Podcasts about Laird

Last time we spoke about the beginning of the Battle of Hong kong. Japan's rise as a threat to British interests accelerated through the 1920s and intensified after invading China. Britain's response remained contradictory—diplomatically conciliatory yet militarily apprehensive. While Singapore and Malaya received substantial reinforcements, Hong Kong was acknowledged indefensible, yet the 1936 Defence Scheme attempted to fortify it as an island fortress. Governor Northcote urgently advocated evacuation, recognizing the futility of defense. London rejected this, fearing it would demoralize China and forfeit sovereignty claims. Reinforcement requests from commanders like Grasett fell on deaf ears until Grasett independently lobbied Canadian leaders. This persistence finally convinced Churchill to dispatch two additional battalions. On December 8, 1941, Japanese forces attacked across three fronts with overwhelming force. Within hours, the RAF was destroyed on the ground, demolitions proved ineffective, and British units rapidly retreated toward the Gin Drinkers Line, facing an enemy that outnumbered and outmaneuvered them from the opening moments.   #217 The Battle of Hong Kong Part 2: the Island Aflame 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. Around 1500 hours on 9 December, Colonel Doi of the 228th Regiment arrived at Needle Hill, just north of the Gin Drinkers Line, ahead of his main force. For two hours he studied the British defensive positions through binoculars, noting trenches and bunkers—and to his surprise, washing lines fluttering with white clothes. The sight spoke volumes about the 2 Royal Scots' lax discipline. Then fog descended, reducing visibility to barely twenty meters, and heavy rain obscured the landscape. Doi sensed a fleeting advantage but lost radio contact with his battalions. Worse still, the Shing Mun Redoubt lay outside his regimental boundary, making an unauthorized attack a serious breach of protocol. When his units finally arrived, supporting artillery remained unavailable, held up by demolished roads. Doi chose to attack anyway. Doi ordered the 2nd Battalion to scout the eastern approach while the 3rd Battalion spearheaded the main assault. Major Nishiyana commanded the 3rd, sending Lieutenant Wakabayashi and Kasugai with 150 volunteers to lead. The Shing Mun Redoubt itself comprised five concrete pillboxes and an artillery observation post, connected by underground tunnels named after London landmarks—Piccadilly, Haymarket, and others. The whole complex sat on small rises above Jubilee Dam, then the British Empire's tallest. Defending the redoubt was A Company, 2 Royal Scots, under Captain Jones—just three officers and 39 men. One platoon of 25 soldiers under 2nd Lieutenant Thompson held the forward positions. Against this stood 150 Japanese attackers, with another 1,500 troops in reserve. Battalion orders forbade using the concrete works as fighting positions; they were meant for the Vickers machine-gun team and artillery protection. No mines could spare the redoubt's perimeter. On the night of the 9th, roughly half the defenders sheltered in the observation post while the remainder manned pillboxes 401b and 402. At 2000 hours, Thompson led a nine-man patrol northward to check Needle Hill and Shing Mun Valley. Despite two and a half hours in the field, the patrol returned at 2220 hours without detecting the Japanese force massing just 500 meters away. By that time, Lieutenant Kasugai's assault group had crossed Jubilee Dam undetected, bypassed unmanned Post X, and assembled below Pillbox 401b. At 2200 hours, Japanese sappers cut through two lines of wire. At 2300—H-Hour—Lance Corporal Laird heard movement in the bushes and opened fire. The Japanese answered with grenades and rushed the pillbox lines. One team entered the tunnel system; another hurled grenades through the air vents. Corporal Campbell swung his Vickers toward Pillbox 401, catching Japanese headquarters personnel in the open. Sergeant Robb mustered a counter-attack force of thirteen men. Five fell as casualties—Laird, Basnett, Coyle, Casey, and Jardine. Casey was killed; only Jardine escaped. The alert triggered gunfire from the observation post's defenders, and Forward Observer Wilcox called down 4.5-inch and 6-inch artillery fire. Without strong reinforcement and leadership, four Royal Scots and an Indian sentry abandoned the northern positions and withdrew to the observation post. Captain Jones received orders from Brigade to counter-attack, but delegated the task to Thompson. As Thompson attempted to leave the observation post, he found the gate locked from outside. This calamity had a backstory: just before the attack, Thompson had admitted a civilian at the request of Force 163 (SOE's sabotage unit in Singapore). Private Wylie had taken the observation post key from Lance Naik Kishan Singh and, upon exit, locked the gate behind him. The three officers were now literally locked out of the battle. Second Lieutenant Mochizuki and his platoon infiltrated through open trenches and began attacking the observation post from above, attempting to breach the hatches. The defenders held for three hours before Japanese sappers forced explosives down the air vents. At 0230 hours, the blast killed two Indian signallers inside. Thompson sustained a severe eye wound from grenade shrapnel; Jones and Warrant Officer Mead were both wounded. The remaining fifteen defenders surrendered; eleven became casualties. Meanwhile, a Rajput patrol engaging Japanese forces in the river valley managed to drive them back toward the redoubt. One final pillbox endured for another eleven hours before suffering the same sapper treatment. By 0400 hours on 10 December, the entire redoubt was lost. For just two killed, the Japanese had achieved a decisive victory—the breakthrough that would shift the entire campaign's trajectory. By dawn, a Japanese flag flew triumphantly from Point 255.   Major-General Maltby's assessment was stark: "This was calamitous, for Shing Mun was the key to the whole of the left position." Yet the Japanese perspective differed sharply. Having achieved a breakthrough, Colonel Doi received astonishing orders to withdraw—his success had transgressed into the 230th Regiment's sector and violated the meticulously prepared war plan. Doi refused. After heated confrontation with Major-General Ito and Lieutenant-General Sakai, his insubordination was later censured, though a divisional staff officer, Oyadomani, bore the scapegoat's burden of rebuke for failing to restrain Doi's initiative. With Shing Mun secured, Doi methodically fed reinforcements into the position. Throughout December 10th, the Japanese remained uncertain of their advantage and adopted a cautious strategy, probing British lines to exploit the evident disorder. Brigadier Wallis ordered the Royal Scots to mount an immediate dawn counterattack supported by the Rajputs and artillery. Lieutenant-Colonel White demurred; his battalion lacked any reasonable prospect of success. The resulting counterattack proved half-hearted at best. At first light on December 11th, the Japanese pressed Golden Hill forcefully, only to be repulsed by Captain Newton's Rajputs and gunfire from HMS Cicala. White positioned D Company in shallow shell scrapes and rusted wire—inadequate defenses against Japanese assault. Captain Pinkerton led a desperate bayonet charge that morning, temporarily clearing the Japanese and enabling the evacuation of wounded. Yet B, C, and D Companies absorbed devastating losses; Captains Rose and Richardson fell commanding their positions. With the Royal Scots collapsing, X Company of the Winnipeg Grenadiers and armored support rushed westward to seal the widening gap along Castle Peak Road. Meanwhile, Maltby grappled with alarming reports: Japanese landings on Lantau Island southwest of Hong Kong. Heavy artillery drove them back. A second probe at Aberdeen, where Special Naval Landing Forces approached within 300 yards of the naval base, was repelled by Canadian machine-gun fire. In hindsight, these were mere feints—never intended as the primary thrust. The stratagem succeeded. Maltby retained his island reserves—the Middlesex and two Canadian battalions—precisely where they would be needed. Had Wallis executed a forceful counterattack on December 10th with the Royal Scots and brigade reserves, the Rajputs might have retaken Shing Mun while the Japanese remained disorganized. Instead, Colonel Doi faced a furious Sakai, who had flown down from 38th Division headquarters at Taipo for what amounted to a pre-court-martial examination. The moment passed. After only 48 hours of combat, Maltby concluded the mainland was indefensible. The three battalions would withdraw intact to Hong Kong Island to assume their fortress defense roles. The naval commodore objected—demolitions, supply transfers, and troop ferrying required more time. The evacuation order was deferred 24 hours until noon on December 11th. At that hour, the decision was finalized: the mainland would be abandoned under cover of darkness. Further demolitions followed—the China Light and Power Station, the cement works on Tsing Yi Island, the docks. Yet Brigadier Wallis believed this merely a precautionary measure; he anticipated holding the mainland for at least another week. The withdrawal avoided Kowloon's congested streets, where street fighting and fifth columnists might have entrapped the British—a calculation that proved prescient, as an IJA advance column of 350 men from the 3/230th infiltrated Kowloon on the morning of December 12th to cut off the retreating garrison. The Royal Scots and Canadians retired south to Shamshuipo Barracks and Jordan Road Pier in western Kowloon; the Rajputs and supporting gunners withdrew eastward to Ma Lau Tong, which anchored the fortified Devil's Peak Peninsula. Maltby intended to hold this commanding position permanently—it was easily supplied across the narrow Lyemun Strait. The evacuation proceeded largely as planned. The Canadians and Royal Scots embarked on the afternoon and evening of December 11th under Punjabi covering fire. The Punjabis faced a harder journey—a moonlit scramble along steep Kowloon hills laden with supplies but critically short of mules. One group lost its way at a crucial junction, splitting into two columns. One proceeded toward Devil's Peak as planned; Battalion Headquarters descended into Kai Tak Airport, threaded through Kowloon City, and was evacuated by Star Ferry at Tsim Sha Tsui, fighting until the final moment as the last man boarded. The Rajputs' commander, unable to reach his Punjabi counterpart, abandoned Ma Lau Tong for the closer Hai Wan line near Devil's Peak. By 0400 hours on December 12th, the Punjabis and one Rajput company, accompanied by the gunners of the 25th Medium Battery, crossed Lyemun Strait to Hong Kong Island. Morning evacuations continued with minimal Japanese interference—a surprising restraint. Naval support proved crucial. The withdrawal completed by the morning of December 13th, though 170 mules were lost to the desertion of Chinese laborers—a deprivation that would haunt the subsequent campaign. During this passage, the IJN attempted shore bombardment. The Japanese cruiser and supporting vessels found themselves outranged by the defenders' 9.2-inch guns. The damage inflicted proved sufficient to discourage future naval adventures; for the remainder of the battle, the IJN maintained a cautious distance and played only a peripheral role. The speed and execution of the withdrawal apparently caught the Japanese unprepared. Their most probable expectation had been a full-scale assault on Devil's Peak accompanied by heavy bombardment—a day earlier, an assault without artillery preparation had been driven back with severe losses. The British appeared stronger than anticipated. The defense of the mainland had lasted only five days. With the mainland secured, the Japanese pivoted toward Hong Kong Island. The first move was diplomatic rather than military. At 0900 hours on December 13th, a small boat bearing a white flag crossed the harbor. It carried Colonel Toda, Lieutenant Mizuno, Mr. Othsu Dak, and two European women—the prominent and heavily pregnant Mrs. Macdonald and Mrs. C. R. Lee, wife of the Governor's secretary, accompanied by her two dachshunds. The surrender terms were flatly rejected. Major Boxer delivered the written refusal personally. Mrs. Macdonald remained in Hong Kong to give birth; Mrs. Lee and her dogs returned to Kowloon. The Japanese commenced systematic shelling of selected targets. On December 13th, a 9.2-inch gun on Mt. Davis was silenced; Belcher's Fort sustained damage. The following day, a 3-inch mount on Mt. Davis was hit, killing Chinese gunners and triggering morale collapse; some deserted. On December 15th, the barrage shifted to the northern shoreline, deliberately targeting pillboxes. At 2100 hours that night, approximately three Japanese companies attempted crossing the harbor in rubber rafts toward Pakshawan but were driven off by machine-gun fire. Fifth columnists intensified their operations—signaling with mirrors, sniping from concealed positions, spreading propaganda to encourage Chinese desertion. Their impact might have been catastrophic had not Rear-Admiral Chan and Colonel Yee, armed with tommy guns and grenades, systematically eliminated many of these saboteurs. By December 16th, half the pillboxes between the racecourse and Lyemun Strait lay destroyed. The intended crossing site was unmistakable. On December 17th, the Japanese dispatched a second peace mission—Colonel Toda's team now accompanied by Mrs. Lee with her dachshunds and a pregnant Russian woman. Again, the overtures were rebuffed. On December 18th, the bombardment reached new intensity. Oil storage tanks ignited, sending dense black smoke cascading across the northeast corner of the island—perfect concealment for what was to come. All signs pointed to imminent assault.  I want to note something here, you sometimes hear about how race played a role in the Pacific War and indeed it did. Racist attitudes were found on both the western and Japanese side of the war. There is a fantastic book dedicated to this by the way called, War without Mercy by John Dower, highly recommend it. What is interesting is how these racial attitudes actually affected decision making during the war. Take General Sakai's night amphibious assault for example. Western soldiers such as the Canadians in Hong Kong reported they were told by their commanders that quote "Don't worry about the Japanese, they can't see at night, they all wear glasses" another Canadian soldier wrote in a diary "They don't see well, especially at night we knew this as a matter of fact." Indeed the week before the outbreak of the battle of Hong Kong, Canadian officers attending a briefing by a British officer were informed that "Japan's aircraft were mostly obsolete, its air force had little practice in night flying, and its pilots were myopic and thus unable to carry out dive-bombing attacks". You might be asking yourself, why did they think the Japanese were myopic? The scientific explanation of the day was this "That the Japanese suffered widespread inner-ear damage. What caused this? Japanese motherhood, the practice of strapping babies to their mothers backs, it was explained caused their heads to bounce about, like when they harvested rice and permanently impaired their sense of balance". I particularly love this quote, one of my professors dedicated an entire class to the bizarre racial attitudes before and after the pacific war. There was a belief the Japanese could not see well at night, many western air force commanders actually believed there were times of day like at dawn or dusk where Japanese pilots would not operate because of this hindrance. American military commentator Fletcher Pratt in 1939 analyzed Japan's military strengths and explained it had four major weaknesses. The first was scarcity of resources such as iron, and steel. The second was that the Japanese "can neither make good airplanes nor fly them well" as a result of " the Japanese as a race have defects of the tubes of the inner ear, just as they are generally myopic. This gives them a defective sense of balance, the one physical sense in which an aviator is not permitted to be deficient.". The third was that the Japanese were short-tempered and were inclined to waste men unnecessarily when operations did not go well. The fourth was that the Japanese would simply never date to provoke a war with the US. Again Mr Pratt was an American military commentator whose information came from multiple accounts given by high ranking military officials! The British military maintained that the Japanese avoided night operations on land because they were simply incapable of caring them out well, while they avoided nighttime aerial attacks, as well as dive-bombing for the same reasons Pratt said quote "their pilots were poor and their aircraft inferior.". So take this all to mind when I talk about how certain ranking officers go about making their decisions. By the evening of 14 December, evacuated mainland units had regrouped on Hong Kong Island. The defensive structure was restructured into two brigades: Brigadier Wallis commanded the East Brigade from Taitam Gap, while Brigadier Lawson headed the West Brigade from Wongneichong Gap. This reorganization placed the 5/7 Rajputs across the north-east perimeter, defending over 3,500 metres of coastline with B Company positioned on the hills behind Taikoo Docks. The Royal Rifles of Canada held the north-east corner from Stanley to points south, with reserve positions at Lyemun. Two HKVDC companies supported from Taitam Valley and Pottinger Gap, while the veteran Hughsiliers manned the North Point power station. British and Canadian artillery provided fire support across the northern approaches. The West Brigade held the north-western and south-western shores. The 2/14 Punjab stretched from Causeway Bay to Belcher's Point, protecting Government House and General Maltby's headquarters, with battalion headquarters at Mid-Level. The Winnipeg Grenadiers covered the south-west from Wanchai Gap, with one company detached to the brigade headquarters at Wongneichong Gap. The 2 Royal Scots, severely mauled at Shing Mun, were held in reserve with fresh replacements from the HKVDC. The Middlesex Regiment's companies were dispersed along 72 pillboxes encircling the entire shoreline, while an improvised Z Company of clerks, musicians and cooks defended battalion headquarters at Leighton Hill. Supporting artillery included 9.2-inch and 6-inch guns on Mt Davis and 4.7-inch guns at Belcher's Point. As darkness fell on 17 December, Japanese reconnaissance swimmers reached Taikoo, confirming the crossing site despite detection. Reinforcements arrived: 18 additional heavy bombers from Guangzhou and 26 fighters from Taiwan joined the aerial assault. The crescendo of artillery fire on the 18th, combined with masses of small craft gathering across the harbour, signalled the imminent invasion. Japanese divisional headquarters shifted to Ma Tau Wei near Kai Tak Airport; the 23rd Army moved to Taipo. The invasion force disposed itself with the right flank embarking from east and west of Kai Tak, the left from Devil's Hill area. At 1800 hours, the invasion order was issued; by 1930 hours Sakai himself arrived in Kowloon to oversee the crossing. At precisely 2000 hours, the 2/228th Regiment silently paddled their collapsible craft toward Taikoo Docks and the nearby sugar factory as artillery support commenced. Colonel Doi embarked with 80 headquarters personnel aboard a large barge, leading the second wave. The conditions favoured the invaders—a moonless night, sporadic showers, and thick black smoke from burning oil tanks obscured their movement. They reached the midpoint undetected before searchlights and machine-gun fire scattered the small boats, separating commanders from their units. Despite this chaos, the assault pressed forward. At 2140 hours the artillery shifted to deeper targets; at 2145 hours the first wave of 3/230th landed at North Point, followed minutes later by 2/228th and then 2/229th. Three red flares signalled a successful landing. All six Japanese battalions were ashore by midnight, though wire fencing delayed their advance and Bren carriers added to the confusion on the beach. General Sano arrived at Taikoo one hour later. The 5/7 Rajputs bore the initial brunt of the assault. Despite days of preliminary shelling, the Rajputs mounted a stubborn defence; Japanese casualties mounted rapidly. The anti-tank company suffered so grievously that only a single gun remained operational. The Japanese plan was tactical rather than frontal—bypass isolated positions for later elimination and push rapidly toward high ground. Overwhelmed by numerical superiority and losing most of their officers, Rajput resistance gradually crumbled. Contradicting all evidence, Maltby remained convinced the main Japanese assault would strike directly at Victoria from Kowloon. He therefore withheld the counter-attack, instead dispatching a platoon of Middlesex troops, Royal Marines, naval personnel, and the Rajputs' reserve company—supported by artillery—to establish a defensive line blocking the Japanese advance toward Central District. Three HKVDC armoured cars were sent to protect East Brigade headquarters; two more reinforced the Middlesex battalion headquarters. It was manifestly inadequate against six Japanese battalions. In post-war dispatches, Maltby conceded his grave miscalculation: he believed he faced at most two battalions, not a full division. As the 3/230th broke through D Company of the 5/7 Rajputs, the 2/230th came ashore nearby and wheeled westward toward Victoria. Their advance halted abruptly at the North Point power station, held by an extraordinary force: four officers and 36 men of the HKVDC Hughsiliers Platoon—alongside 39 civilian volunteers from China Light & Power and Hong Kong Electric, including the station manager Vincent Sorby—plus eight Free French soldiers commanded by Captain Jacques Egal, a Shanghai businessman turned soldier. Without exception, these men were World War I veterans, many aged 55 or older. Some had fought in the Boer War. Major J. J. Patterson, the Hughsiliers' commander, had served with Allenby's Camel Corps and been mentioned in dispatches six times; he was chairman of Jardine Matheson and a legislative councillor. Private Sir Edward Des Voeux, 8th Baronet, a millionaire bullion trader and secretary of the Hong Kong Club, had enlisted as a private when deemed too old for mobilization. Private T. A. Pearce, 67 years old, was chairman of J. D. Hutchison & Company and secretary of the Hong Kong Jockey Club. Captain Bruch, the second-in-command, aged 60, chaired a major trading house. The list extended through Hong Kong's business elite, each choosing to fight rather than flee. These old men held an entire regiment at bay. When Patterson called for aid, Maltby dispatched an HKVDC armoured car with a platoon from Z Company, 1 Middlesex, but the reinforcement was ambushed before reaching the station; only nine soldiers, including 2nd Lieutenant Caruthers, broke through. Unable to dislodge the defenders by assault, the Japanese resorted to bombardment. By 0145 hours on 19 December, surrounded and ammunition exhausted, the defenders withdrew to King's Road behind a disabled bus. The Japanese deployed three machine guns, killing or mortally wounding all but Private Geoghan. A Japanese officer, believing all dead, cautiously approached—only to have Geoghan, despite his wounds, surge from cover and charge. He killed the officer and four soldiers before collapsing from wounds. Somehow Geoghan survived. Those old men—civilians and reservists, businessmen and veterans—held the entire western Japanese advance for 18 hours, buying Maltby precious time to withdraw forces and establish a new defensive line. Their stand at North Point became one of the campaign's most improbable acts of defiance. As the 2/229th Regiment advanced southward toward Mt Parker, the 3/229th landed at Aldrich Bay and turned eastward toward Lyemun, where they seized an HKVDC 6-inch gun. Major Bishop of the Royal Rifles of Canada, unaware of the landings, dispatched 15 Platoon under Lieutenant Scott to check on A Company of the Rajputs. Unexpectedly, they encountered armed men in civilian clothes at Lyemun's gate—the first indication of the Japanese presence on the island. Yet senior officers dismissed initial reports of landings and lost positions as exaggerated, a critical miscalculation that proved catastrophic. At Lyemun Fort, the 5th Anti-aircraft Battery of the HKVDC was caught completely unaware and surrendered after minimal resistance. The Japanese then committed one of many atrocities that would characterize the battle, bayoneting 29 survivors. Alerted by 15 Platoon's report, Bishop attempted a counter-attack with two platoons to retake the fort, but the defenders could not scale the six-meter wall and withdrew with nine men killed. As the 2/229th pressed southward toward Mt Parker, they overran the Salesian Mission, which had been converted into an Advance Dressing Station. No. 8 Company of the 2/229th systematized a massacre of medical personnel and the wounded—an atrocity that would later become pivotal evidence at Colonel Tanaka's war crimes trial. Yet amid the chaos, several medical staff and wounded survived to testify: Gunners Y. K. Chan and Martin H. C. Tso of the 5th Battery, Captain Osler Thomas of the HKVDC, Captain Martin Banfill of the Royal Canadian Medical Corps, and Corporal Norman Leath of the Royal Army Medical Corps. C Company of the Royal Rifles, reinforced with captured Japanese machine guns abandoned by fleeing Rajputs, inflicted heavy casualties on the attackers, with one Japanese company suffering over 65 percent losses. Yet overwhelmed by superior numbers and suffering nearly two platoons worth of casualties themselves, the Canadians were forced to withdraw, leaving only a reinforcement platoon under Lieutenant Blaver on Mt Parker. When Captain Clerke arrived at dawn with 16 Platoon to reinforce the position, he found over 100 Japanese already entrenched. With no artillery support and only two platoons available, Clerke had no choice but to withdraw, abandoning Mt Parker to the enemy. By dawn on the 19th, the East Brigade faced catastrophe. Infantry strength had been halved, and losses of artillery were equally devastating. A series of misunderstandings and misinterpreted orders led coastal gun crews at Capes D'Aguilar and Collinson to destroy their own guns in confusion or lose them to the advancing Japanese. Of the entire artillery complement, only one 18-pounder and two 3.7-inch field guns remained operational. Wongneichong—literally "yellow muddy creek" in Chinese—occupies the center of Hong Kong Island, a valley separating the eastern hills (Mt Parker, Mt Butler, Jardine's Lookout) from the western massif (Mt Nicholson, Mt Cameron, Victoria Peak). This narrow gap formed the critical artery linking northern and southern Hong Kong, making Brigadier Lawson's decision to place West Brigade Headquarters there strategically sound yet tactically vulnerable. Recognizing the exposed position after the landings, Major Lyndon had located an alternative site south of Mt Nicholson, scheduled to open the following day. In response to the Japanese landings, Lawson dispatched three platoons of Winnipeg Grenadiers to block the advance. Lieutenant C. D. French took 18 Platoon to Mt Butler, Lieutenant G. A. Birkett's 17 Platoon moved to Jardine's Lookout, and Lieutenant L. B. Corrigan's platoon took the north-west approach to the Gap. As on Mt Parker, both French and Birkett were killed almost immediately, their small forces overwhelmed by battalion-strength enemy forces with artillery support. By morning on the 19th, two battalions each of the 230th and 228th Regiments were pushing for the high ground. The 2/230th rapidly occupied Jardine's Lookout while the 3/230th moved to Mt Nicholson and the 2/228th advanced toward the Gap itself. No. 3 Company of the HKVDC under Major E. Stewart held pillboxes around Jardine's Lookout, while No. 1 Company under Captain Penn defended Taitam Valley with forward positions at Quarry Gap. The pillboxes, despite heavy bombardment, held longer than anticipated—some for as long as 24 hours. Stewart maintained his company headquarters until the 22nd, four days of continuous fighting without adequate ammunition, food, or water. No. 3 Company suffered 80 percent casualties and ceased to exist as a cohesive unit. Realizing that the enemy had penetrated to Mt Butler, Brigadier Lawson decided counter-attack was essential. Major A. B. Gresham of A Company, Winnipeg Grenadiers, was ordered to retake Mt Butler and clear Jardine's Lookout. The Canadians initially succeeded, with Warrant Officer 2 J. R. Osborne leading a bayonet charge, but a strong counter-attack by three Japanese companies drove them back by 2200 hours. The Canadians held firm until 1500 hours, when Gresham attempted surrender despite waving a white flag—the Japanese shot him regardless. In the chaos that followed, a Canadian killed a Japanese officer in response, triggering a grenade barrage. Warrant Officer Osborne caught the grenades and hurled them back as fast as they came, but one landed in an impossible position. Without hesitation, Osborne threw himself on the grenade to save his comrades. This act of supreme self-sacrifice earned him a Victoria Cross—the first Canadian VC of World War II. At dawn on the 19th, Maltby dispatched A Company of the 2 Royal Scots under Captain K. J. Campbell to reinforce the Gap, but they lost all their officers with only 15 men reaching Lawson's headquarters. A group of sailors under Commander A. L. Pears came from the south, but were ambushed en route; only a few reached the Postbridge—a house just south of the Gap—which became an isolated strongpoint. The 3/230th captured the police station perched on a mound at the southern point of the Gap, then swept eastward to seize the anti-aircraft guns of 7th Battery (barely 250 meters from brigade headquarters) and continued uphill toward Taitam Hill to capture additional 6-inch and 3.7-inch guns. Maltby's response was to call down final protective fire from the HKSRA in Happy Valley, inflicting massive casualties on the 3/230th. At 1000 hours on the 19th, Lawson reported that his headquarters was surrounded and he was about to "go outside and shoot it out." Captain H. A. Bush provided covering fire as Lawson and his entire staff, including Middlesex signallers, were cut down by machine-gun fire across the Gap. Lawson's body was discovered two days later halfway up the hill behind his headquarters, dead from a gunshot wound to the thigh. Lieutenant Kerfoot of the 2/14 Punjab with his three Bren carriers arrived minutes too late to save him. IJA who saw the fight made a note stating "he died heroically". At 1330 hours on the 19th, Maltby issued "Operation Order No. 6" calling for a massive counter-attack to commence 90 minutes later. The plan was ambitious: A and D Companies of the 2/14 Punjab were to attack east from Victoria to North Point to relieve the Hughsiliers, while HQ Company of the Winnipeg Grenadiers and the 2 Royal Scots were to attack the Gap and Jardine's Lookout. Eight field guns were promised but never materialized. There was no reconnaissance, no proper orders, and minimal coordination. The Canadians were to rendezvous with the 2 Royal Scots at Middle Gap at 1530 hours, but the Scots were late; the Canadians advanced without them. Captain Pinkerton of D Company, 2 Royal Scots, was ordered at the last minute to attack up Wongneichong Gap Road—the same route A Company had taken only seven hours earlier and been decimated—because it was reported as "lightly held." Captain A. M. S. Slater-Brown led the advance with three Bren carriers and attached engineers, followed by D Company of the Winnipeg Grenadiers. Just as the carriers reached the burnt-out trucks of A Company, they too were ambushed. Mortars and machine-gun fire rained down from Jardine's Lookout, where the Japanese occupied captured HKVDC pillboxes. Slater-Brown and 2nd Lieutenant Bell, the battalion intelligence officer, were killed instantly. The Royal Scots waited in the roadside ditches until 0200 hours before launching an attack on the police station, reaching the steps before Pinkerton was severely wounded. Captain Ford's composite company attack at 0300 hours also failed. Simultaneously, C Company under Lieutenant F. L. Stanier attacked Jardine's Lookout—also unsuccessfully. This series of piecemeal assaults cost the Royal Scots eight officers and 68 soldiers. Growing increasingly desperate, Maltby ordered Major Hodkinson, Officer Commanding HQ Company of the Winnipeg Grenadiers, to attack the Gap and proceed to Mt Parker. Requesting reinforcements from A Company and the Royal Scots, Hodkinson launched his assault with covering fire from Lieutenant Corrigan on Mt Nicholson. The Grenadiers managed to reach Mt Nicholson with only five unwounded men, though Corrigan's group advanced to within 300 meters of the Gap road. Then came an unexpected stroke of fortune: while skirting Mt Nicholson, Hodkinson's group stumbled upon approximately 500 Japanese—probably from the 3/230th—eating lunch without posting sentries. The Winnipeg Grenadiers unleashed devastating fire, inflicting heavy casualties. By 1745 hours, Hodkinson's force was only 100 meters from Repulse Bay Road. With four men and a 2-inch mortar, Hodkinson worked his way to the abandoned brigade headquarters, bringing 20 walking wounded with him. He established a foothold at the Gap, receiving orders to attack the police station at 2200 hours. Two HKVDC armoured cars with Vickers machine guns came in support, but accurate enemy fire disabled both. Like Pinkerton before him, Hodkinson reached near his objective before being severely wounded. For this action of determination and courage, Hodkinson was awarded the Distinguished Service Order. By the morning of the 20th, the Japanese had consolidated control of the Gap, but elements of D Company, Winnipeg Grenadiers, still held various pillboxes north of the position. Initially, 17 and 18 Platoons occupied forward positions with Company Headquarters and 16 Platoon in reserve, positioned across Wongneichong Road almost directly opposite brigade headquarters. Forward positions were rapidly overrun and cut off from the company. They fought without officers until withdrawal to battalion headquarters became necessary. With Captain A. S. Bowman killed and Captain R. W. Philips wounded, command fell to Lieutenant T. A. Blackwood. An attempt by B Company to relieve D Company on the evening of the 20th failed catastrophically, killing all officers and 29 men. With fewer than 50 men remaining—all wounded—Lieutenant Blackwood continued inflicting heavy casualties on the Japanese until 22 December, when exhaustion and the complete absence of ammunition, food, and water forced surrender. D Company killed over 200 Japanese soldiers. Post-war Japanese reports refused to believe that a single company had held the Gap for so long. For their stubborn defense, Philips and Blackwood were awarded the Military Cross, and three enlisted men received the Military Medal. The battle of Wongneichong Gap was characterized by fragmented planning and poor coordination. On the night of the 19th-20th, no fewer than three separate companies attacked the police station, with another company assaulting Jardine's Lookout—all within five hours, all independently organized by local commanders. Had these disparate actions been coordinated into a single simultaneous assault, fortress headquarters' objectives might well have been achieved. By the end of the 20th, the British had lost the vital ground of Wongneichong, though Postbridge House remained as an isolated holdout. For the Japanese, Wongneichong became the single costliest engagement since the invasion began, with over 800 casualties and the regimental commander of the 3/230th seriously wounded. I would like to take this time to remind you all that this podcast is only made possible through the efforts of Kings and Generals over at Youtube. Please go subscribe to Kings and Generals over at Youtube and to continue helping us produce this content please check out www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals. If you are still hungry after that, give my personal channel a look over at The Pacific War Channel at Youtube, it would mean a lot to me.   Japanese landings on 18-19 December overwhelmed the East Brigade. Brigadier Lawson died defending the vital Gap. Desperate, uncoordinated counter-attacks by British and Canadian troops failed to dislodge the enemy. D Company Winnipeg Grenadiers held the position for four days against overwhelming odds before surrendering. The Japanese suffered 800 casualties but secured this critical strategic ground.

Welcome back, Roadies! Todd and Jim are settling into the newly redesigned Corner Rickhouse at the Frankfort Bourbon Society, fresh paint and all, for another wide-ranging tasting session. Todd teases an upcoming Monday Meetup celebrating a milestone birthday, and Jim shares highlights from a family trip to Savannah before the two dive into four distinctly different finished and blended whiskeys that span Colorado craft, orchard-inspired blends, Scotch-barrel finishing, and rare American oak. On the Tasting Mat: - Lock & Co. Big Blaze Bourbon: A Denver-based, 95-proof, five-year-old bourbon uniquely finished with charred Aspen wood discs sourced directly from trees destroyed in Colorado's 2020 East Troublesome Fire. The nose opens with smoked maple caramel and a bright, citrus freshness. The palate is clean and straightforward — sweet maple and caramel lead, the smokiness softens mid-palate, and a gentle white pepper spice emerges on the finish. Ten percent of proceeds support Grand County firefighters and first responders. Available in Colorado and online to 48 states for around $56.99. *(00:25:37)* - Chicken Cock Oh Glory Limited Edition Hunter-Proof American Whiskey Blend: A one-of-a-kind collaboration between Chicken Cock and Laird & Company, blending 70% of Chicken Cock's 95/5 Kentucky straight rye (distilled at Bardstown) with 30% Laird's bottled-in-bond apple brandy, bottled at 100 proof. The nose is an inviting walk through an apple orchard in spring — fresh red apples with a subtle rye mintiness underneath. The palate is buttery and remarkably smooth, with a cool sweet wave up front, almost no mid-palate bite, and a warming, peppery finish that builds with each sip. Twelve thousand bottles released at an MSRP of $65. *(00:43:51)* - Bardstown Bourbon Company Lox of Jura Barrel Finish: A bespoke blend of 49% 11-year Indiana bourbon (75/21/4), 30% 10-year Indiana rye (95/5), and 21% 12-year Kentucky bourbon (75/13/12), rested an additional 32 months in single malt Scotch whiskey barrels sourced from the Isle of Jura — 84% ex-bourbon and 16% ex-sherry Scotch casks — and bottled at 104 proof. The nose layers honeydew melon, orchard fruit, and gentle malt in a way that is decidedly un-peated and approachable. The palate achieves a remarkable balance among all three components — bourbon sweetness, rye spice, and fruity Scotch character — with the lines between them blurring beautifully. The finish is long and warming, growing more Scotch-forward with time. MSRP $140. *(00:46:55)* - Bardstown Bourbon Company Discovery 2026: A blend of 55% 10-year Indiana bourbon (75/21/4), 25% 11-year Kentucky bourbon (74/18/8), and 20% 7-year Kentucky bourbon (74/16/10), finished in custom Gariana oak barrels hand-toasted for three hours by Oregon Barrel Works and chosen for maximum summer extraction, bottled at 112.8 proof. The nose presents butterscotch, burnt sugar, and a hint of molasses-like richness. The palate leans sweet and thick with cola-like depth, cooked cherry, and a distinct nuttiness; the finish carries a pleasant citrus-cherry brightness with lingering spice. MSRP $140. *(01:01:13)* As a bonus pour, the guys also opened the Lost Lantern United States of Bourbon 1776 Edition, a one-time-only cask-strength blend of bourbons from distilleries in each of the 13 original colonies — from Painted Stave (DE) and Liberty Pole (PA) to King's County (NY) and Reservoir (VA) — hand-numbered to 1,776 bottles at 121.4 proof and MSRP $199.99. It rounds out an episode packed with creative finishing techniques, cross-category blending, and the kind of spirited conversation that makes the Bourbon Road worth every mile. Head to thebourbonroad.com to sign up for the Roadie Bar, watch for giveaways featuring full 750ml bottles of the Discovery and Lox of Jura, and we'll see you down the road!

This hour: The latest update from the love life of one Dale Ordway; Your Take Grenades; Ken Laird's Top 5 Reasons to Watch Patriots/Browns; Arcand Vs. Everyone!

After a long hiatus (3 years!), it is great to welcome back Laird and Ron as they listen and discuss John Williams' latest movie's soundtrack - Disclosure Day!

Todd Ritter flies solo as host this week on The Bourbon Road, welcoming Chip Tate — Master Distiller of Innovation for Ampersand Spirits (a Foley Family Spirits project) — for a deep dive into one of the most inventive new whiskey series to hit shelves. Chip brings his decades of distilling philosophy, his background founding Balcones Distillery in Texas, and his stint crafting copper pot stills, all to bear on a four-expression lineup that challenges every assumption about what American whiskey can be. From a nine-year-old neutral grain spirit aged in ex-cognac barrels to a six-way wine barrel finish on a high-malt bourbon, every pour here tells a story of deliberate curiosity. On the Tasting Mat: - Ampersand Vinea: A 92-proof blend of 75% rye whiskey and 25% neutral grain spirit that spent over nine years in ex-cognac barrels — a happy accident born when barrels bought in France in 2015 for another project were kept wet and simply never emptied. The result is thin in body but surprisingly aromatic, with grapevine, cognac-cask fruit esters, and a firm French-oak tannin structure that recalls aged Scottish grain whiskey. Non-chill filtered. *(00:01:28)* - Ampersand Malice: Also at 92 proof and non-chill filtered, Malice blends 51% rye whiskey with 49% Calvados (French apple brandy) into a cross-category spirit that Chip frames as a chef sourcing ingredients from two different farms. The nose erupts with apple-cinnamon potpourri; the palate delivers stewed apple, warming rye spice, and a richness that proves Calvados can stand toe-to-toe with a robust rye. MSRP $59.99. *(00:13:07)* - Ampersand Opumus (Batch 1 — 116.6 proof): The crown jewel of the lineup, Opumus starts with 15-year-old Kentucky straight bourbon (sourced from Wild Turkey) that Chip found overly tannic on its own, then finishes it in Tokaji wine barrels for approximately one year per batch. At cask strength near 58.3% ABV, this is a dramatic whiskey: deep floral and juicy-fruit aromatics, stewed raisin, leather, tobacco, and a sweetness drawn from the mold-ripened Tokaji. Limited to roughly 55 barrels per release; when it's gone, it's gone. *(00:30:35)* - Gambit No. 6: Bottled at 92 proof (46% ABV) and non-chill filtered, Gambit begins with a six-year-old high-malt bourbon that first passes through stripped-and-re-toasted Chardonnay barrels before being split into four finishing streams — Oloroso Sherry, Muscatel, Tokaji, and Laird's apple brandy barrels — where it rests for 18-plus months. The resulting blend is deliberately Bordeaux-like in concept: the Chardonnay provides structure and brightness, the Oloroso brings nuttiness, the Tokaji adds juiciness, and the apple brandy ties every fruit note together. Soft, integrated, and sessionable at its proof. MSRP approximately $65. *(00:41:01)* Chip Tate is one of the most analytically minded distillers working in American craft spirits today, and this conversation makes that abundantly clear. Whether he's explaining why 46% ABV is the floor for non-chill filtration, drawing parallels between broken hollandaise and a misproofed blend, or describing how he shepherds hundreds of individual barrels through a six-way finish, his precision is matched only by his genuine love for the unexpected. Listeners who want to track down these bottles can find them through Southern Glazers distribution in most markets, or via direct-to-consumer options on the Ampersand and Gambit websites. A teaser for an upcoming fifth Ampersand release — described only as "a brother from another mother" to Opumus — should have fans of that expression paying close attention to Chip's Instagram at @ChipTateWhiskey.

After a long hiatus (3 years!), it is great to welcome back Laird and Ron as they listen and discuss John Williams' latest movie's soundtrack - Disclosure Day!

The Whiskey Hotline isn't just whiskey; it's specialty spirits from around the globe. And also, whiskey/whisky of course. This week, Dan stops by with new releases from Scotland, Kentucky, Vermont, Kentucky, Virginia, Kentucky, Indiana, Kentucky, Scotland and France CRN 57 Vision Speyside Blended Malt CRN 57 12-Year-Old Speyside Blended Malt CRN 57 18-Year-Old Speyside Blended Malt CRN 57 25-Year-Old Speyside Blended Malt CRN 57 30-Year-Old Speyside Blended Malt Chicken Cock Old Glory Kentucky Straight Rye Blended with Laird's Apple Brandy WhistlePig Single Finish Bespoke 12-Year-Old Rye Os Rostrale Finished in ex-Monbazillac Binny's Handpicked Gambit No. 6 Kentucky Straight Bourbon Finished in Wine, Apple Brand, Sherry and Tokaji Casks Virginia Distillery Company 7-Year-Old American Single Malt Cigar Blend Four Roses 100 Proof Kentucky Straight Bourbon Remus Distiller's Vault Series 9-Year-Old Straight Whiskey Binny's Handpicked Sazerac 125 Proof Straight Rye Kilchoman Loch Gorm 10-Year-Old ex-Sherry Cask Islay Single Malt Release 2026 La Gauloise Green La Gauloise Yellow If you have a question for the Barrel to Bottle Crew, email us at comments@binnys.com, or reach out to us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. If we answer your question during a podcast, you'll get a $20 Binny's Gift Card! If you like our podcast, subscribe wherever you download podcasts. Rate and review us on Apple Podcasts.  

Dans cet épisode solo, j'analyse le parcours de Geoffrey Laird, Fondateur de Okimia.Son secret ? Suivre vos clients quand ils montent en gamme, et transformer chaque euro qui dort en marge concrète.Au programme :* Suivre vos clients quand ils grandissent, quitte à changer de segment* Passer d'un outil qui montre à un outil qui fait agir* Transformer le temps perdu sur la trésorerie en marge concrète* Vous appuyer sur votre expertise pour créer une vraie barrière face aux outils génériques* Internaliser tout ce qui touche à l'expérience client, à commencer par le premier contactUn épisode 100% actionnable pour tout entrepreneur ou toute entrepreneure.Bonne écoute !Votre entreprise est-elle structurée pour accélérer ? Faites le diagnostic Comment t'as fait ? pour prendre du recul sur vos décisions stratégiques et vérifier si nous sommes la bonne équipe pour vous accompagner : https://diagnostic-commenttasfait.netlify.app/

A recent suggestion for getting more people to play Sorare was shot down because of one major concern: what if people abuse it by multi-accounting?Which led us to a question we never thought we'd ask...Is Sorare even WORTH scamming?On today's SorareAndrews, Laird and Black take a tongue-in-cheek look at Sorare's concerns around multi-accounting, how much managers could realistically gain from exploiting certain promotions, and whether the fear of abuse is actually holding back ideas that could make the game more fun and accessible.Obviously, we're not encouraging anyone to scam Sorare. But if every new incentive has to account for people trying to game the system, how much should that affect the experience for everyone else?We'll discuss that, the current state of Sorare, and plenty more on today's show.

Most people think big wave surfers are fearless. Luca says fear is the only place courage can exist. Luca Padua is a big wave surfer from Half Moon Bay, California, who grew up two miles from Mavericks, one of the most dangerous waves on Earth. He surfed it for the first time at 13, lived with Laird Hamilton and Gabby Reece for six years, and now runs Bigger Than Waves, a project supporting veteran mental health through VETS. What surprised me is how honest Luca is about being scared. He was the cautious kid his mom had to walk down the high dive. He argues fear is intelligence, not weakness. Courage isn't innate; it's built through training, like the pool sessions with Laird that once made him black out. That framing runs through every story he tells, from his first drop at Mavericks with the jagged Boneyard rocks below him to sitting shoulder to shoulder with his childhood heroes in the lineup. We also get into his path away from enlisting in the military, the letter from a special operations friend that changed his direction, and why he believes purpose has to come before performance. You'll learn: [0:00] Introduction [6:04] Big wave surfers aren't fearless, and the only place courage can exist  [10:33] The lore of Mavericks and what makes an 80-foot wave so deadly [23:49] Luca's fallout with his parents after that first Mavericks session, and finding his path forward [37:16] The lesson Laird Hamilton taught him about being faithful in the small things [42:01] Almost enlisting in the military, and how Bigger Than Waves and VETS was born [53:48] What training with Ido Portal and Christian McCaffrey taught him about being a beginner [1:00:39] Navigating social media as a distraction machine while staying on the righteous path Resources Mentioned: Laird Hamilton | Website VETS (Veterans Exploring Treatment Solutions) | Website The Almanack of Naval Ravikant by Eric Jorgenson | Book Inside Maverick's: Portrait of a Monster Wave by Doug Acton | Book In Waves and War | Netflix Find more from Luca: Luca Padua | Instagram | YouTube Bigger Than Waves | Instagram | Website Find more from Ste: Ste Lane | Instagram Radical Health Radio | Instagram | YouTube Heart and Soil Supplements | Website | Instagram | X | YouTube

European packs have arrived in Sorare Colors, and I've been saving for this one.I have more than *225,000 Essence to spend, which means we're opening nearly 230 Bronze packs* on today's Sorare with Laird.While we rip through the packs, we'll discuss the latest developments with Sorare Colors, what we've learned about Set so far, and what we could see when the next Set launches in September.But there's also a bigger question: Has the return of Sorare Pro and Arena made Set less interesting?With so many different ways to play Sorare 27, we'll talk about where Set fits into the ecosystem now, and whether we'll still be as excited to grind the next Set.

This video discusses the preoperative, operative, and postoperative considerations for patients undergoing tracheostomy including: anatomy and pathophysiology, anesthetic and operative approach, and postoperative care. LEARNING OBJECTIVES - Explain the anatomy and pathophysiology - Describe the anesthetic management plan, including intraoperative management - Review common operative approaches - Describe postoperative considerations AUTHORS Roger Nuss, MD Associate, Department of Otolaryngology and Communication Enhancement Assistant Professor of Otolaryngology, Harvard Medical School Jennifer Perez, MD Fellow, Division of Critical Care Medicine Boston Children's Hospital Jessica Laird-Gion, MD Department of Pediatrics, Division of Cardiology Stanford Medicine DATE Initial publication date: August 12, 2026. Please visit: www.openpediatrics.org OPENPediatrics™ is an interactive digital learning platform for healthcare clinicians sponsored by Boston Children's Hospital and in collaboration with the World Federation of Pediatric Intensive and Critical Care Societies. It is designed to promote the exchange of knowledge between healthcare providers around the world caring for critically ill children in all resource settings. The content includes internationally recognized experts teaching the full range of topics on the care of critically ill children. All content is peer-reviewed and open-access thus at no expense to the user. For further information on how to enroll, please email: openpediatrics@childrens.harvard.edu CITATION Laird-Gion J, Perez J, Nuss R, McFee AM, Marcley S, Wolbrink TA. Tracheostomy. 08/2026. Online Podcast. OPENPediatrics. https://soundcloud.com/openpediatrics/tracheostomy-by-r-nuss-j-perez/s-hIyYqiXKAId?si=25e19540480b43cbb133b57d067213f9&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing.

Gérer sa trésorerie devient vite complexe quand une entreprise travaille avec plusieurs banques, plusieurs comptes… voire plusieurs sociétés. Entre les flux à répartir, les financements à maintenir et le besoin d'avoir une vision globale, la gestion peut rapidement devenir un casse-tête.Dans cet extrait, Geoffrey explique pourquoi les entreprises multiplient souvent les relations bancaires et l'importance de pouvoir consolider l'ensemble de sa trésorerie dans un seul tableau de bord, notamment lorsqu'on pilote plusieurs entités.Un enjeu clé pour garder de la visibilité, structurer ses finances et prendre de meilleures décisions, à découvrir dans l'épisode complet.

John Scotus Eriugena was one of the most radical thinkers of the early Middle Ages — a philosopher who fused eastern and western Christian theology with Neoplatonism to create a vision of God, nature, and creation centuries that is breathtaking and unique. In this episode, we explore his masterwork Periphyseon (On the Division of Nature), his controversial ideas on negative theology, and why the Church eventually condemned his work as heretical.Find me and my music here:https://linktr.ee/filipholmSupport Let's Talk Religion on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/letstalkreligion Or through a one-time donation: https://paypal.me/talkreligiondonateSources/Recommended Reading:Carabine, Deirdre (2000). "John Scottus Eriugena". Oxford University Press USA.Laird, Martin (2004). "Gregory of Nyssa and the grasp of faith: union, knowledge and divine presence". Oxford University Press.Luibheid, Colm (Translated by) (1987). "Pseudo-Dionysius: The Complete Works". Classics of Western Spirituality. Paulist Press International.McGinn, Bernard. "The Presence of God" Series, in several volumes. Perhaps the best and most comprehensive introduction to Christian mysticism. Published by Crossroad Publishing Co.Sheldon-Williams, I.P. & John J. O'Meara (translated and edited by) (2025). "Periphyseon: The Division of Nature". Dumbarton Oaks Research Library & Collection. (This is the translation used for the Periphyseon except when noted). Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

6 Hours and 16 MinutesPG-13This is the complete audio of Pete reading 'Crying Wolf: Hate Crime Hoaxes in America' by Laird Wilcox.Antelope Hill - Promo code "peteq" for 5% off - https://antelopehillpublishing.com/FoxnSons Coffee - Promo code "peter" for 18% off - https://www.foxnsons.com/Pete and Thomas777 'At the Movies'Support Pete on His WebsitePete's PatreonPete's SubstackPete's SubscribestarPete's GUMROADPete's VenmoPete's Buy Me a CoffeePete on FacebookPete on TwitterBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-pete-quinones-show--6071361/support.

This episode originally broadcast on August 6, 2026. The original podcast post is here: https://pixelatedgeek.com/2026/08/binary-system-podcast-517-wtnv-291-mall-madness-1987-and-beastars/Welcome To Night Vale is back from hiatus! To celebrate (and to cover for the fact that Cecil is missing) guest radio host Leonard Burton is sharing an episode from the archives! So send your Betamax back to the store, grab yourself an Orange Julius, and make sure you have your credit card handy for all those late-night 1-900 calls, because we're going back to August 1st 1987!It's the grand opening of the new Night Vale Mall, and while certain things haven't been finished yet (like "stores" or "ceilings" or "floors") we can still wander past the freestanding escalators and reminisce about some of the ways the 80's were just weird. (Our favorite things about the Hickory Farm store in the DeSoto Square Mall were the strawberry candies and the frozen yogurt, and we will not be taking questions at this time.)Then we recap episode 20 (yes we know we said 19, we are bad with numbers) of the final season of Beastars where Legoshi is having the worst luck, and then talk a little about Better Call Saul and last weekend's GenCon (sorry you had to deal with a tornado, folks. We're glad nobody died.)This episode's outro is a clip from Analogue Restart by TeknoAXE.It can be really easy to slip into doom and despair at the state of the world right now, but there are things you can do to help. Check out Stand With Minnesota for links to fundraisers and other ways you can show your support. If we haven't made it abundantly clear where we stand on this, FUCK ICE.Looking for a present for that hard-to-shop-for person? Want to buy them (or yourself) a square foot of a castle in Scotland? Look no further! You can support the restoration of Dunan's castle, legally call yourself Lady or Laird, AND if you use this link to get there, you can support this podcast too! ScottishLaird.co.uk.For updates, fan art, and other randomness, come follow us on Facebook, Tumblr, and Instagram!

This episode originally broadcast on July 30, 2026. The original podcast post is here: https://pixelatedgeek.com/2026/07/binary-system-podcast-516-galaxycon-san-diego-comic-con-and-beastars/Last weekend Binary System went to ALL THE CONVENTIONS. Well, two of them. But they were big ones!This week we're recapping GalaxyCon in Raleigh and Comic-Con in San Diego, going over the good (Cosplay! Cute merch! Famous artists! Amazing Digital Circus meetup!!) the bad (ugh it was hot in San Diego) (oh like 79 degrees? - Kathryn) (Yes all right shut up - Elizabeth), and the ugly (on both the east coast and the west coast the LINES in ARTIST ALLEY ARE OUT OF CONTROL.)After that we recapped episode 19 of the final season of Beastars. In short, the A-team animators are still knocking it out of the park, Haru is being stupid, and Legoshi is a total chump.This episode's outro is a clip from Rigged Game by Grumplefunk.It can be really easy to slip into doom and despair at the state of the world right now, but there are things you can do to help. Check out Stand With Minnesota for links to fundraisers and other ways you can show your support. If we haven't made it abundantly clear where we stand on this, FUCK ICE.Looking for a present for that hard-to-shop-for person? Want to buy them (or yourself) a square foot of a castle in Scotland? Look no further! You can support the restoration of Dunan's castle, legally call yourself Lady or Laird, AND if you use this link to get there, you can support this podcast too! ScottishLaird.co.uk.For updates, fan art, and other randomness, come follow us on Facebook, Tumblr, and Instagram!

This episode originally broadcast on July 23, 2026. The original podcast post is here: https://pixelatedgeek.com/2026/07/binary-system-podcast-515-beastars-and-preview-to-the-odyssey-and-comic-con/This week's recap of Beastars features multiple instances of the word "weird". Look, we know this is a fantasy show, and it doesn't pay to look too closely into how a society of carnivores living side-by-side with potential food would actually work. But Bill the Tiger found a baby chick in his ramen, and him trying to raise it is like a high schooler trying to raise a baby that they found in their dinner, and it's actually a touching story that shows a new side of Bill's character, but we're sorry, that's weird.Also weird? HARU HAVING A DEATH WISH. That is all.San Diego Comic-Con and GalaxyCon Raleigh start this week, so both halves of the Binary System Podcast will be making an appearance! Oh, and The Odyssey is currently in theaters. It sounds like an amazing experience, and people with rage-filled criticisms about American accents and Christopher Nolan not casting the "right" people should probably settle down.This episode's outro is a clip from Indo Bop by TeknoAXE.Stick around after the outro song for two minutes of emergency sirens, otherwise known as Why We Don't Usually Record During Rush Hour.It can be really easy to slip into doom and despair at the state of the world right now, but there are things you can do to help. Check out Stand With Minnesota for links to fundraisers and other ways you can show your support. If we haven't made it abundantly clear where we stand on this, FUCK ICE.Looking for a present for that hard-to-shop-for person? Want to buy them (or yourself) a square foot of a castle in Scotland? Look no further! You can support the restoration of Dunan's castle, legally call yourself Lady or Laird, AND if you use this link to get there, you can support this podcast too! ScottishLaird.co.uk.For updates, fan art, and other randomness, come follow us on Facebook, Tumblr, and Instagram!

One of the biggest comics announcements of San Diego Comic-Con was the reveal that Matthew Rosenberg will become the next ongoing writer of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and this week he's here for his first in-depth interview about the series. Rosenberg opens up about initially turning down the job before IDW came calling a second time, why his run is inspired by the raw energy of the original Mirage comics, and how he plans to put the turtles through a relentless fight across New York City. We also discuss his love of Eastman and Laird's work, collaborating with artist Juann Cabal, bringing forgotten characters back into the spotlight, and why this story will embrace every corner of TMNT history while carving out its own identity. NEWS Marvel Comics solicitations October 2026 José Andrés joins Earth's Mightiest Heroes in 'Meals to Astonish: Avengers' #1 this October Marvel's Trick-Or-Read program returns with 'Infernal Hulk' and 'Spidey and His Amazing Friends' Punisher battles Black Widow, Wolverine, and Winter Soldier in new Marvel one-shot series Marvel and Williams Racing team up for 'Iron Man: Racing Towards Doom' #1 this October Captain Britain gets 50th anniversary special Rob Liefeld relaunches 'Avengelyne' with artist Daniel Mainé at Image Comics this November Lance Briggs, Kyle Higgins, and Danilo Beyruth announce sci-fi sports graphic novel 'The Trap' Exclusive: Dan Watters and Brian Level launch sci-fi horror series 'Mad Science Division' at Ignition Press Red Sonja and Barbarella unite for first-ever crossover series this November Archie celebrates 85 years with oversized anniversary special featuring comics all-stars Our Top Books of the Week: Dave: Godzilla Conquers The Multiverse #1 (Gerry Duggan, Javier Garron) Terminal #1 (Robert Kirkman, Joe Casey, Andy Kubert) Alex:​​ Uncanny X-Men (Gail Simone, Jim Towe, Roge Antonio, Federica Mancin) Sicko #1 (Tini Howard, Amilcar Pinna)  Standout KAPOW moment of the week: Alex: x Dave: Superman #40 (Joshua Williamson, Dan Mora) TOP BOOKS FOR NEXT WEEK Alex: Is Ted Ok? #6 (Dave Chisholm) Dave: The Horror of Godzilla #1 (Tristan Jones,  Ethan S. Parker, Griffin Sherida) JUDGING BY THE COVER JR. Dave: Rocket Raccoon: Rocket Rewind #1 (Mike Mignola Cover) Alex: X-Men 34 Alexander Lozano '80s Colossus Variant Interview: Matthew Rosenberg talks taking over TMNT You described your run as "The Warriors meets Daredevil: Born Again" with plenty of action and humor mixed in. Those are some massive touchstones. What qualities from those stories became your creative north star for this new era of TMNT? Your story begins immediately after Gene Luen Yang's "The City That Never Dies" storyline, which sounds like it leaves the city fundamentally changed. How did Gene Luen Yang's finale create opportunities that wouldn't have existed otherwise? One of the biggest hooks is that the Turtles are being hunted over the course of a single night. What made that compressed timeline appealing, and how does it change the pacing compared to a more traditional TMNT story? You said the team hunting the Turtles is assembled specifically for this mission. Without spoiling who's involved, what makes this group uniquely equipped to challenge all four brothers at once? 10:59 Juann Cabal has shown he can handle kinetic action and expressive character work across Marvel and DC. What is it about his storytelling you're excited to see in TMNT?  You've mentioned your love for Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird's Mirage Studios era. Were there specific themes or storytelling techniques from those early comics that you wanted to bring back for modern readers? Your comics often balance brutal action with sharp humor and strong character voices. How do you approach writing the Turtles so each brother feels distinct, especially when they're under constant pressure? You've written everything from street-level crime stories to huge superhero events. Where does TMNT fit creatively for you, and does it scratch a different storytelling itch than books like What's the Furthest Place From Here? or your Marvel work? You're taking over with issue #25, which already feels like a milestone. Looking ahead, what do you hope readers say about your TMNT run after they've finished that first story arc? If Destruction Be Our Lot #4 -  Aug 19, 2026 King Spawn #58 - Aug 26th, 2026 Spawn #378 - Aug 26th, 2026 

We sat down with Laird Scranton and John Anthony West at John's home to talk about a whole array of things, starting with what started them on their paths of research, moving into some concepts of reality, Egypt (of course), lost civilizations, and much more. We also discuss the latest incident with Graham Hancock and Zahi Hawass, which if you missed it, Graham recaps here. Laird also drops some bombshells about his upcoming work near the end. We are very grateful to have been able to sit down with both of them, and for John's extensive hospitality. It really was an honor to be able to sit and pick their brains for a few hours. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Greg and Sother are back in the pool at Tales of the Cocktail 2026! On Day Three they tough out tropical storm Bertha with Kate Gerwin, the owner of Albuqurque's Happy Accidents and a Top Four Finalist for Best US Bar Mentor. Kate walks through her philosophy of bar mentorship, how her feelings on being a mentor have evolved over the years, and what it's like to go from bartender to bar owner. Plus, she teases her new concept Bad Apple over some delicious apple brandy from Laird'sPLUS, Charlotte Voisey joins Greg and Sother to talk about the good work Tales of the Cocktail Foundation does behind the scenes.Follow Kate at @alchemistkateFollow Happy Accidents at @happyaccidentsbarFollow Laird's at @lairdsapplejackLINKSBecome a Regular: patreon.com/SpeakeasyRegularsFor resources on dealing with cold hard water agents in your community visit nouswithoutyou.la/ and @thenycallianceThe Speakeasy is now on YouTube! Tune in to “see” what we're talking about at youtube.com/@Speakeasy.PodcastLearn more about Laird's at lairdandcompany.comCheck out Quiote Imports at quioteimports.com and use promo code “Speakeasy” to get free shipping at checkout.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Forget everything you thought you knew about Hot Streaks.

This episode originally broadcast on July 16, 2026. The original podcast post is here: https://pixelatedgeek.com/2026/07/binary-system-podcast-514-beastars-and-r-i-p-sam-neill/Our plan tonight was to recap episode 17 of the final season of Beastars (you call THAT a "disguise", Louis? Really?? Also, we're really hoping Juno gets a happily ever after, but man alive it doesn't look good), and we do, but first we had to talk about the passing of Sam Neill. He was one of our favorite actors in some of our favorite films, but he was also by all accounts a genuinely nice guy. Thank you for all the amazing characters, Sam, you were the best, and we'll really miss the posts from your farm.And of course, we've got the usual random tangents, like stupidly long seasons of TV, Netflix Bloat, Florida Supercon, and how you really should be nice to the Comic-Con volunteers.This episode's outro is a clip from Juno by Chronox.Sam Neill was a favorite in our Watch Party conversations, here's a few:Hunt for the WilderpeopleThe Hunt for Red OctoberIn the Mouth of MadnessJurassic ParkIt can be really easy to slip into doom and despair at the state of the world right now, but there are things you can do to help. Check out Stand With Minnesota for links to fundraisers and other ways you can show your support. If we haven't made it abundantly clear where we stand on this, FUCK ICE.Looking for a present for that hard-to-shop-for person? Want to buy them (or yourself) a square foot of a castle in Scotland? Look no further! You can support the restoration of Dunan's castle, legally call yourself Lady or Laird, AND if you use this link to get there, you can support this podcast too! ScottishLaird.co.uk.For updates, fan art, and other randomness, come follow us on Facebook, Tumblr, and Instagram!

The big news out of the round is Zak Butters' ankle injury that has made him the latest forced trade for our Fantasy Classic teams. Add that to Rory Laird's ankle, Jason Horne-Francis' suspension, possible injuries to John Noble and Bailey Dale, the week ahead is going to be a challenge. The Traders help you make the right moves for round 19. Head to fantasy.afl.com.au or fire up the app to make your moves. Episode guide 0:30 - The Traders’ round 18 scores. 6:00 - Crypto.com Trades of the Week 7:55 - Votes for the Cash Cow of the Year. 9:20 - News of the week. 14:20 - Scale of Hardness. 18:10 - Rollin’ 22 midfielders. 23:00 - Zak Butters trade targets. 30:00 - Other Round 19 trade targets. 36:40 - Most popular trades and The Traders’ early moves. 38:55 - Questions from social media - follow @AFLFantasy on X, @aflfantasy on Instagram and like the Official AFL Fantasy facebook page. - - - - Find more from Roy, Calvin and Warnie. Head to afl.com.au/fantasy for more content from The Traders. Like AFL Fantasy on Facebook. Follow @AFLFantasy on Instagram. Follow @AFLFantasy on X.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We all look for edges in Web3 gaming, but what happens when our theories completely crash into reality? Today on Sorare with Laird, we're diving into the absolute necessity of recognizing when your thesis is wrong and how to pivot without destroying your bankroll. Whether you're scouting data on Sorare, building a squad in MFL, or trading player shares on Sport.Fun, your ability to adapt is your greatest asset. Let's talk about how to spot the red flags in your own strategy and make the necessary adjustments.Support the content by joining the Laird Social Club on Patreon: https://patreon.com/andrewmlaird⚽️ Become a Sorare manager today: https://sorare.pxf.io/WyLBnZ

This episode originally broadcast on July 9, 2026. The original podcast post is here: https://pixelatedgeek.com/2026/07/binary-system-podcast-513-beastars-godzilla-minus-one-and-the-amazing-digital-circus/Yes, we know we said on the previous episode that we would have a Welcome to Night Vale recap this week. But there wasn't a new episode posted, because Welcome to Night Vale is on hiatus in July. Welcome to Night Vale is always on hiatus in July. Twelve years on and you'd think we'd remember that...So instead we've got a recap of season 3 episode 16 of Beastars (oh the angst, oh the unconvincing bait-and-switch from the end of episode 15...), and Elizabeth finally watched Godzilla Minus One so we need to talk about that. Elizabeth also has a lot of fun tidbits of information about The Amazing Digital Circus to discuss, because even the end of the series hasn't changed the fact that every bit of it has just eaten our brains.This episode's outro is a clip from Final Flight by Chronox.It can be really easy to slip into doom and despair at the state of the world right now, but there are things you can do to help. Check out Stand With Minnesota for links to fundraisers and other ways you can show your support. If we haven't made it abundantly clear where we stand on this, FUCK ICE.Looking for a present for that hard-to-shop-for person? Want to buy them (or yourself) a square foot of a castle in Scotland? Look no further! You can support the restoration of Dunan's castle, legally call yourself Lady or Laird, AND if you use this link to get there, you can support this podcast too! ScottishLaird.co.uk.For updates, fan art, and other randomness, come follow us on Facebook, Tumblr, and Instagram!

Leigh Laird has been watching Marc Scott's documentary short videos on LinkedIn and wants to know everything - how he picks topics, how he writes scripts, how he produces the videos, and whether the strategy is actually working. In this Summer Series episode, Marc pulls back the curtain on the full DocuShort strategy - from the AI-assisted scripting process to the one-to-two hour production workflow, and all the ways a single short video gets repurposed into demos, casting site playlists, website pages, and GEO content. Inside this episode: How Marc identifies documentary topics by starting with the networks he wants to work with - and then using AI to generate ideas within those themes The full production setup - phone video, studio audio, Adobe Audition, Adobe Premiere, and Envato Marketplace stock footage Why Marc records himself on camera during every video - and how that one decision separates him from AI-generated content The honest answer on results - no documentary booking yet, but four direct invites and a booking on Voice123 this week alone How he cuts each DocuShort into 15 to 20 second clips for casting site playlists, giving him dozens of new SEO opportunities per video Why he builds a dedicated website page for every video he creates - and how that is starting to show up in AI search results The 40-second average view time that proves people are watching his short content all the way through - and what he does in the first three seconds to make that happen Why Instagram is currently outperforming every other platform - including the video that just crossed 40,000 views after a year of consistent posting Whether you're targeting documentary narration or a completely different genre, this episode gives you a clear and practical framework for turning one piece of content into a full marketing strategy.

6 Hours and 16 MinutesPG-13This is the complete audio of Pete reading 'Crying Wolf: Hate Crime Hoaxes in America' by Laird Wilcox.Antelope Hill - Promo code "peteq" for 5% off - https://antelopehillpublishing.com/FoxnSons Coffee - Promo code "peter" for 18% off - https://www.foxnsons.com/Pete and Thomas777 'At the Movies'Support Pete on His WebsitePete's PatreonPete's SubstackPete's SubscribestarPete's GUMROADPete's VenmoPete's Buy Me a CoffeePete on FacebookPete on TwitterBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-pete-quinones-show--6071361/support.

Sorare might have finally cracked the code on how to build a perfect progression path for players. In today's episode, Laird breaks down the new ecosystem journey.We're mapping out exactly how the game flows now:• Sorare Set: The F2P onboarding (with a P2W twist).• Pro (Hot Streaks): The PvE gateway using Limiteds, where adding Rares can supercharge your rewards.• The PvP Jump: Taking those Rares into the ultimate leaderboard grind for massive prizes.• The Apex: Scaling up to Super Rare and Unique for the biggest rewards in the game.

Welcome back to another episode of Sorare with Laird! In today's live stream, Laird and  @HarryTrades  are diving deep into everything surrounding the new Sorare 27 updates. We'll be breaking down the official announcements, looking at how the community is reacting, and trying to make sense of the questions that are still left up in the air.This is a fully interactive, chat-driven stream. You are driving the conversation today, so drop your thoughts, hot takes, and questions in the live chat and let's hash it out!What we're covering today:

This episode originally broadcast on June 25, 2026. The original podcast post is here: https://pixelatedgeek.com/2026/06/binary-system-podcast-512-the-amazing-digital-circus-the-last-act-with-all-the-spoilers/It's been a wild ride for the Binary System Podcast team as we binged The Amazing Digital Circus over the last two and a half months. Kudos to everyone who's been following this absolutely stunning animated series for, what, two and a half years? I think everyone can agree that the final episode was worth the wait, even if it broke our hearts at least once.Spoliers ahoy as we recap the series finale and occasionally get sidetracked by Swamp Thing, the correct use of pronouns, and Indie animators helping other indie animators. This episode's outro is a clip from Circus by Six Umbrellas.Correction: Elizabeth says the live action actors we see in the post-credit scene are the voice actors. That's incorrect, there were different actors for the vocal parts and the visual parts.Correction the second: Elizabeth should also know better than to contradict Kathryn because Kathryn was right: when Gangle walks past Zooble she grabs Zooble's hand, not the other way around.Check out the very sweet thank-you video by TADC voice actors here.It can be really easy to slip into doom and despair at the state of the world right now, but there are things you can do to help. Check out Stand With Minnesota for links to fundraisers and other ways you can show your support. If we haven't made it abundantly clear where we stand on this, FUCK ICE.Looking for a present for that hard-to-shop-for person? Want to buy them (or yourself) a square foot of a castle in Scotland? Look no further! You can support the restoration of Dunan's castle, legally call yourself Lady or Laird, AND if you use this link to get there, you can support this podcast too! ScottishLaird.co.uk.For updates, fan art, and other randomness, come follow us on Facebook, Tumblr, and Instagram!

Layne, Clinton, Jon start turning Japanese as they discuss Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Adventures 31 from Archie Comics! Then it’s the final chapter of Return to New York, the final chapter of Eastman’s and Laird’s joint work on the Turtles, and the final chapter for the Shredder in Mirage’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 21!

Set in Trinidad in 1956, Driftwood is the debut play of actress Martina Laird. She chats to Hannah about why Trinidad's history is England's history too, The Little Mermaid, and the night they sat really near each other in a theatre. * Driftwood is on at the Kiln Theatre in London. More here: https://kilntheatre.com/whats-on/driftwood/ * Details on how to become a member of the supporters' club here:  Standard Issue Podcast | creating a magazine for ears, by women for women | Patreon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

"Self-Made" success is now an American badge of honor that rewards individualist ambitions while it hammers against community obligations. Yet, four centuries ago, our foundational stories actually disparaged ambitious upstarts as dangerous and selfish threats to a healthy society. In Pamela Walker Laird's fascinating history of why and how storytellers forged this American myth, she reveals how the goals for self-improvement evolved from serving the community to supporting individualist dreams of wealth and esteem. Simplistic stories of self-made success and failure emerged that disregarded people's advantages and disadvantages and fostered inequality. Fortunately, Self-Made also recovers long-standing, alternative traditions of self-improvement to serve the common good. These challenges to the myth have offered inspiration, often coming, surprisingly, from Americans associated with self-made success, such as Benjamin Franklin, Frederick Douglass, and Horatio Alger. Here are real stories that show that no one lives – no one succeeds or fails – in a vacuum. Pamela Walker Laird is Professor Emerita of History at the University of Colorado Denver. Laird's publications include her newest book, Self-Made: The Stories that Forged an American Myth (Cambridge University Press, 2025); Pull: Networking and Success Since Benjamin Franklin (Harvard University Press, 2006), which won the 2006 Hagley Prize for the best book in business history and is available in Chinese; and Advertising Progress: American Business and the Rise of Consumer Marketing (Johns Hopkins University Press, 1998), a Choice Outstanding Academic Book. Morteza Hajizadeh is a Ph.D. graduate in English from the University of Auckland in New Zealand. His research interests are Cultural Studies; Critical Theory; Environmental History; Medieval (Intellectual) History; Gothic Studies; 18th and 19th Century British Literature. YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/a48266/videos Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

"Self-Made" success is now an American badge of honor that rewards individualist ambitions while it hammers against community obligations. Yet, four centuries ago, our foundational stories actually disparaged ambitious upstarts as dangerous and selfish threats to a healthy society. In Pamela Walker Laird's fascinating history of why and how storytellers forged this American myth, she reveals how the goals for self-improvement evolved from serving the community to supporting individualist dreams of wealth and esteem. Simplistic stories of self-made success and failure emerged that disregarded people's advantages and disadvantages and fostered inequality. Fortunately, Self-Made also recovers long-standing, alternative traditions of self-improvement to serve the common good. These challenges to the myth have offered inspiration, often coming, surprisingly, from Americans associated with self-made success, such as Benjamin Franklin, Frederick Douglass, and Horatio Alger. Here are real stories that show that no one lives – no one succeeds or fails – in a vacuum. Pamela Walker Laird is Professor Emerita of History at the University of Colorado Denver. Laird's publications include her newest book, Self-Made: The Stories that Forged an American Myth (Cambridge University Press, 2025); Pull: Networking and Success Since Benjamin Franklin (Harvard University Press, 2006), which won the 2006 Hagley Prize for the best book in business history and is available in Chinese; and Advertising Progress: American Business and the Rise of Consumer Marketing (Johns Hopkins University Press, 1998), a Choice Outstanding Academic Book. Morteza Hajizadeh is a Ph.D. graduate in English from the University of Auckland in New Zealand. His research interests are Cultural Studies; Critical Theory; Environmental History; Medieval (Intellectual) History; Gothic Studies; 18th and 19th Century British Literature. YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/a48266/videos Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/history

"Self-Made" success is now an American badge of honor that rewards individualist ambitions while it hammers against community obligations. Yet, four centuries ago, our foundational stories actually disparaged ambitious upstarts as dangerous and selfish threats to a healthy society. In Pamela Walker Laird's fascinating history of why and how storytellers forged this American myth, she reveals how the goals for self-improvement evolved from serving the community to supporting individualist dreams of wealth and esteem. Simplistic stories of self-made success and failure emerged that disregarded people's advantages and disadvantages and fostered inequality. Fortunately, Self-Made also recovers long-standing, alternative traditions of self-improvement to serve the common good. These challenges to the myth have offered inspiration, often coming, surprisingly, from Americans associated with self-made success, such as Benjamin Franklin, Frederick Douglass, and Horatio Alger. Here are real stories that show that no one lives – no one succeeds or fails – in a vacuum. Pamela Walker Laird is Professor Emerita of History at the University of Colorado Denver. Laird's publications include her newest book, Self-Made: The Stories that Forged an American Myth (Cambridge University Press, 2025); Pull: Networking and Success Since Benjamin Franklin (Harvard University Press, 2006), which won the 2006 Hagley Prize for the best book in business history and is available in Chinese; and Advertising Progress: American Business and the Rise of Consumer Marketing (Johns Hopkins University Press, 1998), a Choice Outstanding Academic Book. Morteza Hajizadeh is a Ph.D. graduate in English from the University of Auckland in New Zealand. His research interests are Cultural Studies; Critical Theory; Environmental History; Medieval (Intellectual) History; Gothic Studies; 18th and 19th Century British Literature. YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/a48266/videos Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/intellectual-history

"Self-Made" success is now an American badge of honor that rewards individualist ambitions while it hammers against community obligations. Yet, four centuries ago, our foundational stories actually disparaged ambitious upstarts as dangerous and selfish threats to a healthy society. In Pamela Walker Laird's fascinating history of why and how storytellers forged this American myth, she reveals how the goals for self-improvement evolved from serving the community to supporting individualist dreams of wealth and esteem. Simplistic stories of self-made success and failure emerged that disregarded people's advantages and disadvantages and fostered inequality. Fortunately, Self-Made also recovers long-standing, alternative traditions of self-improvement to serve the common good. These challenges to the myth have offered inspiration, often coming, surprisingly, from Americans associated with self-made success, such as Benjamin Franklin, Frederick Douglass, and Horatio Alger. Here are real stories that show that no one lives – no one succeeds or fails – in a vacuum. Pamela Walker Laird is Professor Emerita of History at the University of Colorado Denver. Laird's publications include her newest book, Self-Made: The Stories that Forged an American Myth (Cambridge University Press, 2025); Pull: Networking and Success Since Benjamin Franklin (Harvard University Press, 2006), which won the 2006 Hagley Prize for the best book in business history and is available in Chinese; and Advertising Progress: American Business and the Rise of Consumer Marketing (Johns Hopkins University Press, 1998), a Choice Outstanding Academic Book. Morteza Hajizadeh is a Ph.D. graduate in English from the University of Auckland in New Zealand. His research interests are Cultural Studies; Critical Theory; Environmental History; Medieval (Intellectual) History; Gothic Studies; 18th and 19th Century British Literature. YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/a48266/videos Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/american-studies

On today's episode, Laird breaks down the massive internal debate gripping the community: Has Sorare Colors actually surpassed Sorare Pro? While Pro has been the backbone of the platform for years, the dopamine hit of the Gems grind, pack-opening mechanics, and fast-paced progression boards has managers asking a dangerous question... is this format just more fun to play?We dive into the F2P vs. Pay-to-Win dynamic of Colors, why liquidity is draining out of the Pro market, and whether Sorare has accidentally built a side-game that eclipses the main event.Support the content by joining the Laird Social Club on Patreon: https://patreon.com/andrewmlaird⚽️ Become a Sorare manager today: https://sorare.pxf.io/WyLBnZ

The World Cup is so so close, and the Sorare Colors mechanics are completely changing how we approach daily fantasy football. In today's episode of Sorare with Laird, Laird and @HarryTrades are breaking down the ultimate guide to building optimal lineups for the Colors Set progression board!With the unique Global Cup schedule leaving zero overlapping games, the old strategy textbook gets thrown out the window. We're diving deep into strategies of:⚽ Same-team stacking vs. Match-day spacing: Which maximizes your ceiling?⚽ When it actually makes sense to stack BOTH teams in a single chaotic fixture.⚽ How to manage your daily lineups to safely clear the 5-step progression board.

6 Hours and 16 MinutesPG-13This is the complete audio of Pete reading 'Crying Wolf: Hate Crime Hoaxes in America' by Laird Wilcox.Antelope Hill - Promo code "peteq" for 5% off - https://antelopehillpublishing.com/FoxnSons Coffee - Promo code "peter" for 18% off - https://www.foxnsons.com/Pete and Thomas777 'At the Movies'Support Pete on His WebsitePete's PatreonPete's SubstackPete's SubscribestarPete's GUMROADPete's VenmoPete's Buy Me a CoffeePete on FacebookPete on TwitterBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-pete-quinones-show--6071361/support.

Could our own Ken Laird call Brayan Bello's first game back in the minors?

Can a $100 budget propel us straight into the high hot streaks? In this episode of SorareAndrews, Laird is buying and spending 750 gems to rip open 15 Gold Packs in Sorare Colors!Each Gold Pack comes with 5 cards:

Jamie Lee, executive producer and writer on Ted Lasso, writer/ star of Crashing, and Lisa Vanderpump of Gowanas is in the studio to chat SATC S2E2 “The Awful Truth.” Charlotte adopts a Jack Russell Terrorist, Samantha finds allyship with her therapist and breaks up with her tiny penis boyfriend, Miranda experiments with dirty talk, The Girls get messy over mezze when Big shows up to Carrie's birthday dinner, and the world is introduced to the best girl to bring to any gathering: Susan Sharon.  We lament over the loss of whimsy in character names (see: Booth Jonathan, Laird, and Mimi-Rose Howard,) petition for themed restaurants to make a resurgence, explain how friends like Susan Sharon are the hack to applying the Pomodoro Method to a social excursion (fodder queen,) and analyze how getting filler is an anxiety response. We know we're going to see Jamie's investigative and heartfelt stand up special My Friend Katy at Joe's Pub June 16th. Find your tickets at @reallyjamielee!  Use code GIRLSREWATCH at jonesroadbeauty.com to get a Free Gift with your first purchase! #JonesRoadBeauty #ad Go to weightwatchers.com/GIRLSREWATCH to get a special offer for our listeners. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Who knew the boss-man had spittin' skills!

Discover the unique American spirit of Chicken Cock's Old Glory, a special, highly innovative whiskey crafted in celebration of the nation's 250th anniversary. In this episode of Bourbon Lens, we explore the historic significance, stunning patriotic artwork, and the remarkable liquid collaboration behind this iconic bottle.We break down the innovative liquid profile: a 100-proof marriage of premium Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey and Laird's Apple Brandy. You will get our full, unfiltered personal impressions and detailed tasting notes—from the initial baking spice and citrus zest on the nose to the complex stewed fruit and balanced vanilla notes on the palate.Whether you are a hardcore fan of traditional rye whiskey, an admirer of historic apple brandy traditions, or a collector looking for an affordable way to commemorate American distilling heritage, this heritage brand mashup is a must-try bottle that absolutely delivers on value. Dive in with us as we experience a true taste of Americana!Episode Chapters & Timestamps:00:00 - Introduction to Chicken Cock's Old Glory Whiskey & America's 250th00:28 - Liquid Breakdown: Kentucky Rye Meets Laird's Apple Brandy (100 Proof)01:58 - Historical Context: Two Heritage Spirits Brands Aligning02:22 - Official Tasting Notes: Nose, Palate, & Flavor Profile Insights03:13 - Personal Impressions & Cultural Significance for American Distillers03:42 - Community Involvement, Swag, Merchandise, & Patreon PerksResources & Featured Links:Featured Whiskey: Chicken Cock Old Glory WhiskeySupport the Show: Bourbon Lens Patreon Want Our Merch: Buy NowSubscribe & Community Links

Is Sorare still a game, or has it just become a full-time job of chasing ROI?In today's episode of Sorare with Laird, I'm joined by  @HarryTrades  to tackle a question that's been on a lot of managers' minds lately: are we actually allowed to have fun on this platform anymore?With the constant pressure of In-Season competitions requiring you to buy new cards week after week, it's easy to get caught up in the financial grind. Today, we're breaking away from the spreadsheets and ROI calculations to talk about what makes this game genuinely enjoyable.We're diving into:• The reality of the In-Season vs. Classic card dynamic.• How to build collections and galleries for the pure joy of the sport.• Can you find a balance between competitive utility and casual fun?• Our favorite "non-meta" ways to play Sorare right now.Drop your thoughts in the chat—are you playing for the profit, the passion, or trying to balance both?Support the content by joining the Laird Social Club on Patreon: https://patreon.com/andrewmlairdJoin the Harry Trades YouTube community: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8HSj8vZDHSGmk5yP46SjtQ/membership⚽️ Become a Sorare manager today: https://sorare.pxf.io/WyLBnZ

The Blues Man, Ken Laird, hits a Stevie Vai Show.. and so does Dale Ordway // Ken pushes back on the Patriots "average roster" narrative // Big Papi hopes Jason Varitek can make it back into the Red Sox family //

6 Hours and 16 MinutesPG-13This is the complete audio of Pete reading 'Crying Wolf: Hate Crime Hoaxes in America' by Laird Wilcox.Antelope Hill - Promo code "peteq" for 5% off - https://antelopehillpublishing.com/FoxnSons Coffee - Promo code "peter" for 18% off - https://www.foxnsons.com/Pete and Thomas777 'At the Movies'Support Pete on His WebsitePete's PatreonPete's SubstackPete's SubscribestarPete's GUMROADPete's VenmoPete's Buy Me a CoffeePete on FacebookPete on TwitterBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-pete-quinones-show--6071361/support.

It's This Week in Bourbon for May 8th 2026. Tariffs between Scotland and the US have been removed, the American Craft Spirits Association (ACSA) has unveiled the Certified Craft Seal, and Stitzel Reserve 31-Year-Old Bourbon Whiskey. Show Notes: President Trump pledges removal of 10% Scotch whisky tariffs to restore trade relations John McKillop releases novel Bourbon Brothers featuring rare real-world bottles Give 270 hosts Bourbon Strong 50-4-50 raffle benefiting Feeding America American Craft Spirits Association launches TTB-approved Certified Craft Seal Old Fourth Distillery rebrands spirits portfolio starting with Cane-Based Vodka Chicken Cock and Laird's collaborate on Old Glory Rye and Apple Brandy blend Jack Daniel's debuts ultra-premium Halo MK1 McLaren F1 Team collaboration Stitzel-Weller releases $3,000 Stitzel Reserve 31-Year-Old Bourbon at 163.2 proof 15 STARS debuts Kentucke County™ line to celebrate America's 250th anniversary Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices