining. Keith Weinhold 39:05 population density. It's that density that predicts rent pressure better than growth rates. Do something really important for real estate investors. Dense metros absorb shocks better. They have less elastic housing supply, and they see faster rent rebounds. Sparse areas have cheaper land and easier supply expansion and weaker rent resilience. So that's why rents snap back faster in dense metros, and oversupply hurts more in spread out to regions. Density matters more than raw growth does. Shrinking states can still have tight housing I mean, some states lose population overall, but yet they still have housing shortages in certain metros, and you'll have tight rental markets near job centers, and you've got strong demand In limited sub markets, even if the state is shrinking. And I think you know this is why the slower growing Northeast and Midwest, they've had the highest home price appreciation in the past two years. There's not enough building there. If your population falls 1% but the available housing falls 2% well, you can totally get into a housing shortage situation, and that bids up real estate prices. And when people look at population charts on the state level, a lot of times, they still get misled. When you buy an investment property, you don't buy a state, you buy a specific market within it, so the United States is not full it is lopsided. The US is not overpopulated. It is heavily clustered. It's unevenly dense, and it's really driven by migration. And perhaps a better way to say it is that the US population is really opportunity concentrated housing demand follows jobs, networks, wages and migration flows. It sure does not follow empty land. And really the investor takeaway is, is that when you hear population stats, don't put too much weight on the question, is the population rising or falling? Although that's something you certainly want to know. Some better questions to ask are, where are households forming? Where are adults moving? Where is supply constrained? And where does income support, rent like those are, what four big questions there, because population alone does not create housing demand. It's households under constraint that do so. Our big arching overall question is the world overpopulated or underpopulated? The answer is neither. The world is unevenly populated. It's unevenly aged, and it's unevenly governed. And for real estate investors, the lesson is simple. You don't invest in population counts, you invest in household formation, age structure, migration and supply constraints. Really, that's a big learning summary for you, that's why housing demand can stay strong even when population growth slows. And once you understand that demographic headlines that seem scary aren't as scary, and they start to be more useful. Why I've wanted to do this overpopulated versus underpopulated episode for you for years. I've really thought about it for years. I really hope that you got something useful out of it. Let's be mindful of the context too. When it comes to the classic Adam Smith economics of supply demand, I've only discussed one side today, largely just the demand side and not the supply side so much that would involve a discussion about building and some more things that supply side. Now that I've helped you ask a better question about population and the future of housing demand, you might wonder where you can get better answers. Well, like I mentioned earlier, I provide a lot of that and help you make sense of it, both right here on this show and with my newsletter, geography is something that's more conducive and meaningful to you visually, that's often done with a map, and that's why my letter at greletter.com will help you more if you enjoy learning through maps, just like we've done every year since 2014 I've got 52 great episodes coming to you this year. If you haven't consider subscribing to the show until next week, I'm your host. Keith Weinhold, don't quit your Daydream. Speaker 2 43:57 Nothing on this show should be considered specific, personal or professional advice, please consult an appropriate tax, legal, real estate, financial or business professional for individualized advice. Opinions of guests are their own. Information is not guaranteed. All investment strategies have the potential for profit or loss. The host is operating on behalf of get rich Education LLC, exclusively you Keith Weinhold 44:25 The preceding program was brought to you by your home for wealth, building, get richeducation.com
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Last time we spoke about the Japanese invasion of Hainan. In early 1939, the Sino-Japanese War shifted from pitched battles to a grueling struggle over lifelines and logistics. Japan pursued a southward strategy (Nanshin-ron), aiming to choke Chinese resistance by isolating key railways and airbases. It seized Hainan in February to secure southern airfields and threaten Indochina routes, then targeted Nanchang to cut the vital Zhejiang–Jiangxi Railway, crippling Free China's eastern supply lines. The Japanese used a blended-arms approach: concentrated armor, air support, and amphibious and river operations, focusing on rapid, strategic breakthroughs rather than large-scale frontal assaults. China, though battered, relied on a reconstituted defense around Wuhan and Nanchang, with the Ninth War Zone under Xue Yue delaying Japanese advances and preserving critical corridors south of the Yangtze. The campaign highlighted the war's broader human and political dimensions: massive casualties, forced labor, and internal political fragility within the Kuomintang, even as both sides sought to outlast the other. #186 The Battle of Nanchang 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. For the Second Sino-Japanese War, 1939 marked a transition from broad occupation tactics to a focused, politically driven military strategy aimed at breaking Nationalist cohesion and isolating key nodes. After the January 11, 1938 Imperial Conference, Tokyo framed the China Conflict as a contest of endurance and political attrition: hold occupied territories as strategic assets, push a narrow operational corridor between Anqing, Xinyang, Yuezhou, and Nanchang, and treat the broader east-of-line spaces as pacified. The aim was to deny resources to Chiang Kai-shek's regime while awaiting a more opportune political rupture, instead of pursuing indiscriminate conquest. By October 1938, the tactical center of gravity shifted toward Wuhan and the Yangtze corridor. General Headquarters acknowledged the need to adapt to a protracted war: emphasize political strategy alongside combat operations, bolster a new regime in areas under pressure, and gradually erode Chongqing's moral and material resolve. This shift produced a dual track: reinforce a centralized, secure core while permitting peripheral fronts to be leveraged against Chongqing. In early 1939, Japan sought to consolidate gains through layered defenses and strategic war zones, aiming to blunt Chinese mobilization and disrupt critical logistics. The Ninth War Zone, commanded by Xue Yue, formed a defensive umbrella over Nanchang's northern approaches and the surrounding rail-and-river arteries. China's leadership, notably Chiang Kai-shek, pressed for preemption to seize the initiative: an ambitious plan from Xue Yue to strike by March 24, 1939, to prevent a river-crossing Japanese advance and to pin forces before they could entrench. Japan responded with Operation Ren, targeting the Zhejiang–Jiangxi Railway to sever lines of communication and isolate Nanchang. Okamura Yasuji reorganized heavy weapons into concentrated tank groups, supported by air power, while late-February 1939 movements staged feints and riverine maneuvers to complicate Chinese concentration around Nanchang. The objective was a rapid, surgical seizure of Nanchang to blind the southern airbase network, disrupt the critical rail spine, and push Chinese forces deeper inland, thereby tightening a blockade around southern China. Together, these shifts framed Nanchang not as an isolated objective but as the climactic hinge in a broader strategy of coercive pressure, air-ground mobility, and rail control. The city's fall would represent the culmination of a protracted contest to deny the Nationalist regime its logistical arteries and air superiority, paving the way for further Japanese consolidation and pressure along the Yangtze corridor. In the wake of the Japanese capture of Wuhan in late 1938, the city swiftly transformed into a pivotal stronghold for the Imperial Japanese Army. It became the new base for the 11th Army, occupying the former territories of the National Revolutionary Army's 5th and 9th War Zones. This shift not only consolidated Japanese control over central China but also positioned their forces to launch further offensives, exploiting the region's logistical and geographical advantages. As a key railway hub and the western terminus of the Zhejiang-Hunan Railway, Nanchang served as a vital supply artery connecting the Third and Ninth War Zones of the Nationalist forces. Its airfields further amplified its importance, posing a direct threat to Japanese shipping routes along the Yangtze River. Capturing Nanchang would sever Chinese supply lines, isolate key military districts, and pave the way for deeper incursions into southern China. Faced with this looming threat, the Nationalist government under Chiang Kai-shek moved quickly to reorganize its defenses in the 9th War Zone. General Chen Cheng retained his nominal position as commander in chief, but the actual operational reins were handed to General Xue Yue, a seasoned tactician known for his defensive prowess. This restructuring aimed to streamline command and bolster resistance, yet it was hampered by persistent logistical challenges that rendered many changes ineffective on the ground. As tensions escalated in early 1939, Chinese forces began amassing near Nanchang in preparation for the inevitable clash. Over 200,000 troops from 52 divisions were mobilized, drawing from units across the Hunan-Hubei-Jiangxi Border Area. This region alone housed more than 29 divisions organized into four army groups: the 1st, 19th, 30th, and 32nd. On paper, this formidable assembly included over 16,000 officers and 240,000 enlisted men, representing a significant concentration of Nationalist power. Leading this defensive effort was General Chen Cheng as the overarching commander in chief, with General Xue Yue stepping in as the acting commander to oversee day-to-day operations. Within this structure, the 19th Army Group stood out under the command of General Luo Zhuoying, supported by Lieutenant General Luo Weixong as his chief of staff. Luo Zhuoying, in particular, emerged as a central figure, assuming overall command for much of the ensuing Battle of Nanchang. His leadership would be tested against the relentless advance of the Japanese Eleventh Army, setting the stage for one of the bloodiest engagements of the war. In July 1938, during their offensive against Wuhan, Japanese forces attempted to advance toward Nanchang but were halted by Chinese defenders along the Xiushui River. The Chinese had established strong, fortified positions that effectively barred the Japanese path. The impasse endured for the rest of the year, with both armies locked in a standoff on opposite sides of the river. By March of 1939, the 11th Army led by General Okamura Yasuji, part of the Central China Expeditionary Army of General Hata Shunroku comprised 3 divisions, the 6th, 101st and 106th, roughly 120,000 men supported by 130 tanks and tankettes, 200 pieces of artillery, 30 warships with 50 motor boats, a battalion of SNLF and several air squadrons. On March 12, the Japanese Central China Expeditionary Army issued orders to its directly subordinate 116th Division. This division was commanded to dispatch two key detachments: the Ishihara Detachment and the Murai Detachment, the latter composed meticulously of five battalions drawn from the 119th Brigade. Their mission was to conduct a thorough search along the eastern shore of Poyang Lake, supported by naval vessels that patrolled the waters with menacing precision. The purpose was multifaceted: to safeguard the integrity of land and water transportation routes and to protect the left flank of the main Japanese force as it prepared for larger operations. By March 15, these detachments had advanced without encountering any resistance from the Chinese army, allowing them to conclude their search operation successfully. Following this, they deployed the necessary troops at key points along the route, establishing garrisons that would serve as footholds for future advances. This reconnaissance was no mere stroll; it was a calculated probe into enemy territory, drawing lessons from prior engagements like the grueling Battle of Xuzhou in 1938, where intelligence gathering had proven crucial to Japanese successes. The Japanese soldiers boots sank into the marshy banks of Poyang Lake, China's largest freshwater body, covering over 3,500 square kilometers and teeming with reeds that could hide ambushes. The lack of opposition allowed the Japanese to fortify their positions, setting the stage for the preemptive strikes that would follow. The tempo of battle quickened on March 17, 1939, as the Japanese army launched its preemptive attack, a move designed to seize the initiative and disrupt Chinese preparations. The very next day, on March 18, the Murai Detachment departed from Xingzi aboard warships, navigating the treacherous waters to land near Wucheng, approximately 30 kilometers northeast of Yongxiu. Their objective was to assault the Chinese defenders in this area, but they encountered fierce resistance from the Chinese 32nd Army and other supporting units, turning the landing into a brutal contest of wills. Concurrently, the main forces of the Japanese 101st and 106th Divisions, bolstered by their artillery and tank units, advanced methodically toward the north bank of the Xiushui River. They occupied their respective attack starting points with precision, after which the artillery units began conducting test firings and further reconnaissance to gauge the strength of Chinese defenses. This phase echoed the Japanese tactics employed in the Battle of Shanghai in 1937, where combined arms operations had overwhelmed urban defenses. A Chinese defender's recollection "We watched the enemy approach like a dark cloud, our rifles ready, knowing that the river would soon run red with the blood of brothers." The climax of preparation erupted at exactly 16:30 on March 20, when the Japanese 11th Army issued orders to the commander of the 6th Artillery Brigade. This commander was directed to orchestrate all available artillery to bombard the positions held by the Chinese 49th and 79th Armies on the south bank of the Xiushui River. What ensued was a pre-general offensive artillery barrage that endured for more than three grueling hours, incorporating a large number of poison gas shells, a heinous weapon that flouted international conventions like the Geneva Protocol of 1925. Many defenders' positions were utterly destroyed in this onslaught, and several officers and soldiers, including the valiant Wang Lingyun, commander of the 76th Division, were poisoned by the toxic fumes, suffering agonizing effects that highlighted the barbarity of chemical warfare. At precisely 19:30 that evening, the 106th Division commenced its forced crossing of the Xiushui River at Qiujin. Later, on the night of the 20th, the 101st Division also initiated its crossing north of Tujiabu. The Xiushui River, measuring about 30 meters in width, had swollen by approximately 3 meters due to continual heavy rains, rendering the crossing exceedingly difficult for the Japanese troops who battled against the raging currents. Nevertheless, the flooding had an unintended benefit for the invaders: many defender positions were inundated, and most water obstacles were washed away by the deluge. Leveraging this, the two Japanese divisions broke through the defenders' front lines and executed continuous night attacks, establishing a beachhead that extended 2 kilometers deep by dawn on the 21st. This foothold provided essential cover for Japanese engineers to construct pontoon bridges amid the chaos. At around 8 a.m., the Japanese tank group crossed these pontoon bridges and launched an attack on the Dongshan garrison from the front of the 106th Division, then proceeded to circle around toward Nanchang along the west side of Nanxun Road. Historian Rana Mitter aptly describes such river crossings as "desperate gambles where nature itself became a combatant," underscoring how environmental factors often tipped the scales in Sino-Japanese confrontations.Chiang Kai-shek, monitoring these developments from his command center, would have felt the weight of impending crisis. By 21:30 on March 22, the Japanese vanguard tank group had advanced to Fengxin and successfully occupied the Liaohe Bridge outside the South Gate. The sudden and ferocious tank attack caught the defending troops off guard, preventing them from withdrawing the 38 artillery pieces that had been deployed on the city's outskirts before they were forced into a hasty retreat. On March 23, the Japanese army fully occupied Fengxin. Simultaneously, a portion of the 101st Division launched a frontal assault along Nanxun Road. Under the protective cover of artillery, they crossed the Xiushui River and encountered fierce resistance from the Chinese 32nd Army at Tujiabu, resulting in a prolonged stalemate where neither side could gain a decisive advantage. Following the Japanese launch of their general offensive, the Guilin Headquarters of the National Government Military Commission, under Director Bai Chongxi, urgently ordered all units of the Ninth War Zone to hold their positions firmly on March 21. On the same day, Chiang Kai-shek telegraphed Gu Zhutong, commander-in-chief of the Third War Zone, with specific instructions to immediately transfer the 102nd Division to Nanchang to reinforce the city's defenses, placing it under the command of Luo Zhuoying, commander-in-chief of the 19th Army Group. He also ordered the 16th and 79th Divisions to proceed to Dongxiang and Jinxian, southeast of Nanchang, to guard the southern bank of Poyang Lake and provide support for operations in Nanchang. Simultaneously, he commanded the 19th Army Group to deploy approximately two divisions of its strongest forces to strike key enemy points in the rear, including Mahuiling, Ruichang, Jiujiang, and De'an, with the aim of sabotaging railways and highways, cutting off enemy rear-area transportation, and preventing reinforcements from reaching the front. However, due to poor communication, slow troop movements, and inadequate coordination among units, these ambitious plans were not implemented, and the battlefield situation had already undergone significant changes by the time adjustments could be made. On the 23rd, Chiang Kai-shek came to realize that the Japanese army was resolutely determined to capture Nanchang, and thus he conceived the strategic idea of inflicting heavy casualties on the enemy before potentially abandoning the city. He specifically telegraphed Xue Yue, commander-in-chief of the Ninth War Zone; Luo Zhuoying, commander-in-chief of the 19th Army Group; and Xiong Shihui, chairman of Jiangxi Province, with the following directive: "The key to this battle is not the gain or loss of Nanchang, but inflicting the greatest blow on the enemy. Even if Nanchang falls, all our armies should disregard everything and advance toward the designated targets, and decide on future operational plans in accordance with this policy." This telegram, preserved in wartime archives, exemplifies Chiang's shift toward a war of attrition, a tactic that would define much of China's resistance. On March 25, Chiang Kai-shek again telegraphed Bai Chongxi, Xue Yue, Luo Zhuoying, and Gu Zhutong, providing detailed instructions: "1. The main force of Luo's group should maintain focus on the Hunan-Jiangxi Highway, attack the enemy's right flank, and press them toward the Gan River. It is crucial to avoid having the main force operate with its back to the Gan River. (That is, the main force of the 19th Army Group should be moved to a mobile position west of the Gan River to avoid being forced to the Gan River and facing a decisive battle in an unfavorable situation.) 2. A necessary portion should be used to defend the Nanchang front. If necessary, resistance can be carried out gradually between the Fu and Gan Rivers to cover southern Jiangxi." On the very same day, the Japanese army defeated the 102nd Division, which had been reinforced from the Third War Zone, in engagements west of Nanchang. By March 26, the Japanese army had advanced to the vicinity of Shengmi Street on the left bank of the Gan River. They crossed the river that day, executing a maneuver to outflank Nanchang from the south and simultaneously cut off the Zhejiang-Jiangxi Railway, a critical supply line. The main force of the 101st Division also advanced to Shengmi Street via Wanbu and Huangxi on March 26, crossed the Gan River that evening, and launched a direct attack on Nanchang. Its 101st Brigade, moving along the Nanchang-Xuncheng Railway via Lehua and Jiaoqiao, reached the north bank of the Gan River northwest of Nanchang on the 26th. Upon discovering these Japanese advances, the 19th Army urgently ordered the 32nd Army to withdraw from Tujiabu on the Nanchang-Xuncheng Railway back to Nanchang to join the 102nd Division in defending the city. However, before the 32nd Army had fully withdrawn, the Japanese tank group and the 101st Brigade had already advanced to the Gan River bridges to the west and north of Nanchang, respectively. Although the defending forces managed to destroy the bridges to halt their progress west and north of the Gan River, the Japanese 101st Division had already penetrated into Nanchang from the south. The defenders found themselves outnumbered and with weak firepower compared to the invaders. After engaging in intense street fighting, they suffered heavy casualties and were ultimately ordered to retreat to Jinxian. On March 27, the Japanese 101st Division occupied Nanchang, marking a significant, albeit temporary, victory in their campaign. Eyewitness account "The city fell amid the thunder of guns and the wails of the wounded, a testament to the fragility of urban defenses against mechanized onslaught." Following the capture, on March 28, the Japanese 11th Army was ordered to ensure that the main force of the 101st Division would return to Nanchang and that the 106th Division would retake Fengxin, all in preparation for subsequent operations in Gao'an or areas west of Fengxin. By April 2, the Japanese army had occupied Gao'an City, further consolidating their hold on the region. Meanwhile the fighting extended to Wuning. Wuning is located on the north bank of the Xiushui River, approximately 80 kilometers west of the Nanchang-Jiujiang Railway. This position holds immense strategic importance, backed by the formidable Mufu Mountains, and serves as a key point on the left flank of the Ninth War Zone's defense line in northern Jiangxi. The forces deployed here included the 72nd and 78th Armies of the 30th Army Group, along with the 8th and 73rd Armies of the Hunan-Hubei-Jiangxi Border Advance Army, all positioned along both banks of the Xiushui River under the unified command of Wang Lingji, commander-in-chief of the 30th Army Group. To bolster the defense of Nanchang, the Nationalist Government's Military Commission devised a plan to send a powerful force eastward from Wuning toward Qiujin and De'an, with the intent of harassing the rear and flanks of the enemy advancing south along the Nanchang-Jiujiang Railway and disrupting their transportation networks. After carefully assessing the Chinese deployments and strategic intentions, the Japanese 11th Army also regarded Wuning as a crucial flank in its overall Nanchang campaign. Consequently, they dispatched their 6th Division to Wuning to contain and block the Chinese army, thereby ensuring the safety of its main force's right flank and facilitating the capture of Nanchang. On March 20, while the Japanese army was heavily engaged on the Nanxun Railway front, its 6th Division launched an attack westward along the north bank of the Xiushui River from Ruoxi (situated between Qiujin and Wuning). However, they encountered fierce resistance from the Chinese 73rd and 8th Armies, which resulted in slow and painstaking progress for the attackers. On the afternoon of the 21st, a portion of the 6th Division, under the protective cover of aircraft and artillery, crossed the Xiushui River east of Ruoxi, and the main force directed its assault toward Wuning, while its 36th Brigade targeted Yangzhou Street. The 30th Army Group, tasked with defending Wuning, mounted a tenacious resistance by leveraging the advantageous mountainous terrain, making the Japanese advance extremely difficult. After four days of fierce and unrelenting fighting, the Japanese were still unable to break through the defenders' positions. On the morning of March 23, under continued air and artillery cover, the Japanese army persisted in its fierce attack, repeatedly dropping incendiary and chemical bombs on Chinese positions. The defending forces suffered heavy losses as a result and were compelled to withdraw from Wucheng Town on the 24th, moving farther back to regroup. After occupying Wucheng, the Murai Detachment continued its operations to clear the Gan River and Xiushui River of obstacles and to remove mines that had been laid by the Chinese forces. By the 28th, they had advanced to the vicinity of Xinning Town, which is about 4 kilometers east of Wuning. Its 36th Brigade engaged in fierce fighting with the defending 19th Division at Yangzhou Street on the 24th and successfully captured Jing'an on the 27th; however, due to the conclusion of the Nanchang battle and the fact that its main force was blocked east of Wuning, it quickly returned and redirected its attack toward Wuning. Because the 73rd and 8th Armies had suffered heavy casualties from days of intense fighting, the 30th Army Group ordered the 72nd Army to assume the defense of northeast Wuning. The Japanese 6th Division concentrated its forces for a fierce and coordinated assault, and by the 29th, the defending forces had retreated to the south bank of the Xiushui River, allowing the Japanese army to occupy Wuning. After further intense fighting, by April 5, the Japanese 36th Brigade had advanced to the south bank of the Xiushui River.During this entire period, Chiang Kai-shek repeatedly telegraphed Bai Chongxi and Xue Yue, issuing orders for the 30th Army Group in Wuning and the 31st Army Group in Chongyang and Tongshan (commanded by Tang Enbo) to launch a counteroffensive regardless of the evolving situation in Nanchang. The objective was to flank and attack the enemy's rear, advancing toward Mahuiling, De'an, Yongxiu, and Ruichang on the Nanchang-Xunyi road, to cut off enemy transportation lines and block reinforcements. However, this plan was not implemented due to various logistical and coordination challenges. After the Japanese army captured Nanchang, it maintained a tense standoff with the Third and Ninth War Zones of China along the southeast bank of Poyang Lake to the east, Xiangtang to the south, and Gao'an, Fengxin, and Wuning to the west. The Military Commission of the National Government made a calculated judgment that although the Japanese had occupied Nanchang, they had suffered heavy losses and had not yet had the opportunity to replenish their forces. The defending forces within the city were deemed insufficient, prompting the Commission to decide on launching a counteroffensive while the Japanese army was still in the process of consolidating its position. At the same time, it ordered each war zone to initiate the "April Offensive" (also known as the "Spring Offensive") with the goals of harassing and containing the Japanese army and preventing it from continuing to advance westward toward Changsha. The Military Commission specifically ordered the Ninth War Zone and the Third War Zone to plan and execute a counteroffensive against Nanchang. The forces designated for this operation were planned to include the 1st, 19th, and 30th Army Groups of the Ninth War Zone and the 32nd Army Group of the Third War Zone, totaling about 10 divisions, all under the unified command of Luo Zhuoying, commander-in-chief of the 19th Army Group. On April 17, Chiang Kai-shek telegraphed his detailed "Plan to Conquer Nanchang" to Bai Chongxi, the director of the Guilin Headquarters, and sought his opinion on the matter. The operational strategy outlined was: "First, use the main force to attack the enemy along the Nanchang-Xunyi Railway, effectively cutting off enemy communications, and then use a portion of the force to directly capture Nanchang. The attack is scheduled to begin on April 24th." The main content of its troop deployment was as follows: The 1st Army Group (Commander-in-Chief Gao Yin-huai), the 19th Army Group, and the 74th Army (Commander Yu Ji-shi) were ordered to advance through Fengxin and Dacheng toward the Nanchang-Xunyi Railway between Xiushui and Nanchang, thoroughly disrupting transportation, cutting off enemy reinforcements, and cooperating in the capture of Nanchang; the 49th Army of the 19th Army Group (Commander Liu Duo-quan) was ordered to advance gradually as the general reserve; the 32nd Army Group (Commander-in-Chief Shangguan Yun-xiang) was ordered to attack Nanchang from the east of the Gan River with three divisions, and to organize a regiment to seize Nanchang by surprise; the 30th Army Group (Commander-in-Chief Wang Ling-ji) was ordered to attack Wuning. On April 18, Bai Chongxi replied to Chiang Kai-shek, offering his own suggestions on troop deployment with slight modifications. He emphasized the critical need for a surprise attack and for disrupting and harassing the enemy's transportation and rear areas, as well as cutting off the enemy's communication lines. He also believed that the attack should be brought forward and carried out as soon as possible, at the latest around the 22nd. On April 21, the forces of the Ninth War Zone began their operations in earnest. The 1st Army Group, comprising the 184th Division of the 60th Army and the New 10th Division of the 58th Army, attacked Fengxin, while the New 11th Division of the 58th Army monitored the Japanese forces in Jing'an; the main force of the 74th Army attacked Gao'an, and parts of the 74th Army and the 49th Army crossed the Jinjiang River to the north, attacking Dacheng and Shengmijie. Fierce fighting continued until the 26th, when the Japanese retreated to the areas of Fengxin, Qiuling, and Wanshougong. The 19th Army Group captured strongholds such as Dacheng, Gao'an, and Shengmijie. However, progress thereafter became difficult, and the offensive stalled. Neither army group was able to advance to the Nanchang-Xunyi Railway as originally planned. On April 23, the 32nd Army Group of the Third War Zone, consisting of the 16th and 79th Divisions of the 29th Army, the 5th Reserve Division, and part of the 10th Reserve Division, crossed the Fu River and launched an attack on Nanchang. Fierce fighting persisted until the 26th, when they captured Shichajie (south of Nanchang) and advanced toward the city. On the 27th, the Japanese concentrated the main force of the 101st Division to launch a counterattack. Supported by heavy artillery and air power, they engaged in fierce fighting with the Chinese army in the southeastern and southern areas, repeatedly contesting villages and strongholds. Due to the heavy casualties sustained, Duan Langru, commander of the 79th Division, changed the offensive deployment on the night of April 28 and reported this alteration to the army and army group commanders. The commander-in-chief of the 32nd Army Group, citing unauthorized changes to the plan, reported to the Third War Zone for approval and requested the dismissal of Duan Langru. Eager to capture Nanchang and driven by strategic impatience, Chiang Kai-shek, upon hearing the report, issued a stern order on May 1: Duan Langru was to be executed in front of the army for delaying military operations, He Ping, commander of the 16th Division, was ordered to atone for his crimes by achieving success in battle, and Shangguan Yunxiang was sent to the front to supervise the battle personally, with a strict deadline of May 5 for capturing Nanchang. On May 2, the 102nd Division recaptured Xiangtang and then Shichajie. The 16th Division once captured Shatanbu, but it was subsequently taken back by Japanese reinforcements. Shangguan Yunxiang then committed the 26th Division into the battle. On May 4, they launched another concerted attack. By dusk on the 5th, the 5th Reserve Division had reached the outer perimeter of the city and destroyed the barbed wire defenses, but Japanese firepower was intensely concentrated, causing the division to suffer heavy casualties and rendering it unable to continue the assault. The 152nd Regiment of the 26th Division broke into Xinlong Airport at dawn on the 5th and destroyed three Japanese aircraft. The 155th Regiment broke into the railway station at 9:00 a.m. on the 5th, but was blocked by fierce Japanese firepower and a determined counterattack. On May 5, after Chiang Kai-shek had issued the order to capture Nanchang by May 5, Xue Yue, acting commander of the Ninth War Zone, held the belief that with troops not having been replenished after the defense of Nanchang and with weaponry far inferior to that of the enemy, it was impossible to capture Nanchang within the subjective timeframe set. However, he did not directly dissent to Chiang Kai-shek, and on May 3, he telegraphed Chen Cheng to express his views in detail. He wrote: "Attacks on Nanchang and Fengxin have continued for 11 days since April 23. Because our army's equipment cannot keep pace with the enemy's, and the enemy's heavy weapons, mechanized units, and aircraft can support their ground forces everywhere, it is quite difficult to destroy the enemy's strong positions. Now I have received the Chairman's telegram: our army's operational strategy is to wear down the enemy without being worn down by the enemy, to avoid the enemy's strength and attack their weaknesses, and to achieve a protracted war of resistance. Therefore, this attack on Nanchang is aimed at wearing down the enemy. Under the principle of avoiding the enemy's strength and attacking their weakness, we should lie in ambush in advance and launch a surprise attack from all sides, hoping to recapture Nanchang with the fastest and most agile means. However, the battle has already dragged on; a direct assault is impossible, and striking their weakness is also unattainable. Although the enemy's strength is waning, it is practically impossible to capture Nanchang before May 5. Besides strictly ordering all units to overcome all difficulties and continue the fierce attack at all costs, I intend to politely explain the above situation to Chiang Kai-shek during a telephone conversation." Chen Cheng forwarded Xue Yue's telegram in full to Chiang Kai-shek on May 5. At the time, Bai Chongxi, director of the Guilin Headquarters, also considered the order to capture Nanchang within a limited time to be unrealistic, and on May 5 he telegraphed Chiang Kai-shek and He Yingqin, subtly offering a different suggestion. He stated, "Our army's attack on the enemy must be unexpected to be effective. Now, the enemy in Nanchang is prepared, and our army has launched a ten-day attack and has exerted all its efforts. To consider morale and our highest strategic principles, it is proposed that one-third of our forces continue the siege of Nanchang, while the other two-thirds are reorganized. Outside, we should continue to publicize our aggressive strategy…" The aim of both telegrams was to "turn the enemy's own spear against his shield," hoping Chiang Kai-shek would alter his order to capture Nanchang within a specified time, citing the operational guidance as inconsistent with the broader strategic policy. Upon receiving the telegrams, Chiang Kai-shek also learned of the sacrifice of Commander Chen Anbao and the heavy casualties among the attacking troops. On May 6, the main force of the Japanese 106th Division, supported by aircraft and tanks, launched a pincer attack on the 29th Army in the suburbs of Nanchang and Liantang. By 5 PM, the 29th Army was encircled. Liu Yuqing, commander of the 26th Division, was wounded in the fighting, and army commander Chen Anbao and Xie Beiting, commander of the 156th Regiment, were killed in action. Based on the actual battlefield situation, Xu Zhixun, chief of staff of the 29th Army, and Liu Yuqing, realizing that capturing Nanchang was impossible, decided to break out toward Zhongzhouwei and Shichajie to avoid total annihilation and potential execution by Chiang Kai-shek for failure. A regiment of the 5th Reserve Division, disguised as civilians, had infiltrated the city but was forced to withdraw due to the lack of follow-up support. Finally, on May 9, Chiang Kai-shek issued an order to halt the attack on Nanchang. The Japanese army, having suffered heavy losses themselves, was also unable to mount an effective counterattack, and thus the Battle of Nanchang came to an end, leaving behind a legacy of valor and tragedy. In the Battle of Nanchang, China suffered more than 52,000 casualties, including over 43,000 deaths, while Japan sustained more than 24,000 casualties and over 2,200 deaths. Although the National Army eventually lost Nanchang, the engagement thwarted Japan's plan to crush the main Chinese force. 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. The Nanchang battle was a decisive Japanese victory, yet the Chinese did manage to halt the Japanese western advance and showcased their perseverance amid a growing strategic stalemate. Supplies were still leaking into Nationalist China, the Japanese would have to continuously find and plug them. The war for China was nowhere near over.
Don and Tom tackle fears about U.S. national debt by breaking down who actually owns it (mostly Americans), why “China owns us” is wildly overstated, and why rising interest costs matter more than sensational headlines. They explain why government debt isn't a looming foreclosure scenario, how interest payments circulate back to investors, and why politics often distorts financial decision-making. The show also covers 60/40 portfolio resilience, the real role of bonds, listener questions on AVGE and DFAW, investing simplicity, and a nostalgic detour into Spam keys and Mad Men—ending with encouragement for disciplined, long-term investing. 0:05 National debt fears and the “Mr. Potter foreclosing America” analogy 0:27 Holiday movies, Home Alone sequels, and It's a Wonderful Life 1:13 Who really owns U.S. debt and why it matters 2:50 Japan, UK, and China holdings explained 4:02 Why foreign selling wouldn't crash the economy 5:13 Most U.S. debt is owned domestically 5:31 Interest payments now exceeding military spending 6:18 What debt interest really costs households 7:19 Why investors shouldn't panic over government debt 8:15 Politics vs. rational investing decisions 9:55 Debt, taxes, and what society is willing to give up 11:28 Historical tax rates and Mad Men economics 12:37 Military spending and post-WWII budgets 13:22 60/40 portfolios and market downturn protection 14:43 Worst historical declines for balanced portfolios 16:37 Long-term resilience of diversified investing 17:51 Bonds: income vs. volatility control 19:08 Spam keys, Hormel, and changing industries 20:52 AVGE, DFAW, and Apella portfolio structure 22:29 Simplicity vs. complexity in investing 23:47 Podcast longevity and download estimates Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
In this week's episode of the Coin Stories News Block powered exclusively by Ledn, we cover these major headlines related to Bitcoin, macroeconomics, and global finance: Shutdown fears are back -- Bitcoin & stocks are feeling the pressure Gold and silver just hit fresh all-time highs as Davos screamed "uncertainty" Ray Dalio's warning goes mainstream: print money or face a debt crisis Japan's bond stress could spill into U.S. Treasuries and push global rates higher Who's likely to be next Fed Chair? We explain. Bitcoin reenters the spotlight, plus rapid-fire: UBS crypto, debanking lawsuit drama, and BitGo's IPO moment --- The News Block is powered exclusively by Ledn – the global leader in Bitcoin-backed loans, issuing over $9 billion in loans since 2018, and they were the first to offer proof of reserves. With Ledn, you get custody loans, no credit checks, no monthly payments, and more. My followers get .25% off their first loan. Learn more at www.ledn.io/natalie ---- Order my new intro to Bitcoin book "Bitcoin is For Everyone": https://amzn.to/3WzFzfU ---- Read every story in the News Block with visuals and charts! Join our mailing list and subscribe to our free Bitcoin newsletter: https://thenewsblock.substack.com —- References mentioned in the episode: Treasury Rate Check Boosts Yen, Weakens Dollar Speculation Mounts: Japan to Buy Yen with U.S. Help? Ray Dalio Warns of Breakdown in the Monetary Order Dollars' Shrinking Role in Global FX Reserves Institutions are Reducing Dollar FX Exposure Ken Griffin: Japan Bond Market is "Explicit Warning" French Central Bank Governor Dismisses Bitcoin Coinbase CEO Spars With Central Bank Governor BlackRock CIO's Fed Chair Nomination Odds Skyrocket BlackRock CIO's Bid for Fed Chair Gaining Traction Rick Rieder's Comments on Bitcoin Allocation U.S. Market Structure Bill Faces Weeks of Delay BitGo IPO's on the New York Stock Exchange UBS Plans to Offer Crypto Trading to Clients PwC Survey on Bitcoin's Institutional Adoption Trump Sues JPMorgan Chase for Debanking ---- Upcoming Events: Strategy World 2026 in Las Vegas on February 23-26th - Use code HODL for discounted tickets: https://www.strategysoftware.com/world26 Bitcoin 2026 will be here before you know it. Get 10% off Early Bird passes using the code HODL: https://tickets.b.tc/event/bitcoin-2026?promoCodeTask=apply&promoCodeInput= ---- This podcast is for educational purposes and should not be construed as official investment advice. ---- VALUE FOR VALUE — SUPPORT NATALIE'S SHOWS Strike ID https://strike.me/coinstoriesnat/ Cash App $CoinStories #money #Bitcoin #investing
Crypto News: BlackRock Chief Investment Officer Rick Rieder surges 46% in odds to be picked by President Trump as new Fed Chair. if this happens it could be very bullish for bitcoin and crypto. R3 bets on Solana to bring institutional yield onchain.Brought to you by ✅ VeChain is a versatile enterprise-grade L1 smart contract platform https://www.vechain.org/
Friday gave us a huge signal that the US may be extending Japan a helping hand in preventing further yen weakness - certainly effective for putting a floor on the JPY price from here on out - but how should we read the US dollar on this apparent move? Elsewhere, US natural gas prices are spiking wildly if only for the front contract on the winter storm there and precious metals prices have extended aggressively once again as silver sliced through 100 dollars an ounce. This and more as earnings season heats up this week. Today's pod features Saxo Head of Commodity Strategy Ole Hansen and is hosted by Saxo Global Head of Macro Strategy John J. Hardy. For our longer form podcasts, you will also find links discussed on the podcast and a chart-of-the-day over at the John J. Hardy substack. Read daily in-depth market updates from the Saxo Market Call and the Saxo Strategy Team here. Please reach out to us at marketcall@saxobank.com for feedback and questions. Click here to open an account with Saxo. Intro and outro music by AShamaluevMusic DISCLAIMER This content is marketing material. Trading financial instruments carries risks. Always ensure that you understand these risks before trading. This material does not contain investment advice or an encouragement to invest in a particular manner. Historic performance is not a guarantee of future results. The instrument(s) referenced in this content may be issued by a partner, from whom Saxo Bank A/S receives promotional fees, payment or retrocessions. While Saxo may receive compensation from these partnerships, all content is created with the aim of providing clients with valuable information and options.
NHK WORLD RADIO JAPAN - English News at 18:00 (JST), January 26
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NHK WORLD RADIO JAPAN - English News at 23:00 (JST), January 26
NHK WORLD RADIO JAPAN - English News at 03:00 (JST), January 27
Wrestling Omakase is finally back to its regularly scheduled programming, as we're once again going weekly from here on out following our part-time schedule earlier in January (due to a combo of Japan trip, post-Japan trip blues/jet lag and then work stuff). John is joined by returning guest Velkej Bracha to discuss NJPW's 1/19 & 1/20 Road to New Beginning Korakuens (feat. the end of EVIL, a classic tag match, and a hot unit feud), STARDOM's 1/21 Korakuen (feat. the Tokyo HATE Squad Showdown and more blissful Maki/Saori interactions) and Marigold's 1/24 Korakuen (feat. Mayu Iwatani's 15th anniversary, now without STARDOM IP). People needing to take Ls is a big overriding theme as you'll find out. Then John goes solo to discuss two more shows, DDT's 1/25 Korakuen (feat. unit movement and A Second Suzuki Incident Has Struck The Building) and GLEAT's 1/20 Shinjuku FACE show. Yes, this is a GLEAT podcast now, apparently. Who knew?Follow Wrestling Omakase on Twitter: http://twitter.com/wrestleomakaseFollow John on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/justoneenby.bsky.socialOur Sponsors:* Check out our sponsor BetterHelp at https://www.betterhelp.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy
Send us a textThis week on He Said, She Said, CNBC Fast Money stars, Guy Adami and Dan Nathan together with Kristen and Jen from The Wall Street Skinny dive into one of the most overlooked market shocks of the year: a massive, seven standard deviation move in the Japanese bond market. Jen breaks down why the long-assumed era of low inflation and easy monetary policy in Japan may be ending—and what that means for global markets. From failed bond auctions to yield curve dislocations, this is a masterclass in sovereign debt and fiscal risk with insights that apply far beyond Japan.The group also debates Netflix's all-cash bid for Warner Bros. Discovery, and why shareholders seem so uneasy about it. Kristen explains the counterintuitive math behind why switching from a stock deal to an all-cash offer actually hurts Netflix's earnings per share, why Wall Street hates uncertainty, and why shareholders have reason to be skeptical M&A won't destroy shareholder value. After all the same Warner Brothers was the target of the catastrophic 2000s AOL-Time Warner merger that is the poster child for M&A gone bad?Finally, the gang touches on gold, silver shortages, and the deeper themes driving flight to hard assets. From gold coins in safes to astrology readings in St. John, it's a whirlwind of macro, M&A, and mayhem—with plenty of jokes (and Dutch oven references) along the way.Shop our Self Paced Courses: Investment Banking & Private Equity Fundamentals HEREFixed Income Sales & Trading HERE Wealthfront.com/wss. This is a paid endorsement for Wealthfront. May not reflect others' experiences. Similar outcomes not guaranteed. Wealthfront Brokerage is not a bank. Rate subject to change. Promo terms apply. If eligible for the boosted rate of 4.15% offered in connection with this promo, the boosted rate is also subject to change if base rate decreases during the 3 month promo period.The Cash Account, which is not a deposit account, is offered by Wealthfront Brokerage LLC ("Wealthfront Brokerage"), Member FINRA/SIPC. Wealthfront Brokerage is not a bank. The Annual Percentage Yield ("APY") on cash deposits as of 11/7/25, is representative, requires no minimum, and may change at any time. The APY reflects the weighted average of deposit balances at participating Program Banks, which are not allocated equally. Wealthfront Brokerage sweeps cash balances to Program Banks, where they earn the variable APY. Sources HERE.
About our Guest: Frank Rice Jr. is an award-winning filmmaker, director, and founder of FJR Films, blending over two decades of military leadership with cinematic artistry. A U.S. Navy veteran and Tyler Perry Dreamers Collective Top 100 Finalist, Frank has collaborated with a range of production companies and creative teams across the U.S. and Japan to produce emotionally resonant and visually striking work. His short films, The Tunnel, Quietus of Man, and Juncture, have garnered multiple international festival awards for their depth, storytelling, and craft. His latest project, JUMPER, (post-production) is an emotionally charged psychological film exploring themes of memory, redemption, and ancestral connection through poetic imagery and sound. Guided by collaboration, Frank partners with talented cinematographers, editors, and animators to bring layered, human stories to life. Episode Description: Damo opens the episode with a series of requests and demands before breaking down how one simple question from Aaron spiraled into a full meltdown. Look who popped out? Tisha jumps in to address a recent Facebook post aimed at women in the Navy, adding context and perspective. Aaron shares a few recommendations honoring the legacy of Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.. The crew is joined by Frank Rice Jr., who talks through his career in the Navy and his parallel path as a filmmaker. Frank reflects on growing up in Chicago, his early Navy years, what pulled him toward film, and the influence of his father, an actor. He discusses working with Sony Records, whether he ever produced projects for the Navy, his directing style, dream projects, and the roles he's most drawn to as a creator. The conversation also touches on casting, including whether Denzel Washington only plays one type of role, Frank's dream cast, and whether a rom-com is in his future. Frank and Aaron share how they first connected, what attracts him to a project, and the leaders who inspired him to stay in the Navy. The group digs into leadership, accountability, DRB, unfounded complaints, relaxing standards, and what kind of Navy Frank was leaving behind. The episode closes with a discussion on the rise of Teyana Taylor and thoughts heading into the upcoming awards season. These and more topics are covered in this episode. Do you have a “Do Better” that you want us to review on a future episode? Reach out at ptsfpodcast@gmail.com Follow Frank Rice Jr. on Social Media: Instagram: @fj_rice Facebook: FJ Rice YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@FJRFilms84 Official Website: https://frankricejr.com/ Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/frank-rice-jr-397b027/ Stay connected with the PTSF Podcast: https://linktr.ee/Ptsfpodcast PTSF Theme Music: Produced by Lim0
We remain in Japan 1971 and listen to a new matrix by Not Oscar, of Sept 29, 1971 in Osaka. This is a legendary show and we all know it's awesome, so this is about the sound and the mood of this new matrix. Not Oscar utilizes several sources to form the best sounding recording, song for song, as possible. I play the gorgeous epic Going To California, a sublime Thank You, and a tight as a drum Rock and Roll. Have fun.
Japan prime minister Sanae Takaichi’s 12-day election campaign gets under way. And: why Ukrainian Fashion Week has been rescheduled. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
FILE 1. HARRY HOPKINS AND UNCONDITIONAL AID. GUEST AUTHOR SEAN MCMEEKIN. Professor Sean McMeekin discusses his book Stalin's War, highlighting Harry Hopkins's pivotal 1941 mission to Moscow to establish direct communication with Stalin,. Despite significant American political opposition viewing Stalin as a "monster" comparable to Hitler, Hopkins and FDR provided unconditional Lend-Lease aid—including aluminum and tanks—without demanding reciprocal concessions regarding Japan or transparency,.1921
FILE 5. OPERATION BARBAROSSA AND THE DEFENSE OF MOSCOW. GUEST AUTHOR SEAN MCMEEKIN. McMeekin challenges the narrative that Stalin suffered a nervous breakdown during the 1941 German invasion, noting the dictator remained active despite the shock. The segment details how Stalin's decision to stay in Moscow stiffened morale and reveals that Stalin possessed, but did not share, intelligence regarding Japan's impending attacks on Western powers,.
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Linktree: https://linktr.ee/AnalyticJoin The Normandy For Additional Bonus Audio And Visual Content For All Things Nme+! Join Here: https://ow.ly/msoH50WCu0KJoin Analytic Dreamz on Notorious Mass Effect as we break down the stunning Forza Horizon 6 gameplay overview revealed during Xbox Developer Direct 2026. Set in a vibrant, culturally rich Japan with breathtaking driving roads, traditional heritage sites, and hypermodern cityscapes, Playground Games delivers an open-world racing experience packed with new features, extensive car customization, and an impressive lineup of vehicles—including the showcase 2025 GR GT Prototype. We cover the May 19, 2026 release date, Xbox Play Anywhere support, upcoming PS5 version, and key highlights from the deep-dive presentation. If you're into Forza Horizon's festival vibe, dynamic seasons, or next-gen automotive adventures, this segment explores everything unveiled for one of 2026's most anticipated racing titles. Tune in for in-depth analysis and insights on why Forza Horizon 6 is shaping up to redefine open-world driving.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/analytic-dreamz-notorious-mass-effect/donationsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy
NHK WORLD RADIO JAPAN - English News at 04:30 (JST), January 26
NHK WORLD RADIO JAPAN - English News at 03:00 (JST), January 26
NHK WORLD RADIO JAPAN - English News at 23:00 (JST), January 25
NHK WORLD RADIO JAPAN - English News at 18:00 (JST), January 25
NHK WORLD RADIO JAPAN - English News at 14:00 (JST), January 25
This week on Xbox Expansion Pass, we break down the Xbox Developer Direct 2026 and what it tells us about Xbox's near-term future. We dig into Forza Horizon 6's Japan setting, release date, and controversial $120 Premium Edition pricing, and then pivot to a deep dive on the Fable reboot — combat, morality systems, NPC simulation, and why this could finally be the RPG Xbox fans have waited two generations for. We also react to Game Freak's Beast of Reincarnation, Double Fine's clay-brawler Kiln, and the wider 2026 slate including Halo: Campaign Evolved, Gears of War: E-Day, State of Decay 3, and Clockwork Revolution. Along the way we talk Game Pass value with big third-party adds like Death Stranding Director's Cut and Warhammer 40K: Space Marine 2, plus how Xbox is handling $70+ pricing in a rough economy. In the back half of the show we answer a community question about which cancelled game we'd resurrect and who we'd want making it (yes, Scalebound and StarCraft: Ghost show up), touch on Arc Raiders' surprise success, Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade coming to Xbox with a limited Play Anywhere bonus, and share a few thoughts on Riot's 2XKO, cross-media crossovers like Stranger Things in Dead by Daylight, and the future of Xbox on PC and handhelds. Clear takes. No console-war noise. Xbox-forward discussion hosted by Luke Lohr (Insipid Ghost) and Captain Logun. Support XEP: Support the show on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/XboxExpansionPass Follow & Contact: BlueSky (Luke): @InsipidGhost BlueSky (Logun): @CaptLogun Contact: https://captlogun.podbean.com Review the show: If you enjoy XEP, please consider leaving a review on iTunes or Spotify — it's one of the best ways to support the show. Thank you! Topics This Week • Xbox Developer Direct 2026 recap • Fable's huge showing and new release window • Forza Horizon 6's pricing, editions, and Japan setting • Game Freak's Beast of Reincarnation • Double Fine's Kiln • Death Stranding and Space Marine 2 on Game Pass • State of Decay 3 development updates • Clockwork Revolution ambitions • Gears and Halo release window speculation • High Guard, Arc Raiders, FF7 Intergrade • 2XKO, Riot's expanding lineup • Community questions and more Support XEP: https://www.patreon.com/XboxExpansionPass BlueSky (Luke): @InsipidGhost Contact: InsipidGhost@gmail.com BlueSky (Logun): @CaptLogun Check out Keelhauled: A Sea of Thieves Podcast for more Sea of Thieves content. If you enjoy the show, please consider leaving a review on iTunes or Spotify - it's one of the best way to support the show. Thank you!
After a one-month break, The Good Brothers are back! That's right, it's time for season 2 of The Good Brothers Show! You've asked for it, and we wanted to deliver. Get ready for all the topics you have waiting—Avatar, Japan, Stranger Things, and more. But mainly just the ones listed. In better news, we mapped out a ton of topics, so we're never gonna run out of topics for the rest of the show. We literally wrote down like 15 things, so things are really looking up for us. However, if you're not an Avatarhead like us, this episode probably won't be your thing because we talk about it for like 30 minutes. It happens. Email us thegoodbrothersshow@gmail.com Follow us on Instagram & Facebook @thegoodbrothersshow